Why CyberTruck will be the BEST Truck for Plowing Snow

[Rutrow]

Has MattsOffRoad said that publicly? OMG that will be an awesome testimonial for the CT and will sell thousands of CTs!

No... I just said that because they LOVE lots of winches. TrailMater (Yikes! I typed TruckMater earlier ) has 6 on his truck, and Matt is putting 5 (I think) on the World's Largest Off Road Wrecker.

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[Sasmania]

No... I just said that because they LOVE lots of winches. TrailMater (Yikes! I typed TruckMater earlier ) has 6 on his truck, and Matt is putting 5 (I think) on the World's Largest Off Road Wrecker.

Oh, ok. Actually, if they were smart they would get one... it would not only be a great recovery vehicle but also drive a LOT of views on YouTube.

 

[firsttruck]

.....
TrailMater and MattsOffRoadRecovery will be ordering CyberTrucks.

Do you have link to episodes where they state that they would be ordering EVs or even any episode where they say positive things about EVs?

 

[Rutrow]

No... I just said that because they LOVE lots of winches. TrailMater (Yikes! I typed TruckMater earlier ) has 6 on his truck, and Matt is putting 5 (I think) on the World's Largest Off Road Wrecker.

Oops! looks like I was wrong about Matt. He's got THREE receivers on the front of The World's Largest Off Road Wrecker, so he might have, at least, SEVEN winches.

 

[jerhenderson]

I'm super excited about the CyberTruck for MANY reasons... but one of them is just how awesome this truck will be at plowing snow.



For context, I'm "that guy" who now plows snow with my Tesla Model Y with a backward plow in the tow hitch. I have Nokian snow tires coupled with the Tesla traction control has been incredible even in crazy off road conditions. I've also watched a ton of YT videos with people plowing in regular trucks so I'm somewhat familiar with the pain points of regular trucks. I'll be referring to the specs of the Quad Motor CT, but I still think the Dual would make a much better-than-average snow plow truck.



The Good:

1) Insane Torque with Traction Control - The CT will have zero problems pushing the biggest piles of snow imaginable due to 4 motors at each wheel and 1000+ HP.

2) 16" Ground Clearance - Won't get bogged down even in deep snow, unlike my Y with low clearance.

3) 4 Wheel Steering - Will allow for tighter turning radiuses and more control.

5) NO Transmission - This is something that always wears out quickly when snow plowing with a traditional truck.

6) Built-in Back Up Camera with Huge 17" Display - No 3rd party camera with crappy display needed.

7) Vision - No big hood to look over out the front, can better see what you're plowing

8) Tonneau Cover over Bed and Front Frunk - Huge lockable storage areas traditional trucks just don't have as standard.

9) 500+ Mile Battery - Will easily last all day. Most snow routes aren't very long, but obviously, you use a lot of energy per mile. Quick 15-30 min charge at V3 or V4 charger and you're good to go again.

10) Stainless Steel Body - No rust!

11) CyberQuad ATV with Plow - This could be the ultimate compliment to tackle the smaller jobs & sidewalks and is easily transported with fold down tailgate.

12) 120/240v Electrical Ports - Can charge up electric snow blower or CyberQuad in truck bed.

13) Quieter Operation - Selling point especially for residential when plowing at night or early AM.

14) NO Emissions - Some clients will appreciate the more environmentally friendly option.

15) Battery Pack Weight - Many plow trucks add weight to the bed to get better traction. No need in a CT, plus less roll-over risk.

16) Safety - Better traction = less accidents, plus safety features like FSD V4 to prevent road accidents, and typical superior Tesla crash safety.

17) Mobile Advertising - No more eye catching design to wrap vehicle with company logos and generate business on the fly.





The Bad:

1) Charging Infrastructure - There will still be some locations that are not close enough to a SuperCharger to recharge quickly but this only applies to commercial accounts that need to go 24/7 for several days on end. However, they are building out the network faster than ever.

2) How to Mount the Plow? - Especially since the CT will not be built on a typical on-frame design, it's unclear how the attachments will be done. This may mean expensive custom metal fabrication until the plow manufacturers build their own attachment systems but that could be years after first deliveries. Or, worse yet, it simply won't allow a plow without voiding the warranty, but I'm hopeful that insn't the case. How will it mount is the biggest unanswered question at this point.

3) Steering Wheel - Hopefully they offer BOTH the Yoke and the round wheel like in the S/X. If not, I'm sure some traditionalists will complain the yoke is a joke. Personally, I'd love to try it and love how it looks but won't know how practial the yoke is till giving it a solid test.



The Ugly:

1) What are you talking about? No one has ever accused the CT of being ugly. NO ONE!

no truck is great for plowing snow. Loaders are great for plowing snow. I live in a canadian strata complex and trucks suck at plowing.

 

[FutureBoy]

For context, I'm "that guy" who now plows snow with my Tesla Model Y with a backward plow in the tow hitch.

We watched one of your videos last year!

Turns out you joined here nearly 2 years ago. So here is a late welcome to the group.

 

[Sasmania]

no truck is great for plowing snow. Loaders are great for plowing snow. I live in a canadian strata complex and trucks suck at plowing.

Right....but I don't want a Loader. I don't need a loader. I want ONE tool that does it all:

Grocery Getter
Uber / Lyft money maker
SuperCar performance with Quad Motor
Snow Plowing Machine
Hot Shot Trucking Freight Hauler
Road Trip Cannonballer
Camping King
Off Road Beast
River Crossing Boat?? LOL

 

[FutureBoy]

no truck is great for plowing snow. Loaders are great for plowing snow. I live in a canadian strata complex and trucks suck at plowing.

Interesting.... If we can put a snow plow on the front... What are the chances we could put a loader on the front? Even if it is just a relatively small one? Talk about getting a lot of attention. Might mess with FSD though.

 

[jerhenderson]

Interesting.... If we can put a snow plow on the front... What are the chances we could put a loader on the front? Even if it is just a relatively small one? Talk about getting a lot of attention. Might mess with FSD though.

by loader I don't mean a blade.

 

[Bill906]

by loader I don't mean a blade.

THis is what I think he meant:

As for loader vs. plow, I always try to use the right tool for the job. Loader is great for moving and consolidating snow banks. But for clearing a large area, a good truck with a plow will get the job done way faster than a loader can. That said, a skid steer loader like a Bobcat is on my list of toys to buy when I win the lottery. I had a few jobs in my college days that included skid steer operation. Was hard to stick with the work and not just play around spinning donuts etc.

 

[HaulingAss]

Those pictures are great!Very cool.

What I mean by the electronics making it useless means he cannot even get it down his driveway in deep 9”+ snow yet their Subaru cross trek can and I do not think it has much more ground clearance than a model X.

The Model X does not have 9" of ground clearance so of course it's not going to do steep hills while the underbody is acting like a ramp to lift the vehicle. I've been in a lot of very deep snow in all kinds of 4x4 and AWD vehicles meant for deep snow, and none of them perform well in snow much deeper than the major obstructions underneath. Keep in mind, in an ICE car, this is typically a different height (higher) than the published ground clearance. The only exception to this general rule is if the top layers of snow are extra light and fluffy, like "dry smoke".

Driving in deep snow can be vexing for those with limited experience because snow conditions and the underlayer are infinitely variable to a degree that most people don't understand or fully appreciate. Because it all looks like snow but the challenge different conditions present varies more widely than any difference between one vehicle and another (which can be quite significant itself).

The Subaru Cross-Trek might not have more ground clearance in terms of the published number, given that ground clearance is measured to lowest point which is typically the differential (pumpkin) in the center, not a flat, aerodynamic underfairing like the Model X has, but it has more places for the displaced snow to migrate to as it plows through it. Blaming it on the vehicles traction electronics just shows he doesn't know what he's talking about.

I've never driven a Model X but I imagine it's traction control electronics work in a similar fashion to my Model 3 Performance which is excellent in the snow up to its available ground clearance (which is only about 6"). It also has a special mode that can be useful in deep snow (depending upon the under-layers) that allow for more wheel spinning. I suspect your friend did not know to turn it on.

In my experience, when a person fails at a driving task in the snow, they like to blame it on the vehicle rather than operator. Nobody likes to take responsibility for their own failings anymore, it's always the fault of the vehicle. Funny how that works!

 

[TBONO]

The Model X does not have 9" of ground clearance so of course it's not going to do steep hills while the underbody is acting like a ramp to lift the vehicle. I've been in a lot of very deep snow in all kinds of 4x4 and AWD vehicles meant for deep snow, and none of them perform well in snow much deeper than the major obstructions underneath. Keep in mind, in an ICE car, this is typically a different height (higher) than the published ground clearance. The only exception to this general rule is if the top layers of snow are extra light and fluffy, like "dry smoke".

Driving in deep snow can be vexing for those with limited experience because snow conditions and the underlayer are infinitely variable to a degree that most people don't understand or fully appreciate. Because it all looks like snow but the challenge different conditions present varies more widely than any difference between one vehicle and another (which can be quite significant itself).

The Subaru Cross-Trek might not have more ground clearance in terms of the published number, given that ground clearance is measured to lowest point which is typically the differential (pumpkin) in the center, not a flat, aerodynamic underfairing like the Model X has, but it has more places for the displaced snow to migrate to as it plows through it. Blaming it on the vehicles traction electronics just shows he doesn't know what he's talking about.

I've never driven a Model X but I imagine it's traction control electronics work in a similar fashion to my Model 3 Performance which is excellent in the snow up to its available ground clearance (which is only about 6"). It also has a special mode that can be useful in deep snow (depending upon the under-layers) that allow for more wheel spinning. I suspect your friend did not know to turn it on.

In my experience, when a person fails at a driving task in the snow, they like to blame it on the vehicle rather than operator. Nobody likes to take responsibility for their own failings anymore, it's always the fault of the vehicle. Funny how that works!

You bring up a good point regarding the flat underbody and how ground clearance is measured. So the the point is that the electronics do not allow for wheel spin to push through deep snow. So it’s a limitation of the car.

regarding his experience… his resume is pretty solid as he lives full time in Truckee CA, has sleds on is F250 Tremor, has had a model Y, Range Rover, a MB sprinter, and 2 model Xs all in that environment, as well as Subarus.

when he says the X with snow tires doesn’t do well in deep snow, I’d wager he’s right.
Yes, he’s tried the slip start mode, doesnt help.
Doesn’t mean it’s a flawed vehicle, but that the electronics get in the way under this scenario.
My hope is that the CT will have a mud/sand mode or deep snow mode that allows wheel spin to push through. No teslas today have this. Many other 4x4s do including TRX, GX 460s, etc…

 

[FutureBoy]

THis is what I think he meant:

What I had in mind was kind of a mix of that and the following:

Found here.

Found here.

Found here.


Now back on the farm we would modify trucks all the time to do all sorts of odd jobs. I could see a CT being used like this:

Found here.

But a more extreme version would certainly not be recommended for the CT. For example something like this:

Found here.

 

[HaulingAss]

no truck is great for plowing snow. Loaders are great for plowing snow. I live in a canadian strata complex and trucks suck at plowing.

The problem with plowing in heavy snowfall is you can only push snow and you run out of places to push it. My local Mount Baker Ski Area has the official world record for the most snowfall in a season and they need to use snow throwers to avoid the problem of walls of snow everywhere:

This is in July, trying to re-open the road:

This is what they clear the parking lot with because they have a steep slope to push it off:

Fortunately, the WSDOT does a good job running up and down the highway during periods of heavy snowfall so it rarely gets over 5" deep and my Performance Model 3 has been really exceptional with it's fast reacting traction controls and independent control of the front and rear wheels. Better than any AWD Subaru, Volvo or Audi I've driven. The Quad motor Cybertruck with independent control of every wheel is going to be unreal on icy highways and with up to 16" inches of ground clearance and no center differential hanging down, it will be an absolute beast in deeper snow.

BTW, big horsepower is not needed, even to plow snow. The heavy equipment pictured above is probably in the 300-horsepower range. That's because it's done at speeds below 30 mph and they have the power of gearing working for them. The Cybertruck will have more torque than it will be able to apply to ground covered in snow and ice. Power is a non-issue, it's all about traction. I believe the quad motor, max range Cybertruck will weigh about 6700 lbs which is a good weight for standard light-duty plowing. Some weight in the bed will make it even better.

Warning: A principle well known to people taking machinery in deep snow: The harder a vehicle is to get stuck, if it does get stuck, it's even more difficult to get it out!

 

[HaulingAss]

You bring up a good point regarding the flat underbody and how ground clearance is measured. So the the point is that the electronics do not allow for wheel spin to push through deep snow. So it’s a limitation of the car.

regarding his experience… his resume is pretty solid as he lives full time in Truckee CA, has sleds on is F250 Tremor, has had a model Y, Range Rover, a MB sprinter, and 2 model Xs all in that environment, as well as Subarus.

when he says the X with snow tires doesn’t do well in deep snow, I’d wager he’s right.
Yes, he’s tried the slip start mode, doesnt help.
Doesn’t mean it’s a flawed vehicle, but that the electronics get in the way under this scenario.
My hope is that the CT will have a mud/sand mode or deep snow mode that allows wheel spin to push through. No teslas today have this. Many other 4x4s do including TRX, GX 460s, etc…

It sounds like he doesn't know how to turn on wheel slip mode! I assume the Model X has this just like our Model 3's have it. It's specifically made for getting out of snow/mud.

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