Tow Rig / Shop Truck

[DrewP]

But monster truck tires! Mud bogging!

[SwedeSport]

LOL!

They are a bit noisy on the highway, but I cannot hear them over the accessory drive belt squeal that I have been unable to eliminate.

They should do the trick getting into the unplowed driveways and parking lots though. Churning through deep snow should be no problem.

[gmreider]

This is a test to see if I can follow instructions

[KPAero]

Geoff, where/when did you buy those Nokians? My van really needs some new tires before the winter.

[Geoff]

There used to be a Vianor shop in Keene. There is still one in Concord and I've also used Maynard & Leiseur in Nashua for Nokians.
http://vianor.us/outlets

Oh, and the tires I got were made in the US

[SwedeSport]

Well Just a little update on the rig.

I have been very busy with a huge shop / life relocation. So All vehicles have really only received minimal maintenance. No new fun stuff to report.

I have to say this has been the best season for plowing since I put it on the truck. In spite of some setbacks I have finally earned enough that I have covered the cost of the equipment, and nearly have the initial purchase price of the truck swallowed. A few more storms will cover the add on stuff like the lights, cap, and towing gear.

I had to replace the U-joints in the rear drive shaft. I removed the shaft in Gary's driveway, and he helped me renew it. I still have to do the front shaft going from the T case to the front diff. I also want to replace the rear yoke, in the hopes it stops a leak. And the CV shafts in the front axle will get done when I do the front beam refurb. later this year.

I had a leaky lift ram seal on the plow pump. It left me hanging in the middle of a storm. Ended up needing the plow shop to bail me out, and in the end I spent 12 hours in the truck so that I could lose a couple hundred bucks. The leaky hydraulic system was sucking in water that in turn froze up in the filters. Stopped the pump from working. I got a new (to me) blade at the start of the season. the former was bent, rusty, and had leaky angle rams. I think the main seal tore when fired up the pump for the fist time this season. it was dry and chattered until the fluid found it. I also broke a few hydraulic fittings being a bully with the truck, and doing stupid stuff like forgetting to unhook the hydraulics when removing the plow. But it was nearly dead nuts on task when I needed it during the last 18 incher we got a few weeks ago.

The tire choice really worked out. I think they could be improved upon with a siping cutter, and some patience. But just like I suspected, they were really good in the 8-16 inches of snow that I found myself having to drive through this winter. They absolutely suck in under 3 inches. But once it gets to 5-6, the fun begins. The weight of the plow hanging off the front makes for some interesting RWD hoonage. 4x4 is just a touch of a button away if you get it too deep in the soft stuff. I was having a good time doing 4x drag race launches. It gets up and goes pretty good.

Note... when I replaced the U-joints in the rear, it eliminated a ton of vibration, and got rid of a nasty 55 mph drone.

The truck is going to get some much needed attention this spring. After this winter, I at least owe it some fresh parts.

[KPAero]

Looks good, its always nice when you can get a timely return on your equipment cost. Have you had a chance to spend a night in the sleeper yet?

[SwedeSport]

No, Hope to get out to an event this year and sleep in the back. Right now it is a place to collect jackets, hats, gloves, and such.

[SwedeSport]

It has been a while since the Tow Rig got some love.

Due to the rusty rad support and collapsed front body mount, the nose of the truck had sagged so much that it was getting hard to open the doors. So I finally bit the bullet and got a new rad support and poly cab mount kit. While it was apart, I replaced the single row rad with a 3 row unit, and at the same time, I installed the dual electric fan conversion. I replaced the lower rad hose, and re-did all of the trans cooler lines. Since I had it apart I decided now was a good time to make an entirely new harness for the fog lights and plow lights. I generally cleaned up the entire front clip. I even freshened up the paint on the bumper and grille.

I pulled the plow out to prep for snow pushing, and shot some fresh paint on the blade, and flushed the hydraulic fluid and cleaned all the filters. I fixed some of the wiring for the plow, and replaced the solenoid. I use a continuous duty unit that is heavy enough for the beating it takes. Now hopefully we get some snow again this season.

[SwedeSport]

I got a ton of money wrapped up in getting this thing ready to plow, and now we have no snow, less than 8 inches of snow so far this year.

I had to put a pump drive motor on the plow setup last week.

The Throttle Position Sensor is not working properly, so I need to swap that out.

I'm also getting a code for a failed EGR, so that will need to be renewed.

There is a Vacuum canister that is failing, so I will attempt to make a new vac tank out of PVC plumbing stuff.


Time to start collecting parts to build a motor, Going for a bit of a power upgrade, with a mild built 351.