Best Snow & Ice Fighting Equipment for Small Municipalities

SnowPlowNews interviews dealers to find which snow and ice fighting equipment is best for small municipalities based on truck size, product needs and overall value.

May 24, 2022 | Mike Stevens

A combination all-season body makes sense. A lot of municipalities had issues with running straight V-Box spreaders – even ripping down power lines when they were up in the air.  These v-box units are also very heavy. So, something like the Buyer’s mini mds body or Henderson makes a version and Monroe makes a version. Yes, it’s got a higher cost. It is a little heavier as a standalone unit but you’re saving that weight and you can convert most of them within five minutes and go back to dump truck service.

William Fries

Xtreme Fabrication

F450s and F550’s or an equivalent from the other manufacturers for a municipal plow truck. If they have a lot of roads then they need to step into the next class into a single axle. I really prefer a dedicated salting truck and a dedicated plowing truck, not trying to combine the two into one.

Jerre Heyer

Jerre's Service

A straight blade will be a better fit for them because they’re built heavier and you don’t have the extra moving parts. You don’t have to worry about some of the options that happen with an expandable plow or a V-plow.

Gene Stork

Stork's Plows

For a smaller municipality – as far as the best combination of plow and truck and spreader – F550 regular cab,  60-inch cab to axle,  a nice short little small little truck still going to carry the weight rating that you can put you know almost five ton of salt in there and a four and a half yard v box and a nine foot or ten foot HC just a plain straight blade with a carbide edge and a snow foil that’s what I would do.

Erik Flores

Push-N-Pull

In our neck of the woods, F550’s – good steering on the truck, good carrying capacity paired up with – if they’re doing roads probably a 10-foot straight blade if they’re doing parking lots in that kind of field probably more of a 10 foot V again also paired up with a three yard sander in the back.

Greg Saltz

Ness Auto

For more research on plows go to the SPN Snowplow Comparison.

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