# Trip edge vs Trip Blade



## rogerfries (Mar 8, 2005)

Which is better? It seems to me that the trip blade style is better. When it trips I can see it and see when it comes back. Of course I've never used the Fisher trip edge style, but heard that you can trip the edge & not know it and that it wont come back until you stop. I have a old Western (I think), but just accuired a realy nice Fisher from a parts truck I bought. I was thinking about using the Fisher and was wondering what your opinions where on the subject.

Thanks


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## lakeeffect (Nov 17, 2002)

Do a search on this subject, has been discussed many times in here.


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## oldmankent (Mar 2, 2001)

Do a search. They both have their pros and cons.


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## snowgm (Jan 24, 2005)

I'll summarize. They both work. It depends more on what your Dad and your friends used. They will both push snow just fine. 

However;
Full trip blades with wimpy springs are bad.
V-plows are a different matter - check the threads for that discussion (Boss V with full trip is not enjoyed by many)

I've used several and been researching that question for months and have come to the conclusion that it only depends on what part of the country you are trying to market your plow in (and talking to the manufacturers at the NTEA show confirmed that theory).


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## Mark Oomkes (Dec 10, 2000)

I vote for the trip edge. Much less damage to the truck and plow.


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## CyberJay (Jan 16, 2005)

Wasn't there a thread on here by a guy who worked at a dealership? He took two brand new trucks with similar setups, one trip edge and one full trip. He hooked up a machine that's used in accident testing or something like that to measure stresses on the frame. If I remember correctly his conclusions were in favor of the full trip. Said the impact on a curb from a trip edge was like a low speed car crash.

Don't quote me, it's just what I remember from a few months ago.

I vote full trip because that's what I've used and I've never had a problem with it. But honestly, I've never plowed with a trip edge, and never used a V-plow. (Trip edge on a v-plow seems to make sense to me).

-Jay


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## NEUSWEDE (Mar 14, 2003)

I think if your going to get a straight blade full trip is the way to go but with a V plow you need a trip edge. I say this because Boss has a full trip on there V so if your Boss is in V position it has to come straight before it will trip and that doesn't sound good. The fisher V has a trip edge which is good so when your in V just the edge trips and will stay in V. I am not a fan of any one plow they all have problems in my eyes and I am choosing a fisher next year because they have the best support around me and I am going with an 8'6 V


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## Mark Oomkes (Dec 10, 2000)

Yes, if you are hitting a curb, the full trip would make more sense. But how many curbs do you hit compared to manholes, drains, potholes. If you are hitting curbs on a regular basis, you are going to have some other serious problems.


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## jeffw (Feb 5, 2005)

i had a fisher 8' straight with the trip edge, and now have a 8' straight western with the full trip with a shock absorber, i prefer the full trip to the fisher trip edge. it is alot more forgiving when it does trip. and with the full blade trip you can push over some obsticles like slanted curbs, and when you get some heavy stuff and a gravel lot you can slide it right over the junk. the fisher would dig right in and stop you dead, the western will allow you to see the plow start to go over and you can control the trip with pushing power. The western is a lighter plow that the fisher but i like the easy way it trips it is very soft and not the hard bang i used to get with my fisher.

Jeff


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## hesko1 (Dec 30, 2003)

*edge vs. blade*

I have plowed with both. I love the blade as long as there is enough spring to it and that can be easily adjusted. I see a lot of guys out there with their plows flopped over and I can understand their frustration. thighten the springs, get new ones, or have one added. In our case we have to plow over a lot of curbs, (tight parking areas.) With a blade this is very forgiving, even if you have been plowing all night and your timing is off for lifting the plow. With a trip edge if you don't have that plow lifted you might as well be hitting a brick wall when the mold board hits. AS for manhole covers, I feel the that the upper weight in a blade helps the plow roll over the obsticles easier as the weight is shifted/rolled forward. The trip edge has 600lbs. of weight applying pressure to a six inch wide piece of steel that by the way it is positioned it does not want to trip. When you hit a manhole with a trip edge even your teeth know it. Just my opinion!


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## jt5019 (Aug 28, 2003)

rogerfries said:


> Which is better? It seems to me that the trip blade style is better. When it trips I can see it and see when it comes back. Of course I've never used the Fisher trip edge style, but heard that you can trip the edge & not know it and that it wont come back until you stop. I have a old Western (I think), but just accuired a realy nice Fisher from a parts truck I bought. I was thinking about using the Fisher and was wondering what your opinions where on the subject.
> 
> Thanks


Both a work good.I prefer the fisher trip edge for the conditions i plow.I think it scrapes better and tends to not leave as much mess when it does trip.And yes you can tell when the fisher trips trust me


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## ratlover (May 5, 2003)

The trip edge can dump snow when it trips just like a full trip if you hit something hard.


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## justme- (Dec 28, 2004)

Trip edge dumps alot less than a blade trip. Yes you can tell when a trip edge trips (if you can't you shouldn't be driving let alone plowing) and no they cannot not reset for a while unless you have springs (springS) broken and/or missing.

Preferred system depends largly on where you are and what you do- for road work in New England I see alot of blade trips but small trucks Fisher's outnumber all the full blade makes. 
I didn't see the thread about the mechanic but I have never plowed with a blade trip- only Fishers- and hitting the curb at an angle as if you were street plowing makes little difference (experiance talking here) to anything- trip edges will not always trip on things that a blade trip will. I have seen blade trips dump a load when the operator grazed a curb with the edge- never happens to me. Sometimes the edge catches the curb (some curbs are aweful high these days) when I'm stacking and hangs me up where a blade trip might trip and pass over the curb easier, but I don't know for sure.

The important comparison is the blade angle of attack not the method of trip. The Speedcast type Fisher blades have a very aggressive angle of attack, almost a "C" if you will, the edge has an arc to pass through to trip where 90% of the blade trip designs have the cutting edge almost 90 degrees to the surface (much less aggressive scrape angle) so they simply break backwards. The XBlade has the same minimal angle of attack and _should_ present about the same resistance to tripping therefore provide the cushining referred to. 
Personally I don't see that the weak attack angle of those blades actually scrapes as well as the old Fishers, but again I have never used anything else. I will be looking into other designs (hands on comparisons) in the future including Poly edges vs steel (I know it's been talked to death but I want to see it first hand)


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## crashz (Jan 12, 2004)

The only plows I've used have been Fisher, Western and Diamond. All have worked well, I personaly prefer my old Diamond to anything else, but I've noticed as Fishers get old and worn at the trip edge that they rebound further and further forward. Giving that C shape described above. The further the cutting edge goes out, the more resistant to tripping (even with weak springs) while on the ground. This is because the arc that the trip edge creates needs to lift the plow higher than when new. Also more horizontal force of the trip edge hitting the obstical is transfered to the plow and frame, and less force tranfered to the trip mechanism as you effectively reduce the lever arm of the trip edge.


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## ratlover (May 5, 2003)

If it dumps any snow you gota go back and get it so whats the difference in a lil snow or alot?

Generaly when my trip edge trips hard and I am trucking along the blade goes straight up in the air and dumps a good deal of snow. 

Still I rather have it tripping than not witch is why I like it on my V. The big blades and road stuff trip edge is nice. Otherwise I generaly prefer full trip.


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## Boondox (Sep 4, 2004)

Mark Oomkes said:


> Yes, if you are hitting a curb, the full trip would make more sense. But how many curbs do you hit compared to manholes, drains, potholes. If you are hitting curbs on a regular basis, you are going to have some other serious problems.


Late in the season around here the ice pushed up at the side of our dirt road is just as hard as a concrete curb. Therefore I run a full trip blade. Pete


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## calhoun (Oct 18, 2003)

No one mentions getting stuff stuck in the trip edge. Am I the only one this happens too? I plow some gravel drives and have had the edge trip and stones and/or sticks get stuck so the cutting edge doesn't completly return. Pain to release the pressure to remove the debris so it returns to the corrrect angle.


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## ratlover (May 5, 2003)

nope, dont have aproblem. some have purposly welded a spacer in there to change thier attack angle.


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## justme- (Dec 28, 2004)

ratlover said:


> If it dumps any snow you gota go back and get it so whats the difference in a lil snow or alot?
> 
> Generaly when my trip edge trips hard and I am trucking along the blade goes straight up in the air and dumps a good deal of snow.
> 
> Still I rather have it tripping than not witch is why I like it on my V. The big blades and road stuff trip edge is nice. Otherwise I generaly prefer full trip.


Big difference to me, a little snow is cleanup work, alot of snow is a back up and try again- waste of time. I have only had the blade jump in the air once, and it was my fault plowing with a near straight blade going too fast.

As to ice becoming packed down in another post- the trip edge tends to lift that packed down ice better than a full trip because of the angle of attack (more agressive scrape angle). Another reason I favor the Fisher.

Mark- nope, never had anything stuck in the trip mechanism. I also don't normally let the blade ride the gravel surface until it's frozen solid so nothing comes up.


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## rogerfries (Mar 8, 2005)

Thanks guys. No shortage of opnions on this subject! I'm going to give the Fisher a try, but I'm not going to sell my old plow until I'm sure I like the Fisher. The Fisher is obviously a better quality plow than my Western. It seems like it weighs twice as much which should help it scrape & back blade better. The only thing is my driveway sucks! Lots of spots where the blade tips. It's not like I'm dropping 4K on a new one, It's on a truck I'm parting out.


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## 04superduty (Jan 9, 2004)

have you tired a urethane cutting edge on your current plow? you wont have many problems with it tripping or tearing up lawns.


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## oldmankent (Mar 2, 2001)

calhoun said:


> No one mentions getting stuff stuck in the trip edge. Am I the only one this happens too? I plow some gravel drives and have had the edge trip and stones and/or sticks get stuck so the cutting edge doesn't completly return. Pain to release the pressure to remove the debris so it returns to the corrrect angle.


I see this all the time in the East. Guys with the edge partly tripped that have snow and gravel stuck in between the edge and the moldboard. It would drive me nuts.


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## jt5019 (Aug 28, 2003)

My edge doesnt trip that easliy on my fisher, you have to hit something pretty good for it to trip.Ive never gotten anything stuck that would cause it to stay partially tripped. The force would just shoot a rock out as it tripped back if that ever happened.


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## justme- (Dec 28, 2004)

04superduty said:


> have you tired a urethane cutting edge on your current plow? you wont have many problems with it tripping or tearing up lawns.


I've heard mixed reviews on them, one local guy (who I have noticed was on here last season and is MIA this year) has one on his new Xblade- been meaning to stop by and talk to him about it. The weight issue is a big problem for me with a CTD Dodge- needing a steel edge as a washer with the poly is too much weight IMO for my truck plus I hear they don't scrape any _worse_ than steel. Noone says they scrape _better_, only they don't scrape _worse_. I have a concern about that. With a new steel edge bare pavement is almost always visible for me, with a tripedge only Sometimes I get bare, often there's a little something left- a 1-1/2 inch wide edge from a poly doesn't seem to scrape in the steel catagory with that thought process.
Reportedly they don't work as well on Fisher's as on blade trips because of the scrape angle as well, so food for thought.


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## Mark Oomkes (Dec 10, 2000)

Urethane edges work great on Fishers, straight and v's. We have one plow, a Viking, that we have a steel edge on. You are correct, they don't scrape any better than steel, they also don't transmit every shock, every pothole, manhole, speed bump, etc to your plow and to your truck. This is what makes it worthwhile to me. If my customer wants bare pavement, they pay for salt. I am reducing my costs with urethane, because I am not having as much damage or long term wear and tear to my plows and vehicles because of urethane. I can pass this savings along to my customer or it go to my bottom line. It's a lot softer bouncing off curbs with urethane as well. 

JMO from a urethane user for 4 years now.


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