How to Snowplow with a Truck | Snow Plowing 101

In this tutorial, we will go over the basics of operating a snow plow on a truck. We are operating a Western V-Plow to do this snow removal. We will be going over the basics of controls, safety and best plowing practices. Have a question/comment? Feel free to leave them below!

A special thank you to Precision Landscaping & Construction, Inc. for allowing us to use their plow. Check them out here:

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[aj]

First time plower here. I was on a hand crew for six years and finally got promoted. When I got that first call at 1 am and started plowing, I was shocked. I got the hang of it eventually but it was tough the first few hours. Watching these videos is nice so thanks.

[BenjaminHall-xvsm]

This video is the best I've seen so far. Host is easy to follow and a great instructor. Of course nothing is a replacement for realworld experience, but I'd recommend this video to anyone just entering into this field of work.

[camelcase]

Entry level was exactly what I wanted. Thanks so much for this!

[michaelpastor]

Thanks! I learned several new snowplowing tips - Excellent Instructor ! 🙂

[Zack-dkpt]

how many people here know full in well how to plow but come to these videos anyway because why not right?

[clinicaltranscription]

Awesome video, thanks! I got hired onto our city's on-call snow crew in New Hampshire. They provided good training however didn't have the plows hooked up to their trucks yet, so the button control part, etc was more theory. These videos helped alleviate some of the anxiety since my next time out will be on my own actually plowing. They understand it will take a few days on the job to really get the hang of it, but still don't want to be a burden as the new guy and slow the others down. Can't wait to check out your other videos. Now curious about salt/sand spreading and how to 'cap off' or remove tall drifts, as they gave me a list of residents (elderly/handicapped etc), who can't have the driveways blocked.

[kaimaxfield]

I'm not an expert but we do professional snow plowing, and I wanted to add something to what you said about "pushing through" the pile at the end of the run. What you said was good and I've "pushed through" before with positive results but one time I had too much speed when I shoved the plow into a tall pile and sheared off both of the hydraulic lines on the plow. It's also very possible to shove snow too far off a depression and get the heavy front end stuck off the plowed area. I've learned to keep it in a low gear at a moderate rpm and try to carefully push, always leaving a pile in front of the plow, especially on the downhill side of the project.

Also, in some cases, it's nice having two trucks working closely together in case one gets stuck, breaks down, or runs out of fuel.

If feasible, be thinking about how to push snow everywhere you go. Can the snow get pushed to both sides easily for a while? Is it large enough you can do that without wasting time turning around? Is there a loop that can be made to eliminate reversing? When reversing is the best option, that's fine but sometimes alternative strategies can help improve efficiency.

If you are plowing rural roads (especially dirt roads), keep some speed up when it's safe in case you go into the ditch, and try to immediately power back out of it unless it's unsafe. Slowing down or stopping will almost ensure getting stuck in many cases. Limit speed when nearing steep roads and when clearing the downhill side of the road, because applying brakes reduces or eliminates effective control of the vehicle. Also, use the plow to help shove the truck if you are approaching a dangerous situation. Shoving the snow the wrong way to avoid a problem is better than driving off the road or into an obstacle. Always move snow to the downhill side of the road when possible to reduce the need for bigger equipment later. If you drive too slow or don't plan well, the snow will not be moved far enough off the road, and a Cat or other piece of equipment may need to be employed. Also, when plowing gravel/dirt roads, if it is cold enough to do this, don't plow all the way down to the road. It's okay to see brown here and there but a good mostly frozen snow pack will protect the road over the winter, and keep you from moving the road's surface off to the side of the road.

Last thing: don't forget to start reading up on mechanics; you are about to need some mechanical knowledge or a really cheap local mechanic. That just comes with the territory.

[robnation]

A couple of nights ago I went out late to get fast food but everything was closed due to a snow storm (Illinois). I didn't get any food but I pulled a snowplow out of a deep snow drift (parking lot driveway) with my FX4. Not sure exactly how long he had been stuck but he was pretty happy I stopped. I used a strap with a large ring shackle on my front recovery hook/ring. That was a lot more fun than pulling a Civic or random minivan off of a snowy driveway approach.😁

[ralphkanagy]

Hey buddy I like that video and I am glad they let you borrow that truck

[markyrowe]

Learning on the fly in the a.m. 😂
Thanks for the tips!

[collinmc]

awesome, I'm moving to a snowy region and thinking about doing this for work. looks up my alley.

[MyGreenLawn]

Im also in MN - Fun to see these videos. I will be doing Plowing for the first time with year. I already purchased my Boss plow, but I need to get it setup on my 2020 F350. I sure hope I can learn this! lol

[jamess]

Good video. I want one of those vplows for my new ford ranger!

[desiree]

I want to open my own snow plow company and this video was very informative thanks

[peanutbutterisfu]

I use to plow the parking lot at a auto shop I worked for. After doing it a few times I told my boss I’m not interested in doing it anymore. He thought it was ok for me to only do it once in the morning before we opened. The last time I did it there was damn near 2ft of snow I told him I’m charging you triple or I’m not doing it lol. Even though he was the manager of an auto repair shop he couldn’t understand how bad your beating up ur truck moving that kinda snow.

[mjb]

This is the easiest plowing one can do... Powder snow in an open parking lot.
Try plowing snow in CT where most storms are a combination of snow/sleet/rain/ice... And try plowing in that tight private driveway with tight turns and virtually no turn around space at the garage... Or a steep switchback driveway with drop offs on each side. Plowing isn't all about the snow... It's about NOT damaging property or destroying the truck!

[roccotaco]

Didn’t mention which angle is best when driving and not plowing and also when parked to drop the plow

[donfletchersr.]

What do you do if there are rows of cars parked on each side and you're trying to clear the lane between? Windrow toward the cars ( blocking them in, ) or windrow to center and get a bobcat ( I don't have a v plow )

[k-tiger]

Yeah very well explained. Like the way you actually explained not to have spill off and lining up your truck to half of the push line to not have spill have is very well. I like the way you talk about it very good work. Just a little tip I didn’t know if you said it or not. But if plowing. Truck not to drive over the snow because the weight of the truck compacts it and it’s harder to scrape it all up and it could possibly just compact it for freezing so yeah.

[WhatTheFishFry]

1st step, if you have access to a hiniker dealer, get a hiniker plow. They are far easier to operate vs most others thanks to their simple remote design. Thanks to the joystick remote design, it also means faster operation of the plow so you'll be in and out of sites faster. I've run western, boss and hiniker plows. All our trucks are now converted to hiniker plows because of the remote and how clean the hiniker plows can make a property. The only short coming of hiniker is how they mount compared to boss and headlight bulbs seeming to need constant replacement every other few months.