# Anyone plowing with Homesteader or Suburbanite?



## snowfighter75

Looking at moving up to hydraulics from my snowbear to a Homesteader or Suburbanite 7'4" I would like to find out how they are standing up. If they are tuff as a little snowbear I'll be happy. I just want hydraulics and angle without getting out of my truck. Anyone plowing with one of these two plows please give me your input. Thanks!!


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## StoneDevil

go with Sno Way for the Down pressure


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## MrBigStuff

I have a homesteader that I've been using on my Trailblazer for 3 seasons now. I only maintain a handful of residential drives with it. It scrapes *very* well, no problem getting down to pavement. I do very little backdragging but it works OK with the blade locked down (versus float). I modified the jacks with casters on the bottom of them and then made some removable casters for the blade edge. It's light enough to wheel around anywhere and mounts quickly. The receivers come off in the spring with two pins each so there's no evidence that it even has a plow mount and I don't have anything hanging down to ram into any curbs for the summer months. I have no complaints.


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## snowfighter75

Thanks guys for the input this helps me out on the decision to buy one. As for the Sno-Way' No-Way! I'm not putting out an extra $2000 for the same size plow. I'm sure they are a very good plow but its not in my budget. Thanks guys!!


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## KGRlandscapeing

so ur telling me the snoway is 5grand compared to the homesteder thats 3grand? cause if thats the case find another dealer


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## snowfighter75

Thats the price I was givin from the only dealer closest to me which is almost 300kms away. Any further than that is to far to go to buy and for service.


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## matts27

snowfighter75;508368 said:


> Thanks guys for the input this helps me out on the decision to buy one. As for the Sno-Way' No-Way! I'm not putting out an extra $2000 for the same size plow. I'm sure they are a very good plow but its not in my budget. Thanks guys!!


I went with the homesteader for this reason too. All hydralic, no chain so it holds itself down well. Scraped my driveway clean no problems. The fisher was 3000 vs. the sno-way dealer wantin' 4600. Couldn't justify spending the money either way ( realistically 'cause I do mine and help my neighbors out) but the jump was too much $$$$.

Plus, I knew it was an investment in NO SNOW this year... crazy weather!!

Hope this helps ya' out!!


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## Nascar24

I installed a homesteader on my buddy's S10 pick-up this year, When I was installing it I really wasn't impressed with it's construction, After plowing three heavy storms with it, I'm impressed! it is very smooth the lock down feature worked very well when scraping, even backdragging work pretty well for such a light plow.


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## snowfighter75

My minds made up! I'm going with a suburbanite. Just off the phone with dealer and got a price of $3100. Installed $3400. I think thats fair. Suburbanite and Homesteader same plow just different color. Dealer wants $3500+ install of $450 for the Steader. I'm goin with the Burbanite for next winter. Thanks for the help guys!!


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## linycctitan

Wow, your SnoWay dealer is a bit over priced!!!! At my dealer, 3400 would have gotten you a 22 series with down pressure & wireless!!! The 9'1" V that I just priced from them was 5200!! I don't blame you for goin "the other way", but too me even 3400 for a suburbanite is a bit pricey. Best of luck to you!


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## nbenallo33

go with a snoway they are the quickest and easiest to hook up no chains ho hooking up hoses and no pins on 22 26 29 or 32 series just latches


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## nbenallo33

linycctitan;509413 said:


> Wow, your SnoWay dealer is a bit over priced!!!! At my dealer, 3400 would have gotten you a 22 series with down pressure & wireless!!! The 9'1" V that I just priced from them was 5200!! I don't blame you for goin "the other way", but too me even 3400 for a suburbanite is a bit pricey. Best of luck to you!


what i dont believe that!


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## MrBigStuff

>go with a snoway they are the quickest and easiest to hook up no chains ho hooking up hoses and no pins on 22 26 29 or 32 series just latches

You might want to bone up on the other manufacturers offerings. They don't have chains or hoses to connect either and have just two spring loaded pins to attach the plow to the truck.



IIRC, I bought my Homie for around $2400 and installed it myself. But prices vary by region so as long as you shopped around and that's the best price, then that's the best you can do.

At the time, it was not recommended for my truck so no one would install it. They too charged around $300 to install and that's a deal I would have gladly accepted. It bascially took a weekend to build and install it. Congrats on the decision!


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## Ironwood

*true*



nbenallo33;509480 said:


> what i dont believe that!


Same here in MI. 3400 installed with dp & remote.


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## Clint

I've had my Suburbanite installed on my Jeep in Oct, we've got alot of snow, slush, and Ice here this winter in NH, and the Suburbanite has performed well. Back dragging is ok, but I'm not back dragging enough to pay the extra for a Sno-way which was about 1k more than my Suburbanite 3k installed.


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## blueline38

*suburbanite*

have had mine for three winters now. I was and am very impressed with its performance for the size and price. be prepared for the trip bar to bend but mine bent once and has not gotten worse so i've left it alone. the plow is extremely light weight and adds little stress to the truck.


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## SteveJ

snowfighter75;509379 said:


> My minds made up! I'm going with a suburbanite. Just off the phone with dealer and got a price of $3100. Installed $3400. I think thats fair. Suburbanite and Homesteader same plow just different color. Dealer wants $3500+ install of $450 for the Steader. I'm goin with the Burbanite for next winter. Thanks for the help guys!!


Too bad you're WAY up in NS. I have a guy around me selling a BRAND NEW BLIZZARD SNOW PLOW, "680LT" for $1500 bucks.


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## F150dash

snowfighter75;509379 said:


> My minds made up! I'm going with a suburbanite. Just off the phone with dealer and got a price of $3100. Installed $3400. I think thats fair. Suburbanite and Homesteader same plow just different color. Dealer wants $3500+ install of $450 for the Steader. I'm goin with the Burbanite for next winter. Thanks for the help guys!!


Where did you find a dealer for the suburbanite? The closet I can find is in Dartmouth. I also saw that you contacted a snowway dealer. was that in Nova Scotia cause I can't find one around here.


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## snowfighter75

Yes it was Dartmouth and the sno-way dealer was Newfoundland which was the closest. I'm not goin with a sno-way anyway, too much money for what you are getting.


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## snowfighter75

Stevej, I looked into blizzard but they do not make mount for my truck. 2000 s10 4x4 ext. cab. But thats a great deal for someone for sure. they look like a desent plow.


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## F150dash

Yeah I checked with the dealer in Newfoundland and it was $5600+ shipping and tax. I think I may go with the western sub


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## blueline38

for the guys wondering if the suburbanite will hold up. I woke up with two feet and got another foot throughout the day. Here's the pic!


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## blueline38




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## KGRlandscapeing

new2chevy;522725 said:


>


i personaly think ur a cheap skate get a real plow buts alot of snow i think u spent to much money on the truck to should of got a ford.


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## blueline38

i had an 02 f150 and had nothing but problems. put over $3,000 into it over a two year period. I bought this plow with the ford because it was the biggest plow they would put on it. i bought this chevy used so i bought it for about $10,000 less than the person who bought it new!!


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## AbsoluteH&L

How was the tranny temp today?


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## blueline38

haven't driven it yet............i'm going to go over to the dealer and make the apt. for the cooler. I'm going to take the plow off and see how it does


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## KGRlandscapeing

new2chevy;522745 said:


> i had an 02 f150 and had nothing but problems. put over $3,000 into it over a two year period. I bought this plow with the ford because it was the biggest plow they would put on it. i bought this chevy used so i bought it for about $10,000 less than the person who bought it new!!


well i thought u got the truck new i figured u spend that much on the truck u should have a real plow. my f150 is an 04 the newbody style it was one of the first regular cabs with plow prep and the big GVW package sold around here


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## blueline38

they need to make trucks like trucks again. I have no real need for a 3/4 ton truck but thats what they want you to buy. there making 1/2 tons like cars with beds......i think they call them honda ridgeline's!!


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## Nascar24

F150dash;518636 said:


> Yeah I checked with the dealer in Newfoundland and it was $5600+ shipping and tax. I think I may go with the western sub


Heck

I can set you up with a slightly used 7.5' Diamond trip edge for your F150 COMPLETE with everything for $2500 Cash USD!

I recently sold a 8' Diamond HD to a guy in New Brunswick, he was very pleased with it and said it was worth the ride south to pick it up.

I also sold a 8' Curtis to a guy out in Manitoba, shipped it out and he was very pleased with the plow.

So if your interested, give me a call at 508 753 6617


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## AndyTblc

Does anyone know why the Suburabanite is more expensive then the Homesteader? I did some checking and the Suburbanite is about $300 more. 
New2chevy, with your suburbanite, when it's raised all the way, how high up is the plow off the ground. I herd it was only 8". Also when you pile the snow, does it come higher then that, or will something break.


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## hero419

SteveJ;512292 said:


> Too bad you're WAY up in NS. I have a guy around me selling a BRAND NEW BLIZZARD SNOW PLOW, "680LT" for $1500 bucks.


I'm about 90 miles away and very interested in one of these plows for my ranger
what is this guys name? does he still have it? will it work on my 1999 ranger?


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## blueline38

On the new body chevy, the one I have now, it is only about 8-12 off the ground at full height. It wasn't like that on my ford but oh well. I just dont drive with it on. Also, it will not raise higher than that. The plow frame only flex's so far and obviously the ram prevents further lift. I have stacked pretty high though. The only problem is the snow pushing up higher than the plow and buring the plow lights and plow. The good thing with the suburbanite is the weight. Even when it gets buried the truck can pull it out as opposed to a full 700lb plow. Once they sink in the snow bank forget it!!! I will try to take a pic with the plow on and up, i dont have one right now!


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## AndyTblc

yeah, I am thinking of putting one on my 1/2 ton, I won't be doing a ton of driveways or parking lots, the only parking lot I would do is a middle size one, which is the local VFW which I"m a member at, so if it needs to be done I can clear a little off till the main guy comes just to do my "duties" if you know what I mean. How does the elastic trip spring things hold up. The suburbanite web site doesn't show much detail on what it looks like, so if you could take some detailed pictures for me, that would be more then great, also why did you choose the suburbanite over the homesteader, I know the suburbanite is more expensive, and it also looks better.


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## blueline38

per your picture you have the older style chevy so idk how much lift you will have. On my '02 f150 the plow lifted about two foot off the ground. I went with the suburbanite only because the location of the dealer and recomendations from fisher and western users. I will get some pics for you. And the rubber bands work good. sometimes it seems to trip easy but its probable meant to since its a smaller plow.


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## blueline38

here's some!


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## blueline38

i circled one of the pins. there are four of those pins that you pull and those receiver brackets come off. On my truck there is a plastic piece that will go back on and block the frame. the only thing i have to do is figure out how to hide the wiring!!


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## AndyTblc

alright thanks, the pics helped a lot. Yeah I don't know how much lift I"ll have with my truck. How thick is the poly on there. Also have you had any major or minor break downs with it. Also how much was the plow, and did you install it your self or a dealer. Because it doesn't look like it would be that hard to install it.


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## blueline38

only "breaks" is the bent trip spring bar. it hasn't gotten worse so i left it. I bought the plow, assembled the plow and installed it on my '02 ford. I had western install it on this chevy. i believe i paid $3300 for the plow when i bought it. idk on the poly thickness, i will get it for you!! Oh, and install is another few hundred.


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## AndyTblc

$3300 seems a little steep for a homeowner plow, thats just my opinion though. But I can see if any of my "people" can hook me up with any deal. I'm sure I can hook it up with some help from the neighbors.


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## AndyTblc

new2chevy, did you ever check to see how think the poly was? Also will that plow threw hard pack snow and ice without breaking it? Also the brackets, did they have to notch threw the bumber or no


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## blueline38

sorry, been busy, i did not check but I will. On my ford i had to trim a rather large portion of the air dam. on this truck nothing was trimmed. I have plowed through mostly everything with this plow. The only thing I couldn't get through was about 2' of packed snow that had been in place for over a week. i had to make a pass with the plow raised and kept getting stuck in the lower layers so.................. again, no complaints!


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## blueline38

ok its 3/8" thick and i took some pics of it on and up.


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## AndyTblc

Hey thanks. Let me ask you this, how do you like the lights below the hood. Would you rather them be above so you can see them or do you like not being able to see them, or what


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## blueline38

i actuall like them down where I cant see them. there in a bad spot though because between them and the pump my grill is completely blocked. I'm going to fabricate the mount and extend the lights out more toward my factory lights. but again, it is nice not having them in my line of sight while driving. oh, and more than once i've pushed snow over the top of the plow and buried my lights.............oh well!!


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## AndyTblc

And thats chevy for you, a big ol' chrome piece going across the whole grill, thats why I like the GMC because it's all open. Do you notice your engine temp go up, or doesn't it get that hot. Also do they make a deflector for the suburbanite or is it a rig up operation that you have to do.


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## blueline38

yeah, right now i'm having problems with my temps. thats why i'm going to move the lights and will be getting another 6pas tranny cooler. yes, it is a dumb design by chevy and then they place the cooler behind the bowtie!! they do not make a deflector but someone on here made one, or at least extended the top of the plow. i'm going to do the same thing once i get my temps under control.


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## blueline38

i'm also going to put a leveling kit in the front to open up the lower part of the grill which is blocked by the plow


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## AndyTblc

Alright, yeah I'm, well my neighbors are all smart about designing stuff. So I'm sure I'd be able to get something made. Yeah my tranny cooler is in the wide open because my grill is wide open. but when you're looking at it, it's on the lower left, which I think may be a problem with the plow, but I don't know. I think I'm sold on the suburbanite. Nothing to fancy or stuck, and I'm not doing anything commercially, and 2 of my residential s are pretty small, so I think it will do me good.
That front end don't sag at all does it, from the plow, or not as much?


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## blueline38

i dont believe that it sags at all. when i had my f150 i measured from hub to wheel well and i think it dropped an inch with the plow raised. i dont think this truck moves. my f150 cooler was down low and i never had a problem with it. idk why chevy would put it behind the bowtie.......3/4 of the cooler is blocked w/o the plow pump blocking the 1/4 thats left!! who says engineers are smart? some retards sitting behind a desk designing trucks and drive mercedes!


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## AndyTblc

As long as their getting their money, I don't think they care.


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## rdelio

*homesteaders are junk*

I bought a homesteader this winter for my 1500 silverado to plow my own driveway. Very flat and obstruction free. After three months of use, plow frame bent ot the inside posts. They just crumpled. Brought it back to my CHevy dealer and they thought it was a failure of toe frame but Fisher would not repair it or even consider that it was a poor design. They claimed that it had to be "user abuse". How do you abuse a plow by using it to push snow??? I have been plowing for 30+ years and last had a Snowway for ten years on my old Nissan. and when I junked the truck the plow was as good as new. I went with a Fisher since they are made right here in Rockland, Me close to where I live. Is this how Fisher backs up their warranty?? I am considering taking them to small claims court for selling this $3500 lemon as a usable plow. I would not recommend this plow to anyone.See picture of damage


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## AndyTblc

ouch, that sucks. I'd take them to small claims court, that shouldn't have done that.


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## KGRlandscapeing

rdelio;541889 said:


> I bought a homesteader this winter for my 1500 silverado to plow my own driveway. Very flat and obstruction free. After three months of use, plow frame bent ot the inside posts. They just crumpled. Brought it back to my CHevy dealer and they thought it was a failure of toe frame but Fisher would not repair it or even consider that it was a poor design. They claimed that it had to be "user abuse". How do you abuse a plow by using it to push snow??? I have been plowing for 30+ years and last had a Snowway for ten years on my old Nissan. and when I junked the truck the plow was as good as new. I went with a Fisher since they are made right here in Rockland, Me close to where I live. Is this how Fisher backs up their warranty?? I am considering taking them to small claims court for selling this $3500 lemon as a usable plow. I would not recommend this plow to anyone.See picture of damage


i mean i know u said u have been plowing for 30 years so dont take offense to this but what the heck did u do to that plow. i dont see other peoples that look like thay go ran over by a front end loader


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## blueline38

i have to agree..........i have tripped the blade several times and have hit snowbanks that were harder then i thought they were. I hit a curb with the left corner of my plow, with the blade angled to the right, and it broke the scrape edge but did not damage the plow. IDK what you hit but i cant explain your damage. mine has taken whatever i have thrown at it!! sorry man, that is alot of money to just eat but if you hit something, own up to it. if you did something dont tell people its a junk plow!


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## F150dash

new2chevy,
does the mount gear that goes on the truck come off easy. I was just wondering how it worked, and how easy it is to get the mount gear off the truck. Is the wiring just plug and play or do you have to leave it on full time. I take all my snowbear mounts and wiring off every time i take it to the garage. they said i could leave the mount on but they didn't want to see the wiring. I have 2 yrs left on warranty then i don't care but I want to get a new plow and I want something that is easy to take the mounts and wiring off of. Plus I like to put my tow hooks back on in the spring. Thanks for any info u have.
Jonathan


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## blueline38

the receiver brackets come off by pulling two pins, its very easy. On this truck my tow hooks are still on even with the plow. on my 02 f150 you could not use the tow hooks and to remove the plow frame you had to remove the lower air dam because a couple of the bolts are in the boxed frame. the wiring is a permanant thing. one harness goes to the battery, one to the lights and one into the cab for the control. all those plug into the control module. you could unwire it every year but it would be a pain.


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## F150dash

thanks for the info


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## Clint

new2chevy;537380 said:


> here's some!


Mine bent also on the trip spring bar on the exact same side where the double rubber band is, but not quite has bad. It happened when I tried to plow mudd... that stuff is heavy  Has not gotten any worse since I've been more carefull not to drop the plow all the way when the ground is soft. Also avoid plowing snow banks that have frozen solid, you won't get very far :crying:
My 1st plow, and my 1st season plowing, and lots of snow, slush, and Ice, I've learned 
quickly.

But the Suburbanite did a very good job maintaining my 600 foot hardpack driveway.
I put it on December 15th, and just took it off my Jeep today March 16th.


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## MA 2001 Blazer

Clint;543745 said:


> Mine bent also on the trip spring bar on the exact same side where the double rubber band is, but not quite has bad. It happened when I tried to plow mudd... that stuff is heavy  Has not gotten any worse since I've been more carefull not to drop the plow all the way when the ground is soft. Also avoid plowing snow banks that have frozen solid, you won't get very far :crying:
> .


I bent the same bar on mine when I was plowing my office and hit a storm drain sticking up about a 1/2 inch and I was doing about 15-20 MPH. I have used my Homesteader for 3 years now and that is the only damage I have done to it beside having to replace the scape edge as I had worn it down to half the height it was when new. ( My office has a big parking lot and I plow it a lot ) 

I would say the guy with the VERY damaged plow hit something REAL hard to do that kind of damage.


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## blueline38

plow receiver brackets removed and wires pulled back. all set for spring and NO SNOW!!


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## YardMedic

New, you could still pull those plugs in more if you really wanted to hide them, right? I'd never worried much about it, but some put them completely out of sight. A captain on my department did a self install of his Fisher RD, and he ran his plugs right through the hood opening (interesting -- don't know that I'd do that!!). At least they all go away when you open the hood & throw them inside!


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## blueline38

no i cant, they wont fit through that gap between the grille and the bumper or i would hide them............... i dont mind them the way they are!


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## snowfighter75

Thanks again guys for the input earlier in this thread. But I'm movin up to a Weatern Midweight since I traded my truck a few weeks ago. The Dakota will take it!


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## Hubjeep

rdelio;541889 said:


> I am considering taking them to small claims court for selling this $3500 lemon as a usable plow. I would not recommend this plow to anyone.See picture of damage


The damage in those pics looks like the top center of the plow hit something to cause the center ribs to fold back, odd.

I have a Suburbanite on my Cherokee, no damage yet and I have had a couple violent forward trips. A 1500 has more power/weight behind it than my Cherokee though.

Did you repair the plow? Looks like a fairly easy fix, bend those crunched sides parallel again, maybe weld a piece between them.


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## KJenkins99

Has anyone tried a Hinicker? seems like a cross between a residential home plow and commercial. The price seems steep... $4500. What do you all think?


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## KGRlandscapeing

KJenkins99;1336092 said:


> Has anyone tried a Hinicker? seems like a cross between a residential home plow and commercial. The price seems steep... $4500. What do you all think?


Thats not that steep its actually probably on the cheaper side of these 6.5 or 6ft 8inch plows. blizzards and snoway are right about 5 yes even for the small ones and the meyer drive pro is up there too. Ud think cause there smaller theyd be cheaper but there not


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## Hubjeep

KJenkins99;1336901 said:


> The auto-angling thing by Meyer sounds interesting.


That sounds like it is just free to pivot left and right, turning to whichever side has more snow against it, not something you always want.

I would look for a used homesteader/suburbanite, power angle is nice and hitch mounted plows looks fairly weak.


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## Druski

Well this is an older thread but I may as well chime in I guess... 

I had a Western Suburbanite... it was a little more expensive here in NFLD than the Homesteader (same plow for those that weren’t sure)... but the Western Dealership installs whereas the Fisher dealer here does not so that was the deciding factor when i bought it.

Ok - I have mixed feelings about the plow. I used it only for my own driveway... which is a small parking lot size. I bought it and had it on a Jeep Wrangler. It worked very well - was fast, fluid motion, light, and cleared snow like a charm. The 6cyl jeep was nice and maneuverable as well... 

The problems I had were dealership and the electric motor, went through 3 of them. the dealership issues were not the fault of the plow so I won’t go there. The motor on the other hand let in a lot of moisture, and the thing rusted out internally every year. Even took it off and stored it inside etc.. Apparently it’s not an uncommon problem. I bought 2 motors from the Western dealer and one from the Fisher dealer (again same parts etc…) – There is a 3rd party motor manufacturer that is available that I would have ordered from if I needed to order another but I sold it before that. (Sorry I cannot remember where or who that mfg was)

After year 3 the little 11 year old jeep was pretty well done for so I traded in the plow on a 8ft Poly Arctic and threw in the jeep with it. Upgraded to a F250… No issues with the vehicles ability now to push snow etc… and no issues with the plow after 2 years either. Only issue is turning radius

So like I said – mixed feelings – the plow itself held up well… and as a home owners plow – it did as advertised and I liked it…. It was just the damn little 3” Motors – and having to replace them every year was a pain.


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## Weenuk

snowfighter75;508022 said:


> Looking at moving up to hydraulics from my snowbear to a Homesteader or Suburbanite 7'4" I would like to find out how they are standing up. If they are tuff as a little snowbear I'll be happy. I just want hydraulics and angle without getting out of my truck. Anyone plowing with one of these two plows please give me your input. Thanks!!


I used the Suburbanite and had only 1 concern. The back drag didnt work to well. Forced me to push the snow toward the garage doors and hand bomb or blow the snow from that point. Seemed like extra work except this enabled my driveways to be the cleaniness on any street.


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## Ted928

I have been using mine for 9 years on my own driveway and have had no problems. I store it in my garage so it is not weathered. 
The only thing I don't like about it is detaching it. It takes too much effort to pull the pins out. I greased them and twist as I pull. It works - I just wish I could figure out how to take the load off the pin so they would slide easily. Any suggestions?


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## Ted928

Ted928;1893481 said:


> I have been using mine for 9 years on my own driveway and have had no problems. I store it in my garage so it is not weathered.
> The only thing I don't like about it is detaching it. It takes too much effort to pull the pins out. I greased them and twist as I pull. It works - I just wish I could figure out how to take the load off the pin so they would slide easily. Any suggestions?


Well I have answered my own question. After 9 years I went back and read the instructions. I was skipping an important step.

Step 3. *While pushing plow gear towards vehicle to release connecting pin tension*, pull connecting pin out ...

I just tried it and it worked perfectly. :redbounce 
I also learned to do this when mounting to get the pins to engage (I had been lifting the blade).

I may be stupid, but I sure am slow.


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