Announcement

Collapse
No announcement yet.

let it snow...chicagoland style

Collapse
X
 
  • Filter
  • Time
  • Show
Clear All
new posts

  • let it snow...chicagoland style

    i was wondering whats the going rate for say a 40ft drive. (ie average driveway) i was thinking along the line of about $350-500 a season. Do I need to know anything special for brick drives. any advise is welcome. still new into this, bought a new silverado 2500hd 4x4 on sat, and putting a back up plow on my suburban. to late for any commerical jobs but pleanty of calls for snow from residential. Am i better off with per push price. Avg charge in area is $75and up per push from local plowers, high end area. thanks.
    --- Chris
    mowlawns@gmail.com

  • #2
    i was also thinking about buying a few of those toro single stage snow blowers for the walks.
    --- Chris
    mowlawns@gmail.com

    Comment


    • #3
      Are they getting $75 for 40 ft. drives in your area? If so I'd say that is great. I am thinking the high end drives are half circles or larger than what you figured for a 40 ft.
      I think you are close on your pricing for the smaller ones. We had been averaging 12 events for a few years so I would try to set you minimum at $30 per push if you can. Then if we have an average winter you have your $360. I suppose the seasonal charge is good for customers that you do lawn service for.
      The Toro's will serve you well. They can actually handle quite a bit of snow.

      Comment


      • #4
        I do not know what the average snow fall is for your area but I am in an area that means we go out about 12 to 14 times per season. We go to work at 5 cm (2"). I have about a 1/3 split relating to pay per visit as to seasonal price. I have enough pay per visit to cover wages and fuel for a full run to each customer plus a few hundred profit. That way I know that my costs are covered and the seasonal are the cream for that month. If there is very little snow in a month the seasonal prices cover the expences and some profit. I do not salt although there is plenty of money to be made doing that I am not that motivated. I like my winters off. Remember 4x4 repairs are not cheap and it is not an easy gig. I usually come home all wired up and with a sore neck after a night out.

        Dave

        Comment


        • #5
          When i got my truck the GM rep informed me that i intended to plow that i need to purchase an extra warrenty? Is this true i said then why am i buying a new truck if i still have to pay for a warrenty... Does anyone have a chevy they plow with is this true?
          --- Chris
          mowlawns@gmail.com

          Comment


          • #6
            The dealer wants MORE money from you. The question is, are you going to hand it to them?

            That "extended warranty" probably DOES NOT cover anything that breaks while plowing snow! You had better read it over REAL well.

            I plow with a 1998 Chevy. NONE of the issues that I have had with it (and there have been MANY) has ever had anything to do with plowing. It seems they finally figured out how to overcome a lot of the issues after about model year 2002.

            It's all pretty much common sense when it comes to plowing. How long your equipment lasts is directly proportional to how intelligently (and carefully) you use it. Some of the best advice I can give you is to ALWAYS plow in 4WD LOW. Now a lot of guys plow in HI range, but if you have an intimate understanding of a transmission and how it works, you'll plow in LOW range. Period.

            The Toro single-stage units rock. Once you learn how to properly use them (yes, there is a knack to it), they will clear 10 inches of snow down to bare concrete in a single pass, as fast as you can walk.

            If I were plowing a brick drive, I would be SURE to be running a urethane cutting edge. The last thing you want to be doing in the spring is replacing bricks with scratches/scores/gouges on them.

            As far as price... It all depends on where you are. I won't touch a residential drive for less than $30.00, even if it is a single pass straight push. Equipment is EXPENSIVE, and gas, while $1.98 yesterday, could easily be $3.00 or more tomorrow! Besides, have you seen the prices of things lately? Man, I went out and bought a section (10 feet) of 3 inch PVC last night. I about 5h1t myself when I saw the $12.00+ pricetag! Prices are up on ANYTHING moved or manufactured by petroleum, so make sure your prices are up too.

            Woody
            Woody

            "Those willing to give up a little liberty for a little security deserve neither security nor liberty." ---Benjamin Franklin

            "This country, with its institutions, belongs to the people who inhabit it. Whenever they shall grow weary of the existing Government, they can exercise their constitutional right of amending it, or their revolutionary right to dismember or overthrow it." ---Abraham Lincoln

            Comment


            • #7
              Totally agree with what Woody said. But I do plow in hi range unless the snow is wet or deep. It is not hard to damage equipment by getting too secure about your abilities. Remember that the plow is connected directly to the frame of you truck. Impact bumpers and air bags are usless if you have older equipment. New gear usually has bumpers behind the plow and in front of the truck bumper to utilize airbags.

              You should also look for a repair place that is open 24 hours in your area in a storm. You will sooner or later break something in the middle of the night.

              Dave

              Comment


              • #8
                Yes I said " It is not hard to damage equipment by getting too secure about your abilities. "

                So it is the first snow of the season, the first lot that I do clean and the first time in 16 years that I have damaged a truck. Got too close to a piller exiting a rear lot into a narrow driveway. I was watching that the blade did not hit the other bulding and caved in the rear 1/4 panel of the box. as luck would have it my mechanic used a backup hammer with a plunger to pop it back out.

                I hate snow!!!

                Dave

                Comment

                Working...
                X