# Anyone using a Tacoma...holding up?



## sqdqo

Just curious if any of you guys are seriously plowing with a Tacoma and how do they hold up? How do they perform for a small truck? is auto or manual trans. preferred? Which blade do you use?


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## gsxwonger

hey sqdqo, ive been plowing for 2 years with a 04 taco with a 2.7 auto. using a 6.5 fisher mm blade. works great for me so far. havent broken anything yet lol


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## yakima

I've plowed with a Tacoma for 6 years: 3 years with a 1999 2.7 manual with a 6.5 Fisher MM, and after Toyota took my truck due to the frame recall I've been 3 years with a 2004 2.7 manual with a Homesteader. I have had no problems. I always plow in low gear and the manual has worked very well for me. As a side note: I actually like the Homesteader better than the MM for the Tacoma. The Homesteader does a much better job back dragging and it is light weight so there is no front end sag. I couldn't be happier with the truck or the plow.


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## basher

I have a number of customers very happily using the Taco with Snoways. They rank high up on my list of downsize trucks.


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## nhgranite

i have a 06. trd package w/rear locker. works great. i have the six spd manual. auto's are easier to plow with but i won't own one. 

yakima. how many rubber tension bands are you running? i have one on the left and two on the right. came to me that way. blade always goes to a right angle.


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## yakima

NHGranite, I have 3 bands. Never pulled to the side though.


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## snow patrol

I have an 01' and been plowing all commercial since new. This will be its 11th winter. 7' Western Running box wing the last 3 winters and v-spreader the last 2 winters. Its just an incredible little truck and its amazing how much snow it can push and how reliable it has been. Auto by the way.


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## jasonv

sqdqo;1304121 said:


> Just curious if any of you guys are seriously plowing with a Tacoma and how do they hold up? How do they perform for a small truck? is auto or manual trans. preferred? Which blade do you use?


What year and what engine are you looking at? 05+ Tacomas are completely different than 04 and older. I would go MT in ALL cases, except possibly 05+ V6. There are apparently some serious faults with the RA60F MT, especially prior to the silent upgrades (2009 maybe?), like weak synchros. There are also problems with the throwout bearing grinding on the sleeve.

But aside from that, the older (up to 2004) will have either the W95 (4-cyl) or R150F (V6) transmission, the 2005+ 4-cyl will have the R155F. These are all very solid transmissions.

The only transmission I've ever had go boink on me was an automatic, and it let go as I was merging onto a highway just after plowing with it.


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## affekonig

I have an 04 double cab, V6, automatic Taco that I setup with a Western Unimount 7'2" LSX blade with wings last year and it did fine. I still drive it and have no complaints. I'll probably plow with it again this year.


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## aloe

i have an 05 trd sport 6spd w/ a 6.8 homesteader. it works well, great for the very narrow driveways in parts of my community. Heavy, wet snow sometimes is too much for it. my truck now has 170k on it & I have to address some issues. lf upper ball joint is bad...not sure why...plow, mileage, idk. tranny is a POS....trying to wait it out to get a 09 or 10 used from a junk yard with upgrades that was mention before. While i like the truck & its capabilities....I think id be better off with an older truck whose primary purpose is plowing, boat towing & home maintenance runs. This should save me a ton on gas, insurance & payments. I will be looking for a new plow rig after the winter.

PS...my 96 tacoma was a great truck with far less problems than Ive had with this 05!


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## jasonv

aloe;1512115 said:


> i have an 05 trd sport 6spd w/ a 6.8 homesteader. it works well, great for the very narrow driveways in parts of my community. Heavy, wet snow sometimes is too much for it. my truck now has 170k on it & I have to address some issues. lf upper ball joint is bad...not sure why...plow, mileage, idk. tranny is a POS....trying to wait it out to get a 09 or 10 used from a junk yard with upgrades that was mention before. While i like the truck & its capabilities....I think id be better off with an older truck whose primary purpose is plowing, boat towing & home maintenance runs. This should save me a ton on gas, insurance & payments. I will be looking for a new plow rig after the winter.
> 
> PS...my 96 tacoma was a great truck with far less problems than Ive had with this 05!


Your truck is wider than your plow.
6.8 homesteader cuts 70" wide. Your truck is 74".


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## aloe

jasonv;1512156 said:


> Your truck is wider than your plow.
> 6.8 homesteader cuts 70" wide. Your truck is 74".


actually, the plow is 80" at full angle the cutting width is 70"

like i said its good for the narrow driveways around here....but a wider plow would be nicer at times.


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## jasonv

aloe;1512199 said:


> actually, the plow is 80" at full angle *the cutting width is 70"*
> 
> like i said its good for the narrow driveways around here....but a wider plow would be nicer at times.


I'm not sure why you parroted back what I said. The issue is that at a cut of only 70", your truck is WIDER than the cut -- your truck is 74 inches wide. 4 inches wider than the cut. You are therefore driving THROUGH the snow by 2 inches on both sides any time the plow is angled. That will make it significantly more difficult to move forward, because you are effectively plowing while driving through the snow instead of driving on clear ground.

The minimum cut width a plow should be on any vehicle, is NO LESS than the width of the truck pushing it. Tacoma 2005+ requires a 7 foot plow (84") in order to get a cut width over 74 inches. My 84 inch plow cuts 75 inches wide. That is one inch wider than the truck = minimum adequate. There are people who say that the plow should cut minimum 3 inches past the sides of the truck. They would suggest that we should be running 90 inch plows.

Tacoma is 74 inches wide on the outside of the tire to the outside of the tire. The mirrors stick out another 6 or 7 inches on each side, so the truck's overall width is somewhere in the 86 to 88 inch range. You can't fit anywhere you wouldn't otherwise by going with too short of a plow.


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## aloe

like ive said....this setup works for me...just because it doesnt match your school of thought doesnt mean it wont work or that it is wrong. Im sure the OP appreciates your input & I'll refer to it the next time Im shopping for a plow.

thx


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## jasonv

aloe;1512236 said:


> like ive said....this setup works for me...just because it doesnt match your school of thought doesnt mean it wont work or that it is wrong. Im sure the OP appreciates your input & I'll refer to it the next time Im shopping for a plow.
> 
> thx


Glad it works for you, but that doesn't make it a good or correct match.
FYI: I have a 6.5 blade on my YJ that came from the previous owner with idiot wheels that stick out 3 inches past the fenders... so I can tell you from personal experience, that its a bad match. At some point when I get some time, I intend to extend the blade and/or try to find some free wheels that are a correct match for the vehicle.

And it isn't a "school of thought", its physics.


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## vtzdriver

aloe;1512199 said:


> ....but a wider plow would be nicer at times.


I agree with this statement. I also have a 6'8" Homesteader on my '06 Tacoma and it works fine. I also plow some narrow areas and didn't think I wanted the extra width all the time.
I'm watching for a 7'4" used Homesteader or Suburbanite on ebay, so I could have an easy choice to hook up.

Hard to fathom the price they want for the rubber trip bands, though!!


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## aloe

vtzdriver;1512556 said:


> I agree with this statement. `
> 
> Hard to fathom the price they want for the rubber trip bands, though!!


i know...i was gonna replace them until i saw the price


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## aloe

jasonv;1512455 said:


> Glad it works for you, but that doesn't make it a good or correct match.
> FYI: I have a 6.5 blade on my YJ that came from the previous owner with idiot wheels that stick out 3 inches past the fenders... so I can tell you from personal experience, that its a bad match. At some point when I get some time, I intend to extend the blade and/or try to find some free wheels that are a correct match for the vehicle.
> 
> And it isn't a "school of thought", its physics.


any idea how to attach a pair of wings to a poly blade??


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## jasonv

aloe;1512589 said:


> any idea how to attach a pair of wings to a poly blade??


I don't think that wings would be much different than on a steel plow. The only thing you might need to do different woul dbe to run a piece of steel between the vertical braces of the plow frame to attach to, IF the wings happened to want to attach to somewhere there is nothing behind the poly.

If it were me, I'd get some quarter inch steel plate and cut out braces the same shape as the poly surface, and attach them sideways to the first vertical brace, just sticking out the proper distance. You can get a piece of barrel plastic and stick it under the edge of the poly to extend the face.


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## RangerDogg

If you call your fisher dealer ask how much for the new 74 blade .I went from a md 68 to the 75 just the plow part and it was only 750 for mine .Im sure its easy to change


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## aloe

jasonv;1512613 said:


> I don't think that wings would be much different than on a steel plow. The only thing you might need to do different would be to run a piece of steel between the vertical braces of the plow frame to attach to, IF the wings happened to want to attach to somewhere there is nothing behind the poly.
> 
> If it were me, I'd get some quarter inch steel plate and cut out braces the same shape as the poly surface, and attach them sideways to the first vertical brace, just sticking out the proper distance. You can get a piece of barrel plastic and stick it under the edge of the poly to extend the face.


good ideas & my wheels are turning Thumbs Up


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