# Poly vs Stainless Steel



## normsled

What are the benefits and drawbacks of each?


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## Philbilly2

http://www.bossplow.com/content/pdf/boss-whitepaper-poly-versus-stainless-steel.pdf

http://info.bossplow.com/Blog/bid/99070/10-Things-To-Consider-When-Buying-a-Snowplow

Blade Materials - Poly Vs Stainless Steel vs Mild Steel
On the commercial plow side: All three materials will do the job for you, but each has its own strengths and weaknesses.

-Poly is the slickest material of the three, as such, snow will not stick to the blade and will slide off the blade further and faster than it will with the other materials - as such, it is becoming the choice of more and more professionals out there. It is also extremely corrosion resistant and scratch resistant.
-Stainless Steel has visual appeal and corrosion resistance and perhaps a slight advantage in "slickness" versus mild steel, but it is also prone to denting - any rocks you hit will leave "dings" and over the course of time, this will become unsightly and may affect the plow's performance.
-Mild steel has been used to manufacture plows for decades. This workhorse proves durability, rigidity and excellent value.

-One common myth to dispel: Poly plows are not lighter than their steel counterparts. In fact, they are usually heavier. Why? Because the poly material lacks the rigidity of steel, it must be "backed" or reinforced with even more steel in order to keeps it shape. As such - poly plows are commonly heavier than steel plows.

Hope that sums it up Thumbs Up


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## J.onathan

Good info!

I always assumed the poly plows weighed a hell of a lot less than the steel ones


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## Philbilly2

Another thing that sucks on poly is the sun fading if you leave it outside... after a handful of years, your plow will look pink. 

Although if you leave a mild steel plow outside, it will eventually turn brown... :laughing:


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## BUFF

Philbilly2;2084864 said:


> http://www.bossplow.com/content/pdf/boss-whitepaper-poly-versus-stainless-steel.pdf
> 
> http://info.bossplow.com/Blog/bid/99070/10-Things-To-Consider-When-Buying-a-Snowplow
> 
> Blade Materials - Poly Vs Stainless Steel vs Mild Steel
> On the commercial plow side: All three materials will do the job for you, but each has its own strengths and weaknesses.
> 
> -Poly is the slickest material of the three, as such, snow will not stick to the blade and will slide off the blade further and faster than it will with the other materials - as such, it is becoming the choice of more and more professionals out there. It is also extremely corrosion resistant and scratch resistant.
> -Stainless Steel has visual appeal and corrosion resistance and perhaps a slight advantage in "slickness" versus mild steel, but it is also prone to denting - any rocks you hit will leave "dings" and over the course of time, this will become unsightly and may affect the plow's performance.
> -Mild steel has been used to manufacture plows for decades. This workhorse proves durability, rigidity and excellent value.
> 
> -One common myth to dispel: Poly plows are not lighter than their steel counterparts. In fact, they are usually heavier. Why? Because the poly material lacks the rigidity of steel, it must be "backed" or reinforced with even more steel in order to keeps it shape. As such - poly plows are commonly heavier than steel plows.
> 
> Hope that sums it up Thumbs Up


To add to this: Blade with SS or Poly Moldboards still have Carbon steel frames and rust is still an issue. 
Over time Poly Moldboards will get scratched up if you do gravel or dirt roads which can affect how the snow rolls. 
The sun will fade the color of the Poly Moldboard, the UV's from the sun over time will also start to degrade the Poly resulting in a rough surface finish. I ran a Meyer Straight blade with a Poly Moldboard that was on the truck from 1997-2013. I put a Carbon Steel V on in 2013, I didn't see the value in SS or Poly.


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## normsled

The Western website says that their MVP 3 Poly is 890 lbs and the stainless is 940


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## Philbilly2

normsled;2084932 said:


> The Western website says that their MVP 3 Poly is 890 lbs and the stainless is 940


MVP3 is a different animal - You should see all the bracing on the back my Mild Steel MVP3 - it is impressive... but heavy


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## 32vld

J.onathan;2084906 said:


> Good info!
> 
> I always assumed the poly plows weighed a hell of a lot less than the steel ones


6'8" western suburbanite 250 lb poly

6'8" Meyer DP 375 lb steel

Assuming one way or the other and there is a good chance one can be wrong. Best to look up the specifications.


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## beanz27

32vld;2085076 said:


> 6'8" western suburbanite 250 lb poly
> 
> 6'8" Meyer DP 375 lb steel
> 
> Assuming one way or the other and there is a good chance one can be wrong. Best to look up the specifications.


Ok with homeowner plows poly may be lighter, professional grade boss 8' 2" v is heavier poly than mild steel, ss is heavier than poly.


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## Philbilly2

32vld;2085076 said:


> 6'8" western suburbanite 250 lb poly
> 
> 6'8" Meyer DP 375 lb steel
> 
> Assuming one way or the other and there is a good chance one can be wrong. Best to look up the specifications.


Good lord... If we are going to post weights all afternoon, then here we go I got the time on my hands.

Read my post better - it says:

in the forth line: 
_*On the commercial plow side:*_

and line 12:
One _*common myth to dispel*_: Poly plows are not lighter than their steel counterparts. In fact, they are usually heavier. Why? Because the poly material lacks the rigidity of steel, it must be "backed" or reinforced with even more steel in order to keeps it shape. As such - _*poly plows are commonly heavier than steel plows.*_

It is not an exact science, but more times than not, it will ring true on commercial use plows.

Here is a quick search of the most commonly purchased plow blades.

Western Pro Steel - 8' - 668lb
Western Pro Ploy - 8' - 698lb

Western Pro Steel - 7.6 - 653lb
Western Pro Poly - 7.6 - 677lb

Boss Super Duty Steel - 8' - 698lb
Boss Super Duty Poly - 8' - 722lb

Boss Super Duty Steel - 7.6' - 680lb
Boss Super Duty Poly - 7.6' - 706lb

Meyer made it really easy for me - across the board I don't see one plow in steel that is heavier that it's likewise counterpart...

All that is trying to be said this that for years the *common *misconception is that you get a poly blade as the poly will be lighter than the same manufacturer on the same plow in a steel blade. That is not always try. First thought is poly... that is lighter than steel, but when you look behind the plow, it is a large amount of steel back there to brace the ploy so you don't punch a hole in it.

There are always loop holes in the system if you search hard enough except death and taxes... those are a definite. Thumbs Up


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## BUFF

32vld;2085076 said:


> 6'8" western suburbanite 250 lb poly
> 
> 6'8" Meyer DP 375 lb steel





Philbilly2;2085101 said:


> Good lord... If we are going to post weights all afternoon.


So I'm aboot half way between the Western and Meyer weighing in at 290# and I'm also 6'8"


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## Philbilly2

BUFF;2085121 said:


> So I'm aboot half way between the Western and Meyer weighing in at 290# and I'm also 6'8"


Priceless :laughing::laughing::laughing::laughing::laughing::laughing::laughing::laughing:


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## PLOWMAN45

my next plow will be a western 9.6 ss with wings


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## 32vld

BUFF;2085121 said:


> So I'm aboot half way between the Western and Meyer weighing in at 290# and I'm also 6'8"


I never knew they could pile it that high.


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## BUFF

32vld;2085547 said:


> I never knew they could pile it that high.


Good German, Swedish and Scottish genetics.Thumbs Up


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## 1olddogtwo

BUFF;2085640 said:


> Good German, Swedish and Scottish genetics.Thumbs Up


And here I thought all about your clean living


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## BUFF

1olddogtwo;2085657 said:


> And here I thought all about your clean living


That too..... Fresh air, sunshine, good food and a can-do attitude.......Thumbs UpThumbs Up


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## Philbilly2

PLOWMAN45;2085261 said:


> my next plow will be a western 9.6 ss with wings


Will that be lighter or heavier that poly? :laughing:


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## SnoFarmer

Philbilly2;2088291 said:


> Will that be lighter or heavier that poly? :laughing:


More importantly, air density and gravity.


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## Philbilly2

SnoFarmer;2088307 said:


> More importantly, air density and gravity.


Jokes huh... lol


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## SnoFarmer

Philbilly2;2088312 said:


> Jokes huh... lol


Yea:whistling:

or is it?


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## Philbilly2

SnoFarmer;2088316 said:


> Yea:whistling:
> 
> or is it?


Second one...

Can't deny it, I'm a 6 pack in by 4pm


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## normsled

Thanks for all of your input on this. I went with the 8'-6" Western MVP-3 in Steel. So glad I did. First time using it this weekend in Southern CT where we had maybe 10" and it worked great. I was plowing my shop parking lot and picked up a pieces of scrap pipe or something and put a 3 foot diagonal dent across one of the wings. deep enough to crack the paint on the back. Can't imagine stainless or the poly would have held up so well against that.

Thanks again.
Norm


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## 1olddogtwo

Congratulations on new plow!

Ouch on the wing!


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## allagashpm

In 5 years I've never had a dent in my poly blade


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