Plowing a driveway

We just bought a mountain property with a steep driveway that’s maybe 400 ft. The previous owner left me his SnowDogg MD75 and I’m taking of getting there set up for my ‘19 TRDOR. If just be doing my driveway, and maybe the neighbors every once in a while. I contemplated buying a beater but don’t really want it sitting on my property for most of the year. With an ATV you need to be out there while it’s coming down to keep up. Not into that. Since I have the plow, I’d only be out the money for the mounting kit and install. Thoughts? Will my mall crawler survive?

 

You'll probably need to be out there while it's coming down to keep up, especially with a steep incline.
You'll also probably want to beef up the front end too. I run a snoway which is only 285# (without the mount) and I now run 886's on my second gen for the weight. Your plow is 400#. I'd look for timbrens or something. And really good tires. I run dedicated snows.
That all being said - go slow, try to stay ahead of it, and push it far back so you have room at the end of the season when you need it.
My 2nd gen has held up pretty well. Had the plow 5-6years now.

 

I have an '06 TRD OR AC and a Fisher Homesteader plow. Used to clear driveways for 3 different homes. Since I'm in CT we don't usually get substantial snowfalls, but when we have (10" up to 24") I've found that you can't wait until the snow stops falling. pmstoy10 is right - you gotta keep up with it. For my rig, the moldboard height can't handle much more than 6-8" before it starts to come over the top. If it's a heavy wet snow, you HAVE to get at it when there's about 6" on the ground. Had no issues with the stock suspension and handling, although the nose did drop a bit when raising the plow. My biggest issue was that the outside air temp sensor didn't register correctly since the airflow past it was reduced by the plow - always registered 10 degrees or more above what it really was. I found that you had to run REAL snow tires on all four positions - I went with studded snows with an aggressive tread. Still got stuck at times when snow got packed under the skid plates. I no longer have need for the plow as I now have a Kubtoa BX-2380 with a 55" front snowblower which I can swap for a 60" snow blade. The blade does the early season snowfalls 'cuz the ground doesn't freeze early on and I hate throw gravel with the blower. If things get really bad I can put chains on all four wheels - not much will stop it in 4WD with the chains. Any questions, just ask.

 

I plow with a 1985 GMC K3500 4x4 6.2 diesel and have a few tips.
Make sure the truck sits level with the plow on the ground. If its ass-end up, add weight until it is level, best loading behind the wheel wells.
Take smaller "bites" with more passes, and go slow.
Use Plow Slick if you have a metal blade.
I have plowed with different tires consisting of MTs, dedicated winter Haka's with full studs, and BFG K02s on concrete/pavement, old chip seal, MgCh sprayed dirt roads, double track driveways, etc in the mountains of Colorado.
- The MTs are a joke, sliding everywhere, fkn dangerous.
- The Haka's are amazing allowing me to plow in 2wd. But the studs cut into concrete/pavement when a wheel slipped, the studs got yanked out, and the tread blocks tore off when plowing technical dirt roads.
- The K02s are the best I have used so far! They take a beating and keep going. Not as good grip as the Hakas on concrete/pavement in 2wd, but superior on the dirt with wheel spin. I do have 2 sets of chains and a few places I had to chain up due to the ascent.

 

Dumb question for you, but do have a seperate front quick hitches for your plow and blower, or do you use the same one for both? If you only have the one, are you able to leave the PTO shaft connected to the K-coupler while you have the plow on? Reason I ask is I have the plow, but think I might like a front blower as well, for exactly the usage you mention.

 

Save your truck. You need an old farm tractor or a compact tractor.

Get the right tool for the job.