• Welcome Visitor! Please take a few seconds and Register for our forum. Even if you don't want to post, you can still 'Like' and react to posts.

Homemade Homeplow. Sorta.


Chris_North

New Member
Joined
Jun 13, 2013
Messages
178
Reaction score
1
Points
0
Vehicle Year
1998
Make / Model
Ford
Transmission
Automatic
I've always kind of liked winter. As a kid it was obvious, the possibility of no school makes every kid happy. As an adult (young though I may be) it's the challenges and responsibilities that come with the season. Getting firewood for heat, using trucks to get around, and previously an operating an old 350 Moto 4 for snowclearing.

The quad works well enough for clearing the frequent snow accumulations (it certainly beats shoveling), but it does have a few drawbacks. Most prominently, you can't drive it very far. So to clear my grandmother's, girlfriend's, mom's, and occasionally dad's driveways, I end up loading the quad onto the trailer and towing it (often in less than stellar road conditions) to each of their houses and freeze my butt off while clearing the snow. Though it may not sound it, I actually have fun doing this. It keeps me busy and therefore worry-free. None of this is really important, but it does provide a bit of a backstory.

More to the point, I had purchased a front hitch receiver because it was the most cost effective way of mounting my Warn winch. I noticed that one of the uses suggested by the manufacturer for the receiver was for snow plow mounting. "A plow that mounts to a 2in hitch?" I thought. Sure enough they exist: http://www.thehomeplow.com/

Starting at $2100 they're fairly reasonable for those that can afford spending that much on something they'll only get to use a handful of times a year. For me this is not the case, and I'm not lucky or patient enough to wait for a well-priced used one to turn up. But they didn't look that hard to emulate...


My original plan was to build my own setup entirely from scratch using a commercial hot water tank shell for the body of the plow. I quickly realized this would be much more effort than it would be worth. My local scrapyard conveniently sells junked plows with frames for $150. The best out of the bunch was this:



I can't see why anyone would have scrapped it. Except for the one hole in it (easily repaired) which looked like it was done at the yard anyhow it was in better shape than the ones we use at work. I'm not sure what it would have been off of. It was only 7.5 feet wide but the frame was much longer than I was used to seeing. In addition the mounting holes looked like they were made for 1 inch hitch pins, not the 5/8 I'm used to. My portaband, grinder, and 40 year old Thunderbolt took care of shortening the frame to more usable length, as well as chopping about 6 inches off both sides of the plow itself to make it a more Ranger-friendly 6.5 feet. A 3/4 inch black nipple fit tightly to reduce the 1 inch mounting hole to something a bit more reasonable.

I really liked the idea of being able to mount the plow by simply lining up the hitch receiver and securing it with a pin. Unfortunately as building progressed this seemed less possible than originally expected. The hitch on the truck sticks out too far; consequently so would the plow. Instead I opted to make the mount for the plow separate, and to save on distance I attached the mount through the back of the hitch receiver, like so:

To raise the plow I am using an old Sears winch someone was nice enough to give me a while ago. I was originally concerned it wouldn't be strong enough to lift the plow, a concern which turned out to be completely unfounded as it not only lifts perfectly but seems to do so as fast or faster than a hydraulic mechanism. Right now the winch cable is anchored to the passenger tow hook with the winch angled for a straight cable pull. I have a feeling this may be a problem, but so far it has not. Right now the plan is to use a 1/4" chain looped through the two plow handle things and on the driver side tow hook to support the plow when traveling as I trust the chain much more than the winch cable.

The winch (I'm guessing it's rated at 1000 or 1500 pounds) only pulls 20 amps with no load and 42 when lifting the plow. Technically I would have been better going with #8 wire, but #10 was cheaper, more easily found, and should suffice. The winch is the two pole type so a specific winch contactor was needed but easily acquired off of Amazon for $23. To control it I used a spare ATV winch remote I had from another project, routed through the grill out of the back of the hood and through the door jam into the cab. All terminals and connections are crimped, soldered, and coated in electrical contact grease. Heat shrink and wire loom was generously used for wire protection, and everything is protected by a 50A auto reset thermal breaker in line. A small soft copper tubing cap on the contactor positive stud is intended to reduce the likelihood of shorts, especially when removing and hooking up the safety chain.



Currently there is full left/right angle, but it is manual and I'll have to get out of the truck and lock the selection in place with a 5/8 hitch pin. I have some ideas for a power angle, but I don't think the additional complications are worth it. The Homeplow says it can be angled by hitting piles of snow with one side of the plow first to cause it to tilt in that direction. I was thinking of putting an old shock absorber where the hydraulics would mount to smooth movement and giving that concept a try.

The truck handles remarkably better than expected despite the weight of the plow. The air shocks I made work in the front keep the front of the truck from doing a complete nosedive, but some ballast material in the bed wouldn't hurt. I tried to make the plow as light as possible, but there's only so much I felt comfortable taking off. I haven't been able to verify, but I would expect total weight to be somewhere around 275 lbs. An idea stolen from the Homeplow was to mount caster wheels to the plow to allow easier moving and positioning off the truck. It just so happens that I had a few wheels laying around, and more conveniently 1" black pipe fits perfectly in the skid mounts. Some welding and a few pins and you wind up with this:


They are easily removed and mounted when the plow is lifted on the truck. They help tremendously on concrete and to a lesser extent paved surfaces, but are obviously totally useless on dirt or gravel. I was going to put wheels on the back, but it's easier to lift on the A-frame and move it that way.

I know how hard snow plowing is on a truck. Since I need my Ranger for work and daily driving, I have no intention on plowing anything other than a few of my close family's driveways. I'm not going to start plowing neighbors' houses or parking lots or anything like that. It's not worth the hassle or the added wear on the truck. I'm also not leaving it on the truck the entire winter, and plan on only mounting it prior to an expected snowstorm.


Thus far, I have not had a chance to use it. In fact the day I more or less had it all put together we had unusually warm weather and it was 65 degrees, haha. I am eager to try it out, but knowing my luck it won't snow until something happens that would prevent me from using the plow so I'll have to shovel. Though there is technically nothing that prevents the mounting of the plow on any other 2" hitch receiver, even one on the rear of a truck. Power and controls are easily hooked up and are not permanent on my truck and would not be on any other truck.



Total build tally:

$150 Plow with A-frame
$40 Misc. steel (mostly for mount)
$60 Misc hardware (Bolts, chain, shackles...)
$25 Winch contactor
$12 Plow edge markers
$20 Wiring, Wire loom
$25 Paint

I just now saw a full setup posted for $400, but hey I had fun building mine. I wasn't originally expecting to spend as much, but built over the period of a few months the cost didn't seem as great. Still it's far less than the Homeplow or even the no-frills straight blade non-lifting plows I've seen.




Questions, comments, critique? Also sorry about the quality of some of these pics. I only have my 8MP camera phone.
 
Last edited:


alwaysFlOoReD

Forum Staff Member
TRS Forum Moderator
TRS Banner 2012-2015
TRS 20th Anniversary
Joined
Apr 13, 2009
Messages
13,868
Reaction score
5,029
Points
113
Location
Calgary, Canada
Vehicle Year
'91, '80, '06
Make / Model
Ford, GMC,Dodge
Engine Size
4.0,4.0,5.7
Transmission
Manual
2WD / 4WD
4WD
I like it. I converted a three point hitch plow for the front of my truck using a 2' receiver as well. I like to see a better picture of how you did yours. Can you take a pic of between the plow and your truck?
Thanks,

Richard
 

Chris_North

New Member
Joined
Jun 13, 2013
Messages
178
Reaction score
1
Points
0
Vehicle Year
1998
Make / Model
Ford
Transmission
Automatic
Thanks! I remember seeing your post mentioning doing that, but didn't actually see it.

I don't think this is what you're looking for, but I do have this pic. I won't be home until late tonight, but I will take one of the actual mount on the truck tomorrow. This pic was taken before the "completed" setup I have now, with the chain in a different spot and the wiring not yet tidied up.

http://i52.photobucket.com/albums/g7/ChrisNorthInGer/IMG_20131114_134530_960.jpg
 

bmerr98

New Member
U.S. Military - Veteran
Joined
Jun 9, 2013
Messages
694
Reaction score
7
Points
0
Age
57
Location
TN
Vehicle Year
1998
Make / Model
Ford
Engine Size
4.0 X
Transmission
Manual
My credo
Leave it better than you found it.
Great job on the plow, sir! Mighty sexy 1998 Ranger you got there, too! My wife and I often think about moving back to NH where a snow plow can be pretty handy. If we ever do, I'll be making use of your photos :)
 

alwaysFlOoReD

Forum Staff Member
TRS Forum Moderator
TRS Banner 2012-2015
TRS 20th Anniversary
Joined
Apr 13, 2009
Messages
13,868
Reaction score
5,029
Points
113
Location
Calgary, Canada
Vehicle Year
'91, '80, '06
Make / Model
Ford, GMC,Dodge
Engine Size
4.0,4.0,5.7
Transmission
Manual
2WD / 4WD
4WD
@chris
Thanks for the pic. It's still too close to get a good idea of your mounting. When you get home step back a bit and get an overall shot. Then some close-ups of the mounting under the truck. I've never seen a regular plow mounting system so have no idea what I'm looking at.
Thanks,

Richard
 
Last edited:

Chris_North

New Member
Joined
Jun 13, 2013
Messages
178
Reaction score
1
Points
0
Vehicle Year
1998
Make / Model
Ford
Transmission
Automatic
@chris
Thanks for the pic. It's still too close to get a good idea of your mounting. When you get home step back a bit and get an overall shot. Then some close-ups of the mounting under the truck. I've never seen a regular plow mounting system so have no idea what I'm looking at.
Thanks,

Richard
I got home earlier than expected, but it was still dark and I was still tired. I took a few quick snapshots, but I know this still isn't exactly what you are looking for. I promise I'll get you a good one on Sunday.

http://i52.photobucket.com/albums/g7/ChrisNorthInGer/IMG_20131122_194726_165.jpg

http://i52.photobucket.com/albums/g7/ChrisNorthInGer/IMG_20131122_194801_417.jpg


Here is a pic of a Meyer's mount for an F350:

http://i52.photobucket.com/albums/g7/ChrisNorthInGer/IMG_20130824_173106_621.jpg

Great job on the plow, sir! Mighty sexy 1998 Ranger you got there, too! My wife and I often think about moving back to NH where a snow plow can be pretty handy. If we ever do, I'll be making use of your photos :)
Thank you! I'll take the cold over the heat and humidity any day...
 

lil_Blue_Ford

Well-Known Member
TRS Forum Moderator
Supporting Member
V8 Engine Swap
TRS 20th Anniversary
TRS Event Participant
Joined
Aug 6, 2007
Messages
8,208
Reaction score
5,962
Points
113
Location
Butler, PA, USSA
Vehicle Year
95
Make / Model
Ford
Engine Size
4.9L
Transmission
Manual
The plow blade you started with appears to be a Meyers ST plow, which was designed for 1/2 ton trucks and larger. It's one of the longest running plow designs and was discontinued in 2009 although you can get the new style moldboards with frames built to fit the old style truck side mounts.

Meyers also made a TM plow which stood for Two Meter, it was 6.5' long, shorter in height and used two short and fat trip springs. The TM plow was designed for use with Rangers, Jeeps, S-10s and the like.

Nice job getting it cleaned up and fitted though! If you want to lose some more weight, I'd say look into getting some of the shorter trip springs and cut down the blade height a little. I've been considering putting together a plow for on my 88 since it has some mounts on it which have to be for a plow.
 

Chris_North

New Member
Joined
Jun 13, 2013
Messages
178
Reaction score
1
Points
0
Vehicle Year
1998
Make / Model
Ford
Transmission
Automatic
As promised: http://i52.photobucket.com/albums/g7/ChrisNorthInGer/IMG_20131124_150620_051.jpg

I was thinking it was a Meyers plow myself, but it looked like someone had repainted (and done a pretty poor job, too) so any logos including those that might have been on the hydraulics were covered. My knowledge on plows is somewhat limited, so I wasn't sure if it could be some copy. I usually just operate the John Deere with loader at work for sidewalks and moving piles.

I'd never considered cutting the moldboard for a lower profile. It probably wouldn't be too hard and take off another 40lbs. I'm happy with the weight as it is though, and I'm worried if it got much lighter it would have trouble not floating on top of the snow.
 

BB92

New Member
Joined
Jun 9, 2013
Messages
23
Reaction score
0
Points
0
Vehicle Year
93
Make / Model
Ford
Transmission
Manual
I see where you're going with the mounting, but does it also use the actual 2" hitch receiver?
 

alwaysFlOoReD

Forum Staff Member
TRS Forum Moderator
TRS Banner 2012-2015
TRS 20th Anniversary
Joined
Apr 13, 2009
Messages
13,868
Reaction score
5,029
Points
113
Location
Calgary, Canada
Vehicle Year
'91, '80, '06
Make / Model
Ford, GMC,Dodge
Engine Size
4.0,4.0,5.7
Transmission
Manual
2WD / 4WD
4WD
Thanks for the pics.

Richard
 

wildbill23c

Well-Known Member
U.S. Military - Veteran
TRS Banner 2012-2015
TRS 20th Anniversary
Ham Radio Operator
Joined
Aug 22, 2012
Messages
3,915
Reaction score
570
Points
113
Location
Southwestern Idaho
Vehicle Year
1987
Make / Model
Ford Ranger
Engine Type
2.9 V6
Transmission
Manual
2WD / 4WD
2WD
Total Lift
0
Total Drop
0
Tire Size
215/70-R14
My credo
19K, 19D, 92Y, 88M, 91F....OIF-III (2004-2005)
Looks good. It will last you many years, your front shocks might not though LOL.
 

Chris_North

New Member
Joined
Jun 13, 2013
Messages
178
Reaction score
1
Points
0
Vehicle Year
1998
Make / Model
Ford
Transmission
Automatic
I see where you're going with the mounting, but does it also use the actual 2" hitch receiver?
Yes, but not directly as was my original intention. There is a mount that slides into the back of the hitch, the plow then attaches to that. Here is another pic: http://i52.photobucket.com/albums/g7/ChrisNorthInGer/IMG_20131130_190232_828.jpg

Thanks for the pics.

Richard
No problem. I read through your build thread (I don't know how I missed it before...) and first of all I have to say your welds and fabrication skills blow what I can do out of the water. I like how you are able to flip the blade around and backdrag effectively.

Looks good. It will last you many years, your front shocks might not though LOL.
The shocks seem to be holding up great so far, it's the torsions I think are slowly dying. Here is the post about the air shocks: http://www.therangerstation.com/forums/showpost.php?p=1409865&postcount=6



So I finally got some snow, but only a dusting; not really enough for plowing. Did that stop me? Nope! Performance on pavement was spectacular, it scraped well (keeping in mind this was only like 1/2 inch of snow) and was smooth. I went a bit far and hit a mound of frozen dirt and sure enough the trip springs did their job exactly as expected. I tried using it on a small patch of modified gravel (the crushed driveway stone stuff) and it seemed to float on that without issue. It bounced around violently and did not do well at all on my girlfriend's driveway which was covered with an inch of snow. I was expecting this because where she lives the driveway is like a cross between a dry riverbed and a quarry. So far even with some abuse the plow has yet to fall off, so I am happy.

One thing I'm glad I found out early is that this truck needs weight in the back when the plow is equipped. When the roads are dry the weight in the front seems to improve handling, but when they are anything worse than wet driving becomes very scary. The rear of the truck wants to slip out when accelerating and during any kind of turning. For whatever reason braking was also negatively affected. The RABS didn't activate but the front wheels would skid. While at work I came up with the idea for this:



I screwed a 55 gallon plastic drum that was laying around (someone was nice enough to drill holes in the bottom for me) to a small pallet (also laying around). I threw a portion of a tractor bucket load of gravel in and cut the top 2/3 off so I could still use my rear view mirror and there you have it. It's effective as it is basic. I have access to a forklift at work for easy loading and removal, but I could also hook up some chain and be able to use the engine hoist at my dad's garage. I call it the Ballast Barrel (patent pending :D).
 

lil_Blue_Ford

Well-Known Member
TRS Forum Moderator
Supporting Member
V8 Engine Swap
TRS 20th Anniversary
TRS Event Participant
Joined
Aug 6, 2007
Messages
8,208
Reaction score
5,962
Points
113
Location
Butler, PA, USSA
Vehicle Year
95
Make / Model
Ford
Engine Size
4.9L
Transmission
Manual
Yea, weight is required in the bed to balance the truck back out. Pickups were designed to carry the weight in the bed, not to hang a couple hundred pounds of weight three foot in front of the front bumper. IIRC there is a formula for figuring out the exact amount of ballast you should carry for a specific plow but I can't think of it right now (being sick sucks).
 

Will

Forum Staff Member
TRS Forum Moderator
Joined
Nov 30, 2001
Messages
6,925
Reaction score
514
Points
113
Location
Gnaw Bone, Indiana
Vehicle Year
2007
Make / Model
Toyota
Engine Size
4.0
Transmission
Manual
I don't know what Blue is talking about.

You can't balance out the plow weight with something in the bed. The bed of a pickup, or any other truck, is centered over the rear axle. The rear axle of any truck is the load axle. The front axle weight doesn't change very much from empty to maximum gross weight. That's why they had the snow plow special Dana 60 axles on the old F250s.

If you really plow with what you have, you will eventually destroy your truck. I think that's fine, and you can fix it. But you are overloading the front end, and the weird push from the front axle will cause weird shit to happen. If all you are doing is a couple hundred feet up and down the driveway, it could be fine. If you are doing a parking lot and spend an hour trying to push a heavy pile of snow up into banks, things are going to break.
 

lil_Blue_Ford

Well-Known Member
TRS Forum Moderator
Supporting Member
V8 Engine Swap
TRS 20th Anniversary
TRS Event Participant
Joined
Aug 6, 2007
Messages
8,208
Reaction score
5,962
Points
113
Location
Butler, PA, USSA
Vehicle Year
95
Make / Model
Ford
Engine Size
4.9L
Transmission
Manual
I don't know what Blue is talking about.

You can't balance out the plow weight with something in the bed. The bed of a pickup, or any other truck, is centered over the rear axle. The rear axle of any truck is the load axle. The front axle weight doesn't change very much from empty to maximum gross weight. That's why they had the snow plow special Dana 60 axles on the old F250s.

If you really plow with what you have, you will eventually destroy your truck. I think that's fine, and you can fix it. But you are overloading the front end, and the weird push from the front axle will cause weird shit to happen. If all you are doing is a couple hundred feet up and down the driveway, it could be fine. If you are doing a parking lot and spend an hour trying to push a heavy pile of snow up into banks, things are going to break.
The plow hanging off the front of the truck works like a lever on the frame, loading the front and unloading the rear axles. It was probably a poor choice of words for me to say that you could "balance" it out since you are correct about loading the axles. Adding ballast to the rear of the truck helps counter the weight of the plow (like adding weight to the other end of a see-saw). It's not perfect and it is harder on the truck by adding even more weight to things, but it can help keep the rear end from getting quite so squirrelly on the road.
 

Sponsored Ad


Sponsored Ad

Staff online

Member & Vendor Upgrades

For a small yearly donation, you can support this forum and receive a 'Supporting Member' banner, or become a 'Supporting Vendor' and promote your products here. Click the banner to find out how.

Truck of The Month


Kirby N.
March Truck of The Month

Recently Featured

Want to see your truck here? Share your photos and details in the forum.

Follow TRS On Instagram

TRS Events

25th Anniversary Sponsors

Check Out The TRS Store


Sponsored Ad


Sponsored Ad

Sponsored Ad


Amazon Deals

Top