[AT] O/T Meyers or Western plow

[Mike Reggie]

  Hello Richard, and list

  Though I've been a member of the list since the fall of 1999, and I enjoy 
reading the list every day, I don't post too often, however I do try to 
participate when I have some information to contribute, I do believe this is 
one of those times. I have been plowing and doing snow removal commercially 
for over 25 years, over that time I have had quite a few different brands of 
plows attached to all the different brands of trucks, and as you will have 
different opinions on truck brands, so will you on brands of plows and 
everything else[maybe even brands of antique tractors] however, I have in 
the last ten or so years realized there is only one brand of snowplow, and 
it is the Fisher. I could no longer even consider purchasing any other 
brand, case in point, when I bought the truck I am currently using in 1997, 
the dealer had about a half dozen of the truck I wanted, but they all had 
the Meyer brand plows on them, I explained to the salesman that we could 
still make the deal on the new truck, however he would have to switch the 
new meyer plow to my trade in and put my well worn Fisher on the new truck, 
both he and his manager could not believe this, but after a short time were 
able to get the truck in and have the meyer plow switched over for a Fisher 
and we made the deal on the new truck. I hate to be be the descending vote  
against the Meyer and Western, but I just haven't seen a lot of service 
delivered from either one of these plows.
I mean no offense to anyone, however, I believe the Meyer should actually 
come with one of those warning stickers that seem to get plastered onto 
almost everything except maybe bagged feathers, but this one should read  
"DO NOT EXPOSE TO SNOW FOR MORE THAN MAYBE AN HOUR OR SO, AS EXTREME 
FRUSTRATION WILL OCCUR".

The Western is not a bad plow, but that is precisely it, it's not bad, it, 
like the Meyer and many others it still uses regular vertical type 
tensioning springs and allow [or more so, promote] the whole blade folding 
foward and remaining that way during the foward push which makes it not 
float as is ideal, but make it go "light" to the point you actually can not 
feel it and the load, most of which it's dumped and you have now driven 
over.

  The Diamond, when this plow first hit the market, I quiclkly bought one, 
the reason being it was everything I liked in a plow and none of the stuff I 
didn't. I'll explain what I mean..........

  When The company that now owns both Fisher and Western bought these 
companies, Fisher put a few stipulations on their selling, the main one 
being that the new company would not change the design of the actual 
Speedcast snowplow, and that it will not be made in an electric over 
hydraulic design. Unfortunately due to the motor vehicle regulations just a 
few short years later, it was mandated that the front headgear for snowplows 
could no longer remain on the vehicle year round, and so the unimount 
design[also a Fisher design and innovation years ahead of everyone else]  
became the standard for all plows.
When the actual sale took place, a few of the engineers and key people from 
Fisher left the company and formed their own company, they called it 
Diamond, they made and marked their own plow with the proven Fisher style 
torsion spring trip-edge design, full chasis mounted headgear, and the best 
part, the actual Fisher engine driven full hydraulic pump and joystick 
controls, and because it was new the price was quite a few hundred dollars 
less than what was now the actual placarded Fisher. Boy was I happy, I used 
that plow troublefree until I sold the truck. In the interim, the original 
Diamond company was having all kinds of growing pains and did not have the 
capital to make the move over to the now mandatory minute-mount design, and 
was ripe for the picking, Meyer quickly sucked them up and incorporated it's 
own electric-over pump and controls, which as far as I know is where it is 
at today.

  Sorry Cecil, but I think that is the weak link on your Diamond, the Meyer 
controls.

  The Fishers have been, for the whole time they have been offering an 
electric over hydraulic control, been using the Western pump and switches 
which I must say have proven very reliable, I was and have been since the 
very first time I tried it very happy when I hit that angle switch with a 
full blade of snow, and the elect/hyd pump actually moved it.  I can 
remember when the Fisher Speedcast was the  ONLY  plow on the market, 
hydraulic or otherwise that could do this.

  Sorry if this sounds like a rant or a sales pitch for the Fisher, it's not 
meant to be, just my opinion and my personal experiences, I hope it will be 
of help.

   Pleased to be participating ................ Mike


----Original Message Follows----
From: "Richard Strobel" <Richard_Strobel7 at msn.com>
Reply-To: Antique tractor email discussion group 
<at at lists.antique-tractor.com>
To: "Antique tractor email discussion group" <at at lists.antique-tractor.com>, 
        "Antique John Deere mailing 
list"<antique-johndeere at lists.antique-tractor.com>
Subject: [AT] O/T Meyers or Western plow
Date: Sun, 23 Jan 2005 16:25:47 -0700

   Howdy all;
Need some mad money for this ole iron addiction.  Bought me a fairly nice
'69 Toyota Landcruiser and now need a snow plow and then we'll go to work.
Meyers and Western are probably the most popular here in the NW.

Anyone got any pro's and con's on either?

Sorry for the off topic post, but dern it, I want it all!!

TIA
RickinMt.

http://community.webshots.com/user/stroberc
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