How to Lift a Snowplow (And Keep it Level)

If you’re looking for some tips and instructions on how to keep your snowplow level while you lift it, you’ve come to the right place.

First, watch this short video (3:29), in which we show you the WRONG way to do it:

Notice how lopsided the plow is in the fully angled position?

Now watch this even shorter video (2:03) in which we demonstrate the RIGHT way (or at least a much better way) to lift the plow.

What a difference extending the lift arm makes! The only thing that changed from the first video (poor level lifting performance) to the second video (excellent level lifting performance) was the position of the lift arm relative to the center of mass of the plow. That’s it.

This next video is for serious snow fighters only. (Note: The video can detect whether or not you own a pair of steel toed boots, and will most likely send you to a Miley Cyrus video if it detects something it doesn’t like. You have been warned.)

Why do we recommend the single-chain lift method as opposed to the dual-chain lift method? It certainly isn’t the level lifting performance. As you can see, there’s virtually no difference in how the two different chain setups performed. However, that’s in part because we counted the number of links on both chains to ensure that each side had the same number of links as the other, and therein lies the rub. We’re not going to name any names, but we’ve seen *plenty* of examples of end users who have not taken the time to ensure that their dual-chain arrangement is balanced and symmetrical, and who have subsequently over-stressed one of the chains to its failure point. Which is a long-winded way of saying they broke their lift chains because the dual-chain set-up allows the operator to get it wrong. We realize that none of YOUR operators would do this, but rest assured that some do.

Point: You’re far better off to go with a single lift-point so the operator (again, not yours) doesn’t have the opportunity to get it wrong.

So there’s your free lesson of the week, everyone. Drive safe, and Henke on!