PLOWING SNOW
WARNING: Always wear a seat belt
when plowing snow. Sudden contact
with a hidden object can result in seri-
ous personal injury.
Inspect areas to be plowed before snowfall for
potential hazards, and mark obstructions with
stakes that will be seen when snow covers the
ground. Identify any emergency equipment and
utility outlets that may need to be cleared in the
event of a storm. Prepare a plan beforehand for
clearing snow from tight or enclosed areas and
locate sites for stacking snow.
When using skid shoes on the back of the mold-
board, adjust the skids according to the surface
to be plowed. The bottom of the skids should be
about 1/2” below the cutting edge when plow-
ing gravel roads or lots. Skids should be even
with the cutting edge on hard surfaces such as
asphalt or concrete.
Always plow snow as it is accumulating. Wet
snow may weigh about 12 pounds per cubic
foot. The weight of snow being pushed by your
plow may increase to several tons.
Allowing snow depth to grow to unmanageable
levels can cause difficult removal problems and
can be costly in terms of wear on equipment.
WARNING: Serious personal injury
can result from plowing at excessive
speeds, as well as costly damage to
equipment and property, if an obstruction is
encountered while plowing. Do not exceed
10 mph while plowing.
Plow snow in the lowest truck gear to transfer
maximum power to the cutting edge. Clear ar-
eas in front of buildings first. Back drag snow
away from buildings by driving to the building
with the plow raised, then dropping the blade to
pull snow away from buildings.
Clear large lots by angling the blade and cre-
ating a single path. Roll snow to outer edges
of the lot by taking successive passes with the
blade angled.
When plowing very deep snow, it may be neces-
sary to raise the blade and shear off layers of
snow until a working area is cleared. Work small
areas in multiple passes to push snow to outer
edges. Generally, 6 inch snow can be plowed
with the entire blade width; 9 inch snow with
3/4 of the blade width; 12 inch snow with 1/2 of
the blade width. Local conditions will determine
how much work can be done before stalling or
getting stuck.
PARKING
Lower the plow to the ground when parking your
truck for a long period of time with the plow at-
tached. Place the on/off switch in the “off” po-
sition to prevent the plow from drawing power
from the truck battery. The plow’s power unit
may continue to draw electrical current from the
truck battery if the control switch is left on; pos-
sibly resulting in insufficient charge to start the
truck.
REMOVING THE PLOW
To remove the snowplow from your truck, park
on a solid level surface with the blade straight
across the truck. Lower the plow to the ground
and leave the controller in the “float” mode.
NOTE: The plow control box must be in the
“float” mode to manually retract the lift cylinder
rod. If the cylinder rod cannot be retracted with
power on and the controller in float, loosen the
packing nut on the lift cylinder up to 1 1/2 turns
to reduce friction.
Lower Plow, Leave Controller in “Float” DWG NO. 4177
At the front of the truck, push down on the upper
lift links to fully retract the lift cylinder rod. Re-
tracting the lift cylinder will orient the prong re-
ceivers correctly for reattaching the plow later.
Failure to retract the lift cylinder rod will allow
6 Operating Procedures