I am ready to buy a 2001 Ram 2500 regular cab.

The original window sticker is in the truck.

On the sticker it says:

"Snow Plow Prep Discaimer
This Vehicle not factory equiped for snow plow installation-See dealer for detals."

What does this mean?

The truck has the heavy duty package with the engine oil and tranny oil coolers.
It also has an anti-spin differential which I am assuming is a limited slip diff. It has a 410 rear.

What makes the truck not equiped for a snow plow? I am planning on installing my Western V plow on the truck. Is there something different about this Ram truck than my 98' 2500 that I had the plow on last year?

Thanks in advance.

 

in a nutshell , Warranty

 

Let me get this straight?

All the 2500's are ready for a plow. But if you put one on the warranty is void. They did not offer a snow plow ready option for the truck?

 

no the trucks that were built with the "snow plow package" had extra holes in the frame to bolt the mount to as well as tranny cooler power steering cooler and i believe the coils were stiffer too and had a heavy duty shock

your truck will handle it fine but you might want to think of some extra support for the weight in the front such as this http://www.truckspring.com/timbren-k...-df25004b.html.... i just installed a western MVP plus on a 96 dodge 2500 with a V10

any questions on the install just let me know

 

Hi Guys:

I also am looking at installing a plow on my 2001 Dodge RAM 1500. It does not have the snow plow prep package to my knowledge. How can I tell for sure?

I do not intend to put the plow to commercial use, yet I also do not want to damage the truck.

Seems to me that the disclaimer about using a plow only when the truck is equipped with the snow plow prep package is designed to warn people that snow plowing presents added loads and stresses to a truck, and that if the truck is not properly equipped to handle the extra loads (i.e. snow plow prep package), it may suffer damage.

And, I would prefer to follow the warnings of the plow and vehicle manufacturers. Some might say that the disclaimers are another way for Dodge and/or plow companies to make money, but I believe this is too pessimistic. I believe the warnings are written to protect vehicle owners from damaging their trucks.....

I can't seem to find however, a way to utilize my truck as-is for plowing without violating these warnings.....

Even the lightest poly plows seem to require the snow plow prep package be installed.

So, is there a way to retrofit my truck with a snow plow prep package?

 

From my days at the dealer the only thing I remember that were problematic on snow plow equipped rams was overheating. The so called fix was a heavy duty fan clutch that engaged at a lower temp.

 

i looked up what all the snow plow package entails like i said above the "snow plow package" had extra holes in the frame to bolt the mount to as well as tranny cooler power steering cooler and i believe the coils were stiffer too and had a heavy duty shock as well as an HD transfer case and a 136 amp alt,

however, this was an option package, just like the tow package, for example, how many rams do you see towing...ill bet half or more didn't come with the tow package

now i see from your sig you have a 1500 5 speed

now i install snow plows (among other things) for a living, if i were me i would add a set of these http://www.truckspring.com/timbren-k...-df25004b.htmlthen put the plow on, you have the best newer 1/2 ton truck to do it to as you still have a solid front axle and being a 5 speed you wont half to worry about harming the trany because those 5 speeds are a good transmission, just watch not to ride the clutch thow not id this is just for personal use i would recommend an7.5 foot poly bladefor example http://www.westernplows.com/midweight.aspand if you click on the bottom where it says "quick match" you can put in your info and it will tell you all that is required, i also tells you how much blast you will require (500LBS)

do that and you wont have any problems with the truck (and plow sensibly too, not 35mph into a frozen snow bank)

 

Ryan:

Thank you very much for your thoughtful reply. I went to the Western link you provided and used the quickmatch. Almost exactly like the eMatch tool available at the Fisher plow site, the midweight plows suggested by Western require a MINIMUM front axle weight rating of 3850 lbs. The sticker on my truck lists the front axle weight rating at 3806 lbs. - a SMALL difference. But, is this anything to be worried about? Is this just a result of rounding, or a way by the plow manufacturers to basically protect themselves from any sort of lawsuit that might come about from mounting a plow on a truck not equipped with the snow prep package? By the way, I did confirm that my vehicle is not equipped with the package. I'm inclined to take your advice and mount a lighter plow to the truck, min. width 7.5', and perhaps the poly blade type just to lower overall weight (and exercise caution regarding the use of the plow). And, I like your suggestion on the suspension adjustment.

 

the weight rating difference between there min rating and your axle is nothing to worry about, they are assuming the worst, that your going to have it on all the time and be plowing pretty steady with it, which you most likely wont be, just take her easy and you'll be fine....one other thing i should mention is if you do drive on the road with it you should drive slow, the faster you go the more stress your putting on the truck when you hit a bump

 

I know this is my first post, but I hope it's helpful. I've gotten a lot of information off of plowsite.com . I've been debating on a plow for my 1500 sport and have been doing a lot of reading there. A lot of helpful people on that site.

Hope this helps!