# Thinking of Switching From Boss to Hiniker...



## jbell36 (Feb 21, 2008)

any reason not to? i have no complaints with boss but we finally have a snow plow dealer in town and it happens to be hiniker...we have a boss V and it is on springs to bring the wings back in which is very quick, the hiniker looks like it's all hydraulic, therefore the cycle time appears to be quicker on a boss, can anyone confirm that?...we are eventually going to add two plows to the fleet as we only have two right now...our boss dealer is almost an hour away for what it's worth...do we start the switch to hiniker now or stick with boss?

i am highly considering buying a C plow mainly for residential drives, if we went with hiniker...i would want this to be a dedicated driveway plow so we can start resi's the same time as our commercial, i hate having to do driveways after we are done with our commercial, A because i don't feel like doing them after and B they are always calling and wanting to know when we will be there, which is basically saying it is taking too long for us to get there...what are your thoughts on this?

two C plows and two V plows seem like that would be a good combination, 1 for interchangeable parts/trucks/mounts, etc... and 2 for efficiency as one will be a dedicated driveway plow...


----------



## Sawboy (Dec 18, 2005)

That C plow looks like an amazing driveway plow. But before jumping ship, do your due diligence in making sure that the new dealer is a good one!


----------



## trustyrusty (Dec 31, 2008)

Don't overlook the scoop plow.


----------



## Sawboy (Dec 18, 2005)

Yep. Had em confused. The scoop is the one I was thinking of


----------



## jbell36 (Feb 21, 2008)

Yeah I've considered that one too...but wouldn't you want a C plow for driveways as opposed to really any other plow? Scoop seems like it would be more effective in a commercial lot...you sure you don't have them confused again Sawboy? I mean technically a C plow folds over and "scoops."...I have never ran a scoop or a C plow so I'm inexperienced, but I always thought hiniker had a nitch with the C plow over everyone else, like that was THEIR thing

A few others make scoop plows, but no one else makes a C plow...


----------



## Sawboy (Dec 18, 2005)

Apparently I am more confused than I thought! 

Yes. The one that flips over is the one I believe would be awesome for driveways. Now, I shall bow out of the conversation before I further confuse myself!


----------



## jbell36 (Feb 21, 2008)

Haha, alright thats good, u had me confused


----------



## BUFF (Dec 24, 2009)

The Hinkler "C" is the model that pivots/rolls the mold board to pull back from garages and such> The Hinkler scoop is like having a permanent set of wings on the mold board. I have friend that has a Hinkler 9ft scoop plow and can say enough good about it.
I have a 8.5 straight blade with wings and ends up just being over 10ft wide and works great for what I do. When I add another plow it will be a V mainly for dealing with busting drifts and I think they're more effective for cleaning up.


----------



## NICHOLS LANDSCA (Sep 15, 2007)

I like them


----------



## BC Handyman (Dec 15, 2010)

C plows are the sh*t. There is a quick video of a C-plow in action on the Hiniker Facebook page. I wish I had one.


----------



## ChicagoPlower (Dec 16, 2005)

I started switching my Boss plows over to C-plows a couple of years ago because all we plow are driveways and I wanted the most efficient tool for the job. The C-plow has turned out to be the most bad a** piece of equipment I have ever bought. The biggest benefit it gives you is being able to scrape almost any depth of snow, wet or dry, clean to pavement in one pull, even on a curve. I have pull plows on two trucks that are better for circular drives, but in my opinion scrape no cleaner than the C-plow. Two years ago we had a 24" storm and the C-plow handled it with ease, it was awesome.
I like the remaining two Boss plows I still have, they're so dependable, but I only use one for a back up and the other will have a c-plow next year. The C-plow is heavy 800 lbs. for an 8' and about 6 to 7 thousand depending on the dealer. 
Hope the info helped-


----------



## jbell36 (Feb 21, 2008)

ChicagoPlower;1544350 said:


> I started switching my Boss plows over to C-plows a couple of years ago because all we plow are driveways and I wanted the most efficient tool for the job. The C-plow has turned out to be the most bad a** piece of equipment I have ever bought. The biggest benefit it gives you is being able to scrape almost any depth of snow, wet or dry, clean to pavement in one pull, even on a curve. I have pull plows on two trucks that are better for circular drives, but in my opinion scrape no cleaner than the C-plow. Two years ago we had a 24" storm and the C-plow handled it with ease, it was awesome.
> I like the remaining two Boss plows I still have, they're so dependable, but I only use one for a back up and the other will have a c-plow next year. The C-plow is heavy 800 lbs. for an 8' and about 6 to 7 thousand depending on the dealer.
> Hope the info helped-


definitely does...having a clean scrape to pavement is important to me...i'm almost sold on the c plow...they seem the most practical in my opinion...first of all, you don't have to trailer anything, OR have your employees (very scary), they are one of the quietest options for middle of the night reasons (as opposed to a skid or a walk behind snow blower), you are in a heated cab with windshield wipers, and you are in and out in 5 minutes...seems like the most efficient way, plus you can use it for commercial lots as well or know that you have a backup plow for your commercials if another plow went down...


----------



## plowguy43 (Jan 2, 2008)

Does the hinicker C plow "lock" so it scrapes better as opposed to down pressure? I've always thought that plow was an excellent idea and if it worked well removed the need for a pull plow ($$$)


----------



## NicholasMWhite (Oct 5, 2008)

I can't say anything in particular about the c-plow, but I have 2 hiniker plows and haven't had any issues with either. The mounting system is really easy. I have read some complaints about the old style mounting forks breaking off when used with the larger plows (9 footers and such) but from what I understand the new style is stronger.


----------



## ChicagoPlower (Dec 16, 2005)

plowguy43;1544673 said:


> Does the hinicker C plow "lock" so it scrapes better as opposed to down pressure? I've always thought that plow was an excellent idea and if it worked well removed the need for a pull plow ($$$)


The part of the plow that "locks" by hydraulic pressure is the moldboard that flips over. The c-plow doesn't have direct hydraulic down pressure like the pull plow. However the weight of the plow (800lbs) concentrated on the inverted angle of the cutting edge, creates natural down pressure which holds the plow on the ground- in my opinion, neck and neck if not slightly as well as my pull plows. 
The only advantage the pull plows have to me is they are much better for circular driveways. Other than that, the c-plows are much easier to use and teach to drivers (one less control and piece of equipment to use, easier to operate the plow in front of you than in back.) They also have a trip edge which always comes in handy for those old sinking driveways. Another thing to remember is although the hydraulic down pressure of the pull plow is great, you always have to remember to toggle the control when plowing steep inclines or declines. The pressure won't give and you can break the hitch off your truck if you're not careful.


----------



## sven1277 (Jan 15, 2008)

The first plow I bought was a C-plow. Still using it today. Great residential plow. No major issues, either.


----------



## Wiseguyinc (Jan 31, 2007)

I just sold my boss v and the new truck I got had a hiniker scoop plow on it. I do mostly commercial lots so take this for what it is worth.

The hiniker scoop carries more snow than my boss did. I don't have near the spillover I used to.

The boss was built way stronger hands down. The hiniker mount system is a bit trickier than the boss was. I always have a harder time hooking it up but it is still not bad for one person to do it.

The hinkier seems to bounce alot going down the road and I hate that . You go over a bump and it lifts and slams down. 

The stacking of the v was better.

The boss was horrible at back dragging compared to the scoop plow. I bet the C plow is great for it.

Hope these comments help. I do like either plow.


----------



## Spool it up (Oct 30, 2012)

jbell36;1543605 said:


> any reason not to? i have no complaints with boss but we finally have a snow plow dealer in town and it happens to be hiniker...we have a boss V and it is on springs to bring the wings back in which is very quick, the hiniker looks like it's all hydraulic, therefore the cycle time appears to be quicker on a boss, can anyone confirm that?...we are eventually going to add two plows to the fleet as we only have two right now...our boss dealer is almost an hour away for what it's worth...do we start the switch to hiniker now or stick with boss?
> 
> i am highly considering buying a C plow mainly for residential drives, if we went with hiniker...i would want this to be a dedicated driveway plow so we can start resi's the same time as our commercial, i hate having to do driveways after we are done with our commercial, A because i don't feel like doing them after and B they are always calling and wanting to know when we will be there, which is basically saying it is taking too long for us to get there...what are your thoughts on this?
> 
> two C plows and two V plows seem like that would be a good combination, 1 for interchangeable parts/trucks/mounts, etc... and 2 for efficiency as one will be a dedicated driveway plow...


hiniker .....good plow 
boss .......good plow 
what my concern about a C-Plow is , what happens when you forget your in the backblade position and you procede forward with it down ???


----------



## MikeRi24 (Dec 21, 2007)

I honestly have never seen a Hiniker on a truck here, and I don't know much about them. I have 3 boss plows and have nothing negative to say about them. Obviously you know that they are good as well. What I would say is this: you know what you're getting into with the boss plow and you know they work. You're gonna take a chance on something that you don't know much about, and while the local dealer support is nice, its a new dealer so odds are THEY prob don't know much about these plows either. Again, not saying Hiniker is a bad plow because I don't know much about them. So, my concern would be is the travel time to your Boss dealer worth it to you were you know you can be in and out and back on the road vs somewhere that you only have to go down the street but are you going to be there longer while they figure it out and are they gonna have a huge stock of parts right away being a new dealer? Also, what happens if in a couple years they decide the Hiniker line isn't working out and drop them? Where is your next Hiniker dealer? IS there a Hiniker dealer close by? I would say wait a couple years and see if this Hiniker dealer is here to stay and let some other people get them first and let the dealer figure out how to work on them and what parts to stock on someone else's expense. I wouldn't want to be the guinea pig for that one.


----------



## Spool it up (Oct 30, 2012)

my neighbor has the VF , 2 years and hasnt missed a beat
http://www.hiniker.com/snow_products/hp_vf-plow.html


----------



## jbell36 (Feb 21, 2008)

couple things...yes, i've even talked to the new hiniker dealer, they don't know a lot about them and won't have excessive parts inventory...i will say the next hiniker dealer is still closer than the closest boss, but not close enough to make a difference, although it is a much easier drive...i'm more interested in the C-plow more than anything really...not disappointed with boss at all, but was thinking hiniker might be easier and possibly more of what we want...tough decision


----------



## ChicagoPlower (Dec 16, 2005)

Spool it up;1547357 said:


> hiniker .....good plow
> boss .......good plow
> what my concern about a C-Plow is , what happens when you forget your in the backblade position and you procede forward with it down ???


The hydraulics will eventually give and allow a couple inches of play. Its' not a worry because after a couple feet of driving, you would know it's in the curl position.
One other thing I really like about the c-plow is that when driving you can flip the blade down as much as you need to allow air to cool the radiator. For Chevys it's great not to have to constantly keep an eye on the temp gauge. Even though the Fords ride higher, I still flip it down a bit.


----------



## NICHOLS LANDSCA (Sep 15, 2007)

Wiseguyinc;1547327 said:


> The hiniker scoop carries more snow than my boss did. The hiniker mount system is a bit trickier than the boss was. I always have a harder time hooking it up but it is still not bad for one person to do it.
> 
> Very true, I always get a "whatever" when I tell them the scoop holds more than a V.
> 
> Are you collapsing the lift cylinder when you are taking it off, before you back out of the pockets??? Otherwise the headgear will fall forward. Look at the sticker on the back of the plow step by stepThumbs Up I can put the plow on in about 30 seconds, I've never timed myself but I guarantee it doesn't take longer than that


----------



## Wiseguyinc (Jan 31, 2007)

Yeah I have gotten much faster at hooking it up now that I have done it a few times. 

It was just a bit more finicky than the boss v was to get on and off. Mine could be a bit messed up too though. The previous owner had some parts beefed up and who knows if everything is straight as it was when new.

I like both plows. I would go with a scoop again over a V for medium size lots.


----------



## olesnowpatrol (Aug 13, 2011)

Just bought the 8' Hiniker C and was able to scrape some heavily compacted snow/ice off of several driveways. I like it so far!


----------



## Flawless440 (Dec 6, 2010)

I have 2 meyers im fazing out.. Replacing with Boss V,,, Best plow i have ever used.. Good Price as well


----------

