How to Make Your Plow Last Through the Rest of the Season

Your equipment takes a beating during winter, keep it running smoothly with these maintenance best practices. By tuning up your plow and replacing a couple minor parts, your fleet can be back up and running safe and efficiently. Below are a handful of common solutions although not every one may be applicable to your exact situation.

Start With a Thorough Inspection

This is an important step but also the most overlooked part of maintenance. Noticing areas of concern before they turn into big problems will save you a lot of headaches and money in the long run.

• Check the plow and vehicle mount welds for any cracks and make sure it’s securely mounted
• Tighten fasteners and verify that all cotter pins are in place
• Make sure all electrical connections are clean, tight and greased
• If you notice any exposed rust or corrosion, repaint as necessary to protect the exposed metal
• Adjust plow headlamps to aim properly

Change Your Hydraulic Fluid

Just like cars needs oil changes, a plow needs its hydraulic fluid flushed and replaced on an annual basis. Dirt, debris and water can find their way into the system and cause issues so it’s always a good idea to watch for cracks or leaks. Pro tip, keep some fluid in your truck to top it off on the go.

Tighten Trip Springs to Manufacture Specifications

In order to protect your vehicle from vibration and shock damage, you’ll want to tighten your trip springs to have the proper tension needed.

Check and Possibly Replace the Cutting Edge

If your cutting edge is worn down, it won’t be able to cut through the snow and protect your moldboard. Replace it to get a more effective scrape and avoid damaging your plow.

Lubricate All Moving Parts

Protect and maintain bearings, hinges and pivot bolts with WESTERN® Extreme Defense™ Grease, specifically designed for cold, wet and dirty environments. To fight wear and corrosion on electrical connections, use Dielectric Grease to keep your plow tough through winter conditions.

Have a Process Set in the Event of a Breakdown

A broken plow in the middle of a snow storm is frustrating to say the least. Be prepared for the unexpected with an emergency parts kit to minimize down time. WESTERN offers a kit that includes the most common service parts such as a solenoid, hydraulic hose and fluid, critical hardware, and more. During your inspection, you may note some additional areas of concern with worn or damaged parts that you’ll want to immediately replace or have on hand as a backups. Maintaining a great relationship with your dealer also goes a long way for parts availability.

Inspections and maintenance are a constant requirement for maximum performance, especially when you need it most. We’ve got you covered with factory maintenance parts and accessories to keep your plow equipment running smoothly.

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