Hiniker V-PLOW 1851 Operator's Manual page 8

6 Operating Procedures
PLOWING SNOW
WARNING: Always wear a seat belt when
plowing snow. Sudden contact with a hid-
den object can result in serious personal
injury.
Inspect areas to be plowed before snowfall for poten-
tial 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 en-
closed areas and locate sites for stacking snow.
Level the plow in the scoop position by first loosening
the jam nut on the stop bolt at the back of the center
mast with a 1-1/2 inch open-end wrench, then turning
the bolt in or out to adjust the plow ends. Retighten the
jam nut once the plow is level with the ground.
Adjust the skids at the back of the moldboard accord-
ing 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 lev-
els can cause difficult removal problems and can be
costly in terms of wear on equipment.
WARNING: Serious personal injury can re-
sult 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 maxi-
mum power to the cutting edge. Clear areas in front of
buildings first. Backdrag snow away from buildings by
driving to the building with the plow raised, then drop-
ping the blade to pull snow away. Push snow to outer
edges of the lot after snow is away from buildings.
Begin clearing large lots by putting the plow in the V-
position and creating a single path. Roll snow to the
outer edges of the lot by taking successive passes
with the blade angled, or put the plow in the scoop
position and push snow to the end of the lot. Break up
hard snowbanks with the plow in the V-position.
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
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 deter-
mine how much work can be done before stalling or
getting stuck.
REMOVING THE PLOW
When parking your truck for a long period of time with
the plow attached, move the wings into the V-position
to reduce tension on the return springs, then lower
the blade to the ground. Place the power switch in the
"Off" position.
To remove the snowplow from your truck, park the
plow on a solid level surface and move the wings into
the V-position to reduce tension on the return springs.
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. Re-
tracting the lift cylinder will orient the prong re-
ceivers correctly for reattaching the plow later.
Failure to retract the lift cylinder rod will allow
the lift frame to fall forward, possibly causing
personal injury or damage to plow components.
DWG NO. 4163