Contenu
A snow plow can be beneficial for both personal and commercial use. With personal use, a snow plow simplifies and speeds up home snow removal—imagine, the driveway clear in seconds—while commercial use can yield a significant primary or secondary income during the winter months. Installing a snow plow on a pickup truck requires a bit of research, coupled with some basic mechanical abilities.
Your Truck
Before installing a snow plow on a pickup truck, determine what the curb weight of the vehicle is along with the weight capacity per axle. The manufacturer of your vehicle should be able to provide you with this information. You’ll also want to check with your vehicle manufacturer to see if there are specific guidelines for plow installation that are unique to your vehicle. Every vehicle has a gross vehicle weight rating (GVWR) and a gross axle weight rating (GAWR). The total weight of the vehicle, plus passenger, plus any load carried in the bed, plus the plow itself cannot exceed the GVWR or the GAWR.
Your Plow
Once you’ve determined the capabilities of your vehicle, you’ll need to investigate plow packages. Find out which packages are compatible with your truck and how much the packages weigh. Typically, a plow package comes with a scraper, which is the blade that pushes the snow; snow plow hardware, which includes an upper and lower "A" frame; mounting hardware, which attaches to the truck itself; and the wiring system, which includes the winch for raising and lowering the plow.
Assembly and Installation
The first step in installing the snow plow is assembling the scraper and the snow plow hardware as directed by the manufacturer. Next, jack the truck up so that you can work underneath it safely and comfortably. Be sure to use jack stands or other safety measures while working beneath a raised vehicle. With the vehicle jacked, attach the mounting brackets of the snow plow. Loosely attach the brackets and cross-member of the mounting hardware to the frame of your truck. After all of the bolts are in place, tighten uniformly. Next, connect the snow plow’s wiring system to both the battery and the winch. Lastly, attach the plow to the mounting hardware with the manufacturer-provided hitch pins.
