Looking to get into plowing this winter. Have a Western MVP setup already, just have to pick a truck. I found an 02 with a 6 speed. How much of a pain is it to plow with a manual, though? I'd really prefer to not get an auto, but if it's gonna make my life a lot easier then I may have to look into getting an auto, or two separate trucks.

Thanks

 

I prefer plowing with a manual. Plowing is hard on autos, it generates a lot of heat, and when doing repetitive back and forth plowing (like in a small parking lot) people tend to get in a hurry, and shift back and forth between drive and reverse before coming to a complete stop. Both of these are bad for autos

 

Guarantee you will prefer a non-NV5600 manual though... 1st and reverse are too far away from each other... a NV-4500 or G56 would be your best bet for lots of front to back.... Probably 4500 would be best

 

Been plowing commercially for 11 yrs, & would never go with a stick, unless I got it for DIRT cheap, & then I'd only recommend it for big parking lots, or maybe driveways that take 1-2 passes. Your left calf will be monstrous & numb...... I plow in the winter & mow lawns/ landscape in the summer. I'd actually like to have a stick for pulling my trailer. Some guys love em for plowing; it's alot of nuisance / extra work repitition to me, & all that constant clutching will wear out clutches alot faster, & take longer to plow your lots. If you can get some sizeable lots where you can leave it in gear for awhile, then go for it.

 

I plow numerous parking lots in the winter using a F350 with an auto. At the time I had my 02 dodge with a 6 speed (was not set up for plowing). There was no way I would plow the same lots with a six speed. It would have probably taken me twice as long to plow with the 6 speed. If you are only planning on plowing roads go with the six speed. If you plan on plowing parking lots get an auto.

 

I thought plowing with a manual absolutely sucked! If I wanted to go up a gear while pushing fairly heavy I felt I had to abusively shift to stay in the power but that truck was geared badly for plowing. It was better if I got a run in the gear I wanted then drop the plow. I did the big lots so I didn't need reverse much. All the other trucks in that co. including the leasors had autos and not a hint of trouble probably cuz plowing is done in the cold. The spacing of the 6sp manuals would be a lot better than the old 4sp I drove tho. Craig

 

Seems like auto is the general consensus pretty much. Probably what I'm gonna end up with anyways, they're much easier to find in the kinda shape I'm looking for.

 

I had a 05' 2500 ctd auto that I plowed with. The 6spd. on my 04' is sooooo much better when plowing. My 05' would see 250* trans temps all day/night. You can plow quicker with the 6spd, as you are stopping you can grab R . The only thing I miss about the 05' plowing was the reg cab.



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I plowed with a 5 spd in my 96 dodge gas engine. I didnt mind it and I was doing driveways. Granted reverse was a little slow but the clutch never gave me any problems and I would plow for 15 + hours straight. I personally would choose a 5-6 speed over an auto for plowing. Have yet to hear about 1 dodge manual trans failing while plowing (Some needing a new clutch but they were still babied through the storm) while i have heard of lots of automatics failing during a storm then you are in trouble unless you have a backup truck.

 

I have two identical (except for the trannys) older chevy trucks with Monarch blades and chained on all four tires. For my area I prefer using the truck with the 4 speed standard and only use the automatic when I have done something stupid with the other truck. The standard just seems to give me more control, goes from forward to reverse faster, and allows me to rock it when needed easier. Just my 2 cents worth.

 

I'll never see any snow here and don't have 4X4 , but how much can you bill some one for a driveway or parking lot.

 

This last winter was my first, plowing with a stick. It wasn't too bad, but if you are gonna do a lot of back dragging and close quarters your leg and hip will get tired quick.Like jrsmokestacks said the stick is quicker.You can get on and off the pile faster because you don't have to wait for the tranny to catch you just get a rhythm going. I was doing a stripmall and grocery store and could go all night with out getting too sore but small lots and driveways i won't do with a stick. Sprinter17 the money depends on the equipment,the size of the plow etc. I would say the average pickup with a plow gets about 60-65 dollars an hour.

 

About the same here. The big money comes from the people who dont contract (im not big enough to have contracts but i like the word) me to do their area for the year and only call when they are snowed under.

 

the hr rate is same here. i normally charge $10-$15 a driveway. as for the trans choice. i say auto, repaired my 78 chevy trans once( and that was my fault)

 

"The standard just seems to give me more control, goes from forward to reverse faster, and allows me to rock it when needed easier. Just my 2 cents worth." Right on Bark