Personal snow plowing

I don't know if his is the first time this question's been asked, but I have a 2011 Tacoma single cab 4x4 with a 2.7 four cylinder and a automatic transmission, my question is about putting a snow plow on it, I know it's not the best idea and I would be only using for my personal driveway. Any advice on what kind of plow is greatly appreciated, thanks guys

 

Hello fellow CT'er... You won't find many on here that advocate a snow plow. But those that actually have one on their Tacoma and use them have posted that they like them. Obviously you'd have to plow with the storm if we were getting the 18" that we got two weeks ago. The biggest issue with a plow, for me, isn't the added stress of plowing itself but if you use it as your daily driver. A commute across town with the plow up isn't too bad but if you have to go any distance, that weight flopping around (CT roads aren't the smoothest) it'll stress the front end. Which one to get is all about personal choice. I looked at Fisher, Myers, and Sno-Way. I think Sno-Way has a hydraulic down which is nice for back blading. There's a bunch of truck equipment places in the state but I know the owner of Ron's Automotive in Litchfield. Good guy. FWIW, the old Toyota trucks were popular plow trucks and they had the 22R 4 cyl engine. Stop by the New England BS thread or the CT thread in the northeast region area on the forum.

Edit: I seriously considered one for my Tacoma but I commute daily from Naugatuck to Cheshire and didn't want to try to stop the truck in the snow with all that weight hanging on the front. I bought an old quad and put a plow on that instead for less than half of a plow set up.

 

Thank you for your opinion like I said I would only be using it for my driveway and would remove it for my daily driving

 

Go check out Ron's. BTW, the owner's name is Mike...

 

I have a Sno-Way 22-series 7'-6" blade on my 2015 Double cab 4x4 (6-cylinder)
It does function very well but does have its limits .... As mentioned above, "plow w/the storm" and you'll be in good shape.
I've owned snow plows on various years Toyota trucks and have never been let me down.
However, these lighter 2nd generation series frames are not built as strong (at least for front mounted plow blades) as the earlier ones so go easy if you get one.

Not cheap either, at nearly $5k one can get a mighty nice snow-blower and still have money left over to hire someone to push it.
Then again, if you're doing more than 1-driveway as I am it starts to make some practical sense.

 

My uncle has one of these on his 4cyl Ranger. It works decent for his small driveway.

https://www.realtruck.com/snowsport...uctid=423202&gclid=CJjc5v7emdICFcG2wAodlsEDMg

 

I have a Western Suburbanite 6.8' plow. Its a great little plow. the whole setup only weighs around 275 lbs. Its easy to take off when I dont need it. Fisher Homesteader is the same thing just a different color, I think Fisher bought Western. I would highly recommend this plow if you are looking for a personal use plow on a Tacoma. I picked mine up used for a couple grand and its worked great for me.

 

how easy are they to take on and off?

 

Depends on the plow, here is a video of someone with a Western Suburbanite.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4e3sKLD87UQ

 

I want one!

 

I'm sure if you take it easy you can plow with a new Tacoma. Years ago I plowed a couple seasons with a 1985 Toyota with a Meyers plow. Then after that I plowed with several other trucks all with Meyers plows. With plows costing between $3500 and $4500 I would think you could get someone to plow your drive for 10 years, if you wanted to. Plows do put a strain on truck parts and in a bad storm you tend to help out neighbors, friends and family (which is not a bad thing ) but you never really just plow one driveway. At least I didn't.

 

This is true, I almost always do several of my neighbors driveways. But I enjoy it, and I am not racing around trying to get them done so I can get to my next job. I take my time and enjoy doing it. I also did my parents, and brothers house too after a recent storm. I like the convenience of being able to do it myself. One of the bigger reasons I went this route is the city tends to plow whenever. Sometimes after a large storm they may not clean the street for several days. So days after you cleaned up from the storm, the city plows clean the streets and bury the driveway again.

I dont know what the prices are where you live, but I know you can get a used one installed at a local shop here in Rochester for around 3 grand and it comes with a one year warranty. I only paid 2 for mine and there is currently one for sale on craigslist for 1600. I dont know if it comes with everything you would need for a Tacoma though.

https://rochester.craigslist.org/pts/5951095438.html

 

You could also buy an ATV with a plow. It keeps the stress off the truck, usually costs less and is more fun.

 

That's what I did

 

would the cab of the truck be warmer though?

 

Obviously. Just put a jacket on. The OP lives in Connecticut where it doesn't get that cold anyway.

 

Insulated coveralls, hat, gloves and you're good to go - that's all I need. (BTW, it was 58 Saturday, 60 yesterday, and it's 46 out right now.) Now in AK, I'd want something a little warmer...

 

It's a balmy -6° right now. Same principle applies though.

 

Brrrr... I think I'd have some trouble getting this 2 stroke to run at that temp.