F 150 EPAS Guinea Pig!

[White Gardens]

Originally Posted by Silverado10923

I think the only thing I may have noticed was that if I had the heat/defrost blower on high and ran the plow pump alot at one driveway the blower motor sounded a little boggy, I just lowered it.

Great light, nimble little truck.

The draw on the blower fan is normal. I notice that on any truck I've ever driven. My current 05 F-150 does that also. All my other accessories such as the radio seem to be fine though. I've driven some older trucks that it would flip the radio off or give it bad reception along with dimming the lights.

But with one Marine duty battery it's done well.

I'm just glad that your steering didn't seem effected by the draw from the pump. Good to know that Snoway made a good decision by putting a plow on this style of truck.

As for nimble, I also love my F-150 for that reason. The turning radius is amazingly tight.

As for Timbrens affecting the ride of the truck, It didn't change it too much on my truck. Seems to be almost normal with less diving going around corners and hard braking. The only thing I notice is that I get this weird little rock/wobble in the truck at slow speeds and I wonder if the timbrens have done that or my tires are due to be replaced (they are).

Glad to hear your a happy camper!


..........

[basher]

Originally Posted by theholycow

Sounds like you could use an upgraded alternator and second battery the same way plenty of folks on this site without EPAS do.

My truck was the same way last night. I reduced electrical accessory usage as much as practical to help the alternator keep up, let it idle sometimes, etc. Plain old hydraulic steering on mine.

Before spending a lot of money try upgrading the alternator wire. The factory wires are often (almost always) inadequate.

Run a 4 gage wire (with a high amp fuse) from the alternator directly to the battery.

I've seen alternators capable of delivering 190 amp never getting more than 60 amps to the vehicle due to the small wire size.

[doh]

You'll be fine. Ford is just eliminating any liability by saying you can't plow with EPSAS.

So is Boss, Western,Fisher and the rest of them. Sno Way has been the only one to step up and say "Hey if the steering system stops, you are only going 10> mph anyways, what are you going to hit? You still have brakes.

[Silverado10923]

Thanks for the input. I was a little concerned. Have to say this is a great little truck. Hopefully no ill long term effects. Did not even feel like I pushed it hard but I will be stiffening up the front end for stacking.

[Pro-Lawn&Ground]

Originally Posted by plowguy43

Umm yay for you!?!!

hahahahaha ... I don't get why people want to lose money. Get a wrangler and put a plow on it. or a K2500 short bed. or anything that is proven to work. I mean obviously I wish you the best of luck and hope nothing bad or expensive happens but I'm pretty sure you're going to lose your warranty

[johnhenry1933]

Originally Posted by Pro-Lawn&Ground

... and put a plow on it. or a K2500 short bed. or anything that is proven to work. I mean obviously I wish you the best of luck and hope nothing bad or expensive happens but I'm pretty sure you're going to lose your warranty

I hear ya.

I bought a used K2500 with a five spring Western that is built like a one ton. I've had to tweak the diesel a bit (the engine was replaced 50k ago) and replace the original tranny (400k on the truck now) with an overbuilt HD tranny, and the truck has no problem pushing 8 or 10 inches 400 feet (the length of the lot). Haven't pinched the frame a bit in four years with it. And I've personally seen two trucks (or plows) break on this lot (pushing too much with a two spring and a half ton 400 feet).

I would just be too overly cautious plowing with a brand new truck...especially concerning any warranty matters.

[Silverado10923]

I hear you and partly agree. There are people who will swear by their half tons and others who say HD is the only way to go. I have run both over the years, including a wrangler with a 6 1/2' western.

The little jeep was great and did not develop any problems for the three years I ran it. I gave it up because it was a 5 spd (knee ached) and my business changed. Remember no warranty on running a plow with a jeep.

The next few years I ran a 98 Silverado 1500 ext. cab short bed with the 5.7 liter and a 7 1/2' western. No problems there either, again no warranty on running a plow but to be fair it was a torsion bar setup and not coil overs. I also only ran that setup for a few years before upgrading to my 02 2500 HD.

2002 I got my first "Big Dog" Silverado 2500 HD, Ext. Cab Shortbed, 6.0 with an 8' Boss RT 2. Truck was a beast but 60 + residential drives over 9 winters and I ended up replacing;

Alternator
Brake lines
Tranny
Tranny Lines
Power Steering Pump
Power Steering Lines
Tranny cooler lines
Rotors
Drums

All before 73k!

I loved that truck but the rot underneath took its toll. (see my thread "Out with the old in with the new") I traded it for a 2010 Silverado 2500 HD Ext. Cab Shortbed, 6.0 setup with an 8' western pro plus. Good truck, I did not like the 6 spd or 3.73 rear but to be fair I put 285's on it which lowered the ratio. That is the truck that just got wrecked.

So here I am a FORD guy!!! Hey they gave me $3,000 more for my trade. My business has changed drastically except for the resi drives. I am hopeful not to have any major problems and know that I have partly written off my warranty. My local dealer is good like that, he will work with me when he can.

Long enough, we shall see. That is why this site is great shared perspective and insight.

[Silverado10923]

Plowed for the fourth time with the new truck yesterday. No issues!!!

[basher]

Originally Posted by Silverado10923

Plowed for the fourth time with the new truck yesterday. No issues!!!

GREAT

[Silverado10923]

Thanks Basher, you are probably the best guy to ask. Why would my controller (hardwired) beep and display lost signal, fail to work and then return to normal? This happened two or three times the other night.

[basher]

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