New to Snow Removal

[bruces]

I also use a mixture of seasonal and per push billing .For a few years we didnt have many snowfalls,which had a bunch of customers upset with paying for nothing,so many wanted per-push billing which was fine with me . I also find its easy to get everybody opened up in the morning if you keep a nice tight route,and find out exactly when your victims need their driveways done.

[thegroundscrew]

Lawn care business tips

So I just finished up all my snow and ice control work and am barely alive living on just three hours of sleep. My uncle and I manned a ford f350 with a 7 foot plow and a 25 inch snow blower. My helper maned a ford f250 with a salt spreader attached to the bed of the truck. We bought $5,600 of salt and used every little bit of it. In Seattle we got 6 to two feet of snow all within a 40 mile radius. We serviced 226 residentia customers and 28 commercial properties. My Uncle has been doing snow and ice control for a few years now so I was able to get some tips and experience what it is like working 34 hours without sleep. I'm young so I actually enjoyed every little bit of it. Well thanks for the tips guys so for next year or next storm I will charge by push (not by season because we dont get much snow in seattle). I might also try a combination to see if that works. I will just have to experiment. I think it would be best to also start plowing at a few cm, that is a great point. I have always thought that there must be at least a few inches. We had? mutliple service calls but were unable to service everyone. What do we do if we cant service someones property? Do we just say we are already filled up and might have an opening? Thanks for all the help and advice guys!

[SECTLANDSCAPING]

Originally Posted by thegroundscrew

We serviced 226 residentia customers and 28 commercial properties.

umm you went from 24 customers to 250 in two days?

That would be near impossible with two trucks.

[thegroundscrew]

The first day was by myself with just a snow blower and shovel then I partnered with my uncle who owns a landscape company so I could learn what snow removal is really about.

[Steve]

My Uncle has been doing snow and ice control for a few years now so I was able to get some tips

What were some of the tips your uncle advised you to do? And how do you feel they helped?

[thegroundscrew]

1. My uncle told me to always have a charged phone as people were calling left and right!
2. Well we had tons of deep and also wet and frozen snow so he told me to....In deep snow raise the plow several inches off the ground to shear off the top layer. With the Power-V Plow, use the V-position for the first pass. Then change to the Scoop or Angle-position to widen things out. You should push just enough snow with each pass to get the job done efficiently without overloading your equipment. A good rule of thumb is to use a full blade width for two inches of snow or less, three quarters of the blade for four inches of snow and a half blade for six inches of snow or more. (Very helpful tip)
3. Also he said come prepared if a plow or blower breaks down so bring extra parts... that includes extra hydraulic fluid, hydraulic hoses, a pump solenoid, extra cutting-edge bolts and a trip spring. He said this will eliminate from having to go home and since we serviced so many properties it is bound to happen.
4 He told me to make sure that I make myself and vehicle visible by using a strobe light or backup lights to the vehicle and wear a bright neon colored vest.
5. Told me to make sure I know where the customer wants me to plow their snow.

That is all the tips I can remember it was actually one of the best experiences i had in the landscaping industry. Since I'm young I actually liked working in the middle of the night with very little sleep.

[CHEESE2009]

5. Told me to make sure I know where the customer wants me to plow their snow.

Have the customer open their garage door and push in all the snow.

lol.

Am I a genius? I think I'm on to something here...

[yourscape]

Originally Posted by thegroundscrew

1. My uncle told me to always have a charged phone as people were calling left and right!
2. Well we had tons of deep and also wet and frozen snow so he told me to....In deep snow raise the plow several inches off the ground to shear off the top layer. With the Power-V Plow, use the V-position for the first pass. Then change to the Scoop or Angle-position to widen things out. You should push just enough snow with each pass to get the job done efficiently without overloading your equipment. A good rule of thumb is to use a full blade width for two inches of snow or less, three quarters of the blade for four inches of snow and a half blade for six inches of snow or more. (Very helpful tip)
3. Also he said come prepared if a plow or blower breaks down so bring extra parts... that includes extra hydraulic fluid, hydraulic hoses, a pump solenoid, extra cutting-edge bolts and a trip spring. He said this will eliminate from having to go home and since we serviced so many properties it is bound to happen.
4 He told me to make sure that I make myself and vehicle visible by using a strobe light or backup lights to the vehicle and wear a bright neon colored vest.
5. Told me to make sure I know where the customer wants me to plow their snow.

That is all the tips I can remember it was actually one of the best experiences i had in the landscaping industry. Since I'm young I actually liked working in the middle of the night with very little sleep.

Thanks for the tips!!!! Any more would be great since I am a newbie.