# Joining the Club!



## 00 Ram (Nov 11, 2004)

Just bought a 98 TJ with a sweet curtis plow setup. After "making do" for a number of years with a Snow-Bear on my full size Ram pickup, which is getting along in life, we decided that its replacement will be a 2-vehicle solution. The truck has been used for plowing, and towing my 6000lb camper, and general mom-mobile use...and the mom hates having to drive this monster around. (I have a 50 mile per day commute, so 14mpg is not a great commuter car, so I take our much more efficient car, and she is stuck with the "beast" for more local tasks.) 
I've been "stuck" on trying to get a replacement that will do all 3 jobs well, and the options are really limited, and expensive. basically, a yukon/burb or a Ford ex, and even then they still wouldn't have the maneuverability of a Wrangler, and finding an appropriate plow for one would be difficult, (less used market availability), and therefore, really expensive. For not much more than the price of just a plow, I could probably find a serviceable jeep that already has a plow. So I did. 
The great thing about this particular plow is that it is very easy to hook up; One of our concerns was that my job might change, and require frequent travel; if I'm away when it snows, the wife would be stuck. No way she can hook up the snow bear. (its 'supposed' to be easy to hook up, but it isn't. I struggle with it, myself. I imagine that it would be easy if you stored it in a heated garage with a perfectly level floor, but mine sits outside, on un-level ground, and no matter what I try, the thing never lines up perfectly, and I have to wrestle with it to get it mounted. Then the hitch mounts are like "cups" that slide over pins on the truck--they get clogged up with ice, and it has to be melted with a blow torch in order for the cups to slide onto the pins.:realmad: all-in-all, a royal pita.) 
Anyway...here it is:


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## 00 Ram (Nov 11, 2004)

The PO bought this Jeep used in '03, with 75,000 miles on it, and only used it to plow his own driveway. He bought the plow new, so it hasn't had heavy abuse. He only put another 10k miles on it; 1k per year. He didn't even use it at all last year; spent the winter down south, and paid someone to do his driveway. Now he's planning on moving permanently. 

Years ago, I had a Dakota with a Fisher speed-cast plow, and that was SOOO much better than my full-size. I could get every inch of my parking area clean. Not so w/ the Ram; I wind up having to do a lot of work with the snow-blower to get all the wide swaths left, due to a turning radius not unlike the Titanic.  The Jeep will be even better! Not to mention, back to having "power angle" again. sigh! just like the rich folks!!


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## rjigto4oje (Oct 27, 2010)

00 Ram;1646245 said:


> The PO bought this Jeep used in '03, with 75,000 miles on it, and only used it to plow his own driveway. He bought the plow new, so it hasn't had heavy abuse. He only put another 10k miles on it; 1k per year. He didn't even use it at all last year; spent the winter down south, and paid someone to do his driveway. Now he's planning on moving permanently.
> 
> Years ago, I had a Dakota with a Fisher speed-cast plow, and that was SOOO much better than my full-size. I could get every inch of my parking area clean. Not so w/ the Ram; I wind up having to do a lot of work with the snow-blower to get all the wide swaths left, due to a turning radius not unlike the Titanic.  The Jeep will be even better! Not to mention, back to having "power angle" again. sigh! just like the rich folks!!


Nice looking jeep it is going to be great in tight areas congrats


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## thelettuceman (Nov 23, 2010)

rjigto4oje;1646279 said:


> Nice looking jeep it is going to be great in tight areas congrats


X2 on that comment.


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## grandview (Oct 9, 2005)

Back blade and that will be a great driveway plower.


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## Sawboy (Dec 18, 2005)

Jeeps are awesome. Mike had his with the back blade as well like Grandview said........skilled driver, and a good set-up......well, it was really fun to watch him make short work of some BIG drives


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## bschurr (Nov 8, 2011)

Nice Rig.
Congrats & welcome!


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## 00 Ram (Nov 11, 2004)

Got to try out the new rig yesterday, and it was great! only an inch of slushy stuff, but it would have been a mess if I just left it. What a difference, being able to maneuver and turn sharply without the back wheels driving over un-plowed snow. I even back-dragged the inaccessible corner--clean as a whistle. Can't wait for a real storm! 

stick-shifting is a bit awkward, but I'm sure I'll get used to it. I'm not all that thrilled with the controls for the Curtis...it would be really nice if they made a remote single toggle that could be strapped to the stick shift. The existing control has 2 switches (one for up/down, another for left/right), and its mounted down at the bottom of the dash board, so there's a bit of a reach from the stick shift to the plow controls. There's really no other place to put it. Again, though--just a matter of "getting used to".


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