Simple question first: Anyone used / using a modern truck v-plow on their tractor via the tractor's hydraulics?
Long backstory: i just came across an advertisement picture for a fisher v-plow on the front of a John Deere tractor. Not sure how long they have been selling this setup, but i hadn't seen it until now. Stopped at a dealer to look into this and also look at pricing, and the dealer hadn't ever sold one, so they called the tech support line and what it looks like is that they offer it set up to use the conventional electric over hydraulic setup with the pump, lights, and everything, just as if it were on a truck. They also offer it set up to run off the tractor hydraulics, which is much less expensive since you don't need the light kit, isolation module, pump pack, and wiring harnesses. It requires just the lift and curl functions for a straight blade, or a 3rd function for a v-plow. The v has DA cylinders on the blade, so they said you use one circuit for each side. Certainly not as convenient as an electric control, but i think that would be the only way to do angle, scoop, and vee with just three functions. The one thing that I haven't figured is the lift. Normal plows have a SA cylinder doing the lift, and gravity doing the lowering, though many have pull down springs on them now i think. to do the lift on a tractor hookup, can it be plumbed with the same cylinder, or wouldn't you have to swap out to a DA lift cylinder?
The cost of this is a lot less than a truck setup - about 60% of the price, give or take, since you don't need a lot of the parts. Even so, it's still really pricey, so the thought of making my own with a used plow is still in my head. always lots of used plows for sale, and fairly easy to fab a mount by recycling any used set of push plates. I just want to understand the lift part. FYI this is a tractor frame mounted setup and not a loader mounted plow.
Long backstory: i just came across an advertisement picture for a fisher v-plow on the front of a John Deere tractor. Not sure how long they have been selling this setup, but i hadn't seen it until now. Stopped at a dealer to look into this and also look at pricing, and the dealer hadn't ever sold one, so they called the tech support line and what it looks like is that they offer it set up to use the conventional electric over hydraulic setup with the pump, lights, and everything, just as if it were on a truck. They also offer it set up to run off the tractor hydraulics, which is much less expensive since you don't need the light kit, isolation module, pump pack, and wiring harnesses. It requires just the lift and curl functions for a straight blade, or a 3rd function for a v-plow. The v has DA cylinders on the blade, so they said you use one circuit for each side. Certainly not as convenient as an electric control, but i think that would be the only way to do angle, scoop, and vee with just three functions. The one thing that I haven't figured is the lift. Normal plows have a SA cylinder doing the lift, and gravity doing the lowering, though many have pull down springs on them now i think. to do the lift on a tractor hookup, can it be plumbed with the same cylinder, or wouldn't you have to swap out to a DA lift cylinder?
The cost of this is a lot less than a truck setup - about 60% of the price, give or take, since you don't need a lot of the parts. Even so, it's still really pricey, so the thought of making my own with a used plow is still in my head. always lots of used plows for sale, and fairly easy to fab a mount by recycling any used set of push plates. I just want to understand the lift part. FYI this is a tractor frame mounted setup and not a loader mounted plow.
