Wednesday, January 18, 2012

That Does It: It's Time For a Snow Plow For The TrailBlazer

Conditions are so bad out there that the snow thrower was having serious problems.  I fell down three times (because the snow is sloppy wet).  I have little confidence that an ATV with snow plow will do the job.

I am thinking of buying one of the plows that mounts on the front of the TrailBlazer.  There are non-motorized ones that mount to a 2" front trailer hitch (which would have to be installed), and cost about $950.  They can be removed and installed (at least in theory) by one person.

I know that these simple plows are not on a par with a professional snow plow, and I have no plans to go into the snow plowing business, but my guess is that if I use it to clear not only my driveway, but the 1/2 mile stretch to the old highway, it should not excessively stress the TrailBlazer's driveline.  I know that generally, automatic transmissions are not the best choice for such use, but it is not like we need to do this on a daily basis, either.

UPDATE: I decided that I did not want to order up the SnowSport 180 plow sight unseen, so I called the maker, Agri-Cover, and asked for a local dealer.  They gave me one in Nampa, about 30 miles away.  I called that dealer.  They had never heard of the SnowSport product line, and were emphatically not a dealer.  The nearest dealer is in Shoshone, the other end of the state from Boise. 

It looks pretty easy to install and remove from the 2" trailer hitch, but it would still be nice to at least see one before coughing up probably $1200 (including having someone local install the front trailer hitch).

2 comments:

  1. What makes you say the automatic transmission is not the best choice for such use?

    Granted frequent fluid changes and enhanced cooling are good but burning out slipping clutches is a problem as well. Torque converters have a useful function. Mostly in a typical light duty 4X4 a heavy wall front axle optional at extra cost is nice to have with a lot of extra weight up front.

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  2. I understood that automatics don't last very long in snowplow service. In any case, this isn't going to be a commercial activity--probably 10-20 minutes a week for 2-3 months a year.

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