NorthernRedneck
Well-known member
Living rural presents it's own challenges living in Northwestern Ontario in the winter. We have close to 6 acres of property. 3 of which is landscaped with driveways and 3 different parking areas. This means a plow truck is necessary. I currently have a dedicated plow truck and a sxs with a plow mounted as a backup. In the past, when the plow truck went down, I had to call in a local guy with a loader for $70 a shot and the snow wasn't pushed as far back as I would have liked.
When we first moved out here in 2019, we purchased a dedicated plow truck to maintain the approximately 500ft of driveway from the road to our house and to the garage at the back of the property. I picked up an old 2006 f150 with 5.4l with a 7.5ft western plow. The plow worked great and I plowed snow for 3 winters with it until the transmission blew. I pulled the plow, mount and controls off the truck and scrapped it. Picked up a 2006 gmc sierra 1500hd with a 6.0l engine. It already had an old rusted out meyers plow on it. I swapped out the controls and pump for mine and had weld brackets welded to mount up my western plow to the meyer mount on the truck. I used this setup for 2 years without issue until a experiencing a catastrophic pump failure. I sourced out a replacement western pump not realizing the difference between a western solenoid pump which I had vs an isomatric cable pump which I mistakenly ordered. Ok. So I ordered a set of cables and controls for that style of pump. Got it all connected and it would lift and only turn one way. After messing around with it for a few weeks and a few choice words, I abandoned the older style pump and controls. Picked up a used meyer plow with an e47 pump (which I already had but sold when I thought I wouldn't need it again). I installed the controls and pump onto my brackets and sold the plow it came with as it was rusted. I used that setup for 2 years until the other day when I was plowing. I pushed snow into a bank and went to lift the blade when the lower mounting hoop that connects the pump to the frame snapped off. The pump still works but is no longer able to be mounted to the frame. So here we go again. Minimum 2k to pick up another plow and pump used just for the pump and controls again or, locate a replacement pump......
That's the back story to today. So the western pump I had originally was a solid cast casing for the lift cylinder, mount etc. All one unit. Here's an example.
Finding a replacement proved difficult as the only option was ebay for 1k for a used one.
The meyers e47 series pump however, can be rebuilt in sections. I actually found a brand new used lower casing portion for roughly 500 american.
along with several used complete pumps being sold as a rebuildable. That would require a complete pump disassembly and gasket kit.
I found a near new looking pump with very little use for sale on ebay and ordered it. This one should be just plug and play. if the lift motor doesn't work or the solenoids aren't engaging, I can use parts off mine to get it working.
The lower mounting hoop on mine is what broke. They are cast aluminum and ca n only handle so much pounding over the years. What happened with mine was the main mounting bolt snapped and backed out halfway. When I lifted the plow, the hoop snapped.
Just a side note on a western plow pump vs a meyers. I do prefer the meyers as it is much easier to maintain and change the oil. Also. The western pump in the lower position was just a free floating feature. Meaning that when I drove in to the garage and tried to back blade, the blade had no down pressure and simply rode on top the snow packing it down. With the meyers controls however, when you press down to lower it, it lowers in free float mode. Then I flip the switch to the center neutral position and in locks the plow with the down pressure keep the blade pressed against the ground and not riding up ontop. The western control was a single toggle joystick while the meyers has a two toggle system. One for up down and one side to side. Simple really.
When we first moved out here in 2019, we purchased a dedicated plow truck to maintain the approximately 500ft of driveway from the road to our house and to the garage at the back of the property. I picked up an old 2006 f150 with 5.4l with a 7.5ft western plow. The plow worked great and I plowed snow for 3 winters with it until the transmission blew. I pulled the plow, mount and controls off the truck and scrapped it. Picked up a 2006 gmc sierra 1500hd with a 6.0l engine. It already had an old rusted out meyers plow on it. I swapped out the controls and pump for mine and had weld brackets welded to mount up my western plow to the meyer mount on the truck. I used this setup for 2 years without issue until a experiencing a catastrophic pump failure. I sourced out a replacement western pump not realizing the difference between a western solenoid pump which I had vs an isomatric cable pump which I mistakenly ordered. Ok. So I ordered a set of cables and controls for that style of pump. Got it all connected and it would lift and only turn one way. After messing around with it for a few weeks and a few choice words, I abandoned the older style pump and controls. Picked up a used meyer plow with an e47 pump (which I already had but sold when I thought I wouldn't need it again). I installed the controls and pump onto my brackets and sold the plow it came with as it was rusted. I used that setup for 2 years until the other day when I was plowing. I pushed snow into a bank and went to lift the blade when the lower mounting hoop that connects the pump to the frame snapped off. The pump still works but is no longer able to be mounted to the frame. So here we go again. Minimum 2k to pick up another plow and pump used just for the pump and controls again or, locate a replacement pump......
That's the back story to today. So the western pump I had originally was a solid cast casing for the lift cylinder, mount etc. All one unit. Here's an example.
Finding a replacement proved difficult as the only option was ebay for 1k for a used one.
The meyers e47 series pump however, can be rebuilt in sections. I actually found a brand new used lower casing portion for roughly 500 american.
along with several used complete pumps being sold as a rebuildable. That would require a complete pump disassembly and gasket kit.
I found a near new looking pump with very little use for sale on ebay and ordered it. This one should be just plug and play. if the lift motor doesn't work or the solenoids aren't engaging, I can use parts off mine to get it working.
The lower mounting hoop on mine is what broke. They are cast aluminum and ca n only handle so much pounding over the years. What happened with mine was the main mounting bolt snapped and backed out halfway. When I lifted the plow, the hoop snapped.
Just a side note on a western plow pump vs a meyers. I do prefer the meyers as it is much easier to maintain and change the oil. Also. The western pump in the lower position was just a free floating feature. Meaning that when I drove in to the garage and tried to back blade, the blade had no down pressure and simply rode on top the snow packing it down. With the meyers controls however, when you press down to lower it, it lowers in free float mode. Then I flip the switch to the center neutral position and in locks the plow with the down pressure keep the blade pressed against the ground and not riding up ontop. The western control was a single toggle joystick while the meyers has a two toggle system. One for up down and one side to side. Simple really.