Whenever you join a new profession, it’s easy to get lost in the industry’s jargon. Learning how to communicate with other professionals in the snow removal industry is fairly easy, if you know a few basic terms. But it’s also an essential step in building your professional reputation.
Start your education by reading your Owner’s Manual and familiarize yourself with the various components of your specific Meyer Products Snow Plow system. You can also view instructional videos from Meyer Products online. In addition to that, here are a few common industry terms courtesy of the Snow and Ice Management Association (SIMA) that will help you communicate with service personnel. We’ve also included some terms that are specific to Meyer Products’ plows.
Equipment Terms
Back Blade Plow: A plow that is mounted on the rear of a vehicle. As the vehicle moves forward, the blade is lowered to the ground to pull snow.
Containment Plow: A plow has a moldboard is affixed with end plates that are designed to contain the snow. Typically used with skid steer loaders, backhoe loaders, and wheel loaders. It can also be called a bow plow or a pusher.
Cutting Edge: The point of the plow where the plow meets the surface, it can be steel, rubber or polyurethane.
Deflectors: Are attached to the moldboard to reduce blow back on the windshield and accentuate snow rolling action
Edge Guards: An accessory that protects the plow from abuse or hidden obstacles.
Fixed Wing Plow: A straight blade plow that has been up-fitted with wing attachments on one or both sides, providing more surface area for snow carrying capacity and minimizing loss. Wing attachments cannot be manually manipulated in different configurations.
Half-Ton Plow: Typically used with a half-ton pickup, plows can be both straight and V configurations.
Hydraulic Unit and Controller: The devices that control the raising, lowering and positioning of the plow using hydraulic fluid.
Insert Hopper: A device that delivers large quantities of snow and ice removal chemicals to long stretches of road or larger parking lots.
Moldboard: The actual face of the plow.
Multi-Hinge Plow: A plow with two hinges, most commonly located toward the ends of the moldboard, which incorporate wing assemblies. Designs include wings that can be manipulated with hydraulics, or wings that operate automatically since they are linked mechanically to the plow design.
Off-Road Plow: Smaller plows that can be used with ATVs, tractors or other small farm implements and light utility vehicles.
Personal Use Plow: Plows used for private residential applications. Can be attached to a pickup or SUV, and are usually only in a straight configuration.
Plow: A piece of equipment designed to physically move snow and ice.
Professional Use Plow: Commonly used with a ¾-ton pickup or larger, and available both straight and V configurations.
Sectioned Containment Plow: A containment plow that has areas of the entire moldboard or a portion of the moldboard/blade that individually “trip” or release tension when pushed over an obstacle or object like a curb.
Shoes: A device that maintains plow height to avoid hitting obstructions on the surface.
Straight Blade Plow: A plow absent of any hinges within the moldboard that can be angled left or right with the use of hydraulic angling cylinders.
Tailgate Spreader: Deliver anti-ice chemicals to larger surface areas such as parking lots or driveways.
V-Plow: A plow with an inherent hinge in the center of the moldboard, which allows the plow to be configured multiple ways, including in “V” position, Scoop position, and Straight Blade position.
Walk Behind Spreader: Used to clear walkways, sidewalks and other smaller areas with anti-ice chemicals, walk-behinds are available in with broadcast or drop configurations
Plowing Techniques
Back Dragging: A technique to move or clear snow by lowering the blade and driving in reverse, dragging the snow away.
Scoop Position: The configuration of a V-Plow, Fixed Wing Plow, or Multi-Hinge Plow in which the blade components form an inverse shape. Commonly used for moving/plowing larger amounts of snow.
Snow Throwing or Snow Blowing: Moving snow using a belt- or auger-powered unit y remove the snow.
Snowplowing: The act of moving, clearing, or manipulating snow or other winter precipitation using a snowplow.
Sweeping: Moving snow or ice accumulation using a broom, either powered by equipment or by hand.
Windrow or Berm: A row or line of snow or other winter precipitation plowed together for the purpose of clearing.
Windrowing: A snowplowing technique that involves angling the snowplow to the left or right while plowing, which rolls the snow toward the direction of the angle. This results in the creation of a piled trail of snow as a way to briefly accumulate it for further relocation or removal.
This list is by no means complete, so comment below and help us add to the list!