shazaam

Well last winter we got hit pretty hard, and we broke our backs shoveling snow ... this winter were slapping a snow plow on to something.

Option one: To get a Snoway predator snowplow and slap it on to my dad's 02 Tundra (V8).

Option two: Get an ATV, and put a snowplow on the front of that.

Right now were leaning toward option one. The plow is not as big as the commercial ones, but it should serve our purpose. We have 2-3 driveways to shovel. My question is, does anyone have any experience with snowway or putting a plow on the front of the truck? Anything I should look out for?

As far as option two, how effective would this method be? Do those things put out enough horsepower to push snow out? The cost of option one is a little over $3 thousand. I don't know about option two yet, I will go check out some dealers tomorrow, and see what I am looking at in terms of cost. The one cool thing would be, is that I would get an ATV out of it .... . But I guess well see. Any advice would be greatly appreciated. thanks

914runner

if your gonna go with a new ATV you would be probably around $5000 to $7000. and definitely get a 4WD ATV!

runnerboy97

Let me shed a little light on the topic, from experience. Do you want to plow in a heated cab ? THe ATV way is fun, but it gets real cold real quick. Then again putting a plow on a truck is very hard on it, it wears things out and tears them up.

Satchmo724

personally, i would go with the ATV option, why? It's another toy! woohooo! but seriously folks, if you only have small driveways to shovel, then the ATV is going to be a lot more manueverable in those little spaces, and since you wont be out there for long, you wont suffer hypothermia or anything. on top of all that, if you wanted to take the Tundra out for any other reason than to plow, it would be a major pain in the butt the remove that plow and put it back on each time. just my opinion.

PirateFins

OK here's the scoop. I am a partner in a snow removal buisness, so I will give you my opinion.
The Sno-way plow is a nice plow 5 yr warrenty, can be wireless controled as an option, and best of all weighs less then a regular (Meyers / Western / Boss)plow. The Sno-way is made out of a new high strength poly called Hyzoid, so the blade weighs about 1/2 of a standard steel plow. Also they have a system that will press the plow down and distribute the weight evenly on the truck (front and back), unlike the Meyers (I have one and I'm not bashing them) that puts all of the weight on the front end of your truck.

As far as which method is better you can get done 3 driveways in half the time with a 7 1/2 ft plow (the size you would want to put on the Tundra), then you could do with a 4 ft ATV plow.
ATV plows can also be used for sidewalks.
ATV plowing gets cold as stated previously, truck = warm, radio, and cup holder for hot chocolate.

By using the truck, you could finish your driveways, and then go and make some serious money, doing other driveways / parking lots etc.. and then be able to buy an, ATV + plow, and have money left over for mucho mods when the season is over. Then go out the next year and get a buddy to use the ATV/plow and make even more.

As far as cost : You can save money by installing the plow yourself, they are straight forward to put on, they have good directions. I have put 3 plows on trucks already this year. All you are doing is bolting the lower bracket to the frame, and the new wireless remote plow control are so cool, no wires to cut and splice.
ATV plows can be bought off of EBAY also.

Sorry to be long winded.
Cheers and have fun in the snow. I can't wait for the first check!!

TechWrench

I have plowed using my vehicle for years, and I think there are some serious things you should consider before you go that route. First, take a good look at the driveways you need to clear, and how much snow you get during an average season. How long are they, and what is the clearance on the sides. Do you have sufficient room to push the snow back far enough to get through the entire season? Remember, once you establish the first pile with a plow and it freezes, you ain't gonna move it any further. How much room do you have to manuver around? Do you have turn arounds or parking areas that are tight turns or close to the house or a fence? If you have any brickwork or edging in the area, plows always seem to find them. They also do a real good job of 'sculpting' the top of the lawn if your not careful. If your driveway goes right up to the garage and you can't park the truck with the plow in the garage so you can start right out of the door you may have to back drag from the garage out to clear that area.

As for mounting the plow on the Tundra, it will (within reason) handle a plow OK, but if you get one of those lightweight 'surbanite' plows they will not hold up under heavy abuse. And I don't care what any salesman says, plowing is abusive to the vehicle. It will shorten the trucks life, and things will break, expensive things. Though the ATV deal sounds like a good idea, it weighs a lot less than the truck and won't be able to move nearly as much snow, especially if its wet. If cost is a serious factor, you might be better off with a good snowblower. They can clear a good amount of snow in a short time, and you can 'toss' the snow way back from the area you are clearing without creating mounds right next to it. They are much more maneuverable and can do walks and small areas the truck can't get into. And you can get a good 2 stage unit for under 2 grand.

Don't get me wrong, a plow is a great tool, if the job warrants it. But they are not right for everybody. Just some things to think about, I hope this will help in your decision.

the_supernerd

I also think a snowblower is a good idea. Another idea, if you want to use the plow and have a heated cab, would be to get an old, pre smog beater truck. Those are usually well under $1000 and since it is not your primary vehicle it can be jimmy-rigged back together if it breaks. It would be a lot cheaper than an ATV and you would not have to worry about abusing your new Tundra.

Fink

I would go with an ATV Snowplow package.

I have it and its great...I have a Kawasaki Prairie 700cc 4WD and that thing pushed the snow around like its nothing! Depending on the weather you may need a set of snow chains...I've only used mine once when we had the horrible ice storm a few years back...my bro has a set of studded tires for them that I use when I need real traction.

THe only deal with this option is the price, but like a few of the others have said it will just be another wheeling toy that you can bring with you when you go wheeling with the Yota.

The Prairie will run you around 7grand but this thing is a MONSTER, I have pulled tree stumps out of the ground with it, I have hauled trailers around my land with it, I have pulled trucks and cars out of ditches down the street before. It an AWESOME MACHINE!!

I can't remember how much the plow will cost...but if you need me to I can price it out for ya.

Hope that helps ya!

Fink

mattk

ok guys you are really gonna laugh at me but here it is..........i have a '95 Tacoma with the 2.7 and i have a snow plow that i use for a side business of mine here in Ohio. It is the Snowbear plow that is an electric plow. The only drawback is you have to manually angle the plow and the up and down is done by a winch that mounts to the plow. believe it or not it works great, and pretty ligtweight. i used to have a 6.5' Meyers plow but it was just to heavy for the truck thats why i went with this one. i plow all my clients with this and have had no problems whatsoever it works great. It cost me around $1200.00 for the complete kit including the mount. i think there website is Snowbear.com or do a search. if you have any questions feel free to ask.

shazaam

Wow guys .. thanks for all the responses. It was really helpful, when we started out we were pretty set on putting it on the tundra, but are kinda of rethinking that option, espicially after everyone's input here.

I went out and checked out some ATV's both here and online, and it would run about $4K for a 350+ cc ATV 4x4, plus another $4-7 hundred for the plow to mount on front, and of course we would have to be out in the cold doing it .. not a big deal, but still, if were doing this ... might as well get our money's worth. So the thought occured to us to pick up an old truck (like someone suggested here) and put a plow on that. I was looking on Ebay, I can get a 94-95 Ford Bronco for around $3-4 thousand, and spend another $2500-3000 to put a plow on it, or try to find one with it already on there. I know I know .. its a ford .. but it doesn't seem worth it to mess up the tundra, especially since its brand new. So my question now is .... is the bronco a good choice, or should I go with a chevy pick up? We have only owned one american car, and it was a tramatic experience, so I don't know which one would be a reliable choice here. If there is such a thing. We just need something that will start up when we want it to, push the snow, and not be bogged down with a lot of repair cost. Otherwise it would just sit there pretty much the rest of the year. Ideally I would like to get the whole set up for around $4500, but can go a little higher if necessary.

Any and all help is greatly appreciated. sorry for the long story

EDGE

If your only doing your 3 driveways and your Dad has a Pickup get a Honda Track Drive Snow blower.

Will do a large driveway in a short time and it does a neater job then a plow at least I think so, only cost like 2-3 grand but it's a Honda and it will last and it will move mountains of frozen snow back unlike a plow.



They also have ones with wheels, which are smaller

http://www.hondapowerequipment.com/sno.htm

Then you can put it into the pickup and drive to the next driveway.

My friends plow and after each snow storm their checking to see what broke and what needs to be replaced all on pretty new fullsize trucks, their actually selling off their lots and clients to other guys for different reasons.

It use to be everybody put a plow on their trucks now you just see beaters and FullSize Trucks with plows, my friends father has some 20 year old truck that he uses to plow his driveway and thats it, don't think it could do much else.

Or the ATV with the plow attachment

Fink

What about trying to find an old, in relatively good shape Cruiser and then fixing it up good enough to be able to plow the snow but then maybe in the summer time with the plow removed also be a trail rig...just a thought.

I would be more inclined spending a little more cash for something that will serve multiple purposes...especially one of them being a summer-time trail rig!!!

Just my $.02 as usual.

Fink

asudan96Runner

Man I am so glad to be living in Arizona during the winter. This is one forum question you will never see me asking!

Dan

shazaam

I thik the lancruiser would face the same issues that the tundra faced. Not enough power, not being able to put on a larger plow, being limited in selection available, too much strain on the truck. and then to have to fab something for it to work, is too much trouble. Basically I want something that will be ready to go in about 2 weeks. I'm going to go out and hit some car dealerships today and see if I can get prices of old trucks locally, and maybe find one with the plow already mounted.

I would still like to know which truck should I be looking toward. Chevy, GMC, Ford .. and which model. thanks

I'm also going to stop by the honda snowblower dealer, that thing looked pretty badass, being capable of tossing 71 tons of snow in one hour .. holy ˟˟˟˟!! you could clear anartica in a day. They're on Ebay for $2999 right now, with free shipping, and no sales tax. They also sell one at home depot, its the orange color one, and that one wwas going for $1300, had similiar specs to the honda blowers. Do these work in light snow too, I mean sometimes we just get an inch or two, am I going to look like a dumbass rolling this mini-tank out there trying to lift 2 inches of snow?

asudan96runner- as soon as I scrolled down and saw that you were the last person to reply, I was like "why is a guy in arizona replying a thread on snow ?!?!?!" then I read your response and realized your just mocking us.

PirateFins

I would stick with Ford, flaming to begin (oh wait this is a Toyota board). If you are going the older truck route. Try and find a F250 / 350 Power Stroke (diesel preferably), an older 150 w/V* will work also. They have all the power, tourque you will need to move alot of snow. The Bronco wouldn't be bad just not as heavy duty as the F-series trucks.

If you are going the snow blower route, and don't want to be firing up the monster Honda for 3-4 inches of snow. You can also pick up a small light weight 2-stroke snow blower. I have 3 of the 5 HP Honda 2-strokes, and they move alot of snow quickly. Trust me, we cleared 2 Condo complexes with them during the blizzard we got last year. I wish I had that big boy Honda but the little 2-strokes just chugged on thru (multiple passes of course).

Highland Runner

Every one has made excellent points here. Here's my 2 cents: I work at a ski resort part time in the winter and am on the fire dept. here. Both places use ATV's to remove snow. Its is amazing the power they have. They can clear small parking areas etc. VERY fast. The ATV's are used for small areas like you may do, not for the large ski area parking lots. Thats where they use fullsize trucks/plows. For small places ATV's can't be beat, and if all the places to clear are all close by; just drive the ATV. Your'e usually not on long enough to get cold. When its time to plow with the ATV's, we usually have to flip for it because its actually fun.

zedex

I will put my 2cents in. Im from Saskatchewan Canada so i know what snow is.
I think the snowblower is the best bet. Not only can you do driveways but sidewalks, you can wheel the thing in the corner of the shed when you not using it. You dont need insurance except theft maybe depends on the neighborhood. And you can direct the snow with pinpoint accuracy and believe me that can be fun.
(poor sod walking past your place).
You dont necesaarily need the one with tracks and used ones are for sale all the time. They do a real nice job.

EDGE

You don't have to get the one with tracks they have ones with wheels that will do just as much snow, their pretty impressive and fast after you shoveled for years the tracks are just for a lot of property and the one with wheels is easier to move and put in the back of the tundra.

Now would be the time to buy the Snow Blower if you go that route, last year I bought the Honda with tracks for 1800 from my dealer and resold it to some guy for twice the price a month later cause he had a ton of land and over 2 feet of snow to remove, amazing what they sell for when it snows, my dealer doubles and triples the price of his stuff when the white stuff hits and their is a line waiting to buy right now is still considered leaf blower season.

The tracks models can only be moved with it on so it needs to be in a garage or shed cause I almost passed out moving it out of the basement with no windows

Make sure you price them at dealers cause that big one I could buy for 2400 before any snow, 3 grand on ebay sounds like a bit much and we have no snow yet.

www.snapper.com also sells similar snow blowers without tracks and watch out for which ones you buy from Home Depot, they might be excellent buys but parts are hard to find if they need repairs.

You won't look like a dumbass, you drive a SC 4Runner it will suit you perfectly and imagine what the neighbors are thinking when your done and their still shoveling and your not beat to hell