There’s still one small mound of snow left on the lawn that hasn’t melted away from the big storm a few weeks ago. And a lot of trees in town still have hanging limbs with arborists climbing up to cut them down, while every truck, including mine, is being put into service hauling fallen branches and debris to the landscape recycling center.
So it was a relief to see this factory snowplow package truck in the junkyard last week, obviously nobody would get rid of a plow truck if they thought it would snow again, right?
Plow trucks of the pickup variety are not something I was familiar with when younger, for the simple reason that it’s not something you see in most of Southern California and even in the mountains they’re usually done with their job before one wakes up to go skiing for the day.
Of course since moving to Colorado pickups with plow blades on the front are a common sight in the winter and I was aware that one could spec a “Plow Prep Package” from the factory. I didn’t realize though that you could actually purchase the whole kit and kaboodle including the actual snow plow blade all set up and ready to go, or at least you could back in the 1970s, when this particular truck was built and marketed by Dodge as the “Sno-Fiter”.
I love the American style of butchering language and words for no particular reason beyond marketing, although it doesn’t make learning the language any easier. The Germans for example would never stand for doing that with their words, they’d just find three more to string together until the resulting word wrapped all the way around the truck and probably started a second line as well after a well placed hyphen (which also features here, I might add).
Dodge offered the Sno-Fiter package for several years both on the 100 and 200 series of trucks, and then in later years morphed it into a Sno-Commander package which sounds even more impressive.
It turns out that you could get the package either as just a prep package or all-inclusive including a big yellow Meyer plow blade. It’s too bad the blade didn’t make it to the yard with the truck though, a big yellow slab of metal always makes for a good visual. From what I could find out it came with extra headlamps to shine over the plow blade, snow tires, a beefier front suspension to support the blade and hydraulics and the cab marker lights up top. Also a heavier duty cooling package and a larger clutch plate (or tranny cooler if an automatic) along with 70amp battery, and hood release inside the cab. The side stripes were optional but make the truck in my opinion. It just wouldn’t be a Sno-Fiter without the label.
The engine in this particular truck, which was built in Warren, Michigan, is a 360 V8 producing 180hp, but various engines were available, the 318 is to my surprise not that uncommon in these. I would have thought the more brawn the better but maybe it was enough. In fact the W200 was even available with the slant six, though I’m not sure about with this package. W200’s in ’74 could also be had with the 383, 400, and 440. Axles were from Dana and the ratio with the 360 at least was 4.10:1
In the 1970’s, people that purchased trucks were so brawny that they didn’t need seats! Nothing put hair on your chest like sitting on a milk crate that you brought with you to work the overnight shift. Okay, never mind that, this one has obviously had its seat removed and large chunks of the dash as well. Still, there were not many creature comforts here even when complete and new. Just black vinyl and plastic and a lot of sheetmetal.
The seat being gone though does demonstrate how much room there was in even a regular cab full size pickup truck back then.
You’ve got your switches for the lights, and for the cargo light, and also for the auxiliary headlamps. Let there be light, indeed. The two rods without knobs are what controlled the plow blade, they would have been little light yellow ball-style knobs. That’s most of your electronics, the “infotainment” of the day (or night). The pedals were painted body color as I noticed when looking at images of some other ones where those of a red truck (they weren’t all blue but that seemed most popular) stood out.
And there’s your four-speed shifter as well as the selector for the transfer case.
And of course that all-important accessory of the 1970’s, a CB radio, here a Boman CB-910 to get your ears on, good buddy.
There’s no fight like a Sno-Fite, but with the Dodge W200 Sno-Fiter you probably had a good chance of staying on top of the battle!
Wow; what a find.
Creating these “butchered” names was done all or in part to be able to get a service or trade mark on them. You can’t exactly get a service mark on “Snow Fighter”. A long tradition. Krispy Kreme, anyone? 🙂
As to engine power, as you know snow plowing is done in Low Range, at very slow speeds, so even a slant six can generate enough torque to be multiplied so many times to do the job. The limiting factor is always going to be the traction of the tires. A 440 would require a very delicate throttle.
Good find Jim. Ford produced a Snow Fighter (Sno maybe?) package as well in the ’70’s. The main ingredient was the high pinion Dana 60 front axle to replace the HP Dana 44. These have become very valuable, almost ridiculously so due to the unique configuration of the springs and frame width on the 1978 and 1979 F250’s. They are popular for the Cummins conversion trucks.
I believe it also carried the higher output alternator, transmission cooler and heavier rate springs.
I’ve spent many hours behind a 6.9 Ford diesel with a 9 foot Western plow and can confirm that a lack of engine power isn’t a big issue when plowing. Careful use of the throttle is important as is gear selection, particularly with a 4 speed as the subject truck has and the Ford Diesel I operated also had.
The first non-highway plow truck that I have distinct memories of was from one of our few family trips “to the snow”, as everyone called it, when I was about six years old. I was woken up about 5 or 6 in the morning by a racket in the parking lot right outside our motel room near Donner Lake in the Sierra’s. I went to peer out the window, and there was a flat-fendered Jeep plowing the lot. I suspect that was pretty common in those days. Nowadays it’s almost all diesel pickups, though about 25 years ago I met a Tahoe resident who had a plow attachment on the front of his 80 Series Toyota Land Cruiser.
Looks like a response to IH’s line of Sno-Stars.
Here is a Scout version but they also offered it on the pickups.
https://barnfinds.com/rare-factory-snow-plow-1971-ih-scout-sno-star-edition/
Note you had no color choice on the IH’s they were all yellow, presumably to be better seen and those stripes were reflective too, again to improve visibility.
My ‘15 RAM 2500 4×4 (5.7 hemi, standard cab long bed) has the Snow Chief package, which includes:
Transfer Case Skid Plate
220-Amp Alternator
Anti-Spin Diff rear Axle
Instrument Panel Mounted Auxiliary Switches
Clearance Lamps
LT275/70R18E On/Off Road Tires
The front coil springs are stiffer, too. The stock tires were a joke – would spin on wet grass.
I bought it “new” and untitled with a hefty discount and about 700 miles on it from a dealer in Chicago that used it for one season to plow all their lots. Plow was not included when I bought it and I’ve never plowed with it, but folks on the forum say my configuration works well, albeit better with a 4.10 rear axle than my standard 3.73.
In the late ’80s, Dodge wouldn’t combine the snow-plow package with the Cummins diesel, as the combination of the engine’s weight, the plow’s weight, and whatever forces were at work was too much for any front axle available. At the time, the largest V8 was the 360. It might have even been standard with the 3/4-ton snow plow package. The 440s weighed more than the LA 318s and 360s, but significantly less than the Cummins 6BT, so I don’t know if 400s or 440s were used with plows or not. It is possible that plow customers were encouraged to select one of the LA V8s instead though,
For many years only Dodge offered big block 400 and 440 engines in their 4X4 trucks. The largest engine available in Chevy/GMC 4X4’s was the 400 Small Block, and Ford the FE360 up to 1976 and the 400M after. The 1970’s era Dodge W’s were tough trucks, but they had an Achille’s heel in the Dana 44FBJ front axle. Not that the Dana 44 differential was all that weak, but the axle had unitized ball bearing wheel hubs which wore out fast and were difficult to replace. There was a hidden zerk fittings to grease the bearings but you had to remove the wheels to access them.
Memories of winter in Wisconsin. Our primary plows for large areas were 5 yd. dump trucks with plows. Pickups were used around margins, poles, high risk areas (like around fuel pumps) or hard to get at areas. Pickup plows had to back up a lot to clean up after the dump plows. We liked to draw an automatic equipped truck because they were so much faster in reverse.
The economics of private contractor snow removal were highly biased in favor of speed. Being able to clear lots fast let you take on more contracts. Even cheapskate buyers usually sprung for automatics if they were serious about making money plowing.
I worked for an excavating company. Snow removal became a seasonal sideline after most equipment was in place. Only our newer units had automatics. I’m surprised a factory designed snow removal vehicle would offer a manual since they could be so much slower in removing snow.
I’m not surprised that they offered it with a manual, like always that gave them a lower advertised price and it is the consumers fault if they are too cheap to spring for the automatic which is better suited to this application. Not only because the auto can be quicker and easier to modulate the power output, but because I’m betting a clutch has a much shorter service life in a plow truck.
My guess, for this truck’s transmission choice, is a bias towards manual transmissions for heavy duty use. There’s plenty of oldsters who were convinced high stress service like towing required a manual.
I agree on the need for speed for plowing. My contracting firm operated Ford diesel/automatic F350s driven as fast as they would go. Big parking lots would be plowed at 25 mph or more whenever possible, and the need to vary speed quickly and easily in response to conditions made low- power trucks and manual transmissions impractical. These lots had to be cleared fast to restore the client’s commercial operations
The granny gears used in all trucks like this one meant that you had no business driving if the clutch burnt out before the engine needed to be rebuilt.
Agreed! With low in the transmission and low range in the transfer case, you certainly shouldn’t need any more gear reduction, especially with 4.10 or 4.56 axle gears. There would never be a need for deliberate clutch slipping. Clutches used properly rarely need replacing in normal use (including snow plowing and trailer pulling.)
Notice the second Saginaw power steering pump mounted high behind the radiator to run the hydraulic plow controls? Have to give Dodge credit, when they put a package like this together it was complete.
The Walter company built Snow Fighters in New York starting in 1929. Sno Fiter sounds pretty close to trademark infringement.
I remember these. At the time they were great for fighting “sno” (so long as they would start in cold wet weather) but not so great at fighting the salt that usually accompanied the sno.
I don’t plow commercially, but around our little farmstead, we plow a lot and under often miserable conditions. I’ve never had an automatic in any of my own trucks, and I think I have more control and finesse with my standards. At one job I had for several years, we plowed a school campus with an F350 with an automatic. Faster, yes. Ability to deal with varying traction conditions and tight quarters, not so good, as one of my co-workers found out when he was trying to maintain momentum (you can’t “lug” an automatic to minimize wheel slip) and managed to bend both the trip edge and the mold board of a 9 foot commercial grade Fisher plow! Nope, I’ll keep my standards (so I’ll never buy a late model truck, either.)
On many Ford transmissions you can “lug” it by starting/holding it in 2nd. On the newer ones with more gears you can even start/hold in 3rd.
This is the snowblower (snoblower?) I inherited from my grandma…I think I’d rather have the Dodge!
You could even get a factory snow plow package on the first gen 4×4 Ford Ranger in ’83. Only with the 2.8V6
A neat old truck, looks really used up .
I remember plenty of 6 cylinder plow rigs in New England , they went fine, no lack of power .
The trick was to see if you’d bend the frame or it’d rust out first .
-Nate
Me, too. Ford 300 c.i. sixes were great, but we had a ’60’s W250 Dodge with the 225 slant six that could keep up with ‘most anything.
Cool truck, the shabby 70s graphics package and patina oozes character, when new in the B5 blue and that strobe stripe would have been the perfect rugged companion to an AAR Cuda kept in the garage/barn in the winter. I normally hate seeing old vehicles that survived well past their normal scrap date end up in junkyards NOW, but this is one of those exceptions where it sits almost proudly, having an extra long life of hard service, put out to pasture. When I was a kid we had a neighbor with a plow pickup who’d do driveways for a few bucks, those were the only times I recall seeing regular pickups in at sort of action, but often come across them, I even almost bought an old dentside F250 plow truck that seemed like a fun covid project/side hustle but came to my senses.
Jim: How about: “Schneekampf- und Pflugmaschine”
No, wait, that’s only 25 letters. Way too short.
I love this truck, it looks like it fell out of 1976, CB radio and all. In 1975 (or 76) our church bought a Sno-Fiter for the parochial school and church buildings, but I believe it was the W-100 model, not this beast.
The parish school’s maintenance man was a steelworker who worked on the church’s buildings when he wasn’t in the mills. I remember him whipping that truck around like a sprint car when we got a substantial snow.
I’ve seen a lot of snow plow trucks, but I’ve never seen one like that with the grated mesh guards for the headlights/grill and back window. Must be a regional thing.
Drum front brakes. When did Dodge go with front discs on pickups? My ’71 C10 had them.
That time period was right about when disc brakes were being adopted by the domestic car makers. My father’s 1974 Mercury Montego had disc brakes for sure, as they were the first ones I’d ever worked on. My 1972 Olds 442 still had drum brakes in front. Same with several of my other friends’ GM A-bodies from about that period.
Was your C10 heavily optioned?
No options base fleet model, not even rear bumper or spare wheel. Interesting about the 442. Grandma’s ’72 Buick Skylark (not a GS) had front discs.
Wow! Love seeing photos of these in any condition. Somehow, my family owned one and it’s the only car that didn’t get the ceremonial pictures when bought and sold.
My Dad had a 1975 100 version back in the early 90s. He is the ‘fix anything’ guy and probably wanted to experience/maintain the famous slant six himself, plus save on plowing service costs. Some good friends just bought a big house/farm/piece of land nearby, but weren’t capable of keeping the truck going. They wanted to just pay for plowing and sold it to my Dad for $500.
He kept it running and safe and it served well for a number of winters. And a summer…He hit a deer with his regular truck and while it was in the shop for like a month we drove that truck all over the place. My summer day camp was a half hour away and I remember vividly making that trip in the sno-fiter many times. The roar of the tires and the particular vinyl/rust/fumes smell. My favorite was to watch the flakes of rust fall off the door every time you slammed it. In hindsight, I can’t believe my Mom let us make that trip daily.
We moved to a warmer climate and I think he sold it for the same $500 he paid for it before the move. The plow service savings easily paid for that truck, plus he went out of his way to make piles for me to sled down or make igloos out of. If it attached as intended, that’s the only extant picture of our sno-fiter, costarring a younger me!
Hi Jim, I would be interested in knowing the salvage yard you found this Snow Fitter in.I am in dire need of a high hump transmission cover.
Hi Jon, this one was at Andersen’s Salvage in Greeley, CO, but that was back in April, it was crushed sometime around late May as I recall. It got even more picked over after I saw it (and took these pix), seems like lots of parts got a chance to help someone else. Sorry you missed it.
So I’ll share this. My buddy found a all origanal snow fiter with the origanal Myers’s plow still on it. I’m goin this fall to bring it home 6hrs from my home town. I can’t wait!! I have a 04 crew long box that I’m gonna paint the same colors as a tribute truck and I’ll use it as a plow truck. I can’t wait to have the ol girl home and safe from the scrap yard!!