# Self installation. Ya or nay?



## Blink74 (Feb 16, 2007)

I'm considering mail ordering a plow and installing it myself. I feel $400 dollars for professional installation of a plow is money well spent. However, I can save over 1k and get it done sooner by mial ordering the plow and installing myself. I used to do car audio and electronics and I do most of my own maintenance so I think I can do it right. How big of an undertaking is it? Is there much cutting, drilling and modifying, or is it plug and play. I'm looking at a Boss plow on a 2007 Silverado 2500 hd.


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## 06HD BOSS (Nov 28, 2005)

what kind of plow? i did my Boss myself and had no experience before. just follow the directions and take your time to do it right. its not a hard job at all, just alot of steps.


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## Crash935 (Sep 3, 2003)

The GM bodies are the easiest truck to put a mount on, electrical shouldnt be to bad for you since you have experience with automotive electrical.


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## hydro_37 (Sep 10, 2006)

A Boss plow is fairly easy to install. Go for it.


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## mercer_me (Sep 13, 2008)

If you have the tools and a little mechanicle knowlage you can do it no probablem.


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## grandview (Oct 9, 2005)

I don't know how they work,I just know how to use them. Sometimes if your not sure your better off getting it done ,this way if something happens they can't say warranty voided.


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## Indy (Sep 23, 2007)

Welp, theres a good argument for both

If you do it yourself, you know what you have done, so you can fix your stuff better later if you need to.

If you have a pro do it.......well it's done by a pro and you can (and will) go back to them later......so everything will be familure to them and like GV says it's covered.


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## mercer_me (Sep 13, 2008)

grandview;656187 said:


> Sometimes if your not sure your better off getting it done,this way if something happens they can't say warranty voided.


That is a realy good point. I never thought of that.


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## smoore45 (Oct 27, 2007)

The warranties that I have seen for installation are 1 year. I would rather save the money and understand how everything works myself. I have installed three plows in the past four years. As long as you have the manufacturers instructions, it is fairly straight forward. Make sure you have sharp drill bits and protect any wiring that is touching metal or near heat. Good luck!


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## Hunter9 (Jul 7, 2006)

I have installed all my plows myself, I guess I am particular about things.

Installed a Meyers e60 back in the day on my 79 F150, couple Sno-ways and most recently a Boss on my 2500HD and all have went fine and no issues after the fact.


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## bkstoffe (Oct 29, 2008)

*self - install*

I installed my new Hiniker myself - it akes a while to do it, but you know it is done right.
I a far too picky about accesories to let someone else work on my stuff. If you are mechanically inclined, patient, and have a nice heated shop - it is actually fun.
I know you are talking about a Boss, and I have Hiniker, but it cant be that much different to install. I have a second 9.5 on its way, and I will be insatlling it as well.

just my 2 cents


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## BMWSTUD25 (Aug 21, 2008)

When I bought my boss I paid to have it installed on my dodge. I sold the dodge and upgraded to a GMC and did the truck side install myself with new parts I ordered from CPW. It was pretty easy, and now that I've done it once I plan on doing all future installs myself. I've never ordered a complete plow and had it shipped via mail but I would assume the harness, lights, springs, A frame and hydraulics would all have to be bolted up???? But I wouldnt know for sure but Im sure someone does but even with that if you have a nice warm dry place to work and air tools sounds like a piece of cake!!!!! just think of the knowledge you'll gain and the payup you'll save


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## chcav1218 (Jul 31, 2008)

Go for it! I did my fisher by myself on my 2000 Chevy and it was easy. Just take your time and run the wires and cables exactly where you want them. I ended up rearranging mine because I wasn't happy with the way I did it originally.


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## dirtmandan2 (Nov 2, 2007)

i've also done a couple and not that bad... for $400 I'd pay , but to save a 1000 i'd do it myself...


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## erkoehler (Sep 25, 2008)

We installed all of our own plows this year, and they weren't that difficult as long as you followed the steps and have air tools available.


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## shovelracer (Sep 3, 2004)

Like everyone said. The right tools and some patience will get it done. As with car stereo installations make it clean. Rubber grommets when passing through the firewall. Tie all the wires up. I like to use extra corrugated sheathing to protect all the wires in the right spots. Stay away from crimp connectors and anything that can fail on a dark road at 3AM. Not sure on your plow, but the westerns Ive done were pretty much plug and play except the ignition wire.


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## fakemam (Mar 21, 2008)

did my boss 8.2 v last year do to the fact that it would of taken my a dealer a month to get me in. wasn't that bad just took a day or so to get it installed. now i know how the plow works so if something goes wrong i have a better knowledge of how to fix it.


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## ducatirider944 (Feb 25, 2008)

I would do the install, really not that hard if you can read and know righty tighty lefty loosy. Plus if you have a question just post it up in the boss section. No dealer can void the warranty of your plow because you self installed. Now if the plow falls off the truck, then it is your fault! LOL


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## Woodland (Sep 17, 2005)

I had my new Fisher installed by the local Chrysler dealership. When they finished and I went to pick up the truck, we popped the hood my jaw dropped. I would have spent days figuring how to hook up all those wires. Keep in mind, I'm not a car guy. I've hooked up my own aux. lights but that pretty much concluded my vehicular electrical knowledge. The guys at the dealership did an awesome job. Well worth money to have it installed by a pro.


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## Blink74 (Feb 16, 2007)

Thanks for the replies. I went to bossplow.com and checked out the instructions. The Install looks a lot easier than I thought it would be. I ordered a Boss 8' super duty today from Northern Truck.


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## derekbroerse (Mar 6, 2004)

I have installed all three of my plows myself, its not too bad. The latest was the 6'-6" Boss V on the S15, and I was forced to do a custom wiring job on it as the hydro's stay under the hood rather than on the plow... so I basically learned the wiring harness completely as well.

Its a good thing to learn... then if something fails at 3am, you know what you are doing to fix it.

I second the having sharp drill bits part, drilling the frame with old bits takes forever... luckily my old man can freehand sharpen bits with the best of 'em, a skill I never really mastered....


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## camconcrete (Sep 14, 2008)

go ahead and do it. I did it blind when I installed my boss v and the instructions they sent with the plow will tell you everything you need to know. i imagine that is the same across the board with all the makes now


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## Thoth7475 (Dec 2, 2008)

I'm a firm believer in installing your own equipment, when something goes wrong, it's not a 70 degree day in the middle of summer when you're doing all the maintenance you swore you would do at the end of the season, it's 25 below with 12 inches on the ground, 2hrs into a beautiful 2 day storm. So, do you want to be the guy calling for service or the one fixing on the fly & earning?


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## Blink74 (Feb 16, 2007)

Well guys, I ordered the plow online and it showed up damaged. It was only cosmetic but that is beside the point. I tried to install it myself, but, none of the holes lined up and the instructions were pretty imaginative. So, after a day of cursing and wrestling with the thing, I through it in the back of the truck and took it to the dealer. Now, I still have to deal with the shipping company to get reimbursed for the damage. What a pain! lesson learned.


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## no lead (Dec 10, 2008)

it's a hard call. do i know enough? is it worth it? in the long run a pro install is worth it. you can look at what was done and how. i have repaired a bunch of do it yourself gone wrong jobs. there is 1 way to learn, but it takes more than 1 time.


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## Blink74 (Feb 16, 2007)

If everything went well I would have saved $1100 dollars ordering on-line and installing it myself. However, I wasted several hours and endured a lot of hassle. I still saved some money on the plow but it was not worth it.


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## NOLUCKJUSTBADLU (Dec 14, 2008)

i'm doing my as we speak, has not been a bad job at all, one thing is for sure........ Make sure you have all parts needed and set the time to do it.......

Good luck and happy plowing......


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## Gix1k4 (Mar 13, 2008)

I do my own installs, but then after it's done (and before i put the bumper back on) I take it to my local dealer to be inspected. You will find out pretty quickly what kind of service to expect from the dealer that way too. If they won't look it over or spew off about you doing the work and then asking them to check it over, I'd politely remind them that you will eventually need repair/service parts for the blade.

And as you no doubt already know; solder, heatshrink and lots of electrical tape will be the key to reliable electrics.


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## MAR4CARS (Oct 6, 2005)

I do all my own installs and work of course i also own an auto shop so i have the advantage of all the tools needed and lifts.


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