# what size blade for a suburban?



## Detroitdan (Aug 15, 2005)

I already know the answer, but I want some input from those with experience. I've been plowing with a dually and an 810 for years, and have always thought bigger was better. Now I've got a Suburban and going back to a straight blade, probably a conventional Fisher Speedcaster. I know I want an 8', but I found a couple smoking hot deals on 7.5s Can someone tell me if the 7.5 is too small, and I'm going to hate it? My first two plow trucks were rclb 3/4 Chevys, 1st was 7.5 and second had an 8. I remember really loving moving up to the 8, not just for width but height also. I'm thinking the Sub wheelbase is probably deserving of an 8. I just need somebody to talk me out of the bargain 7.5 footers.
Maybe wings on the 7.5?
The Sub is a 2500, so that's not an issue as far as carrying the 8. Just can't seem to find a good one right now.


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## MrPLow2011 (Jan 14, 2011)

What year Suburban. I may have a line on 7.6 curtis in real nice shape. It came of a Surburban too


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## marylandbigb (Sep 23, 2009)

ideally they want you too install a 7 1/2 but i would go for an 8 here in MD alot of the contractors do not want too hire you unless you have an 8 they feel 7 1/2 is too small and takes too long too plow i prefer an 8 commercial grade for width and height


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## sweetk30 (Sep 3, 2006)

my 1ton plow truck same basic length as the burb does great with 8ft. but i also have 9ft and like it better. 

no way would i go 7 1/2 on that rig. 

and speedcasters are lighter duty on 7 1/2 down and 8ft up is much beefer even on the truck side. 

did you fix the death wobble in the old 1ton ?


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## Detroitdan (Aug 15, 2005)

sweetk30;1230049 said:


> did you fix the death wobble in the old 1ton ?


ORD kingpin springs helped, but didnt totally cure it. Parked until I get new front springs and shocks in it.

I know I want an 8', just hate to pass on a deal I found. I'll keep looking, I know I wont be happy with a 7'6"


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## 2COR517 (Oct 23, 2008)

Wings on the 7.5 would be better than an 8 without wings.


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## Detroitdan (Aug 15, 2005)

Agreed, except for the 7.5 being lighter duty. I dont mind carrying less weight and beating the truck less that way, but I dont want to break a plow. Also, my cousin has an old style 8' Fisher blade he said I can have, so an 8 speedcaster truckside would be ideal. 
Still wondering what difference there will be between engine brackets for the different engines. I'll eventually be putting a plow on this sub with the diesel, or on the 454 truck. Everything out there seems to be on an sbc.


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## CAT 245ME (Sep 10, 2006)

I'd pass on the 7'6 blade, I had two Fisher 7'6 plows. One was a speedcast and the other was a MM1 and the blade height was only 24". I had a 8' fisher speedcast and blade height was 27". Taller is better for plowing road way's. My Boss V is 30" tall and I wouldn't want it any shorter.


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## got-h2o (Sep 26, 2008)

My buddie has an 810 on his 03 2500 Burban. Handles it well, and is a plowing machine. I used it during the blizzard actually. 285's and bars turned up a few, 6.0 gasser.


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## RMHSR (Mar 17, 2006)

I have an 8 foot on mine. When you look at manufacturers specs and gvw rating on the front axles, nobody recommends an 8 foot but mine carries it fine without difficulty. I have a unimount western. I have about 2 turns on the torsion bars. My opinion is if you have had bigger blades, you won't be happy with a smaller. I am not a fan of wings so my first response would be go 8. There is a reason why you can find good deals on a 7 1/2 blade.


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## gd8boltman (Dec 18, 2002)

*We run an 04' burb*

with a 8' pro and it has been a great unit.


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## Detroitdan (Aug 15, 2005)

I've seen a newer sub with a blizzard 810 on it, but I wouldnt do it to the diesel sub. its a little too much weight on my dually, it eats up wheelbearings. Plus my Blizzard would fit, but its really worn out and needs to be retired to a lot somewhere. I looked at a 7.5 the other day, and your right I had forgotten about the height part. that was one of the reasons I loved my first 8' over the 7.5 it replaced. 

Quick question: will a plow off any 88-98 2500 fit my 94 2500 Sub? Any differences I need to look out for? What about a 1500? Right now I'm looking at trucks with plows, want to take off the plow and scrap or resell the truck. Just found an 89 2500 with an 8 foot conventional, it should be interchangeable, right? Just dont know about bracketry for the diesel as opposed to all the 350s out there. 
Could care less about the minute mount, costs too much for a couple minutes saved taking it off and on each storm. Used to take the top half of my headgear off in the spring and I have a little aluminum diamondplate piece with offroad lights on it for summer.


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## got-h2o (Sep 26, 2008)

Yes they will all fit. The only things to watch out for is 2wd and 4wd are different brackets, and the headlight harnesses are different between the composite and sealed beam type headlights. 3500HD's are a bracket of they're own vs std 2wd's, but 1500, 2500, and 3500 are the same.


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## Detroitdan (Aug 15, 2005)

thanks. that 89 got sold. still cant decide if I want a plow for the Sub or the crewcab. Either one will push hard, but the Sub will be my dd, and the crewcab will suck for plowing driveways worse than my 97 dually does


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## Detroitdan (Aug 15, 2005)

well, I havent bought a plow yet, and now I'm thinkin about putting a big one on my Sub after all. Guys are saying a Sub 2500 td will handle an 810. I'm a little leery of it, but with the right mods it might be a nice plowtruck. So here's my latest dilemma: Should I buy another Blizzard 810? I have all the mounts wiring and controls on my 97, which is going this week as soon as I remove the plow stuff. It will all definitely fit the Sub. I found a nice 03 810 with Ford mounts, I figure between the two I'll have enough parts to make the 03 work with my 99 stuff. Then sell the Ford pieces. OR: I found a big Western V plow for the same money as the 810, includes all the stuff for my truck because it's on a Chevy 3500. Always wanted a v-plow, to do all the stuff my 810 won't do. But I suspect the Western is even heavier than an 810, which is a little too heavy. ANy idea what a 9' Western V weighs? Bet it's 1000#.

Ideally, I'd like to get duplicate mounts for my 82, that way I can have one plow and two trucks. But if I get anything other than a conventional straight blade, I might end up with a broken plow and no backup truck. So maybe I'll put an old conventional dime-a-dozen Fisher on the 82, and the nice plow on the Sub.
My 97 diesel handled the 810 with turned up t-bars and no timbrens, except that it ate wheelbearings. Too much weight on them. Timbrens wouldn't fix that.
Oh, what to do, what to do?


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## Joe D (Oct 2, 2005)

I would say just buy an 8' fisher and add wings to it but after owning blizzards i don't think i could use a regular plow again. 
My brother is selling a 8 1/2 ft fisher plow off his 07 GM but after buying mounts and what not it may not be worth it. I will ask him what he wants for it.


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## Detroitdan (Aug 15, 2005)

Joey, did you have the 810 on your 2500 before or after the SAS? Seems to me you were one of the people I thought of who hung an 810 on a 2500. I'm getting the 810 this weekend, putting the mount from the 97 on the 94 Sub. Couldn't pass up the deal on the 810.


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## Joe D (Oct 2, 2005)

Detroitdan;1268265 said:


> Joey, did you have the 810 on your 2500 before or after the SAS? Seems to me you were one of the people I thought of who hung an 810 on a 2500. I'm getting the 810 this weekend, putting the mount from the 97 on the 94 Sub. Couldn't pass up the deal on the 810.


I did. Not sure on the burb but the front suspension on the 2500/3500 is the exaxt same on the trucks. The t bars may not be as big on the burb as they were on your 3500 but you can swap them out.


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## Detroitdan (Aug 15, 2005)

That reminds me, I forgot about the lower control arms. My 97 had the cast ones, I bet this 94 Sub has the weaker stamped ones. This may not be a great idea. I always felt the 810 was heavy on the 3500, and this Sub isn't half the truck that was. I can adjust torsion bars, but I have no interest in replacing them. Maybe I can hold off on installing it this season and rethink it in the fall. Then I'll either put it on, or sell the 810 (at the right time of year to sell a plow) and do something else. I'm actually buying two plows this weekend, a speedcaster for the 82 also. I wanted to just get another Fisher conventional mount for the 94, and have one blade and be able to switch it back and forth between the trucks. I thought about trying to put a Blizzard mount on the 82 so I could switch the 810 between the two trucks, but normally when something breaks it's the Blizzard, not the truck.
I don't know. I'm sick of the problems with the worn out old Blizzard and want to go conventional, but after using the 810 I said I'd never go back to a straight blade.


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## Detroitdan (Aug 15, 2005)

my new-to-me Blizzard just arrived. Wow, this thing is nice. No idea what year it is, but definitely newer than mine. All Blizzards are newer than my old one. Really good shape, newer design wings with single pistons. Cutting edges look good, and the wing edges have some kind of a curb guard on them. Paints decent too, I'll probably just repaint the front and put new decals on it. I really like the new controller, it has a joystick for left-right-up-down and the box is half the size of the old crate I've been using. The wings snap in and out really fast, all the functions work twice as fast as my old hagged out piece of junk.
I was going to try to sell my old one for parts or a lot plow, but I think instead I'll scavenge the new pistons off it for spares, maybe the cutting edge if I can get it off.


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## BillyRgn (Jan 28, 2004)

There is a guy that used to be in my area who has since gone under, but he used to have at least 5 or 6 suburban's. He had at least 3 of them had fisher mm-1 8 1/2 EZ-V' plows one or two had mm 8 ft fishers and one had a 9ft fisher mm. They all seemed to hold up well seeing he was very well known for neglecting his stuff


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