The wife and I just bought a house in the country and I am now the proud owner of a 200' laneway. I got a deal on a Meyer 6.5' plow but when I mentioned linking it up to my Dak over on plowsite.com someone told me that the 2x4 ball joints are much weaker than the 4x4 ones, I wasn't aware there was a difference. If this is so can I beef up my ball joints -- and are there other suspension items I would want to look at? I mean the plow is really only going to be on max 12 times a season I would think and as you can see the laneway is straight and dead level....
Your thoughts?




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I don't know about the strength issue, but the lower ball joints are diff, but the uppers are the same. Probably due to the different lower control arms. One has torsion bars and one has springs.

I have never had a plow or reason to use one, but I would think a 2wd would just sit there and spin the rear tires trying to push anything while on snow. My thoughts would be get a 4wd, but thats just me.

 

yeah I would have thought that as well, but after plowing a major hospital for 3 years, i think i can count on one hand the number of times i had to engage the 4x4 on the 1/2 ton chev i was pushing with...it's aamzing what a little ballast will do

 

I think that a plow is a lil too much for that lil 3.9 2wd. you were using a full size truck to plow not a midsized.

I would either buy a beater 4x4 ans put a plw on it. or go buy a 4 wheeler and put a plow on it.

dakotas suck in the snow in 2wd. well, atleast mine do. even if you have alot of weight in it, I think once you get enough snow you will just sit there and spin.

 

i wouldnt even plow with a dakota, my friend has a 99 4x4 with the 5.2 i beleive, and he says that thing gets stuck all the time, plus the frame is weak as hell and its all bent up to crap.. do oyurself a favor, get a ram with a plow package or off road package, your gonna want locking rears when it comes to plowing

 

No offense, but it might be the driver and not the truck that has problems in the snow. I went through snow just fine with my 2wd open diff and stock Eagle LS's with 300lbs of sand in the bed. This winter I got new BFG All Terrains so it should be even easier (if it ever snows!)

Anyway, about plowing with a 4x2. Wouldn't the front end sag a decent amount with a plow on it?

 

no offense taken, but my 99 dak sucks in snow in 2wd. but in 4x4 it is like driving on dry pavement when theres like 2 feet of snow.

open diff and posiare different. with a open diff you will have just one wheel spinning. with a posi. you will have both rear tires spining, which then makes you fishtailwhich I love, but only when I want to do it myself.

for a 2wd open diff is the way to go in the snow so your ot all over the place. for a 4x4, posi is the way to go so you can get maximum traction.

 

I had a 92' dakota with a snoway 8ft plow only had to engage 4x4 maybe once a season and I live in western newyork off 2 major great lakes. That truck only had the 3.9l V6 but never once gave me a problem. Then again before I put the plow on I put a performance clutch in it so I didn't risk burning up the stock and also put a set of lockers in the rear end with different gears. Entire project cost about $1200 plus the plow but I think it was worth every penny. Especially after I took it to a dealership to trade in for my new truck and the old one didn't even run anymore, they still gave me $6500 because of the plow and drivetrain modifications.