# Difficulty Finding Plow for DRW 3500



## Ex1900Driver (Jan 2, 2007)

I am sorry if this might seem like an easy or trivial question but I am having a little bit of trouble finding plows that will fit a couple of trucks I am looking at.

I am looking to but a Ford F350 or F450 or a Dodge Ram 3500. Sorry GM guys and gals... I just don' t like the new look of the GM's.

I will be getting whichever one I end up selecting with dual rear wheels and diesel power. As of right now I am leaning towards the Ford simply because of the vast selection of plows that the different manufacturers _recommend_ for the truck.

In researching plows the Ford seems to accept ALLOT more plows than the Dodge does. I can't seem to find any plow company that will _recommend_ a plow for the Dodge, and if they do it's usually a pretty lightweight option.

What kind of input do you Dodge 3500 owners have.

Thanks in advance
GDC


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## theguynextdoor (Sep 18, 2007)

I don't know too much about this, but I think you will find that there are many people that have plows on Dodge 3500 Cummins. The dealers don't recommend it because teh cummins is so heavy on the front end already without the plow. But a lot of people put commercial plows on them without problems. This is just what I've seen on this site, not first hand.


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## PLOWMAN45 (Jul 2, 2003)

lot of my friends have duallys with diesels and gassers they run 8ft blades max fisher meyer and westerns get a meyer a little easier on the truck


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## mc1 (Mar 2, 2007)

do not run anything less than eight and a half feet wide with a dually you will be very annoyed with the mess your rear outside tires will make i used to have a 2002 f 350 dually diesel with a 8.5 ft fisher with prowings it was a great set up i now have a 08 550 with a 9 ft x blade


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## Ex1900Driver (Jan 2, 2007)

I appreciate the answers so far, keep them coming... I have to run to work for now. Back home in a few days. 

Thanks
GDC


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## Detroitdan (Aug 15, 2005)

My dually is a dually pickup, not a drw cab and chassis, so it's wider. 8 feet at the rear fenders. So I knew an 8 footer wouldn't be wide enough. This really leaves you with three options, 9 foot straight, 9.2 Vee or 810 Blizzard. I went with the 810, and haven't looked back. I could even stand to have more width to keep my outside duals out of the snow longer, but that's the biggest plow I can carry. My truck is long too, so the longer the truck the sooner the outside rears encounter the snow you just plowed. If you get a c&c a 8.5 might work, but you'll appreciate more width. If you are talking about a dually pickup, go as big as you can. I gaurantee you won't be happy with an 8 or 8.5, especially if you get a crew or extended cab, or an extended CA. A diesel 1 ton will push it, so don't go smaller thinking 9 is too big. And I personally would go with a heavy duty plow like a Fisher or Blizzard, rather than a Meyer or Curtis. Whatever you get, buy commercial, it's worth it in the long run.
And if you really don't want to do the right thing and get a GM, then go with the Ford. Even though they are crappy cheapass junk that needs frontend work every six months, they are still a better work truck than the Dodge. The only thing Dodge has going for it is the Cummins engine. And dealers aren't afraid to put a real plow on a Ford, unlike Dodge which expects you to run a 7 foot plow on a freaking work truck. A Dodge with a Cummins will handle a big plow, but good luck getting anything warranteed.
There, just wanted to get my cheap shots in first. hee hee hee


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## PolyPlowBoss (Dec 12, 2007)

My '01 dually, has a Boss poly-v plow, 9'2". This truck rocks plowing snow. Everytime I plow with it, I get more impressed. This truck is literally unstoppable!!!
Forget the Ford PowerJoke! You'll be sorry. The Chevy is just too weak!!(people-hauler).

Ford:
For Old ******** Drivers,
Fix or Repair Daily,
Found On Road Dead,
ETC.ETC.ETC.
Enough said!!

Look at everyone's opinion about a Dodge:
http://www.cumminsforum.com/


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## Detroitdan (Aug 15, 2005)

What's the matter, couldn't lift a steel plow? I benchpress 950 up front and 4000 in back with no timbrens.


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## PLOWMAN45 (Jul 2, 2003)

PolyPlowBoss;548447 said:


> My '01 dually, has a Boss poly-v plow, 9'2". This truck rocks plowing snow. Everytime I plow with it, I get more impressed. This truck is literally unstoppable!!!
> Forget the Ford PowerJoke! You'll be sorry. The Chevy is just too weak!!(people-hauler).
> 
> Ford:
> ...


chevy to weak give me a break i have no problems


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## Krieger91 (Feb 7, 2008)

Thought I'd throw in one

"Driver Returns On Foot" 

And, I'd go with the Ford. People I've talked to who own Dodges and Ford's say they have more problems with the Dodge's, even without plows on them.

Ford's are good vehicles. My family owns 3 of them (a Taurus, Escort, and Brono II) so far, nothing has stopped but trees.;


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## PolyPlowBoss (Dec 12, 2007)

Krieger91;548534 said:


> Thought I'd throw in one you forgot:
> 
> "Driver Returns On Foot"


Now that's a good one. I'll have to remember that.:bluebounc



Krieger91;548534 said:


> And, I'd go with the Ford. People I've talked to who own Dodges and Ford's say they have more problems with the Dodge's, even without plows on them.


The only problems I have is paying for the tires!!payup:crying:



Krieger91;548534 said:


> Ford's are good vehicles. My family owns 3 of them (a Taurus, Escort, and Brono II) so far, nothing has stopped but trees.;


That's not fair!! You can't include the Escort. It's in a family of it's own, like the Honda Accord, K-car, and the Toyota Celica. These cars were indestructible!!
The Ford pickups are a joke. For example, there is a Powerjoke that requires you to pull the whole cab off just to get to the turbo.
I had two newer Chevy's before I got my Dodge (01 & 04). They were both always breaking down. The drivetrain, which is the most important, is very weak! I towed my big work trailer with the truck (01 2500HD) once, and I was really worried about it making it where I needed to go. Chevy's just can't do real work like they used to.
Don't get me wrong. I was a big Chevy fan my whole life. But after spending $38000 on junk, I was really disappointed. Then I bought the Dodge, my first one. This truck is badass!! Constantly impressing me. I've towed things like a 1974 *14' X 70' mobile home* (not travel trailer), big heavy 1-ton trucks on a trailer, big loads of slate and tile, etc. This truck is nearly unstoppable. It's not a very comfortable truck, nor is it very pleasant to look at, but the drivetrain just works!!!!!!!
I'm not being a Dodge fanatic that doesn't listen to reason, like I used to be about Chevy's. I'm basing my opinion on my experience with this truck, as well as my experience with Chevy. I'm so impressed with the Dodge, that I will never buy another truck (unless something good changes with Chevy's drivetrain in the future).



Detroitdan;548534 said:


> What's the matter, couldn't lift a steel plow? I benchpress 950 up front and 4000 in back with no timbrens.


Since Detroitdan doesn't do his research, I'll learn him the facts!! 
The Poly-V weighs more than the steel-V, as the extra ribbing that is required for supporting the poly, so it doesn't flex and break. So, my truck is carrying more weight than anyone with a steel plow. This truck eats it up and wants more.
One last thing, people are always saying that dually trucks do terrible in the snow. But my truck literally shattered that notion in my mind.
You're going to buy what you buy, and Ford and Chevy freaks are going to buy what they buy. But to me, I want something that works, and works well. I'm sold.


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## Detroitdan (Aug 15, 2005)

PolyPlowBoss;548614 said:


> I had two newer Chevy's before I got my Dodge (01 & 04). They were both always breaking down. The drivetrain, which is the most important, is very weak! I towed my big work trailer with the truck (01 2500HD) once, and I was really worried about it making it where I needed to go. Chevy's just can't do real work like they used to.BS. Chevy has a stronger drivetrain. I've seen a lot more Dodge 1 tons with trans failures, rear axle problems and remember when the 94-96 Rams had the frontends falling out?
> This truck is badass!! Constantly impressing me. Only thing badass about it is the borrowed motor, that came from a company that builds real motors. I've towed things like a 1974 *14' X 70' mobile home* (not travel trailer), big heavy 1-ton trucks on a trailer, big loads of slate and tile, etc. whoopee. I towed a daycab TT with a 40 ft box on it. I also pulled out an International 4700 wrecker attached to a Hino wrecker attached to a Ford Crown Vic., all uphillThis truck is nearly unstoppable. It's not a very comfortable truck, nor is it very pleasant to look atfinally, we agree on something!, but the drivetrain just works!!!!!!!I abuse my truck a lot worse than I would like, and it hasn't let me down
> I will never buy another truck (unless something good changes with Chevy's drivetrain in the future). Please. The Chevy drivetrain is solid as a rock, has been since Dodge was making W series trucks that couldn't push a 7 foot Meyers without pooching the 727 Torqueflite every winter.
> The Cummins is the ONLY thing Dodge has going for it
> ...


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## Krieger91 (Feb 7, 2008)

So far, all of the Ford's we have have refused to die. The only thing that made the Escort and Bronco II we have stop running, is that they were in accidents involving trees.

My dad also own a 1991 K1500 Silverado. It's done unbeleivable work. I've seen this thing haul and do anything we've thrown at it, and it's got about 470,000 miles on it! But, we think his truck was special ordered when it was made, because it has a 5-speed manual tranny, and many of the rear parts (springs, axle, etc) are bigger than the K15's are. We think somebody special ordered it with a 3/4 or 1 ton rear end, and that helps to make that truck unstoppable.


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## Detroitdan (Aug 15, 2005)

Krieger91;548674 said:


> My dad also own a 1991 K1500 Silverado. It's done unbeleivable work. I've seen this thing haul and do anything we've thrown at it, and it's got about 470,000 miles on it! But, we think his truck was special ordered when it was made, because it has a 5-speed manual tranny, and many of the rear parts (springs, axle, etc) are bigger than the K15's are. We think somebody special ordered it with a 3/4 or 1 ton rear end, and that helps to make that truck unstoppable.


I've seen one like that. I can't remember if it said 1500 or 2500 on the door, but it was an ext-cab longbed 2wd with 6 lug front wheels and 8 lug rears. Guy told me it was ordered from the factory that way, and this was back when it was still a new truck, so it seemed believable.


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## Krieger91 (Feb 7, 2008)

Detroitdan;548687 said:


> I've seen one like that. I can't remember if it said 1500 or 2500 on the door, but it was an ext-cab longbed 2wd with 6 lug front wheels and 8 lug rears. Guy told me it was ordered from the factory that way, and this was back when it was still a new truck, so it seemed believable.


We don't know if it came from the factory that way or not...we think so because of how it was done. He bought it used some 10 or 12 years ago. It's a 1500 Extended cab longbed, 4WD, and I think all the wheels are of the 6 lug variety.

In fact, I'm sure my dad's truck has 6 lug wheels. My K20 has 8-lug wheels, and I'd never seen it before.


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## Detroitdan (Aug 15, 2005)

it's a half ton or light duty 2500 rearend then, if it's still got 6 lug wheels. Might have a towing package or something that would give you more springs and bigger shocks was two different rearends available, you're probably comparing one with the better one to the lighter one. But it's not 3/4 or 1 ton if it doesn't have 8 lugs.


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## festerw (Sep 25, 2003)

Just wondering if you're looking at a 450 Superduty why not a Dodge or Sterling 4500?


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## Krieger91 (Feb 7, 2008)

Detroitdan;548710 said:


> it's a half ton or light duty 2500 rearend then, if it's still got 6 lug wheels. Might have a towing package or something that would give you more springs and bigger shocks was two different rearends available, you're probably comparing one with the better one to the lighter one. But it's not 3/4 or 1 ton if it doesn't have 8 lugs.


That would make sense. All we know is that its stronger than a normal 1/2 ton rear end. IT's hauled more with no issues than any other half-ton I've seen.


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## Ex1900Driver (Jan 2, 2007)

festerw;548763 said:


> Just wondering if you're looking at a 450 Superduty why not a Dodge or Sterling 4500?


Well, I got back from flying my trip (JFK Airport suck on a Friday Night) and find all these replies... Thanks everyone. It seems I have opened a small can of worms. Dodge, Ford, GM, oh my... decisions decisions.

I love the looks of the Sterling 4500 although I would like to stick to a conventional crew cab pickup rather than a chassis truck.

As for GM, again I can't justify the purchase of something this expensive that I am going to keep for a while if I simply don't find it aesthetically pleasing.

So just to keep the conversation going, when I input the specs of a Dodge 3500 DRW with a diesel power plant into the "Select a Plow" or "Smart Match" programs the manufacturers have, most plow makers simply don't have any selections to pick from. Does that mean if I select... say a 9.5ft boss V, would they install it for me, or am I voiding the warranty on whatever truck, dodge in this example I buy??


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## festerw (Sep 25, 2003)

Ex1900Driver;548777 said:


> I love the looks of the Sterling 4500 although I would like to stick to a conventional crew cab pickup rather than a chassis truck.


You could always get the chassis cab and have a Warner Body pickup bed put on it so it looks like this


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## Ex1900Driver (Jan 2, 2007)

festerw;548796 said:


> You could always get the chassis cab and have a Warner Body pickup bed put on it so it looks like this


Oh you had to go and make it even more difficult didn't you...


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## Krieger91 (Feb 7, 2008)

Ex1900Driver;548777 said:


> Well, I got back from flying my trip (JFK Airport suck on a Friday Night) and find all these replies... Thanks everyone. It seems I have opened a small can of worms. Dodge, Ford, GM, oh my... decisions decisions.
> 
> I love the looks of the Sterling 4500 although I would like to stick to a conventional crew cab pickup rather than a chassis truck.
> 
> ...


Usually, modifying the vehicle in ANY way voids the warranty.

Usually mind you, not always.


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## festerw (Sep 25, 2003)

Ex1900Driver;548805 said:


> Oh you had to go and make it even more difficult didn't you...


Just to stir the pot some more, it may end up being cheaper than a 450 Super Duty with similar options.


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## PLOWMAN45 (Jul 2, 2003)

this whole thread got hijacked between ford and dodge


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## Ex1900Driver (Jan 2, 2007)

PLOWMAN45;548868 said:


> this whole thread got hijacked between ford and dodge


I did notice that, but all the information I can get is fine with me.

OK, so I did a little more research and found out that The Fords accept the largest selection of plows from the majority of the different plow manufacturers.

If I get a Dodge / Sterling 4500 / 5500 chassis, same with those, bigger selection although I'd have to have a bed put on it and based on the information I have Warner Bodies is the only people who will handle pickup beds on those platforms. I would have to take the truck to then and have it done at an extra cost and time. I am waiting for Warner bodies to send me more information about the process.

So, on the information I have now based on a truck that I don't have to put a bed on...
2 options or decisions or opinions to choose from, and I know it will be like choosing between what each of you thinks is the best. Oh by the way, I would prefer a V plow just to narrow down the possibilities.

1. Ford F450 DRW Crew Cab, Diesel Power Plant with _______________________ Insert your V plow choice in the blank.

2. Dodge 3500 DRW Quad Cab, Long Box, Diesel Power Plant with a Fisher or Meyer V Plow (Select which one you think is the best.)

Thanks again Everyone
GDC


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