Thinking of a snow plow

[kzrider]

I picked up this 1997 TJ last year from the original owner for a great price and it's in great shape. I'm seriously thinking of getting a snow plow for it and was wondering what those of you that have one think? I have about 800' of driveway to clear as well as some close by family that I plow for. I had a 4X4 ATV with a blade for many years but it finally gave up on me this past winter and I think it would be much more cost effective to mount a plow on the jeep rather than get another ATV. I needed to haul the ATV with the TJ anyway so why not just get the plow???

What models/ makes do you have and what can I expect cost wise and what possible issues might I have?

I included a couple pics from when I bought it and a list of mods.

Rebuilt 4.0 and 32RH (less than 15k miles on both)
33x10.50/15 BFG Mud Terrains
RockKrawler Long Arm kit
Rubicon Express 3.5” springs
Advance Adapters SYE trasnfer case kit
Tom Woods rear driveshaft
Custom steel bumpers
Gas tank skid plate
Yukon 4.10 gears
Yukon Ultimate 35 axle kit
ARB locker with compressor
Rockcrusher diff covers
Warn 8000lb winch
On board air capability
Poison Spyder rockers
Hedman headers
Dynomax exhaust

 

[SubLime]

A big issue will be the lift. Previously ran a plow on my TJ with a 2” boost and 32s. I had to use the Western mount at the lowest setting and the blade frame still was not level, this causes weird edge wear and edge lifting when the blade is angled. You will probably also need some helper springs or air bags up front.

 

[Apparition]

Plows are hard on vehicles. Looks like a nice jeep. I'd keep it nice.

 

[rasband]

@hosejockey61 has one for his on a 4” lift

 

[SubLime]

Got rid of the plow because I wanted a second wheeler and my driveway is small enough that a snowblower really was a better choice. The low hanging plow frame makes wheeling impossible.

 

[ColoJeep]

If you want to dedicate your jeep to plow duty it can work. In a perfect world your would use a 3/4 to 1 ton pickup with a plow.
But that may be a Rockies answer, I don't know how deep of snow you guys get. But a TJ can work in moderate snow, and they are much more maneuverable than a truck ! But don't come close to pushing what a 1ton pickup can move ! Since you are going to different sites to plow, your TJ may be the best answer.
A Meyer 7.5' lot pro installed in Colorado runs about $ 5600.00 installed.
Good luck with you decision.

 

[SubLime]

If you want to dedicate your jeep to plow duty it can work. In a perfect world your would use a 3/4 to 1 ton pickup with a plow.
But that may be a Rockies answer, I don't know how deep of snow you guys get. But a TJ can work in moderate snow, and they are much more maneuverable than a truck ! But don't come close to pushing what a 1ton pickup can move ! Since you are going to different sites to plow, your TJ may be the best answer.
A Meyer 7.5' lot pro installed in Colorado runs about $ 5600.00 installed.
Good luck with you decision.

six inches of wet heavy snow would cause me to stall out when trying to push any distance. I used to work at our local ice arena and when it snowed, I would take the plow Jeep to work and just drive on the sidewalks and push the snow into the parking lot where the plow service was responsible for snow removal.

 

[LONGJP2]

I think @jscherb runs one.

 

[jscherb]

I think @jscherb runs one.

I do. I've had a 7' Winter Wolf plow for my LJ for about 9 years, I found it on Craigslist for less than $500 years ago. It uses a small winch to raise the blade and it's manual angle. The mounts bolt to the frame rails; I install the mounts each year around Thanksgiving and remove them in April. Some years I put the blade on the mounts only when it snows but for the past few years I've been leaving the plow on and the Jeep in the garage facing out so I can plow my way out without having to install the blade for each snowstorm. When I leave the plow on like that I only drive the LJ for plowing and leave it in the garage when there's no plowing to do, I use the other two Jeeps for daily driving.

The plow didn't come with lights/turn signals so I fabricated a light mount so I can drive the Jeep on the road at night - when the plow is raised it blocks the Jeep's headlights and turn signals.

My LJ has a 2" lift and 32" tires. The height hasn't been a problem.

I've only had a problem plowing with it once; last year we had a record 2 1/2" wet snowfall and I could only plow about 50' before the weight of the snow caused all 4 wheels to spin. I had to get out and shovel some of the snow out of the way to continue. But other than that one record storm it deals with our more typical 12-24" upstate NY snows just fine.

The LJ has 194,000 miles on it now and there are no signs that the plow use has caused any undue wear or stress. In fact as I write this I'm prepping the LJ for an upcoming trip from NY to Colorado for an off-road expedition.

 

[sierradmax]

I'll chime in. I have a 1000' driveway and live in RI, about 400 miles north of you. How often do you think you'll use the plow and considering the cost of the plow, installation, maintenance and so on, what would be the yearly cost to have your driveway plowed if and when it snows in Maryland.

I had a 97 5 speed 2.5L with a Meyers classic 6'-8" blade. Worked beautifully with airbags stuffed in the front coils and 235 snow tires at stock ride height. I sold the TJ in 2018 to buy a new 2-door JK which now has a Snowex LT 7200, which in my opinion, is the lightest plow on the market with DOWN PRESSURE. Additionally, my JK is lifted 2.5" and on 35's. Snowex, owned by Douglas Dynamics who also owns fisher, western, and some others, has drop down brackets to keep the plow arms as close to parallel to the ground as possible. Here in RI, we can get a foot a week for two months or a foot all season. Within the past 3 seasons, I've spent about $500 on maintenance for the plow.

 

[kzrider]

I live on a mountain ridge in wester Maryland and get a good amount of snow annually. Every couple fears or so we get one of those 2.5 to 3 footers. As I go off road regularly my concern was the plow mounts and it’s affect on ground clearance. I was hoping that I could find a mounting system that was easy to remove during the warm weather months. As I read the replies to my post I think I’m going to scrap the plow idea and look for another solution. My garage is packed with a classic car. The Jeep and 4 motorcycles and have no room for a 4X4 ATV. I think I’m just going to contract out my plowing from here on out. Thanks all for your input!

 

[kzrider]

I do. I've had a 7' Winter Wolf plow for my LJ for about 9 years, I found it on Craigslist for less than $500 years ago. It uses a small winch to raise the blade and it's manual angle. The mounts bolt to the frame rails; I install the mounts each year around Thanksgiving and remove them in April. Some years I put the blade on the mounts only when it snows but for the past few years I've been leaving the plow on and the Jeep in the garage facing out so I can plow my way out without having to install the blade for each snowstorm. When I leave the plow on like that I only drive the LJ for plowing and leave it in the garage when there's no plowing to do, I use the other two Jeeps for daily driving.

The plow didn't come with lights/turn signals so I fabricated a light mount so I can drive the Jeep on the road at night - when the plow is raised it blocks the Jeep's headlights and turn signals.

View attachment 266611

My LJ has a 2" lift and 32" tires. The height hasn't been a problem.

I've only had a problem plowing with it once; last year we had a record 2 1/2" wet snowfall and I could only plow about 50' before the weight of the snow caused all 4 wheels to spin. I had to get out and shovel some of the snow out of the way to continue. But other than that one record storm it deals with our more typical 12-24" upstate NY snows just fine.

View attachment 266612

View attachment 266613

The LJ has 194,000 miles on it now and there are no signs that the plow use has caused any undue wear or stress. In fact as I write this I'm prepping the LJ for an upcoming trip from NY to Colorado for an off-road expedition.

I was in Colorado Springs last month. First time in that part of the country. I can’t tell you how much I wish I had my TJ! Hope you have a great trip and some awesome off roaring!