# Advice: Ford F150 and Western HTS



## Colorado1 (Oct 28, 2010)

Looking for advice on my truck and plow choice. 
I am looking to buy a 2001 to 2004 Ford F150 and put a new Western HTS on it. 
I live in the foothill outside of Denver and have to plow my 1/2 mile dirt driveway. 
I will be using the truck for other light hauling and truck stuff. I would like to stay with the 1/2 ton because there as so many available and kids will probably drive it around with mountain bikes in the summer.

Typical season is 6 to 10 days of 8" very light snow and 3 to 4 days of heavy wet snow in the spring. Hope to keep this truck and for 10 to 15 years.

Engine 4.6 or 5.4?
Above what milage should I avoid?
Do I need to beef up front end?
Any other suggestions? 

Thanks


----------



## mercer_me (Sep 13, 2008)

1/2 mile is quite a bit for any 1/2 ton IMO. I would sugest a 3/4 ton. But if you want a 1/2 ton the Ford F-150 will work. The 5.4 is your best bet. I also would sugest a Western Mid Weight instead of an HTS.


----------



## lukynskywyrd (Oct 8, 2010)

*HTS is a great choice....*

I have had 2000, 2001, 2003, 2005, 2008 and now 2009 F150 all great trucks. The 2001 has a 4.6 still going strong at 160K never plowed with however. The 2000 had a Western Pro 7' 6", 5.4L and as I recall the upgraded load capacity and was a great plow truck. Visibilty and comfort were great. However I would suggest adding a Daystar 2" leveling kit to the front. This will keep the front level as these trucks have a 2/3" drop front to back when they come off the assembly line. I have never had issues with the front ends, the FX4 option wont give you any added benefit but a 5.4L will. There was a 2004 Crew Cab XLT w/ 98000 miles and a new Western HTS at a dealer here in the Milwaukee area recently. The truck was never plowed with and they were asking $18500 about a month ago...its gone. Alot of guys bought them just to have a truck and never really worked them hard so you should be able to find one that was never rode hard.


----------



## Colorado1 (Oct 28, 2010)

*Thanks for input.*

Thank you for the input it has been very helpful. I saw a friends Western HTS yesterday and it does look a bit frail.

I found a used 2000 F150 7700 that might work well and I could put the Western pro plow on it. I am a bit concerned that Ford only made the 7700 for a few years and I might have a tough time finding parts. The truck has a 5.4 with 130,000 miles.

Has anyone put the Pro Plow on a regular F150 or am I looking for trouble?

A few people have recommended the Boss plow. I know nothing about them but we do have a good Western and Boss dealers in Denver. I like the way the receiver brackets on the Western can be removed when plow won't be used for a while.

Thanks for any input. It is great how you experienced guys help out us novices.


----------



## fatboyNJ (Dec 22, 2007)

i have a 2001 f150 that i plow with..i have a 7.6 standadrd unimount...my truck is lifted 6 inches and i used the ultra truck side with conversion so i was able to lower it back down so its just about perfect....and my truck squats barely an inch with plow up...

i have a loaded supercrew 5.4 and winter here was 4 storms of 18+ and my truck didnt skip a beat...

too bad you are so far away cuz my truck is gonna be up for sale in a few days


----------

