# Need Help with Pricing



## mbreaker72 (Feb 8, 2011)

I was asked today to give an estimate for snow plowing a street for a little neighborhood that I mow for. I have some plowing experiance just not sure how to charge so, I need some help with pricing this street. They want a price from 2-4in then 4-8in, 8-12 and 12+. The road is about .3 miles long no sidewalks and it would take two passes to clear the road any help would be appreciated. I tried uploading a picture but it did not work for some reason but will try again. Thanks for any help


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## MSsnowplowing (Nov 1, 2012)

mbreaker72;1650427 said:


> I was asked today to give an estimate for snow plowing a street for a little neighborhood that I mow for. I have some plowing experiance just not sure how to charge so, I need some help with pricing this street. They want a price from 2-4in then 4-8in, 8-12 and 12+. The road is about .3 miles long no sidewalks and it would take two passes to clear the road any help would be appreciated. I tried uploading a picture but it did not work for some reason but will try again. Thanks for any help


You better make sure this is a private road.

Second you better make sure you have insurance if this is the main road coming in to that neighborhood because one accident and your being sued for not doing a proper job.
Not only the people living there but someone coming to visit them.
And if it is the main road, I wouldn't do a 4 inch trigger, drop it to a 2 inch trigger and stress the safety issue of this.

Third, what about salting? sand/salt, pure salt, magic salt etc... again safety issue what about icy conditions.

If they still insist on a 4 inch trigger, make sure you put that fact in your contract and put that on them if there are any accidents, same thing if they insist on no sanding.

Indemnification.

The Client shall indemnify, defend and hold harmless the Contractor, employees and subcontractors from and against any and all liabilities, costs, damages, and expenses (including without limitation attorneys' fees and other costs of defense) for injuries to persons or property resulting from any cause related to contractors work in, on or about the clients premises, or any Act of God, including but not limited to extraordinary weather conditions and at their own cost and expense to defend against any action or proceeding against either party arising there from, provided that the contractor has fully and faithfully performed all of it duties hereunder.

Notwithstanding the foregoing, the Client shall not be required to indemnify the Contractor against any damages or injuries suffered as a result of Gross negligence or willful misconduct on the part of the Contractor, employees and subcontractors.

Pricing:

without seeing it hard to say on pricing.

But figure it this way, factor in your time, gas, wear and tear on your truck, insurance.

Charge a plowing fee based on that and then add in the sanding cost -(material cost, salt/sand, pure salt, magic whatever you use).

Just don't jump into it, do your homework and make sure.

good luck


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## Antlerart06 (Feb 28, 2011)

MSsnowplowing;1650725 said:


> You better make sure this is a private road.
> 
> Second you better make sure you have insurance if this is the main road coming in to that neighborhood because one accident and your being sued for not doing a proper job.
> Not only the people living there but someone coming to visit them.
> ...


I must be missing something in the OP post where do you see him posting a 4'' trigger


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## Antlerart06 (Feb 28, 2011)

mbreaker72;1650427 said:


> I was asked today to give an estimate for snow plowing a street for a little neighborhood that I mow for. I have some plowing experiance just not sure how to charge so, I need some help with pricing this street. They want a price from 2-4in then 4-8in, 8-12 and 12+. The road is about .3 miles long no sidewalks and it would take two passes to clear the road any help would be appreciated. I tried uploading a picture but it did not work for some reason but will try again. Thanks for any help


How wide is the road?
What type of surface is the road?
How big is your plow ?

At .3 miles My base price be at 75-80 for 2-4'' 125 for 4-8'' 175 8-12'' 12+ 200 Im just guessing with out seeing it in person


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## MSsnowplowing (Nov 1, 2012)

Antlerart06;1650727 said:


> I must be missing something in the OP post where do you see him posting a 4'' trigger


"They want a price from 2-4in then 4-8in, 8-12 and 12+. The road is about"

Maybe I'm reading it wrong but that looks like a 4 inch trigger to me.

2 inch trigger
1-2
3-4
5-6
7-8

3 inch trigger
1-3
4-6
7-9

4 inch trigger
2-4 
4-8 
8-12


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## Antlerart06 (Feb 28, 2011)

MSsnowplowing;1650737 said:


> "They want a price from 2-4in then 4-8in, 8-12 and 12+. The road is about"
> 
> Maybe I'm reading it wrong but that looks like a 4 inch trigger to me.
> 
> ...


I say its 2'' trigger And if he pushes 3 times and storm drops 7'' then he only charges the 4-8'' price 
I say the customer wants a fix pricing But OP needs tell more info
I few contacts set up 2-4 4-8 8-12 12+ and its 2 '' trigger The price I get to charge is base on the inches of the storm I rather do per visit with 2'' trigger
If I cant talk the customer out of it then I'll do it there way, If I want the job.
I still don't see where you get 4'' trigger out of this. His base rate starts at 2''

Like I said I might be missing something or reading in it to much
I see his rate jumps every 4 '' Only the OP know the trigger


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## Antlerart06 (Feb 28, 2011)

MSsnowplowing;1650737 said:


> "They want a price from 2-4in then 4-8in, 8-12 and 12+. The road is about"
> 
> Maybe I'm reading it wrong but that looks like a 4 inch trigger to me.
> 
> ...


 How you get a 2'' trigger out of what you type I see a 1'' trigger since your rate starts at 1'' in my eyes that's a 1'' trigger
If I have a Contact With a 2'' trigger the first number of the rate is the trigger point


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## MSsnowplowing (Nov 1, 2012)

Antlerart06;1650744 said:


> How you get a 2'' trigger out of what you type I see a 1'' trigger since your rate starts at 1'' in my eyes that's a 1'' trigger
> If I have a Contact With a 2'' trigger the first number of the rate is the trigger point


Let me clear it up.

I charge per storm based on how many inches we get.

2 inch trigger
2 inches = 1-2 inches
4 inches = 3-4 inches
6 inches = 5-6 inches
8 inches = 7-8 inches

3 inch trigger
3 inches = 1-3 inches
6 inches = 4-6 inches
9 inches = 7-9 inches
12 inches = 10-12 inches

I don't do 4 inch triggers.

We always try to push at the trigger amount.

Easy to do with the smaller storms, but get a blizzard that is dropping 3 inches a hour or more like Nemo and you can't keep up plowing every 2 inches or 3 inches because it's dropping faster than you can clear it.

If your charging per push and get behind do you charge them less or do you charge what your contract says even if you didn't do 4 pushes for a 8 inch storm and instead only did 3 based on a 2 inch trigger.

Your pushing the same amount of snow, but you didn't fullfill your contracted duties and if push came to shove they could refuse to pay you for 4 pushes and only pay you for 3 pushes.

Thats why I go on how much snow falls not by the push.

CYAB !!


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## Antlerart06 (Feb 28, 2011)

MSsnowplowing;1650751 said:


> Let me clear it up.
> 
> I charge per storm based on how many inches we get.
> 
> ...


So looking at your 3 '' trigger so if you get 2'' of snow you don't push since its not 3'' for the trigger
Im trying understand your thinking 
Shouldn't your rate be for a 3'' trigger 
Start at 3'' not 1''

I do a per visit or a Base price up to 4'' and every 2'' over the 4'' I get $$ every 2'' +the base This can be a 1'' or 2'' trigger depending on what they want
I have one job has no trigger

Its nice learning how others price stuff Im lost on yours. Not trying be a pain I just dont understand


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## MSsnowplowing (Nov 1, 2012)

So looking at your 3 '' trigger so if you get 2'' of snow you don't push since its not 3'' for the trigger
Im trying understand your thinking 
Shouldn't your rate be for a 3'' trigger 
Start at 3'' not 1''

I do a per visit or a Base price up to 4'' and every 2'' over the 4'' I get $$ every 2'' +the base This can be a 1'' or 2'' trigger depending on what they want
I have one job has no trigger

Its nice learning how others price stuff Im lost on yours. Not trying be a pain I just dont understand 
------------------

No worrys.

What I do for the first 3 inches is this.

1 inch storms are sanded.

If the contract has a 3 inch trigger and we only get 2 inches, I still plow it depending on the conditions.

Example. 
2 inch storm and then it starts raining. I know it's going to melt off so I don't plow.

2 inch storm, colder weather conditions, I plow.

The 3 inch trigger is just a starting place for the bigger storms since I have 2 and 3 inch trigger starts for plowing.

This allows me to stagger my trucks accordenly to the sites.


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## Antlerart06 (Feb 28, 2011)

MSsnowplowing;1650772 said:


> So looking at your 3 '' trigger so if you get 2'' of snow you don't push since its not 3'' for the trigger
> Im trying understand your thinking
> Shouldn't your rate be for a 3'' trigger
> Start at 3'' not 1''
> ...


I'll take your word on it. I be afraid of it not getting paid If I push anything under the 3'' mark with having a 3'' trigger

How many Lots do you have

Sorry to OP hijacking your thread


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## mbreaker72 (Feb 8, 2011)

It is a 2" trigger to start plowing. .2 miles of the road is about 11 ft wide and then is goes down to 9ft wide for the rest of the road. Its a private road and plenty of room on both sides of the road for snow. I have a 7'6" plow so I figured to passes should clear the road. Thank for the help


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## Antlerart06 (Feb 28, 2011)

mbreaker72;1650802 said:


> It is a 2" trigger to start plowing. .2 miles of the road is about 11 ft wide and then is goes down to 9ft wide for the rest of the road. Its a private road and plenty of room on both sides of the road for snow. I have a 7'6" plow so I figured to passes should clear the road. Thank for the help


I figure it was 2'' trigger how the rate was started
But never know these days Like MSsnowplowing His trigger and his rate doesn't match

I try talk them in to a per visit price with 2'' trigger


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## MSsnowplowing (Nov 1, 2012)

mbreaker72;1650802 said:


> It is a 2" trigger to start plowing. .2 miles of the road is about 11 ft wide and then is goes down to 9ft wide for the rest of the road. Its a private road and plenty of room on both sides of the road for snow. I have a 7'6" plow so I figured to passes should clear the road. Thank for the help


Hey MB,

So it's a three mile road, first 2 miles is 11ft wide and the last mile is 9 foot long. Thats a long road.

Figure 3 or 4 passes to be safe and what about icy conditions?

I would put sanding in as a must.

Remember people will be driving on this road so you could get packed down snow.

Are there trees that well drop snow into the road and you will have to go back and clean that up?

What about melt off from the side of the road going into it and then refreezing?

Without pictures and seeing it I'm just throwing you some what ifs to think about.

I would also try to get them to use you for clearing their driveways and sidewalks as long as your there.

Rough est without seeing it and plowing every two inches.

1-2 $125
3-4 $225
5-6 $325
7-8 $425
9-10 $525
11-12 $625

thereafter $100 every two inches.

Also depends on where you are and what the rates are, you might drop that down by $50 and go up $75 for each 2 inches.

Sanding -(depends on what you use for product and the road, is it straight or hilly, does it get a lot sun or is it shaded)

I'm thinking at least a half ton of mixture for sanding for a 3 mile stretch. Again hard to say, because you want to use a little more product on sloped sections, curves the hot spots for slipping.

Either way good luck in getting it and try for the houses too.


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## mbreaker72 (Feb 8, 2011)

So how would a per visit way work. Do I come at the end of the storm and they pay for one visit. Or do I plow with the storm and let say I come there three times in a 8in storm. Do I charge them three times lets say $75.


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## MSsnowplowing (Nov 1, 2012)

Antlerart06;1650827 said:


> I figure it was 2'' trigger how the rate was started
> But never know these days Like MSsnowplowing His trigger and his rate doesn't match
> 
> I try talk them in to a per visit price with 2'' trigger


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Simply, I charge per the storm and how many inches fall.

Not how many pushes I do.

But I calculate that rate based on how many pushes would be done with a 2 or 3 inch trigger.

Does that clear it up now?

And I have enough commercial contracts every year for 4 plow trucks to stay busy.


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## MSsnowplowing (Nov 1, 2012)

mbreaker72;1650836 said:


> So how would a per visit way work. Do I come at the end of the storm and they pay for one visit. Or do I plow with the storm and let say I come there three times in a 8in storm. Do I charge them three times lets say $75.


If you charge per push $75 and only go there 3 times in a 8 inch storm then you can only charge them $225.00 dollars.

If you charge by the storm in inches and it is $75 for every 2 inches. A 8 inch storm you can charge them $300.00

But that doesn't mean you wait till the storm end and then go plow them. 
Some contracts you can do this but for you, a street entrance road, you need to keep up on that and plow it every two inches for safety.

Almost forgot, Don't forget about the entrance !

I'm always having to go back and clear entrances because the town or state comes by and plows them in with snow.


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## Antlerart06 (Feb 28, 2011)

MSsnowplowing;1650841 said:


> If you charge per push $75 and only go there 3 times in a 8 inch storm then you can only charge them $225.00 dollars.
> 
> If you charge by the storm in inches and it is $75 for every 2 inches. A 8 inch storm you can charge them $300.00
> 
> ...


Say THE op road is .3 miles not even a mile I think you miss the period part


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## Antlerart06 (Feb 28, 2011)

MSsnowplowing;1650838 said:


> -----------
> 
> Simply, I charge per the storm and how many inches fall.
> 
> ...


O I understand you charge per storm I do the same But I'm talking about is your trigger start My contacts 2-4 means 2'' trigger If I have 3'' trigger Then my price rate starts at 3'' to 6''
But your calling 3'' trigger but your price rate starts at 1''-3'' Doesn't read right
If rate starts with a 1'' that's the trigger and so on If you understand and your customer that what counts.


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## MSsnowplowing (Nov 1, 2012)

Antlerart06;1650850 said:


> Say THE op road is .3 miles not even a mile I think you miss the period part


I think your right I missed the period, thought he was just using it to space it out.

Well MB is it 3 miles or .3 miles,

makes a difference in pricing and the time factor for plowing.

I could plow that out in less than 10 minutes if it is .3 miles

And so could you with your plow.


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## Antlerart06 (Feb 28, 2011)

MSsnowplowing;1650857 said:


> I think your right I missed the period, thought he was just using it to space it out.
> 
> Well MB is it 3 miles or .3 miles,
> 
> ...


O yes easy plow one pass with my plow I have one under 1/2 mile and its on per visit I might visit 5-6 times in 12 hr period My trigger is 1'' my price has salt in it I might plow it 2 times salt it 3 times all depends what type of snow it is


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## MSsnowplowing (Nov 1, 2012)

Antlerart06;1650856 said:


> O I understand you charge per storm I do the same But I'm talking about is your trigger start My contacts 2-4 means 2'' trigger If I have 3'' trigger Then my price rate starts at 3'' to 6''
> But your calling 3'' trigger but your price rate starts at 1''-3'' Doesn't read right
> If rate starts with a 1'' that's the trigger and so on If you understand and your customer that what counts.


I just plow and charge based on the number of inches per storm.

Ice storms and 1 inch, I salt.

2-3 x amount of $
4-6 x amount of $
7-9 x amount of $
10-12 x amount of $

So on a 6 inch storm, I go there twice, once around the 3 inch mark to open up roads and parkings spots then at storm end to clean cut.

The client knows if we get a 6 inch storm they are paying x amount of $ regardless of the amount of times I was there plowing.

Example; 
A business is closed on the weekend and we get a 6 inch storm.

I don't have to go there around the 3 inch mark and clear the roads and then come back at storm end because they are closed.

I can wait till the end of the storm and just plow it out then.

The client knows how much they are getting charged based on inches not how many pushes I did.

If I charged by the push, I would have to go there and plow around the 3 inch mark and then at storm end even if they are closed to charge them for two pushes.

By charging based on inches, I can stagger my contracts and provide better service to places that are open during a storm and finish with the places that are closed.


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## mbreaker72 (Feb 8, 2011)

Its .325 miles not 3 miles
So do you think this price range is to high or two low its a really nice neighborhood 
2-4in $60
4-8in $80
8-12in $110
12+ $8 per inch


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## Antlerart06 (Feb 28, 2011)

You know your area Looks good to me


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## MSsnowplowing (Nov 1, 2012)

mbreaker72;1650863 said:


> Its .325 miles not 3 miles
> So do you think this price range is to high or two low its a really nice neighborhood
> 2-4in $60
> 4-8in $80
> ...


If you are going to be plowing the road every two inches then your figures are too low.

I would be charging $50 dollars for every 2 inches of snow.

So you get a 4 inch storm you charge them $100 dollars,
8 inch storm $200, 
12 inch storm $300 Plowing only, sanding costs extra.

While this may seem high priced, Remember your paying for your gas, insurance, wear and tear on your truck and your time there and back.

If you are going to be plowing the driveways and doing sidewalks in the neighborhood, then you could cut a deal with them and lower that price to Say $35 to $40 every two inches.

You lower the price for the road and make a little less on it, but make more money in the end because your doing driveways and sidewalks there.


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## Antlerart06 (Feb 28, 2011)

MSsnowplowing;1650862 said:


> I just plow and charge based on the number of inches per storm.
> 
> Ice storms and 1 inch, I salt.
> 
> ...


Ok You are not seeing what I'm talking about. I give up
I do per visit contacts for things is open 24 hrs 7 days a week They need more attention like Complex,factories
Now like a Church its what a storm drops 80% time storm is over when I clean my 4 churches unless its on a Sunday then its switch to a per visit just for that day.
And if a store closed for weekend. They are on same Storm total price


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## cet (Oct 2, 2004)

Reading this is like a comedy show.

First off you will never push 11' wide in two passes with a 7'6" plow.

I used to plow 12' wide road, .75 miles long with a circle at the end and a parking area 1/2 way. 25 minutes tops with a 9' plow and that was 4 passes and on heavy snow 6 passes.

If it was me I would give them a per plow price and forget about the depth. Hopefully you are never going to plow 10", if so you will most likely be plowing around the people that tried to get out and are stuck in the roadway. If you know you have 4" of less coming you show up once. If it is going to be over 4" you will show up between 3-4" and then one more when it stops so bill twice. We only get approx. 3 snowfalls over 6" so that might be 3 plows tops.

Does this road have a turnaround at the end or where does it end. Even with a turnaround the most it could take is 15 minutes. Depending on how much work you have in the area or how bad you want it $75/plow should be enough to make a nice profit.

I agree you trigger should be your lowest # if you are pricing by the inch. Also you can't put 2-4 and then 5-8, how much do you charge for 4.5?


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## MSsnowplowing (Nov 1, 2012)

Antlerart06;1650873 said:


> Ok You are not seeing what I'm talking about. I give up
> I do per visit contacts for things is open 24 hrs 7 days a week They need more attention like Complex,factories
> Now like a Church its what a storm drops 80% time storm is over when I clean my 4 churches unless its on a Sunday then its switch to a per visit just for that day.
> And if a store closed for weekend. They are on same Storm total price


We are both on the same page but just looking at it differently on the trigger aspect.

As long as the job gets done in a timely manner, and we charge a fair price for the work we do. All is good.

Not taking them to the cleaners or lowballing is the main point.

Just making a fair wage for good work.

Have a great season Antlerart


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## Antlerart06 (Feb 28, 2011)

MSsnowplowing;1650924 said:


> We are both on the same page but just looking at it differently on the trigger aspect.
> 
> As long as the job gets done in a timely manner, and we charge a fair price for the work we do. All is good.
> 
> ...


Yep hopefully we get small snows no blizzards

I cant wait try out my new plow on my Skid 
Bad thing I wont be in it much at all 
I lead with my F350 dually 9.6 MVP

You have a good winter Stay safe


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## MSsnowplowing (Nov 1, 2012)

Antlerart06;1650929 said:


> Yep hopefully we get small snows no blizzards
> 
> I cant wait try out my new plow on my Skid
> Bad thing I wont be in it much at all
> ...


Nice, I'm running a f-350 single and I'm getting the new MVP 3 8.5 next week, oh it's smoking and I can't wait for the snow to try her out.

Hows the trip edge work for you? 
Does the plow bounce -(that's what my buddy told me, he don't like V's and prefers straight because of that.)

Personally I would prefer a bounce over the sudden stop, I have caught those edges a few times on manhole covers and it sucks.

Would have done a windshield face plant if not for the seatbelt.


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## cet (Oct 2, 2004)

MSsnowplowing;1650943 said:


> Nice, I'm running a f-350 single and I'm getting the new MVP 3 8.5 next week, oh it's smoking and I can't wait for the snow to try her out.
> 
> Hows the trip edge work for you?
> Does the plow bounce -(that's what my buddy told me, he don't like V's and prefers straight because of that.)
> ...


I have 2 MVP Plus, the trip edge works well but the plow does bounce. I can live with that, better then tearing the truck apart. You just have to backup and get the part you missed and hopefully feather it over what ever made the plow bounce.


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## Antlerart06 (Feb 28, 2011)

MSsnowplowing;1650943 said:


> Nice, I'm running a f-350 single and I'm getting the new MVP 3 8.5 next week, oh it's smoking and I can't wait for the snow to try her out.
> 
> Hows the trip edge work for you?
> Does the plow bounce -(that's what my buddy told me, he don't like V's and prefers straight because of that.)
> ...


With a load in Vplow all I hear is the trip edge trip don't see the plow jump much its so fast 
I don't plow fast I might get out of first gear in the long runs

Now if plow empty and moving good speed it will jump but atleast it wont slow you down like a full trip plow
My Son wants me put a MPV 9.6 on his truck He has a 8.5 pro plus w/wings and when it trips you know it.


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## peeklandscaping (Jul 26, 2013)

Wow very interesting thread. makes me really think about the way I've been pricing; I've been pricing per push, but per event/ total inches fallen seems a much better idea.
Anyways, just wondering for a reference point, what's a base rate for pricing per sq ft? I'm talking average. Thanks!


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## MSsnowplowing (Nov 1, 2012)

peeklandscaping;1651310 said:


> Wow very interesting thread. makes me really think about the way I've been pricing; I've been pricing per push, but per event/ total inches fallen seems a much better idea.
> Anyways, just wondering for a reference point, what's a base rate for pricing per sq ft? I'm talking average. Thanks!


I don't go on sq ft, I go on the time it takes to plow.

The formula I use is;

I factor in the time it will take to plow the place.

I charge a minimum 1 hour of plow time per truck to start, unless the place is really small and only takes 10 to 15 minutes then I charge by the half hour.

The amount I use is based on my costs, so it would be different for you.

Then this amount starts on the first 2 or 3 inches and goes up in price.

Example:

Lets say the base rating starts at 1 hour for $200 dollars.

Site takes 1 1/2 hours to plow, charge $400 to start.

Then add in $75 for every 2 to 3 inches after the start.

So if you were doing it for every 3 inches, it gets written up like this,

1 inch, I don't plow, I only sand
2-3 $400
4-6 $475
7-9 $550
10-12 $625
13-15 $700

and so on.

So we get a 11 inch storm the client gets charged $625

We would would be there plowing 4 times, app every 3 inches.

Now if the place is closed we would plow it 3 times, app every 4 inches and they would still pay $625

You could also do it twice at the 5 inch mark but I don't like doing that to the trucks, more wear and tear on them but if you did do that, again they would still pay $625.

So regardless of the number of pushes they get charged $625.

There is no "you only came 2 times so I'm only paying you for 2 pushes, I don't care if we were closed and it was 11 inches of snow"

Then if they want sanding, you add that onto the bill. 
Same thing with sidewalks if they have them.

Now remember, this is just for Commerical, not residential homes, I don't do residential.

You also have to factor in your area and what others are charging also, so this might lower or raise your price.


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## Antlerart06 (Feb 28, 2011)

MSsnowplowing;1651351 said:


> I don't go on sq ft, I go on the time it takes to plow.
> 
> The formula I use is;
> 
> ...


There a guy around here does it per visit and only does 1 '' trigger and He gives cheap price but he might visit site 6 times in a 6'' snow But some ppl has been watching him close One customer said only visited it 2 times but when bill came showed been there 4 times


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## MSsnowplowing (Nov 1, 2012)

Antlerart06;1651378 said:


> There a guy around here does it per visit and only does 1 '' trigger and He gives cheap price but he might visit site 6 times in a 6'' snow But some ppl has been watching him close One customer said only visited it 2 times but when bill came showed been there 4 times


That's shady.

Why in the world do they let him plow every 1"?

I can't see trying to scrape up that little bit of snow plus the fact how do you leave, you would have to stay there for the entire storm for that type of plowing for most storms.

Just easier to tell the client this is how much you are being charged for x amount of inches of snow.


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