[orange toys]

I have been doing some reading on the Direct lift and Chain lift, so i kinda know about them but what do you all think on that topic? what do you suggest?

I have also noticed that the direct lift seems to be more of what people want so I would really like to hear what the guys buying the chain lift say +/- of the them.

 

[M.S.P.M.]

I have both a western and a hiniker and for me they are the same I have no preference between the two. The only difference is western is a chain lift and hiniker is a direct lift. I notice no difference except the fact that the chain lift bounces around more than the direct lift.

 

[bigbadduramax]

Hiniker all the way.

 

[orange toys]

Hiniker all the way.

Can you explain why?

 

[sno commander]

what does your dealer recomend, since they sell both brands they should have a un-biased opinion. what do hinikers have for a warraty? western is 2 years

 

[orange toys]

if you called him up right now he would say hiniker, and then you ask why and somewhere in the answer of why is thats what everyone wants.

I want the best not what joe down the road wants.

 

[bigbadduramax]

hiniker

ive been plowing for 5 years with 3 hinikers. i sub contract for a huge company and i am one of the few that run hinikers. most use boss and blizzard and myers. i see constant breakdowns on newer equipment than mine. in 5 years i have had only 1 problem and it is with my back up plow that is old as dirt.

 

[CHCSnowman]

I have a Hiniker V Plow on a F-250 & an 8' straight blade on my Chevy 2500. The Hiniker is about 4 years old and the Boss about 8-9. I have had chain lifts before and I just think the direct lift is better.

As for V plow compared to straight blade......I say V blades are much better.

As for brand....I would say either of these are tough plows. I have had a hose break on the Boss and a nut come off the solenoid(when it was new) in 8-9 years of use.

The Hiniker the only problem I had was a wire connection at my controller when it was new to me and last year I hit a riser and bent and broke my truck side mount.....but the forks didnt break.

The Hiniker controller is nicer to use then the Boss joystick.....

I would let the deciding factor be the dealer and the hours they have during snow storms. We have 24 hour dealers. And if you can get 24 hour service with all brands..I would go with the cheapest priced plow.

 

[TKLAWN]

The parts are easier to find and are cheaper for westerns.

 

[FisherVMan]

Up here you couldnt hardly give either one away as everyone uses Yellow plows but they both look good and I have heard some good stuff about the Hiniker Plow..................

 

[dforbes]

I was simply referring too how to transport a broken direct lift plow....

One question smart guy...

How would you "short chain" your direct lift boss plow at 4 in the morning in the cold????

My lord.

I don't have my instructions in front of me right now but I remember reading something like
put the plow in float and push up on a pile of snow raising the blade. disconect the bolt from the lift cylinder and move the bracket to the center hole. Replace the bolt. The plow is now ready for transport. short chained

Something like that. I remember from when I got my first Hiniker in 1994 so these directions may not be exactly right. I always carry my book with me in the winter so If I ever need to know I will read it then.

 

[addictedtolands]

I have owned almost all of the more common makes. I switched to Hiniker last year after going through HELL with my sw v's. What I have noticed, the design of the blade significantly resembles that of a boss, I just sold my last boss that was 13 yo and worked like a dream. The frame is all box tubing. My v is 9'6" all steel, weighs just short of 1000 lbs. I was so impressed with it last year, I bought on of the scoop plows this year. The scoop is poly, 8'. I have used it to do cleanups for the couple storms we have gotten. The scoop is really fast, shakes the truck when you angle it, but settles on the ground nice and easily, scrapes very clean. I would have to say it only weighs somewhere in the area of 500 or so.

Overall, I like the performance and reliability, I run these things to make money, I am not by any means anyone who will baby them, they are designed to work and I put them to the test.

the only down side I have found, the connections are ridiculous. My v has three different plugs, power of course then two others I assume lighting on one and function of the blade on the other. The fact that they have not come up with something sturdier and more protected astonishes me. The scoop, same way, except two plugs instead of three.

I prefer the full trip blades, and sued t have a Western pro series that had a shock absorber so that when the blade came back up you didn't lose your teeth, the scoop is a trip edge set up, so I will have to wait and see if it grows on me. The V doesn't rattle me to bad. My biggest concern with the trip edge has been hidden obstacles, but most are making there edges 9" I believe now, so that should be a thing of the past.

 

[NicholasMWhite]

I have owned almost all of the more common makes. I switched to Hiniker last year after going through HELL with my sw v's. What I have noticed, the design of the blade significantly resembles that of a boss, I just sold my last boss that was 13 yo and worked like a dream. The frame is all box tubing. My v is 9'6" all steel, weighs just short of 1000 lbs. I was so impressed with it last year, I bought on of the scoop plows this year. The scoop is poly, 8'. I have used it to do cleanups for the couple storms we have gotten. The scoop is really fast, shakes the truck when you angle it, but settles on the ground nice and easily, scrapes very clean. I would have to say it only weighs somewhere in the area of 500 or so.

Overall, I like the performance and reliability, I run these things to make money, I am not by any means anyone who will baby them, they are designed to work and I put them to the test.

the only down side I have found, the connections are ridiculous. My v has three different plugs, power of course then two others I assume lighting on one and function of the blade on the other. The fact that they have not come up with something sturdier and more protected astonishes me. The scoop, same way, except two plugs instead of three.

I prefer the full trip blades, and sued t have a Western pro series that had a shock absorber so that when the blade came back up you didn't lose your teeth, the scoop is a trip edge set up, so I will have to wait and see if it grows on me. The V doesn't rattle me to bad. My biggest concern with the trip edge has been hidden obstacles, but most are making there edges 9" I believe now, so that should be a thing of the past.

The reason the v (and c-plow for that matter) have 3 plugs is so that you can use a truck that is wired for a v-plow or c-plow and run a straight or scoop blade. You just plug in the power/ground connector and the other. This way especially you using multiple hinikers could wire all your trucks to with the v-plow wiring and controller and then use any plow with any truck.

 

[Ozone]

My Western Unimount is about 7-8 years old now, and never had 1 problem.

I don't count an occasional "pin" break as a problem.

I change my pump oil every other year, and make sure my electrical connections are cleaned.

However my blade's paint job is peeling a tad on the top..have to fix that this year.

Western all the way for me.

 

[linycctitan]

Pretty simple to answer your own question (not trying to be calis, just making a point). Your local dealer sells both, so which do they stock more parts for? Which has the better warranty? Talk to some of the techs, which ones do they have more issues with (which comes in the shop broken more?)? Which are they more experienced, or trained in servicing? All plow makes and models have pros and cons, so after looking at them side by side, which one will serve your needs better? After these questions have been answered, you can make an educated decision. Best regards.

 

[cleansweep007]

Two western plows and they have been perfect ! We have both dealers here and I think I have seen a total of three hinker's around here. Western is more reliable then hinker around here.

 

[spencer087]

I recently looked at a 2010 hiniker and if i remember right there was a metal plate that was kind of pie shaped with steps cut into it. I think what you do it drive the plow up a pile and move that plate down and when you back up it holds the plow up.

 

[Pinky Demon]

My old Western Uni-Mount straight is a tank, but I switched to Boss for my new V. Western/Fisher builds a terrible V and there are many threads on here to back that statement up. Go search for 2CORs write up on his Fisher V blade.

 

[2COR517]

Hey, I can get in enough trouble on my own.........

However, on the previous Hiniker V thread, I was very impressed by the photos I saw. Never looked at one "in person" so I can't say much more. Apparently the Hiniker truckside forks have had issues? Maybe that has been resolved.

As for strength/durability, I have a 9 foot Fisher Quick Switch I'll put up against any other pickup plow wesport

 

[mule585]

i have 2 westerns and love them will never switch but it all depends on what you want straight or v personally i want a wideout i think v plows are over rated