Yeah, pretty much just releases all hydraulic pressure and it slams into the ground! There is an optional valve that can slow it down, which I might put on.
Great questions! I left it in normal mode. The efficiency showed up on the dash as 0.6kWh/mile, but that's not very accurate since I kept leaving the door open to jump out and set up the camera. I only dropped 2% charge (on the Standard Range battery - so less than 2kWh) to have the truck on and plowing for ~45 minutes. I probably only drove about 2 miles. The heat was CRANKED! haha
How long to put it on and off? I've got a lightning and think it would make for a great plow vehicle given the torque/weight/etc. My aunt has a small plowing business and occasionally needs an extra hand/vehicle for doung residential driveways.
For the season, putting on the plow mount takes maybe 20 minutes. Then to take the plow on/off it's about 5 minutes, so I keep it off most of the time and put it on the night before any incoming snow. I've plowed 6 times with it, twice in the last day as we got about 6", and all I can say is that it's absolutely brilliant, and I can easily recommend it as a light-commercial plow.
How difficult is it to attach and detach the plow? Can one person do it? Thanks! (Though, I probably wait a few years for a plow designed specifically for this vehicle.)
The plow is a DK2 Everest, cost $4000. You can see my previous video about having to design and fabricate a custom mount - but it's pretty simple, just some 3x3" square tube welded to the 'Universal mount' from the DK2.
Very nice installation Bill. Though it looks like the clearance through the garage door may be a little tight with the plow attached, maybe 3 inches on each side? Regardless, your neighbors should certainly appreciate having their road cleared. BTW, I didn't notice any mailboxes in the video, hope you didn't have to edit any out. Just kidding, I enjoy your videos.
I think it’s about a foot of space on each side - not crazy tight, but I definitely go slow! The blade is about as wide as the truck with the side mirrors out.
For whatever reason, they ship the unit so that pressing the 'LEFT' button pushes the left side of the blade forward. To me it makes more sense to angle the blade to the left, so it is pushing the snow to the left (push right side of the blade forward). Just a personal preference thing. It was as easy as taking the cover off the electronics of the plow hydraulics box and swapping the left/right wires.
@@BillCarlson yeah your way makes more sense to me. the only plow that I've ever used had joystick that when you pushed right the plow angled to push snow to the right. so yeah the way the have it set when shipped seems odd.
The cold definitely affects the range of the truck, but the pack is internally heated (and cooled) so performance (horsepower and torque) are still fantastic in the winter.
@@BillCarlson I didn't realize that the battery pack is heated. That's interesting, and would obviously help a lot in cold weather. I'm sure it's a common practice, but I would be very concerned about parking an EV vehicle in my garage and charging it overnight. There have been numerous problems with runaway fires from [poorly manufactured or damaged] battery packs in various vehicles over the years. Once a fire starts, almost certainly the entire building would be burned down before the fire is extinguished. Here is such a runaway fire from a EV Ford F-150 while being charged in a Ford holding lot in February 2023. >>> ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-rVbUJtfQEus.html I bought my used 2010 Ford F-150, heavy-half-ton, 4WD, extended cab, long bed in 2018 for only $9,750, including tax. It now has 248,000 miles and still runs well, with just normal repairs and maintenance. I expect to drive it for at least a few more years. It will be interesting to see if any of the EV F-150s will still be running well at 248,000 miles. I suspect that by that time they will have had the battery packs replaced, but that would be a huge expense. I think it is likely that most of these trucks would be sent to a junkyard as they approach the end of useful battery life. The resale value will be quite low at that time (IMO) as the next owner would have to calculate in the many thousands of dollars to replace the battery pack. It likely wouldn't be worth the expense. We'll see. Ed Schultheis, PE Mechanical design engineer and manufacturing consultant for 35 years Schultek Engineering & Technology
EVs are designed with thermal management systems that keep the battery where it wants to be. And these systems work pretty well. The country with the highest adoption rate of EVs is Norway. Auto sales in Norway have been more than 80% EV for over three years now. The best and most experienced EV reviewer on RU-vid is Bjørn Nyland in Norway. He takes almost every EV he reviews on a road trip to the Arctic Circle. His videos are in English. I highly recommend them.
It's got all wheel drive and a rear locking differential - plus a very even weight distribution (typical trucks are relatively light in the rear, which is why they like ballast in the snow) - I am really looking to putting it through its paces in the snow this winter!
Well if your'e only doing the driveway, seems like an expensive RC car really. Can't tow with it and you can't travel in it, unless you like searching for broken chargers and waiting hours at a time. So just why? Why pander to the EV crowd. We already have Hydrogen engines and retrofit kits coming for new cars why reward companies with failed tech? @@BillCarlson
@@jeremypilot1015 I plow the the whole neighborhood/private driveway for 5 homes. About 1/4 mile, plus our personal driveway. There really isn't a middle ground for plowing - it's way more than a snow blower could handle. But I don't just use the truck for plowing... It does everything. I towed a 6,000 pound forklift with it over 250 miles. It handled it great! I typically drive a 100-mile round trip to our nearest Home Depot and Lowes to buy lumber and supplies. I've use the truck's power outlets to run a concrete mixer, a 7" angle grinder to cut a car in half, and for plugging in a crock pot. As far as charging, I plug it in to my charger in the garage every few days and top it off... That's it. I've only use fast chargers on two or three trips, because anything with ~150 miles doesn't need it. While the F150 Lightning isn't perfect - I could nit pick all day - it's still far better for me than any gas or diesel truck. It's not pandering - it's just better. Not 'could be', not 'will be', IS. It IS better than an ICE truck.
@@jeremypilot1015 someone hurt your feelings thats forsure ev have there place its not a failed tech lol i travel in it everywhere and it tows like a dream... no more sway bars needed
@@BestDadEver456 Anyone who states EVs have a place have no clue what it's like to drive an automobile. Period. You must have had a limp wristed childhood. Have a great day!
If it’s cold enough to freeze the battery, it’s cold enough to gel diesel. In either case, it’s good to have a 120v plug for a block heater or to trickle charge the battery.
@@BillCarlson anyone that drives a diesel knows to put anti gel in the fuel. I can still fill up whereas a cold battery won’t take a charge, as evidenced by the issues in the Midwest this winter. Also I can fill up in about 3 minutes, charging a battery takes much longer and you have to find a station that’s functioning
