ok, to those out there who live in states where it snows, ( thats that cold white stuff that floats down from the sky time from time in these northern states that you southerners might not know about. )

my question is, since i am going to put a plow on my 2002 F250 extended cab this fall, WHAT plow should i get?

i may be putting 1-ton springs in the truck to support the weight, im choosing between a Boss- steel plow, 7 1/2 or 8 foot wide, ~740 pounds~

or... a Sno-Way "Predator" plow, which only weighs about 450 pounds and can put downpressure for back-dragging.

does anyone have experience with the "sno-way" plow? or boss?
i need to know which one to buy, i cant afford to have downtime. thanks

BuiltToughF250

 

I have plowed snow a bit last year. I bought an 79 F350 which had all of the snow plow equipment on it.

I plowed with a Meyer 8 foot snowplow. Even although the equipment was used, it plowed great. I could plow four inches of snow in granny gear like a hot knife through butter.

I only had experience with Meyer, and it was a very good one.

Your truck can plow with 7.5 foot or 8 foot. If it is an auto, put a tranny cooler on it.

 

If you plan on making big $$$$ plowing stay away from SnoWay. Weight equals strength and in my opinion it sounds to lite. More for the happy home owner to do just his driveway. Commercial plowing is very hard on trucks and their equipment. Time is money and slow cautious plowing gets thrown out the window. That's where the problems start. There are other manufactures as well as Boss. Meyer & Western to name a few. Good luck.

 

I started plowing back in 78 and did it for 20 years. I have always used Westren plows. They roll the snow rather than push in like some other brands do. (The curve of the mall board)Another good thing about Westren plows is that parts are readly avaiable in this area (West Michigan) and a lot of other people use them so if you need a part at three in the morning there is uasually someone that has a part you can beg borrow or steal. Westren is my #1 choice for plows and my second would be Boss.
The plow I have now Westren 7'6" came new on my 78 Bronco and went from there to my 85 F250 and from there to my 89 F250 and is still going strong.

Good Luck

 

Interesting topic I had a snow plow business for about 10 years , Hense the name that never left me. I used Western, I always had good luck with them and if your putting it on a F250 and do any commercial plowing get a Western pro series plow . they are heavier duty. My Main plow truck was a 86 Bronco with air bags in the front coils and I ran a older western 7 1/2 pro plow . Now of course they have the toggle switch controls but my was the cable controlled. My biggest problem was on the highway with a new cutting edge I would have to run the plow almost on the ground due to it blocking my radiator. I also had to have the rear end rebuilt a few times I could never understand why they went to the cheap 8.8 rear end instead of the proven 9" . Anyways that brought back fond memories of being in my truck for 20 to hours at a crack and making a ton of cash in a very short amount of time . I could only hope to plow sand after a bad monsoon storm in AZ now.

 

Heavier plows seem to hold up the best. The key to this is that the truck you have must be able handle the plow, the plows weight, and the weight of the snow that you are pushing. I have two Western plows that I have had for years. One still has a sticker on it stating "The official plow of the 1980 Lake Placid Winter Olympic games". These rigs are mounted on heavy Fords. They work great. I would NOT want them on a light truck like an F-150. I have one Meyer that I have also had for years and has worked great on F-150's and F-250's. It is lighter and doesn't put much of a strain on the front suspension parts.
I do agree that the heavier the plow, the stronger it is and that back dragging would be much better. If you were staying with stock springs, then weight would be a concirn. If you are going to beef up with 1 ton springs, then weight of the plow rig would not be as much of an issue thus heavier would be better. Good luck. Jake.

 

I've looked a Curtis plows before. They look to be built very well and are heavy. There are many different plows out there (Western,Meyers,Curtis,Hiniker,Boss and maybe more) You need a heavy plow to move the snow, IMHO. If you get a heavy, wet snowfall and it gets really cold before you get to plow it (basically turns to ice) a light plow won't cut it. A heavy plow will cut right through it.

 

[updated:LAST EDITED ON 31-Aug-02 AT 10:31 PM (EST)]I plowed snow for 25 years (1971-1996). At that time we used Meyers and Fishers.
The Fishers were good plows built heavy and they had the pumps and valves under the hood, not hanging on the front bumper.
It looks like most companys in this area (Ann Arbor, MI.) are now going to the Boss plows.
If your going to do this for a living buy nothing smaller than a F250 with automatic trans and add a trans cooler. Nothing like plowing with a stick transmission for twenty plus hours and going home with a swollen clutch knee.
Keep a tool box with tools and extra parts (springs, valves, hoses) in the truck along with a 30 foot nylon tow strap.
If your going to do private drives, spend the extra money and buy a rear plow for getting close to garage doors. Back dragging with front plows never gets it clean enough for the home owner.
You may want to check your tailpipe, if it comes out on the drivers side have it moved to the other side.
The best advise for buying a plow is get one that is popular in your area so you can find parts.
You may also want to buy a supply of dramimine for the motion sickness. Nothing like plowing all day and night then going home to a water bed that seem like it will never stop moving..
LAST:
Check your auto insurance,make sure you are covered for the unexpected.