Posted 10 October 2012 - 04:16 PM
Maynard,
Not sure where in Illinois you are located but there should be a truck with a plow nearby that you can look at to get a better idea of what you will need to do to get a good representation.
To answer some of your questions:
1. The chain is factory installed on Western Plows and a decent replica can be found in the jewelry section of a Michaels or Hobby Lobby.
2. The hydraulic lines can be replicated using some black colored wire or small diameter hose. The lines should run from the two power rams or hydraulic cylinders to the pump assembly that is on the front of the truck.
3. The control cables would run from the pump/motor assembly on the front of the truck to the floor or dash mounted control box.
4. The control box is about 4 inch square in 1:1 size and a smaller shifter would be close in size to replicate one. Older control boxes were red with T handles and newer ones (like the picture in your post) were black with a more rounded type handle.
If you want to further add realism to the plow assembly, it is missing the skid shoes on each end of the blade. These were installed to raise the plow up slightly to keep the wear bar on the bottom of the plows from wearing out prematurely. A simple search should yield a quality picture from which to build them.
I need to get my butt in gear and get my plows built and you have given me some ideas for added details.