Snow plow options

[chorky]

I know a few folks here have them. Just curious what ya'll recommend. Primarily I will be using the TJ for the plow unless I can get the JT outfitted with a front receiver with the Warn full width bumper - which I think is unlikely.

Anyway, theres some options out there. My options are limited to what can be delivered to my home or available on the shelf in town. Not looking for something super expensive although auto angling seems kinda sub-par. Here's some options I have looked at in the past. I really dont know why the "Jeep" option is so freaking expensive! $3185 is a heck of a difference in cost! You could have 3 of the cheap ones for the cost of the one Jeep option....

https://www.homedepot.com/p/Home-Pl...-Snow-Plow-with-Electric-Lift-23250/205323066

https://www.homedepot.com/p/Home-Pl...dential-Power-Angle-Snow-Plow-26000/202919236

https://www.homedepot.com/p/Meyer-J...-Snow-Plow-for-Receiver-Hitch-76000/327780858

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[ShadowsPapa]

I know a few folks here have them. Just curious what ya'll recommend. Primarily I will be using the TJ for the plow unless I can get the JT outfitted with a front receiver with the Warn full width bumper - which I think is unlikely.

Anyway, theres some options out there. My options are limited to what can be delivered to my home or available on the shelf in town. Not looking for something super expensive although auto angling seems kinda sub-par. Here's some options I have looked at in the past. I really dont know why the "Jeep" option is so freaking expensive! $3185 is a heck of a difference in cost! You could have 3 of the cheap ones for the cost of the one Jeep option....

https://www.homedepot.com/p/Home-Pl...-Snow-Plow-with-Electric-Lift-23250/205323066

https://www.homedepot.com/p/Home-Pl...dential-Power-Angle-Snow-Plow-26000/202919236

https://www.homedepot.com/p/Meyer-J...-Snow-Plow-for-Receiver-Hitch-76000/327780858

Some of that may be the bracketry that's required to mount on the Jeep - and wiring etc.
Maybe because the Jeep sits higher, it's a different setup?

I'm surprised that higher end plow is provided without lights.
The plow I got - you can't even operate it unless you have lights wired in. Plow blades block turn signals, markers and headlights so unless you are prepared to go on/off/on/off each time it snows, don't think of taking it on the streets.

i looked at all of the more basic home plows, and me being me, and not wanting or able to keep getting out to change angle and so on, decided not to get anything that wasn't fully automatic and super simple to drive up to, flip latches, or unflip latches and drive away from.

My plow was worth it - since buying it, we didn't have squat for snow last winter and this winter is supposed to be really dry and low snowfall this winter.
So it's already working for me.

 

[chorky]

Some of that may be the bracketry that's required to mount on the Jeep - and wiring etc.
Maybe because the Jeep sits higher, it's a different setup?

I'm surprised that higher end plow is provided without lights.
The plow I got - you can't even operate it unless you have lights wired in. Plow blades block turn signals, markers and headlights so unless you are prepared to go on/off/on/off each time it snows, don't think of taking it on the streets.

i looked at all of the more basic home plows, and me being me, and not wanting or able to keep getting out to change angle and so on, decided not to get anything that wasn't fully automatic and super simple to drive up to, flip latches, or unflip latches and drive away from.

My plow was worth it - since buying it, we didn't have squat for snow last winter and this winter is supposed to be really dry and low snowfall this winter.
So it's already working for me.

That could be but I think all 3 of these options I am considering just have a standard receiver attachment..

The lights are probably ‘extra’. But my TJ is tall enough the lights wont get blocked. I dont take it on the highway in winter anyway but yeah I thought that was strange too.

what plow did you get I dont remember….

 

[ShadowsPapa]

what plow did you get I dont remember….

 

[ALT2870]

Here's my advice coming from working at a company where we plow and picking the boss's brain.

Above all is ask yourself if you even need a plow. The initial cost is more then you think. First is the plow and frame, then the actual mount for the truck which I'm not even sure you can buy at a non-plow supplier. (I'm talking in they actually deal with plows as a business.) Add in the controller and you are looking at 5k easily (depending if you install the mount which will involve drilling as well as wiring). Depending on what you are plowing the return rate of investment could easily be years. Get quotes from plowing companies and compare it. Oh, and probably add in a couple 100 dollars per year for maintenance and parts further extending ROI. Consider your space and if you have an ATV/UTV see the cost for that instead if it works. Also assuming you will be offroading with the rig you will probably want to remove the mount for the offseaon so keep that in mind.

With all that if you decide that you want to go ahead, here are the considerations to make:

1.) Biggest consideration is parts and service. Make sure there is a reputable dealer in your area that at minimum can supply basic parts and service. Nothing is worse then needing a part that you can't get for a week or more. (Less you pay overnight.) Having a service provider along with that is also key for when you run into an issue you can't fix. Again, driving hours isn't ideal plus they typically need the vehicle along with so if it isn't a one day thing, it's going to hurt. Most places typically service all major brands but be careful if they don't.

2.) Make sure you get a plow that is the proper weight for your truck. For a Gladiator I'd stay in the mid-weights max. Assuming you are doing just your own property (perhaps a neighbor as well?) a lighter plow is also probably fine. Note the heavier your plow the faster you will wear out your front end components that are already going to wear out quicker because of the plow. Granted you don't want a cheap lighter plow that is going to wear out on you faster.

3.) The only real features you need for light residential work is up/down of course and power left/right. You absolutely want the ability to turn your plow from inside otherwise you will struggle greatly. Pushing snow to the sides is critical when plowing. It should be criminal that a vehicle mounted plow can't turn.

With all that in mind here are my two recommendations:

Snoway S22 Series

Western Defender (as ShadowsPapa showed)

We run the SnoWay on our early 2000's two door Wrangler and perfect combo for our tighter spaces. (I ran it almost all last Winter.) Nice light weight plow and fully hydraulic including down. Ours has it, though purely optional, hydraulic downforce which pushes the plow even further down leaving a super clean plow. Biggest con is that in our area parts are rather hard to find outside of dealers which is tough as our local one takes forever to get them (they do big orders and then still hand off shipping to us). Also while not an issue for you probably the plow is poly which means snow really flies off the plow making larger parking areas a chore.

The Western Defender is on our F150 and is pretty workable. Western by far is the largest plow seller and as such not hard to find parts online or locally. Western is generally considered the standard in plows so you really can't go wrong. That being said we are using what is really a light residential plow for commercial use and it shows. The plow has been used two seasons and frame has broken multiple times along with other parts. Another bonus is that up/down is via a chain so if you loose hydraulics it is easier to lift up manually if you need to move it somewhere.

Meyers used to be a lot more common especially compared to SnoWay who is pretty much right behind Western. Not to say they are bad but just really don't see them anymore. I'd ask around and see what the opinions are locally now.

 

[ShadowsPapa]

I got mine in large part due to my age and health.......... and the fact that I was wearing out our lawn tractor and blade setup over time.
So $$ was only part of the consideration. I wanted something reliable, 100% controlled from inside once connected, and easy to disconnect to drive the truck around otherwise.
Overkill? Yeah, I'm sure. But it will last me a very long time and makes it soo easy. My wife is the type that if I go to town and come back with a budget saw, she'll send me back to get the better saw. This was another example - don't get something where in a year you wish "if only" or "I should have".

I did the full install myself. Wiring was interesting but not horrible. No real drilling other than to make the hole in the very front end of the frame rails just a bit larger to get handle bolts in.
Otherwise, no drilling, it used existing frame holes.

 

[chorky]

Here's my advice coming from working at a company where we plow and picking the boss's brain.

Above all is ask yourself if you even need a plow. The initial cost is more then you think. First is the plow and frame, then the actual mount for the truck which I'm not even sure you can buy at a non-plow supplier. (I'm talking in they actually deal with plows as a business.) Add in the controller and you are looking at 5k easily (depending if you install the mount which will involve drilling as well as wiring). Depending on what you are plowing the return rate of investment could easily be years. Get quotes from plowing companies and compare it. Oh, and probably add in a couple 100 dollars per year for maintenance and parts further extending ROI. Consider your space and if you have an ATV/UTV see the cost for that instead if it works. Also assuming you will be offroading with the rig you will probably want to remove the mount for the offseaon so keep that in mind.

With all that if you decide that you want to go ahead, here are the considerations to make:

1.) Biggest consideration is parts and service. Make sure there is a reputable dealer in your area that at minimum can supply basic parts and service. Nothing is worse then needing a part that you can't get for a week or more. (Less you pay overnight.) Having a service provider along with that is also key for when you run into an issue you can't fix. Again, driving hours isn't ideal plus they typically need the vehicle along with so if it isn't a one day thing, it's going to hurt. Most places typically service all major brands but be careful if they don't.

2.) Make sure you get a plow that is the proper weight for your truck. For a Gladiator I'd stay in the mid-weights max. Assuming you are doing just your own property (perhaps a neighbor as well?) a lighter plow is also probably fine. Note the heavier your plow the faster you will wear out your front end components that are already going to wear out quicker because of the plow. Granted you don't want a cheap lighter plow that is going to wear out on you faster.

3.) The only real features you need for light residential work is up/down of course and power left/right. You absolutely want the ability to turn your plow from inside otherwise you will struggle greatly. Pushing snow to the sides is critical when plowing. It should be criminal that a vehicle mounted plow can't turn.

With all that in mind here are my two recommendations:

Snoway S22 Series

Western Defender (as ShadowsPapa showed)

We run the SnoWay on our early 2000's two door Wrangler and perfect combo for our tighter spaces. (I ran it almost all last Winter.) Nice light weight plow and fully hydraulic including down. Ours has it, though purely optional, hydraulic downforce which pushes the plow even further down leaving a super clean plow. Biggest con is that in our area parts are rather hard to find outside of dealers which is tough as our local one takes forever to get them (they do big orders and then still hand off shipping to us). Also while not an issue for you probably the plow is poly which means snow really flies off the plow making larger parking areas a chore.

The Western Defender is on our F150 and is pretty workable. Western by far is the largest plow seller and as such not hard to find parts online or locally. Western is generally considered the standard in plows so you really can't go wrong. That being said we are using what is really a light residential plow for commercial use and it shows. The plow has been used two seasons and frame has broken multiple times along with other parts. Another bonus is that up/down is via a chain so if you loose hydraulics it is easier to lift up manually if you need to move it somewhere.

Meyers used to be a lot more common especially compared to SnoWay who is pretty much right behind Western. Not to say they are bad but just really don't see them anymore. I'd ask around and see what the opinions are locally now.

I understand and appreciate your input thank you. The fact is I'm just looking to make my life a little easier. Do I 'need' a plow? Nope.... but it will make winter time on my little 1/3 acre a lot easier. What typically happens is it snows for the first time about 2'. Then some of it melts but not after I put in some tire tracks going various places. Before it all melts, it freezes solid - so an ice ring basically. Then it snows again. And melts, and snows, and melts. So by the time Feb rolls around I have a dozen or more layers of ice sheets in between more fluffy snow. You see where that's going.

1) Service here is not really a thing. Much at all. I can't hardly get a contractor out here unless I'm paying 50K plus for a simple wiring job. Its insane. So any plow will be on me to repair/service

2) Definitely looking for a small plow. 80" max....

3) I was thinking this as well. Meyer home plow does have an auto turn with lockout function, but the thought of having to get out to change that if I needed/wanted sounds terrible. but the next step up is several thousand. All for just the ability to rotate? Seems odd....

The only plow I will consider is a receiver hitch version. I will not put a permanent mount on the front of either of my vehicles. The TJ has a front receiver, so all I need there is a drop hitch.

I got mine in large part due to my age and health.......... and the fact that I was wearing out our lawn tractor and blade setup over time.
So $$ was only part of the consideration. I wanted something reliable, 100% controlled from inside once connected, and easy to disconnect to drive the truck around otherwise.
Overkill? Yeah, I'm sure. But it will last me a very long time and makes it soo easy. My wife is the type that if I go to town and come back with a budget saw, she'll send me back to get the better saw. This was another example - don't get something where in a year you wish "if only" or "I should have".

I did the full install myself. Wiring was interesting but not horrible. No real drilling other than to make the hole in the very front end of the frame rails just a bit larger to get handle bolts in.
Otherwise, no drilling, it used existing frame holes.

I'm in a similar boat. I have no tractor yet, shoveling sucks, and 3K for a powered snowblower is at least another year off for me. A plow that can take care of my short driveway, a few neighbors if needed, and around town just to help some folks out who are not financially well off is about all I need or want. It's more for home convenience than need. I absolutely don't 'need' one, but it would make a lot of simple daily tasks suck a lot less, like taking out the trash in 6" of snow vs 3' and potholing.

 

[ShadowsPapa]

2) Definitely looking for a small plow. 80" max....

80" when angled won't be as wide as your truck. Even my 7'2" plow when full angle is just the width of the truck and I can still drive over some off the snow that falls back as I plow.
I opted for the wider plow at the recommendation of a member who plows with Jeeps - saying keep in mind that width is cut when it's angled.
You have a Rubicon so it's 1.5" wider tracking total than my Overland.

 

[chorky]

80" when angled won't be as wide as your truck. Even my 7'2" plow when full angle is just the width of the truck and I can still drive over some off the snow that falls back as I plow.
I opted for the wider plow at the recommendation of a member who plows with Jeeps - saying keep in mind that width is cut when it's angled.
You have a Rubicon so it's 1.5" wider tracking total than my Overland.

Most of my plowing will be with the TJ though - which is quite a bit narrower than the JT. I would think it would be wide enough with that. Maybe not?

 

[ALT2870]

I did the full install myself. Wiring was interesting but not horrible. No real drilling other than to make the hole in the very front end of the frame rails just a bit larger to get handle bolts in.
Otherwise, no drilling, it used existing frame holes.

Oh, that's really nice then. F series trucks are a whole different ball game of mounting hence my comment about it.


So I didn't realize you were looking for a hitch mounted option chorky. Those are more along the line of what we call "pushers" due to their limited functions. Yes you will start paying a premium for plows that can turn, there is additional components as you can imagine. BUT, you actually clear properly. ShadowPapa is a 100% correct, you'll need something wide enough to clear when at full tilt ideally. I mean you can in theory come back and clean but it will be rough. Straight pushing though is even rougher as only so much snow will actually catch, the rest will fall off. (Especially at 2 feet.)

It sounds like a snowblower really would be the way to do if your priority is your property and the driveway isn't that long. 30 inch blowers should be at or under 2k which when you add in the extra cost of a truck plow you are saving 1k plus parts and fuel for the truck. (Blowers really sip fuel.) But I totally get the pleasure out of sitting in a nice warm vehicle.

Circling back to need, that's why I suggested looking at plowing companies. Typically like us they are landscaping and irrigation during the Summer and do snow removal during the Winter. Cost obviously varies but now you don't even have to worry about going outside.

 

[chorky]

Oh, that's really nice then. F series trucks are a whole different ball game of mounting hence my comment about it.


So I didn't realize you were looking for a hitch mounted option chorky. Those are more along the line of what we call "pushers" due to their limited functions. Yes you will start paying a premium for plows that can turn, there is additional components as you can imagine. BUT, you actually clear properly. ShadowPapa is a 100% correct, you'll need something wide enough to clear when at full tilt ideally. I mean you can in theory come back and clean but it will be rough. Straight pushing though is even rougher as only so much snow will actually catch, the rest will fall off. (Especially at 2 feet.)

It sounds like a snowblower really would be the way to do if your priority is your property and the driveway isn't that long. 30 inch blowers should be at or under 2k which when you add in the extra cost of a truck plow you are saving 1k plus parts and fuel for the truck. (Blowers really sip fuel.) But I totally get the pleasure out of sitting in a nice warm vehicle.

Circling back to need, that's why I suggested looking at plowing companies. Typically like us they are landscaping and irrigation during the Summer and do snow removal during the Winter. Cost obviously varies but now you don't even have to worry about going outside.

Yeah everything I would do is small scale stuff. I figured with a plow at tilt I would have to do 2 full passes anyway though to be wide enough to allocate for more snow buildup over time. Would that theory in mind negate the need for a wider plow?

If I did the blower route, it would be electric. Just so I dont have to dink around with gas/oil, etc... Ease is the name of the game for me here. That was the initial plan last year but their cost was high at the time I was looking and take longer than a plow does, not that that is a dealbreaker.

Unfortunately plowing companies don't exist where I live unless its a commercial contract like the local bank and grocery store. I'm in a very very rural place. Mine as well be middle of Alaska - it's astonishingly difficult just to get a contractor out here to do house work, so I'm on my own for 99.9% of everything short of an ambulance to the hospital over an hour away. It's actually pretty darn strange how difficult it is to find anyone to service my area considering the housing costs. There are local people that do handshake deals, but from what I have heard about in the past they either dont' do the best of jobs or ask a pretty high price. The area I would plow would be my own property - 150' long by 8-12' wide, the back alley which is about 400' long, side street which is about 200' long and in front of the house which is 100' by 8' wide. So pretty small area.

 

[Snow Army]

Western impact v plow is a great plow for a TJ. I don't know how good the snowdogg is on the gladiator because it's hasn't snow since I bought it. Lol

 

[ALT2870]

The Ego blowers are on sale right now though only $100 off. With that though they are in the mid thousands.

 

[ShadowsPapa]

I don't know how good the snowdogg is on the gladiator because it's hasn't snow since I bought it. Lol

Aha! So your plow is already working, too! Mine has already prevented numerous inches of snow from falling.

If I did the blower route, it would be electric.

As in run by the Jeep's electric system?
Do you know the draw?
At least you don't have stock batteries - but which alternator do you have? If you have aux switches, likely the larger one.
One reason I never went with a blower on the front of my JD was because until about 5 years ago, we had a gravel driveway. You don't want to run a blower on gravel, IMO.
I have an area I can't blade because of the gravel and to do a good job means a heck of a lot of cleanup in the spring.
My neighbor won't let me do his driveway because it's gravel.
But if the snow is deep enough at some point, I might set the feet down on my plow and at least get it down to the last couple of inches. Man, he's picky. Even with his back, knee and shoulder problems and age - he still picks rocks out of his yard and keeps it pristine and the weeds sprayed that pop up in gravel drives.

 

[chorky]

Aha! So your plow is already working, too! Mine has already prevented numerous inches of snow from falling.


As in run by the Jeep's electric system?
Do you know the draw?
At least you don't have stock batteries - but which alternator do you have? If you have aux switches, likely the larger one.
One reason I never went with a blower on the front of my JD was because until about 5 years ago, we had a gravel driveway. You don't want to run a blower on gravel, IMO.
I have an area I can't blade because of the gravel and to do a good job means a heck of a lot of cleanup in the spring.
My neighbor won't let me do his driveway because it's gravel.
But if the snow is deep enough at some point, I might set the feet down on my plow and at least get it down to the last couple of inches. Man, he's picky. Even with his back, knee and shoulder problems and age - he still picks rocks out of his yard and keeps it pristine and the weeds sprayed that pop up in gravel drives.

no no. Not the vehicle mounted kind. The walk behind kind.

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