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Looking for advice on a good homeowner plow to take care of our 1/2 mile long gravel lane. We live 1/4 mile off of the county road and our neighbor lives about a 1/4 mile down from us at the end. Right now he takes care of the plowing with a Toyota Tundra and I believe a Meyer homeowner plow. He and I help each other with road maintenance, etc...and I want to be able to take care of the lane if he's not around or not able to. I am the manager of a small city so I'm no stranger to plows, trucks, and equipment, but that said, I'm not about to go out and purchase the same type of equipment we use on our public works trucks to plow a 10' wide, 1/2 mile long lane 10 or 15 times a year for an hour at a clip. However, I do want to buy a well made plow that will last many years for the type of use it will see.
My personal truck is a 2012 F250 super cab short bed 4x4, 6.2L gas, 3.73 gears, electric locking rearend, and snow plow prep package. It seems that just about every plow manufacturer makes a homeowner model these days and its hard to get a feel for them just watching videos on Youtube, etc... I have seen a few differences though and I will say that I definitely want a hydraulically operated plow as opposed to a winch or something of that nature. Given the fact that I'll be plowing gravel, a model with available shoes is important as well. As far as ease of getting it on and off, that's not a huge concern because most of the time I will plow the lane, park the plow truck, and take my city-assigned vehicle to work. I know that my neighbor's plow is a PITA to get on and off as I've helped him with it a few times.
Seems like it would be more practical to buy an old tractor with a 3 point and put a blade on it. You could also use it to grade your drive now and then to smooth out the gravel. Might be able to find one with a front loader as well. The front bucket can be used for moving snow in addition to the rear blade.
I live at the end of a 1/10th of a mile lane. I have two 750cc AVS. One has a 54 inch straight plow, the other has a 60 inch DOT style tapered plow. Both have tire chains (V-bar style) on the rear tires.
The plow systems were both manufactured by WARN.
I installed everything before the snow storm started, but I think it is going to be "self-shoveling" (it will melt soon), so I won't have to do anything for this storm.
One neighbor has a skid-steer loader. He helps move snow when he can.
Another neighbor has a CAN-AM side by side UTV with a 60 inch straight blade. He has a cab and a heater. Nice!
Many years ago, I worked in a shop that sold plows (sorry, don't remember which brand). The ones we sold and installed were straight blade (7 foot, IIRC), hydraulic lift and angle. Once the push bracket, lift assembly, and wiring was installed on the truck, removing and installing the plow was simple a matter of two pins and a chain, and connecting the lines for the angle cylinder.
IMO, the BOSS V-plow seems to be a nice system. It can be a straight pusher, or angled left or right, or a V-blade to push the snow to both sides. Beyond that, I know nothing about them
I don't know that I would look for a "homeowner plow system". Sure, you might save a few pennies, but how strong is it? One built for commercial duty is likely to be better and stronger built. Also, check the mounting system. Does it spread the load, or does it concentrate the load in one area of the frame?
Location: We_tside PNW (Columbia Gorge) / CO / SA TX / Thailand
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How often?
How Deep? (per snow + annual max accumulation (need a blower / loader to move piles?)
How heavy is the snow? (wet or dry?)
Terrain? (Steep or flat?)
Road surface? (gravel, paved, concrete, chip seal?)
Temps when plowing? (Need a cab? / heat)
Lights? Need to plow at night?
Space? (tight turns? / places to store snow?
I would get a dedicated plow truck if frequently used, or a tractor if I could use it year round.
For intermittent / back-up use... I would hire it done. (equipment is not free to buy or cheap to maintain) As you know...
Retired county rigs are usually very inexpensive and heavy duty.
An idea would be to ask your neighbor give you or let you "borrow" his plow for free or a sell it to you at a discounted price, with the stipulation that you keep the road to his house well plowed of snow. He may be real sick of plowing it out himself, you never know .
Otherwise, I agree with the others that this would be a great excuse to buy a small loader tractor of some sort You could use it year round, and it's nice to be able to scoop, dump and move snow piles well out of the way, vs. Just pushing them around with the plow. Think of all the fun you could have with your very own tractor!
I used to work for a state highway department. The state would contract local farmers with tractors with plows in case of a big snow (anything over 8" which was usually our biggest each year). Trucks with plows did better on parking lots and driveways. I'd go with the tractor like the others have mentioned.
A tractor is one more thing to keep running. If you can park it indoors it would be good. If it sits for months without doing anything, it probably won't start the morning after a snow storm.
A tractor is one more thing to keep running. If you can park it indoors it would be good. If it sits for months without doing anything, it probably won't start the morning after a snow storm.
Correct. If you do not start it for months, you may come out to find a discharged battery that has frozen and cracked. I start my 50 year old gasoline tractor once a month, and let it run until it is warmed up. I also have to use starter fluid once it gets cold in order to get it to start.
Any equipment you don't use frequently, a Battery Tender or similar smart trickle charger is worth having.
Anything you are going to plow snow with, yeah, if you can arrange to have it in a heated or partially heated shop, that will make it easier to start.
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