Snow plow from Taco

Fisher homesteader. Fiberglass with steel frame very simple mount/dismount. My drive way is over 1//4 mile long and in Maine you get to do a great deal of plowing. I can tell you this don't try to throw snow 50' at 30 MPH use low range an take your time push the snow. I dealt with snow for many years with a tractor it sucks. I dressed in full snow mobile gear and used a rear mount 60" blower it took me 4 times as long as it does now with the truck. A front mount plow on even a 33 HP 4WD tractor does not do well in deep snow, angled it pushes the tractor side ways unless it's the first snow of the year.

 

I love mine - but you are right. They are noisy. I use mine all year round - just about time to put the blade back on for winter. I also had a cab heater put in when I bought it. Afterwards I realized that it only works when you are moving forward and pushing air over the engine - which doesn't work with the regular backing up while plowing. So, I got a golf cart heater instead - perfect!! I also put a windshield wiper on mine - that's a help too.

 

Same here will be putting the blade on around the first snow fall. I have a small heater that plugs into the cigarette lighter just to stop the windshield from fogging up but not the greatest. Do not have a windshield wiper was looking around for one. Where did you get yours.
Another thing that I hate about it is the windshield scratches so easy even wiping with soft cloth.Nothing is perfect lol.

 

Our local dealer put the wiper in for me. There is a glass windshield out there but it's pricey so I think I'll just live with the scratches and replace the plastic when I need to.

 

So this thread took a big left turn from the original question...sorry OP. With regard to whether Tacomas can plow snow, they work if you're careful and know the limitations. As far as the issue of being hard on the truck that's true for any truck...plenty of big Fords and Chevys with bent frames and bad front ends can attest to that. But it's usually the driver not the truck that defines what 'hard' is.

I guess the right answer really depends on what someone buys their truck for...just driving around town or getting some actual work done.

Say, maybe this guy could help. Small rig, big results!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nSg6pDSD52A

 

Been plowing a half mile long dirt road in Maine for about 20 years with a succession of Tacos and light Fisher plows. No abuse, not even a clutch replacement needed. Keep it slow. 400 lbs in the bed even without the plow so I can two wheel on regular roads when it's slick. I will say that I liked the gen 1 the best with the stick high range low range gearshift. In low range almost everything can be handled with 2nd gear. The old tranny had a nice shift move from 2nd to reverse and back. I'll need to practice that move on the 6 speed MT. One trick to make things easy to hook up is a bit of tape on the dash lined up with a bit on the hood and a bit on the light on the plow. Set these up right and you'll drive into your gear every time with no backing and filling.

 

I'm waiting on a Meyer Home Plow Model 25000. Hydraulic up and down and Auto Angle. Hooks up to my Tacoma in a front receiver hitch.

 

Why the snow plow? I usually just drive on over. Maybe that's a snow country thing I guess? I guess if ya get the deep stuff I see the need.

 

Lol, yup moving snow during/after a northern snowstorm is definately a snow country thing...kinda' like how going to the head after the six-pack empties out is a beer drinker's thing. Resisting is just uncomfortable.

 

In the "Great White North" you can trust 4x4 to roll over whatever accumulation but not everyone drives a Taco so it is the polite thing to do to keep your driveway clear in case company stops by.

 

That's all well and good until the melt in the spring and you're trying to drive up a rutted, sloppy driveway with 3ft of wet heavy snow and ice. Especially when a visitor shows up in a Camry.

 

I have a 1000 foot uphill driveway. I was looking at a plow too - but the economics don’t work. I pay someone to plow it much cheaper than I could. Total plow cost / # plows was like 50x the cost to pay someone else. That’s not including wear and tear on my taco plus my time. Not worth it. BUT my snow is fluffy.

 

Well in snow country if you go to work in the morning and drive over your snow chances are when you get home you can't. When you wake up in the morning with some thing close to a foot you kind of need to do some thing with your snow before you go any where! You will get your Tacoma stuck in a foot of snow.

 

Yeah, Maine snow is like Maine weather, just wait a few hours and it'll turn into something different. Drive over even slightly wet (like snowball consistency) snow and it'll pack in solid, then when the sun goes down (pretty early) it'll freeze up and next morning you'll have a big driveway of frozen crap to deal with...probably just as another bunch of snow, sleet or rain moves in to give you frozen crap with slippery on top.

Nope, best to move the snow as it comes to avoid the popsicle headaches.

 

Your full of shit, everything moves slower in the south.

 

Yeah, and some of us have a quarter mile or more of dirt road with a couple of interesting grades before you get to the driveway.

 

I’m considering getting the home plow. Very curious to hear how it works for you.

 

Curious as well as to how well a receiver hitch plow works. The more robust Fisher Homesteader has big pieces of steel that bolt into the frame and can take a few minutes to attach. I have a receiver hitch fabrication that fits the plow gear which includes some armor to make sure bad driving doesn't put a hole in the grill. I don't know how a front straight receiver hitch attaches but you may not want to abuse it, probably just fine for driveways, not so good for my dirt road

 

What's your current JD tractor? Is it 2wd?
I would go the tractor route, either making the one you have work (if possible) or upgrading. The wear and tear isn't worth it on the Tacoma, IMO

 

I plow my driveway with a snow way plow setup with Down pressure truck handles it extremely well never had any issues moving snow.