So my kid bought a plow for my old Dakota

[volaredon]

As title says.
I've been thinking about getting rid of my 96 Dakota, it's seen better days. He's been wanting to buy a beater for a plow truck but his wife's says "no more on the insurance". He has a rental place now, why he don't leave the renters to fend for themselves I dunno.
So he happens to find a 6-1/2 ft fisher plow with truck mount, wiring and all on marketplace and bugs and bugs and bugs me some more about the idea.... I don't like the looks of this frame (Chicago area truck) anyway, in the 10 or so years I've had it, it's the only truck I've ever seen "flex" at the cab/bed area when I put up on my 2 post lift, done this since day 1. He spent his money on the plow setup so, I guess.... I'm not planning on 30 hour stints in this truck on every snow storm or anything, maybe my own drive and a couple of neighbors plus this rental 4-5 miles away....
I don't drive this truck much anymore, anyway. We'll see how it goes I guess.
I remember years ago I almost bought an xj Cherokee with the same model plow on it, that truck drug azz even with the plow all the way up back then. I just hope this Dakota goes more than 1 season before something splits in half...
It does have the 3.91 gears and the track lok that I put in it myself about 8 years ago.... That oughta help.
I also have an old Durango whose frame looks better than this truck, I'm wondering if it oughta go on there instead

 

[65 sporty]

I can't say I have ever seen a Dakota with frame issues, lots of other makes and models though

 

[volaredon]

I've seen a couple that body style. Both 2wd.
I've seen it more on the 99-04s where the frame is sectioned and held together by the rivets that hold the front spring hanger. Where the sections overlap they rot out right there.
What concerns me is that the trans is already starting to get funny (255k on truck, 80k since I overhauled the trans) and though I've had it 10 years now ever since day 1 of my owning it it remains the only vehicle ive ever seen, where when I put it on my 2 post lift, it flexes at the cab/bed seam. Never had another one do that.
It's crusty, id rather pot a plow on something "not pretty" than to destroy a nice truck with one.
I don't think the trans issue is serious, feels like a kickdown cable or sticky valve issue, maybe a output speed sensor, etc cuz it don't slip at all and has all the gears, more of a shift timing issue and not all the time at that. Something it started in the last 1000 miles or so.
And the tires ain't great even if not plowing. Don't want to spend money on it there.
On the plus side it does have 3.91s and a sure grip "track lok" in the rear end that I added myself when I redid the trans. At which time I replaced all the bearings in the rear. The body flex issue when I put it on the lift I think scares me the most on using this truck for that.
I also have a Durango with 315k on the body, but overall a little nicer, and a 360, that I'm about to put a freshly built trans into that I actually needed up while it was apart. Billet servos and such, nothing crazy. I've had a plow truck before and remember the issues that caused on that truck back then...

 

[volaredon]

Well I got the bumper back on the truck, with the brackets for the plow. Thus thing definitely didn't come off and 87-96 Dakota. When we were at the guys house where he bought it the dad said it was in a Dakota the son said it was on a Colorado. Though the grand dad had 3 87-90 Dakota's sitting on his property right next door.
I don't think "they" ever had it on anything they bought it to put on something....
Anyway instead of buying the only set of new plow mounts we could find for this truck my kid took them to work and modified them to fit, he is a millwright at a steel mill .... Now I have to make kickers so the receiver bears against the front frame Cross member and that part should be good. Then to run the wiring and figure out why . my bright headlights have been cutting out on me the last couple of years. I've replaced the headlight switch 2x in that stretch, and that helped for a while each time. Cut it back to dims for a while and at least I have "some" headlights. (Candles might be better though) Time it takes for the cut out on the brights varies, and I get longer on the first time I switch the lights on before cut out, each time I switch to dims and back to brights the cut out happens faster on a given trip.