Snow plowing: Tow or Off Road package?

My wife and I currently own two 4Runners. Our son is using my vehicle at college, so I thought I would get myself a Tacoma as my daily driver.

We live in a rural area of NY state and I would like to use the truck to plow the road to our house (100 yard gravel section that is technically a town road, but we have to pay for plowing).

I plan on getting the V6 engine with 4WD. In addition to these options, which is the better package on the Taco for snow plowing, the tow package or off road?

The impression I get from a google search is that the off road package is better for driving through snow, but the tow package would be better for pushing a plow.

 

All v6 models should have the tow package. But I would go with the trd offroad model anyways as it has a locker rear diff, and crawl control incase you get stuck in the snow.

 

All V6 Tacoma's come with the Tow Package, but the Off Road also comes with a larger rear diff and a locker so probably a better choice.

 

Having owned an '06 TRD OR AC for almost 15 years that was equipped with a light snow plow from day one, I'll offer my thoughts.
**Edit added.
I went with a Fisher Homesteader plow to minimize the load on the front end. It came with a 6'6 blade, which I regretted and came to determine that the 7'6 blade would have been a better choice, especially on curves & corners. Taco's are just not well-suited for a commercial duty plow without doing some serious suspension improvements. The height of the blade, combined with the type of snow, limits the maximum depth of snow when one should start plowing. In my corner of CT, a 6-8" accumulation would be when you should at least make a couple of passes. A heavy, wet snow might dictate starting sooner. When then blade is angled, deep heavy snow cover will cause the front of the truck to move sideways. Further, the blade height must be kept in mind as snow will spill over the top and build up between the back of the plow and the front of your truck. Skids on the cutting edge are a must on a gravel road otherwise you'll be plowing a lot of gravel otherwise. The need for skids will diminish as the gravel freezes and a layer of packed snow/ice builds up.
A rear-locking differential helps, BUT one must recognize that many times 4WD just helps you get stuck even worse. Driving over unplowed snow (or snow banks) can pack snow between the skid plates and the ground which effectively lifts the tires off the ground, leaving you with zero traction. I've experienced too many situations where I could not move until I had shoveled out most of the snow underneath the truck. **This is where skid plates contribute to the problem.**
As the years added up (on me) and the need to get out of my property for work immediately diminished, I abandoned using the Taco to plow snow. I now have a sub-compact tractor (Kubota BX2380) with a front mount 55" snow blower that can quickly be swapped for a 60" snow blade. Now I wait until the sun comes out before clearing snow, since neither my wife nor I have to be anywhere right away. The ONLY disadvantage associated with the tractor is that I'm not surrounded by a warm cab and a radio.
Good luck making a decision. As pointed out in previous comments, all V6 4x4 Tacos come with the trailer package. The Off-Road also has a rear locking differential. Forgot to mention that I also found a set of 4 steel wheels that I mounted REAL snow tires on for Winter use. The cast wheels do not fare well in our areas where municipalities are focused on the use of deicing chemicals over simple sand or cinders.
Do keep in mind that long-term use of a truck-mounted snow plow can contribute to a fair amount of wear'n'tear on the truck. Things WILL break, and usually at the most inconvenient time! Of course, the same can be said for shear pins on a snow blower.
PM me if you have any other questions.

 

Any 4x4 Taco will get the job done, get the Off Road for yourself.

 

Another experienced plow guy in the 2nd gen section also warned me away from snow plowing with a Taco. Doing a quick search for the Kubota BX2380, it looks like a versatile machine. I would think you must use it for other jobs throughout the rest of the year.

 

I added a Front Receiver to my DCLB OR and use my Snowsport 180 on both ends of the vehicle. It was a blessing last winter. Doesn't tear up grass or gravel.

 

Probably best not to take a chance damaging the Tacoma. Like they said above, get a small tractor with blade and blower attachments. Good to have both.

 

Keeps the Tacoma in much better shape and pays for the mods. Plowing is wicked hard in IFS trucks.

 

with the added weight of a plow it has always been advised against a plow for any vehicle under 3/4 ton. I have alot of friends who had plows on their full size 1/2 tons and it still took a toll. You will need to beef up the front end suspension for the additoinal weight.

 

The diesel Ford pickup trucks of the 80s-90s were stated, from Ford, never to install a plow on as the Diesel engine already was sooooo heavy.

 

In my experience, you don’t need a 3/4 ton+ truck, you can plow with just about anything. I’ve seen guys plow commercially with small Jeeps, Chevy Trackers and even Suzuki Samurai’s. They may not be able to push a lot of heavy snow at once, but they always seemed to make up for it with speed and maneuverability and making a few extra passes.

IMO, a Tacoma should be fine as long as you don’t....buy an oversized blade, try to push too much snow at once or try to go too fast.
Slow and steady saves equipment.

And x2 for the OffRoad model because of the locking diff and crawl control in case you get stuck....

 

Yeah if you can afford a subcompact tractor or compact tractor you would be far better off.

 

I'm not suggesting that you stay away from plowing, just that you need to recognize the truck's limitations. When I bought the truck I owned a rental property. I wanted to be able to plow that driveway, my neighbor's and my own. My Taco performed just fine at the task, EXCEPT when the snow got really deep, or was especially wet & sticky.
The BX2380 is a very versatile little machine. I had been considering a zero-turn, but that's a single-purpose machine. The BX mows a 54" swath of grass, blows a 55" wide path of 18" snow without straining, plows snow and sand or topsoil, has a 3PH fertilizer spreader that does my 3+ acres of lawn in about an hour, also has a 48" pine straw rake that does a fair job on small branches & dethatching. I also added a PTO powered bagger that's great on leaves in the fall, and Spring clean-up. Hope to add a tiller & aerator soon. Highly recommended for a decent-sized property, although it doesn't come at HD or Lowes prices.