How long do work trucks last

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Aug 12, 2015
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Location
Central NY
I always see people that trade in their 2-3 year old HD plow trucks and makes me wonder how long my truck would last before a major failure.

2018 Toyota Tacoma currently 25k miles. “Bulletproof” 2.7 4cyl 4x4. Max tow rating 3500lb(no trans cooler). Max payload rating 1500lb. It’s not uncommon for me to have 1500-2000lb (sometimes 2500) payload occasionally or towing 2500-3000lb. I am not hauling every day. I would guess 15 times a year on average. Rest of the use is unloaded. Thinking about adding a light duty plow to do two 8-car parking lots. But I can always buy a nice snow blower for the same price.

Would it be unreasonable to think this truck can serve me well for the next 6-7 years, possibly more? I rather not buy a new truck to get dented up like this one already is. At the same time I don’t really care to see a major failure on the truck.
 
I find that trading in work trucks early is often a function of having maximum reliability to made sure your business has a good reputation. Snow ploughs need to be functioning properly or else the client will just call someone else. Also, some business owners want good looking vehicles so they can convince their clients that their service is “ better” than the competitors. Also, I would think having a snow blade mounted is tough on the front suspension so maybe they are trying to avoid front end rebuild expenses.

This is different from what your personal vehicle strategy should be. As long as you are willing to replace a few bolt-on parts, 10 - 15 years and 150,000 miles should be no problem, IMHO

I know others who trade their personal vehicle back in every three years so they “ can get a good trade-in value ”. That’s false economy in my opinion and really is just a lifestyle decision resulting in spending way more on new vehicles.
 
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Its all about how you treat the vehicle. If your going into drive while still rolling back or trying to plow quickly then the lifespan of certain components will decrease. But if you come to a stop before shifting or accelerate easily there is no reason why it cant last for a few hundred thousand miles in my opinion.
 
I always see people that trade in their 2-3 year old HD plow trucks and makes me wonder how long my truck would last before a major failure.
Taxes are a part why they only keep them a few years… they’re also very hard on their vehicles. Even with systems designed to absorb impacts, there’s still quite a bit of energy being transferred to the vehicle.

For what you’re wanting to do… I think absolute worst case you’ll be needing a transmission towards the end of that 6-7 year mark. If you’re not slamming it into gear while the wheels are still moving and trying to plow as quickly as you possibly can like a lot of plow trucks I see do, you’ll probably be fine.

 
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Guys who do plow work for clients run those large, heavy duty trucks because they are installing heavy duty, expensive commercial grade snow plows. Many thousands of dollars invested in the best ones because they need them to always work.

I don’t have a plow myself, but I looked into getting a truck and plow setup to do three driveways and possibly my own small lot in the future. Big dough. A light duty plow is going to get overwhelmed doing two parking lots. I don’t think the truck is the potential weak spot in that scenario, but the equipment.

If you are doing parking lots for a paying customer, your light duty plow might not be enough. It will take your plow longer than the guy with the pro setup, and your plow is going to need more maintenance more often, if not subject to outright failure in heavy use.

I observed this with my neighbor last year. He uses a half ton Chevy with a Hiniker plow. He was clearing our driveway and got most of it until the mount broke from the continuous flexing under the heavy snow load. He later told me that the mount was a light duty one that he repaired and strengthened since “it’s not made for doing as much plowing “ as he was doing.

The pros here run the stainless steel v-plows on one ton trucks.
 
Plow trucks do a take a beating. However an older one can be used and won't be any less reliable overall than a new one. The key to having a successful plowing business is less about the newness of your vehicle but more having another person who can back you up in a situation where your plow truck lets you down in a storm or having a 2nd plow truck to take over. A friend does it on side and uses a 10 year old plow truck and has a 40 year old backhoe in case :) that can plow like no tomorrow and used in excessive storms.

Plowing is a service and typically most customers want it done in a very timely fashion. The equipment is whatever.
 
Plow trucks do a take a beating. However an older one can be used and won't be any less reliable overall than a new one. The key to having a successful plowing business is less about the newness of your vehicle but more having another person who can back you up in a situation where your plow truck lets you down in a storm or having a 2nd plow truck to take over. A friend does it on side and uses a 10 year old plow truck and has a 40 year old backhoe in case :) that can plow like no tomorrow and used in excessive storms.

Plowing is a service and typically most customers want it done in a very timely fashion. The equipment is whatever.
I used to eat breakfast at the same table every morning in Canada. This guy in a Ram 2500 would be clearing the lot. I recall thinking he must not own that truck or realize shifting in/out of D/R that way is not good …
 
I'm not sure comparing your 4 cyl Tacoma to a HD truck can give you any insight. They are typically used in much harsher environments. A good example is a nice deck over trailer weighs what your max tow capacity is. It would be like me taking on a 24" oak with my 14" chainsaw.
My town typically buys a new truck every 5-6 years, although the main plow trucks are all multi-axle dumps.

An 8 place parking area seems light duty enough. I plow that out with my tractor every snow at home, but also clear out back where I process wood. If I didn't, I would probably just snow blow the front. Given the cost and time to set up a light duty plow on a light duty truck, I would just buy a nice snowblower. On top of that, when your friends and family find out you have a plow, you will likely end up plowing more than that one spot and the wear & tear will increase.
 
I'm not sure comparing your 4 cyl Tacoma to a HD truck can give you any insight. They are typically used in much harsher environments. A good example is a nice deck over trailer weighs what your max tow capacity is. It would be like me taking on a 24" oak with my 14" chainsaw.
My town typically buys a new truck every 5-6 years, although the main plow trucks are all multi-axle dumps.

An 8 place parking area seems light duty enough. I plow that out with my tractor every snow at home, but also clear out back where I process wood. If I didn't, I would probably just snow blow the front. Given the cost and time to set up a light duty plow on a light duty truck, I would just buy a nice snowblower. On top of that, when your friends and family find out you have a plow, you will likely end up plowing more than that one spot and the wear & tear will increase.
Yep - first time in decades I don’t have a pickup - then, magically my two sons went from car/SUV to 1500 4WD😷
 
Plow trucks take a beating more so than work trucks that just carry tools and materials. And if you have a salt spreader on a plow truck then it takes even more of a beating as far as rusting.

Not uncommon to see used trucks for sale with a comment "never plowed" so the buyer can be confident the truck did not take a beating being used to plow snow (assuming the seller was truthful).
 
If you're not in a hurry, (with only a few customers, you shouldn't be) then I'd think your current truck would be fine with medium duty plow. I'm sure you could bend your truck frame up too if you forget a curb at high speed.
My buddy plows for dozens of customers with older RAM diesels, a 3500 and a 2500, and all that weight is hard on the front ends, and one of the front drivetrains seems to need a universal joint or something every year. He has the two both with plows for a back up.

I'd go on a Tacoma forum and find out the weak spots for plowing as well.
 
Donald is right, plowing snow is really hard on a truck, particularly a truck that was never intended for the duty, like a Tacoma. Back in the part of Pa we're from there were two kinds of plow trucks, the newer good looking HD trucks taking care of business lots and the beat to snot trucks doing residential driveways and such. All the backing up and turning with the weight hanging off the front is really hard on the suspension and drivetrain. Just because someone makes a plow to fit a truck doesn't mean it's a good idea. When people find out you're plowing snow you'll get more requests.

Between overloading the truck and adding snow plowing the OP's question if the truck will last 6-7 more years without a big repair is a dice roll.
 
The 1996 Tacoma shop truck we had at the radiator shop is now my old bosses daily driver. It got beat on by everyone. I changed it's oil when I had time with the cheapest oil availabili. Currantly has 460 k on it.
 
I always see people that trade in their 2-3 year old HD plow trucks and makes me wonder how long my truck would last before a major failure.

2018 Toyota Tacoma currently 25k miles. “Bulletproof” 2.7 4cyl 4x4. Max tow rating 3500lb(no trans cooler). Max payload rating 1500lb. It’s not uncommon for me to have 1500-2000lb (sometimes 2500) payload occasionally or towing 2500-3000lb. I am not hauling every day. I would guess 15 times a year on average. Rest of the use is unloaded. Thinking about adding a light duty plow to do two 8-car parking lots. But I can always buy a nice snow blower for the same price.

Would it be unreasonable to think this truck can serve me well for the next 6-7 years, possibly more? I rather not buy a new truck to get dented up like this one already is. At the same time I don’t really care to see a major failure on the truck.

They dont so much have major failures as they do simply wear everything out prematurely.
Especially chevies with their IFS our 2500 eats shocks and bushings like a puppy on the sunday times.

The taco isnt a great plough platform. You'll wear the front end out in no time.

If I were moving snow for a living Id buy a skid steer with a blower, pusher box and blade for the lots and a big ariens track unit for sidewalks.

With a taco you cant even tow that to the site.
 
If you're not in a hurry, (with only a few customers, you shouldn't be) then I'd think your current truck would be fine with medium duty plow. I'm sure you could bend your truck frame up too if you forget a curb at high speed.
My buddy plows for dozens of customers with older RAM diesels, a 3500 and a 2500, and all that weight is hard on the front ends, and one of the front drivetrains seems to need a universal joint or something every year. He has the two both with plows for a back up.

I'd go on a Tacoma forum and find out the weak spots for plowing as well.

Just two personal 8 car lots and a long single car driveway. Can be plowed at my own leisure, not enough to be worthy of an HD plow set up. Snow has been light in the area for the past 3 years all seems to hit 5 miles north or 5 miles south averaging about 6”. I think I may have only used the blower 3 times last season. But the blower is getting old and starting to need work every time I use it.

$2000 can get a nice 32” Toro blower, which is about the same as a Meyers Home Plow set up. $2k sure I’ll take my chances. Most of the better plows are 3k+ And I can’t justify it if the 4cyl won’t have enough power to push snow.

But according to the Tacoma forums I should just buy a $2500 beater plow truck and keep the Tacoma nice. Seems like a majority there buy them as lifestyle vehicles and not for work.
 
I always see people that trade in their 2-3 year old HD plow trucks and makes me wonder how long my truck would last before a major failure.

2018 Toyota Tacoma currently 25k miles. “Bulletproof” 2.7 4cyl 4x4. Max tow rating 3500lb(no trans cooler). Max payload rating 1500lb. It’s not uncommon for me to have 1500-2000lb (sometimes 2500) payload occasionally or towing 2500-3000lb. I am not hauling every day. I would guess 15 times a year on average. Rest of the use is unloaded. Thinking about adding a light duty plow to do two 8-car parking lots. But I can always buy a nice snow blower for the same price.

Would it be unreasonable to think this truck can serve me well for the next 6-7 years, possibly more? I rather not buy a new truck to get dented up like this one already is. At the same time I don’t really care to see a major failure on the truck.

My FIL has bought a few used trucks that had plow use for a few years. He bought them used and put them into commercial duty. More specifically these are Ford F250 Super Duty trucks.

The primary issues he has run into consistency are cab and bed mounting points Some have developed bed rust but not a big deal. Typical duty is hauling 55 gallon drums of oil, 8 of them... So a decent amount of weight in severe service and bad terrain. With service, the engines and transmissions have been fine.

The trucks like this (a couple of them at this point) went from cold weather service to Caribbean climate, which is very wet and warm. Ive not seen a single one rust out around the cab or the fenders like you see trucks in the NE do... They tend to last >>150k miles before they get sold and continued in service with others...
 
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