By: Steve
Taylor
Is your truck a 4 Wheel Drive?
Does your truck have or require a Snow Plow package?
Remember certain plows are designed for certain size trucks,
if you buy a plow blade that is too large for your truck, you will not be able
to mount it at all!
Consider these
points:
Unless your truck is exactly a
match to the truck that the plow was removed from, it may not fit without
buying more parts. This could get expensive!
How well was the plow maintained?
How long was the plow sitting unused?
Expensive hydraulics and controls
may be worn out or not functioning, may need to be tested on a test stand. There is no easy way of testing hydraulics without
a test stand.
Parts may be damaged and bent and
may have to be reworked or new parts purchased. Bent structural components are
sometimes hard to see, and examination by an expert mechanic is advised.
Slightly damaged structural components may
fail completely under the stress of snow plowing conditions.
Wiring harnesses also are truck
specific and may not fit your truck.
How handy are you? Remember the
plow is not under warranty and is likely to have breakdowns at the most
inopportune times!
Remember you are going to have to
have someone mount the plow to your truck unless you are real handy and have
all the tools required. This could cost you $400-$500.
Recommendations:
Review the snowplow manufacturer’s
websites for size of blade and truck requirements. Make sure the parts
you are buying match the manufacturer’s website parts list required for mounting to the truck.
Shop around! Ask lots of Questions. Listen but verify! Don’t
just take the first deal you find!
By the Way - I would sooner buy a truck already mounted with a plow than
to buy a used plow that is off the truck!
Consider carefully what your snow
removal plans are. Are you only going to plow your own driveway? Or are you
going to take on contracts to plow other driveways and maybe even parking lots?
In general, it may
be a better decision to buy a new plow on a new truck with a warranty! You
should weigh all the requirements you have for snow removal, the extra initial
cost of a new truck and plow could easily be the better long term solution,
particularly if you will be plowing commercially.
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