by "functionoverfashion" (functionoverfashion)
Published 03/16/2017 at 21:53
by "functionoverfashion" (functionoverfashion)
Published 03/16/2017 at 21:53
Tags: snowlopnik
STARS: 1
Never mind the contraption in this image. I’m talking about bolting on a big ol’ steel blade to a big ol’ Murican pickup truck and pushing snow around like a boss. But not with a Boss, those suck. Fisher FTW, amirite?
But seriously, it seems like some Oppos would really enjoy plowing snow, just so long as you don’t have to do it all day (or all night).
Growing up, my father had a Scout with a plow, I even got to drive it some before it finally, completely fell apart. Actually we sold it to some friends of mine in high school who no doubt drove it deep into the woods until it would go no more and just left it there. We replaced that with a “modern” 1985 F-150 shortbed, 4-speed manual with the venerable I6-300. This poor truck’s former life was with a neighbor who beat the living hell out of it. It was $800 for the truck, and probably another $500 to have the plow from the 1966 scout made to work on the Ford.
I plowed our own driveway with the F150, and a few years before having a license my father somehow let me plow our neighbors’ driveways for money, which I got to keep. What kind of deal is that? I even plowed a guy’s driveway that was over 1/2 mile long, and my dad still wonders to this day how that truck survived that task.
Years later, he gave me that truck when he bought a new-to-him 1997 Ford F250 with a plow, which once again looked modern by comparison. Fuel Injection! Power Windows! I drove the F150 until the brakes no longer worked at all, the clutch was toast, the heater core caught fire, and the frame quite literally broke in half when I hit a snowpile too hard one time. Then I bolted it together and kept driving it. The bed and cab were rubbing hard, and were the only thing keeping the rig together.
Now it’s 2017 and I’m 35 and yet my father’s 1997 Ford is still the Family Plow Truck. I live just 3 miles from my parents with my wife and kids, so we still get to use his truck for our snow removal purposes. And like its predecessors, it’s a piece of shit at this point. The Big March Nor’Easter of this week? It wouldn’t fucking start. I had to caress the coil with a hair dryer just to get the thing going. I check the fuel gauge: 1/2. That sounds fine except there are two tanks, but only one works. So it’s small, and I’ll probably use 1/4 tank plowing two driveways and traveling between.
The plow works well (see my earlier endorsement of Fisher, they’re indestructible) but the headlights only work on high beams. The truck also has a massive exhaust leak, like, the pipe must be pretty much broken right after the cats. It’s loud. I drove this thing over to my parents’ place in the middle of the storm the other night to plow their driveway since they’re out of town, and the damn thing backfired on me and died at about 30mph on a narrow dirt road in a blizzard with 8" of unplowed snow in the road. In fact, a few years ago it did a similar thing, only the plow dropped at the same time, covering the whole truck in a cloud of snow. However, in both cases I was able to continue on my way after some tinkering.
Which brings me to my point, finally: Plowing is FUN. What could really be better than taking what should be completely routine driving (navigating your own driveway and/or local roads) and turning it into a challenge comparable to off-roading in slick mud, but without any actual mud. Not to mention driving a truck with a gigantic steel blade hanging 3 feet out in front. It’s cold out but always toasty warm in the cab (not in the scout because there was no tailgate), and you get to smash into huge fluffy piles of snow like a kid having a pillow fight. And you might get stuck, and have to figure that out - but that’s the fun of driving in adverse conditions, right? Doing this all in a shitty old truck just makes it all the more “exciting.”
"shop-teacher" (shop-teacher)
03/16/2017 at 22:00, STARS: 1
My dad plowed snow when I was a kid, and I used to love going with him. He always ran Western plows. I still have the Western winter hat he gave me when I was a kid. I’ve never done it, but have always wanted to buy a plow truck. I just don’t have a big enough money to justify it. I could probably pick one up cheap in the next few weeks. We barely had any snoring Chicagoland this year.
"Urambo Tauro" (urambotauro)
03/16/2017 at 22:05, STARS: 2
I don’t have a whole lot of experience with snow plows. I used to work at a place that had a plow mounted on their Silverado. I think it was a Western, with a handheld controller. Someone else was in charge of clearing the lot, but I did get to play around with it a couple of times.
More recently that that, a friend of mine bought an old cable-operated plow (another Western) for his truck. I took apart the hydraulic unit and rebuilt it for him. It was all kinds of messed up in there.
"My X-type is too a real Jaguar" (TomSlick)
03/16/2017 at 22:10, STARS: 3
Got a Fisher snowplow story, this of course took place in Maine as this story could only happen in Maine.
My father had a 68 Bronco with a Fisher plow, when the Bronco could no longer keep our feet off the pavement my mother insisted it be replaced, my father bought a brand new international scout. He then contacted Fisher who custom made adaptors so the plow from the 68 Bronco would fit the 79 Scout, 6 years later the scout is in need of its 4th body, my father buys a 1985 S-10 Blazer he then calls Fisher to get the plow from the 68 Bronco fitted to the S-10, the guys at Fisher informed my father that the plow blade would crush the suspension of the S-10. So he was now plowless, he called a guy in the local paper to plow his driveway and what does he show up in? My dads old Scout.
"functionoverfashion" (functionoverfashion)
03/16/2017 at 22:17, STARS: 0
The F150 was the third vehicle to sport the plow it had. We had a local guy custom fab the brackets to make it work, same guy who’s now fixing my ‘61 ford.
Great story by the way, I love it.
"functionoverfashion" (functionoverfashion)
03/16/2017 at 22:19, STARS: 1
Fishers are probably an east coast thing, based in Maine. But for years, all you would see anywhere was yellow Fisher plows. Boss has a small market share but they are like, 50 years behind Fisher.
"My X-type is too a real Jaguar" (TomSlick)
03/16/2017 at 22:22, STARS: 1
If my father had bought a full size truck or blazer it probably would have been put on another vehicle he owned. I have fond memories riding with him while he plowed as a small child. Seatbelts we don’t need that the steel dash will stop you.
"shop-teacher" (shop-teacher)
03/16/2017 at 22:29, STARS: 1
I once saw a guy plowing in a 2wd 2nd gen S-10. It was the damnedest thing I ever saw pushing snow.
"shop-teacher" (shop-teacher)
03/16/2017 at 22:30, STARS: 1
In the Midwest it’s mostly Western and Meyer plows. Fishers are pretty rare, and Boss has been coming on strong.
"pip bip - choose Corrour" (hhgttg69)
03/16/2017 at 22:34, STARS: 0
Need snow first, and IF we did get snow like that here then I’d be on plane outta here to somewhere warmer
"gmporschenut also a fan of hondas" (gmporschenut)
03/16/2017 at 22:44, STARS: 1
grew up snowplowing. before I had my licence , my dad would drive me up to an industrial park, another driver would pick him up and I’d plow parking lots for hours. At the time I made $25 an hour in highschool. by high school standards I was loaded. He always ran Fisher plows. Also some sweet oppo action where you can’t really hit anything.
"interstate366, now In The Industry" (interstate366)
03/16/2017 at 22:54, STARS: 0
When I was a kid, my dad worked with the local public works department, and when it snowed he’d drive one of the city’s snow plows around. Back then it didn’t snow every winter here like it does now, so the only time I remember him actually doing it was the blizzard of 1996. He made enough overtime from it for him to buy a 1966 Mustang for a toy.
"MrDakka" (mrdakka)
03/16/2017 at 23:12, STARS: 1
What’s this stuff you call snow? =P
Plowing is the slow way of getting rid of snow. Do it the US Army way
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"TheD0k_2many toys 2little time" (thed0ck)
03/17/2017 at 00:10, STARS: 0
Yes my parents have one and i plowed all growing up. Started out on the john deere and recently my dad bought a 97 2500 chevy with a western plow on it
"The Crazy Kanuck; RIP Oppositelock" (jukesjukesjukes)
03/17/2017 at 00:31, STARS: 1
I use a compact tractor with custom blade made from an old tool box.
"You can tell a Finn but you can't tell him much" (youcantellafinn)
03/17/2017 at 08:51, STARS: 1
The problem with that is the need to have windows on your house when it is snowing sideways.
"functionoverfashion" (functionoverfashion)
03/17/2017 at 09:39, STARS: 1
It’s fun just so long as you don’t have to do it for 10 hours at a time! At least that’s been my experience. Even in high school when I had a few driveways, I’d get up sometimes at 4:00am just to get out before school.
I chuckle at guys who have a plow truck just to plow their own driveway that’s like 40 feet long. There’s a guy near me whose truck easily takes up 1/4 of his driveway. Oddly, though he was pushing dirt around with it this fall, he hasn’t been plowing with it. He does a number of things I don’t understand....
"functionoverfashion" (functionoverfashion)
03/17/2017 at 09:41, STARS: 0
It is a little like off-roading but without real consequences. Plowing driveways there’s plenty to hit, however. Parking lots are another thing entirely.
I made about $100 every time it snowed with my few driveways I did in high school - I definitely felt rich! In reality, I should have paid my father all that and then some for the abuse of the truck.
"functionoverfashion" (functionoverfashion)
03/17/2017 at 11:10, STARS: 0
That looks highly effective... if not a bit chilly! I’ve used a tractor with a bucket, and one with a regular plow on the front as well. It’s very nice to be able to scoop way up high, if you wish. Looks like you have a good counterweight on there, too?
"The Crazy Kanuck; RIP Oppositelock" (jukesjukesjukes)
03/17/2017 at 11:14, STARS: 1
It’s the snow blower on the back.
"dashbobthebuilder" (dashbobthebuilder)
03/17/2017 at 12:28, STARS: 1
Plowing is a blast. Living in Maine with a 1 Mile driveway, I could not survive without my plow truck. Got a hell of a deal on it... Paid $2000 for a 2002 GMC 2500HD with a Fisher Minute Mount plow, and $100 for some chains later and the thing is a beast. Gotta love it. While I love my Fisher... Boss isnt anything to be scoffed at. My father in law has a 2006 Ford F350 Dually work truck with a 9'6" Boss V Plow and that thing... is quite literally unstoppable.
"MrDakka" (mrdakka)
03/17/2017 at 12:35, STARS: 0
A minor inconvenience at best XD
"functionoverfashion" (functionoverfashion)
03/17/2017 at 13:04, STARS: 0
ah, well that obviously makes sense.
"functionoverfashion" (functionoverfashion)
03/17/2017 at 13:07, STARS: 1
You’re right; while I talk trash about Boss, it’s mostly because I worked for a Fisher dealer and was given all the talking points on how Fishers are better than Boss. In many cases, Fishers have their stuff figured out and have for a long time; but Boss is catching up, and I believe it was even started by a former Fisher engineer or something. There are a few things Fisher has patented that others have had to work around, like the trip edge design, chain lift, but there’s always more than one way to solve a problem!