In the market for a plow truck couple questions...

[TinyGiant]

i've plowed a few times at work but this year my wife and I started our own mowing business and have decided to plow this winter as well for our clients.

So

I am browsing craigslist for a solid truck with a plow. and would be great to find one with a dump bed.. but not needed.

Does any make seem to plow any better than others? I'm looking to spend about $3k on a truck with a plow and have found some really solid looking, well kept mid 80's-mid 90's trucks..

there is one that i really like for $2800 obo that is an 86 3/4Ton Chevy with a fisher plow and it has a nice flat bed that looks like a dump
http://images.craigslist.org/3n33k43p35Q45Z15X5a6p7ffd14ba137b16ed.jpg
has 140k on it so for the year its seen pretty little use. probably just around town and some residential plowing.

there is another one that has been 100% gone through with tons of stuff replaced this one is 2800 obo too..

"1987 chevy 4x4 long bed, 350 TBI, TH400 auto trans under 5000 miles since rebuild, new ball joints, exhaust from the manifolds back, front brake pads, master cylinder, rear shoes,cylinders and lines, steering drag link rod end,altenator. Truck is very solid kept oiled for many years. Tires are great and has an 8 foot Fisher plow. I have a ladder rack that can go with it.. Truck is too big for my driveway. I would consider trading for a smaller pickup, 4x4 atv, 700 and up snowmobile or something better on gas ? "

http://images.craigslist.org/3kc3o53p35V35W35S3a7o5ba22670216e123b.jpg
http://images.craigslist.org/3m13p03lc5V25T05W3a7o8006da209c631900.jpg


I'm really not much of a gear head.. lol




there is a friend of mine who's mother has been letting us borrow her 98 f150 that has agreed to sell it to us if we want for $1500 plus we mow her and her sons lawn for the rest of the season.
here is the problem. The truck belonged to her husband who just passed away.. she has no idea where the title is and the other day someone cleaned the truck out "preparing for me to buy it" and the person i am pretty sure threw away the registration...

she was thinking of writing the bill of sale for before he passed away and then i could just fill out an application for title in NH .. but I have no idea what kind of hassle this might be.

the ford needs new bed mounts and probably a new mass air flow sensor (according to guy at autozone with scanner)

idk .. lol i dont want to waste my money.. but even the ford at 1500 and putting $500 into it would leave me paying $2000 for a truck i could probably sell for $4000 to make some extra money to get a dump bed in one of the other trucks.


lol anyone have any sage advice ?

[CTScott]

First off; You own a Yaris - A truck is not necessary to plow, you just need a Crashy-style plow frame, and you'll be the cheapest plow people in town, since you'll be burning 1/4 the fuel of all the others.

Seriously though, stick with the big names for plows - Meyers or Fisher tend to be the most popular ones with the real plow guys. Before you hand someone cash, thoroughly test the hydraulics and inspect the wiring/connectors. The electric-lift plow that I bought for Crashy looked pristine and it was already off of the truck, so I didn't test it. When I finally got around to hooking it up, I found that the motor was shorting, because it was full of salt. Even though it was sealed, the salt had made its way in and made a mess. Hydraulic ones have far more (and more expensive) parts that are prone to failure from salt.

[firemachine69]

Realize that if the plow breaks down, people are still going to expect their yards to be plowed.


Basically, only venture into the plow business if you're very confident in your on-the-spot handy-skills.


On the F150:

Basically, if the registration can't be found, you might as well turn over the truck to a scrap yard.

[TinyGiant]

yeah i know if the plow goes down i will still need to plow. i only have 15 or so mowing accounts right now and a couple commercial accounts. I havent talked to the commercials yet about plowing this year. the residentials i can do with my snow blower if something unfortuneate happened. I will pay close attention to the plow functionality and such. thanks for the advice on that :)


I am thinking that i might just skip the ford idea.. for the same money i could get a truck with a plow rather than working on a truck and then buying a plow. if i get a minute mount setup i could probably buy another blade side setup just in case one goes down i will have a backup :) wouldnt be a bad idea considering there are a few on my area CL for $1000 probably cheaper than the hydros if i had to replace them.

[firemachine69]

The big problem with pre-mounted frames, is somebody is trying to get rid of a plow setup, i.e. one of the few small vehicle setups were you actually make gains, not take losses on your money.

You best be asking exactly why they want to get rid of it. Usually functional plows that aren't street-worthy, tend to be kept for personal driveways due to the cost that was already out-laid for the plow setup.

[TinyGiant]

well i guess i misunderstood my friends mom. she did have the title and and the registration still. :)

so i went and grabbed it. $1500 for a truck that drives great is a good deal .. especially when it bluebooks at $5k and trade in is still $3500

if i didnt want to keep the yaris i would take the yaris and the truck and go get a Tundra :) but i really like my yaris.. obviously lol

i had someone else look at the truck today that runs a welding shop and he said the truck needs a new bed rather than spending money on replacing the mounts when the bed has some rust holes in it. he recommended searching the local junk yards for a solid bed or they could fabricate me a flat bed for it. but he said it shouldnt hinder the inspection.. which is what i was worried about :)

so now i have to find a cheap plow.. cheap but not dead. lol good thing i have a couple months still :)

my boss might front me $2k to get a plow on the truck since when i am not plowing for my clients he has offered to hire me to plow a couple of his commercials at $50 an hour if i use my own truck... so i told him that i would take $2k up front and then take $30 an hour and put at least 100 hours in for him this winter. nice no interest loan to get a much better plow.


do you guys recommend timbrens? i hear it can help save the truck from frame stress

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=110475600241&viewitem=&sspagename=STRK%3AMEWAX%3AIT

[TinyGiant]

http://i40.photobucket.com/albums/e208/3mrhythm/utf-8BSU1HMDAzMzIuanBn.jpg

[TinyGiant]

there is only one spot of rust on the drivers door that i can easily fix.. thanks to my extensive bondo practice with yaris hoods lol

[CTScott]

With an F150, you will want to find a relatively light plow (250-275 lbs max). The Timbrens will help with the front end sag, or you can upgrade the suspension.

[TinyGiant]

where did you find what size i should have for a plow?

:)

[Stove]

yeah i know if the plow goes down i will still need to plow. ... if i get a minute mount setup i could probably buy another blade side setup just in case one goes down i will have a backup

My experiences with plow trucks is that the truck breaks down way more often than the plow. Depending on how much snow you get, how wet (heavy) it is, your truck may need constant maintenance. Pushing snow, snagging the blade, working the engine, transmission and running gear hard take a toll on the truck. If your snow is anything like Northeastern Washington State, you'd be better off with one plow and two trucks with minute mount set ups.

[silver_echo]

My experiences with plow trucks is that the truck breaks down way more often than the plow. Depending on how much snow you get, how wet (heavy) it is, your truck may need constant maintenance. Pushing snow, snagging the blade, working the engine, transmission and running gear hard take a toll on the truck. If your snow is anything like Northeastern Washington State, you'd be better off with one plow and two trucks with minute mount set ups.

off topic, but where in northeast wa?

[CTScott]

where did you find what size i should have for a plow?

:)

I have a friend who's primary job is as an auto repairman and who's secondary job is as a plow dude. I ran into him last night and mentioned your F150. He said that an F150 is really not designed for plowing and when new, you have to get the "plow prep package" on an F150 to plow and keep your warranty. With that package the suspension and frame are beefed up and the a lower gear ratio is used. He said that around here an F150 would typically only be used as a personal plow vehicle. He recommended using a really light plow, like a Sno-Way.

He plows with an F350, with an 8ft Fisher V-plow and a 7ft Fisher rear plow.

[TinyGiant]

got ya. well i might try and find someone to buy the f150 quickly and then turn around and buy a f250 :)

the blubook on the truck is $5000 so i might be able to find something for $6-7k in a f250 that just has the same mileage.. 100k ish

it would be nice to find something with a plow on it too.


i dont have a warranty on the f150 so that wouldnt matter but i wouldnt want to ruin the truck lol

[CTScott]

got ya. well i might try and find someone to buy the f150 quickly and then turn around and buy a f250 :)

the blubook on the truck is $5000 so i might be able to find something for $6-7k in a f250 that just has the same mileage.. 100k ish

it would be nice to find something with a plow on it too.


i dont have a warranty on the f150 so that wouldnt matter but i wouldnt want to ruin the truck lol

There's pros and cons both ways. You'd really like a truck that hasn't plowed, because that really abuses the truck. But, buying a used plow, off of a truck is hard, because you often can't test it. Or, like in my case, the original plow frame is welded to the truck (and would have been for a very different vehicle), so you have to buy or make a frame to fit your truck.

[TinyGiant]

yeah. the other option is not plowing this winter. and just grabbing a better snow blower lol.

hmm... the dealer i bought my yaris from has a 2001 red f250 super duty that they just got in on a trade that has 130k on it. no plow. i am waiting to see what they want for it and what they would do with my trade.

i got my check engine light to go away today.. cost me $6. i bought a can of mass air flow sensor cleaner. cleaned it up disconnected the battery while i vaccumed the inside.. reconnected drove it around and gassed her up.. and no lights!

i wonder if the bed could handle a sander or salter.. i can make just as much money salting as i can plowing.. and its even less wear and tear on the truck (as long as i pressure wash it often.)

[CTScott]

yeah. the other option is not plowing this winter. and just grabbing a better snow blower lol.

hmm... the dealer i bought my yaris from has a 2001 red f250 super duty that they just got in on a trade that has 130k on it. no plow. i am waiting to see what they want for it and what they would do with my trade.

i got my check engine light to go away today.. cost me $6. i bought a can of mass air flow sensor cleaner. cleaned it up disconnected the battery while i vaccumed the inside.. reconnected drove it around and gassed her up.. and no lights!

i wonder if the bed could handle a sander or salter.. i can make just as much money salting as i can plowing.. and its even less wear and tear on the truck (as long as i pressure wash it often.)

With the F150 being a 1/2 ton pickup, you would be pretty limited for salt/sand plus the weight of the spreader.

[TinyGiant]

so i have the chance to trade straight up for a f250. its a 2000 f250 5.4L va 4x4 it has 200k on it but he has papers showing that 110k ago (5 years) the engine was replaced with a factory crate engine. i'll of course have to check it out and drive it first. but i think grabbing that truck for basically $1500 i have into the other one would be nice.

here is the link to the f250
http://nh.craigslist.org/cto/1854809327.html

[TinyGiant]

here is the f150 i got
http://i40.photobucket.com/albums/e208/3mrhythm/98f150/IMG_0219copy.jpg (http://s40.photobucket.com/albums/e208/3mrhythm/98f150/?action=view&current=IMG_0219copy.jpg" rel=nofollow)
http://i40.photobucket.com/albums/e208/3mrhythm/98f150/IMG_0199copy.jpg (http://s40.photobucket.com/albums/e208/3mrhythm/98f150/?action=view&current=IMG_0199copy.jpg" rel=nofollow)
http://i40.photobucket.com/albums/e208/3mrhythm/98f150/IMG_0200copy.jpg (http://s40.photobucket.com/albums/e208/3mrhythm/98f150/?action=view&current=IMG_0200copy.jpg" rel=nofollow)
http://i40.photobucket.com/albums/e208/3mrhythm/98f150/IMG_0201copy.jpg (http://s40.photobucket.com/albums/e208/3mrhythm/98f150/?action=view&current=IMG_0201copy.jpg" rel=nofollow)
http://i40.photobucket.com/albums/e208/3mrhythm/98f150/IMG_0203copy.jpg (http://s40.photobucket.com/albums/e208/3mrhythm/98f150/?action=view&current=IMG_0203copy.jpg" rel=nofollow)
http://i40.photobucket.com/albums/e208/3mrhythm/98f150/IMG_0205copy.jpg (http://s40.photobucket.com/albums/e208/3mrhythm/98f150/?action=view&current=IMG_0205copy.jpg" rel=nofollow)
http://i40.photobucket.com/albums/e208/3mrhythm/98f150/IMG_0207copy.jpg (http://s40.photobucket.com/albums/e208/3mrhythm/98f150/?action=view&current=IMG_0207copy.jpg" rel=nofollow)
http://i40.photobucket.com/albums/e208/3mrhythm/98f150/IMG_0214copy.jpg (http://s40.photobucket.com/albums/e208/3mrhythm/98f150/?action=view&current=IMG_0214copy.jpg" rel=nofollow)
http://i40.photobucket.com/albums/e208/3mrhythm/98f150/IMG_0215copy.jpg (http://s40.photobucket.com/albums/e208/3mrhythm/98f150/?action=view&current=IMG_0215copy.jpg" rel=nofollow)
http://i40.photobucket.com/albums/e208/3mrhythm/98f150/IMG_0217copy.jpg (http://s40.photobucket.com/albums/e208/3mrhythm/98f150/?action=view&current=IMG_0217copy.jpg" rel=nofollow)
http://i40.photobucket.com/albums/e208/3mrhythm/98f150/IMG_0220copy.jpg (http://s40.photobucket.com/albums/e208/3mrhythm/98f150/?action=view&current=IMG_0220copy.jpg" rel=nofollow)

http://i40.photobucket.com/albums/e208/3mrhythm/98f150/IMG_0202copy.jpg (http://s40.photobucket.com/albums/e208/3mrhythm/98f150/?action=view&current=IMG_0202copy.jpg" rel=nofollow)

[firemachine69]

Err... Is that 2WD?

[TinyGiant]

Nope its 4x4

[TinyGiant]

so the black f250 has 200k on it but 110k ago the engine was replaced with a factory crate and the tranny was rebuilt. The guy says its super solid he just wants something smaller.. since he obviously drives alot.

the problem for me is that he is over 2.25hrs away (plymouth mass) and i dont want to drive all the way down there for nothing if i dont like it. He said the only thing that isnt up to snuff is the paint job.. if you look at the pics in the listing you can see its lost some of his luster.. paint doesnt really bother me. but the 200k kinda scares me .. yeah the engine was replaced and tranny rebuilt but who knows about the other maintenance...

hmm

[CTScott]

Like someone mentioned above; If the truck breaks down, you're done with plowing for the day, and your customers are not happy campers. 200K on the chassis would worry me.

[TinyGiant]

my neighbor has a huge new dodge that i think he is going to put a plow on this winter so he can do the house he rents out next to me. I know he'd let me use his truck in a pinch.

lol why cant the grass just grow all winter too so we can cut it and keep the cashflow lol

[CTScott]

my neighbor has a huge new dodge that i think he is going to put a plow on this winter so he can do the house he rents out next to me. I know he'd let me use his truck in a pinch.

lol why cant the grass just grow all winter too so we can cut it and keep the cashflow lol

At least the grass is reliable and needs to be cut every week. Around here it's feast or famine for the plow guys. Last winter they made a killing with all of the storms that we had, but the winter before they only had about 4 plowable storms.

[TinyGiant]

yeah. well the wife and I have a part time job working on the weekends that pays the bills. We are back at the pet store we were laid off from a while ago. I usually landscape for the owner and Meg works the pet store. but i have a feeling he is going to screw us over yet again this winter. even though he promised he wouldnt. I figured if i can do the plowing in the winter it would make up for losses. And since my boss also has a landscaping and commercial plowing company he pays $50 an hour to plow if you have your own truck. So i figure if there isnt normal weekend work for me there should be winter work that pays way better. and i will have my own accounts too.

[TinyGiant]

the dealership i bought my yaris from has a nice 2001 f250 superduty with 130k on it just came in on a trade. havent heard back yet on the price.

I'm not too worried about breakdown and such. I plan to put every penny of the plowing money away. i figure its about time i had a savings account. We just sold our screen printing equipment the other day so i have a good deal of cash to sit on right now, helped buy the truck, paid some bills that needed to be paid and i still have 4k now in savings.. which is more than i have had in savings since i sold my paintball business a few years ago.

my goal is to pay off all my credit cards in the next couple years and then the car as well :) When we got married i paid off all my debts so we could go into it without any debt .. of course true to American form lol i have some cards to pay off.

[TinyGiant]

So i went and grabbed the F250 today. Traded my truck and I added $200.. it was supposed to be $300 which after i looked the truck over a little better when i got home i should have almost had him add.. but oh well.

drove the truck home for 3.5hours thanks to traffic and it ran like a champ. rides nice and smooth. brakes were a tiny squeaky at times but he did mention (after i got there) that i would need brakes at some point.

when megan jumped in the truck she noticed the passenger visor was down.. she flipped it up to find he was trying to hide a spider crack in the windshield. I told him i wanted $100 back from the money i gave him.. he acted like he didnt know it was there.. we know he was being sly.

the drivers side mirror was gutted and just fitted with a mirror so its non-power or adjustable now...
the pass door lock doesnt lock with the power it jiggles but doesnt quite lock.
the rubber leaf spring stop things were missing on one side and replaced with two blocks of wood painted black.. lol
the overdrive button was super touchy and sometimes would pop off over drive if i brushed it with my hand or something.


all simple little things i dont mind fixing. would have been nice to have a honest heads up on them though.

all in all the truck is pretty solid. did check the oil when i got home to find it wasnt even registering on the stick.. bought some synthetic and threw 3 quarts in there to get it to the optimal range.

drove like a dream for a beast of a truck. the thing is huge. 2000 5.4L V8 XLT 8ft bed, single cab. Has the towing package with the electric brake control in the cab.

It will be a great work truck for sure.

lol also its been spray bombed flat black.. which actually .. i'm quite fond of.. i guess it was maroon..flat black is better.. more post apocalypse... more beasty!

[TinyGiant]

here is a picture of the beast
http://i40.photobucket.com/albums/e208/3mrhythm/utf-8BSU1HMDAzMzcuanBn.jpg

Makes my yaris look like a toy. lol


i put $40 in the beast today and it was only a half a tank. i put $25 in the yaris and its full.

[TinyGiant]

picked up my fisher push plates yesterday found a gently used set for $300

found a guy locally that has a plow and harness/controller for $1000 hopefully that works out. i'd love to have the complete package for $1300 plus install :)

[TinyGiant]

I decided to put the push plates on myself. save myself some money local place wanted $250 to install just the plates. Took me a few hours and had to buy the bolt kit for it .. darn $80 for a bag of bolts lol.. most of the time it took to install was the stupid cordless drill running out of juice every 3 holes i drilled in the frame.. needed 8 holes total.

yesterday i picked up the harness and fishstick controller for $470 and had a friend help me install it at his garage for $40

we swapped a couple plugs and ended up blowing my low beams lol but couple new bulbs and a fuse and we were good to go :)

we are supposed to drive to VT tomorrow to pick up the plow .. getting a 7'6" MM2 RD .. trading a brand new macbook for it. (got the macbook in a craigslist trade.. have $550 into it)

so piecing it all together i have a total cost of

380+470+550+40=1440 I really didnt think i was gonna end up with the complete setup this cheap. a new mm2 is like $4500 complete :) I love craigslist lol

i wanted to get the harness and plates installed asap so i could test the plow I am getting.. dont want to end up with something broken :)