In other words, Mike, forget about plowing that storm we had last weekend…
Actually MB…where I live we only got about 4"…So yea…the Ranger would have been fine.
If this truck had a really low gear and a lot of torque so you could take your foot off the clutch and creep along, I would expect the clutch to be fine, but on a truck with an engine this small, the driver would be working the clutch’s friction zone, like in stop-and-go traffic, or like when you back-up a trailer.
If this truck had a really low gear and a lot of torque so you could take your foot off the clutch and creep along, I would expect the clutch to be fine
You don’t snow plow that way unless you have a HUGE truck with a lot of torque. Even an F-150 with a Big V8 can’t creep along in any snow over 5".
Its all about the operator
Could an expert operator make this rig work? Sure. Would he bother? Nope.
I’m going to change my answer. I originally wrote “You can, but…”. I’m going to change it to “Nope, you cannot”.
There is absolutely no way you would have been able to plow that 22" of heavy wet snow that we had last weekend. If people have hired you to plow they’re driveways. they’re going to be very disappointed…and very stuck…if we have another storm like that (and we will) and they’re depending on you to be able to get out of their driveways.
You simply cannot successfully be plowing people’s driveways with a rig that small. When people hire you, they expect you to have the necessary equipment.
@MikeInNH: “You don’t snow plow that way unless you have a HUGE truck with a lot of torque. Even an F-150 with a Big V8 can’t creep along in any snow over 5”."
Actually, you are making my point, but more eloquently. This vehicle doesn’t have the torque to plow at slow speeds, and slow speeds are what I would want when plowing narrow urban driveways with blind corners.
When you plow a driveway, unless you are out in the country, you probably won’t get a chance to build up the speed you need.
Actually the Ford Range would be GREAT for removing the snow from driveways…
You can probably haul a fairly large Snow-blower in the bed.
That’s actually an excellent idea. And even a large 3-stage blower would be a heck of a lot cheaper than a new truck. Perhaps a small tractor with a snowblower even.
I have a little fantasy about moving up north, taking a utility ATV (not a sport ATV), adding some weight on the racks over the axles, and putting a little plow on the front. I would plow my sidewalks in 3 minutes, and then tackle the driveway, and maybe my neighbors’ sidewalks. Of course, it’s been explained to me why this is a bad idea, but I still think it would beat shoveling or pushing a snow-blower, and it would be fun to boot.
This setup is not uncommon, but it’s also not capable of plowing a serious Nor’Easter like the one we had last weekend. It takes power and weight to push heavy snow. Blowing it takes much less power and weight. But it takes more time.
@whitey:
i know a couple people who put a plow on their riding lawn mower and use that to plow
The best “amateur” snow plow rig I ever saw was owned by my boss at my first auto repair job. He had a late ‘60s International one ton pickup, 4WD, with a 7.5’ blade on it. Underneath the truck was a four speed with granny low, and under the hood lived an early LT1 Chevy 350 with ram’s horn manifolds and a Holley 650 double pumper. In the bed was about 150-200 brake drums and rotors. He kept the plow truck at the shop (it was not registered so not driven on the street) and was paid $20 per snowfall by the shop owner. The shop had a long uphill drive leading to the parking lot, and it would usually take him less than ten minutes to clear the lot. The interesting thing was, though, that despite having 4WD, he would never use it even with as much as two feet of snow to clear. The rig would just drive at a slight angle up the hill when there was more than a foot of snow to clear.
I had this neighbor when I lived in Goffstown NH some 20 years ago…he had a driveway that was MAYBE 20’ long…He had a plow on his riding mower…Although when he had a lot of snow…he had to have his brother come over with his snow-blower…MEANWHILE…his next door neighbor who had a similar driveway…the 60yo woman would shovel it…I think it took her the same amount of time.
When we got heavy wet snow here in the past, where we are responsible for our own plowing, up and down hills, we suffered. It would take days it seemed to pick away at it as it froze on the sides. Then we got smart. 3/4 ton GMC diesel trucks with V plows. That’s the best thing to lower to load on a truck for the initial pass and get people out in the morning. Then, we come along during the day (I’m the only retired one and can sleep mornings) with a tractor with a 5.5 foot cast iron blower and widen the roads with two passes and do the private drives with the loader so working people can get back in.
After 15 years of doing this stuff, I can say a Ranger might work, perhaps after a light dusting of three inches of light snow doing on hills we face. Otherwise, we learned fast. If getting out and our family’s security is important, you need real snow removal equipment. It won’t be cheap and it won’t be a 4 wd 4 cyl Ranger.
For anything more than “Hobby Snowplowing” you need 4WD, 6 cylinder, automatic transmission. Disregard this advice and you will wish you had not…
Having said that, I have seen 4 cylinder stick shift Jeep CJ-5’s plow snow effectively all day…No strain, no pain…It’s all in the hands of the operator…
One Word for moving heavy snow BOBCAT
Snow does fall, but usually not more than you and the ranger can handle with multiple trips if needed. Go fast enough to throw the snow, not just pile it up, as said previously a John deer yard tractor can do it, you can do it, even better!
It could also depend on the type of snow being removed. I don’t know about other areas but here in OK it seems that most of the time any snowfall is of the heavy, icy wet variety instead of the light and fluffy dry type.
The former can be a real handful when piling up and I could see a real struggle shoving this stuff along if it’s fairly deep. The latter would be a piece of cake.
Bobcat…absolutely. My next door neighbor has a 90 hp diesel skid steer loader with tracks. An absolute animal. Snow doesn’t stand a chance. We even graded the road with it the other day using the plow attachment while I followed along with a York rake on a tractor. Of course he welded reinforcement across the back of the plow to work with gravel too. The next best thing to a dozer…