# 1997 Dodge 1500



## IA Farmer (Nov 7, 2004)

I went to a local western dealer and priced a 7' 6'' pro plow and they said they would sell it to me but its not recommened for my truck so they would not install it they said its to heavy and the front end is to soft, has anyone put a 7' 6'' plow on a 1500 Dodge? Thanks


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## celticgreens (Nov 4, 2004)

*i have same problem*

I also have a 1997 dodge ram 1500, its a sport, i am looking to put a plow on it within the next month. i was going to get a western new, but figured i would be putting too much money into a plow on an 8 year old truck, so i think im gonna look around for a nice used one. please let me know if you here anything or are given recommendations as to what you should do. ill do the same. hopefully we can come up with a solution to our problem.


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## Mean4x4 (Feb 15, 2003)

*Dodge ram 1500 plow*

I had a boss 8ft plow on my ram 1500 98. Expect stuff to break, you take A HUGE step up when you get a 2500 HD ram


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## Frozen001 (Oct 20, 2004)

Don't go with the pro on a 1500 go with the standard, less weight on the front end, and you can get the same size. But remember the standard will be light duty, so it will not take a beating like the heavier pro will...


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## johntwist (Feb 10, 2004)

I agree with Frozen. I have a Ram 2500 with an 8' plow, but before it I had a 1500 and there is a huge difference between the two models. I would not go with the pro plow on the 1500 unless, like it says above, you want stuff to break. If you need to run a heavy duty plow, get at least 3/4 ton truck.


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## Mowey9 (Sep 24, 2004)

*8' on a 1500*

I have a 97 Ram 1500 Ext Cab with a Hiniker 8' Straight blade on it. The weight of the plow is said to be 721 lbs. I have 2500 springs on the front and am getting ready to put Timbrens on it. I plowed 660 commercial hours last year and have not had any problems. My tranny was getting hot sometimes and it might not have a lot left in it since its got 120k on it. Thats just me and I have got yelled at it a lot for it, but thats what I wanted to put on my truck.
Aaron


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## grotecguy (Feb 8, 2004)

Buy it and put it on yourself or have another shop you trust install it. 
Did they give you a reason why they wouldn't install it?? Dodge's factory warranty shouldn't be a factor, the 7 yrs should be almost up. 
Add a transmission cooler and a set of Timbren load boosters and you will be fine.

Welcome to Plowsite :waving: 
Mark K


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## Frozen001 (Oct 20, 2004)

Mowey9 said:


> I have a 97 Ram 1500 Ext Cab with a Hiniker 8' Straight blade on it. The weight of the plow is said to be 721 lbs. I have 2500 springs on the front and am getting ready to put Timbrens on it. I plowed 660 commercial hours last year and have not had any problems. My tranny was getting hot sometimes and it might not have a lot left in it since its got 120k on it. Thats just me and I have got yelled at it a lot for it, but thats what I wanted to put on my truck.
> Aaron


Yes, but notice how you said "2500 springs"... and "tranny was getting hot"... all things you would not have to worry about if you had the correct plow your your truck.


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## Mowey9 (Sep 24, 2004)

I do my own work on my truck. I bought the springs for $40 and put them on myself. I will admit that there is going to be some work done on it in the near future, but whats the fun in having a truck when you cant play with it. The truck has been used to drag skid loaders around, pull a goose neck and about anything else I need to use it for. I figured for the price of a 2500 I could buy a 1500 (which I could afford at the time) and just build it up myself. Thats just what I think, and I know that other people will have a different opinion about it. 
Aaron


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## Frozen001 (Oct 20, 2004)

There is only so much someone can add to a 1500, things like heavier axles, stronger transmissions, etc are not very feasible on late model trucks, which is where you are better off with a 3/4 or larger truck, meant handle these heavier loads. If you look at the price deferences they are really not all that great if you look at what you are getting, the 3/4 tons are well worth their asking price.


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## Mowey9 (Sep 24, 2004)

*I agree*

I agree that they are well worth the money, but when I bought my truck I was 19 and didn't have much money to put into a nicer truck. I bought it 2 years ago and paid $7,500 + tax for it so I got a good deal on it. If I would have known that I was going to do what I'm doing with it I would have bought a 3/4 ton. I am doing what I can with this one and will definitely get a 3/4 ton the next time around.

If all someone has is a 1/2 ton and they cant get a bigger one for some reason then they just need know how their truck is running and what to look for when something goes wrong. I believe that it is possible to do with a 1/2 ton you just need to remember that its only a 1/2 ton.

So I agree with you about some of it but not the rest of it. It just depends on the person.

Aaron


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## Mean4x4 (Feb 15, 2003)

*Ram 1500*

When I plowed with my ram it did great. It turned on a dime, Pushed heavy snow didn't overheat, HOWEVER. Come April... I replaced FRONT & Rear Ring & Pinion, Driveshaft, 5 U-Joints, New Ball joints, New Trans ( lost 1st & 2nd ) New T-case. Finally I said F**k it and took a HUGE LOSS and bought a 00 Ford F350 Diesel. I will never buy another 1/2 ton or Gas truck again.

But some may ask why new t-case & tranny? When I was plowing I snagged a Sewer cover. It hit my plow so hard it stopped my truck going 25. The impact put a hairline fracture in my ALUMINUM 1500 Trans & T-case. This was a pain in the ass to fix and a lot of money... ( just things to consider)


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## IA Farmer (Nov 7, 2004)

*Thanks Everyone*

I want to thank everyone, I will keep all that in mind but not having money for a 3/4 ton kinda shoots that option out of the water so i think im gonna try it this year and if i have to ill buy a new truck next year.


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## johntwist (Feb 10, 2004)

Well, at least you learned the cheap way not to plow at 25 mph by reading what one guy said above.

Right in the owner's manual it tells you not to exceed 15 mph while plowing so that if you do hit something it won't deploy the airbags, which are big dough to replace. Not to mention the cost of a tranny and xfer case  

There are plenty of guys on here running 1500 trucks with no problems. The keys to their success seems to be knowing the limits of their equipment and using a little common sense. You could have a brand new 1 ton diesel with a shiny new HD V-plow and if you drive it like a nut, you'll break it. No matter what you have if you don't maintain it well, it'll break. When the site vets weigh in, I have an idea they'll back me up on this. JMO. :waving:


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## Mick (May 19, 2001)

RAM_ON97 said:


> I went to a local western dealer and priced a 7' 6'' pro plow and they said they would sell it to me but its not recommened for my truck so they would not install it they said its to heavy and the front end is to soft, has anyone put a 7' 6'' plow on a 1500 Dodge? Thanks


I think I probably found why he didn't recommend a 7'.6" for your truck. You must have the quad cab. I ran it through the plow match site for Western and the 7'2" is recommended for a 1500 quad cabg, the 7'6" Poly can be put on the regular cab only. The dealer is simply protecting himself as he could be liable. Your options are to find someone willing to install the poly plow, get the 7'2" plow or install it yourself.

Now, having solved that, I would say I alway advise people "Use what you've got". There will be a plow to fit it. Just expect that with 1/2 ton, it will need more repairs. If you pay attention; don't overheat the engine or transmission, come to a complete stop when shifting and don't hot dog it, you should get some mileage out it. Just expect that you'll be fixing front end compenents from the weight - shocks, ball joints etc. I used a 1/2 ton '90 Dodge for three seasons. Had $1500 worth of repairs for the last two years. This year it's retired to backup and the 3500 will be the main plow truck until I get a replacement, hoping for next year.


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## Tom Neves (Aug 22, 2017)

IA Farmer said:


> I went to a local western dealer and priced a 7' 6'' pro plow and they said they would sell it to me but its not recommened for my truck so they would not install it they said its to heavy and the front end is to soft, has anyone put a 7' 6'' plow on a 1500 Dodge? Thanks


I dont know what you guys are doing to your poor trucks but I have a 97 dodge 1500 sport with an 8' Fisher MM1 plow setup- been running it for 4 years and never had any broken ****. Yea its pretty damn heavy but I also put 700lbs of rear weight suspended under the frame on a heavy duty. cable/winch where the spare wheel would normally go. I also dont beat on the old girl hitting man hole covers or curbs. You guys got to be more careful with these older workhorses- stop treating them like slam pigs.


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## FredG (Oct 15, 2012)

Well I have enough trouble with my 3/4 and 1 ton, By know means do I beat on my trucks, To be profitable I have to work them hard tho. There is a contractor that uses 1/2 ton but seems to get no longevity, 

I guess if your in a position where you can baby it and have lots of time you may be okay. For the record I think I run faster in 15 MPH in reverse on the commercial jobs. I also know where problem areas are before I put a blade down like a man hole or catch basin a long with curbs,

As far as the Dealer forget them and install what you want within reason. Give it a shot if you want, You will soon go to hard knox school when the repairs over whelm you. Good Luck.


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## Tom Neves (Aug 22, 2017)

FredG said:


> Well I have enough trouble with my 3/4 and 1 ton, By know means do I beat on my trucks, To be profitable I have to work them hard tho. There is a contractor that uses 1/2 ton but seems to get no longevity,
> 
> I guess if your in a position where you can baby it and have lots of time you may be okay. For the record I think I run faster in 15 MPH in reverse on the commercial jobs. I also know where problem areas are before I put a blade down like a man hole or catch basin a long with curbs,
> 
> As far as the Dealer forget them and install what you want within reason. Give it a shot if you want, You will soon go to hard knox school when the repairs over whelm you. Good Luck.


Oh one thing us dodge boys need on the older ones is a tranny cooler- dont forget that $40 part of you will dump out way more than that when ahe explodes on you and bleeds out


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## iceyman (Mar 1, 2007)

Tom Neves said:


> Oh one thing us dodge boys need on the older ones is a tranny cooler- dont forget that $40 part of you will dump out way more than that when ahe explodes on you and bleeds out


Yep my 99 was 100% better once i put a cooler on.. big difference


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## Richh56 (Dec 31, 2017)

I made a good living with this 96 dodge 1500 and a Meyers Drive Pro.

It's made for the half ton. I plowed commercial property's with it for over 10 yrs.


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## Richh56 (Dec 31, 2017)

This was my first winter warrior

87 dodge 3/4 ton. Meyers C series plow. Bought brand new when I was just 20 yrs old.

I plowed till 2003 with it. I wish I had a photo of it when it was new... can't afford new plow trucks like that anymore...

Currently using a 3500 Ram 1999.. dually


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## Richh56 (Dec 31, 2017)

That's so true... **** my 3500 transmission heats up even with the 45.00 extra cooler. When it's wet and heavy. 3 years ago. Every time I turned around the dam idiot light was coming on...trans temp... 

Got a bigger cooler... 

also changed antifreeze. My truck was always running hot.. 220 according to the gages. 5.9 lt gas.
Picked up antifreeze out of necessity, i e hose break. The antifreeze was made for heavy duty trucks and it lowered my temperature down to 180. 

Have not had a wet heavy snow to try it out in two years... 

Someone told me I can lower trans temp if I plow in 4L. ???


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## FredG (Oct 15, 2012)

Richh56 said:


> That's so true... **** my 3500 transmission heats up even with the 45.00 extra cooler. When it's wet and heavy. 3 years ago. Every time I turned around the dam idiot light was coming on...trans temp...
> 
> Got a bigger cooler...
> 
> ...


I had one the same 2 tone lol. Slant 6 1/2 Ton for commuting. Someone traded it at the Dealership, My uncle was mad cause he wanted to front line it for retail. My Mother prevailed.


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