arbor x dad

Well destroyed my old chevy with a old western pump and plow the last ten years .Plus many loads of firewood and being used as a log skidder Didnt help.but it did it.Now looking at my baby(93 W250 cummins 4X4) garage kept ,original paint,no rust,family owned,211,000 mile amsoil and redline since new in everything,dont even drive it in the winter rig with all the salt on the roads.Knowing that the truck was meant for what i want to do with it,Plow,flat bed off the chevy ,km2 mud terrains off the chevy and work it like a dog.Seen many of the 93 dodge with the front bumper taken off to fit the mount for the western plow mount.does this have to be done? I have seen the mount for about 500 hundred bucks for the truck.Could i make the mount off the 85 chevy k 20 fit with fabrication? has anyone done that?

Douglas2

Plowing is a long-duration, low-grade accident...get a rustbucket. No way I'd do that to a nice one.
cheers,
Douglas

TIMMY22

It's sacrificial.

Sacrifice one, so you can buy another.

Richie O

If your dodge is nice, then just buy a beater. My 89 was kept in a garage by the original owner and never saw salt service. Its solid as a rock and in the 13 years I have had it it has also never seen winter use. My other 2 trucks are in pretty rough shape due to salt, but I have since stopped using them in the winter as well. Keep it nice, and dry. Its not a skidder, its a classic.

Trebor

The last two Dodge Cummins trucks that I scrapped as donors were BOTH plow trucks. One from PA and one from WV. Are you starting to see a pattern here?

When I worked for Rockwell back in the 1970's we had a salt tank tester that exposed metals to salt water. I think one week yielded about 5 years of corrosion and a month in the salt tank was equal to twenty+ years of normal water exposure. Don't hold me to the numbers as exact but the process pretty much duplicated real world exposure.

MARF75

If your willing to sacrifice that nice of a truck, go for it.If you pow commercially you can easily make enough to replace the truck in the amount of time it would take to ruin the one you have, but I personally would find another first Gen. They are a great platform for a plow/severe duty work rig!!!

NJTman

Being the owner of a rusty plow ride...


I say save the beauty and buy another. It's not worth destroying something really nice.

Plenty of them on Elbay or Craaeeeg's list

chaikwa

I'll be the odd man out here I guess. These guys are right, to a point. Plowing does beat up a truck, but it doesn't HAVE to. I bought a 93 brand new, plowed and sanded with a bed mounted sander with it from day 1. But I kept it up meticulously. Complete and total wash-down after each plowing session; inside, outside and underneath. Something broke, I fixed it right away, sometimes in the middle of a storm. I was careful when I plowed too. I didn't beat the snot out of it trying to get thru half-frozen snowbanks or heavy, wet ridges of snow. I realized it wasn't a bulldozer or front end loader.

Got rid of the truck several years ago with 600,000+ miles on it. Never did any major mechanical repairs to it and it had the original tranny when I sold it.

It's all in how you treat it and take care of it.

rswoyer

I'm with what everyone else said. One of my trucks was a plow truck, and wasn't worth all of the frame and rust issues. Don't ruin a nice one; they are getting hard to find!

Timberwolf2

I too have an old Chev half ton. I used it for everything including plowing. Since I was not plowing commercially, and I got the truck oil sprayed every year, it has lasted 21 years so far. I only parked it because I have a wiring problem I do not feel like chasing. It may go to the wreckers, but not because of rust.
I now have that same plow (Meyers) on my '08 Ram. I made a frame that bolts on to the frame ends (where the tow hooks bolt up). This carries the lift pump. I also welded tabs to the frame underneath, behind the bumper, to mount the "A-frame".
My Ram does an amazing job of plowing. I got it oil sprayed before winter set in. I also installed a new set of Dunlop A/T's (with the winter tire endorsement), it's unstoppable!
Using the same care I gave my Chevy, I am confident I'll get 20 years out of my Ram.

hounddogks76

Timberwolf, what is this oil spray you are talking about? Curious, never heard of it before.

TIMMY22

I do the oil spray too...

235/85/R16 rule for plowing.

Timberwolf2

There are oils configured specifically for purpose that are commonly called 'no drip rust proofing'. When applied, it is sprayed everywhere underneath and inside every nook and granny. Holes are drilled (and plugged after) to allow spraying inside the doors and any closed off panels (such as rocker panels). The oil will run and penetrate, displacing any moisture, thus preventing oxidization (rust).
It is common here in Canada, and I expect in the northern States too! Brand names that use it? Krown Rust Control, Ziebart, Rust Check.
I have had great success using this technique. My 21 year old Chevy has less rust then many cars/trucks that I see day to day, many as young as 5 years old! Does not take long when exposed to road salt. I really, really like my Ram, so it's going to get an oil bath every fall.

MARF75

What does this oil spray cost per application??

Timberwolf2

Krown or Rust Check, typically $120 per. I go to a guy working out of his garage at home. He charges $100 for 2 vehicles, and he uses a "brand name oil". Some guys DIY with used motor oil, smelly and not always healthy as the used oil contains acids and such from the useage it's seen.
Think of it this way, ten years down the road, what value would it add to your truck if it were rust free and still original paint? Is there $1,000 dollars worth of added value? Hellya!