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brad
Dodge Dakota
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11/24/2005
11:19:25
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 Subject: plow
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Message:
I have a 97 5.2l 4x4 and I was wanting to put a small plow on it but not sure if it can handle it. What do you guys think?? any advice would be great.
thanks
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toolfan
GenIII
11/24/2005
11:54:14
| RE: plow
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one guy has one on here and hasn't had any problems. he will probably see you post. i think he adjusted the torsion bars to help with the added weight.
and some mods to slow it down!
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.boB
Dodge Dakota
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11/24/2005
12:27:14
| RE: plow
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Message:
Modern plows are considerably lighter than they used to be. That's a huge advantage. When you hang that much weight off the front bumper, it's going to be a significant detriment to handeling. Even with the plow blade off, that's a lot of weight.
Cranking up the torsion bars will restore some ride height. Unfortunatly, there's no way to increase spring rates in the torsion bars. I've never seen or heard of HD torsion bars for Dakotas. So we're pretty much stuck with what we have.
You could try a light coil over spring, helper spring, or maybe an air shock. But you'de have to beef up the upper shock mounts to compensate for the added weight. It's a pretty simple mount, so if you have a welder and some basic fab skills it shouldn't be too difficult.
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Kowalski
GenIII
11/25/2005
08:06:14
| RE: plow
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Message:
A modern regular duty plow is still pretty heavy, but my truck handles it pretty well with the torsion bars cranked up. I'd recomend light duty for most who will be carrying the plow over the road much, all my driveways are in the same area. No need to beef up the upper shock mounts - I've never had to do that on any of the 5 plow trucks I've owned and its never been a problem. Modern plow frames (the part that stays attached to the truck) are lighter than the older plow frames, carrying their weight down low; I don't feel like they detract from the handling at all. Someone would need to do a test on a skid pad to make that call, its possible (but I wouldn't bet on it) that the increased frame rigidity may even contribute to handling. Bottom line - a good set of snow tires and cranking up the torsion bars is all you need to make your '97 a great plow truck.
Lead, follow, or get out of the way
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