BOSS Cold Front Technology: Streamlining Snow Plow Connections

BOSS Cold Front Technology replaces the traditional 13-pin plow connector with a single plug that combines power, ground cables and control wires into one connection point. For the 2026-27 season, BOSS has expanded Cold Front across more of its plow lineup and paired it with the SL4 LED headlights and SmartTouch+ universal controller.

November 2026 Update

BOSS confirmed in November 2026 that Cold Front Technology, SL4 LED headlights and SmartTouch+ are now standard on the EXT, 10-foot DXT and HD straight blade plows, and available as an option on the XT, DXT, TEV and Super Duty, verified against BOSS’s official 2026-27 product launch materials. BOSS says the single-connector design cuts truck-side install time by up to 50 percent compared to the legacy 13-pin system — that is a vendor claim and actual time will vary by vehicle and installer.

The 2026-27 season also adds the MBX+ stainless spreader, AutoSpread Control, simplified VSI by BOSS LiquidTech sprayers and a heavy-equipment coupler for loader and backhoe box plows. Several products are available in limited quantities. BOSS has not published pricing for 2026-27 models. Full detail on each product and ordering guidance follows below.

What Cold Front Technology Replaces

Cold Front Technology replaces the 13-pin connector that BOSS Snowplow used for years to link power, ground and control signals between the truck harness and the plow. That 13-pin plug has been the standard for years, but each pin is a potential failure point: moisture gets in, salt spray corrodes contacts and frozen pins refuse to seat in sub-zero conditions. Contractors running multiple trucks know the routine — cleaning pins with contact cleaner, wiggling connectors and sometimes losing a plow mid-storm to a single corroded pin.

Cold Front Technology eliminates the 13-pin plug entirely. BOSS replaces it with a single connector that merges power, ground cables and control wires into one sealed interface. The attachment sequence is what BOSS calls “Flip, Plug, Click” — powered by Cold Front Technology and SmartHitch2. Fewer exposed contacts mean fewer corrosion points, and the consolidated design makes the connection faster to mate and break in cold, wet conditions.

BOSS says the single-connector design cuts truck-side wiring installation time by up to 50 percent compared to the 13-pin system. That is a vendor claim, but even a partial improvement in install time matters when a fleet manager is rigging six trucks at 3 a.m. before a storm.

Which Plows Get Cold Front Technology for 2026-27

For the 2026-27 season, Cold Front Technology comes standard on the EXT, 10-foot DXT and HD straight blade. It is also available on the XT, DXT, TEV and Super Duty plows.

Standard equipment on Cold Front-equipped plows now includes:

• SL4 LED headlights — BOSS calls them the brightest plow headlights on the market, featuring ClearBeam Technology with 200 degrees of vision beyond the front of the truck.
• SmartTouch+ controller — a universal controller that operates all Cold Front-compatible V-plows, straight blades and D-Force plows, with two programmable auxiliary buttons.

How the Single Connector Improves Reliability

The Cold Front single connector reduces failure modes by cutting the number of exposed contact points.

A 13-pin connector exposes 13 individual contacts to road salt, moisture and vibration. Each one can corrode independently, and diagnosing which pin has failed requires a multimeter and patience. The Cold Front single connector reduces the surface area exposed to the elements and seals the combined power, ground and control circuits behind one interface.

For fleet operators, this standardization matters beyond reliability. Training a new driver to connect a Cold Front plow is simpler than walking them through a 13-pin alignment. Parts inventory shrinks because the truck-side and plow-side harnesses share the same connector architecture. And when a harness does need replacement, one connector type covers the fleet instead of tracking 13-pin variants across model years.

The Rest of the 2026-27 BOSS Lineup

Cold Front Technology is the electrical backbone, but BOSS launched several other products for the 2026-27 season. Each has its own considerations — the summaries here point to our deeper coverage.

MBX+ Stainless Spreader

The MBX+ stainless spreader ships in 4, 5 and 6 yard hopper sizes with a high-output pintle chain delivering over 400 pounds of material per minute. Cold Front Technology is standard, and the spreader includes rate control with material tracking for up to 10 job sites. AutoSpread Control is an optional add-on. BOSS says the MBX+ is available in limited quantities for the 2026-27 season.

AutoSpread Control

AutoSpread Control automatically maintains your set application rate as truck speed and spread width change. It is available as an option on both the VBX+ and MBX+ spreaders. The practical benefit: your operator sets a rate and drives, and the system adjusts output without manual intervention at every speed change.

LiquidTech Sprayers (VSI by BOSS)

BOSS has simplified the VSI by BOSS LiquidTech sprayer configuration into a four-step process: pick a tank (305 to 1,600 gallons), select a control kit, add a powerhead and choose accessories. Every tank ships on a stainless-steel frame with integrated lighting. The system is controlled through BOSS Total Control or the VSI Spray Control App on any smartphone, which lets operators set application rates and activate the boom while the system adjusts flow based on vehicle speed.

Heavy-Equipment Coupler

A new coupler connects loaders directly to BH and LDR box plows without chains or binders. BOSS says this is also available in limited quantities for the 2026-27 season.

Who Cold Front Technology Is For

Cold Front Technology is not a feature you buy separately — it comes with the plow. The decision is whether to spec a Cold Front-equipped model or stay with the 13-pin system on an older or lower-tier plow.

For operators running a fleet of three or more BOSS trucks, the standardized single connector and SmartTouch+ controller simplify training, reduce parts inventory and cut wiring-related downtime. For a single-truck operator already running a 13-pin BOSS plow that works fine, there is no retrofit path — Cold Front is built into the plow’s electrical architecture from the factory.

The compatibility wall is real: Cold Front does not talk to 13-pin systems or SL3 lights. A mixed fleet will run two connector standards until the 13-pin trucks cycle out. That is worth factoring into your replacement schedule.