"Snowplow Truck" Customized For Heavy Hauling Jobs
“It’s geared down really low so it has a lot of pulling power, yet it’s fuel efficient and has been trouble-free. My total cost to put it together was only about $60,000,” says Stanley Golbow, Austin, Texas, who bought a new 2005 GM C4500 1 1/2-ton, 4-WD “snowplow truck” and customized it for heavy duty hauling chores.
He bought the truck equipped with a cab, double frame rail chassis, and diesel engine for $38,000. He spent another $22,000 to build a flatbed, add heavy-duty homemade front and rear bumpers, and install 16,500-lb. electric winches equipped with 1/2-in. dia. steel cable on front and back. He also replaced the truck’s original wheels with big new 46-in. high tires mounted on 12 by 20 wheel rims. The truck has a gross vehicle weight rating of 13,000 lbs.
“I spent about as much money as you’d spend for a new 2-ton pickup, but my truck can haul much heavier loads and also makes a great off-road vehicle. It also looks impressive,” says Golbow. “I bought this truck because I knew I could customize it to my tastes, and because it was equipped with a 5:13 gear ratio rear end, which lets me pull big trailers without working the engine or drivetrain too hard. The truck came equipped with a fuel efficient 6.6-liter, 350 hp turbocharged diesel engine, which saves on fuel costs.
“The truck was designed with a heavy duty chassis for plowing snow. I bought it from a Chicago dealer who was clearing out trucks for the next year’s models so I got it cheap. I had a local fabricator make everything.”
Golbow says the truck’s rear end was an important factor in his buying decision. “When most people buy a new pickup they don’t think about the rear end gear ratios and assume the pickup they buy will pull anything. However, many trucks have high 3:50 or 4:11 gear ratios, which can result in damage to the rear axle or torque converter if the truck is used to pull big loads. Also, the truck’s brakes often aren’t big enough. You can look at the last 8 digits of a pickup’s VIN number to find out what the truck’s gear ratio is.
“I’ve used my truck to haul loads that weigh up to 14,000 lbs. on a trailer that weighs 5,000 lbs. One time I hauled a 20-ft. long dumpster filled with 30 yards of dirt, trees, rocks, and concrete. I also drive this truck off-road just for fun. The 5:13 rear end lets me climb 20 and 30 degree grades with no problems. I’ve managed to bury my truck so deep that only a few inches of the tires were sticking above the ground. But I was able to use the winches to get the truck out.”
The truck’s flatbed measures 11 1/2 ft. long by 8 ft. wide and is made from 3-in. by 1/4-in. thick channel irons spaced on 12-in. centers, with 4-in. rails mounted on a subframe that runs the length of the bed.
The rear bumper is made from 1/8-in. thick diamond plate sheet metal framed by 4-in. dia., 1/2-in. thick steel tubing. “Both sides of the rear bumper are angled, so I can go through ditches without getting hung up,” says Golbow. A pintle hitch and receiver hitch mount on back of the bumper.
The truck’s original front bumper was made from light 1/8-in. thick sheet metal, so he replaced it with a homemade 12-in. deep bumper built from 4 by 12 by 1/2-in. thick channel iron.
The truck’s 300-lb. spare tire mounts horizontally on a steel rack bolted to the flatbed right behind the cab. “By pulling 2 pins I can flip the rack to a vertical position and then roll the tire off the flatbed, without needing any help,” says Golbow. “I use the rear winch to pull the tire up onto the bed and then stand it up and set it in the rack and flop the rack back down. I paid $2,000 for both winches.
The truck’s hood is original and can be flipped forward for easy access to the engine, he notes.
Contact: FARM SHOW Followup, Stanley Golbow, 3050 Tamarron, Apt. 3111, Austin, Texas 78746 (ph 512 732-9870).
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Snowplow Truck Customized For Heavy Hauling Jobs TRUCKS Conversions “It’s geared down really low so it has a lot of pulling power yet it’s fuel efficient and has been trouble-free My total cost to put it together was only about $60 000 ” says Stanley Golbow Austin Texas who bought a new 2005 GM C4500 1 1/2-ton 4-WD “snowplow truck” and customized it for heavy duty hauling chores He bought the truck equipped with a cab double frame rail chassis and diesel engine for $38 000 He spent another $22 000 to build a flatbed add heavy-duty homemade front and rear bumpers and install 16 500-lb electric winches equipped with 1/2-in dia steel cable on front and back He also replaced the truck’s original wheels with big new 46-in high tires mounted on 12 by 20 wheel rims The truck has a gross vehicle weight rating of 13 000 lbs “I spent about as much money as you’d spend for a new 2-ton pickup but my truck can haul much heavier loads and also makes a great off-road vehicle It also looks impressive ” says Golbow “I bought this truck because I knew I could customize it to my tastes and because it was equipped with a 5:13 gear ratio rear end which lets me pull big trailers without working the engine or drivetrain too hard The truck came equipped with a fuel efficient 6 6-liter 350 hp turbocharged diesel engine which saves on fuel costs “The truck was designed with a heavy duty chassis for plowing snow I bought it from a Chicago dealer who was clearing out trucks for the next year’s models so I got it cheap I had a local fabricator make everything ” Golbow says the truck’s rear end was an important factor in his buying decision “When most people buy a new pickup they don’t think about the rear end gear ratios and assume the pickup they buy will pull anything However many trucks have high 3:50 or 4:11 gear ratios which can result in damage to the rear axle or torque converter if the truck is used to pull big loads Also the truck’s brakes often aren’t big enough You can look at the last 8 digits of a pickup’s VIN number to find out what the truck’s gear ratio is “I’ve used my truck to haul loads that weigh up to 14 000 lbs on a trailer that weighs 5 000 lbs One time I hauled a 20-ft long dumpster filled with 30 yards of dirt trees rocks and concrete I also drive this truck off-road just for fun The 5:13 rear end lets me climb 20 and 30 degree grades with no problems I’ve managed to bury my truck so deep that only a few inches of the tires were sticking above the ground But I was able to use the winches to get the truck out ” The truck’s flatbed measures 11 1/2 ft long by 8 ft wide and is made from 3-in by 1/4-in thick channel irons spaced on 12-in centers with 4-in rails mounted on a subframe that runs the length of the bed The rear bumper is made from 1/8-in thick diamond plate sheet metal framed by 4-in dia 1/2-in thick steel tubing “Both sides of the rear bumper are angled so I can go through ditches without getting hung up ” says Golbow A pintle hitch and receiver hitch mount on back of the bumper The truck’s original front bumper was made from light 1/8-in thick sheet metal so he replaced it with a homemade 12-in deep bumper built from 4 by 12 by 1/2-in thick channel iron The truck’s 300-lb spare tire mounts horizontally on a steel rack bolted to the flatbed right behind the cab “By pulling 2 pins I can flip the rack to a vertical position and then roll the tire off the flatbed without needing any help ” says Golbow “I use the rear winch to pull the tire up onto the bed and then stand it up and set it in the rack and flop the rack back down I paid $2 000 for both winches The truck’s hood is original and can be flipped forward for easy access to the engine he notes Contact: FARM SHOW Followup Stanley Golbow 3050 Tamarron Apt 3111 Austin Texas 78746 ph 512 732-9870
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