Installing a plow on trucks is necessary, especially when it’s winter. It helps to make a road in the snow-blocked areas and access your house. You can quickly hook a plow on your truck. But what if your vehicle is lifted a bit with the lift kits? Can you put a plow on a lifted truck?
Well, you technically can modify your truck, including putting a plow. But plows are not designed to be placed on lifted trucks. If there’s no way but to install the plow on your lifted truck, you need to make some adjustments with alternatives like a blade and its brackets to make a snow-moving machine.
However, you might risk damaging your truck. It would be better to consult a professional and follow the correct procedure. Let’s learn some more details through the article.
Plowing With A Lifted Truck Concerns
Basics Of Putting A Plow On A Lifted Truck
Your lifted truck is capable of holding a plow. However, they are typically made to function best when a truck is at its initial height. To connect a snow plow, you should put in some more effort.
There are certain new parts you must create or purchase. If you’re buying a snow plow, check to be sure it will easily attach to your elevated truck.
You can change a blade and its attachments to fit your raised truck. This will provide a snow-moving device with tremendous possible potential. If you know what you are doing once you set the snowplow on, it won’t suddenly harm your truck.
Any elevated truck with a height of up to eight inches must be capable of carrying a plow with the proper adjustments. However, you’ll have to change both the vehicle and the snowplow.
How To Make A Lifted Truck Snow Plow-Ready
You’ll need to make serious adjustments to get your lifted truck and blade to work together. You should know how to weld. However, if you are unsure, see an expert.
Remember that modifying a truck or blade may violate the warranty on that particular device. So continue with prudence. Below is a list of the modifications you require.
Purchase A Leveling Kit
You can raise the installation position on your truck to the necessary height using a leveling kit. The sharp tool of a plow will degrade more consistently and glide more easily when installed within the advised height range. The equipment also aids in improving plow clearance.
Unfortunately, the plow could be harmed if the lower front ends make contact with the road. This typically occurs when there is a gradient change, such as going from a roadway to a parking lot. Snow piling is also made more difficult by decreased plow height since the plow cannot reach the required height.
Boost The Electrical Components
Batteries perform worse when the temperature decreases. Hence, check the state of your batteries. It would be best if you did not wait until the middle of winter to replace an old battery.
Ensure the wires and ports are clean as well. You may need to spend money on a twin battery setup based on your truck and intended uses.
Adjust The Push Plates
You face the danger of being unable to move the snow ahead with a raised vehicle. So, balance the push plates on your plow to prevent this. Angles are critical in this. Ensure your plow has a sharp blade as well.
Snowplow edges can be made of steel or rubber. The edge level will be off if it is shallow or made of rusted steel. It will result in a shattered truck or an ineffective plow.
Improve The Truck’s Frame
Ensure that your truck’s frame is strengthened as well. A method to reduce the possibility of frame fracturing is to attach extra steel to the chassis. Purchasing frame remnants will allow you to increase the thickness of your frame.
This will safeguard the quality of your chassis and strengthen it together. But, any truck warranties you may have will be impacted by this alteration. So, if your insurance has already run out, proceed on and strengthen the truck to ensure it won’t be harmed.
Select The Proper Tires
It would be best if you used stock tires for the cold season to maintain your elevation. However, the tires must be slightly less substantial to maneuver the plow around them.
For a few factors, it’s preferable to use stock tires and rims during the cold season. In general, stock tires hold pretty well in the snow. Furthermore, wide tires perform poorly in the snow. Additionally, it’s essential to pay attention to axle weight limits.
The weight of the front axle may increase by 1,000 pounds or more due to a giant plow. Thus, a heavier plow may not be capable of being pulled by a smaller truck.
How to Install a Plow on a Truck
Now that you know everything about what to do to install snow plow on truck, I’ll give you step-by-step instructions on how to install one properly on your truck.
- Step 1: First, you need to gather the necessary hardware, like nuts, bolt plates, fish wire, and bolts.
- Step 2: Now, you have to assemble your bolt plate by putting a bolt through it and attaching your fish wire to the same bolt’s end.
- Step 3: You will see a hole right over the sway bar bushing of your truck. Thread your fish wire through the frame’s end that’s exposed above that bushing.
- Step 4: Don’t forget to start pulling your fi9sh wire right through the frame hole.
- Step 5: Now, do the same with the bolt.
- Step 6: Now insert the wire right through the mounting tab’s hole you will find on your receiver hitch.
- Step 7: Make sure the bolt also goes through the hitch and frame hole.
- Step 8: Tighten your mounting nut by hand without pushing your already inserted bolt back inside the frame.
- Step 9: Repeat the same process on the other side and tighten all your nuts and bolts using a wrench.
- Step 10: Put your plow mounting bar right through the receiver hitch, and tighten all your hardware
Lifted Tracker snow plow build
F250 DIESEL W/LIFT PLOW INSTALL
Things To Consider While Putting A Plow On Lifted Truck
Making the right plow choice for your lifted truck might be challenging. The ideal plow doesn’t exist at all. Every plow has its own set of characteristics. So, the most crucial thing is to purchase a plow that meets your requirements. A strategy to get you going is as follows:
Weight Of Plow
Ensure the blade you’re selecting is compatible with your lifted truck. When choosing a plow, weight is an important consideration. Most plow companies provide a wide selection of snow plows for different types of vehicles.
The lifted truck can withstand a broader plow blade the greater its Gross Vehicle Weight Rating (GVWR). A vehicle’s central axle may experience stress if the front is overloaded, such as with a giant plow. It will reduce the efficacy of the braking system.
Type Of Plow
There are several possibilities for snow plows, including different mounting and plow control methods. Each of these choices has specific benefits and expenses. The best course of action is to research your alternatives before choosing the plow that best suits your truck.
There are three primary categories of snowplows, each with a different cost:
Manual Plows
These are the most uncomplicated and least-priced plows on the market. The plow fits on your vehicle and is hydraulically and electrically inert. You have to lift and lower it by hand because there are no hydraulic components.
Hydraulic Snow Plow
These allow the owner to angle the plow, which gives you even better control. As a result, you’ll be able to move your plow more skillfully and do a task more quickly. However, among the three kinds, hydraulic plows have the highest cost.
Electrical Snowplows
These plows use controllers within your truck to elevate and lower the blade. They are more costly, but still, the additional cost is worthwhile. You can stay comfortable while working, along with saving time. Consider an electric plow if you continue to lift and lower it directly from the truck but don’t require complete control over the plow’s pitch.
Plow Material
Choose the metal once you’ve established how big and hefty a plow you can place on your truck. Steel is typically used to make plows. However, a lot of producers now provide polyethylene plows.
Steel plows are frequently regarded as the industry standard. But in the last few days, plastic plows have proliferated. They now remove snow very effectively. Additionally, unlike a steel plow, a polyethylene plow’s moldboard won’t rust, erode, or need coating.
Keep in mind that even the highest capacity plows won’t withstand misuse. Instead of functioning as bulldozer teeth, plows are made to drive snow. A plow will eventually run against an irresistible force. Therefore, something will collapse. For this reason, plows include a “trip” function.
Hydraulic System
Take into account your new plow’s hydraulic system too. Two types of hydraulic systems are the most common. One is a standalone 12-volt unit, and the other is an engine-powered hydraulic pump.
In the 12-volt design, a hydraulic pump is turned by an electric motor. Most modern models are detachable from the truck when the snowplow is not used.
Engine-driven installations are attached to the vehicle’s engine, which powers the pump. The elevation and inclination cylinders receive hydraulic fluid through pipes and tubes. This unit’s flaw is that it constantly pumps, even if you’re plowing or not.
Conclusion
Adding a plow to your lifted truck is more complicated than connecting a hitch. However, putting a plow on a lifted truck has several advantages. You can sweep your entrance and the road and support your friends with it. Additionally, it will help make sufficient money that the snowplow would pay for its own.
Hopefully, we have addressed all the bases of whether you can put a plow on a lifted truck. However, you must confirm that you have the necessary resources before doing so. So, give it a shot and enjoy having a great snow removal tool at your convenience!
