Snowplow on a Tacoma

I have a Boss sport duty on my 05. I just do my drive way and my uncles when I get it back from a frame replacement. I plow in low range cause my driveway is so short an tight.

 

I have an 05 & a fisher homesteader on for the last four years. Light plow, sucks at back dragging. But I do 30 accounts & we will get over 75" snow this winter.

 

What part of Florida are you from? Hahahaha

 

I have a 14 4x4 trd 6 speed manual with a 7'2" blizzard plow (720lt if i recall correctly) and its been great. I live in MD and it kept going with this latest blizzard. I started having traction issues (I have a 1/2 pavement 1/2 dirt driveway) but I'm running the stock tires with 30k on em. It was also 26inches of snow. I was pushing 8-12 inches at a time no problem so long as i could keep traction (ice). I wish that blizzards hydraulics were faster and that the plow was taller (24inch rather than 22). I am currently looking at snow tires and possibly a lift for more ground clearance... but that's a different thread. fyi this is its 2nd season...

 

I just came from a John Deere Dealer.

I have a 75ft drive way, going up hill to my house.

He said, I'd need a four wheel drive tractor.

Tractor, with snow blower and lawn mower attachment, $15,000

I'm back to looking at plows for my Tacoma

Jim

 

I love my plow, like others have said, the suburbanite is a light plow, and does not do a good job of back dragging but is totally capable of getting the job done.

 

That price tag is why I opted to go old school and bought an older FS with a plow instead. I was looking at one for my '10 Tacoma when I first got it, and after the local Fisher dealer quoted me $4500-ish for a light-duty poly plow I started cruising Craigslist for plow trucks instead. Ended up with this for less than half that price, and it's been a great plow/work truck.


I can work it a lot harder than I could a light duty plow on a Tacoma, and if (when) I do break something I can fix it myself much more cheaply.

 

OK, so I'm trying to decide between a Fisher Plow or a Myer Sno Pro.

I think I've ruled out the plastic homesteader and want a metal plow. Fisher has a metal plow for a Tacoma right ? Myers does, but want to cover all my bases.

Thanks in Advance
Jim

 

Fisher's new HS is a metal plow designed for light duty trucks.
http://www.fisherplows.com/products/hs/

 

Thanks, there's a Fisher Plow dealer I'll be visiting next week.

Jim

 

Nice plow, only weighs 40lbs more than the homesteader or suburbanite assuming the frame mount weighs the same.

 

Yeah, they look like a nice little unit for light work. I wouldn't want to try to use one commercially, but for a private driveway they look pretty solid.

 

I still like my Curtis Home- Pro 3000

 

Honestly, I'd go the old truck with a plow route before I considered putting one on my Tacoma.

Find an old F-250 with a plow. They're solid front axle, so they're pretty durable. Plus then you've got a much larger truck if you need to lug home something heavy. Or even for sand/mulch so you don't need to clean it out of the bed of the Tacoma.

 

Well I'm retired and I don't put many miles on my Tacoma anymore. It has 135,000 now and if I put 2500 in a year, I'd be lucky.

However, I'm tired of walking behind my snow blower up and down my 75 ft driveway which is on an incline.

I looked at John Deere Tractors with a snow blower, $15000 with the lawn mower. The dealer said he wouldn't sell me a tractor that didn't have four wheel drive, which is why it's so expensive. The tractor was larger than I could use for my lawn too. So, that decision is out.

I priced a Fisher Homesteader for $4000, yesterday, but was a little suspicious that they guy was pushing this one since he had that one in stock and said he only sells one a year. His office was a dump, so I'm not sure I want to do business with him.

He also said I shouldn't plow snow deeper than 8 inches with it. That had me a little concerned about the durability, which is why I want to look at a steel plow. Myer Sno Pro or the Fischer HS. I checked Boss Plows, but the web site said they don't have one for my truck. There is a dealer near me, maybe I should just stop in and ask him.

Lastly, I have to put weight in the back of the truck when the plow is on, or just when I'm actually plowing snow, and how much weight is enough ?

Thanks In Advance
Jim

 

I don't use weight in my truck but I imagine some do. I have the Suburbanite/Homesteader so its a pretty light setup to begin with, I imagine the heavier the plow the more you would need some ballast in the rear.

I bought mine used for around 2G, but new I think they do fetch 4G or better. We have a shop near where I live (Rochester NY) that sells used setups with a one year warranty too for around 3G.

 

If you're driving the truck at all, you'll want ballast whenever the plow is on the truck. Otherwise it can make for some weird handling, especially when you're braking. Definitely have some in there when you're plowing, for traction purposes. A few hundred pounds should be plenty for a setup that size.

For a Tacoma and a light-duty truck you should plow with the storm anyway (it's best to do that with any plow truck, but it's especially true for a lighter rig) to minimize stresses on the truck and plow. Two feet of snow weighs a lot, especially if it's been kicked up into a heater bank by the town plow truck first.

Edit- That was actually another factor for my going with an older, heavier unit instead of a light-duty model for the Tacoma. Where I have to be at work regardless of the weather, and I work an 11 hour day, I couldn't count on being home to plow 'with the storm' when it snowed. A lot of times I'll leave for work during a storm and it'll snow all day, so when I get home I've got a 3 or 4 foot heater bank at the end of my driveway that I have to bust through. My old rig does it no problem, but a smaller one wouldn't be able to handle it as well.

 

Just came accross the new Fisher add for the HS compact plow. They used a Tacoma in the add.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D7QKzQrvMRc

 

I like how it's snowing when he steps out of his house, but as soon as he hops in the truck and starts plowing it's a gorgeous sunny day out.


I also like watching snow plowing videos.
Puts me in the mood to go shove snow around with the Yeti.

 

Well, I just scheduled to have a 2017 Fischer HT installed on my Tacoma. The manager said that the HT is now all metal. The 2017 HS is for a larger truck.

$4150, total parts and labor.

Can't wait !

I also have to buy some new snow tires after.

Recommendations ?

Jim