# Chain Lift (Fisher) or Cylinder Lift (BOSS)



## 2005Chev (Jan 25, 2010)

Looking at buying a new v plow and not sure what to get. I have always had fishers on work trucks but most of the time ran equipment (backhoes or loader). So I am trying to decide what I am putting on my personal truck next year. Wanted to know thoughts on which system is better. I know they both have pros and cons but I figured everyone on here could give me some more insight on the topic

which is better for staking?
does the boss have better down pressure with the cylinder?
which plow seems to last better?

thanks for you input.


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## grandview (Oct 9, 2005)

I'll start, Boss V plow.


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## 2005Chev (Jan 25, 2010)

Haha thats what I'm leaning towards but never ran one. Seem to see more fishers around then boss.


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## grandview (Oct 9, 2005)

You get good down pressure with the boss v plow.


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## as81808 (Nov 25, 2008)

fisher all the way!!


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## theplowmeister (Nov 14, 2006)

Boss does NOT have down pressure!!!!!!

Boss IS a full trip blade dont like
boss is direct lift Like
Boss has springs to angle the blade back Dont Like
Boss is lighter than fisher Like


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## grandview (Oct 9, 2005)

You must not plow an all you can eat buffet. I just get a couple of fatties to sit on the plow and I have all the dp I need!


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## PLOWMAN45 (Jul 2, 2003)

the chain lets you stack higher


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## cet (Oct 2, 2004)

Once you try direct lift you won't go back. The Boss has been a great plow. I have the old style and VXT. Unless to trying to throw snow 30' I wouldn't buy the VXT.


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## Yooper75 (Dec 30, 2010)

This is tough call I have used Western Pro Plows all my life to move snow and I have had the chance to move snow with some BOSS Power V's. I like the BOSS because they are made here in town but I also like the Western because of the ground clearance with the UltraMount system. They both have pro's and con's it's just what you want on the list of pro's that are going to make the decision for you.


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## PLOWMAN45 (Jul 2, 2003)

I love my western


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## cet (Oct 2, 2004)

Yooper75;1240781 said:


> This is tough call I have used Western Pro Plows all my life to move snow and I have had the chance to move snow with some BOSS Power V's. I like the BOSS because they are made here in town but I also like the Western because of the ground clearance with the UltraMount system. They both have pro's and con's it's just what you want on the list of pro's that are going to make the decision for you.


I have both the Western and Boss V plow. I'm pretty sure I can push further over a curb with the Boss then the Western. The mount on the truck is higher with the Western but the A frame sits lower.


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## Yooper75 (Dec 30, 2010)

cet;1240790 said:


> I have both the Western and Boss V plow. I'm pretty sure I can push further over a curb with the Boss then the Western. The mount on the truck is higher with the Western but the A frame sits lower.


LIke I said there are pro's and con's to each one and that's a big one. I was always slamming the A Frame on my Western of off something.


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## fiveoboy01 (Aug 18, 2006)

theplowmeister;1240676 said:


> Boss IS a full trip blade dont like


You can get a Boss plow with a tripedge...

But yeah the boss doesn't have downpressure. You've got float so the blade's weight is your downpressure.

I have a Boss Super Duty plow and I have also used a 2-year old Western MVP plow extensively, and I prefer the lift system on the Boss.

Plus the Boss Smarthitch is the fastest and easiest attachment system to work, at least out of the plows I've messed with.


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## m3klee (Nov 3, 2010)

ive had fishers all my life till the truck i have now has a Boss on it. and i love the Boss. I stack higher than i used to and if your cruising along and hit a pothole u dont get that bounce up in the air and slam down like u do with the fisher and the chain( not that it happens a lot but sometimes it does if you miss a hole). not to mention how much easier the boss smarthitch is compared to the fishers to put on and off the truck. i was unsure about the boss before i got it because i never had one but i am sold on it and will always have a Boss from now on


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## Bigrd1 (Dec 4, 2010)

I say fisher all the way. I've used western boss and fisher and I like the fisher and western the best. 1st off if you ever have a breakdown with a fisher or western you can run the plow up a pile of snow and short-chain it go get it back to the shop. you cant do that with a boss. As far as ground clearance I've never hit anything with my A frame, if your truck and plow are set up right you shouldn't hit anything. The boss frames always seem to be lower to the ground than the western/fisher. As for quick mounting the new fishers take about 35 seconds to hook up with no electronics to mess up. Just my two cents but I'd go with the fisher. Make sure you have good dealer support wherever you are.


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## Stik208 (Oct 19, 2004)

grandview;1240682 said:


> You must not plow an all you can eat buffet. I just get a couple of fatties to sit on the plow and I have all the dp I need!


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## plowguy43 (Jan 2, 2008)

theplowmeister;1240676 said:


> Boss does NOT have down pressure!!!!!!
> 
> Boss IS a full trip blade dont like
> boss is direct lift Like
> ...


Great Post, I'm with him but I like a heavier plow for some reason.



cet;1240746 said:


> Once you try direct lift you won't go back. The Boss has been a great plow.


Not necessarily true, I personally have used both and really don't see the huge advantage/difference that everyone preaches about.



fiveoboy01;1240904 said:


> You can get a Boss plow with a tripedge...
> 
> Plus the Boss Smarthitch is the fastest and easiest attachment system to work, at least out of the plows I've messed with.


Not in a Vplow, only full moldboard trip. They are a quick attachment unless you have a hydraulic/electrical/switch failure. The Fisher is mechanical and very simple/easy to hook up as well.



m3klee;1240916 said:


> ive had fishers all my life till the truck i have now has a Boss on it. and i love the Boss. I stack higher than i used to and if your cruising along and *hit a pothole u dont get that bounce up in the air and slam down like u do with the fisher* and the chain( not that it happens a lot but sometimes it does if you miss a hole). not to mention how much easier the boss smarthitch is compared to the fishers to put on and off the truck. i was unsure about the boss before i got it because i never had one but i am sold on it and will always have a Boss from now on


 Thats true but its also the trip edge keeping the impact from hurting the truck rather than the plow/truck absorbing that impact. You can get a trip edge straight blade boss and it will do this as well. The stacking comment I'll leave as I think both will stack very well.

Check them both out in person on trucks, try to mount/dismount yourself, see how the hydraulics work, check out the controller, etc. Then decide for yourself, they are both awesome plows and you won't be disappointed either way.


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## Matson Snow (Oct 3, 2009)

* BOSS is The Greatest*..............Thumbs Up


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## Matson Snow (Oct 3, 2009)

*FISHER is The Cats Meow*..........


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## Matson Snow (Oct 3, 2009)

*WESTERN is The BEST PLOW EVER!!!!!.......:*salute:


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## Matson Snow (Oct 3, 2009)

*MEYER....There is No Substitute*.....................:waving:


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## Matson Snow (Oct 3, 2009)

*BLIZZARD........Enough said............*Thumbs Up


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## Matson Snow (Oct 3, 2009)

Opinions Vary widely.....Pick a Plow thats best suited for Your needs and Operation....:salute:


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## cretebaby (Aug 23, 2008)

:laughing:


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## fiveoboy01 (Aug 18, 2006)

m3klee;1240916 said:


> if your cruising along and hit a pothole u dont get that bounce up in the air and slam down like u do with the fisher and the chain


That happens with the Boss as well. The way the lift cylinder is setup, the cylinder is kept from extending to keep the plow up, but there's nothing keeping it locked the other way, so it retracts. I've had the bad bounce over a set of railroad tracks. Only way to stop it is to raise the plow up all the way and I never transport like that.



> Not in a Vplow, only full moldboard trip. They are a quick attachment unless you have a hydraulic/electrical/switch failure. The Fisher is mechanical and very simple/easy to hook up as well.


I didn't know that. Weird huh since I'm a Boss fan...

I don't know if I like that. Seems the plow might not trip well in the scoop position.

Also not a fan of the spring return for each wing. What if you're backdragging and want to retract one of the wings? Seems like they might not retract too well if the blade is on the ground.

As for the switch, unlikely to go bad and you're not hooking or unhooking anywhere but the shop where you could either keep a spare switch, or remove the switch and jump the terminals to at least get the plow on the truck.


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## plowguy43 (Jan 2, 2008)

fiveoboy01;1241438 said:


> That happens with the Boss as well. The way the lift cylinder is setup, the cylinder is kept from extending to keep the plow up, but there's nothing keeping it locked the other way, so it retracts. I've had the bad bounce over a set of railroad tracks. Only way to stop it is to raise the plow up all the way and I never transport like that.
> 
> I didn't know that. Weird huh since I'm a Boss fan...
> 
> ...


I agree with all of that which is why I'm hesitant to buy one, but those VXT's look soo nicely built. I just think for the money they'd use double acting cylinders rather than springs for the return. They have an optional ($200 I think) Smart Lock cylinders that lock the wings for backdragging but don't pull them in if there is snow behind them or you get stuck and use the plow to get you out. Also, I like trip edge plows and really wish the Vplows came with them but they don't. In a scoop I think the will trip but not nearly as easily as in straight or V- from what I've read and spoke with people who own them.

Also for the switch, I've seen plenty of threads about it in the Boss forum for them going bad which kinda makes sense since the headgear gets a lot of spray.


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## fiveoboy01 (Aug 18, 2006)

Yeah and I haven't had a chance to look at the VXT units, just the standard V plows. One of these days when I'm at the dealer getting something I'll scope out a VXT, they usually have them sitting outside.


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## theplowmeister (Nov 14, 2006)

fiveoboy01;1240904 said:


> You can get a Boss plow with a tripedge...
> 
> But yeah the boss doesn't have downpressure. You've got float so the blade's weight is your downpressure.
> 
> ...


The question was V plow.

Boss only has full trip in V plows.


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## 2005Chev (Jan 25, 2010)

thanks for all the input and opions. I think its going to come down to cost and dealer service. Our 9.5 fisher v went down (pump) last night and they cant get the parts to get back up and running for two days


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## bob00 (Sep 8, 2009)

wath kind of dealer you got they dont have pump in stock ??? 

the frist think i did wen i buy my plow i buy a spare pump i am a smal opreation guy and i got a spaer insta act unite complet , 1 belt drive pump 1 body valve few pin ram and hoose
spare cable joystick and i am looking for a good deal on spere joystick for the insta act

i go chain lift and trip edge with my fisher and my dealer open on week end if it snow
i dont even know if we get a boss dealer in town

they are both great plow but i like my fisher better


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## andcon83 (Dec 10, 2005)

Everything breaks down, so your better off getting the one with the closest dealer.


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## jklawn&Plow (Jan 8, 2011)

Buy a red one


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## BigLou80 (Feb 25, 2008)

2005Chev;1243042 said:


> thanks for all the input and opions. I think its going to come down to cost and dealer service. Our 9.5 fisher v went down (pump) last night and they cant get the parts to get back up and running for two days


I don't know a thing about your dealer but I do know a bit about mine (Vassars in Greenfield, MA) While not the cheapest the service is second to none and they are always open during a storm. If its two am the lites will be on if not just knock on the door. Even they are sold out/ having trouble getting parts.

Fisher is primarily in New England and this has been a winter for the record books here. It's not poor dealer service its the fact we got over 6 feet of snow in under 6 weeks. The supply chain just can't keep up.

I have a 2004 fisher EZ-V its seen a lot of hard use and is still going strong, A friend of mine has a boss V that has also been forced to earn its keep. Both of us are happy with our plows.

I like the ability to short chain the plow if the need arises( hasn't yet) I like to double acting pistons but they are not strong enough to do anything with a load of snow in the blade. The final thing I think the fisher has going is the trip edge, while I have absolutely no first hand knowledge I just can't imagine the whole blade tripping when in scoop mode on the boss

either way I doubt you will be sorry.


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## plowatnight (Mar 10, 2010)

Ever look at Curtis? I like their hitch system, sorry, but I don't have a V, My brother had a Hini., uummmm, you couldn't chase me fast enough to give it to me, however, I'm sure some would disagree.


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## BillyRgn (Jan 28, 2004)

I personally no two guys that always had fishers ( been plowing for over 10 years each and both have medium size fleets). A real close friend of there started to sell boss plows so one guy bought one and the other guy bought three (one was a small plow for a Colorado). After one season the guy that bought one plow sold it and went back to fisher. The other guy plowed two seasons and had so much trouble the second season (no complaints the first season) that he sold two and went back to fisher, the only one he kept was the one on the colarado. They both said parts were tough to come by and would rather mount a minute mount one than a boss V. Me personally, I have a couple meyers and fishers, and I would never buy anything other than fisher, the only other thing that holds up better is a JD or cat dozer


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## PTSolutions (Dec 8, 2007)

carry a strap with you and you'll have no problem shortchaining a boss plow. ive had to do this with my blizzard plow when i blew an oring on the pump.

why dont you carry your boss plows all the way up??

and if the powerhitch switch fails you can still mount the plow, just push up manually on the headgear. my smarthitch pin in the wiring harness broke off and i needed to do this and worked like a charm.

definitely get the smartlocks, my dealer doesnt order any v's without them. i dont think ive ever ran into a scenario where double acting cylinders were a must.

sometimes the amount of misinformation on here is obscene.

buy whichever comes from the better dealer, nowadays a mfg can't compete with an inferior product, western, fisher, boss are all top notch plows, even meyer has made changes. the biggest non-product factor is the dealer, and my boss dealer is tops, cant be beat. i had some paint flaking off one of the plows, went to the dealer to buy touch up paint, they said it wasnt supposed to do that, he snapped some pic's an hour later the boss rep said 2 new wings were shipped and to swap them out for me.


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## Pinky Demon (Jan 6, 2010)

fiveoboy01;1241438 said:


> I didn't know that. Weird huh since I'm a Boss fan...
> 
> I don't know if I like that. Seems the plow might not trip well in the scoop position.
> 
> ...


You can manually mount the plow even without the switch. The hydraulics just make it easier.


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