Sorry for all the pictures, but this is the same parking lot I would plow with my Dakota - I plowed after the storm, some of which had nearly a foot of snow. The first pass was tough and the truck would struggle but after that it was smaller bites and it did well. The Ram did much better because of weight alone.
My back up is a 2005 Ram 1500 Hemi with a Meyer DP7.5. I used it during our Dec 26th Blizzard here in Indiana when my Chevy's Alt went out about 2 hours into the storm. I ran the Dodge for 20 hrs straight, then another 10 hrs the next day. Truck was flawless pushing 10+" of heavy snow. 18 Drives, 2 churches, and 2 mid sized factories.
Keep in mind, this was with aprx. 600 lbs of ballast and taking it slow. But, you treat her good and she'll keep pushing away.
I notice some voltage drop when operating the plow, but I also havent done anything to improve the charging system. Still run stock Alt, and one battery.
hopefully you get some toward end of the week, you plow with the same truck? wondering what gear people use for lots with the 545RFE transmission I have just been using drive with the tow/haul on but if we get a good dumping would like to know if I should use 2 or even 1 on the first push and back up to 2 after?? thanks for any info
I try not to use the dodge much. When I have I've used just about every combination of drive modes. Not sure which is best, and haven't got a definitive answer from posts. I will assume L1, and or 4L if its needed. Higher reving but easier on drivetrain. I take it very easy with the dodge though.
Remember, the Hemi/trans combo in our 1/2 tons is the same as the 3/4 but, front end, suspension, rear, and frame are significantly different.
Yeah the front ends are junk. I'm about ready to drive mine into Lake Erie. I'm tired of replacing front end parts on mine. I think I may go back to Chevy for the next truck.
I did the ball joints, an axel and tierod ends this year and the steering rack a few years ago. Would go to another truck in a heart beat if it actually snowed but seeing we are limited on snow all of a sudden, gonna ride this one out till it atleast pays for the plow set up and be nice to come up with the down payment for the next one. Was tempted to just sell the whole plow setup and go buy a second truck at the beginning of this season glad I did not total waste of money that would have been. This summer is going to be a good year for buying plow trucks I assume.
what year is the dakota you have and what blade do you use on that, nice stacking pics
It was an 03 QuadCab with a fisher MM1HD.
The 02-05 Ram 1500s front ends are soft and do go through parts quick but no faster than a GM or Ford half ton in my experience. If you replace parts use quality aftermarket parts.
yea i usually buy from the dealer for parts they give me them for wholesale so can't complain, they are out of their minds on labor tho the service manager told me 800$ to remove and replace the oil pan not including the pan or gasket - alldata says like 2 hours or 2.6 so that tells me dodge is trying to double charge for labor at 97$hr he literally told me 8 hours to swap it
I run an'04 1500 with an ST7.5 and like the smart people say, don'[t beat on it and it will work just fine...... i have had to be a little abusive when stuck in "snowmageddon" and he is still a trooper!
yea i usually buy from the dealer for parts they give me them for wholesale so can't complain, they are out of their minds on labor tho the service manager told me 800$ to remove and replace the oil pan not including the pan or gasket - alldata says like 2 hours or 2.6 so that tells me dodge is trying to double charge for labor at 97$hr he literally told me 8 hours to swap it
Id go Moog, XRF, Dynatech, Carli instead. OEM parts are pretty weak. The aftermarket options are upgraded to fix the flaws - at least the quality versions are.
Great to know, i used to use moog on my old bronco always held up well now that you mentioned that. Will defiantly post before any future maintenance or replacement of parts, thanks again for the advice
If the plow isnt scraping on hill decents or going uphill onto a flat try using the float button if the plow has it (it should) or let a few links out of the chain.
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2007 Ram 3500 Hemi 4x4 9' Western Pro Plus
2012 Ram 2500 Hemi 4x4 Laramie 8' Western Pro Plus
If the plow isnt scraping on hill decents or going uphill onto a flat try using the float button if the plow has it (it should) or let a few links out of the chain.
thanks, i grabbed a bolt some washers,nut and adjusted the chain so I can adjust travel better, it does have float has been scraping good.
need to turn the torsion bars a bit is only thing really
Linear Mode
