Hows the plowing going?

[BigBlueChevy]

I know we have a few other plow drivers here so I figured I'd check in and see how everything was going along. Jersey got hammered with about 2ft worth in Jackson about 4 days ago. Sure gave my new plow rig a run for its money(and seeing as how I just got it finished not even last week I was just in time). She's a 1981 Chevy C-60. 350SBC, Chevy 4 speed, Rockwell F106 rear with 7.80 gears. The plow I picked up separately. Its an 8ft Meyers with a Monarch hydraulic pump I mounted on the frame. I shelled out $1500 for the truck, $600 for the plow and $160 or so for misc supplies. I have the whole thing 80% paid off so far with just one storm this season I'd say a good investment on my part.

These pics are from last week when I finished during the stupid teaser snow storm. I'll have to snap a few tomorrow morning of everything now that its painted and there is 2 feet of snow everywhere else.

I should probably also add that the cable just kind of "thrown" on the hydraulic pump was my temporary electric to the solenoid to get the plow to lift up off my driveway and get to the yard. Right now it has a dedicated line going from the battery to the pump and is MUCH cleaner than that mess.

 

[BigBlueChevy]

A couple shots from this morning.

 

[BudTX]

That looks really good!

 

[Coaster Chaser]

Looking good maybe you could go over to the Apple they need help. Look out for a 3-4 cubic yard sander for your truck,its weigh that makes money.

 

[Ed HD]

Nice Rig!!! Does that have a high-low rear end, or just 1 speed? That thing must not go over 55, LOL.

 

[3500GMC]

If it's like my C65, 'bout 55 and a half.

Look out. :thumbsup:

 

[Ed HD]

Our 65 C60 will hit 65 with a 292, 4 speed and 6.xx rear gears (on hi, 2 speed rear). Hence why I was asking, lol.

 

[3500GMC]

That's pretty good. 292 sixes are a beast.

I was selling my 427 short, she'll crank more R's and get down the road, but 55.5 is all I need.

 

[DieselSlug]

Cool ole' rig. I used to have about 5 plow jobs, sadly due to school and my regular job i cant keep up with that many. So right now i have 2, but somehow i seem to make more money from people in emergency/lazy situations, and pulling stuck cars out of the ditch lol. My truck has sat in the garage for about 3 weeks now, all washed and waiting for the next storm. Im going to have to take it out tonight tho, we got about 4''... The only reason its sits is diesel is 3.49 a gallon, when my Grand cherokee gets the same mileage, and unleaded is 30+ cents cheaper its a no-brainer...

 

[BigBlueChevy]

Finally had a break in the action for some time to relax. I'm on call on account of the 4 to 6" of snow expected by the end of the day so entertain me.

I really haven't had to get the truck to go all that fast. Most I've done is 50mph so far and the motor didn't scream near as much as it takes to make the jump from 1st to 2nd gear when loaded down. No rpm gauge so its all by ear, maybe during the spring I'll come home for a weekend and put an aftermarket RPM gauges on it. It does get up to 50mph with relative ease though unloaded. Its a single speed rear (F-106) with 7.17 gears Swap the SM465 out for an NV4500 and maybe she could hit 65 in OD... Guess I'm gonna have to find out what she tops out at when the weather improves.

I got bored yesterday during what was supposed to be the "bigger" of the two storms(yesterday and today I mean). Yesturday we got like 3/4" on the ground. It didn't stick to the roads. Today the weather folks changed there prediction overnite and now all of a sudden we are expecting 4" to "6 from now till midnight. It still isn't sticking to most of the main roads yet. Driveways and whatnot have maybe a 1/4" at best. Well anyway I finally hooked up my plow lights. The C-60's lights sit so high even with the plow all the way up it didn't block light. So I got crafty. Figured I'd make use out of them. Wound up taking the frame lights, flipping them upside down and angling them 45* in opposite directions. Flip the switch and everything in-front of and next to the plow gets bathed in light. It made a HUGE difference last night when I tried them. Much better vision on my sides, especially when turning.

Couple pictures for your viewing pleasure.

 

[BigBlueChevy]

Maybe I'll throw this in the mix as well. My current hydraulic pump dedicated to the plow is a Monarch Dyna-Might unit. To be honest I haven't been all that impressed by it since I installed it. Its certainly not very fast to lift the blade up and its lack of any way of hooking up the steering arms means I have to stop, and get out of the truck to muscle the blade in the angle I want it. In small parking lots, this makes things a bit more time consuming. And it tends to hurt some of the areas that require some of that "on the fly angle change" finese. I know the pump is old and getting on the weaker side. If it even makes it through the next few storms I'll be shocked, so I've been considering switching to one of the Meyer E-60 units, especially since it comes with the connections for running the steering arms right there on the pump. I'd be more than happy to convert to a joystick controller . Much cleaner than my current... "choke cable" setup on the shifter. I know the Monarch unit is either going to need a complete overhaul soon or worse break down while I'm plowing, So I was wondering if anybody has used one of these pumps and if they like it. Would it suffice lifting a rather bulky 8' plow?

 

[3500GMC]

I don't have a blade for my C-6500 so I couldn't tell you.

Your C-60, is it hydraulic brakes? How do they work, good? Does the parking brake work? Is it the band type brake at the tail of the trans?

I still need a cable for my parking brake. They're basically extinct for my truck. Mine has the Bendix hydravac tandem booster right behind the driver side fuel tank. Hydraulic.

 

[BigBlueChevy]

No problem. I'm looking at a Western Mark 3 Hydraulic pump now instead. With the larger 2" piston. That pump is meant more so for the 8' to 10' blades so should I decide to go bigger, I'm already prepared. That and this model of pump seems to have an incredible track record. I cannot find a single complaint about it other than "the cables can be a pain to setup, but after that they literally last forever."

The brakes are hydraulic. It doesn't seem to have any hydrovac booster to it though... The brakes are great thankfully. Nice and strong. The record book also shows they had serviced everything recently too so that was a major deciding factor. The parking break... sort of works. The cable is functional but it uses shoes in a drum at the rear of the trans instead of a band like you have. They probably need adjusting.

The thing I've learned with these old trucks is that you just had to adapt older technology with newer stuff to keep her running. I just can't justify buying a $70K or more Medium duty dump truck, then slapping another $5K or more into a big plow blade when it will take me 10 years before I can even think of it being paid off.

With these past 2 storms, the truck is already 90% paid off. That to me is a worthwhile investment. Although with having to replace the hydraulic pump already, I'm back down to 80%. If we had gotten even 2" more inches by last night the truck would have been paid off. Oh well, there's always next storm... which happens to be this Tuesday and Wednesday

 

[BigBlueChevy]

Another decent sized storm is rolling our way tomorrow. Estimated at 6" to 12". Looks like its going to begin around 3pm Tuesday and stop around Wednesday morning. Weather forecasters are saying the worst of it is going to be between 2am and 6am Wednesday morning. Mother nature is throwing everything shes got at us this year as well. I say bring it Be-otch

 

[Matt Bachand]

Another decent sized storm is rolling our way tomorrow. Estimated at 6" to 12". Looks like its going to begin around 3pm Tuesday and stop around Wednesday morning. Weather forecasters are saying the worst of it is going to be between 2am and 6am Wednesday morning. Mother nature is throwing everything shes got at us this year as well. I say bring it Be-otch

She's a whore. Giving us about 18" tomorrow. Loving it.

I upped my ballast to 900lbs from 600. As it was I BARELY had to use 4wd. It just takes the bounce out of the ride, and MUST ease thing s up on the front end parts. GO 6.5! Just hit 150k today.

 

[D2 Cat]

BigBlue,
That Western mechanical actuated system is excellent. The disadvantage is the truck has the headlights and mount in front of it all the time.

The cable system is not difficult to set up. It's Real simple. There are only two cables. They'll last for years and when they need replaced they're inexpensive. Keep the cover plates well sealed. Use white grease packing them completely full so no moisture gets in. There is no cover over the pump, motor or lifting ram. So if you leave the truck out in the weather be sure to have a good seal on the ram. Or make a cover to put over the lift arm when not in use. Just take an inner tube partially inflated and hang over the lift arm when not in use works!!

The newer system allows the truck to only have the bracket to the frame on the truck so no lights, easy to connect/disconnect, less wear on truck when not carrying the plow because no weight bouncing out front.

The older trucks were built so much heavier then today when comparing what the trucks will carry, the abuse they will take, maintenance required and ability to last a long time. Those trucks can carry the weight of the entire plow mount without causing the failures the newer trucks have. Totally different breed!!

You can find them pretty reasonably priced because most want the easy, clean, minute mount units.

 

[DieselSlug]

I just hit 227 on a trip going north last weekend. I get more and more worried when my tranny is going to puke. I plan on swapping for the NV4500, but that wont be till next year, this year is body, turbo, and intercooler. I still also have zero ballast, i need 4wd all the time.

 

[BigBlueChevy]

The C-60 turned over 124K when I brought it home. I've maybe added 150 or so miles, but have ALOT of hours on it cause of the plowing marathons. Mother nature reared her ugly head again today. Went non stop for 27 hours working and man am I feeling it tonight.

The old pump survived the storm last night as well, which was nice. And what was even better was after getting up from a power nap after I got home this morning one of my brothers surprised me with a "There's a really big package outside for you". My new Hydraulic pump is in And it came in 2 days ahead of what was supposed to be the earliest arrival. I'm a happy man, this pump look incredible. I can't wait to install it tomorrow And I will actually have steering controls for the plow! No more having to get out and "strong arm" it left and right.:mad2:

A few More pictures for your viewing pleasure gentlemen:

 

[BIGR]

Speaking of plows. My goodness everywhere I look lately, it seems everybody and their brother has a plow on their truck. We have had some big snows since Christmas and those guys have been busy on the parking lots and driveways. I wonder how much they get for the parking lots?

 

[BigBlueChevy]

Depends on what you want out of it. Some people will base there pay off of X amount for 3" and X+Y amount for every inch after that. Others may ask for a set amount before the storms even come. Those are a bit riskier, as someone almost always gets screwed. If there is not enough snow you just sunk a whole lot of money into something you could have done yourself, but if there is alot(like this year), the plow driver starts to loose money. The normal around here seems to be pay Z amount and call me when you want me to plow. If I plow, you owe me Z amount, if not, then nobody gains or looses anything.

I'll do an average sized parking lot, (lets say a Walgreens size) lot for $300 every time it snows. No contract, no worries. If they like my work, they keep me, if they don't(which I have never been told) they throw you to the street and find someone else. I got 2 additional locations this year myself just by driving around after a snow storm with my C-60 because the owners where furious with the "a$$hole that plowed this past storm"

Theres alot of money to make out there if you have a capable rig and the abillity to keep going. The problem is, when you run into marathon snow storms like we have been getting lately, you can be out there for 20, 30, 40 hours without being able to sleep a wink. Your clients pay you to remove the snow on there property. And they don't want to hear that you couldn't get to them because your tired. Its a brutal job, but for amount of money that comes in, I'd say its worth it.