I've never looked at a Hiniker, but I just went to their web site.
I looked at the heavy-duty steel conventional plow. It looks pretty light.
The moldboard is 12ga. steel, which is just under 1/8". The cutting edge is 3/8" thick, which is pretty light. (My Westerns take 1/2" edges...)
My plows are old, though. I'm sure every manufacturer builds 'em lighter now...

 

ive heard that hinklers are pretty good commersial plows, go look at one and see what you think, you dont want to end up with something that will be hard to find parts for, cause the plow will at some point break something...and it will be in the middle of the night, in a blizzard, so you wouldent want a plow that youll have to order parts for every time

 

Tulsa, Oklahoma Climatology

i dont think you'd ever see your money back out there in Tulsa, OK lol.
can't you find a more common tool to use out your way.
like lift gates and hydraulic winches etc.
besides like Phy says,it won't help you plow up ice.

here is where you need a snow plow ADT
Average Annual Snowfall in Maine


http://www.bethelskireport.com/2011/...snow-in-maine/
thats a rare occurrence in the mountains lol.must say,i was shocked to see this myself when i went looking for something a little "extreme" to share just for fun lol.

 

Yup, I'd say local parts availability is #1. Though on my old western there's not much to break. I more wear things out than break 'em. (wore out lift chain bolts, plow pivot bolts, even my lift arm has a good egg shape to it and will need to be replaced or welded up)

Plow specific parts I've had to replace - wear feet (wore some out, lost a foot another time), plow cutting edge, and a set of my control cables (valve cover wore a set through the sheathing after ~15 years haha) and a few motor solenoids (I keep one spare handy just in case) Fortunately most of that is all stuff you account for and replace before it's an issue that stops you dead in your tracks. Giving it a good run-through before the season starts is a big help to catch stuff like the worn bolts, worn brushes etc. Each year I clean/blow out my motor to check the brushes and blow any dust out, electrical connections cleaned, oil drained/changed, and all adjustments checked. Loose/bent hairpins replaced with new etc. Only time I've been stuck unable to plow was when I lost a motor solenoid 2 years ago and didn't have a spare on hand. Fortunately had a tractor starter solenoid that worked in it's place for 2 days until i could get a new one so my down-time was under an hour or so.

 

Well like I said, the dealers here do not stock parts. I can't run into there and just pick up a plow and put it on my truck. I have to order it. Then if it breaks down they have to order parts. There is not, "wal-mart" version of a plow shop here. LOL You find that most truck shops carry stuff for farmers and contractors. Snow plowing is not that BIG of a market here. But for the last 2 years it sure would have been nice having one. I have been using my skidder with my grapple bucket. Maybe I should just get a plow for that and call it good. Like I said, I have been plowing for 5 years now. The last two being the WORST ever on record. I bet this year we don't see one flake, this heat wave is scorching us down here! LOL

F250, You honestly never cease to amaze me. You know I just got on this kick because a gentleman that owns a hospital and is partners in two others wants me to set them up with a contract. I just went to his place to grind some stumps. Well as most business guys know, once you start talking you usually find more work. That is why I am on that plow kick right now. I may just let the guys that already have plow trucks have this one. There are TONS when it snows. I have no clue where they ****** these things. But they sure do come out of the woodwork. I think I just need to cool my jets. I also double-checked with my insurance agent in regards to my GL policy. He informed me that snow plowing is not covered under their/my new revised policy. Due to the weather conditions over that last two years it will no longer be included as a, "rider". I have to get a separate policy and OUCH! SHEEEEEEEEEEEEEIT! REALLY?! He told me 5 grand was cheap and I had to have it for ONE year. Couldn't just have it for the snow season. This is just ridiculous. So I may not get to plow anything this year w/my skidder. Oh well que sera sera. LOL I think I am going to go fall a tree on his office now. ROFL!

 

lol.well they way i figure it is like this;
there are always those willing to help convince a guy into parting ways with his $.
it's good to have at least one guy to stand back and say hang on a minute.lets think the whole thing through first.
once you realize all the actual cost in it,and the actual likelihood of getting so much snow again,things may not look like they did at first.

there's always a good reason for things(well,lol maybe not.but in the case,stay with me lol.)
for example,why would snow plowing out that way yield $200+ and hr?
probably because a lot of guys from out of state all setup drive in to help out.this would explain the higher rates.for the few that spent the money to get setup locally,well they push snow so rarely,they kinda need $200+ an hr when it does happen.ask them how long it took them to get out of the red.don't be surprised if they've been setup for years now and still not broke even.

sometimes it's best to pause for a bit before jumping into new business endeavors.
there's always a tool to be had that would help out year round on different projects it seems as is anyway.

 

For you I'd recommend a trip up north and pick up a used one. I've had my 8.5' western plow for 9 or 10 years now. Sure it's not a V-plow but I'll tell ya what... it's rock solid, dependable, and I got it for 500 bucks attached to a rusty F250 pickup truck that had a broken distributor wire. That's right... 500 bucks for a complete truck and plow. If you're doing a parking lot (sounds like you will) you can get some wings to bolt on the sides so it'll scoop. You don't gotta have the latest and greatest V-plow with wide-out wings to make money pushing snow... I've had people on more than one occasion ask me to plow driveways just filling up at the fuel pumps and all I've got is my old western isarmatic cable-operated (and rain proof I might add ) conventional plow. Nothin' fancy but it doesn't break and gets the job done!

 

Building a plow for a skid steer is pretty easy...

 

Fabricationally challenged here..............

 

i hear theres meds for that..lol

 

 

lol if i were you i would be on the lookout for a newish used either western, fisher or meyer. you could probably find your best deals if you go somewhat used. just beware that some of the mounting systems have changed in the last few years so keep an eye out for the correct mounts for your truck

 

Yeah, used is the way to go. I bought the 8' western for my back-up truck ('93 F250) for $500... It needed some TLC, but then I have a well-equipped fabrication shop and one of the best welders on the planet at my disposal... :-)

You might look on Craigslist at a place that gets lotsa snow...

 

Heck, u find a setup in this area cheap enough, we could work something out, I could pick it up for ya and deliver... I'm headed out to MO (ME to Sedalia, MO) in early November, I don't believe thats more than a couple hours from ya, right?

*EDIT* Haha, Nope, Looks like 5 hours, Another "F" in Geography for me!

 

Careful, I may just take you up on that. I have a one ton and an 18' flatbed. I have driven to Phoenix to pick up a truck before. LOL My buddy bought it off of ebay, we just made a road trip out of it. LOL So I would not mind meeting you halfway and of course compensating you. Just so you know, my truck is a 93 F250, it is either going on that or a 96 F350. I do believe the frames are the same.

THANKS!