Snowplow on a Tacoma

I would be more inclined to ruin the Taco than a beautiful Ford. Haha

Id buy a tractor if I had that much land.

 

Good for you !

But why are you replying to this thread ?

We have a need for a snow plow which is why we're here.

Jim

 

Having cleared snow with a tractor, a truck does it much faster. Can't stack it as high, but it takes a lot less time.
A big storm used to take me around 2-3 hours with the Kubota:


Takes 30 minutes with the truck, and then I can always go through and stack it later with the tractor if I need to.

 

Agreed, unless you have a plow on the tractor! I liked the buckets for pushing back piles, but plows for the speed of clearing a driving path.

 

Even a dedicated snow bucket makes a big difference. My dad plows with a '57 Ford tractor, but it has a 9 foot snow bucket that does a much faster job of it than the 48" bucket on my Kubota.

 

Check out the cost of a tractor vs a Fisher HS plow

John Deere tractor with front end loader $10,000 - $15,000 depending on the size

 

I've plowed with 4 different plows on 2 different Tacoma's and hands down, the Boss HTX-V takes the cake. I had a Fisher LD on my 2001, a Homesteader on my 08 Double Cab (terrible) a retrofitted LD on my 08 Double Cab (better) and finally I sprung for the Boss HTX-V because Fisher doesn't offer a proper plow. As a Mainer, I had a hard time making the jump from Yellow to Red, but for this size application at least, the Boss is the superior piece of equipment. I see Fisher offers the new HS this year but I can see already the old LD built for first gen Yota's were a better plow and about the same size. While the Boss is also a trip moldboard like the HS, the LD's trip edge was much better for my gravel and rock driveway.

The truck handles the 490# plow fine (The LD made for my 1st gen was 474#) with Timbren springs on the bump stops to help out and 3 buckets of sand for counter weight. This year I put a 2" lift on the truck and upgraded to 600# front springs (Which were less than $300). The Taco holds the plow even better than it did and I greatly look forward to plowing with it again this year. The scoop function is EXCELLENT and being able to keep my outside wing straight on an outside corned and scoop up my inside wing allows me to windrow much wider than the truck which is an issue on my driveway.

There are lots of nay sayers and arm chair commandos that will tell you the Yote can't push any snow. Let me tell you that they can and quite well if you know what you're doing. Will it plow as well as a 1 ton with a sander in back?.... No. But for someone doing smaller driveways or their own property and they own a Yota, fear not... you'll be fine! I plowed 150" of snow during the winter of 2014/15 with my 4 cylinder 1st Gen including my 200 ft driveway and 500 ft of shared road. My biggest limitations were windrowing with a 23" tall mold board that had no flare or lift to throw the snow better. Luckily like Noelie84, I had a little Kubota to push them back (Coincidentally, also a B8200!). With the 25" center and 32" edge moldboard of the Boss HTX, it lifts snow like a surf wave and shoots it further into the yard with ease!

 

Also: I've plowed my yard with

• ATV: fun for a bit, but cold and not good for stacking, and a bit slow with only a 48" bite)
• Tractor with regular bucket: good for stacking only with 50" bucket)
• Tractor with an oversized snow bucket: REALLY good for stacking with 72" bucket, or moving piles out of over filled areas quickly)
• Tractor with rear snow blower: COOOOLD, stiff neck, and not so great with a non-hydrostatic tractor)
• 1st Gen Tacoma, 2.7L with 6'9" Fisher LD: Ability to clean my driveway while being warm?! Very nice! Decent, rugged little plow but just a tad too narrow. Had snow coming over the top of the 23" moldboard too often as well
• 2nd Gen Tacoma 4.0L with 6'8" Homesteader: Not for me at all. It's perfectly fine for a small driveway especially if it's paved. It tripped over everything in my bumpy dooryard and snow barrelled over the top of the 21" moldboard. It looked kind of silly on the truck (the plow lights are lower than the Tacoma lights?). The Homesteader push plates compared to the Fisher LD 7158 or 7166 pushplates on the 1st gen were VERY small and I was afraid it would break the plow if I hit a hard snowbank. Fine little plow for someone with a small paved driveway, but not for me. 6'8" is also too narrow. The truck was 1" wider with the blade angled and you drive over your windrows while turning. The 7'4" is a better choice for the larger 2nd gens if you go Homesteader.
• 2nd Gen Tacoma 4.0L with custom Homesteader/LD push plates to accept an older 6'9" LD plow: Much better than the Homesteader for my situation. It had a poly cutting edge that I did not like since it was about 1" thick and spread the weight of the plow out too much. It didn't scrape as well as the older LD I had with a steel cutting edge. It was a little rough looking and I run a business out of my home, so I decided to step up and get a tax write off for clients coming to my property with the next one.
• 2nd Gen Tacoma 4.0L with Boss 7'6" HTX-V plow: Only 16# heavier than the Fisher HD, yet much bigger plow. VERY rugged pushplates that I do not feel will bend or break like the Homesteader. The frame of the Tacoma is very stout vs the Rangers or S-10/Colorado and can handle the plow great. It has a 25" moldboard in the center and taper up to 32" tall moldboard on the ends which really lifts and throws snow when windrowing. Your really never use the Vee function except for when going down the road to make stress more even on your front end components and less wind drag. I used the V once since I had a 12 hour shift at work and came home to about 12" of heavy snow. My driveway is an immediate, steep uphill 90* to the main road so I have no room to get speed up. I went up in Vee and easily punched out my first pass. After that you clean up in straight blade, scoop, or a variation. It scrapes very well, the LED headlights are WICKED bright and don't ice up with the ice shield heaters. I really do enjoy the plow and I'm really bummed that I'm not supporting local businesses like Fisher... they just don't offer a good option for me.

YMMV

 

Funny, I went to the Boss website and typed in the info for the Tacoma, and they came up with nothing available for my truck.

There's a Boss dealer 15 minutes from my house, but when I stopped there, they were dealing with just commercial level plows.

So, being I'm just doing my driveway, I settled for the 2017 Fisher HS, which today is an all metal plow.

I think I'll be fine. I really just wanted to get away from walking my snowblower up and down my 75ft driveway.

Jim

 

You have to type in a single cab or access cab I think for the Boss online match system to work. I asked why and someone told me that If you fill up all 5 passenger seats, have the 400# recommended counterweight in the bed, and the plow.... you're technically over the GVRW so they can't recommend it. Since I'm always alone or with 1 person that will never be an issue for me. However, someone might go plowing with the whole family!

Did you get the HT or the newer HS? I was going to get an SD or HT for the Tacoma by retrofitting a set of Tundra Minute Mount II push plates. The Tundra and Tacoma have the same width frame (35" outside to outside) and very similar shape. With very little manipulation, the Tundra 7185 push plates will work... then some more options open up to the Tacomas since the HT is only 414# and the SD is 485# I think.

 

My error in the last post, I have the Fisher HS, which is now all metal. Use to be plastic, which had me looking at the Myer's instead.

However, when the dealer told me that they're now metal, I went with it.

Here's the pic I posted earlier.




Jim

 

That looks much nicer than the Homesteader which I believe they still make or they just are still selling to get rid of them. Looks like they use the Homesteader style pushplates with the double pins to pull out for better ground clearance in summer.

The rubberbands used as trip springs on the Homesteaders dry rotted and would leave you hanging if they broke... they were something like $100 each as well! There was a guy online that upgraded Homesteaders with trip springs and they were more consistent and stronger.... looks like Fisher heard the complaints and upgraded the HS to have springs as well. The specs look more like the older Fisher LD's with a 23" mold board vs the Homesteaders 21" mold board as well. It also looks like you can put an extension or a foil on top to extend your moldboard height. That can be REAL nice in light fluffy stuff that runs over the top!

 

Rubber bands as trip springs ? Yeah I would've passed if they had that.

The plow is all metal, including the springs. It also weighs about 50lbs more than the old HS. 297lb, where the old HS was 250lb.

Anyway, I never plowed snow in my life. At age 66, I either had to get a plow, or John Deere with a snowblower, so I don't have to walk up and down my steep 75ft driveway. It was that or sell the house and move, which my wife and myself don't want to do, because we'll never find another place with the privacy we have and being surrounded by a huge track of conservation land which can never be developed.

Jim

 

My only concern right now has to do with securing the plow against theft.

It seems to me, that just attaching it to my truck, will not make it secure.

The plow has a security code which I've added. This prevents a thief from attaching the plow to another vehicle and not having the code. The hydraulics won't work. Big deal, there are ways around that.

Should I get a chain and lock to secure it to the truck ?

Jim

 

Theft of plows are usually for the larger ones that are for commercial uses and have universal push plates. They are often stolen from parking lots from vehicle dealerships or businesses from what I've heard although a few do go missing from homes I guess. Almost every Minute Mount I and II Fisher ever made (Except a VERY few LD's and SD's) has a standard 29-1/8" spacing push plates that anyone can drive up to, hook up to the truck, then chain the plow up and figure the electronics out later. Having the Homesteader style push plates DRASTICALLY reduces the amount of trucks that can hook up to your plow, so it might be a little less valuable to a thief looking to grab it and sell it.

I personally would not chain it to the truck. If a thief is motivated enough to steal your plow, bolt cutters are easy to get. Then again, I live in a spot where I've never locked my house, and my keys are always in the ignition!

 

I live at a lake in a rural area. Mostly, the summer homes get broken into, or cars sometimes get broken into. Drug addicts are everywhere.

Right now, my truck parks close in enough to the plow, which is against a landscaping timber. A thief would have to have another person help them, but with some work, they could move things out and get the plow into the back of their truck. However, I'm counting on the neighbor seeing a strange truck up in my driveway and calling the cops.

I haven't bother to call the insurance company to add the plow to my policy, for the cost is probably higher than I want to pay.

If I plowed commercially, things would be different, but then, the state also makes you change the registration from passenger to commercial, which requires yearly renewal and it's more expensive.


Anyway, thanks for the advice.

Jim

 

"Beautiful Ford" lol

 

I drove Ford's all my life until my Tacoma.

If I have to do it all over again, I'd still drive a Ford F150. Best truck on the market. Better was the F100 when they still put a straight six 300CID engine in it.

The Tacoma is a good truck, but not better than the Ford, and definitely more expensive to fix.

The one benefit, was that Toyota recalled the Tacomas for rust on the frame. They replace the entire frame, struts and rear springs for free and let me use a new truck for the week they worked on it.

That was just two years ago and the undercarriage of my truck looks new.

Jim

 

I would have a ford or dodge if I needed to tow something. That's it though. I drove a ford v10 truck once and wasn't a fan didn't seem to be good at much except moving heavy things, and being big if that's what you want. Also drove a ram diesel 2nd gen. Same thing but sounded cool.

 

Well, just finished my first snow plow with my Tacoma and the Fisher HS.

So much easier than walking up and down my steep driveway with a snowblower !

The plow handled the 4 inches of wet snow easily.

The plow operator needs more experience though.

I kept forgetting to raise the plow up before backing up and a few times, I dragged the snow back into the path I just cleared.

Most of all, it was fun being in a warm truck and playing.

The only draw back from snow blowing is that it's not as neat. A few places when I pushed the snow off the driveway onto the grass, it dug up the grass because the ground isn't frozen yet and the snow looks dirty.

Anyway, it's a learning curve and I'm happy for the investment.


Jim