plowing

I would suggest you contact a plow installer like Westin or Myers and ask them what equipment they require to be on a vehicle onto which they will install a plow. In some instances they can install needed equipment or supply a 'dolly plow.' The will not install a plow on a vehicle that is not properly equipped to take the load of the plow.

mike hunt

Charlie Brown wrote:

This is covered in your owner's guide -

SNOWPLOWING

Ford recommends the following specifications for low speed, personal use snow removal:

- F-150/F?250 4WD Regular Cab long wheelbase

- 4.6L or 5.4L engine

- Heavy duty service package

- Super engine cooling

- Heavy duty front suspension package

- Automatic transmission with auxiliary automatic transmission fluid cooling

- All-terrain tires

Do not install a snowplow and plow with your vehicle until it has been driven at least 800 km (500 miles).

Installing snowplow

Read the following instructions before installing a snowplow:

- Front GAWR must not exceed 63% of the GVW. Add ballast weight to the back of the vehicle, if necessary. Refer to the Safety Compliance Certification Label to find Front GAWR.

- The Front Axle Accessory Reserve Capacity and the Total Accessory Reserve Capacity listed on the bottom right of the Safety Compliance Certification Label will determine whether or not the addition of a snowplow will overload your vehicle.

- The weight of the snowplow and supporting components distributed to the front axle must not exceed the front accessory reserve capacity.

- The total weight of the snowplow and aftermarket equipment must not exceed the Total Accessory Reserve Capacity.

- The weight of the installed snowplow and aftermarket equipment must not load the vehicle beyond the GAWR (front/rear) and GVWR listed on the Safety Compliance Certification Label.

- The total weight of the snowplow and aftermarket equipment must be considered part of the payload and must not exceed the Gross Combined Weight Rating (GCWR) for towing.

- Federal and most local regulations require additional exterior lamps for snowplow-equipped vehicles. Consult your dealer for additional information.

- After installing a snowplow to the vehicle, ensure the vehicle?s front toe alignment and front ride height are within specification (reset if required). These specifications are located in the vehicle?s Workshop Manual. Adherence to the toe, tire pressures and ride height specification is important for proper tire wear, ride, handling and headlight aim. Also, maintain the engine oil and transmission fluid change intervals following the severe duty schedule.

Removing snowplow

Read the following instructions before removing a snowplow:

- After removing a snowplow from the vehicle, ensure the vehicle?s front toe alignment and front ride height are within specification (reset if required). These specifications are located in the vehicle?s Workshop Manual. Adherence to the toe and ride height specification is important for proper tire wear, ride, handling and headlight aim.

Snowplowing with your air bag equipped vehicle

Your vehicle is equipped with driver and passenger air bags. The air bags are designed to deploy in a collision with a solid barrier at a range of 13 to 23 km/h (8 to 14 mph) or a parked car at a range of 25 to

45 km/h (16 to 28 mph). Careless or high speed driving while plowing snow which results in vehicle decelerations equivalent to or greater than the air bag deployment impact speeds listed above can deploy the air bag. Such driving also increases the risk of accidents.

Never remove or defeat the ?tripping mechanisms? designed into the snow removal equipment by its manufacturer. Doing so may cause damage to the vehicle and the snow removal equipment as well as possible air bag deployment.

Engine temperature while plowing When driving with a plow, your engine may run at a higher temperature than normal because the attached snowplow blade will restrict airflow to the radiator.

If you are driving more than 24 km (15 miles) at temperatures above freezing, angle the plow blade either full left or full right to provide maximum airflow to the radiator. If you are driving less than 24 km (15 miles) at speeds up to 64 km/h (40 mph) in cold weather, you will not need to worry about blade position to provide maximum airflow.

Transmission operation while plowing

- Shift transfer case to 4L (4WD Low) when plowing in small areas at speeds below 8 km/h (5 mph).

- Shift transfer case to 4H (4WD High) when plowing larger areas or light snow at higher speeds. Do not exceed 24 km/h (15 mph).

- Do not shift the transmission from a forward gear to R (Reverse) until the engine is at idle and the wheels are stopped.

- If the vehicle is stuck, shift the transmission in a steady motion between forward and reverse gears. Do not rock the vehicle for more than a few minutes. The transmission and tires may be damaged or the engine can overheat.

The section is full of warnings -

Do not exceed the GVWR or the GAWR specified on the Safety Compliance Certification Label.

All occupants of the vehicle, including the driver, should always properly wear their safety belts, even when an air bag SRS is provided.

Do not attempt to service, repair, or modify the Air Bag Supplemental Restraint System or its fuses. See your Ford or Lincoln-Mercury dealer.

Do not spin the wheels at over 35 mph (55 km/h). The tires may fail and injure a passenger or bystander.

it will do ok.... put some lead or sandbags in the bed... it will be more of a monster the more weight you got.