# Chevy 2500 HD plow questions



## Seaway25

I have an 01 Chevy extended cab short box 2500 HD. I'm new on this site, but I've already learned a lot from it. I bought my truck to plow and tow some boats. I'm doing about 5 driveways and 1 small parking lot. Maybe a few others. They are my properties and a few friends. I have spent the last few hours on here reading old threads, and based on that I think I know what I'm going to get. I just figured I would ask for some extra input. I found a 9 ft fisher MM2 that is about 4 years old and in good condition. It's $2150 including the installation. It's probably more plow than I need but it seems like a good deal. I also have a nice set of aftermarket wheels and tires so I'm getting a set of Firestone winterforce snow tires installed on my stock rims for the winter. What do you think about the price of the plow? And it seems like my truck should be able to handle that size shouldn't it? Thanks in advance.


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## mercer_me

It sounds like a good deal to me. Your truck should be able to handle a 9' plow no probablem.


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## basher

Good price on the plow if it is installed using the proper parts. You will need timberns and the heaviest T bars they make, plus a bunch of ballast. While not the plow I would choose for your truck it is a good price on a solid plow.


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## hydro_37

It will work but take Basher's advice on the other things to do.


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## RepoMan207

I third that notiion....I have the same truck...well pretty much, I have the 02 ext. long box. I primarily use a 8 HD and I notice it's presence even with the T bars an Timbrens. I use about 500lbs of sand bags as a ballast, even though it only calls for 400lbs. It levels it out nicely and cuts down on the 4X4 use. 

As far as price goes thats on the low side of average around here. Are they using new truck side stuff?

Good Luck and welcome aboard. If it turns out it's too big for what you need it for.....get in touch with me, I will come down and trade you mine.


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## 2COR517

That is a good price for that plow installed. They are very durable units, too. According to Fisher's website, the current 9 footer is 750 lbs, less than 50 more than the 8 footer. You still want to follow Basher's recommendations for the ballast & timbrens. You may be able to wait on the T-bars, but should probably plan on tracking down a set of XG code bars.


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## Seaway25

I'll definitely be using ballast. I'm going to get a set of timbrens too. I'm not sure if anything has been done to the suspension on my truck, but it seems taller than most other 2500's I've seen. I'll have to look at it a little closer.


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## Seaway25

Here's a pic of the truck when I bought it and after the new wheels. The tires that were on it when I bought it were shot so I figured I might as well get some wheels at the same time as the new tires. I also like having a second set to put snow tires on so it worked out well.


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## basher

Before purchasing do a wheel/tire search here on the site. Not so much for brand as sizes, tread types etc. there are hours of reading on the site pertaining to the proper choice of plow tires.

If you have not used the search feature yet give it a shot. Saves waiting for responders and will contain more then you want to know.


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## RepoMan207

I would take a good look at the underside, It appears to me that there is already some suspension work done to her.


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## Seaway25

I've already spent quite a bit of time searching and reading on the site. So far around 4 or 5 hours today alone. Slow day in the office.


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## Seaway25

And before someone asks about the plow mount that's on it - It is an old conventional Fisher that came with the truck. The guy before me fabricated the mount to fit the truck. It's actually one of the old fully hydraulic type plows. It works well but I want a newer electric.


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## basher

Seaway25;809686 said:


> I've already spent quite a bit of time searching and reading on the site.


That's cool, lots of "newbies" avoid the dang thing for some reason. I use it all the time.



Seaway25;809689 said:


> And before someone asks about the plow mount that's on it - It is an old conventional Fisher that came with the truck. The guy before me fabricated the mount to fit the truck. It's actually one of the old fully hydraulic type plows. It works well but I want a newer electric.


The question now arises, did they modify the truck in any manner? Do the hydraulics work well? Is it the right size blade in good condition? could it be you are just changing for no reason. The only reason they still don't use the system you have is federal guidelines and they really do not apply to you. Now the new ones are much nicer looking and the controls are much more compact but they do move snow. Does you price include trading in your existing unit?


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## tls22

Here is my truck....2500hd 05 with level kit and 285's.......i will also show you my ballest. The only thing i would be worried about if i where you is the truck temp going up from job to job. I always have to baby my temp..and i have a 7.5 hd


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## tls22

another


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## RepoMan207

TLS.....I am surprised you only have a 7.5' on her. We have about the same wheel base and I have problems with my 8' were I am not clearing my tires going around certain corners. 

I'd look into that temp thing, I bet it's an easier fix then you think.


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## 2COR517

tls22;809771 said:


> Here is my truck....2500hd 05 with level kit and 285's.......i will also show you my ballest. The only thing i would be worried about if i where you is the truck temp going up from job to job. I always have to baby my temp..and i have a 7.5 hd


I know some of those trucks had problems with fan clutches. It's worth searching for. Keeping the blade down will help tremendously. A nine footer wouldn't be much different for overheating.


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## Lux Lawn

Seaway, I agree with the others ballast,timbrens and turn op the torsion bars. 

Great looking truck.

Welcome to the site.


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## B&B

Post a few good pics of the front and rear suspension. Should be able to see what if anything was changed to add height.


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## Seaway25

I just checked the option list in the glove box. It has VYU which is the plow prep package. I'm not sure exactly what the differences are though. I'll try to get some pics of the suspension up tomorrow.


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## RepoMan207

I like that hood style vs mine. Mine & Tim's are flat compared to those ridge lines. Makes it look beefy as hell. I always thought that they were newer models or it was for the 8.1 versions or something.


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## B&B

RepoMan207;810022 said:


> I like that hood style vs mine. Mine & Tim's are flat compared to those ridge lines. I always thought that they were newer models or it was for the 8.1 versions or something.


Yours and Tim's are GMC's.


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## RepoMan207

B&B;810030 said:


> Yours and Tim's are GMC's.


Ahhh...I knew that.....yeah.....


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## tls22

RepoMan207;809779 said:


> TLS.....I am surprised you only have a 7.5' on her. We have about the same wheel base and I have problems with my 8' were I am not clearing my tires going around certain corners.
> 
> I'd look into that temp thing, I bet it's an easier fix then you think.


Yeah i should have went with the 8 repo, yet the 7.5 does work for me. I plow alot of big wide open lots....so i dont have much problem with the corners. Yet i anticipate a problem if im pushing anything more then 5...the windrows will get high. I need to look into the heat problem...i did make a thread about it. I usually keep it low and have the heat blasted to the floor....plowing is no problem...going job to job is when i have to watch it. When the air temp is below 20....i often dont have a problem.



2COR517;809822 said:


> I know some of those trucks had problems with fan clutches. It's worth searching for. Keeping the blade down will help tremendously. A nine footer wouldn't be much different for overheating.


Thanks COR.......like i said above usually i keep it low and heat blasting to the floor. Colder temps i often dont have a problem. I thought with the nine footer being longer and taller it would prevent less air getting into the grill vs mine.


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## RepoMan207

Quote:
Originally Posted by RepoMan207 
TLS.....I am surprised you only have a 7.5' on her. We have about the same wheel base and I have problems with my 8' were I am not clearing my tires going around certain corners.

I'd look into that temp thing, I bet it's an easier fix then you think.



> Yeah i should have went with the 8 repo, yet the 7.5 does work for me. I plow alot of big wide open lots....so i dont have much problem with the corners. Yet i anticipate a problem if im pushing anything more then 5...the windrows will get high.


The cool thing about the newer headgear; there even more versatile. You can buy just the blade for around a grand and slap it on your existing A frame and headgear with a mere 3 pins. Granted it it's another $1k out the window, but it beats having to buy a whole new setup.










Sorry Seaway, I didn't mean to jack your thread.


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## SuperdutyShane

Seems pretty clear that aftermarket suspension work was done, looks very level. For around here, thats an amazing price on a 4 year old 9' mm2. You said installed, which is wiring and everything, which is usually a fair amount of money, looks like a good deal. Take Bashers advice. I think you might enjoy going with a 9' over an 8ft. You said you had a small lot, I think the 9' will come in handy. You might want to look into how that guy mounted the Speedcast on there. Im sure the frames have changed quite a bit since that particular Speedcast was made. Hopefully, you wont see any problems. What size is your current blade by the way?


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## SuperdutyShane

RepoMan207;810050 said:


> Quote:
> Originally Posted by RepoMan207
> TLS.....I am surprised you only have a 7.5' on her. We have about the same wheel base and I have problems with my 8' were I am not clearing my tires going around certain corners.
> 
> I'd look into that temp thing, I bet it's an easier fix then you think.
> 
> The cool thing about the newer headgear; there even more versatile. You can buy just the blade for around a grand and slap it on your existing A frame and headgear with a mere 3 pins. Granted it it's another $1k out the window, but it beats having to buy a whole new setup.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Sorry Seaway, I didn't mean to jack your thread.


So, in that picture, you buy just the blade, and it attaches like a speedcast blade would, just to the a frame? I guess they really havent changed much but the point of detach from the first MM1's. Cause, my uncle has a speedcast frame with a mm1 blade on his 250. But the worst thing about paying 1k for a new blade, whether bigger or smaller, is now your just sitting on a blade with no use, unless they sell well, but, Ive never seen any for sale


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## RepoMan207

SuperdutyShane;810062 said:


> So, in that picture, you buy just the blade, and it attaches like a speedcast blade would, just to the a frame? I guess they really havent changed much but the point of detach from the first MM1's. Cause, my uncle has a speedcast frame with a mm1 blade on his 250. But the worst thing about paying 1k for a new blade, whether bigger or smaller, is now your just sitting on a blade with no use, unless they sell well, but, Ive never seen any for sale


Pretty much, there is A frame restrictions...the MM2 had like 3 variations to it, as did the MM1 with 2 I think. I run a MM1 with what they call a L blade, Which is what they had with the old conventional. I just bought a 9' off CL recently for $200, it is out being powder coated right now. You have a point on the old blade though. You can try to sell it, or keep it as a spare, like you'll ever use it again though.


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## DakotaDarron

based on you location (alexandria bay) I wouldnt even come close to saying its to much plow... im down here and albany and Im running a 250 with a western unimount on it... im always wishing i had more plow for the ammount of snow that we get and we get about HALF of what you get up there. sharp looking truck


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## Seaway25

Here's some pictures of the front suspension and the frame that's on it now. To me it looks like they bolted on the plow frame in the front and then welded the push bar from it to the cross member on the truck frame. Will the shop I'm taking it too have any problems putting a new frame on because of that? And thanks again to everyone about the help. I really appreciate it.


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## KSikkema

that price sounds pretty reasonable and I think that you'll love the 9 foot plow on there. The truck should handle it without a problem given the mods that have already been sugested. With the combination of that plow and the winterforce tires you'll get wherever you want to go and probably a lot of places you have no business being! Those tires are AMAZING! One of the guys that plowed with me had them on his 01 Dakota 4.7 and 3 times he tore loose the alignment adjustments just slowly pushing into a pile! After a couple alignments he finally got it done a final time and welded the adjustments where they were The tires just had so much bite the truck didn't stop until something gave - the weakest thing being the alignment adjustment bolts! You will not regret buying those tires.


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## Seaway25

Trying the pics again. They didn't come up the first time. Had to resize. Here's the frame.


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## Seaway25

Here's the front suspension


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## B&B

Any rear pics?


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## Seaway25

Here's some pics of the rear.


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## B&B

Yes it's had some modifications. Someone has previously installed 2" lift blocks and cranked the heck out of the torsion bars to level it up. Adds height but judging on the age of the shocks it appears they didn't replace them with longer ones like they should have. At the very least it should have longer shocks installed to better the ride quality and prevent it from breaking the top front shock mounts. And also add a set of Timbrens to assist in carrying the plow weight.

Definitely some substandard work going on with that plow mount too. Most smart on your part for wanting to remove it.


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## Seaway25

Ya the mount tha't's on it is not too great. It worked for the guy I bought it from though. He never even hooked up the lights. He mostly used the truck to tow a work trailer. The only plowing it did was his own driveway which was only about 30 x 100 ft or so. He already had the plow from an old truck and didn't want to spend the money to get a new one just for that small driveway. So he made what he had work.


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## Seaway25

B&B;810591 said:


> Yes it's had some modifications. Someone has previously installed 2" lift blocks and cranked the heck out of the torsion bars to level it up. Adds height but judging on the age of the shocks it appears they didn't replace them with longer ones like they should have. At the very least it should have longer shocks installed to better the ride quality and prevent it from breaking the top front shock mounts. And also add a set of Timbrens to assist in carrying the plow weight.
> 
> Definitely some substandard work going on with that plow mount too. Most smart on your part for wanting to remove it.


Any particular shock you would recommend? Would something like this work?
http://www.autopartswarehouse.com/sku/Chevrolet/Silverado_2500_HD/Skyjacker/Shock_Absorber_and_Strut_Assembly/20012003/S97N8074.html?tlc=Brakes%2C+Suspension+%26+Steering

Or do I need to spend a little more money on something like this?
http://www.autopartswarehouse.com/sku/Chevrolet/Silverado_2500_HD/Bilstein/Shock_Absorber_and_Strut_Assembly/20012007/W0133-1693946.html?tlc=Brakes%2C+Suspension+%26+Steering


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## B&B

Not much of a Skyjacker shock fan myself. If your budget will allow go for the 5100 series Bilsteins like in your second link. They even have them in 2" extended length just for trucks with a slight lift such as yours. Perfect addition and worth every penny in the ride and handling department..


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## Seaway25

B&B;810675 said:


> Not much of a Skyjacker shock fan myself. If your budget will allow go for the 5100 series Bilsteins like in your second link. They even have them in 2" extended length just for trucks with a slight lift such as yours. Perfect addition and worth every penny in the ride and handling department..


I'm thinking about getting the Bilsteins. $158 for a pair and free shipping seems pretty decent. Although the front shocks seem to be in good shape. The rears seem much older, but I guess that doesn't matter as much as the front plowing. But I would rather do things right. If it will be better I'll probably spend the money. I don't want to take any shortcuts as I plan on keeping this truck for a while. I'm going to order a set of timbrens, and hopefully get the plow installed this week.

After many hours reading these forums it seems like I should be all set. Except for maybe ordering a gallon or two of Fluid Film


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## MeeksCo

I love it when people say that ''Yea, I only used it for my driveway and maybe a neighbors''....haha. Sure ya did. 

Nice looking truck and welcome to your new addiction of a website.


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## cet

cwpm410;810777 said:


> I love it when people say that ''Yea, I only used it for my driveway and maybe a neighbors''....haha. Sure ya did.
> 
> Nice looking truck and welcome to your new addiction of a website.


They mean those were the only driveways, all the rest were Walmarts.


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## Seaway25

I just ordered new Bilsteins for all 4 corners. I also ordered timbrens for the front. I'm going to install a second battery. The truck already has the mount. I spent a couple hours reading everyones arguments about using isolators or not, alternator wiring, etc. I think I'm going to buy two new batteries and wire them with 4 gauge wire in parallel. I'm also going to ground the second battery directly to the truck. I also think I'm going to run a 4 gauge wire directly from the alternator to the second battery. 

I think I'm getting the plow installed this weekend. I'm just waiting for the shop to call me back with the time.


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## B&B

Your plans are nearly perfect. Only thing I suggest is to run the upgraded charge wire to the primary battery rather than to the aux one as thats where most of your power will be drawn from. The more directly path you can get between the primary draw and the alternator the better it (the alternator) will respond to changing voltage conditions.


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## Seaway25

Overall I'm going to be light years ahead of what I used last year. I had a 97 Olds Bravada with a small snoway plow on it. It really did work great and I can't complain about it. It was just too much for it. I paid $2500 for it, used it all last year. Then I sold it for $2500 this summer. I burned out one electric plow motor and the alternator. I also wore the tires and front suspension out. It really was a surprisingly reliable machine considering what I put it through.

Now that I'm going to have a nice setup the only question that remains is - do I try out some sub-contracting this winter? I really like plowing, working on the truck etc. And my business is closed for the winter. I have an open schedule. Anyone looking for help in way upstate NY?


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## basher

Seaway25;811112 said:


> Anyone looking for help in way upstate NY?


post on the networking forum with a title like _anybody need a sub in XXXXXX NY_


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## rrgcarp

*9' plow may be to heavy*

I had a 01 chev 2500 hd ext cab. I was told by brake and clutch of salem ma that they would only install a 7.5 ' fisher plow. Because off the ext cab. You might what to call and ck this out. I have since bought a new truck for witch the on truck wiring and push plates do not fit. If you now of anyone who whats to buy them let me know. $800.00 or best offer.

rrgcarp


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## RepoMan207

rrgcarp;814887 said:


> I had a 01 chev 2500 hd ext cab. I was told by brake and clutch of salem ma that they would only install a 7.5 ' fisher plow. Because off the ext cab. You might what to call and ck this out. I have since bought a new truck for witch the on truck wiring and push plates do not fit. If you now of anyone who whats to buy them let me know. $800.00 or best offer.
> 
> rrgcarp


According to TWO of my local GM dealers, I can put a 9.5 V plow on my truck with weight of 1005lbs, the XLS blades are 985lbs if you go to Fisher's Ematch http://fisherplows.com/ematch/vehinfo.asp , plug your info in and go to the next page, Under Plow Selection is what you are able to have on your truck....(this is also what the Fisher dealers are supposed to use in guiding you in your options) not sure if that is Fisher's guidelines, or the Manufactures...or maybe even both as they use pilot trucks to base most of there information on. Either way, I would find someone else to deal with. Make sure to check your label on your truck to see exactly what you have for FGAWR & RGAWR.

BTW, I have the 02 ext 2500HD 6.0 4800 FGAWR....same truck pretty much, At this point use 8 & 9HD's.

Call Lang's In Rye, NH, there not that far from you and they will save you some $$, tell them where your coming from. http://www.langscornergarage.com/

As you probably already read in this thread you'll need to turn up your T Bars "Torsion Bars" if it hasn't already been done.


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## Snowplow71

Seaway25;811112 said:


> Overall I'm going to be light years ahead of what I used last year. I had a 97 Olds Bravada with a small snoway plow on it. It really did work great and I can't complain about it. It was just too much for it. I paid $2500 for it, used it all last year. Then I sold it for $2500 this summer. I burned out one electric plow motor and the alternator. I also wore the tires and front suspension out. It really was a surprisingly reliable machine considering what I put it through.
> 
> Now that I'm going to have a nice setup the only question that remains is - do I try out some sub-contracting this winter? I really like plowing, working on the truck etc. And my business is closed for the winter. I have an open schedule. Anyone looking for help in way upstate NY?


If you were in WNY I'd probably higher you


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## Seaway25

Update - I got delayed a couple of weeks. It looks like the plow is going on Friday. I'll get some pictures up when it's done.


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