# Plowing with 35's..........................



## nalegtx (Dec 22, 2008)

Got my 3" front lift, kit can clear 35's. I need new tires but can not afford a set of winters and summers. I want the bigger tire, but are 35x12.5 too wide for plowing? Anyone here plow with larger tires like this? how doe it work, and are there any clearance issues with the plow on if your leveled in front like mine with bigger tires. Looking for either 285/75/17 (34x11.5) if they come off of back order........305/70/17 (34x12.25).....or 315/70/17 (35x12.5) thanx for the help.


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## bigthom (Oct 14, 2010)

I run 315 75 17s on mu 02 cummins. Love em....


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## DJ Contracting (Dec 16, 2003)

I had 305 70 R16's M/T's on my truck last season and didn't have any problems.


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## carrfamily01 (Oct 4, 2009)

I run 35x12.5x18's with 2" front lift on my 2005 Ford F350 diesel. Never had any clearance problems running a Western 8.5 Pro Plus plow.


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## randomb0b123 (Jul 14, 2010)

what gears do you have? i think if you ask your transmission itd say i would rather you didnt plow with 35s but i guess itd depend what gears your truck has


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## JohnnyU (Nov 21, 2002)

I would love to find a 35x9.50 or even 10.50 width that would fit on a 17' rim for winter use, but I can't fine anything like that other than 19.5's and larger.


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## Banksy (Aug 31, 2005)

I only like plowing with stock size tires. The Dodge Snow-Chief package comes with even smaller tires. 35's just add more uneeded stress and work to the truck.


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## carrfamily01 (Oct 4, 2009)

I have 4.10 gears. It plows effortlessly even w/35's.


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## nalegtx (Dec 22, 2008)

i appreciate all the information guys, i am so stuck on what to do. I only do a handful of driveways and one big square church parking lot. I always hear people say the tires are too wide because they sit on top of the snow. That's why I'd love to find that 285/75/17


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## UglyTruck (Feb 8, 2007)

Ive been plowing with 315-75-16's on my truck for 6 years, no complaints. I understand the arguments about the geometry for the plow, the effective gear ratio that smaller than stock tires give you, and the tall skinny "Pizza cutter" tires are better for plowing, but I LOVE the way my truck plows. I say go big. especially if you only have a few accounts.


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## DJ Contracting (Dec 16, 2003)

Why would the tires ride on top of the snow if your plow is supposed to clear the snow in front of you? When I had the 305 70 16's on, I put the plow down and pushed some snow to check If my tires were riding on top of the snow....nope my plow was doing what it was intended to do, clear snow if front of me. Now driving from one account to another was just a little bit different than tall skinny tires, but even with skinnier tires the truck still would follow tire ruts that were already down and or would wonder in tall snow covered roads.


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## DAFFMOBILEWASH (Dec 9, 2006)

Those fat ol 35's look great and ride nice but skinny is better for plowin snow. Keep in mind as the tires get fatter the geometry on the front end changes too. The weights increase in the loading on the front wheel bearings upper and lower ball joint will get stress out more too. Have you every carried a full bucket of water with your arms out in a T position??

As for traction skinny wins again. The fatter the tire the less traction you get. The only way to compensate is to add more weight or ballast. Sure your plow will remove the snow in front of you but when you are running down the road with 4" snow cover what tire would you want???

35" tires are totally fine to plow with but there are better options out there. As for icy conditions I'll keep my 265's..... 

I have also noticed the more aggressive tires are great in the deep stuff but on the hard packed goat trails of the north a all season can sometimes be your best friend too !!


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## nalegtx (Dec 22, 2008)

Thanx for all the advise everyone. I ended up going witht he 285/75/17. The price was better than the 35's, and are better suited for me for my all year everyday driving. Thanx again. Hopefully one of these days i'll get some pics...until then, let the flakes fly!


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## bigthom (Oct 14, 2010)

my truck has dana axles with 4.10 gears and a fully built tranny with over 1000ftlbs of torque. the 35s are not hindering my truck, im running stock rims so there is no more load on my front end as far as geometry is concerned. yes the rotating mass and extra power required to turn em isnt helping my truck but since the dana 60 and dana 70 axles in my truck are rated to handle 8800ftlb before my housing is messed up axles and bearings are easy to fix... i know skinny tires are better for cutting through the snow but i like the diggers i got never had issues. the tires i had last year were bald and i still had no issues... and this is buffalo snow off the lake. if u know how to handle ur truck you will be fine. 285's are a great choice... my buddy found 34 9.50 r16 super swamper he ran em on his dodge.... amazing,.


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## herbert02 (Jan 18, 2011)

Big wide tires are going to float on the snow. Skinny tires will cut through the snow and get to the pavement to give you traction. You wont know the difference in the two till you have tried them both. Skinny for plowing and working. Big and wide for mudding.


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## DJ Contracting (Dec 16, 2003)

herbert02;1356629 said:


> Big wide tires are going to float on the snow. Skinny tires will cut through the snow and get to the pavement to give you traction. You wont know the difference in the two till you have tried them both. Skinny for plowing and working. Big and wide for mudding.


Well I have plowed snow with both and didn't notice any difference plowing, as far as driving in the heavy snow I prefer the wide tires. just my opinion. -Joe-


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