Ceremony commencement (first plow roll out)

Well it started, we have the first V-Plow mounted on a freshly repaired truck and I took it for a spin through town with the plow on, only four more trucks/plows to get ready! I do get a kick when out of town folk see something like that driving by with all the lights, big plow, headache racks, endless dents from snow rollbacks and just the way those monster motors we use sound…they have to think “Mad Max Beyond Thunderdome”. I cruised around and even drove down to the lake with it…almost like felt the truck started running better when it seen the lake’ like a good black lab when it sees ducks.

It does have a certain tough truck look.

Now we just need some decent weather, a little ice and away we go!

What kind of trucks do you guys run?

Mostly we run big block Fords with HEAVY DUTY drive trains and special tires, we are also trying out a Dodge diesel that is giving us mixed results. The best trucks are the mid seventy fords although they are getting very hard to find, in fact this morning I drug one out of the brush and started the restoration of it. Lots to be done, welding the plow frame (they go from front all the way to the back), “tweeking” the engine for max mid range power and making it so it can drive through a constant self made blizzard. These trucks are asked to work in conditions engineers could not even fathom, it takes some special modifications. Basically you need to make a truck light enough to not bust through bad ice, powerful enough to not only cut a 3-4′ wide swat of twelve in deep snow but throw it sixty feet all while on glare ice in zero visibility with anglers playing frogger in front of you…all in sub zero temps and often in the dark. It takes a special breed of truck and modifications and a very special breed of drivers crazy enough to run them.

…and it takes alot of them. I just added up we have seven rigs that work on the lake between myself, Kelly and Patsy and some days we run out of trucks with working trannies or axles. Of course I think by late season we are maintaining up 20 miles of roads on Upper Red Lake with the Hillman crew, it gets to be a tough season for any truck.

Suffice it to say I won’t be looking for a vehicle on the Jonny P Used Truck lot.

I might not be qualified but I’d jump at the chance to beat the, I mean, DRIVE one of your plow trucks for a day on Red.

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I might not be qualified but I’d jump at the chance to beat the, I mean, DRIVE one of your plow trucks for a day on Red.

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You bet! Any day you can take the helm…and I will take the film crew to Bora Bora and film a show to cover for you while you plow.

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…and I will take the film crew to Bora Bora and film a show to cover for you while you plow.

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Hey, fair’s fair.

But we’re getting out ahead of ourselves a touch. The forecast calls for 50’s and low 60’s late this week and into the weekend.

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…and it takes alot of them. I just added up we have seven rigs that work on the lake between myself, Kelly and Patsy and some days we run out of trucks with working trannies or axles. Of course I think by late season we are maintaining up 20 miles of roads on Upper Red Lake with the Hillman crew, it gets to be a tough season for any truck.

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I was there the day Kelly broke 4 trucks!

I can also attest to the brutal conditions these guys run their equipment in. Lake of the Woods has tough conditions too, but they don’t run a 7-10 mile main road out as wide as an airport runway, with 5-7 mile snake trails leading off of the main route. To get wheel-houses and rental shacks into un-fished territory, it takes a group effort up there that’s something to behold.

In the end, this only adds to the fishing, making it 1 part fishing trip, 2 parts adventure.

Joel