• 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.

Bought a snow plow


Jim Oaks

Just some guy with a website
Administrator
Founder / Site Owner
Supporting Vendor
Article Contributor
TRS Banner 2010-2011
TRS Banner 2012-2015
TRS 20th Anniversary
VAGABOND
TRS Event Participant
GMRS Radio License
Joined
Aug 2, 2000
Messages
13,407
Reaction score
8,527
Points
113
Location
Nocona, Texas
Vehicle Year
1996 / 2021
Make / Model
Ford Ranger
Engine Type
4.0 V6
Engine Size
4.0 / 2.3 Ecoboost
Transmission
Automatic
2WD / 4WD
4WD
Total Lift
6-inches
Tire Size
33x12.50x15
I've been thinking about getting a snow plow for the Ranger. I'm tired of plowing my driveway with a blade and lawn tractor.

So after doing some looking, I settled on a 82" Snowbear plow I found on Craigslist for $250.00.

It's in pretty good shape, but I'm going to clean it up and repaint it. I also need to fabricate a new mounting bracket to compensate for the lift on my Ranger.

I chose the Snowbear for the value and the fact it's lighter than the hydraulic setups. I also like that it came with the cradle to move it around on when not in use.

These are the Craigslist photos. Right now it's sitting on my trailer.
 
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
That seems to be a great deal. I paid the same for a three point hitch blade and still had to make mounting.

Richard
 

Mark_88

Well-Known Member
Joined
Aug 11, 2007
Messages
18,554
Reaction score
240
Points
63
Age
68
Location
Ontario, Canada
Vehicle Year
2007
Make / Model
Dordge
Engine Size
3.3 Fuel Injected
Transmission
Automatic
My credo
Love Thy Neighbor
Eh? No lights?

That looks like the plow I had on my Dodge Ramcharger back in 1980 but mine had lights that were part of the truck mounts...don't think I ever ploughed a driveway with it...

Anyway...does it actually help to coat the blade with something like ski wax?
 

Doofy

Member
Supporting Member
U.S. Military - Veteran
Joined
Jul 27, 2008
Messages
947
Reaction score
6
Points
18
Location
Alaska
Vehicle Year
1998
Make / Model
Ford
Engine Size
3.0
Transmission
Manual
My credo
Shit Happens...Then You Die.
Great Score! My plow weighs about 500 pounds or more on the F-350. Bought several old Meyer's plow pumps (T-6) off ebay for $35 each, and they have no problem lifting the blade.
 

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
8,207
Reaction score
5,961
Points
113
Location
Butler, PA, USSA
Vehicle Year
95
Make / Model
Ford
Engine Size
4.9L
Transmission
Manual
Eh? No lights?

That looks like the plow I had on my Dodge Ramcharger back in 1980 but mine had lights that were part of the truck mounts...don't think I ever ploughed a driveway with it...

Anyway...does it actually help to coat the blade with something like ski wax?
Supposedly some stuff called Fluid Film is supposed to be about the best for coating the blade with. I haven't really experimented yet though so I can't say myself. But I've heard of using waxes or non-stick cooking spray on a blade to help keep the snow from sticking to it.


Looks like a nice score on the plow Jim. Make sure you check it over good and replace any worn bolts. The Meyers I got didn't look bad until I started pulling bolts out and found that the holes were egged out and the bolts were worn. I had to do a little welding and grinding to fix things. Mine took grade 5 bolts to put it back together, oddly enough.
 

Mark_88

Well-Known Member
Joined
Aug 11, 2007
Messages
18,554
Reaction score
240
Points
63
Age
68
Location
Ontario, Canada
Vehicle Year
2007
Make / Model
Dordge
Engine Size
3.3 Fuel Injected
Transmission
Automatic
My credo
Love Thy Neighbor
Supposedly some stuff called Fluid Film is supposed to be about the best for coating the blade with. I haven't really experimented yet though so I can't say myself. But I've heard of using waxes or non-stick cooking spray on a blade to help keep the snow from sticking to it.
I did a bit more research on this and, apparently, there are several paints and waxes that can be used...didn't see fluid film but there is a graphite paint that is, apparently, the best product for this application...

I don't have a plow now but I am using one of those Honda tractor snow blowers and the blades are a bit chipped so I was thinking of painting it and coating it to protect them...

The worst problem with snow blowers is the chute gets plugged with slush...and there isn't too much that can be done about that...but this model actually came with a metal bar attached to the back of the chute...for just such a problem...but try to get that puppy off with soggy frozen mits!
 

Jim Oaks

Just some guy with a website
Administrator
Founder / Site Owner
Supporting Vendor
Article Contributor
TRS Banner 2010-2011
TRS Banner 2012-2015
TRS 20th Anniversary
VAGABOND
TRS Event Participant
GMRS Radio License
Joined
Aug 2, 2000
Messages
13,407
Reaction score
8,527
Points
113
Location
Nocona, Texas
Vehicle Year
1996 / 2021
Make / Model
Ford Ranger
Engine Type
4.0 V6
Engine Size
4.0 / 2.3 Ecoboost
Transmission
Automatic
2WD / 4WD
4WD
Total Lift
6-inches
Tire Size
33x12.50x15
I've been thinking about getting a snow plow for the Ranger. I'm tired of plowing my driveway with a blade and lawn tractor.

So after doing some looking, I settled on a 82" Snowbear plow I found on Craigslist for $250.00.

It's in pretty good shape, but I'm going to clean it up and repaint it. I also need to fabricate a new mounting bracket to compensate for the lift on my Ranger.

I chose the Snowbear for the value and the fact it's lighter than the hydraulic setups. I also like that it came with the cradle to move it around on when not in use.

These are the Craigslist photos. Right now it's sitting on my trailer.

UPDATE:

So, you saw what I started with, this is what I ended up with:
 

Jim Oaks

Just some guy with a website
Administrator
Founder / Site Owner
Supporting Vendor
Article Contributor
TRS Banner 2010-2011
TRS Banner 2012-2015
TRS 20th Anniversary
VAGABOND
TRS Event Participant
GMRS Radio License
Joined
Aug 2, 2000
Messages
13,407
Reaction score
8,527
Points
113
Location
Nocona, Texas
Vehicle Year
1996 / 2021
Make / Model
Ford Ranger
Engine Type
4.0 V6
Engine Size
4.0 / 2.3 Ecoboost
Transmission
Automatic
2WD / 4WD
4WD
Total Lift
6-inches
Tire Size
33x12.50x15
In the last photo you can see where I was making a frame out of 3-inch square tubing to drop the plow mount and compensate for the lift. Also, the 4th photo shows the plow mounted, and in the 5th photo I added additional braces to support the frame. I had found a crack that needed welded because so much force is applied where the plow frame slides on to it's mount. The frame moves a lot when you lift the blade. The added braces that I bolted on should eliminate that and keep it from cracking again.

I cleaned everything up and repainted it, and replaced all the hardware with new pieces so it looks new again. Vanessa took the photo of me plowing with it for the first time. Works good.


Before:



After:



Not bad for $250, some spray paint, and new nuts and bolts.

Oh ya, with the lift in my truck, I can still use my headlights, even with the plow off the ground.
 
Last edited:

kunar

Forum Staff Member
TRS Forum Moderator
Supporting Member
Article Contributor
V8 Engine Swap
Joined
Jun 10, 2003
Messages
4,158
Reaction score
131
Points
63
Age
36
Location
Toledo, Ohio
Vehicle Year
1987
Make / Model
Ford
Engine Type
V8
Engine Size
5.8l
Transmission
Manual
2WD / 4WD
2WD
you guys have snow already? must be that lake effect stuff, we havent had more than a couple dustings that are gone in a day. plow looks good, jim. ive thought about a plow for my ranger, but for now im stuck with the tractor...
 

twb4525

Member
Joined
Jul 9, 2013
Messages
69
Reaction score
0
Points
6
Location
Lorain County, Ohio
Vehicle Year
1993
Make / Model
Ford
Engine Size
4.0/A4LD
Transmission
Automatic
you'll get some good use out of that the next few days, jim!
 

Jim Oaks

Just some guy with a website
Administrator
Founder / Site Owner
Supporting Vendor
Article Contributor
TRS Banner 2010-2011
TRS Banner 2012-2015
TRS 20th Anniversary
VAGABOND
TRS Event Participant
GMRS Radio License
Joined
Aug 2, 2000
Messages
13,407
Reaction score
8,527
Points
113
Location
Nocona, Texas
Vehicle Year
1996 / 2021
Make / Model
Ford Ranger
Engine Type
4.0 V6
Engine Size
4.0 / 2.3 Ecoboost
Transmission
Automatic
2WD / 4WD
4WD
Total Lift
6-inches
Tire Size
33x12.50x15
Holy crap, we got around 10-inches of snow yesterday/last night!
 

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
8,207
Reaction score
5,961
Points
113
Location
Butler, PA, USSA
Vehicle Year
95
Make / Model
Ford
Engine Size
4.9L
Transmission
Manual
Holy crap, we got around 10-inches of snow yesterday/last night!
Lucky! I was hoping for the 8-12" they were calling for around here. I got the plow on the tractor and working yesterday and got the truck ready to hook the plow up and go at it. Used the tractor to clean out the driveways of the 2-3" we had and hoped for more. Instead we got freezing rain out the arse.
 

a31ford

Electronics GURU
Supporting Member
Article Contributor
Joined
Apr 15, 2012
Messages
571
Reaction score
26
Points
28
Location
Brandon, Manitoba
Vehicle Year
1988
Make / Model
Ford
Engine Size
2.9
Transmission
Manual
Hey Jim.

I've owned a Snowbear like that for over 7 years, waterproof the winch by wrapping the case joints with RUBBER tape (NOT electrical), use electrical overtop of the rubber tape to hold it in place.

The winch warms up with use, and melts the snow on it causing the brushes to freeze and the winch dies.

Do you have the "dead Winch" winder ? and the safety hook for extended travel with the winch up ? (if not, I can post pictures of them if you need).

The center bolt wears quite quickly, I stacked a pile of washers together with a long grade 8 bolt and welded the washers to make a larger bushing for the bolt to wear against, that was like 3 years ago, and haven't had problems with it since.

As well, because your truck is so high, you might want to change the recline angle of the blade to somewhat closer to what it would be with a stock height truck (it will push a lot more snow without digging-in, (which you might have noticed already........

Greg

Oh, PS the "super winch" econo series uses the same brush mount style so when the brushes wear out you can fix it for like 40 bucks instead of the 250 Snowbear wants.....
 

Jim Oaks

Just some guy with a website
Administrator
Founder / Site Owner
Supporting Vendor
Article Contributor
TRS Banner 2010-2011
TRS Banner 2012-2015
TRS 20th Anniversary
VAGABOND
TRS Event Participant
GMRS Radio License
Joined
Aug 2, 2000
Messages
13,407
Reaction score
8,527
Points
113
Location
Nocona, Texas
Vehicle Year
1996 / 2021
Make / Model
Ford Ranger
Engine Type
4.0 V6
Engine Size
4.0 / 2.3 Ecoboost
Transmission
Automatic
2WD / 4WD
4WD
Total Lift
6-inches
Tire Size
33x12.50x15
This winch squeaks like crazy, but still works. When it dies I'm going to replace it with a Harbor Freight winch. You can get them for around $50.00.

UNFORTUNATELY....

I went out to plow the driveway and found that my driver side axle shaft is busted. Not sure how that happened because the truck barely works that hard plowing my driveway. Doesn't take much gas to get things moving.
 

Diesel_brad

Member
Joined
Dec 9, 2009
Messages
189
Reaction score
2
Points
18
Location
Gilbert PA
Vehicle Year
04
Make / Model
Ford
Engine Size
4.0
Transmission
Manual
I guess no angle?

I had to adapt and lower the plow mount on one of my old rangers with 4" lift. I found out the hard way that with about the modification when the plow is angled the far conner DIGS to china and the close corner is 6" off the ground:shok:
 

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