Snow Plows??? (1 Viewer)

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Oct 28, 2005
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Just bought my FJ40 last week and already want to add a snow plow. I live in the southern snowy mtns of Colorado. Have several questions but mainly just want to know if installing a plow on a FJ40 is a good idea, terrible or neither??? I would want to leave on all winter not sure if the added weight is a good idea, would it create a problem with anything???

Also, do you think this plow would be able to be installed: http://mysnowsport.com/ or http://mysnowsport.com/htmls/video.asp
 
this has been debated to death out here...

plowing snow with a Land Cruiser has been done for years....it is hard on your truck, period.


if plowing snow is a primary focus of the vehicle, I would find something else....but that is just me.


the seven years that i spent plowing with a 55 around the shop was pretty rough on it.


Good luck!


-Steve
 
Can you plow with a 40? You bet, I do it with a 40 I specificly have just for plowing. But, I agree with Steve, very hard on the vehicle.

If it's your only 40 and you want to keep it around, I would find another vehicle.

If you choose to plow, I have a snowbear snowplow on my plow 40 rig. Some pics of it on my site if you want to check it out.

http://www.crustycruisers.com/mattplow.htm

Remember this is my plow rig. I do have another 40 that I drive and I would never even consider plowing with that one.

Hope this helps, Matt
 
What's so "hard" on the vehicle? I "love" my new cruiser, and don't want to trash it by putting on a plow but I also sell mtn land for a living and was tired of trashing my f-150 and wanted something that would get me around in the snow as I have to go up to high elevations and thought a plow would just help me get there. Don't want to put the plow on my truck as that is the vehicle I will use when I have clients in to look, the fj40 is just to get me there during the week and make sure I can get there on Saturday when the clients are in the truck. The plow is not a requirement but getting around in the snow is what the fj40 was made for, right???
 
you are not kidding?




I would seriously re-think your expectations of a Land Cruiser for what you are describing.


A 406 Unimog with a multi-stage snow blower attachment, locking diffs, and a set of chains is a lot more in line for what you are talking about.


But hey, to each their own.


Good luck!


-Steve
 
So what are you saying. An fj40 wont be able to get through 12 to 18 inches of snow? The plow is just to break through a 24 to 36 inch drift. An fj40 can't handle that???
 
It could. But you'd beat the crap out of it. If you're not planning to keep the road completely plowed, don't bother at all. Just chain up and go. If you want to plow the road, get something bigger and cheaper.

And get something with an automatic for plowing. Much better on the driveline.
 
most of the trucks we get around here were plow trucks at one time.
That is why we get $300 trucks with no tub, bad frames, and destroyed steering components with 30K on them. Often.

They actually make a great plow vehicle being heavy and are short enough to turn in tight places. They do take a beating doing it. Most people who plow with them around here keep another beat up 40 to do the job, and just replace it with a new $500 beater every few years.
 
I think that what you will find is that most fj-40 owners treat their trucks like it's the last one they are going to get. All the fj40s that ever will be made have already been produced, and the ones that have survived are more than 20 years old. Not all of the parts are still available. Now, you certainly can push snow with an 40 series, but it will take it's toll on the truck in terms of mechanical wear, and, in most parts of the country, corrosion. So, the question would be, is it a good choice to destroy a 20-40 year vehicle that represents a state of automotive development (and economic development) of a past time or is it better to buy a domestic 3/4 ton PU truck, maybe with a plow already installed, and use that to plow.

You own the truck so you are free to do with it as you wish, but I will tell you that I park my fj40 in my garage every night, while my BMW 540 usually sits outside in the driveway. I can always buy a new car.

Just my opinions though.
 
Steve C, we think alike, man.

Plowing with a 40. What memories. Here are some of the things I learned plowing with my year-round daily driver 75/07 FJ40 in NE OH for 10 years.

I made a bunch of money. They are very maneuverable, have an awesome reverse speed and a tight turning radius. A V8 and Saginaw power steering are an absolute must-have.

Cooling is a major issue. Work it in a wet/heavy snow or drive on the highway with the plow up with a marginal cooling system and the temps rise. I'd see 265F regularly no matter what the outside temp was.

Electrical is an issue. It's like running your winch every 15-30 seconds for hours on end.

If the plow was on I had to have my hubs locked in because the weight of the plow put very little traction on the rear tires. I'd have to use 4WD nearly every time I started going. This results in even worse gas mileage, continual vibration and extra wear on everything. I got good replacing and welding transfercase housings as they broke often, especially with the extra usable power of the V8.

The open front fender design of the 40 puts every drop of brine from the road surface on the windshield. It must have been something with the air flow around the plow on a wet road that continually coated the windshield. Add in a little leakage of hydraulic fluid from the pump and you gotta a salty, smeared mess on the windshield. I carried around extra bottles of washer fluid cause I was always having to use my wipers/squirter's.

The FJ defrosters absolutely suck. The side and rear windows steam and freeze making seeing your mirrors useless and little good way to see out of the the thing. I'd leave the heat off and scrape the widows on the inside with a cassette box. The later model side window vents were almost completely worthless. All they did was clear a 1" dia spot. Great.

All this doesn't even address the corrosion issue as that is obvious.

All this is hard on any vehicle. Anyone that says it isn't doesn't understand. I second the throw-away domestic truck suggestion. Using an FJ40 to plow depends allot on if you are just messing around doing your own lot/drive or if you are trying to be serious about it. To me it just makes no sense to use a 40 if you are doing it as a business.
 
Hello All,
As you know this is a great website to get information on an awesome vehicle. I wasn't ever planning on using it to plow for a snow plowing business but to just get to properties that I need to show to people. Yes I was hoping to park my f-150 and just use when needed but that is what my questions were for, to decide if that was a good idea. I appreciate your up front/detailed answers and looks like I will be buying chains for the 40 and a plow for the f-150. Thanks again and have an enjoyable winter.
 
alpinedirtfarmer said:
Hello All,
As you know this is a great website to get information on an awesome vehicle. I wasn't ever planning on using it to plow for a snow plowing business but to just get to properties that I need to show to people. Yes I was hoping to park my f-150 and just use when needed but that is what my questions were for, to decide if that was a good idea. I appreciate your up front/detailed answers and looks like I will be buying chains for the 40 and a plow for the f-150. Thanks again and have an enjoyable winter.
Glad to offer what I know. Between wife, work and kids sometimes I feel like I don't know anything! :)

Oh yea, "enjoyable winter". Isn't that an oxy-moron?
 
A selectable locker for the rear might not be a bad idea either....



:beer:
 
Get some skinnies and chains for showing the properties.

If you wanted to drive to the property you would probably kill your 2F making it transport a plow.

I got my '78 40 from the original owner. He killed the 2F overheating it - while plowing snow.

I had to rebuild the engine AND the front end - it was trashed. After the plow was off front end was 1 inch off the bumpstops.
 
dgangle said:
If the plow was on I had to have my hubs locked in because the weight of the plow put very little traction on the rear tires.


I used to hang a F-head off my trailer hitch as a counterweight so it would at least move in 2WD. Otherwise you could lift the plow to change a rear tire. :D
 
Plowed very little with it in 4 years, it did not come on the truck...I plow my drive and a few nieghbors, I may sell it and use my quad
 
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PabloCruise said:
After the plow was off front end was 1 inch off the bumpstops.

Yours was that high? Mine was on the bumpstops. I'd hit a bump in the road and since the front suspension was already compressed it would rebound off the bumpstops causing the plow to negative G and take all weight off the lift change. Down it comes and BANG the plow is on the ground throwing snow up over it onto the hood and windshield. I forgot about those memorable and attention-getting events!
 
Bennett said:
Plowed very little with it in 4 years, it did not come on the truck...I plow my drive and a few nieghbors, I may sell it and use my quad

A quad can do an amazingly good job of plowing! One of the guys in a place a couple properties down from me uses a little 4 or maybe 5 foot blade and spends days running that thing around plowing. He even got a contract to do the only county road around here.

He's got some sort of motorcycle windshield rigged on and bundles himself up to look like a basketball. The old guy is nuts, but he pushes a lot of snow with that thing.
 
honk said:
A quad can do an amazingly good job of plowing! One of the guys in a place a couple properties down from me uses a little 4 or maybe 5 foot blade and spends days running that thing around plowing. He even got a contract to do the only county road around here.

He's got some sort of motorcycle windshield rigged on and bundles himself up to look like a basketball. The old guy is nuts, but he pushes a lot of snow with that thing.

Yep, I've been plowing with my ATVs for years. I went from a 2wd Honda TRX200 w/chains and a manual plow to a 4X4 Bombardier Outlander 400 HO with winch operated 60" plow. What a difference. I have a windshield for the winter and heated grips. Other than that, I just wear my snowmobiling gear (snowpants and windproof jacket, stocking hat, and goggles). IMO, go with the 4wd, winch, and windshield. It's amazing how much the windshield helps. I plow my driveway and my neighbor's. We live out in the country and our driveways probably total about 800'. Good Luck!

For the windshield,
http://www.cabelas.com/cabelas/en/t...ield&noImage=0&returnPage=search-results1.jsp

I HIGHLY recommend these tires, they really push!
http://www.itptires.com/itp589.html
 

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