NOT FOR DEISELS???

[johnnyb1]

I recently got a really good deal on a Fisher snow plow and I am looking into doing a 2"-3" body lift on my 250. On both projects I see in manufactures notes "Not for diesels". Any idea why?? Am I missing something?? Why would it matter if the truck is a diesel??

 

[fordf350man]

On the diesel engines the firewall will hit the cylinder heads.

 

[Agnem]

You can usually get away with a 2" lift. You may experience some cab/head rubbing in reverse however. As for the snowplow, they probably figure the front springs are already loaded pretty good. Dunno.

 

[PwrSmoke]

Why is a body lift needed to install a snowplow?

 

[riotwarrior]

Why is a body lift needed to install a snowplow?

See and here I was wondering about why a snowplow was needed to install a body lift myself

 

[Clb]

Rimshot'

 

[OLDBULL8]

What I see on Fisher web site is that the front axle has to be a 5000 lb rated for diesel trucks. PDF pg.22
http://library.fisherplows.com/fisherplows/pdffiles/22457.32_050106.pdf

 

[ironworker40]

I had a fisher 7.5 ft on my 87 250 super cab since it was new. Yes fisher said no to putting it on a diesel 250 and it was because of the weight. I had the hd 4600lb dana 50 ifs front axle. I put an extra leaf in the front springs, now you may be able to get air lifts for them, that was not an option then. I had no problems with it. I sold it to a local guy with 300,000 miles on it and I still see it on the road. Back then Fishers were much heavier than the the other brands so the others had no problems putting their plows on a 250 diesel. I scaled it and it was like 4000 ibs on the front axle without plow, so it was barley over the limit with plow on. You will be fine, but you will need to add spring.
I also had a 1995 f-350 4x4 dana 60 powerstroke with a vulcan 880 10 ft wrecker body on it. It had a minute mount 8 ft fisher on it. It scaled at over 11,000 empty without plow. I did not have to add spring to the 350. Cant remember axle rating.
If it is the original minute mount or the one that the head gear/lights stay on the truck with the plow removed and it came off a diesel your golden, if it came off a gasser the mount won't fit around the radiator support. I don't know about the newer mounts. Is it an electric hydraulic pump or belt drive pump?

 

[johnnyb1]

ironworker, I wondered if the already heavy front end might be the issue. It has the MinuteMount 2 system so everything but the mounting brackets come off when it's unhooked. Maybe some helper springs and I'll be ok. As far as the body lift and the plow goes, they're two unrelated projects. I was going with the lift anyway and just walked into the plow deal. So 2" is ok but 3" I'll have some clearance problems??

 

[sjwelds]

ACK!! A BODY LIFT?? ACK!!!!!!

Body lifts just go against everything that I think is right and good.....But hey if it's what you want go for it!

Just sayin'

 

[johnnyb1]

By the way, the plow was on a 2006 F250 'Stroke. The mounting bracket is much different than my '87. If I do decide to use the plow it looks like the best thing to do is spend $600 and buy the one specific for my truck. Be lots of modification involved with this one.

 

[johnnyb1]

Sherwin, I know, I know. I would like a suspension lift much better but I need a little more clearance and the almighty dollar prevailed.

 

[sjwelds]

need a little more clearance and the almighty dollar prevailed.

What do you need clearance for? Larger/more aggressive tires? I see in your sig you already have a turbo so it must not be for that.....

yeah I hear you on the $$$. sucks when that happens....

 

[madpogue]

What kind of clearance do you need that a body lift provides? The frame and bumpers are still at the same height, so you won't have any more snow-depth clearance.

ONE example I can think of where a body lift makes sense, that dude over on the .org with the six-door PSD Bronco. Built on a CCLB frame. The frame rails on a CC truck have dog-leg rise just aft of the back doors, and he had to account for that third door/seat row. So he set the very rear of the "cab" directly on the frame, which put the front two rows about 4" above the rails. He accomodated that with 4" body lift mounts.

 

[franklin2]

I will tell you it's very difficult to mount a plow on a lifted truck and make it work correctly. You run into the same problems you do in the back with trailer hitches.

My truck has a 4 inch lift, and I had to custom make a mount. My plow lights come up even with the top of my hood, while on the normal height f150 I used to have the plow on, they stuck above the hood like everyone else's. Actually my plow and mount sit so low on the truck I really don't need the plow lights installed because of the lift.

You have to make sure the pivot pin that the plow uses to angle is plumb when the plow is down on the ground. If it's not plumb, when you angle the plow it will try to drive one side of the plow into the ground. What usually happens on pavement is it can't drive the plow into the pavement, so it lifts the other side off the pavement and it won't clean the snow off. You can't just let more chain out on the lift cylinder because you have a lift. You will also find when the plow pivot is not plumb, the plow's angle of approach to the snow will not be favorable and it will trip the springs more easily.

The mount mount has some adjustment for this, but it doesn't have 4 inches worth.