# 1999 Chevy 3500 vs 1998 S10 Blazer



## DBFlawn (Dec 6, 2008)

Hey guys I have been registered here for a while now but haven't visited in a long time.

But anyway I would like to get in to the snow removal biz but I have a few questions for you all if you wouldn't mind helping me out.

One is that I will be aiming to get around 12 driveways for first season. These driveways are about 3 car lengths long and 2 cars wide. I have the choice to use either a 1999 Chevy 3500 with a 12 foot flatbed 2wd. Or a 1998 S10 blazer 4x4. Which one would I be better off in? I know the Silverado is 2wd but with enough weight in the back would I be fine (since these driveways are flat) Or would I be better off using the blazer just because its 4wd. 

Either way I would be buying a new/used plow for which ever I decide to use so that's not a big deal.

Also what would you guys charge per push for driveways like this? $25-$30? and how much time would you expect to spend on each of these drives?

Thanks to all who help me out. Hope you all had a Great Christmas and Happy New Year!


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## DBFlawn (Dec 6, 2008)

Also I have completely forgot to mention that I have done quite a bit of searching on my question an have found out that it's about 50-50 for using the 2wd Silverado for driveways. While a lot of people like the blazers for dives but it tears the blazer a part. I was just wondering on which you guys would use in my situation. Buying a 1/2 4x4 wont cut it this year.

Thanks again!


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## show-n-go (Feb 5, 2009)

That flatbed will be way to big for just driveway work. I have the same truck. (my avatar pic)
The blazer is the right size you just need to make sure it is mechanically sound and don't beat on it. 
As far as what to charge, it's different in all area's so you need to speak with someone in your market.


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## Seaway25 (Sep 15, 2009)

If those are your only options I would use the blazer. I used a Bravada with a Snoway last year. It worked well, but it was definitely tired by the end of the season.


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## DBFlawn (Dec 6, 2008)

show-n-go;940715 said:


> That flatbed will be way to big for just driveway work. I have the same truck. (my avatar pic)
> The blazer is the right size you just need to make sure it is mechanically sound and don't beat on it.
> As far as what to charge, it's different in all area's so you need to speak with someone in your market.


Yeah I sort of figured that. The reason I asked though is I know that the Silverado wil be around a lot longer than the blazer will and I know that if I put a plow on the Silverado then I could always take that off and mount it on a 3/4 ton 4x4 when I get one. But I couldn't put a 6'6' Snowway on a 3/4 ton.

How does you truck plow in general though. Not ignoring your advise just exploring all options and opinions.

The blazer is in very good shape. Runs very well but has 140,000 miles on it but just got all new brakes, shocks and front end parts.

Thanks for your input


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## DBFlawn (Dec 6, 2008)

Seaway25;940720 said:


> If those are your only options I would use the blazer. I used a Bravada with a Snoway last year. It worked well, but it was definitely tired by the end of the season.


How did you like the Snow way on it? Also if I am correct don't they come with a down pressure kit for back dragging? What do you mean by "tired"? Was it shifting hard or was the front end just worn out.

Thanks


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## show-n-go (Feb 5, 2009)

DBFlawn;940731 said:


> Yeah I sort of figured that. The reason I asked though is I know that the Silverado wil be around a lot longer than the blazer will and I know that if I put a plow on the Silverado then I could always take that off and mount it on a 3/4 ton 4x4 when I get one. But I couldn't put a 6'6' Snowway on a 3/4 ton.
> 
> How does you truck plow in general though. Not ignoring your advise just exploring all options and opinions.
> 
> ...


It plows great, but it has a 9ft blade on it. I have only been stuck a few times and it was my fault for running up on a pile, if you use your head you won't have any problems as far as driving with 2wd and plowing. 
Do you already have the 3500? if so drive it in a few driveways and try to manuver around with it, then figure your going to add a few feet to the front of it and see if you can still move around. I have a 3 car driveway that is about 3 cars long and with the plow on my truck it is very hard to remove snow, Back drag only... For parking lots and bigger areas it is awsome, but it is a pain to even park it in my driveway, and if there is another car in the drive forget about it.
Another thought, if you own both of these vehicles already maybe you could trade them or sell them for a 1/2 ton or 3/4 ton truck.


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## hydro_37 (Sep 10, 2006)

The 2WD wil; suck for driveways.
The Blazer will work but if your gonna get rid of it for a 3/4 ton then just wait till you get that truck and put a blade on it.
your pricing sounds about right.
A little late to start snow removal business this late in the season IMO


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## DBFlawn (Dec 6, 2008)

show-n-go;940750 said:


> It plows great, but it has a 9ft blade on it. I have only been stuck a few times and it was my fault for running up on a pile, if you use your head you won't have any problems as far as driving with 2wd and plowing.
> Do you already have the 3500? if so drive it in a few driveways and try to manuver around with it, then figure your going to add a few feet to the front of it and see if you can still move around. I have a 3 car driveway that is about 3 cars long and with the plow on my truck it is very hard to remove snow, Back drag only... For parking lots and bigger areas it is awsome, but it is a pain to even park it in my driveway, and if there is another car in the drive forget about it.
> Another thought, if you own both of these vehicles already maybe you could trade them or sell them for a 1/2 ton or 3/4 ton truck.


Well here's the thing. The 3500 is my dad's. He owns a fence company so all our trucks and equipment sit during the winter months and hes actually the one who brought up the idea of actually using it instead of the blazer. The Blazer is personally mine. So there is really no way for that option.

Now I just went out and measured my drive way and its 19 feet wide by 49 feet long. By taking a quick look at it I feel that I should be able to maneuver the 3500 around with back dragging but nothing is for sure until the trucks in the driveway obviously and I am unsure on where I would pile the snow.

Would I leave the snow at the end of the driveway and back it and push it across the street as long as it okay with their neighbors? Or would I come in on an angle and push it back into their lawn?


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## DBFlawn (Dec 6, 2008)

hydro_37;940769 said:


> The 2WD wil; suck for driveways.
> The Blazer will work but if your gonna get rid of it for a 3/4 ton then just wait till you get that truck and put a blade on it.
> your pricing sounds about right.
> A little late to start snow removal business this late in the season IMO


Do you feel that will a good amount of ballast that it is do able though?

Also I am not sure when this 3/4 ton truck would come in. I was hoping after about one maybe two years of plowing I would be able to afford one. Then on top of that I would have to buy another plow. That's why I was thinking that maybe I could get by with the 3500 for a season or two and when I do upgrade to the 3/4 ton for me I could just take the plow off that and buy the different mount that I would need.

Also forgot to state that this wouldn't start up till next year anyway.

Thanks for your input


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## Steve G. (Jan 18, 2009)

DBFlawn;940784 said:


> Do you feel that will a good amount of ballast that it is do able though?
> 
> Also I am not sure when this 3/4 ton truck would come in. I was hoping after about one maybe two years of plowing I would be able to afford one. Then on top of that I would have to buy another plow. That's why I was thinking that maybe I could get by with the 3500 for a season or two and when I do upgrade to the 3/4 ton for me I could just take the plow off that and buy the different mount that I would need.
> 
> ...


If it's not til next year then I would save up, sell the blazer, yeah you'll lose on the deal, and buy a 1/2 or 3/4 ton regular cab truck.

A few nice trucks are:
chevy 2500 w/ 350 or 454 gas auto or stick... ford 250 w/ a 7.3 diesel or 5.8l gas auto or stick... dodge 2500 with 12v cummins and a stick. These are basically all in the 1990 decade, so price should be around 5k, of course it all depends.
Just to give you an idea what to CL for pricing etc...

Now to answer your main Q, I would go with the blazer.


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## DBFlawn (Dec 6, 2008)

Well it seems that from the situation that I am in right now I'm better off just sticking with the blazer to use. Do you guys recommend a plow on it that would stand up to about 12 driveways? How do they Snow ways hold up? 

Now I will keep my eye out for the right deal on a 1/2 or 3/4 ton but i dont think that would be my best option because i would also need to buy a plow for that unless I got really luck and found one that came with a plow for a great price.

I know it seems that people are favoring the blazer but does anyone else have any inputs on the 3500?

Thanks to all who have responded


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## Steve G. (Jan 18, 2009)

DBFlawn;940834 said:


> Well it seems that from the situation that I am in right now I'm better off just sticking with the blazer to use. Do you guys recommend a plow on it that would stand up to about 12 driveways? How do they Snow ways hold up?
> 
> Now I will keep my eye out for the right deal on a 1/2 or 3/4 ton but i dont think that would be my best option because i would also need to buy a plow for that unless I got really luck and found one that came with a plow for a great price.
> 
> ...


If it won't start til' next year, then why buy the plow now? Wait a little find a good deal on a 3/4 w/ plow in the spring...there should be plenty. Good prices in the spring + current economy = :bluebounc good deal


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## flykelley (Dec 29, 2003)

The blazer is well suited for driveways, so if all you are going to do is driveways the Blazer is the only way to go. The 3500 is much better for parking lots, you need lots of room to turn that beast around.

Mike


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## DBFlawn (Dec 6, 2008)

Steve G.;940980 said:


> If it won't start til' next year, then why buy the plow now? Wait a little find a good deal on a 3/4 w/ plow in the spring...there should be plenty. Good prices in the spring + current economy = :bluebounc good deal


Yeah I don't plan on buying a plow till the snows gone. And with the snow that we have gotten here in Chicago so far it just got me thinking. I'm the type of person that likes to have a plan of action so i just thought that i should start exploring my options now and since I had nothing to do today, I thought that I would come on here and see what the professionals had to say about my situation since after all you guys have had way more experience than me since I've had NONE LOL.


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## green frog (Jan 2, 2007)

I would go with the blazer. I have a jeep cherokee that I added air bags to and frame stiffeners. I plowed 25 driveways 2003-2006 and put a plow back on it last winter as a back up truck. It has 100,000 miles on it and is still a daily driver. If you are anal about the maitenance it will last.


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## DBFlawn (Dec 6, 2008)

green frog;941000 said:


> I would go with the blazer. I have a jeep cherokee that I added air bags to and frame stiffeners. I plowed 25 driveways 2003-2006 and put a plow back on it last winter as a back up truck. It has 100,000 miles on it and is still a daily driver. If you are anal about the maitenance it will last.


What kind of plow did you have on your Cherokee? How did you like it for driveways and was back dragging a problem? My Blazer has 140,000 on it the moment and it runs pretty good. Also I'm very good with maintenance too.


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## Seaway25 (Sep 15, 2009)

DBFlawn;940734 said:


> How did you like the Snow way on it? Also if I am correct don't they come with a down pressure kit for back dragging? What do you mean by "tired"? Was it shifting hard or was the front end just worn out.
> 
> Thanks


The snoway with down pressure was great. The transmission was fine. I just wore out the front end and the tires. Burned out an alternator. I did way more work with it than I should have, and it never let me down. There was 137k miles on it when I sold it this summer. It was great for driveways. I miss it now on a few spots that my 2500 with a 9 footer on it hardly fits.


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## hydro_37 (Sep 10, 2006)

Your Blazer with a Sno-Way on it would be an excellent driveway rig.
Used plows in the spring are cheaper too.


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## DBFlawn (Dec 6, 2008)

Seaway25;941273 said:


> The snoway with down pressure was great. The transmission was fine. I just wore out the front end and the tires. Burned out an alternator. I did way more work with it than I should have, and it never let me down. There was 137k miles on it when I sold it this summer. It was great for driveways. I miss it now on a few spots that my 2500 with a 9 footer on it hardly fits.


I have been looking at the Snow ways a lot because they are lighter and they also have the down pressure kit which would really help me with drive ways. Wearing out the front end and tires dont really bother me all that much because thats a lot cheaper to fix or replace than a motor or tranny.


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## DBFlawn (Dec 6, 2008)

hydro_37;941314 said:


> Your Blazer with a Sno-Way on it would be an excellent driveway rig.
> Used plows in the spring are cheaper too.


Would you recommend the 6' 8" or the 7' 6"?

Also what would a used one run and what do you look for in a used plow so that you know it will be trouble free?

Thanks again everyone for all your help. It has already been greatly helpful to me. :salute:


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## JeepTJ (Nov 4, 2006)

If you're planning on going the Sno-Way route, you should check the availability of the different models for the truck you end up selecting. The ST & MT series are no longer made and mounts are often very difficult to find. Also you should be checking the Sno-Way forum, below for more info.

Fran


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## ajman21 (Oct 30, 2009)

just to help u ball park i customized my mount to fit my truck and paid 500 for plow and pump it plows realy well. the only issue ive had is it seams to take a toll on my batteries voltage. Im thinking bout buying a yellow top and a higher amp alternator when i get the money saved up for it.


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## ajman21 (Oct 30, 2009)

i forgot to mention u will need to crank ur torsion bars unless uve got a lift of some kind. I cranked mine to level with plow off bout ten turns. get an allignment done after words if u want to save ur tires.


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## DBFlawn (Dec 6, 2008)

ajman21;943780 said:


> just to help u ball park i customized my mount to fit my truck and paid 500 for plow and pump it plows realy well. the only issue ive had is it seams to take a toll on my batteries voltage. Im thinking bout buying a yellow top and a higher amp alternator when i get the money saved up for it.


What type of set up are you running right now? Also the voltage thing doesn't really bother me all that much because i already have a yellow top in it at the moment that s about 2 years old. And have looked at the 200 amp alternators which seems to be running about $150.00. I have 2 Subs in there at the moment which is why i looked into the alternators along with a capacitor.


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## DBFlawn (Dec 6, 2008)

ajman21;944487 said:


> i forgot to mention u will need to crank ur torsion bars unless uve got a lift of some kind. I cranked mine to level with plow off bout ten turns. get an allignment done after words if u want to save ur tires.


I didnt event think about this thanks. Doesn't someone make something like this except you don't need an alignment. Timberins I think? How hard are they to install?

Thanks again


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## ajman21 (Oct 30, 2009)

i have an old two spring western blade 7'6" and a meyer E-47 pump the plow mount came off a full size but it wasn't to bad to modify with a welder and plazma cutter. about the timbrens i looked into them, they ran bout 200 bucks for my truck and looked easy to install, but i figured it was cheeper to get a alignment for fifty bucks. cranking the torsion bars themselves is really easy. I might still get the timbrens one of these days as it depends on how fast i wear out front end parts.


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## ppap (Oct 17, 2009)

I mounted a new 6.8 Snowdogg on my ZR2 S10 this year. Its worked very well for me however there are a few things to consider. I chose the Snowdogg with the stainless steel blade over the poly snoway primarily because of the price. The Snoway was almost $1000 more and less durable than the MD68. Add the cost of the Timbrens - $200 and installation of the plow (unless you do it yourself) and you are looking at around $4000. For that kind of money, you can buy an older used 3/4 ton with a plow already on it and still keep your Blazer as a daily driver. Its very difficult to find a used 6.8 plow that fits the S10. If you do find a used blade, you'll still have to buy the frame brackets and wiring harnesses which will not be cheap while hoping the used pump won't need any work. If the bottom line is money, price everything out before you make a decision. Don't forget to factor the cost of front end and possible transmission repairs after each year if you plan to plow commercially.


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## DBFlawn (Dec 6, 2008)

ajman21;945685 said:


> i have an old two spring western blade 7'6" and a meyer E-47 pump the plow mount came off a full size but it wasn't to bad to modify with a welder and plazma cutter. about the timbrens i looked into them, they ran bout 200 bucks for my truck and looked easy to install, but i figured it was cheeper to get a alignment for fifty bucks. cranking the torsion bars themselves is really easy. I might still get the timbrens one of these days as it depends on how fast i wear out front end parts.


How does your Blazer hold the 7' 6"? And fabricating the mount wouldn't be the biggest deal because we have a welder and plasma cutter at the shop and I'm pretty mechanical so I don't think that it would be a problem.

What benifits do you have with the Timbrens over just cranking the T-Bars? I know by cranking the bars you have a much stiffer ride right?


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## DBFlawn (Dec 6, 2008)

ppap;945779 said:


> I mounted a new 6.8 Snowdogg on my ZR2 S10 this year. Its worked very well for me however there are a few things to consider. I chose the Snowdogg with the stainless steel blade over the poly snoway primarily because of the price. The Snoway was almost $1000 more and less durable than the MD68. Add the cost of the Timbrens - $200 and installation of the plow (unless you do it yourself) and you are looking at around $4000. For that kind of money, you can buy an older used 3/4 ton with a plow already on it and still keep your Blazer as a daily driver. Its very difficult to find a used 6.8 plow that fits the S10. If you do find a used blade, you'll still have to buy the frame brackets and wiring harnesses which will not be cheap while hoping the used pump won't need any work. If the bottom line is money, price everything out before you make a decision. Don't forget to factor the cost of front end and possible transmission repairs after each year if you plan to plow commercially.


What type of plowing do you do with your Snowdogg and how much did it run you total? And yeah I have looked at the used trucks with plow and a decent one seems to be running about 5-6ish. Id really have to work my azz off this summer break be able to come up with that type of cash to buy a truck and pay for insurance and still have some money in the bank to allow for an unsuspected break down.

And yeah I have noticed that the smaller blades for these trucks are really hard to come buy used. I found one for sale for $1800.00. It was a used 6' 6" western with everything I needed but it was sold. 

I dont really plan to plow commercially. Well if by commercially you mean big parking lots and what not but I do plan on getting about 10-15 drive way accounts. The drives in my area are 20x50.

Also I sort of remember looking at the Snowdogs and if I remember correctly dont you have to manually move the blade? I'm probably wrong on this but I do remeber one brand where you had to do this.

Thanks again everyone for all your help! :salute:


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## ajman21 (Oct 30, 2009)

DBFlawn;946195 said:


> How does your Blazer hold the 7' 6"? And fabricating the mount wouldn't be the biggest deal because we have a welder and plasma cutter at the shop and I'm pretty mechanical so I don't think that it would be a problem.
> 
> What benifits do you have with the Timbrens over just cranking the T-Bars? I know by cranking the bars you have a much stiffer ride right?


without the plow it sets level, with the plow raised it sags down to stock ride hight. the great thing bout the 7'6" is that at full angel im still wider then the tires. and yes the t-bars did stiffen the ride a bit but I like the stiffer ride so it works for me. the timbrens actualy increase the load capacity of the truck at stock and prevent the truck from sagging beyond a set limit. go to the web site www.timbren.com


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## mud (Dec 15, 2005)

DBFlawn, you are thinking about snowbear plows. They lift with a winch and are manual turn.

The snowdoggs are a full featured plow that uses hydraulics to lift and turn.

I would also use the blazer for plowing. My one ton sucks in the snow without a huge amount of weight in the back and then still has a hard enough time moving itself let alone pushing snow.

For what you are looking at spending on a new plow you could likely find a mid ninteys 3/4 ton 4x4 with a plow already on it for about the same price come spring. Just a thought.


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## DBFlawn (Dec 6, 2008)

mud;946864 said:


> DBFlawn, you are thinking about snowbear plows. They lift with a winch and are manual turn.
> 
> The snowdoggs are a full featured plow that uses hydraulics to lift and turn.
> 
> ...


Thanks for clearing that up for me. Yeah I sure as heck don't want to be getting out and having to move the blade myself. But I guess what my best options are are to either get something for the blazer or keep an eye out for a 3/4 ton that already had a plow on it for the price of a new blade.

P.S. I have looked into the snow doggs a little bit and they seem to be very well built plows. just as good as a western, but about a grand cheaper.


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