Before your plow sits for seven months: wash the salt off thoroughly, let it dry, touch up any chips in the coating, coat the cutting edge and bare metal against rust, grease the fittings, clean the electrical connectors and pack them with dielectric grease, and store it on blocks or wood rather than directly on dirt. Then cover the connectors so nothing gets in. Salt left on steel over a summer does more damage than a whole winter of plowing.
The last storm ends, you drop the plow behind the shed, and you don't think about it until it snows. Everyone does it. The problem is that a plow left dirty spends the summer slowly corroding, and the damage shows up on the first night you need it.
Why this matters
Salt is the whole issue. It clings to the moldboard, the cutting edge, the frame, and every fitting and connector, and it stays chemically active as long as there's any moisture around. Over a humid Wisconsin summer, that's a long time. The rust you find in November didn't happen in November; it happened in July while the plow sat with a winter's worth of salt on it.
The spring checklist
- Wash it thoroughlyEverything. Moldboard, back side, frame, cutting edge, mount hardware, into the corners. This is the single most valuable step, and most of the benefit comes from doing it at all.
- Let it dry completelyDon't cover or store a wet plow. Trapped moisture is worse than no cover.
- Touch up chips in the coatingAny spot where paint or powder coat is broken is where rust starts. Small effort, real payoff.
- Protect bare metalThe cutting edge and any exposed steel benefit from a light protective coating for storage.
- Grease the fittingsStandard lubrication before it sits. Check the manual for locations on your model.
- Clean and pack the connectorsSame job as pre-season, done in reverse. Clean the pins, pack with dielectric grease, cover them so nothing gets in over the summer.
- Retract the cylindersStoring with rams retracted keeps polished rod surfaces protected rather than exposed all summer.
- Note what needs fixingWrite down anything you noticed during the season while it's fresh. That list becomes your fall service order.
If you do one thing off this list, wash it. We see plows every fall where the owner did nothing in spring, and the difference after a few seasons is obvious: corroded connectors, rust blooming from chipped spots, hardware that fights you. Thirty minutes with a hose and a bit of attention to the connectors is the cheapest maintenance in the whole ownership cycle.
Where to store it
Indoors and dry is ideal, but plenty of plows live outside and do fine with a little care. The rules that matter: get it up off bare dirt, on blocks or wood, so ground moisture isn't wicking into it all summer. Store it on flat ground so it's sitting square when you come back to hook up. And if you cover it, make sure it's fully dry first and that the cover breathes, because a tarp trapping moisture against steel is worse than leaving it open.
The truck side
Two things worth doing when the plow comes off. Wash the truck's underside and front end properly, because salt collects there all winter and the mount area is a spot people skip. And decide whether to leave the mount on. It can stay on year-round, but if you want it off for the summer, spring is the time to arrange that rather than discovering in October that everyone else wants shop time too.
Fix it now, not in October
If you noticed something during the season, a worn cutting edge, a weeping hose, a cylinder that seemed slow, spring is a far better time to handle it. Our shops have room in April that they don't have in October, parts aren't competing with everyone else's rush, and you go into fall knowing the plow is ready instead of hoping. It's the same work either way. The difference is whether you're doing it calmly or the week before a forecast.
Quick questions
How do I store a plow for the summer?Wash off all salt, dry, touch up chips, grease, protect the connectors, store off the dirt.
What's the most important step?Washing the salt off. Everything else is secondary to that.
Should I cover it?Only if fully dry and the cover breathes. Trapped moisture is worse.
Store it indoors or outside?Indoors is better, but outside is fine on blocks with prep done.
Should cylinders be extended or retracted?Retracted, so the polished rods aren't exposed all summer.
Do I take the mount off?It can stay on year-round. If you want it off, arrange it in spring.
When should I get repairs done?Spring. Shop time and parts are both easier than in October.
What about the connectors?Clean, pack with dielectric grease, and cover them for the summer.
FAQ
How should I store my snow plow in the off-season?
What is the most important off-season plow maintenance step?
Should I cover my plow for the summer?
Should plow cylinders be stored extended or retracted?
Should I remove the plow mount in summer?
When is the best time for plow repairs?
Get repairs done in the quiet season
Spring and summer shop time is easier to get than October. Bring us what you noticed during the season.