Can I do limited amounts of plowing w/compact 4wd truck

I would like to do some limited plowing and would like to know if this can be done with a compact 4wd truck. I didn't buy a truck yet and am looking at Ford Rangers, Chevy S-10, Toyota SR-5 and Dodge Dakota. What I mean by limited plowing is 1-3 driveways. I live in Northwest NJ. Any recommendations, either car or plow choice, are welcome

Thanks

 

Older style S-10 with a Sno-Way plow works fine. Don't have to think in terms of limited use either. We run a pair of S-10s with 8', Series 25 Sno-Ways on them. For light use I'd run a Series 24, I think they are available in 7'4 and are a bit lighter than the Series 25 models. Get the 4.3L v-6 and automatic.

 

I see alot of Rangers around here with snoway plows. If your only using it for light use get the 24 series with the lexan.

 

over the years weve had two or three s-10s that we put fischers on. they worked just fine. we did more than three driveways too, so i dont expect youd have a problem. i wouldnt reccomend the plow on the dakota or the toyota.

 

There has been a lot of positive feedback on this forum about using s-10 pickups and blazers. Most people like the Sno-Way on these trucks. As a matter of fact I think I will be putting one on my s-10 blazer next year. And yes you want the 4.3 engine.

Neal

 

Alan,

We have a 99 Nissan Frontier with the 3.0 V6. Snoway recommends the 1880 or 1890 model but I would like to but on a 2480 or 2490. What is you opinion on this. The dealer said that he would not install the 2480 or 2490, I would have to do it myself. Have you had good luck with Snoway? They are the only company that makes a plow for the Frontier, that I know of.

 

I can't remember what the difference is between the 18 and 24 series. Downpressure, I think and height of moldboard maybe. I don't have a brochure handy to compare weights, but I'd think that a 2480 would work fine. It seems to me that you've got some real chickenpoop dealers down in NJ, John DiMartino had a dealer pull similar crap on him. The nosepiece and mounting frame are the same, so either would work once you had the hardware on the truck. I've had good enough results with Sno-Way, other than the quality of their welding. It pays to examine them closely at least once a year and expect to find some welds going bad if you use them heavy. I've had one of their Vice Presidents by the ear a couple times about the welding problems. Don't know if any of it ever got back to Quality Control but it was fun to spout off in front of a crowd.

[Edited by Alan on 01-11-2001 at 11:03 PM]

 

The 18 series plow is only 18 inches tall and no down pressure is available. The weight listed in the brochure says 376# for the 1872 and 381# for the 1880. This includes the lights and mount kit. The 24 series plow is 24 inches tall and downpressure is available. The weight is listed at 512# for the 2480 and 558# for the 2490. Again this weight includes the light kit and mount. I don't know enough about that vehicle to recomend putting the bigger plow on it.

I also ran into a bummer dealer here. I went in there saturday to get a price on a series 24 for my S-10 blazer. The friendly (not really) guy just blurted out 3 grand for the plow and 500 bucks for mounting it no lights included!
So it looks like I will be going to where Slim Jim Z71 got his to get a price.

Neal

 

Bryden Ford in Durand Il. is advertising Boss and Western Plows installed for $2850. Might want to give them a try.

 

Thanks for the info. Since I will be using this truck as my primary transportation, to and from work, I would like to purchase a new vehicle. I will look into the S-10 pickup trucks. From what I have read, I should look for the 4.3L V-6. Is there any other specifics I should consider? I also found the home page for SnoWay, does anyone have any info on the SnoWay as far as price for a series 24 Lexon plow? Thanks again!