Which Snowplow is Right For You—Straight, V, or Winged?

Whether you’re new to plowing or a veteran in the business, the first question when buying a new plow will always be, “Which plow type do I need?” (straight, v-plow, or winged). There are a few aspects to consider when choosing the right plow for your business. The property types you maintain, the vehicles you use, and the average snowfall in your area all play a major role in this buying decision.

Straight Blade Plows

Straight blade plows tend to be the most popular because they’re uncomplicated and come at the lowest price point out of the three style types.

• Easy to Operate: The straightforward design with easy up, down, left, and right operation makes a straight blade the perfect choice for anyone new to plowing in your workforce. Generally, the go-to for plow drivers at every level because of the simple ability to get the job done.
• Simple Maintenance: Since there are fewer options and less moving parts on a straight blade compared to winged or v-plow, less can go wrong, meaning fewer repairs and simple maintenance.
• Job Specific: Perfect for driveways, small properties, and open lots with few obstacles.
• Regionality: Best for use in areas receiving two to three snow events each season, ranging from 1 to 6 inches.

V-Plow

V-plows are the most universal plow, with three modes that give drivers the flexibility needed to easily clear dense properties at a reasonable cost—typically priced between a straight blade and winged plow. If you only have one plow, you may want to go with this swiss army knife.

• Versatility: This plow blade is hinged in the middle and uses hydraulic controls to adjust the blade from v-mode, to straight mode, to scoop mode. This allows one plow to push snow, haul snow, and stack snow with ease.
• Efficiency: A v-plow allows you to easily change from one mode to the other from the comfort of your vehicle cab.
  • V-Mode – easily break through deep, hard packed snow
  • Scoop – increased snow stacking and hauling capacity by 30%
  • Straight – back drag and windrow in large, open spaces
• Job Specific: Parking lots with various obstacles or cities and tight areas where space is limited and you need the ability to stack snow high.
• Regionality: Ideal for areas that receive more than five storms a year, with at least one event dropping more than a foot of snow.

Winged Plow

Winged plows are the most efficient movers of snow—carrying up to 30% more snow than a straight blade—but because of their complexities, they can be the most difficult to use.

• Versatility: Winged plows with full hydraulic control allow you to independently extend the wings. By windrowing on a left or right angle, you can reduce snow spill off and extend for a wider pass, directing snow into the moldboard for a cleaner scrape.
• Efficiency: With fully expanded wings, you can move more snow with a winged plow than any other style type. easily switch it from a standard blade size to an extra wide blade size. By covering more space, you can reduce the number of passes to get the job done faster.
• Job Specific: Perfect for large areas that have obstacles and narrow areas, like packed parking lots, outdoor storage areas with aisles, and jobs where you need to quickly carry a lot of snow.
• Regionality: Does best in highly populated and concentrated areas like a large commercial or industrial parking lot where a wing plow can really shine.

 

It’s important to remember that each plow blade has a specific purpose and there isn’t one blade that does it all. Use the comparison tool to easily stack up the SnowEx® plow specifications against each other to determine which is best for you.