Snow Plow Preparation List , Before The Storm

Everybody may have a different way to check their snowplow Equipment before
the storm but this works for me. The first thing I do is what is called a
Pre-trip inspection just like you would on a tractor trailer.

Lift the hood on your plow truck , check the engine oil, power steering fluids, windshield washer fluids , and battery connections are tight, check the belts be sure they are not cracked, check the coolant level, (with the truck cold), check the brake fluid and If low it either means your pads need to be changed, or there is a leak. The fluid went some where! Look around in the motor compartment for any loose wires, be sure they are not touching or rubbing through anywhere. OK, now close the hood and proceed to the rest of the inspection.

Get in your snowplow truck check and see that the horn works, the wiper works the heat works, put the truck in 4wd and drive forward a few feet you should feel the difference of resistance when you turn the wheel and drive forward . Then disengage the 4wd and put the transmission back into park. Check that the parking brake is working and releases, check that the brakes are working.

Now check the lights, put on the low beam headlights, parking lights, start at the drivers door out side of your vehicle and walk counter clockwise around your plow truck check the tire lugs, tire pressures, grab the mirrors make sure they are not loose check that the lights are working. Now go back and check high beams and left, right signal lights and brake lights. When you are done with this now we can go on to checking the plow out.

We can now begin to check out the plow. You want to make sure everything is working before you go to work. You want to make sure everything is working fine and not faulty when you need to start snowplowing.
Time is money and we do not want you to have any break downs if we can help it.

Start the vehicle and raise and lower the plow a few times
Check the controls are not loose and cycle the plow with the controls
When you are doing this watch the amp gauge for not over excessive amp draw down in the system.
Raise the plow up and leave it up for a few minutes to make sure it does not drift down
Check the snowplow high beams and low beams are working and adjusted right.
Check the turn signal lights are working and not loose
With the plow down get out and inspect the chain is not worn
Check around all hydraulic cylinders for leaks or dents in the cylinders
Check the snowplow hoses and hose connections
Check the center pivot of the plow for play
Check the plow frame bolts are tight and not loose
Check for any cracks on the welds of the plow
Inspect the snowplow cutting edge, shoes and springs
Look at the snow plow pins and the plow retainer rings

OK now that you inspected your snowplow. Let’s go over a few things you should have
in the truck with you, flashlight, gloves, extra plow pins, extra hose and quick connectors, hydraulic fluid,
Box of fuses, a relay for you plow, Electrical tape, 2 cans of fix a flat, and road flairs.

I have used this list for over 20 years and it has saved me many times. I hope it saves you Happy plowing From Edgeolite.com

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Canadian Snow fall breeds Innovation

After spending time researching different styles and shapes of snowplows used on todays
roadways, I decided to do on article on this snow plow product. There are actually many different styles of snow plows made for different geographic areas within North America

However, after coming across a company in CANADA I felt compelled to share with you what I found and why I found it important to report on it. As you know, when we you are out pushing snow moving the majority doesn’t ever seem the same amount of time it takes to d o the final clean up. I do not know why exactly but I think it has to do with detail. Anyway, I found a snow plow manufactuer in Canada called SNO-GATE that makes a plow- gate , that can turn a plow from a regular blade to a additional box plow.

This concept does not only apply to straight blades but also to loader buckets, and ATV plows. The plows are made from heat treated steel. The way it is designed it will hold more snow than you normal plow but then fold back to the original size if needed. This concept, is a different spin then the new v plows concept.

I feel that the main design for these Canadian snowplows is prmiraly for commercial acount and can speed up your clean up time all with the same snowplow. These snowplow gates can be fitted on any size snow plow blade or snow bucket. Once you do the installation they are easy to remove if needed.

It also seems this Canadian snowplow manufacture also offers a 100% factory guarantee on there product for 3 years. According to some projections, the additions on your snowplow can increase the moving capacity by 3 times the amount you are currently plowing. This concept I believe is worth looking at for several reason including eliminating the need for different blades, snow buckets and additional trucks. After trial-testing various product designs and enhancements, the designer, has accomplished his two goals - a design that can be mated with currently existing buckets and at the same time increase the bucket's efficiency

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Small Pick Up Trucks Snowplows -it is about time:

For many years most of the big plow manufacturers focused on the need for
snow plows for the full size pick up trucks. But if you haven’t notice for the past 10 years
the pick up truck market has changed. The full size pick up is not the only vehicle size
coming of the assembly line in today’s world. However, the demand for small truck snowplows for this market is not totally un noticed. There are some plow manufacturers out there addressing this demand. But before we get to excited let discuss the different in full size pick up truck opposed to small size pick up trucks. When I look at this type of application, one of the things I look at is the operating weight, Small size pick up trucks have less operating weight when it comes to pushing snow. You want to make sure you put the right size plow on the truck and not A 8 ft plow. Your pushing pressure can only be so much moving mass. So remember to keep the plow scaled to the right small truck. Most small snowplow truck are usually used in tight spots or for home owners driveway an not used to much in the commercial application. The small pick up trucks use a 6ft to 6.5 ft plows and are made in clear Polycarbonate, or steel . The also have light weight sub frames and are be simple to install. They even is a company that makes a plow that can hook up a snow plow to just the tow hooks and You use a remote control for the plow operating with out having to install a additional wiring harness. Remember these small truck snowplows are for light weight snow work. If used for that application you will get years of good service out of them. You can now get a complete small truck snowplow systems with a full certification for under $1300.00 Start the season with a brand new snowplow on your Toyota ,Honda, Dodge, Ford, Montero pick up truck. If you would like more information on small pick up truck plows

Truck Lights -Can You See Me Now?

Truck driving is enough of fatigue on a sunny day, but night time can add a lot more fatigue and stress.
Your body uses up more energy at night to strain to see what is in front and along side of your rig.
You are also fighting on coming glare and let’s not forget the famous wild life that comes out at night
it can be like driving through a zoo. I know I have done it. Remember most truckers do not work 8 hours a day no, no, no try 14 hrs a day.

So I would say better lighting for drivers at night should be common sense. So let’s discuss what’s out
there. I have inspected many of rigs only to find out that there are no additional driving lights on their trucks. I have also found that the ones that do have their driving lights or fog lights on their trucks somebody replaced the bulbs with regular lights, totally useless, at that point do not even turn on your driving lights.

There are companies out there that specialize in this field. The concepts to do and the use of lights
are a big aid in bad weather. I have driven trucks with special driving or fog lights and without, and the correct driving or fog lights make a big, big difference. Lets talk about the difference between fog lights and driving lights,

Fog lights provide illumination forward of the truck that enhances visibility in fog, rain, snow, or dust.
Fog lights are intended to be used in conjunction with standard headlamp low beams. On the other hand driving lights are mounted to provide illumination forward of the vehicle and intended to supplement the high beam of a standard headlamp system, for forward clear projection . It is not intended for use alone or with the low beam of a standard headlamp system. But for me I feel if
truck headlights are adjusted correctly an additional driving light may not be need, in my north eastern area.

However, a good fog light is a necessity. I have found a few good ones that I have used when driving KC square 57 series all season halogen 15000 candle power per beam for fog. This one interested me the PIAA 940 Dual Driving and Fog Light Kit this is driving light and fog light all in one casing which is nice for space especially in a pre cut bumper like many big rigs. Another great company is Per-lux they make 600 series for all purpose lights for big rigs. Basically it comes down to where you are driving do you need fog or driving lights on darker nights, because with these accessories it has less fatigue on you the driver and keeps then safer. Look for more free article’s of trucking snowplowing information at edgeolite.com
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ATV SNOWPLOW, Its For You!

ATV snowplows can be excellent for large ranches, farms, industrial complexes and other buildings that may need both snow removal and utility hauling in one machine.

Most snow plowers do not really appreciate the maneuverability of the ATV snowplow vehicle. While other snow plows are configured mainly for the professional. ATV snow plows can be used by anyone. For this reason if you are looking to purchase a good snow plow for your winter needs, you should look for the one that will give you the horse power that you need to move large amounts of snow out of the way. The blade is an important part of your ATV when plowing snow make sure you purchase a good quality blade, with the right curve and size to match your ATV for plowing snow.

You should look at the blade and see if there is a good amount of depth in the blade curve to scoop the snow out of the road or any other surface. You might also want to keep in mind the blade can also be used in all other seasons for other types of chores that need to be completed. Some ATV’s come with a winch and many ATV snowplow equipment owners use their winches to raise the plow up and down when snowplowing. However, if you buy an ATV without the winch, ATV snowplows also come with a manual handle so you can lift the snowplow when needed.

If you are looking for an ATV snowplow there are few brands that I have found to be reasonable priced and reliable ATV, Warns and Snow Bear are a few. ATV snowplows will certainly increase in popularity as the baby boomers start to come into retirement and need help plowing themselves out as well as doing small projects around the property. For the amount of work these little machines can do dollar for dollar, I can see why many people are purchasing these ATV’s either used or new. Remember when this machine is done doing the work it can also be a recreation vehicle for fun.

Do you want more information on these great plows. Edgeolite has a directory of different ATV sites for you to review and find information on ATV snowplows and ATV snowplow accessories. Click here for more information

SNOWPLOW LIGHTS- What do you need to know?

It is that dark time of year again, and night time visibility is low. This is when we start to make decisions
on what type of plow light we put on our vehicles. But before we do that we need to know a little bit about lights.

Snowplow lights come in regular sealed beam and halogen high intensity lighting, xenon. Head lights are measured in the amount of candlepower which is a way of measuring how much light is produced by a light bulb and a lumen is a way of measuring how much light gets to what you want to light! At least this gives you a small basis on what you are looking for. So when you are buying snowplow light s keep this information in mind.

The snowplow light manufacturers now make this systems with different ratings on their lights.
The systems mostly used now are halogens, with separate bulbs for high beams low beams.
Another thing I feel you need to keep in mind especially if you have an old plow and want to up grade your lights. Make sure your old snowplow light harness can handle the up grade. There is nothing more frustrating then installing new plow lights, and the system blows a fuse or relays and you do no know why. Especially when they usually will not blow until after 5 minutes, so just when you think you are fine the lights go out. So make sure your snowplow light harness can handle this increase.

The other thing to keep in mind is how much you want to be seen by other drivers. So you may want to start to think about installing an overhead yellow or over head strobe light. Check with your state laws there could be a requirement if you are going to install an over head strobe light. They also make them in permanent and magnetic. Personally I prefer the magnetic strobe lights It gives me the ability to choose to be removed at any time. The permanent is cheaper but requires some work to install. Please keep this in mind when buying these strobe lights and do not to get a light that is mesmerizing to oncoming drivers. You just want to notify and warn them you are there.

When buying new snowplow lights, ask about any warranties and guarantees that apply with their product. One thing I also want to talk briefly on is a lot of snowplow owners try to cram all kinds of light s in there fuse panel. Before adding any light make sure you have room in your fuse panel for any additional plow lights. When wire splicing make sure you solder, or use butt connectors and then heat shrink tube over all spices. Do not use any type of temporary connections.
Happy snowplowing and remember Edgeolite is here to keep you safer!, and Smarter.
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Windshield Glare ,Blocker, it’s that time of year.

Did you ever notice as the sun goes down earlier the head light’s come on earlier, that’s a no brainer.
But people just don’t realize how much smaller everything becomes in the dark.

What I mean by that is the distance our eyes can see, or how easy it is to almost become mesmerized as the 2 red dots of the cars tail lights about 500 ft in front of you just stay there like they are parked, like not moving but they are not stopped, they are moving the same speed as you.

That’s usually when someone comes up behind with there high beams on, and blinds you with the glare from their lights. Just about the same time, a passing car comes form the other way with their high beams on and now you are fighting their glare also. About this time you remember you can not run people off the road, from the frustration of not being able to see.

Now try having this problem in a snow storm or rain storm. You can certainly imagine how amplified the problem of glare gets. Well I’m not going to tell you I found a total solution, but I will tell you there are some products out that can assist you in light glare dilemma’s.

These products are not very expensive for what they can deliver, some do last longer than others and I’m not going to tell you that it is 100% cure, but I will say it is certainly an aid when battling with light glare if you use glare blockers.

The products vary, I have seen products from plastic shields to a paste you apply on your windshield each with a little different approach and application. But this time of year is the time of year to start thinking about using these products and limit your liabilities. Get rid of windshield glare and Drive safe edgeolite.com