"Essentially, I’m just looking for a truck that I can use as needed to help out with people that might need it (moving furniture, debris, plowing them out, etc.). I just want to serve some folks and am looking for a cheap way to do. So the plow will only be used a few times after moderate to heavy snow. "
This is a noble motive. My suggestion:
Get yourself a small 4 cylinder pickup like a Ranger or Tacoma, plus a good-sized snowblower like a 10hp/30" and a set of ramps for loading it into the truck.
The truck will be useful for moving, etc, and you won’t have the hassle of removing the plow. For the few times you want to clear other people’s driveway, pull out the ramps, drive the blower into the truck bed, and go to work.
The snowblower will be a lot easier to use and maintain than a plow, and the truck won’t be burdened with a plow for the times you want to use it as a moving truck.
And without a plow, you can get a smaller less expensive 4 cylinder truck.
@amjohnson86
I would like to expand on @thesamemountainbike 's excellent idea. A used tractor but with a blower on the back and bucket or blade on front… A garden tractor that can only push snow will be very limited as far as snow depth is concerned because of it’s lack of weight. A blower allows you to tackle most any job if you pick away at it. You can also place the snow where plowing leaves you at the mercy of accumulated snow which is way too much to handle. Ideally, if you are only doing drives you should mount the blower on the back and keep the bucket or plow on the front to break up ice and ard snow.
Granted, I have a much bigger tractor then you might want but with this type set up, but I can move snow more efficiently and accurately then the largest of common plow trucks up to 3/4 ton. You can do similar with a garden tractor. What you can’t do, is go across town and do another job. Don’t dismiss the lowly walk behind snowblower. For $2500 you can get a monster of a walk behind that is much more efficient in snow placement and much less expensive to keep on the road then any plow truck. It can walk around the neighborhood too.
I have plowed commercially and but still use a tractor and walk behind for my private work for my self and neighbors during the winter as we get lots of snow. I even clean out my neighbors who have plow trucks ! I can do a much neater job with the bucket and blower. Trust me, if all you are going to do is help the neighbors, a junky old plow truck is not the way to go. The options @same and I have outlined and add a utility trailer to move the blower or a small tractor are much better non commercial use and you have the trailer for light duty hauling too. I say light duty but a decent utility trailer can carry a ton and most cars can tow 1500 lbs. So, right there you have more capacity then a used plow truck.
Btw, I live with neighbors who all have plow trucks. After being financially able, I ask a neighbor if I should buy a truck to help out during the winter. One replied, heck no. Our neibor hood needs a good size tractor to dig our our trucks and move snow when it accumulates and piles up. So I got one. Since, that he bought one too when he saw how usefull they are. Moving fallen trees, launching boats, pulling cars out of ditches, kandscaping and on it goes. You will find much more use for even a garden tractor then an old crappy $2000 dump truck that will suck you dry. It has to pass inspection and you will have to insure and register it, at least in my state. A tractor is totally exempt when used locally on street side. It’s a no brainer. Just get an orange one. ;=)
Having a plow and finding great utility in owning one I would not discourage you from getting one. It especially makes sense if you want to service a number of people. The guy across the street from my old house hires a guy with a snowblower. It takes him forever compared to a plow and the constant loading and unloading is a PITA. Plus, he has to park his rig on the street to do the loading/offloading with traffic and road plows going by constantly. He told me he only uses that set up when they are doing drives that can’t be serviced with a plow. And he charges appropriately for the added effort too.
I’m no expert but I have installed 3 full sized plows on various of my trucks and also 2 different homeowner type plows on SUVs I have owned. Only two of those were new plows and only one of the SUVs was new. It’s no picnic to install a plow, trust me. Unless you’ve done fairly major car repair, I would suggest you look for pre-mounted plows. Just try to find a homeowner that is upgrading as it will have less abuse. The front end suspension takes the main abuse and front frame extensions. Look for rust issues on trucks that plow infrequently and sit the rest of the year. Be very mindful of checking the transmission. Any sluggish engagement, clunking or other anomalous behavior should be a red flag.
As for the plow, check the moldboard and its supports for rust and that the welds are solid between them. Check the hydraulic rams for pitting. Run the plow up/down and left/right and inspect the rams when they are fully exposed. Should be nice glossy metal with no pitting. Check the ram seals for leakage. Operation should be smooth and not jerky. One thing I like to do is check the quill setting for dropping the blade. If the owner had it set to slam on the ground, I treat that as a red flag.
Most plow set ups out there now are fairly quick to mount/unmount. I can do my current rig in under three minutes from start to finish. No need to drive around with a plow on when you’re not plowing.
Aside from self-sufficiency, they are invaluable in slush conditions, are faster, and believe it or not, a blast to do when you first get one. You’ll be looking for people who you can plow out but one word of caution, you’ll be liable for any damage you inflict. You’ll also find people coming out of the woodwork and some will even get a bit demanding on what you’re essentially doing for free as a favor…
I was thinking the same thing as Mountainbike, except instead of using a lawn tractor, I was thinking of a utility ATV (as opposed to a sport ATV). A utility ATV will have racks on top that you can add weight to for traction.
Thanks for the suggestions cigroller and jesmed. These were the ideas I was hoping for.
Yes, cigroller, you pretty much nailed what I intent to use the truck for. I will drive it from time to time to ensure it is started and run occasionally.
For some reason I felt like a smaller truck wouldn’t be capable enough for what I might want to do even though I can’t define everything I’d want to do.
I’m also considering some other options like only 2WD but I’m not sure that’s what I want either.
Other Options not directly from owners: 1997 Dodge Ram 1500
<a href=http://www.msusurplusstore.com/servlet/Detail?no=8618>1995 Ford F150 XL (only 2WD)
Thanks for the tips when looking at plows TwinTurbo.
I live in a city sort of setting and I’m not sure this option would work and it be hard to transport. I know that a garden tractor has great utility since my dad has one and I used it regularly growing up. He had a plow, mower, and tiller attachments. He now has a larger tractor with a rear blade and bucket.
All of this information is very helpful and I appreciate the input and advice.
I do plan to have a mechanic inspect any vehicle I’d purchase beforehand.
I agree with jesmed. Get a small truck and a good snowblower.
Hint: Good used snowblowers can be had for $500, and if you’re careful about what you get, you can get one that’s every bit as good as the new $2,500 ones. Get a 2 stage, all metal, with a Tecumseh Snow King engine.
My neighbor bought himself a shiny new $1,500 Ariens snowblower last year. This year has sucked for snow, and several times I’ve gone over to clear the frozen plow pile for him with my 20 year old $500 blower when his wouldn’t get through it without clogging every 3 seconds.
Just a thought but, have you considered getting a ATV and adding a plow to the front.
You could buy a snowmobile trailer and haul the ATV on that to those people that you with to help out.
I have a friend that has one and it works fine here in Wisconsin. I plowed for him one day this year and the thing did a great job.
The only tricky part is that an ATV is not built to push a snowbank further back, so at the first plowing of the year you need to plow extra wide so you have enough room for future snow.
Yeah I have to agree with the others. Put your money into a small truck, a small trailer, and a garden tractor. I would prefer a garden tractor with a blower though instead of a blade. A little slower but you don’t have the banks created. When I was a kid, a neighbor had a Wheelhorse with a blower and a cab, and for fun he’d just come by and clean everyones driveway. Only took a few minutes each and he stayed comfortable. With a little trailer you have mobility with minimum investment. Personally, I won’t allow a truck with a plow in my driveway due to the piles and scraping the lawn.
@Shadowfax: Maybe the “Snow King” engine is a good one, but in my experience with Tecumseh engines, they are cranky, hard to start, and just temperamental in general. I will never intentionally own another one unless it is free or ridiculously cheap. I’ll take a Briggs & Stratton or Kohler any day. YMMV.
My neighbor bought himself a shiny new $1,500 Ariens snowblower last year. This year has sucked for snow, and several times I've gone over to clear the frozen plow pile for him with my 20 year old $500 blower when his wouldn't get through it without clogging every 3 seconds.
My 2 year old $800 Ariens snowblower does just fine in snow. So does my 20 year old Ariens (which is at a 3-family I own). Never ever had a problem with either…And I LOVE the Snow King engine. Usually starts the first pull every time. My father-in-law’s brother has a 1960 Ariens (bought it when he got married)…still running good…never anything but normal maintenance. And Syracuse winters can be brutal.
We have had a snowblower with a Tec 5hp Snow King for about 20 years and it’s the best small engine I’ve ever used. Starts easy, no carb trouble ever, runs strong and gets the job done every time.
I always had good luck with the Tecumsehs but you had to make sure you kept oil in them. Last year I bought a new Toro with the Briggs engine on it. The blower is great, and the engine runs fine, but have had governor problems since day one. Just not very responsive and bogs down. I’ve had it back to the shop for adjustment but taking it to another master Briggs mechanic today to see whats what. Only about the fourth time in 60 years that I’ve ever had to have someone else work on my small engines but I’m stumped.
Okay. getting back to trucks.
Can anyone comment on a 1993 Dodge W250 4x4 truck with a 318 with a automatic transmission?
Is that engine good, how about transmission? I like the look of the truck even though it will be very basic interior.
I found one that has plow mounts and boss controls (actual plow not included) and a light on the top on craigslist. I’ll want to take it to a mechanic for it claims just over 40k miles and is selling for $1500.
LINK: 1993 Dodge W250 4x4
The 318 is pretty bulletproof. I have one in my B250 camper van. I believe your model year has the 5.2 Magnum engine which is basically an upgrade of the “original” 318, with the same displacement.
Only 40k on that truck with all the body rot and dings? Hard to believe…unless every one of those miles was plowing…
Triedaq planned to purchase a snow plow for me for my Toyota 4Runner as a Christmas present. I got wind of what he was up to and nixed the idea. His idea was that since we are both retired, I could bring in some extra income plowing driveways. My argument against the snow blade was that I would lose most, if not all, of my profits on repairs to the 4Runner.
We do have a snow blower that Triedaq bought at WalMart. It says MTD on the blower, so I assume that is the company that made it. I think it cost between $250 and $300. Triedaq has cleared the snow from our driveway after a 9" snowfall last week and cleared the driveway after a 6.5" snowfall last night. I suggested to him that he go around the neighborhood and try to pick up his beer money clearing driveways. He argued that our snow blower wasn’t designed for commercial use. I don’t think the 4Runner was really meant to be a snow plow either.
Does that year truck have an odometer that goes backward when you back up ? ;=)
Seriously, do you need to insure the truck ? Doing other peoples drive ways on a regular enough basis is not a smart thing to do liability wise. I have experience in snow removal both plowing and with a tractor loader. According to my neighbor whom I worked for who is a contractor in snow removal for both business lots and residential, you had better be insured to the hilt with the right insurance. Good neighbor Sam can sing a different tune if that wall of snow you never saw has found to have split the studs on his garage or he wants a new drive way repaving job or lawn fix because you tore up the edge of the drive or lawn. These are COMPLETLY normal occurrences ramming snow with a plow truck and most home owners accept the risk with their own home insurance when contracting snow removal. But, you are a volunteer. I don’t volunteer doing such things except in extreme emergencies with my neighbors and I have both the time and equipment. We all know why and we don’t put our frends and neighbors at risk especially if you are on good terms now that could turn bad with one plowing misstep. It seems like a good idea, but trust me, it isn’t.
