# Tundra plow mounting question



## pancepance

Hello
I've been going around in circles for a year about a plow for my '11 tundra.
I have seen all the photos on this site of the truck with a plow. In my research I've heard alot of information regarding the mounting of the plow frame. The issue I cant seem to resolve from looking at any of the available photos is: which plow requires the least amount of parts removed from under the truck?
I have been told by different companies that install different brand of plows that each one requires a different set of parts removed.
I've come to assume that all of them require the removal of the front tow hooks. Some I'm told also require the removal of the stock skid plate as well. The western dealer told me he didnt "think" the skid plate had to come off for the ultra mount but wasnt 100% sure. "Unfortunately", he tells me the only way to know for sure is to buy it and see what is required when he installs it. Apparently around here plows for Tundras is not a huge business so most places I spoke with could really only recite whatever the brand listed info online was. They were not much help in real world applications.
I'd like to leave on as many of the truck parts as i can so I was just wondering from people on this site who have different brands of plows on their tundras what was fact and what was fiction. I like the idea of leaving the skid plate as opposed to having it removed. Im hoping the guys here can shed some light on this for me so I can buy one that works for me.
The way I'm leaning now is a western pro plow 7'6" ultramount because in my head that one allows me to keep the plate and only remove the tow hooks. Of course I could be wrong and it may require removal of more than I'm thinking. I'm going on the other posts and photos I have found as the basis for my opinions only.
Any info from you tundra plow guys is greatly appreciated as I need to get this done soon.
thanks


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## mercer_me

On my Dad's Tundra, the only thing they had to remove was the tow hooks to mount his 7.5' Fisher.


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## pancepance

thanks. thats the kind of info i'm looking for.
Ive learned that in my immediate area plows on tundras are fairly rare. There are only a few places that do installs and the ones I spoke with personally had almost no information about putting one on a tundra. fisher and western seem to be the predominant brands locally. From what I've learned online and out and about either one of those have good reputations. 
I figure what will happen is I will have to provide most of the detail on what I want to whichever dealer I choose because they are so unfamiliar with the truck.
I'm leaning towards the fisher or western units and going with whichever blade is one step up from the "suggested". It seems people are doing ok using a slightly heavier blade on tundras that are set up similar to mine so I'm not overly worried about carrying the weight.
Fisher has an HD and the Western is called Pro I believe. As long as theres not much removal of stock parts I'm happy with either.
I met a guy at a rest stop who had a fisher on his tundra. His was the suggested blade and he told me that although he was happy with it he wished he had gone with the next heavier blade and felt the tundra would have no issue carrying it. This seems to be a common sentiment so I will use the info I've learned to pick a set up.
Thanks


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## mercer_me

pancepance;1545837 said:


> thanks. that's the kind of info i'm looking for.
> I've learned that in my immediate area plows on tundras are fairly rare. There are only a few places that do installs and the ones I spoke with personally had almost no information about putting one on a tundra. fisher and western seem to be the predominant brands locally. From what I've learned online and out and about either one of those have good reputations.
> I figure what will happen is I will have to provide most of the detail on what I want to whichever dealer I choose because they are so unfamiliar with the truck.
> I'm leaning towards the fisher or western units and going with whichever blade is one step up from the "suggested". It seems people are doing ok using a slightly heavier blade on tundras that are set up similar to mine so I'm not overly worried about carrying the weight.
> Fisher has an HD and the Western is called Pro I believe. As long as there's not much removal of stock parts I'm happy with either.
> I met a guy at a rest stop who had a fisher on his tundra. His was the suggested blade and he told me that although he was happy with it he wished he had gone with the next heavier blade and felt the tundra would have no issue carrying it. This seems to be a common sentiment so I will use the info I've learned to pick a set up.
> Thanks


I personally prefer Fisher. I like the trip edge design that Fisher has. I wouldn't never want a trip blade like the Westerns have. When my Dad bought his 7.5' Fisher SD the dealer told him the 7.5' HD would be to heavy for the Tundra. But, after owning the 7.5' SD and seeing people with a lot heavier blades on Tundras we now wish he had bought a 7.5' Fisher HD.


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## pancepance

"Trip edge"? I assume the all have some form of trip edge. Is there a major difference in different models?


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## mercer_me

pancepance;1546900 said:


> "Trip edge"? I assume the all have some form of trip edge. Is there a major difference in different models?


When a trip edge strikes and object on the ground only the base of the plow will trip witch allows the plow to jump a little and you can keep on plowing. When a trip blade strikes an object on the ground the whole blade trips witch forces the whole truck to come to a complete stop. The trip edge is a lot easier on the truck IMO. You can research this more at http://www.fisherplows.com/fe/index.php and http://www.westernplows.com/wp/index.php


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## 2COR517

Oh boy.........


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## bucket

When installing my boss, they had to remove the tow hooks and skid plate. My decision on the boss was easy for me since every other plow in our fleet is a boss.


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## Hedgehog

I have Curtis sno pro on my 2011 tundra. The tow hooks and skid plate had to be removed. Makes oil changes easier. I am selling my 7'6" sno pro if you are interested. The mount stays nice and tight up against the bottom of the truck. I think this system looks better when the plow is not on because it doesn't hang down low. Also, the mount on the sno pro entends back to the portion of frame where the a arms connect.. This setup seems to beef up the whole front end.


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## Steel 05

I have a blizzard 8000 lt on a rock warrior, they did remove the tow hooks and the skid plate, blizzard has a thick piece of rubber which replaces the skid plate. I have heard some tundra plow guys having trouble with snow getting up into the alternator. The truck handle the plow just fine. I plow 30 homes two miles of streets and 3 acre parking lot.


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## JTK324

I put fisher push plates on my tundra a few months ago and the install was very easy just had to cut a little piece of the front corners of the skid plat but very easy and still look like it belongs there..... the tow hooks had to come off
where about in ct are you?


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## jasonv

mercer_me;1547027 said:


> When a trip edge strikes and object on the ground only the base of the plow will trip witch allows the plow to jump a little and you can keep on plowing. When a trip blade strikes an object on the ground the whole blade trips witch forces the whole truck to come to a complete stop. The trip edge is a lot easier on the truck IMO. You can research this more at http://www.fisherplows.com/fe/index.php and http://www.westernplows.com/wp/index.php


Not quite correct. You certainly don't have to come to a complete stop when you hit something with a full trip blade. As soon as you get past the object, the springs will immediately reset the blade to upright.

The advantage that trip edges give you is that the plow will tend to hold whatever snow is up against it already. A full trip blade will spill more snow out under it.


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## H20-32

Boss plows you have to remove skid plate and tow hooks, never had any problems with snow get into engine compartment.


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## Snowzilla

With the trip edge blades I've always wondered what happens when the blade hits an object is taller than the trip edge. I would think a full trip would be more forgiving.


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## 2COR517

Snowzilla;1568575 said:


> With the trip edge blades I've always wondered what happens when the blade hits an object is taller than the trip edge. I would think a full trip would be more forgiving.


Exactly what you think.......No fun. And that scenario WILL bring the truck to an abrupt stop.


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## jasonv

Snowzilla;1568575 said:


> With the trip edge blades I've always wondered what happens when the blade hits an object is taller than the trip edge. I would think a full trip would be more forgiving.


Well, what happens when a full trip blade comes in contact with an object at or above the hinge? Same thing... stuff breaks.


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## pancepance

So i've shopped around and checked out a bunch of installers. I realized that as important as the brand of plow is the actual installer. Maybe even more important. from checking out places I realized that there are some real hacks out there. I took a look at some places work and I felt the sudden urge to run away as fast as I could I found a place whos work was outstanding from what I see. He sells the major brands and was very high on the boss plow for a tundra. His work alone was what sold me. Very precise, very neat, extremely knowledgeable and professional. certainly knew his stuff about plows in general. His suggestion is the 7'6" boss poly straight blade. Being out of plowing for a long time I am hesitant on the Poly as in my head I envision plastic and weakness. Not being able to hold up as well as steel. He showed me that the poly weighs the same as the steel and said he preferred poly over steel for my application. The boss installation suggests removal of the skid plate which I do not want so we compromised and the install will be done with tow hooks removed but the plate left in place. I'm gonna cut a hole in plate to access the oil filter housing. I think that should work. anyone have any insight on the boss plows? Any preference between steel and poly? Any major issues to expect from this plow or my planned installation?
My install is scheduled for this weekend. I"m looking forward to it. Of course it wont snow again for the rest of the season but if it does I'll be sure to post reviews


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## mercer_me

pancepance;1569179 said:


> So i've shopped around and checked out a bunch of installers. I realized that as important as the brand of plow is the actual installer. Maybe even more important. from checking out places I realized that there are some real hacks out there. I took a look at some places work and I felt the sudden urge to run away as fast as I could I found a place whos work was outstanding from what I see. He sells the major brands and was very high on the boss plow for a tundra. His work alone was what sold me. Very precise, very neat, extremely knowledgeable and professional. certainly knew his stuff about plows in general. His suggestion is the 7'6" boss poly straight blade. Being out of plowing for a long time I am hesitant on the Poly as in my head I envision plastic and weakness. Not being able to hold up as well as steel. He showed me that the poly weighs the same as the steel and said he preferred poly over steel for my application. The boss installation suggests removal of the skid plate which I do not want so we compromised and the install will be done with tow hooks removed but the plate left in place. I'm gonna cut a hole in plate to access the oil filter housing. I think that should work. anyone have any insight on the boss plows? Any preference between steel and poly? Any major issues to expect from this plow or my planned installation?
> My install is scheduled for this weekend. I"m looking forward to it. Of course it wont snow again for the rest of the season but if it does I'll be sure to post reviews


If you get a Boss you should get a 7.5' Standard Duty. The Standard Duty plows look a lot more rugged than the Sport Duty Plows.


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## pancepance

Yes. I went with Standard duty not sport. I also opted out of the poly as it was heavier than steel. We mocked it all up tonight and although it wasnt fully installed when we attached to the truck it didnt seem to have much of a drop in the front. I was gonna see about rear ballast after having it installed a bit as I was concerned about that much weight but on level ground it seemed fine. The issue I noticed immediately was the "undercarriage" of the plow. It definitely hangs down quite a bit. It certainly will be lower than other brand frames. I saw the fisher set up on a tundra and it did not have framing down that far. I'm not sure yet if that will cause issue. Theres not much I can do about it as it is just the way the framework is set up. I may be able to trim some off after installation is complete because it does have space to adjust for different height settings. 
The skid plate is a gonner which bothers me a bit. I think i will just have to fabricate something in place of it once I get the truck back. I dont see I'd have much issue making some type of plate that I can install underneath using existing frame or the plow frame. I am probably over thinkng it as many ppl seem to be fine without a skid plate.
The plow itself is very very stout. We compared it to a fisher SD and HD side by side and the boss seems more solid. I also like how the components are sealed or covered for the most part protecting them from the elements. the on/off system of the boss is really top notch. So easy a monkey could do it. I'll have it back by Sunday morning. Looking forward to it. 
I appreciate the comments and insight from the forum. Thank you.


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## pancepance

Plow is on.
Its almost 60 degrees but thats ok. I am happy with the outcome.
With zero ballast it drops the front 1 3/4" I can live with that.
Not sure if the photo is visable but I think it came out good. Glad I went with the SD over the sport.


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## Snowzilla

Looks nice. Nice looking truck. Happy plowing.


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## pancepance

Thanks.
It took me a long time to get the truck set up the way I wanted. Fighting with Toyota over options and packages almost made me mental
I think I'm gonna be very happy with this set up. I spent so long going over all the different plow brands, styles, materials use, etc, I wound up making myself dizzy
I know everyone has their preference and I'm sure all of them have their pros and cons. From what I learned and what I wanted to do I am more than happy with what I went with.
My original "need" was to take care of my own properties which I feel I am more than able to handle now. My customers have always asked me if my company provided snow removal services which we did not. Now I feel that if I needed/wanted to I could take on small residential accounts if necessary so Im satisfied. I have a few more things to add but overall its all set.
And my first review. Driving the truck with plow on was much different than I expected. On the highway it was rock solid. I did not feel any play or movement in the plow while driving. The truck handles the weight with no issues. The only problem I have is keeping my temps down. I have to lower the blade more than I would like to get air to the IC and radiator. It was almost 60 today but even so, I will certainly make sure I keep an eye on the gauges. I'm gonna try to figure out how to get some more air to the front of the truck with plow on but I was surprised at how solid the whole thing felt. I expected it to have a much different feel but it was almost as if it wasnt there. I'm not sure if that is a factor of the plow set up or the truck suspension set up but either way its very easy to drive with. Compared to older set ups/trucks with plows on chains that you feel over every bump and imperfection in the road this is a whole different animal.
I'll post up more info as I get it.


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## Snowzilla

Ya plows do indeed make engine temps run warmer. I'm sure its exaggerated more when it is 60 out. I guess just try to avoid driving with the plow on when it is not needed. You could play with angling it too. I'm sure your Tunrdra has a factory transmission cooler. If not I would look into getting one.


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## rancherman84

i dont have any temp issues with my curtis setup. idk if the pump being in the a-frame is why or what.inhad this same plow on my f150 and that didnt get hot either


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## pancepance

I'm not sure why. My initial thought is when the blade is up it blocks the airflow enough to raise temps. I'm pretty sure that if I didn't have an intercooler in front of radiator to begin with I probably wouldn't have any issue. Since the ic blocks some air already my guess is that the addition of the plow blade decreases the flow enough to cause temps to rise. 
I had it on today on highway and with blade about 1/2 way up it was ok. I can live with that. 
I'm still very impressed by the stability and strength of this set up. It really feels as if its barely there. 
One thing I'm wondering: is there a way to set a boss blade to perfect center? I can get it close but its always a little off to one side or the other. I would think there should be a way to get perfect center no?


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## sld92e_23

Thats is weird that your temp raises..i have an xblade which is considerably taller etc..and my temp has never gone up..it just make the outside temp gauge go up is all...nothing to do with the engine or trans temps...



pancepance;1571365 said:


> I'm not sure why. My initial thought is when the blade is up it blocks the airflow enough to raise temps. I'm pretty sure that if I didn't have an intercooler in front of radiator to begin with I probably wouldn't have any issue. Since the ic blocks some air already my guess is that the addition of the plow blade decreases the flow enough to cause temps to rise.
> I had it on today on highway and with blade about 1/2 way up it was ok. I can live with that.
> I'm still very impressed by the stability and strength of this set up. It really feels as if its barely there.
> One thing I'm wondering: is there a way to set a boss blade to perfect center? I can get it close but its always a little off to one side or the other. I would think there should be a way to get perfect center no?


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## sld92e_23

nice truck...I really think that plow is installed wrong...that plow A- frame looks like its at an angle upwards, as do the plow lights ..maybe Im wrong but just my .02$



pancepance;1570814 said:


> Plow is on.
> Its almost 60 degrees but thats ok. I am happy with the outcome.
> With zero ballast it drops the front 1 3/4" I can live with that.
> Not sure if the photo is visable but I think it came out good. Glad I went with the SD over the sport.


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## plowguy43

pancepance;1571365 said:


> I'm not sure why. My initial thought is when the blade is up it blocks the airflow enough to raise temps. I'm pretty sure that if I didn't have an intercooler in front of radiator to begin with I probably wouldn't have any issue. Since the ic blocks some air already my guess is that the addition of the plow blade decreases the flow enough to cause temps to rise.
> I had it on today on highway and with blade about 1/2 way up it was ok. I can live with that.
> I'm still very impressed by the stability and strength of this set up. It really feels as if its barely there.
> One thing I'm wondering: is there a way to set a boss blade to perfect center? I can get it close but its always a little off to one side or the other. I would think there should be a way to get perfect center no?


Intercooler? Is your truck supercharged or turbo charged? If not, thats an AC Condensor or Trans Cooler and its not really blocking anything to the radiator (to make a difference).

While driving, especially on the highway, are you angling the blade to one side or keeping it straight? The plow will force the air up and over your truck if left straight which will cause the temps to rise. Also, with it being 60* that will make a difference as well.

Love the truck, those Rock Warriors look amazing in that color IMO.


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## pancepance

Intercooler is for the supercharger. 
I did try the blade to one side which did help a little. Best thing was just keeping it low which allowed temps to stay normal. The front is strong enough that even keeping it low I had no problem with contact over bumps. 
Thanks for the compliment. It's actually not a Rock warrior. I liked that look but wanted options that weren't available on RW so its actually a limited that I added the Trd wheels to and had bumpers color matched and got a color matched grill from the sport option trucks. I was very happy with the outcome but it was quite costly. Truck is an '11 and if course now you can order a '13 rock warrior with limited so you'd get most of the things I paid extra for. Thus is life. I love this truck. 100k mi and not a single issue thus far.


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## plowguy43

Nice did you go with the TRD supercharger from the dealer? I bet that truck flies


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## pancepance

Yes it's the Trd charger. I went that route for warranty purposes. It's been on since day one and I love it. the truck is an absolute animal. The fuel costs of running 93 and getting 12-14 mpg kind of sting but that's the price I have to pay. 
I came out of a ram 2500 diesel with bigger turbo and other goodies so I had to at least have some extra power on this one. I know it's not going to be a 3/4ton truck but I've done about all I can to get it close. With the charger, suspension, and air springs it does a pretty good job keeping up with my tow/haul needs. I miss my cummins ram but the headache free, overall quality of this truck makes the switch ok with me.


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