I'm thinking of getting a used snowplow complete setup for my '02 superduty, ext. cab, long bed.. What are the better ones to get, and which year mounts will fit? Thanks!

 

Better brands would be Fisher / Western, Boss, Hiniker & Blizzard (both can be heavy). Skip Curtis and Snowdogg, they're toys for boys like Dodge's. Mounts will fit from 99-04. I've been using a Hiniker C-plow for 2 years and I like it. I can hit it, latch it, and away in about 30 seconds. It cleanly back drags within 4 inches of the garage door. Holy sheet is it heavy. I put 1/2 a ton in the back to accommodate it

 

I had a Boss RT3 on my 2002 F250.. worked fine. Now I have a 2016 F250, and that same plow will transfer to my 2016, just different truck mount and wiring harness.. Used ones on FB marketplace can be quite reasonable.
Boss does a great job with literature on mounting/troubleshooting plows. So when I got the 2016, I went to Boss site, found out the necessary mount for the 2016, and searched for used one.. Found on FB for anywhere from 100- 375.
Bought the wiring harness thru internet, then found used on FB cheaper

Also, might want to research who sells part in your area. Might need parts in a hurry. SO this might help with which plow decision.

 

About any plow can transfer from brand to brand, year to year. One thing you want to look for is what series of mount it uses.

Fisher minute mount (MM) comes in 1 or 2 so you see MM1 or MM2, MM2 is the later model and easier to find mounts for for late model trucks. With a 03 the MM1 might be easier to find an older, used mount for.

Same in Boss, RapidTach 1 is not worth bothering with, There may not even be a headstock for your truck (this is the one where the pump stays on the truck year round), RT2 is a good one for your year of truck, RT3 is better for a later model. Wiring here I think is spliced in so it works with any truck, at least my RT2's were all just spliced into the headlight and turn signals.

Hiniker is Quick Hitch and Quick Hitch 2. They make frames for both for your year and their harness is modular, you just buy a new set of headlight adapters for a new truck, the rest of the harness just transfers over. Very easy to switch the wiring on these. Plug in the headlight adapters, put power to the harness and connect the heavy cables to go out to the pump. Once you've seen it done once you can wire a Hiniker in under 5 minutes.

Tips: Buy 2 extra solenoids and power relays regardless of the maker. Full on sucks to be stuck with the plow down and a relay or solenoid is the culprit. Quick changes on the fly are easy, but you gotta have the part on you. Extra hydro hose even if its the longest one you'll ever need to replace is worth 10x its weight in gold, then an extra gallon of hydro fluid.

 

Thanks to you both for your helpful ideas / advice!