As a former Bridgestone engineer, I know how hard snow plowing is. Snowplowing is a unique job that requires specific tires. When the weight of a vehicle and plowed snow merge with high torque; most tires don’t last long. Under these circumstances, I’ve made deep research and found top-5 snowplowing tires for you. Please note that these are the most durable winter beast tires.
- Nokian Hakkapeliitta LT3 – Best for Work & Daily Driving Combined Vehicles
- General Grabber Arctic LT – Best for Working Trucks
- Firestone Winterforce LT – Best for Longevity
- Goodyear Wrangler Duratrac – Best for Appearance and Muddy Snow Traction
- General Grabber ATX – Best for Deep Snow Traction & Wear
Snowplowing can be made with different types of vehicles. De-icer, front-end loader, gritter, and your heavy-duty truck! Today, I will focus on the best snow plowing tires for your heavy-duty work truck. Let’s begin!
What Type of Trucks are Snow plow?
In theory, you can make a snowplow with any truck. Yet, not all of them will be efficient in that case. Let’s see what priorities you should have while choosing a snowplow truck.
- Capability to carry the load out front
- Tough, durable, and powerful transmission
- 4-wheel drive is a big big plus
- Be able to easily steer on snow
If we put snow-work trucks out of the equation, all roads lead us to heavy-duty trucks. In literature, heavy-duty trucks are defined as 3/4 ton or 1-ton trucks. Though, I will share the best heavy-duty trucks for snow plow in this article.
Table of Contents
What Vehicles are These Tires Suitable for?
3/4 ton and above trucks are suitable for these tires. Here are some examples.
- Dodge RAM 2500/3500 or 5500
- Ford F250/350
- Cherry Silverado 2500/4500
- Toyota Tundra(You should pay attention to plow weight)
- Nissan Titan XD
You can diversify this list with different vehicles. These are my best picks for snow plowing.
Nokian Hakkapeliitta LT3
If you don’t see any Nokian tire in the snow tire list, throw it out. Nokian makes the best snow tires in the world. This Finnish company is an expert on snow tires. Plus, they use stainless steel studs on this tire for the first time in the world!
In summary, Nokian Hakkapeliitta LT3 is one of the most durable tires in winter conditions due to its stainless steel body construction and studs(resistance against rusting). Its deep enough grooves and well-placed sipes provide maximum traction in harshest winter conditions. Moreover, Aramid Sidewall Technology ensures that you won’t get flat tires on duty.
| Pros | Cons |
|---|---|
| Massive winter traction | Hard to find it |
| Durability | Dry ground stopping distance is slightly longer due to studs |
| Stainless steel studs | |
| Phonemonel handling capability due to specific tread design | |
| Better fuel mileage | |
| Aggresiive design and strong sidewalls |
In my point of view, Nokian made a great winter work tire. It’s almost flawless. I strongly recommend you give it a try.
Note: Studless option is also available
General Grabber Arctic LT
General Grabber Arctic is studdable winter tire. It’s designed for heavy-duty trucks. You can find it in 16”, 17”, 18” and 20” rim sizes with an E load range. Though worth reminding, winter tires wore quickly above 45 degrees Fahrenheit.
In summary, General Grabber Arctic LT is all-round tire. Due to tread life, it’s the superior pick on this list. Well, It’s a slightly rough tire because of its 10-ply(E load range) construction. Yet, its dry and wet grip capability make it one of the best winter/ice tire.
| Pros | Cons |
|---|---|
| Tread life | A little bumpy |
| Sidewall durability | A bit vocal |
| Stainless steel studs | |
| Wet traction | |
| Dirt cheap |
Grabber Arctic LT is built in the USA. Well, that makes it trustworthy. You can break the back of the hardest circumstances with it.
Note: You can select the stud or studless option during the shopping
Firestone Winterforce LT
Firestone Winter Force LT is a heavy-duty tire that can provide maximum traction under loaded conditions. It’s the highest price-earning ratio among the products in this list. It isn’t best in any feature but above average in all of them. Its affordability lets it participate in this list.
In summary, Winterforce LT has a decent durability. It has a firm compound that provides consistent tread life even in dry conditions. Due to its well-placed and full-depth sipes, it can handle wet grounds without effort. Yet, it’s sort of noisy compared to its competitors.
| Pros | Cons |
|---|---|
| Massive winter traction | Above average for any stamp but not best |
| Durability | Make some noise |
| Dry traction | A bit harsh during drive |
Firestone is always safe-pick for winter tires. This one takes its place between trustworthy work tires. If you have a limited budget, I strongly recommend it.
Goodyear Wrangler Duratrac
Goodyear Wrangler Duratrac is the first all-terrain tire on this list. I’ve chosen it cuz it’s hard to find an all-terrain tire that can perform as well as it does. Plus, the stud option is a gift.
In summary, Goodyear Wrangler Duratrac has superior on and off-road traction. It has the best look on this list. It’s a bit noisy. Yet, you can use it even on warm days. Sidewall durability and long-lasting rubber are brownie points to durability.
| Pros | Cons |
|---|---|
| On and off-road traction | A bit vocal tire |
| Aggressive look | A bit harsh during drive |
| Durability | |
| Studdable all-terrain tire | |
| Can be uses in sunny days |
You can confidently go with Goodyear Duratrac if appearance is as important as performance for you. You can check this article out if you need a detailed review.
General Grabber ATX
General Grabber ATX is the second all-terrain tire on this list. Moreover, it’s cheaper. This tire has tons of plus for snow plowing. Ultra-high-strength steel belts, 3PMSF marking, etc.
In summary, General Grabber ATX steps up with huge traction ability. Besides its off-road capability, Grabber’s rubber can handle high torque and provides long-lasting tread life. Due to its specific tread, while chewing snow, it also performs on highways quietly. Well, its firm rubber makes it a bit bumpy. Yet, its massive ice and snow ability make me put it on this list.
| Pros | Cons |
|---|---|
| On and off-road traction | A bit harsh during drive |
| Aggressive look | Steering response is questionable |
| Durability | |
| Studdable all-terrain tire | |
| Affordable price | |
| Can be uses in sunny days |
You can also check my detailed General Grabber ATX article right here!
Specs
| Nokian Hakkapeliitta LT3 | General Grabber Arctic LT | Firestone Winterforce LT | Goodyear Wrangler Duratrac | General Grabber ATX | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Category | Light-Truck Winter Tire | Light-Truck Winter Tire | Light-Truck Winter Tire | Commercial All-Terrain Tire | All-Terrain Tire |
| Vehicle | Light Truck, SUV | Light Truck, SUV | Light Truck, SUV | Light Truck, SUV | Light Truck, SUV |
| Available Sizes (Rim) | 16”, 17”, 18”, 20” | 16’’, 17’’, 18’’, 20’’ | 16’’, 17’’, 18’’, 20’’ | 15’’, 16’’, 17’’, 18’’, 19’’, 20” | 15”, 16”, 17”, 18”, 20” |
| Made In | Finland | USA | USA | USA | USA |
| Warranty (P-metric) | N/A | N/A | N/A | 50,000 Miles | 50,000 Miles |
| Warranty (LT Sizes) | N/A | N/A | N/A | 50,000 Miles | 50,000 Miles |
| Prices | Check price section to see best possible prices | Check price section to see best possible prices | Check price section to see best possible prices | Check price section to see best possible prices | Check price section to see best possible prices |
| Severe Snow Rated (3PMSF) | Yes (3PMSF) | Yes (3PMSF) | Yes (3PMSF) | Yes (3PMSF) | Yes (3PMSF) |
Conclusion
These are my top picks for snow plowing. Though worth reminding, tires on this list must be used under 7°C degrees. Otherwise, your tires won’t last long. You can keep all-terrain tires out of this equation.
| Tread Life | Puncture Durability | On-Road | Off-Road | Wet Traction | Winter Traction | Ice Traction | Price | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nokian Hakkapeliitta LT3 | 9 | 9 | 9 | 7 | 9 | 10 | 10 | High |
| General Grabber Arctic LT | 8 | 8 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 8 | Affordable |
| Firestone Winterforce LT | 7 | 8 | 9 | 6 | 8 | 8 | 7 | Affordable |
| Goodyear Wrangler Duratrac | 7 | 10 | 7 | 9 | 8 | 9 | 8 | Average |
| General Grabber ATX | 8 | 9 | 6 | 9 | 8 | 8 | 8 | Average |
If you have any further questions, please leave them below. Have a safe ride!