PLOWING SNOW
WARNING: Always wear a seat belt
when plowing snow. Sudden contact
with a hidden object can result in
serious 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
moldboard, 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
plowing 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 difcult 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 areas
in front of buildings rst. 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 creating 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
necessary to raise the blade and shear off layers of
6 Operating Procedures
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 attached. Place the on/off switch in the
“Off” position 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;
possibly resulting in insufcient 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.
Lower Plow, Leave Controller in “Float” DWG. NO. 4177
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 oat, loosen the
packing nut on the lift cylinder up to 1 1/2 turns
to reduce friction.
With the plow lowered to the ground and the
controller in the ”Float” mode, push down on the
upper lift links to fully retract the lift cylinder rod.
