truck snow plow recommendation

[vpd66]

I have a 2000 GMC 1500 4x4 and I'm looking to put a snow plow on it. I will just be plowing my residential driveway. It is 300ft long with a 60'x150' area by my shop and house. I understand there are different levels of snow plows (light, medium, and heavy duty). I'm pretty sure I just need I light duty. I'm looking for recommendations and feedback on which is the best bang for the buck. I'd like to buy new, but if I can find a deal on a used one I could go that route too. I'm replacing my 1983 Ford F150 4x4 that had an old 6ft International snow plow on it. It was only hydraulic up and down and manual tilt side to side. With this setup it only took me about 45 minutes tops to clean my driveway and I averaged about 30 minutes.

 

[LD1]

About any name brand 7.5' light-medium duty plow will be a good match. Meyers, Boss, Western, curtis, blizzard, amoung others.

But if it were me, I'd be patient and browse c-list for an old meyers ST-90 or ST-7.5 plow. Preferable classic mount II. They are about the most popular 1/2 ton plow, and parts are readily available new AND used, and they are VERY simple to work on. The only issue is getting a mount for YOUR truck. Those mounts are usually ~$700 alone. BUT, if you find someone with a COMPLETE setup, pricetag is generally $1000-$1500. IF you have to put another $700 into a mount, you are still HALF the price of a new unit.

 

[crazyal]

A coworker bought a "snow dog" and has found it to be very difficult to use. He removes it so he can commute to work, maybe if he didn't it would be better. He tried selling it but had no luck so he just traded the plow and truck in. You get what you pay for. If you buy light duty make sure you are buying from a dealer that stands behind the product and has sold them for years. The Snow Dog was a new line for the dealer. The dealer was very good about fixing it each time he complained but lets face facts. If it's snowing out you want your plow to work.

 

[natem]

I would stick with either fisher or western. If they are a little more, it is worth it. Tried and tested. Do it once.

 

[camer]

Buy a boss poly plow. There the best plow made. Mine is 10 years old and never had a problem with it.

 

[case245]

you could buy a stainless steel plow i dont know what the extra cost is

 

[LD1]

Now we are going to get into the "typical" brand war.

"boss is best"......."no western is better"..........."no, Fisher is the best".......:laughing:

They are all good. They all do the job. They ALL require care. They ALL break down. They ALL cost alot.

Someone mentioned stainless plows. I know SnowDogg are one that makes them. They are a good plow also. Just not as well known as Meyer, Western, Boss, and Fisher. Curtis, Hiniker and Blizzard also make good plows as does the higher end snow-way's. They all offer some sort of unique feature in a specialty plow also. Like Downpressure, or trip-edge, or hinikers C plow, speedwing plows, etc.

 

[Lt CHEG]

Not unlike the purchase of a tractor, buying from a good dealer is probably more important than just what brand the plow is. I've got a Western on my plow truck and frankly I've had the best luck with Western plows and the worst luck with Fisher plows even though both are made by the same company - Douglas Dynamics and there are even a lot of the same parts between Western and Fisher. When I was still working in the engineering field I was in charge of all the infrastructure for a municipal water department except for the actual treatment plant. I supervised all the guys that worked on the road and we also plowed snow in the winter. We had mostly Meyer with some Fisher and some Western depending on what was on state contract the year they were purchased. We routinely got the best service from the dealer who took care of our Meyer and Western plows (they also sold Fisher but didn't sell them or service them on state contract). That dealer is also the dealer that I use for my personal equipment now because their service was so good.

Like anything else this will be a brand preference thing as nobody that makes a plow that truly stinks will stay in business for long. Based upon my experience though I will say that the Meyer plows were the overall most reliable even though they didn't clean as nicely or operate quite as smoothly as the Westerns and the Fishers. The Westerns were just about as reliable as the Meyers and actually did a nicer job and their hydraulics were smoother. We had the most problems with the Fishers although they were equal to the Western in hydraulic smoothness and probably did the nicest job of all of them by a small margin over the Western. I honestly think that the weight of the plow (heavier being better) affected the quality of the clearing job more than anything. I also came to prefer a full moldboard trip over a trip edge design. I found that the full board trip was less jarring to the plow frame and truck, and the extra wear and tear on the equipment could not be made up for by the increased speed of not having to go over an occasional windrow a second time because you lost some snow to a moldboard trip. My personal preference if I were buying new would likely be Western as my first choice by a large margin, followed by Boss moldboard trip, then SnoWay, then Meyer.

 

[KubotainNH]

Used big name power angle that is easy to remove. The cheapos don't seem to trip very well and are weak. I have an older 6.5' fisher on my Jeep and it has worked great and hasn't cost me much. The trip setup makes a big bang when tripped but sure does save the truck.

 

[snowjoker]

Do not put a used Meyer on it. them st series are flat out junk... the e47 pumps are junk too... i would suggest going to your closest dealer and see what he has to offer.. Boss probabbly is the best for the money I have never heard of a boss plow breaking down.. Western, Fisher, Snow-Way, im not sold on the snow dogg.. they arent built very heavy , and once you hit something that pretty stainless blade is damaged forever. you cannot pound the dent out of it.. Poly blades are actually heavier than steel blades because of all the extra bracing needed to keep the moldboard tough. Any more questions feel free to ask away

 

[LD1]

Yep, typical brand bashing. Let me break it down:

Do not put a used Meyer on it. them st series are flat out junk... the e47 pumps are junk too...

Junk eh.... I own one. Granted it is an e60 pump. But it certainly aint junk. It is one of the better (and heavier built) plows out there that is reccomended for a half ton. Nothing wrong with the design or strenth of them for the purpose they are built for. But if you expect them to be as good as a municipal plow that is 2x's the weight, your crazy.

Boss probabbly is the best for the money I have never heard of a boss plow breaking down..

Yep...brand war. Never heard of a boss breaking down???? You must not plow much. Or at least not with guys that use boss. They all break down. I plow with guys that use everything. Meyers,Boss, western, blizzard, snow-way, fisher, etc. They ALL break. And not one brand more frequent or infrequent than the other. ALOT has to do with how it is cared for, how old it is, and how (style) one plows.

im not sold on the snow dogg.. they arent built very heavy , and once you hit something that pretty stainless blade is damaged forever. you cannot pound the dent out of it..

Damaged forever If they arent built that heavy, why is it so hard to pound the dent out?? You can pound dents out of 11ga stainless just as easy as 11ga mild-steel:confused2: It can be bent, welded, drilled, and about anything else you can do to mildsteel. Your statement just makes no sense.

Poly blades are actually heavier than steel blades because of all the extra bracing needed to keep the moldboard tough.

About the only thing you have said that is correct or even makes a lick of sense.

Its clear you have your favorite brand. And thats fine. But it certainly dont make all the rest "junk". And you certainly arent going to earn any respect on here by bashing all other brands except "your favorite". That goes for more than just snowplows. Tractors, mowers, chainsaws, trucks, etc. Dont get me wrong, nothing wrong with having a favorite. But bashing......are we in kindergarden again??

 

[snowjoker]

Yep, typical brand bashing. Let me break it down:



Junk eh.... I own one. Granted it is an e60 pump. But it certainly aint junk. It is one of the better (and heavier built) plows out there that is reccomended for a half ton. Nothing wrong with the design or strenth of them for the purpose they are built for. But if you expect them to be as good as a municipal plow that is 2x's the weight, your crazy.



Yep...brand war. Never heard of a boss breaking down???? You must not plow much. Or at least not with guys that use boss. They all break down. I plow with guys that use everything. Meyers,Boss, western, blizzard, snow-way, fisher, etc. They ALL break. And not one brand more frequent or infrequent than the other. ALOT has to do with how it is cared for, how old it is, and how (style) one plows.



Damaged forever If they arent built that heavy, why is it so hard to pound the dent out?? You can pound dents out of 11ga stainless just as easy as 11ga mild-steel:confused2: It can be bent, welded, drilled, and about anything else you can do to mildsteel. Your statement just makes no sense.



About the only thing you have said that is correct or even makes a lick of sense.

Its clear you have your favorite brand. And thats fine. But it certainly dont make all the rest "junk". And you certainly arent going to earn any respect on here by bashing all other brands except "your favorite". That goes for more than just snowplows. Tractors, mowers, chainsaws, trucks, etc. Dont get me wrong, nothing wrong with having a favorite. But bashing......are we in kindergarden again??

Well my friend I have probabbly backed up through more snow than you have driven threw... I live in Western NY and we get alot more snow than you do.. ! I also have a snowplowing business. I didnt even recommend the plows I USE... Blizzard.. Kindergarden you are the one being the whiner about me voicing my opinions. I have several ties in the snowplowing industry across the country. Oh ya i wanna see you repair a dent on a piece of stainless... To be honest I dont have to fix the plow in question. nor install it.. I also never mentioned the E 60 as being junk.. but i will say that meyer has had so many different pump designs over the past 20 years its stupid ! where i know of only 3 for western, and only a couple for boss... I am in the snow business to be efficient and I network with several dealers and plowers alike. and meyer is definately not a fan favorite.... they are good for parts sales though...

 

[LD1]

To each his own I guess. We can agree to disagree. But meyers certainly aint junk. You mentioned a light duty plow meant for 1/2 ton trucks. NOT a commercial plow. Compare apples to apples....

I have fixed many dents in stainless. I work with stainless everyday. Its characteristics are VERY much like mild steel except is rusts less. And it work hardens if you dont keep it cool when machining/turning/drilling. But it is just as pliable and bendable as mild-steel.

 

[tcreeley]

Make sure the front springs in your truck are up to it- may need to beef them up. Poly blades were invented because GM/Ford started saving money on front springs and shaved their capacity down. Check with a dealer who puts on snowplows.

 

[Yandaddy1110]

I would focus your search to a used Western Unimount or a Meyers St Classic 7 or 7.5 foot for home use with my experience. Both are time tested very popular and there is no shortage of them in the used market. Shoundnt have a problem finding one for your chevy mount. $1500-2000 price range. Im looking for one myself for my 2002 Chevy 1500HD to plow my rental houses. I may even bolt on my Meyers 6.5ft mtp.. good enough for home use..though I do not have a Chevy mount.

 

[KubotainNH]

Make sure the front springs in your truck are up to it- may need to beef them up. Poly blades were invented because GM/Ford started saving money on front springs and shaved their capacity down. Check with a dealer who puts on snowplows.

That's a good point. I have Timbrens on the front of mine.

 

[Ryan03]

I have been a DOT mechanic for 15 years. I work on lots and lots of plows. My personal favorite brand is Western with the ultra mount hitch. You would be hard pressed to know the mount is on the truck in the off season, as once the receivers are removed, it is nearly invisible. Alot of Chevy guys like boss plows because the design of the boss hitch gives a little more clearance underneath with the plow hooked up, which the GM trucks can realy benefit from. We run both Western and boss plows with a leftover meyer EZ classic here and there. The Westerns are my personal favorites with Boss being a close second. Meyer plows are ok IMO, but I have done way more repairs over the years to Meyer plows than any other. I do not agree with the E47 being junk. Granted it is a slow amp drawing vampire, but they have always done reasonably well for us. I cannot say the same for the E60 units. These pumps are the reason we began switching to Boss and Western 10 years ago. For the record, My 2500 Dmax has a repurposed Meyer ST90 steel blade on it with a EZ classic mount and slick stick. I only plow my drive and a couple family members. I have $850 invested in my setup which includes my totaly freshened E47 pump, Sand blasted and emroned mount and hoop, Clean used meyer complete harness and late model modules with fuses, and nite saber lights. As far as bang for the buck, used meyers are very affordable and do the job. If I were to be laying down 4k plus though for a brand new one, I would be looking at a different brand. For the record, the same company owns Blizzard, Western and Fisher. It is called Douglas Dynamics.