Are you prepared for snowplow season? Key factors to consider

From an NTEA member We are a truck equipment distributor getting ready for snowplow season. What key factors should be considered before installations? While numerous Federal/Canadian Motor Vehicle Safety Standards (F/CMVSS) can be affected by adding a snowplow — particularly for trucks with a 10,000-pound or less gross vehicle weight rating (GVWR) — most compliance guidance needed is available in each OEM’s body builder information. Specific sections of body builder offerings from Ford, GM and Dodge are dedicated to snowplow installations. Consulting OEM resources is critical in identifying chassis-/model-specific methods to install plow mounts, tie in headlamps, and address potential conflicts with associated automatic emergency braking (AEB) system functionality. Snowplow compatibility As a first step, review chassis and snowplow manufacturer guidelines to determine which models were developed to accommodate plows as well as conditions/limitations for weight, minimum OEM option features, etc., before agreeing to an installation. Since plow blades and mounting hardware add weight and structure to the front of a vehicle, crash compliance, airbag deployment, braking, ride/handling, engine cooling, lighting, and other performance measures can be affected. Such factors have been taken into account with models and required options represented by OEMs through these guidelines, so staying within chassis and equipment manufacturer limits can go a long way toward meeting certification requirements, as well as maintaining warranty conditions. Whether a customer starts with a particular model or the plow itself, these parameters can be used to help determine a suitable model/plow combination. Guidelines typically list minimum option content for front gross axle weight rating, suspension, tires, and other key features corresponding to the truck model’s ability to accommodate plows up to a certain weight. These features are included in snowplow prep option packages and may be available as separate, retrofitable options. Identifying option codes for respective OEMs is an important aid to your control processes to ensure chassis/models planned for installation are properly equipped by the OEM with those features. It can also assist in providing the time needed to plan available retrofitting of snowplow prep option features, especially if dealer installation and programming are required. More details on matching a plow to a customer’s truck that meets chassis manufacturer guidelines are available on snowplow manufacturer websites. In conjunction with determining a suitable model/plow combination, perform a detailed weight analysis to ensure the upfit vehicle will meet all applicable limitations. Ballasting weight at the rear of the truck to offset a portion of the detachable plow blade system is allowed in some cases (conditions for doing so may be available in OEM or plow manufacturer guidelines). Determining amount of weight needed for ballasting a specific vehicle configuration — and, just as important, where it should be located — can also be done through weight analysis. Check with your plow manufacturer to ensure you’re using the latest weight information, and see if they offer other resources to help match equipment to the application. For more weight calculator tools, visit ntea.com/weightcalculator. Note, chassis manufacturer warranty coverage can be affected if a plow is used on a model not equipped with the OEM snowplow prep package or equivalent minimum options. Such situations may occur when customers purchase a new pickup for upfitting with a plow without being presented with these considerations. Truck dealers can be well-served by working with upfitters that routinely review OEM and snowplow manufacturers’ guidelines and limitations, and perform weight analyses as a standard operational process. Newer vehicles Newer vehicles equipped with AEB can detect a snowplow blade as an obstacle in the vehicle’s path and attempt to actuate the brakes. When vehicles are properly ordered with snowplow prep options, OEMs can make these systems unavailable or create features to accommodate snowplows and disable AEB when the blade is installed and reactivate it when removed. This again shows the importance of ensuring a given vehicle has the OEM snowplow prep option before agreeing to install a plow on a customer-provided model. For vehicles that can be retrofitted with snowplow prep options, the OEM dealer may need to disable these systems. While AEB is not currently required, customers supplying their own vehicles need to be aware of this. NTEA has received questions regarding plow capabilities, as well as box removal and other commercial adaptations, on upcoming electric pickups. At time of publication, there have been no OEM promotions or information to support plow installations on any future electric models, but NTEA will monitor these applications and assist chassis manufacturers in making such details available. Labeling If you upfit incomplete chassis cabs or box-deleted pickups, vehicle completion (including snowplow installation) would be considered part of your final-stage certification responsibilities. Since pickups are completed vehicles, a truck equipment distributor installing a snowplow on a pickup before first retail sale is considered a vehicle alterer — and the corresponding altered vehicle certification label must be applied. In either stage of manufacturing, if the vehicle has a GVWR of more than 10,000 pounds, no additional labeling requirements are affected for F/CMVSS compliance. However, for vehicles with a GVWR of 10,000 pounds or less, additional labeling requirements could be impacted. Vehicle placard, and Supplemental label to the “Stars for Cars” rating required for vehicles tested under NHTSA’s New Car Assessment Program (NCAP). Both labeling considerations depend on vehicle and upfit specifics, but it’s possible to determine if one or both will be affected and necessitate additional labeling upfront in the bid process. The vehicle placard contains a weight limitation following the statement, “The combined weight of occupants and cargo must not exceed…” This value, which represents the difference between the vehicle’s GVWR and its as-built curb weight, serves as a consumer aid to avoid overloading the vehicle. When permanently attached equipment is added to a vehicle, thus raising its curb weight, this capacity is reduced and may need to be corrected, depending on amount of net increase to curb weight. Final-stage manufacturers are responsible for installing the placard, based on vehicle completed curb weight, including plow mount. For altered vehicles, if the total weight of permanently attached equipment (e.g., snowplow mounting hardware, non-removable hydraulic system components, electrical attachments, etc.) is more than 100 pounds or 1.5% of GVWR (whichever is lower), you will need to correct the capacity for the combined weight of occupants and cargo listed on the vehicle placard. This can be accomplished in several ways for vehicles in the U.S., but if you’re also changing tires or wheels, you must replace the entire placard. For vehicles in Canada, options for correcting this capacity are limited to replacing the entire placard with the reduced capacity value, even if there are no tire changes. Note, the removable plow blade is considered cargo, so its weight is part of the “combined weight of occupants and cargo” for which the capacity limit is provided. That said, the weight of the removable blade must still leave enough capacity for the driver and any other occupants. If the particular model has been tested under NCAP, an additional label will be needed to indicate that as altered, the “Stars for Cars” rating may no longer be applicable. If the specific model has not been tested, it would not have a rating, and no supplemental labeling is required. A list of models rated under this program (and, therefore, requiring this label, if altered) is available at nhtsa.gov. You can search models assessed on this site, as well as a list of upcoming the agency plans to test. For a new vehicle that’s in-hand, check to see if it has a star rating on the Monroney Label (also known as the MSRP label or window sticker).

Are you prepared for snowplow season? Key factors to consider

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