I'm thinking about adding a plow to my 2007 F-150 at some point. Can anyone give be a few pointers on what kind to get and how much I should pay. I just want it for plowing driveways in my town. We get snow about 6-12 times a year. I'd probably keep it on the truck for about 4 months out of the year Thanks

 

One is make sure you don't get lazy with shifting. Lots of people just wanna get it done so they barely stop before slamming it into reverse or drive. I personally would never put a plow on my truck after seeing what happens to trucks that get plows. That's my two cents

 

there are lightweight plows out there for the F150, but Ford will void your warranty if they catch wind of it being on the truck.

The plow prep trucks are few and far between, and can be picked out of the crowd by the unique 17 inch 7 lug steel wheels.

If you do decide you are going to plow with your truck, make sure you come to a full stop before reversing direction, don't keep it on the truck for any longer than you have to, the front springs are not rated for carrying the extra weight, and even the plow spec trucks limit the weight of the plow, push plates and assorted wiring to 700 pounds.

The plow spec truck also have different axles and 4.10 gears

 

read through this, should answer alot of your questions

https://www.f150forum.com/f4/plow-op...percrew-30967/

 

Years of experience, plain and simple...

Plows do not belong on F150 unless they are poly plows.

 

I agree the f150 isn't designed for a plow, but more companies are designing light duty plows for them because of the demand. I have personally seen all 3 of the plows listed below in action on supercab, 6.5 foot beds, with 5.4 engines. The trucks all handled them just fine, and didn't squat down much when they picked up the blade.


http://snowdoggplows.com/ Around $2995.00
http://westernplows.com/ Around $4000.00
http://fisherplows.com/ Around $4000.00

Your comment about "leaving the plow on" scares me a little. That's why new plows have Quick-mount systems. They WANT you to take them off when not in use. I can say from experience that carrying the plow around all the time causes as much or more damage and wear to front end components (springs, shocks, ball joints, tie rod ends, wheel bearings) as actually plowing. Also, the engine and transmission are working harder to carry that extra 400lbs, and you're losing alot of air-flow to your radiator.

Agreed, ALWAYS COME TO A COMPLETE STOP BEFORE CHANGING DIRECTION, and always wait for the truck to completely go into gear before hitting the gas pedal.

Even though Ford doesn't recommend plowing with the LIGHT Duty F150, if you do, there are some things you'll need to add if you don't have them already.

1. Transmission cooler, (very important)
2. Tires that are rated for the extra load (the stock 235-75-17 Hankooks with 35psi are not gonna cut it)
3. Counterweight in the rear end. The truck will pick up the plow fine, but it takes alot of weight off the rear end. This negatively affects the safe handling of the truck during steering and hard braking.

 

I have a sticker on my trucks door sill that says I need a minimum of 250 pounds of ballast in back of the rear wheels to be legal.

My owners manual says take it off when not in use, don't carry it on the truck if the outside temp is over 50 degrees,
etc etc etc.

I have the 245 70 17 tires on steel wheels, because on the plow prep trucks there are no aluminum wheel options. IIRC they are load range E , I think that is 3300 pounds capacity and I run them at 60 psi

Any money you think you are going to make plowing will go towards repairs and depreciation, not in your pocket.

I do 3 driveways ... mine, mom's, ex girlfriends.
If I wanted to plow for money I would have dropped another 6 grand and got a F250 with a bigger plow.