Advertisement
6 Operating Procedures
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 lbs 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 difficult 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 first. 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
snow until a working area is cleared. Work small
areas in multiple passes to push snow to outer
edges. Generally, 6" snow can be plowed with
the entire blade width; 9" snow with 3/4 of the
blade width; 12" 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 insufficient 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.
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 float, loosen the
packing nut on the lift cylinder up to 1 1/2 turns
to reduce friction.
Lower Plow, Leave Controller in "Float"
At the front of the truck, push down on the
upper lift links to fully retract the lift cylinder rod.
Retracting the lift cylinder will orient the prong
receivers correctly for reattaching the plow later
Failure to retract the lift cylinder rod will allow
DWG NO. 4177
Advertisement
