# Residential Snow Blowing Guys (push/walk behind blowers)



## locallawncare.c (Oct 22, 2012)

Starting a thread for guys who do strictly residential snow blowing with either single stage or two stage walk behind snow blowers. There doesn't seem to be a thread like this for guys like me, and I am sure there are many more who operate this way.

So I'll start off by saying I currently do 31 residential driveways ranging in size from single car town house style to 6 car driveways and everything in between. I operate solo and only do properties in my town and 1 town over. I have a 2wd truck with an 8 foot bed, so I made a wooden frame to hold a couple large totes with bags of salt for traction and also hold my gas cans and salt bucket very nicely in addition to provide a small area near the tailgate for the blowers to tuck perfectly in to. I also use a homemade wooden ramp to load/unload my Ariens 624 when needed, most of the time I just take my new 621qzr and just lift it on and off as needed. My blowers are a Toro Powerclear r-tek, Toro 621qzr, and an Ariens 624. Anyone feel free to leave feedback or post your own stories about your blowing operation.

Here is a picture of my current blowers and my truck bed setup. I will try to get some action pictures as the season goes on. Cheers.


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## Mike NY (Feb 2, 2009)

Looks like a very efficient setup, I'll bet your customers love being done with small snowblowers.
Do yourself a favor and use a strap around the tailgate and ramp for safety to keep ramps from sliding out.


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## locallawncare.c (Oct 22, 2012)

Thanks for the tip but I already did that thanks, its not in the picture, also I don't walk up the ramp at all, just beside it and then park the blower once it gets on top. Thanks for the comments.


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## CamS (Nov 13, 2013)

looks like a good setup 

we(my father and I) were similar to you but we have 60 accounts but this year we finally gave in and got a plow


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## nnusskern (May 24, 2012)

I do the samething and do 18 driveways every storm. I have ariens 2 stage and snapper single stage blowers. Im am going to plow parking lots next winter but plan on doing all my driveways this way still.


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## Fannin76 (Jan 1, 2014)

Looks fantastic. I plan on running side walk crews and will stealing this set up....very nice


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## dieselboy01 (Jan 18, 2011)

Nice looking setup! I bet most people would prefer your service over someone slamming a blade down a few times in there driveway at 2am!


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## locallawncare.c (Oct 22, 2012)

Yeah a lot of customers do not want a plow used, mainly because they fear of damages that could occur to the driveway,curbs, edging, lawns, etc. Then there are some who weren't happy with the previous guy who plowed, and some people could care less what I use as long as it move the snow. Overall I feel really good about the service that blowers provide, there is a market for it for sure, going every year.


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## locallawncare.c (Oct 22, 2012)

Feel free to steal this setup Fannin, more than welcome to, it started as a need to add weight to the bed of the truck and secure the blowers quickly and easily and it all just feel into place.


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## BlueRam2500 (Jan 15, 2005)

I started with my 8hp/27" cut Craftsman snowblower doing driveways, than stepped up to an 8ft Western, now am back to the snowblower and ATV with plow. In today's storm, the snow was heavy and wet and the snowblower proved to be the best asset. 

That's a great setup you have! Best of luck the rest of this winter.


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## m.williams (Jan 17, 2009)

Thats exactly how I got my start. There is a real market for that service if you are willing to work for it. Good stuff. Braver than I was with the 2wd though.


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## locallawncare.c (Oct 22, 2012)

Just finished up from this last storm which was literally 1 foot deep. Whey. The 2wd gets around find, I have about 400 pound of salt in those bins plus about 200-250 pounds of blowers which is at the rear so the traction with good snow tires is excellent, try it with an empty 8ft bed and bald all season tires and no are going no where. On a side note I plan on upgrading my Ariens 624 to a platinum 24" model, has much larger auger/impeller combo and a larger engine, hopefully will eliminate the overflow that happens when trying to move quickly, the Toro 621 has been used and abused this season and keeps on begging for more, I highly recommend them to anyone.


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## locallawncare.c (Oct 22, 2012)

Waiting on my KAGE paddles to come in, the rubbers ones are doing a great job, looking for an increase in paddle life as well as maybe some improved hard-pack scouring ability, although the rubber ones are surprisingly aggressive for being rubber anyways. Both blowers have been performing flawlessly all season, haven't used my 2 stroke all season, just ran it in the driveway and man is it noisy and smelly compared to my 621qzr which is a 4-stroke, glad I made the switch, looking to replace the 2 stroke next season with another 621 or maybe 721 if they come out with quick chute for that model. Also considering re-doing the truck bed setup so that the Ariens can be parked straight in instead of turning it sideways, it's not a huge issue and it tucks in very nicely they way it is, however the ramp I use kind of gets thrown in on an angle over the blower and is not ideal, but 90% of snow events I only use the 621 anyways so not sure if it's worth the effort.


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## CAT 245ME (Sep 10, 2006)

I know an old fella that is retired. He and a helper started three years ago clearing drives with walk behind blowers. They do the drives, walk ways and I'm pretty sure they clean off the cars as well. At the start of the season they had 60 drives and are still adding. 

There price for the season is $600.


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## locallawncare.c (Oct 22, 2012)

KAGE paddles came in, here is a first impressions review without yet using them, hasn't snowed since the last 30cm dumping, more coming this week.

http://www.plowsite.com/showthread.php?p=1760727&posted=1#post1760727


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## locallawncare.c (Oct 22, 2012)

Thought I would revive this thread, still going strong, still solo, sold the Ariens 624 and Toro 2-stroke, bought a new 721qzr and looking into a platinum 24 Ariens, picked up some new customers, I had to drop a bunch of ones in another town, simply was too much driving last year, picked up some neighbors and have a few clusters, hopefully this season goes well. Still have the same truck and ramp setup, although the Ariens 624e is gone so I'm just gonna use the 621qzr and 721qzr and hopefully not need another 2-stage. Anyone else doing it this way? I think I'm the only sucker.


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## WIPensFan (Jan 31, 2009)

locallawncare.c;1871694 said:


> Thought I would revive this thread, still going strong, still solo, sold the Ariens 624 and Toro 2-stroke, bought a new 721qzr and looking into a platinum 24 Ariens, picked up some new customers, I had to drop a bunch of ones in another town, simply was too much driving last year, picked up some neighbors and have a few clusters, hopefully this season goes well. Still have the same truck and ramp setup, although the Ariens 624e is gone so I'm just gonna use the 621qzr and 721qzr and hopefully not need another 2-stage. Anyone else doing it this way? I think I'm the only sucker.


Nothing wrong with what you're doing.Thumbs Up

Good luck this season.


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## Misch-Rman (Sep 21, 2007)

Nice set up man keep up the good work!


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## rbljack (Dec 9, 2013)

Glad you revived this one. here in texas we don't see a lot of snow, but I thought about investing in a Single stage snow blower for startes if there is some customer demand or interest in this. 

With the predictions for a colder year and more precip, it might be worthwhile, but I haven't jumped in with both feet yet. I continue to read posting here and familiarize myself with the snow removal info on this site, pricing, tips, tricks, reviews, etc.

Good luck this season, and keep us informed. Hope you do well! Pictures are definily a plus too, especially the how to's and set up pics like you did with the truck set up.

One suggestion I have would be to add a light bar to that headache rack and make yourself more visible while out there working. I used to live back east (New Jersey) and up north, South Dakota, Idaho, etc, and can attest to how visible those light bars are during heavy snow fall. When your out working in that stuff, staying visible will be important.


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## locallawncare.c (Oct 22, 2012)

Light bars are super bright and piss off the neighbours at night, especially if you are just parked out front of a house in a tight subdivision. I usually put my 4-ways on, very really thought about it snowing in Texas.


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## RMGLawn (Jan 2, 2012)

How did you like the Kage Paddles for the 621. I have a 2 stroke 621 and love it but the paddles wear out so quick. 

How is the 721 v 621? I have a plow on my truck but may start a residential only setup and invest in a few more blowers.


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## locallawncare.c (Oct 22, 2012)

Haven't used the 721 yet, KAGE paddles are awesome.


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## rbljack (Dec 9, 2013)

locallawncare.c;1872617 said:


> Light bars are super bright and piss off the neighbours at night, especially if you are just parked out front of a house in a tight subdivision. I usually put my 4-ways on, very really thought about it snowing in Texas.


I never really gave that much thought, but sure does make sense....good point. The four ways are at least a measure taken to help ya be more visible when its snowing hard and visibility is down.

yeah, ive been in lawn care for years, and for the last two, have been considering some snow removal if there is customer interest. That's what led from from lawn site over to plow site. Last year, I did a few jobs, but not much in this area at all. I researched the plows, spreaders, etc, but that is just too much cost for me at this point on the hopes that it might get used. Seemed more reasonable to start researching snowblowing driveways and walkways as a more cost effective measure from the equipment standpoint for me. If we don't get much snow, I wouldn't be out TOO much in equipment costs. That's what is leading me towards a single stage snow blower. I have been on the fence for the last two months about it, and still haven't decided.


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## locallawncare.c (Oct 22, 2012)

To rbjack, not sure of the snowfall totals you get but might just be best to consider alternate employment over the winter, up here snow is a given and contracts are fairly easy obtain, but even up here a one man operation can only gross so much revenue from the contracts, its difficult to service everyone quickly and thus the numbers are kept low and the service area tight, also there is often days and sometimes weeks between snowfalls which is time you could be working somewhere else making less on a daily basis but the work is consistent, when it snows I bust my ass all day/night to get it done, just something to consider in an area like Texas, however a freak storm could easily pay the snowblower itself, charge a premium for one time services or establish a seasonal contract if possible. Just some things to consider.


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## locallawncare.c (Oct 22, 2012)

Couple pics of the blowers, one with the KAGE paddles on the left is a 621qzr, one on the right is my new 721qzr.

Back of the truck, use those bins to hold 4 bags of salt each, in between the bins can store another 4 bags in the upright position, small areas at the back each hold a gas can and the one in the middle holds a bucket of kitty litter which has salt in it, the blowers fit perfectly behind the box and rest snugly between the tailgate, makes them easy to grab and go. Everything has its place so nothing is sliding around, the main purpose was to aid in traction as my truck is 2wd and snow tires and a good ballast are a must, the rest just fell into place afterwards.

The shovel hooks simply keep the shovels out of the bottom of the bed and makes them easy to grab on the fly.


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## rbljack (Dec 9, 2013)

looks nice and organized. Good set up. 

I have a full time job, so I don't have to rely on the snow to make the $$$. I just figured because I already have a decent amount of lawn care customers, if we see a good snowfall and they were interested in the service, I could bring in some extra cash. 

But on the flip side, it might not happen in a timely manner because Im having to work full time.

I definitely wont be relying on that extra income. Winter time is a break from the lawn care, LOL.


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## mortician79 (Sep 10, 2008)

When I was in junior high I had a paper route. My numerous senior customers wanted me to mow and shovel their driveways. Well, I mowed numerous lawns and did as many as 15 driveways a winter. My Dad let me use his snowblower, the clients loved it. I cleaned off their cars and did around them, all nice and neat. It was great money. Good job and excellent set up, keep up the good work.tymusic


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## locallawncare.c (Oct 22, 2012)

Went out last week when we got about 5cm, was a good test run and a good indicator of time, snow is all melted now, KAGE paddles just came in, I'm all stocked up for the season, overall the 721 is identical to the 621, wondering it the engine is actually bigger? I'm sure it is but overall the machines both start/perform/run and sound the same, debating getting an Ariens Platinum 24 SHO for the real heavy/deep snow, but I dread using the ramp and the loading/unloading multiple times, also the $1800 price tag keeps me from jumping the gun, time will tell.


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## locallawncare.c (Oct 22, 2012)

Well snow is all melted here, doesn't look like much until Christmas, oh well, all I can do is wait, anyone else only do residential drives? It seems like plowsite is dominated by commercial plow guys. Well it is called plowsite anyways, in my area there is many small companies that drive around with snowblowers and do driveways, it seems difficult to do both residential and commercial due to the timing of the snow and salting and then everything else.


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## leolkfrm (Mar 11, 2010)

need to add snowplow shovels to the mix, once you try them you will not go back to the hd specials


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## Triple L (Nov 1, 2005)

Commercials from midnight to 8:00 am, residential from 9am till noon or whenever we're done, perfect way to add additional income to your plowing route


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## Oabdu123 (Oct 18, 2016)

locallawncare.c said:


> Went out last week when we got about 5cm, was a good test run and a good indicator of time, snow is all melted now, KAGE paddles just came in, I'm all stocked up for the season, overall the 721 is identical to the 621, wondering it the engine is actually bigger? I'm sure it is but overall the machines both start/perform/run and sound the same, debating getting an Ariens Platinum 24 SHO for the real heavy/deep snow, but I dread using the ramp and the loading/unloading multiple times, also the $1800 price tag keeps me from jumping the gun, time will tell.


Nice setup, I've followed some of your posts on Lawnsite and I like your efficient setup and logical business sense. I have a 1994 Chevy 2500 2wd drive . I'm about to purchase a single stage and a dual stage Toro snowblower so I can do some residential driveways. What type of weight would I have to add to the truck, and any other modifications would I have to add to the described setup to make what I've discussed work? I've never really drove a truck in the snow.


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## JMHConstruction (Aug 22, 2011)

Oabdu123 said:


> Nice setup, I've followed some of your posts on Lawnsite and I like your efficient setup and logical business sense. I have a 1994 Chevy 2500 2wd drive . I'm about to purchase a single stage and a dual stage Toro snowblower so I can do some residential driveways. What type of weight would I have to add to the truck, and any other modifications would I have to add to the described setup to make what I've discussed work? I've never really drove a truck in the snow.


He hasn't been here in almost 3 years. You can click on his name and at the bottom it shows when the last time there were on


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## Oabdu123 (Oct 18, 2016)

JMHConstruction said:


> He hasn't been here in almost 3 years. You can click on his name and at the bottom it shows when the last time there were on


True indeed, thanks my man.


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