Thinking about expanding your snow plowing business to include municipal jobs? Great! Municipal plowing services are often in high demand, especially in harsh winters. But, like any other job, it’s important to have the right equipment – and different types of plow jobs require different types of plows. So, before you dive headfirst in into the municipal snow plowing business, think about what types of areas need to be plowed. Do you want to focus on light plowing jobs, like small parking lots? Or do you want to help clear the highways? We’ve put together a short guide to help you determine which municipal snow plow is right for you.
Light Municipal Work
What it entails:
- Small parking lots
- Short roads, alleys
- Cul-de-sacs (their varied shapes and sizes often require use of small- to medium-sized plow blades)
Top picks from Western snow plows:
HTS™ | Half-Ton Snow Plow – The Western HTS Half-Ton snow plow from Western is for ideal personal use or light commercial applications. It’s a full-sized, full-featured plow that easily mounts on half-ton four-wheel-drive pickup truck. The standard HTS is formed from rugged moldboard and measures 27” tall x 7-1/2’ wide. It’s cutting edge is high carbon steel and made for extra-long wear. Want a heavier-duty snowplowing performance without the weight? Try the 14-gauge steel rugged moldboard.
MIDWEIGHT™ | Light Commercial Use – Built for light commercial use, Western’s Midweight™ boasts a lean design that works hard. Choose between the 14-gauge powder-coated steel moldboard or the 1/4″ high-density polyethylene option. (The poly blade is quiet, durable, and its slick surface enhances snow-rolling action. Plus, it’s a maintenance-free surface!)
Top pick from SnowDogg:
MD Series | SUV & Light-Duty Truck – The MD Series snow plow offers the plowing features for your SUV or light-duty truck. Its brushed stainless moldboard features a standard 3/8” cutting edge with a poly deflector and cast-iron plow shoes. Foot-pedal mounting and an adjustable jack mechanism add versatility to this plow, which comes with extra bright lights on double stud mounts.
Mid-level Municipal Work
What it entails:
- Medium to large parking lots
- Some roads/short highway work
- Larger cul-de-sacs
Top picks from Western:
PRO PLUS® | Heavy-Duty Commercial to Light Municipal – The PRO PLUS snow plow is made for heavy-duty applications and municipality work. Designed to fits trucks from 3/4-ton to F55s, it features heavy-duty steel moldboard and a reinforced plow -blade structure. These plows also have a Power Bar, which stretches across the back of the blade from end to end and increases strength and rigidity while preventing blade twisting. There are also 4 heavy-duty coil springs and 2 shock absorbers to help absorb impacts. PRO PLUS plows are available in 7.5′, 8′, 8.5′, and 9′ lengths, with a 31.5″ blade height.
MVP PLUS™ | V-Plow – Fast and efficient, the MVP V-Plow offers multiple positions, so it’s easier to move a lot of snow in less time. It features a reinforced V-plow blade structure with powdered steel and poly moldboards and a steel center gap cover. This plow also has a pitch adjustment feature for a longer edge life. It comes in 7½’, 8½’, and 9½’ widths.
WIDE-OUT™ | Adjustable Wing – Move 30% more snow with this adjustable wing snow plow. With the WIDE OUT plow, you get an 8’ blade, a 10’ blade, an 8’10” scoop/pusher blade or a windrowing machine all at the touch of a button.
Top picks from SnowDogg:
VMD Series | Half-Ton Plow Prep Truck – This plow is designed for half-ton plow prep trucks and features a tough, stainless-steel moldboard with a 3/8” cutting edge. It has a Trip Edge design for smooth plowing over obstacles, and its lift arm allows for exceptional snow stacking. All these features are topped off with dual-beam halogen plow lights secured with double post mounts.
TE Series | Trip Edge Design – SnowDogg’s TE series plows feature a trip edge mechanism for smooth, predictable plowing. They include snow deflectors and a heavy-duty cutting edge included as standard equipment.
VXF Series | V-Plow for 3/4 Ton Trucks & Larger – The VXF series is a tough and reliable V-plow made for trucks ¾ ton or larger. The heavy-duty stainless steel brush moldboard features a center cap and deflectors, and it’s powered by regenerative hydraulics and double-acting cylinders for maximum speed. Plus, you’ll get fast wing action with an easy-to-use hand-held controller.
Heavy-Duty Municipal Work
What it entails:
- Long stretches of roads
- Major streets, highways, and expressways
- Extra-large (stadiums-sized) parking lots
- Areas with deep snow/drifts
Top pick from SnowDogg:
Municipal Series | Reversible Snow Plows – SnowDogg’s municipal series plows are made from 10GA 304 stainless steel rolled moldboard, supported by 8 heavy-duty ribs for extra strength and rigidity. These plows have 4-position angles, adjustable from 5° to 20° with a reinforced bottom angle and a 1-piece cutting edge. They also feature SnowDogg’s trip edge mechanism for smooth and consistent plowing.
Top picks from Henderson®:
RSP | Reversible Snow Plow – From Henderson’s SNOWFOE® Series comes the RSP Reversible Snow Plow. State-of-the-art design allows the RSP to efficiently move snow and ice, while the unique moldboard curvature rolls material out of the way smoothly and quickly. The RSP’s design makes it virtually self-cleaning. There is less chance for back-up, and drifts are reduced so the driver’s vision isn’t obscured.
RSP-OC | Outboard Cylinder – A reversible snow plow, controlled by dual outboard cylinders. This trip edge plow offers outstanding quality and longevity, with 2 3” x 16” single-acting nitrided cylinders spanning 80” across the push frame. These plows can be outfitted with Henderson RSP options, such as cutting edges and moldboards.
RSP-ST | Slotted Trip – Henderson’s slotted trip reversible snow plow is designed with a much flatter cutting edge angle, creating a clean path at higher speeds. It has a shear-pin operation which allows for the moldboard to pivot ahead of vertical, so that the cutting edge can ramp up and over larger obstacles. It can be pinned in 5 positions – from a flat 35° from vertical to 32°, 29°, 25 1/2° and 22 1/2°.
RSP-FLEX | Flexible Moldboard – Molded from sturdy, yet flexible moldboard, the RSP-FLEX is available as a large open face push plow, a funneled one-way plow (flex right or left), or even a tight curled reversible snow plow! It offers a torsion spring-trip edge, curb guards, and heavy-duty flexing arms – all on a steel mounting frame.
SD LEVELING WING | Severe Duty – Henderson’s The SD Severe Duty Leveling Wing works with their SNOWFOE plows, MuniBodies, and sand & salt spreaders. It removes or “benches back” heavy snow. The wings are made of formed 7-gauge steel moldboard for increased wear and strength with continuous welds. Nitrided hydraulic piston rods ensure easy operation.
Need More Details About Municipal Snow Plows?
Semi Service has them. We have many options for upfitting your truck, including equipment snow removal professionals from top manufacturers including Western, Henderson, and Buyers. Contact one of our representatives today, and we’ll design a package to fit your needs.
Contact us online or give us a call at (801) 895-4419 to get started today!