Pre-Season Plow Maintenance

Q: What is the most common snow plow failure?

Electrical problems, specifically corrosion at the connectors. Cleaning the pins and packing them with dielectric grease prevents most no-lift and no-start calls.

Q: What should be on a pre-season plow checklist?

Hydraulic fluid and leak inspection, cutting edge wear, cleaning and greasing electrical connectors, trip springs and mount hardware, a full function test, lights and aim, plow shoes, and touching up finish chips.

Q: Should I check anything on the truck itself?

Yes. Check front-end suspension components, the battery since plow hydraulics draw significant current, and the tires, because traction is what lets you push.

The checklist worth running in September, not the one you run at 4 a.m. when it won't lift.

Quick Answer

Run through your plow in early fall, before the first storm. Check hydraulic fluid and look for leaks at hoses and fittings, inspect the cutting edge for wear, clean and grease the electrical connectors, test every function through its full range, and check that the lights work and are aimed. Most mid-storm plow failures trace back to electrical connections and worn cutting edges, and both are cheap to catch in September and expensive to discover in January.

On this page

When to do this
The checklist
What actually fails
Don't forget the truck
When to bring it in
Quick questions
FAQ

A plow sits outside doing nothing for seven months, then gets asked to work hard in the cold and dark on short notice. Almost everything that goes wrong mid-storm was visible in September if anyone had looked. This is the looking.

When to do this

Early fall. September into early October is right for Central Wisconsin. Two reasons: you have time to order a part if you find one you need, and our service schedule still has room. Find a problem in November and you're competing with everyone else who waited, right when parts are moving fastest.

The checklist

Hydraulic fluid and leaksCheck the fluid level. Then look at every hose, fitting, and cylinder for weeping or wet spots. A hose that's seeping in September is a hose that bursts in January.
Cutting edgeMeasure what's left. A worn edge scrapes poorly, works the hydraulics harder, and eventually lets the moldboard contact pavement. Replace it before the season, not during.
Electrical connectionsPull the plugs apart, look for corrosion and green on the pins, clean them, and pack them with dielectric grease. This is the single most common source of mid-storm failures.
Trip springs and hardwareCheck spring tension and look for stretched or broken springs. Go over the mount hardware and pins for wear and make sure nothing is loose.
Full function testRaise, lower, angle left, angle right, and run V and scoop if you have them. Take everything through its complete range and listen. Slow or hesitant movement means something needs attention.
LightsHigh beam, low beam, turn signals, markers. Then check the aim, since plow lights get knocked around and a misaimed lamp is both useless and rude to oncoming traffic.
Plow shoesIf you run them on gravel, check wear and reset the height. If you took them off last spring, find them now rather than the night you need them.
Blade and finishTouch up chips in the coating so surface rust doesn't get a foothold over the season. Minor, but it adds years.

From the shop

If we could get every customer to do one thing off this list, it would be the electrical connectors. Corroded pins are behind more no-start, no-lift calls than anything else we see. Five minutes with a wire brush and a tube of dielectric grease in September prevents most of them. It's the least glamorous item here and by far the highest payoff.

What actually fails

In our experience the pattern is consistent. Electrical problems lead, and they're almost always corrosion at a connector rather than anything dramatic. Worn cutting edges come next, usually because someone ran one a season too long. Hydraulic leaks are third, and they nearly always announce themselves as a weep before they become a failure. Notice that all three are things you can see standing in your driveway with a flashlight.

"Almost every mid-storm failure was visible in September. The difference is whether anyone looked."

Don't forget the truck

The plow gets the attention, but the truck carries it. Before the season, have a look at the front end, since plow weight is hard on suspension components. Check your battery, because plow hydraulics pull real current and a marginal battery that's fine in October will not be fine at ten below. And check your tires. All the plow in the world doesn't help if you can't get traction to push with.

When to bring it in

Do the checklist yourself. Bring it to us when you find something: a hydraulic leak beyond a light weep, electrical trouble that cleaning connectors doesn't fix, bent or damaged structural components, or anything that moves slowly after you've confirmed fluid is topped up. Also bring it in if you bought the truck and plow used and don't know its history. A pre-season service on an unknown plow is money well spent.

Quick questions

When should I service my plow?Early fall, September into early October, before the schedule fills.

What fails most often?Corroded electrical connectors, by a wide margin.

How do I prevent electrical problems?Clean the pins and pack the connectors with dielectric grease.

When do I replace the cutting edge?Before the season if it's worn. Don't try to get one more winter out of it.

Do I need to change hydraulic fluid?Check the level and condition. Ask us if it looks dark or contaminated.

What about the truck itself?Front end, battery, and tires. Plow weight and current draw are hard on all three.

Can I do this myself?Yes, the checklist is all visual and basic. Bring it in for what you find.

Do you service plows you didn't sell?Yes. Call 715-387-1200 to get on the schedule.

FAQ

When should I do pre-season plow maintenance?

Early fall, September into early October in Central Wisconsin. That gives you time to order parts if you find something and gets you on the service schedule before it fills. Waiting until November means competing with everyone else who waited.

What is the most common snow plow failure?

Electrical problems, and specifically corrosion at the connectors. It causes more no-lift and no-start calls than anything else. Pulling the plugs apart, cleaning the pins, and packing them with dielectric grease prevents most of it.

What should be on a pre-season plow checklist?

Hydraulic fluid level and a leak inspection at hoses and fittings, cutting edge wear, cleaning and greasing electrical connectors, trip springs and mount hardware, a full function test through the complete range, lights and their aim, plow shoes if you run them, and touching up chips in the finish.

How do I know if my cutting edge needs replacing?

Measure what's left of it. A worn edge scrapes poorly, makes the hydraulics work harder, and eventually lets the moldboard contact the pavement. If it's marginal in fall, replace it then rather than trying to get one more season.

Should I check anything on the truck itself?

Yes. Plow weight is hard on front-end suspension components, so look those over. Check the battery, since plow hydraulics draw significant current and a marginal battery will fail in deep cold. And check tires, because traction is what lets you push.

Do you service plows you didn't sell?

Yes. We service WESTERN plows at all six Central Wisconsin locations regardless of where they were purchased. Call 715-387-1200 to get on the pre-season schedule.

Written by the Wisconsin Western Plows sales & install team. We sell, mount, and service WESTERN® snow plows at six Wheelers Family Auto Group locations across Central Wisconsin. Call 715-387-1200 to book pre-season service.