anybody running drilled or slotted rotors? any problems with them?( i heard some guys mentioning that they may shatter?? How do they perform and are they worth it. I have stock rotors and it seems after plowing for awhile the brakes start to lose their stopping ability. For having four wheel disc brakes i think the truck would stop much better.
Any input would be appreciated...
-Kyle
ill state the obvious-- dont take that offensively as with any plower and truck, stopping constantly makes the brakes hot, and in turn brake fading occurs
i know that... thats why im asking if drilled or slotted rotors will help or is it just a waste of money

I just won a meyer plow setup off a dodge on ebay. It uses the old rod style controls. I need to see how it all mounts up in the dash and underhood if anyone could help me out. The stuff is already off the truck so I have nothing to look at when putting it on my '79 W150. Thanks, Phillip
I have an older snow commander set up on my truck, I’ll get some pictures in the morning.
I hope you asked the seller what shape the hyd pump is in as You can not find them anywhere. It's a great system if the pump is in good working order.I've had 1 rust holes in it and another the bearing went out on it.
Brent
I hope you asked the seller what shape the hyd pump is in as You can not find them anywhere. It's a great system if the pump is in good working order.I've had 1 rust holes in it and another the bearing went out on it.
Brent He said he was told it works.
I got the 7.5' meyer plow, dodge truck mount, and hydraulics all for just under $170. How can I go wrong??????
Do you guys know of any particular weaknesses or tricks to these systems?
Thanks rodhall, that'd be great -Phillip
Finding parts for the pump, and control valving are the hardest things to do, but if you know a good machine shop they can make you what you need.
Resivor
I had to shim mine out away from the fender. this is on a 86 truck they have the long hood hinges and would of hit the Resivor
Hydraulic Controller
(here again you have to drill 3 holes into the fire wall 2 for the rods and 1 for the light wiring. i still dont have the lights wired up for this truck yet)
Pump
With it in this location it uses a 51 inch belt

Controls in side the cab
the mounting plate and knobs were missing to this plow so i fab some up from 1/8 plate and 2 knobs off a lawn mower.
There are lots more strong points to these plow set-ups then most want to admit too
* Lines only cost $24-26
* Maitainace =check lines for cracks / leaks replace fluid Adjust the belt yearly
* If a line does brake it a 20 minuet fix
Finding parts for the pump, and control valving are the hardest things to do, but if you know a good machine shop they can make you what you need.
Resivor
I had to shim mine out away from the fender. this is on a 86 truck they have the long hood hinges and would of hit the Resivor
Hydraulic Controller
(here again you have to drill 3 holes into the fire wall 2 for the rods and 1 for the light wiring. i still dont have the lights wired up for this truck yet)
Pump
With it in this location it uses a 51 inch belt

Controls in side the cab
the mounting plate and knobs were missing to this plow so i fab some up from 1/8 plate and 2 knobs off a lawn mower.
There are lots more strong points to these plow set-ups then most want to admit too
* Lines only cost $24-26
* Maitainace =check lines for cracks / leaks replace fluid Adjust the belt yearly
* If a line does brake it a 20 minuet fix Thanks, That's a big help. Where is your PS pump located? Thanks, Phillip
my pump is (was) located top center. on my sno commander.
The valve body was mounted on the left fender well close to the fire wall. The two control rods can pass through the fire wall to the inside of the cab the controls are located to the left of the steering wheel on the lower part of the dash. Two holes are needed for them to go thought. The res is also on the left fender.
Thats where the union worker mounted it...:waving:
I would take a pic for you but I removed all of that stuff. The valve body is unreliable. I machined a new block for the bypass and that worked good, I sold it last year to a guy needing one.
I was tired of trinketing with it all the time . SO I installed a Western power unit.
my pump is (was) located top center. on my sno commander.
The valve body was mounted on the left fender well close to the fire wall. The two control rods can pass through the fire wall to the inside of the cab the controls are located to the left of the steering wheel on the lower part of the dash. Two holes are needed for them to go thought. The res is also on the left fender.
Thats where the union worker mounted it...:waving:
I would take a pic for you but I removed all of that stuff. The valve body is unreliable. I machined a new block for the bypass and that worked good, I sold it last year to a guy needing one.
I was tired of trinketing with it all the time . SO I installed a Western power unit. Thanks, union member. :rolleyes:
-ex union member (phillip):waving:
Thanks, union member. :rolleyes:
-ex union member (phillip):waving: LOL:drinkup:
I'll be an ex member to :D Offed early retirement..( down seizings, cut backs, buy out)
And I said, H@!! YES!!! I'll be done, Aug 1st. After 24 years. My summer job of playing heavy equipment operator/ Foreman// and any thing else that may need to be done in real life. lol...
Thanks, That's a big help. Where is your PS pump located? Thanks, Phillip Under the plow pump.
I’ll get pics of the P/S pump tomorrow
The plow pump is mounted where the smog or air pump normally would be mounted on the 80’s trucks.
Under the plow pump.
I’ll get pics of the P/S pump tomorrow
The plow pump is mounted where the smog or air pump normally would be mounted on the 80’s trucks. O.k.
Off of what year truck did the plow pump come off of?
On the 70's trucks the plow pump is top center and the power steering pump is on the lower right, no smog pump lol
Here is the pump location on a 79
here is one more pic.
There are more pics of this set up in the non-commercial forum IE<1975 power wagon control
My truck is a '79 with a transplanted 360. It was originally a slant 6. My P/S pump is low on the right, alt is high left, and the only other pullys are water pump and crankshaft, although I plan to add an A/C compressor since the '93 cab is set up for it. -Phillip
Bad picture but under the plow pump you can see the P/S pump pulley
P/S pulley
Your alt looks like it is in the right place the A/C goes on top like in this pic
O.k.
Off of what year truck did the plow pump come off of?
On the 70's trucks the plow pump is top center and the power steering pump is on the lower right, no smog pump lol
Here is the pump location on a 79 Umm in those 2 pictures it shows the plow pump in the lower left hand side of the motor (first pic you can see frame rail and motor mount) (second pic confirms this if you fallow the feed line out of the reservoir down to the pump)( Second picture you can see a smog/Air pump)
My plow is off a 77-8 sno-commander
Uhhhmmmm,:rolleyes: You know there was "is" more than one configuration?
On my 74' sno-commander, no air, no smog, on the 318 Eng, the plow pump was located at top center. The pic posted is of the another location that was mentioned...
On the 70's trucks the plow pump is top center and the power steering pump is on the lower right, no smog pump lol
Here is the pump location on a 79 Sorry I misunderstood ya ( I took it that plow pump was top center location like you said)
Uhhhmmmm, You know there was "is" more than one configuration?
On my 74' sno-commander, no air, no smog, on the 318 Eng, the plow pump was located at top center. The pic posted is of the another location that was mentioned... They did use 3 different locations
Lower left, upper left and top center. still only one was used with A/C
If he puts the plow pump in the upper left he can still ad his air at later date when he wants to, without having to find a new place to mount his plow pump. This also saves from finding or getting new longer P/S pump lines made.
The only thing I can’t make out (on his picture) is if he has the 2 groove water pump and 4 crank pulleys. That are needed to run the 2 back belts for the Water pump – air – alt. 3rd belt runs the P/S pump and front belt runs the plow pump. If it doesn’t have 2 belts for the air when he the compressor kicks on it shreds a single belt.
I have a 3 groove crank pulley and a 1 groove water pump pulley. It looks like I can put another belt in the back groove of the crank pulley which is unused and run it over to the plow pump if I mount it above the P/S pump. Agree????
Also, what is the screw with the lock nut on the side of the valve block......on the part that snofarmer had machined, then gave/sold to the guy with the '75 power wagon???? A Bypass??? What is that? Thanks, Phillip

Yesterday was the first day i got to plow with the dodge that i just bought. It ran nice all day until i got to a red light. When the light turned green i went to go and the RPM's flew up to 3100 and it started to move but i could not get it into 2nd gear. Ever since then it wont go above first. WHAT HAPPENED. Please help me.
hello thanks for joining the dodge bad trans club mine did the same thing 2000.00 later and it fixed :realmad:
Sounds like every other tranny problem Dodge has. Check the truck repair forum; someone had the same problem. Check what it does with the overdrive on and off. Good luck with the fix!
on the 96? is it your first one? how Meany Miles?:dizzy:
Thats good all most 9yr for a tranny of that vintage.on a plow truck.
I replaced the one in my 98 at 63k. and the one in the 01 at 61k.
Welcome to the Bad Tranny club:waving:
Mostly likely a blown tranny-, but it could just be a Govenor solenoid.. but not likely. Before you go get a reman or a have it rebuilt. Check Ebay under tranmission -i was looking the other day and saw you could get a pretty good after market remand tranny for like 800$+shipping and most transmission shops would do a sawp for the 2-300 hundred bucks. might be the cheapest option.. after you get it fixed have the fluid changed like every 500-1000 miles.
it just hit 135,000 when trans went south:crying:
hello thanks for joining the dodge bad trans club mine did the same thing 2000.00 later and it fixed :realmad: LOL Serioulsly Man i know it!! I think everyones has gone. My 02 went at 46,000 mi. but mine cost 105.00 To fix----(under the powertrain warrenty). Next time it goes im going to have a custom DTT Trans from mass diesel installed that will be made for plowing and power upgrades.
i put an upgrade kit on it cost about400.00 buck but it has saved me a lot of money i can cool down trans and dont have to have it in gear :nod: :rolleyes:i could take some pics of it and post for you guy if you like :drinkup:
i put an upgrade kit on it cost about400.00 buck but it has saved me a lot of money i can cool down trans and dont have to have it in gear :nod: :rolleyes:i could take some pics of it and post for you guy if you like :drinkup: please do. is your 1 ton a Cummins or gasser?
:crying: i wish it was cummins but it is a gasser and let me tell you it drinks the gas i will get pic asap
it just hit 135,000 when trans went south:crying: Thats not bad for a plow truck. most go a lot sooner.
Well, it sounds like you blew the power to the tranny control.
I speak from experiance here!
The tranny is electrically controlled (47RE) and uses 2 solinoids to shift- when no power is sent to the solinoids the tranny goes into "limp mode"- which is 2nd gear only (direct drive gear reduction- no bands or clutched engaged) and no O/D.
This can be caused by many things- a bad solinoid, a blown fuseable link (under the hood in the relay box), a bad harness, or worse.
Here's what happened to mine- about 115K miles I was driving around a corner up a hill and all the lights in the dash came on- tranny shuddered and downshifted- rpm's soared. I pulled over popped the hood and looked for trouble- saw nothing. engine till running I crawled home- 2 mile away in 2nd gear. (the high rpm is because of the stall speed- in order to move the truck in 2nd gear from a stop)
I checked all the fuses and links- found the fuseable link was blown- bad sign- I figured it would not blow unless there was a reason. dealer only piece those links too.
got a new one Mon morning and ran a meter in line for current draw. Then smoke, smoke and more smoke under the hood.
Here's the damage- one of the spring retainers for a pressure pop-off valve in the valve body (tranny) snapped (common problem) causing shifting trouble- pressue related. The broken metal clip happened to land across the contacts for th main power feeds for the governor relay and shorted them blowing the fusable link. (creating limp mode- no pop-off valve also made it shift different than if it just lost the governor).
The short took out the govorner sol, the O/D sol, and burned- vaproized the signal pin in the connector from the tranny harness to the main harness. and started a fire in the harness.
Insurance co fought and failed to cover it- still working on fighting them. They replaced the solinoids, harness, pop-off spring and clip, and had to salvage a master wiring harness plug off another junk yard truck (in another state- couldn;t find one suitable around here) to splice in since the main harness is $1600 cost and factory order only (4-6 weeks delivery time) plus labor to change it.
Probabily NOT mechanical, but probabily a solinoid or in that circuit. CAN be expensive but not necessarily especially if you have a GOOD SHOP who actually knows Dodge trannys look at it first.
NOT LIKELY in need of a rebuild for this, not an upgrade kit, or anything else like that. It's a common CTD related problem and V10 related problem.
Check out Dodgeram.org discussion boards, and TDR discussion boards for more info.
Have that tranny pan dropped and looked at BEFORE you decide to replace the tranny.
the truck has about 139,000 on it so i guess i have to say thats not bad but all the truck was used for was a daily driver so i bought it to plow with it. The truck never had a problem shifting or no hard shifts. I just went. I have a hard time to believe that one min it working fine and the next its blown up from just sitting there.
The people you bought it from probably knew the tranny was slipping, that's why they dumped the truck.
I had a '95 1/2 with 153k on it when we put a new tranny in because it started slipping. Not all the time, but once in a while. It was a plow truck too, with an 8' Western.
Other than that, I've never had tranny troubles with my Dodges, but then again I usually don't keep a truck over 100k miles either.
Those 100k miles though, it's either got a trailer on the back or a plow on the front, soooo.... ?????
I was nice enough to rebuild the tranny before I sold the truck. Sounds to me like maybe you weren't so lucky.
Its a common problem with 94-01(02 2500) Rams. The tranny's would run great and then one day start having a bunch of issues. I was wondering, Does the Diesel Tranny's act the same way or have they been more reliable? My 02 1500 w/4.7 auto has about 92,000 miles on it and when I bought it she had 87k and had pulled a gooseneck trailer most its life. It shifts perfect and has no issues-knock on wood.
The diesel tranny is the major problem child in the Dodge line- up to 01 it was a 47RE, 01+ it is a 48RE which is better but just a beefed 47RE. It's the same as the V10 uses, but it's issue is it's mating to the diesel engine.
From what I have heard the newer trucks are very much improved in that area.
Well i took the truck last night for a drive and it shifted fine for the first few start ups and then it did the same thing again. When i drove it down to the shop today i went to back it into the spot and it would not go in reverse but then it finally did with a little force. Any ideas on the thing cause now I think i am lost.
did i mention that i just put a plow on this truck a month ago and this was the first time plowing with the truck when this all went down
Thanks for all the help but it turned out to be that the tranny was smoked so now i am trying to decide what i want to do. There are a couple of shops that will rebuild it for $1500 and give me a 6 month warranty and i could also get it rebuilt from another shop for $1850 and get a 1 year warranty. My last option is to go through dodge and get a rebuilt for $2150 and get a 3 year 36000 mile warranty. What would you do if you were in this situation. (Besides go and get a new truck)

First off i'm new here so I apologize is this is a repeated or dumb question...
Looking to buy a 1994-2001 (2nd Gen) Dodge Ram 1500 Extended Cab 4x4 5.2 liter pickup. Wondering if this is a decent truck to plow with or will it be a waste of my time to put a plow on it. I know you can pretty much plow with anything but I don't want to get the truck and then waste a few thousand on a plow that sucks to use on the truck. We get anywhere from 6-24" of snowfall in storms here so it would have to be able to handle at least 8".
Defintly a Good plow truck Not GREAT but Good. Keep the Tranny Fluid looking red. And nothing bigger than a 7.5 footer id say.
I wouldn't want to push 8" of New England snow with it- plow sooner. The ext cab weakens it a bit, and you'll need to beef the front suspension if you plan on plowing more than your own drive (torsion bars tweeked and/or timbrins)
Deffinatly watch the tranny as with any 1/2 ton truck.
Let me ask you this... what do you plan on plowing with it... Driveways, small lots, huge lots... What you plan on doing with it make a huge difference on the truck/plow combination.
you're not supposed to put a plow on a half-ton *quad cab* of that vintage. (I have one!). I'm not sure I understand exactly why, and what exactly the "risks" are. but I know I read somewhere that it has something to do with the extended cab, and lack of a "b" pillar makes stuff weaker. how much, I don't know.
go to fisher's website, (for example), and go through the process of "selecting" a plow. It won't let you choose "quad cab". it'll let you select a regular cab..but not quad. other manufacturers say the same thing: "no products available for this model..." later models (after '02, I believe) are approved, as are older "pre-quad-cab" models. (again, something to do with the 4 doors, and no center support between the front and back seats, puts additional stress on the frames. extended cabs with NO doors have this additional support).
I was going through my owner's manual recently to review what it says about plowing, and it doesn't speak to this directly; it says that you can only plow with models that had the plow prep package factory installed--it was not available on the quad cab models. (It also says that max recommended weight for the plow is 525lbs). OTOH, I have everything in the truck that the plow-prep package included, save the heavier springs. Its got the tow package, which includes the heavy duty service, transmission cooler and temp warning light, heaviest front axle gawr (3850lbs), heavy-duty alternator, etc. So really, I think it'll be fine for my personal driveway. I'm just not going into business with it.
so, keep that in mind when you're shopping.
i break all the rules - 1995 1500 extended 5.2 no problems whatsoever
( knock on wood) i sag about an inch or so i got a meyer ezmount plus on it too. i love it!
Appreciate the replys guys!
I should have mentioned that it would just be for my personal driveway, maybe some neighbor's driveways, and maybe my dads small parking lot at his shop. No streets or massive store parking lots.
JustMe-Haha, yea I definitely agree, but often snowfall rates in NE has been an inch or more per hour, so if I was at work/school for 6-8 hours by the time I get out there could already be 8" on the ground.
I know a few people who have put plows on these Rams (the small 1/2 ton truck and SUV plows) but I wasn't sure if it'd due any damage being longer in wheelbase or the 1500 model. I notice the smallest plow on Fisher site says Ram 1500 under "models" whereas the next size up (7'6" plow) says Ram 2500.
Anyways I haven't bought the truck yet, but I wanted a before hand answer on whether I could look into getting a plow with it. Since I won't be using it as a "money maker" I would rather still get the truck and just not put a plow on it.
Thanks again for the insight. Love this place for the great info and great pics of everyone's rigs. Some real nice equiptment.
There's a difference between "extended cab" and "quad cab". the quad has 4 doors, and apparently has structural differences. I think they started in '99. '02 and above CAN be had w/ plow prep, so they addressed the issue. pre-99 extended cabs may be ok, according to dodge. don't know.
Fisher does say that they have a 7'6" plow for 1500 dodge trucks that were equipped with the plow prep package, but its the "7'6" LD" model. (smaller height/lighter weight than the "RD" or "HD" models).
If you have not bought the truck yet, why not get a 3/4 ton? Then you will have answered your own Q..
Really? why not get the 2500??
what is the reason you want a 1500 over a 2500?
Ah, ok I got you. Yea I can see how the older pre '99 ext cabs could be a little more "rugged" since they have a defined B-piller. Since I haven't bought my truck i'll keep the ext cab vs. quad cab in mind. Great info, thanks.
It's not that I like 1500's more or anything, just that there are more 1500's for sale locally around here than 2500. So naturally I feel I can see a better selection to deal from. Also the 2500's seem to be a little more expensive than the 1500's. With my price range being under $8,000 I can locate alot more 1500's than 2500's with low miles. I'll keep my eyes peeled for some 2500's. Now that you mention it I wouldn't mind a 5.9 2500. Not really concerned with gas mileage or anything so the bigger the better.
Anyways thanks for the insight. I'll keep it all on my mind.
I have a 2001 Dodge Ram 1500 Quad Cab, 5.9L 360 engine. I have a BOSS 7'6" Standard Blade on it and a SnowEx 1075 on board also. I usually throw about 600-700 pounds in the back and I have had no problems. Plows very well.:salute:
A buddy has a mid-late 90's Dodge 1500 quad cab short bed 4x4 w/360, a/t, and a 6.5' Snoway Lexan w/down pressure. Truck does great. I havent yet determined why the moronic dealer (they really are morons for many other worse reasons than this) sold him a 6.5'... I would never let less than a 7' blade go on a half ton. I never paid attention, but I'm sure it can't cover his tracks well... I have a 79 Dodge Club Cab 1/2 ton long bed, yeah I'm running 37x12.50 Swampers not stock tires, but my Snoway 7.5' without the wings would barely cover its tracks, I think on the side of the leading edge of the plow I'm probably driving in snow. But with the Pro Wings its great the width is very nice! No problems at all....
I can KINDA see the point they make of not having any B pillars between the doors, but you think about it, a body is made of thin sheet metal and is fastened using loose fitting bolts with rubber mounts and rubber bushings.... do you really think that this cab will have any effect on the structure of the frame? I wouldn't put much stock in it... When the rear doors are shut its going to be about as strong anyway, the only time its stressed your door will be shut anyway...
Do as you wish, a quad cab will make a great plowtruck and the 318's are great motors, back in the 70's and 80's they were a very common and durable and reliable engine. They still are, just now in the horsepower wars they're not as common of a motor.. but it shouldn't have any trouble pushin snow. Do it! Try for a shortbed. I don't see many quad cab long bed 1500's but I would prefer a shortbed.
It's not just the body being weaker- the frame is longer because it's longer by the legnth of the quad/extra cab- longer frame means weaker.
There is also more weight forward over the front axle because of the weight distribution with the quad/extra cab configuration- THAT's the weakness they don;t want plows installed for, the B piller is secondary.
you won't get any better gas milage in a 1500 5.2 over a 2500 5.2- they both average the same pitiful 12-14mpg- just FYI.
Let me ask you this... what do you plan on plowing with it... Driveways, small lots, huge lots... What you plan on doing with it make a huge difference on the truck/plow combination. Frozen has the idea here, it's all about how hard you're planning on working your setup. If you're doing a bunch of driveways, I say you'll have no problem with that truck and a 7.5 plow. There are guys who have F350's and 9 footers who'll be out of business before you simply because they don't know how to drive or how to plow and will never admit it.
The other thing is engineers are always conservative on paper with their numbers and recommendations because they know it's human nature for people to exceed any given limitation. Whatever your setup ends up being, if you don't perform proper maintenance, and/or if you beat on your equipment, you'll be spending alot of time and money down at the plow shop.
Work smarter.......not harder.

I'm sure this has probably been asked before, so don't shoot me. I have a 99 2500 quad cab that has the hd service group and the plow prep. 5.9 How do the guys that use this truck like it and what kind of probs have you had. The reason I ask is I'm thinking about putting a plow on it for next season. I of course will keep the 78 for a third driver or as a backup truck.
I had a 99 1500 QC, and now I have a 04 2500 QC, and my buddy has a 98 1500 that he has plowed to death. I landscape in the summer hauling trailers and loading the beds up with materials, so even though I did not plow with my 1500 I have a few thoughts. I am not a kind person to my truck. I generally push the envelope, I am always late with my oil changes, but I do change the tranny oil and front and rear pumpkins. I have had to replace the power steering box 3 times, once on my 1500, twice on my 2500, and the A/C lines leaked on both, just a lot sooner with my 2500. I have also had to replace the transmission coolant lines on my 2500. EVEN with these issues, I love(d) both trucks. As my business grows so do the truck. I'll be getting a 3500 in a year and a half.
Your truck will do fine, just remember it is not a nimble little jeep, if you plan on doing Residential, buy a 7 1/2'. If commercial get the 8'. If doing both also I highly recommend getting a set of ProWings.
I have an 8' blade and a tailgate salter that both got beat up doing small residential drives on one lane roads. The truck just absolutely loves plowing lots and eats them alive.
Again your truck will plow great, but it is big and you will want to change the tranny and 4X4 fluids. Hope this helps, look at my early posts to see some picts.
I'm sure this has probably been asked before, so don't shoot me. I have a 99 2500 quad cab that has the hd service group and the plow prep. 5.9 How do the guys that use this truck like it and what kind of probs have you had. The reason I ask is I'm thinking about putting a plow on it for next season. I of course will keep the 78 for a third driver or as a backup truck. I run a 98, 2500 360, auto, hd group, plow prep ,tow prep, quad cab,
short box with a Boss 8.2 V plow, with boss wings.
and a 01 2500, 360, auto, Hiniker 8.6 plow, hd, plow, tow, camper, quad, long box.
and a 74 W200, 318, auto, sno-commander package, long box.
I've put one tranney in the 98, replaced every thing up front (suspension).
But, I think thats not to bad for a 7yr old plow truck.
Not to start a war, but she plows circles around the fords. The only truck that comes close is a well set up Chev.lol:waving:
Mopar or no car!!:drinkup:
Some might say I'm brand blind.:cool: .. yes, there other good plow trucks out there.
You have to find what works for you. I happen to prefer Dodge trucks.
I'm with you SnoFarmer I think Dodge makes a very good truck. I really like my 78 w200 with its 400 that thing will move anything. I have been using it for the last 7 years and have never had to lock in the transfer case,not even last year when we had our 20 inch snow. We also have an 80 1/2 ton club cab that has been around for the last 15 years with no major problems. That is why I asked how my other truck would do, I figured it would probably disappoint me after driving the old trucks. BTW we plow a factory, two stores, a church, a storage place, and several drive ways so one more truck would be nice.
78W200, can you please put up pics of your truck? And where are you located in Indiana? I'm in Columbus, IN.
I too, run a Power Wagon :) Last winter I had a 76 M880 which is a stripped down US Army issue W200 with 1 1/4 ton rear suspension, no power steering, no stereo, no courtesy lights, etc lol... Never locked that truck in. This winter we had that 6" snow I never locked in the ol' girl either :) My uncle has had a few old PowerWagons, a TrailDuster, etc. but never plowed with one.. he was surprised to find out I do not plow with it locked in... although no one I know really locks in their T-case when plowing, I guess he thought it might be needed. I told him who needs it locked when ya got MOPAR and Super Swampers!
They make awesome plowtrucks IMHO. I have a 94 Ram 2500 Cummins (2wd) and I am not sure I would rather plow with it even if it were 4x4... Honestly I really want to put that motor in my 79 Club Cab (and of course put 1 ton Dana's in it)..
Bush Hog being that you are in Columbus you know the snow I'm referring to last year at Christmas. I'm in Shelbyville so I'm just up the road from you.