# Salt bidding



## Mowtivated Lawn (Feb 4, 2009)

Looking for advice for the 09-10 snow season. Trying to lock up some commercial accounts for next year but have little experience with bidding commercial plowing and salting. I have heard that what you charge for the plow is what you can charge for the salt, is this correct? Or should I just get the square footage and apply 17-20 pounds per 1000 sqft? Do you agree with setting and does that sound okay with just a couple cubic foot spreader on the back of my truck? I have also heard the rate around here is around 100 to 125 per hour, and a buddy gets 75 an hour from a contractor with him using his equipment. Any advice is much appreciated.


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## redman6565 (Jul 14, 2008)

i bill out by the ton and no, salting is totally seperate rate and rate set up from plowing. i salt a 1,600,000 SF lot with 9 tons of salt, so 1 lb to every 90 SF, roughly.


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## Mowtivated Lawn (Feb 4, 2009)

So basically plowing =$ and then you tell them for salting=$, the problem I am worried about is by next year if the price increases and you are in a contract, do you include that if price hike you can adjust your salt rate or are you just sol! Thanks new to the game! lol


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## Mowtivated Lawn (Feb 4, 2009)

*Salting*

Sorry should have said I am no where near doing a 1.6 mil sqft lot so I will only be using small amounts of salt probably by the fifty pound bags. Read somewhere else to charge 15 bucks for on $5 dollar bag which would include labor and material cost. Sounds not to bad I am thinking. Thanks


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## Ipushsnow (Oct 29, 2007)

Mowtivated, you are on with the 17-20 pounds per 1,000 square foot. For bags of salt $12-$15 per bag is about right too. As for plowing I have a very simple formula I don't mind sharing. Square footage X .003. So a 50,000 square foot lot would be $150.00. Now that is a baseline, if a lot is further away or a PIA with a bunch of islands and curves and stuff I might charge .004, or ,005. 

As for salting, I figure 20 pounds per 1,000 square feet and I charge cost plus $250 per ton for bulk. If I can get salt for $75 per ton I will spread it at $325, if I get it for $140 per ton its gonna be $390.

I measure lots on google earth and then I have a real nice excel spread sheet where all I have to do is enter the square footage and linear feet of walks and it gives me a price to plow, how much salt I will use, a price on salt, price for sidewalks, total price, and annual price if they want an annual contract. Once again, its a baseline and I am flexible with prices.

And remember, prices are regional, these numbers could be real low or real high in your area.


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## Rc2505 (Feb 5, 2007)

Mowtivated, I am just down the road in Findlay. I just flat charge my salt at 18.00 per bag. This number includes all charges associated with the salt. (picking up, storing, loading spreader, and spreading) I haven't had one customer complain at this price all year. They have all complained about the bills being high, but Jan. was a rough month for everyone. Feb billings have been almost non-existant, so it will all even out for them.


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