# Feb 2011 Blizzard.



## Mark13

Some pictures and a short video clip of my adventures over the last couple days.
We got 20-22" in about 36 hours. It was windy the whole time, some gusts over 50mph.

I was in my duramax, the black Ford is my buddy Dan.
08 F250 CC/SB Lariat. 6.4/auto. Spartan Tuning with DashDaq, 4" down pipe back straight pipe. Whelen 90 watt hide-a-way strobes and my extra dual rotator lightbar. 8' Western Unimount on an ultramount conversion.









Rt 14 and 47 in Woodstock for you local folk.








Subdivision road.


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## Mark13




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## Mark13

Intersection.
















There's a drive isle under there somewhere.


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## Mark13




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## Mark13

I have no idea where this suv was going, the east bound lanes are the ones you can see on the far left.


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## Mark13

Friends driveway. 1/8 mile, 3-7' deep. Took me 2 hours to get 1 pass down it.


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## Mark13

10 minutes later


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## Mark13

When I pulled up, they spent 3hrs with a snowblower to get that much done.








Opened up.


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## Mark13

The Demo Combines drifted in.








Cutting back the edges of the driveway that I posted pics of above.


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## Mark13




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## Mark13

Small tractor was knocking the edges down so they weren't taller then the snowblower.

















The video is still uploading.


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## ABES

Nice pics. Looks a lot like the 20" blizzard we had in December. Bet your glad you had a V plow.


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## mtchockey30

wow u had some crazy snow amounts


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## vegaman04

Nice pics, we had a little less around these parts. Are running any gussets?


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## Mark13

vegaman04;1228058 said:


> Nice pics, we had a little less around these parts. Are running any gussets?


Thanks! No gussets yet. I'll get to them one of these days.


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## JohnnyU

Having fun yet?


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## EGLC

wow you guys really did get hammered!!! I had a skid steer sitting here thinking we were going to get 12"+ and drifting then they changed it to "wintry mix" and we ended up with almost 2" of ice. It sucked.

Hope you made bank!


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## QKSnowRemoval

great pics mark! the rockford area got a little more than we got out my way. i bet you are glad you upgraded to the diesel tho


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## ken643

Great Pictures!! Thanks for sharing, nice truck to, Lots of snow$$$$


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## tls22

Crazy pictures Mark, im sure the v-postion help you in that storm....you sem to have really pick up the boss welll.....did very nice work for that amount of snow


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## NICHOLS LANDSCA

Looks like Walk UP Road was holding true to its name. I think the Range Rover was just following the plow truck


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## Mark13

JohnnyU;1228089 said:


> Having fun yet?


I had a pretty good time. I'm still getting calls from people who have turned down services before due to cost. Their contractor never showed up, didn't have enough equipment, yadda yadda. I'll get them open, have access to the machinery needed, but it's not going to be cheap.



ken643;1228121 said:


> Great Pictures!! Thanks for sharing, nice truck to, Lots of snow$$$$


Thanks! It was a pretty good storm for padding the wallet.



tls22;1228210 said:


> Crazy pictures Mark, im sure the v-postion help you in that storm....you sem to have really pick up the boss welll.....did very nice work for that amount of snow


Thanks Tim. I've got the hang of the plow pretty well, I'm glad I had a v for this storm. I try to do very neat work, I hate messy lots.



NICHOLS LANDSCA;1228251 said:


> Looks like Walk UP Road was holding true to its name. I think the Range Rover was just following the plow truck


The roads were a disaster, some still are only one lane.

The Range Rover and the IDOT truck were on the same road, just about 5 miles apart.

Video uploaded:


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## NBI Lawn

Great work Thumbs Up. Good thing you have a V plow! I don't think there is any way you would have been able to get in anywhere without it. 

Go relax for a while.


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## JohnnyU

Mark13;1228279 said:


> I had a pretty good time. I'm still getting calls from people who have turned down services before due to cost. Their contractor never showed up, didn't have enough equipment, yadda yadda. I'll get them open, have access to the machinery needed, but it's not going to be cheap.


Same thing here. I started turning people down yesterday though. I have to stop at some point.



> Video uploaded:


Were you in "V" mode? I spent most of the day in the opposite, scoop mode.


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## Mark13

JohnnyU;1228292 said:


> Same thing here. I started turning people down yesterday though. I have to stop at some point.
> All my normal stuff is done and has been for 24hrs. Now it's just extra stuff.
> 
> Were you in "V" mode? I spent most of the day in the opposite, scoop mode.


That was my first pass so I was in V mode, then after I had somewhere to work off of I was in scoop most of the time.


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## tls22

Mark13;1228296 said:


> That was my first pass so I was in V mode, then after I had somewhere to work off of I was in scoop most of the time.


Nice video mark...yeah thats what i did in our big storm in december v-plow it and then shave in scoop......if its powder you can scoop alot....love the v-plows.


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## exmark

Thats a good amount of snow. Nice job.


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## Triple L

cool pics! I just gotta ask, who's truck is faster and pushes more snow?


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## the new boss 92

nice mark, truck sounds awsome to. i think i need one lol


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## Mark13

Triple L;1228335 said:


> cool pics! I just gotta ask, who's truck is faster and pushes more snow?


I'd say my truck and his are pretty evenly matched for speed. His has more power but is heavier. As far as moving snow, I've got the advantage there. His brother has another cc/sb 6.4 that makes my truck go hide in the corner.



the new boss 92;1228340 said:


> nice mark, truck sounds awsome to. i think i need one lol


Thanks, the video sound was mostly my defroster running wide open and the radio. I couldn't really get any good exhaust clips. Listening to the turbo scream on my tow tune was fun though pushing a blade full of snow.


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## chevyman51

Great pictures thanks for sharing


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## the new boss 92

i heard a little of the exhaust, that song that you were play was on the radio like 300 times. i just love the sound of the turbos they are wicked when plowing.


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## Raymond S.

Great pictures. This storm sure did make some memories. It's amazing how 12hrs can make such a big difference in a season. Funny how the lake effect snow just keeps coming over days but this system stuff just does a 1-2 punch and leaves...then the sun comes out.


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## qualitylawn

man thats alot of snow weve never seen anything like that around here!


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## Omran

Thank you for sharing, very nice pictures


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## deere615

Nice pictures that was like our storm last season. Those are some huge drifts against that building!


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## albhb3

Thank you for the pics and how did you see the road was it a hold my beer and watch this or what I see 2 shadows of trees and thats it


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## Mark13

albhb3;1229350 said:


> Thank you for the pics and how did you see the road was it a hold my beer and watch this or what I see 2 shadows of trees and thats it


It was a combination of both and the thought of "how bad can it get? hammer down!"


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## Cam.at.Heritage

Wow you guys got alot of snow!!! We ended up with only maybe 6-8" but sucked because it came mostly between 5am and 11am which made the commercial lots a b**tard to keep clean.

I also have to say that I can't agree more with the clean lots, you do good work. I see guys around here always leaving small wind rows of snow in the parking lots...but at least I know where to look for new contracts next year.


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## mklawnman

Yeah I had a driveway that is about 700' long in the middle of a farm field area, took me a half hour to plow 4' drifts to the side, can only plow 3' at a time back and forth and side to side. This past storm is when I wish I had a V-blade. Maybe one day I will get one. 
Looks like alot of fun..... not ha I think we would all agree 1-3" snows are just about right for driveways and light.


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## Mark13

Cam.at.Heritage;1229364 said:


> I also have to say that I can't agree more with the clean lots, you do good work. I see guys around here always leaving small wind rows of snow in the parking lots...but at least I know where to look for new contracts next year.


Thanks! I do my best to have the lot very neat when I leave. I usually make a lap or two around each lot when I'm finished to clean up any loose ends and make everything look nice. Chose those one or two random snow balls that somehow ended up in the middle of the lot, etc.


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## 6.5 Chevy

good pics that is a lot of snow for 1 pickup  if the lots are clean then they will want you to do it again payuppayup thanks for the pics


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## Spucel

That was an insane snow storm!


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## SnowMatt13

Mark-

Glad everything worked well for you.
Sent you a PM.
I have a couple pics you could post too if you want. Still haven't figured that out yet....


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## Mark13

SnowMatt13;1232613 said:


> Mark-
> 
> Glad everything worked well for you.
> Sent you a PM.
> I have a couple pics you could post too if you want. Still haven't figured that out yet....


I got the pm, just been running like crazy. I'll get back to ya tonight. 
I'll post the pictures for ya too if you want.


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## Mark13

Friday my friend Dan and I got a call to go clean up a commercial lot which was being plowed by someone who had no business taking on such a lot. It took us Friday, Saturday, Sunday, and we finished up this morning. We weren't able to spend all day there since we each had out own accounts and sub for another company that kept pulling us away, but we got it done.

What they were plowing with:









Before:
















After:









Edit, son of a, gotta upload them to my other photobucket.


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## tls22

I imagine the videos and they look glorious


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## Mark13

Lets try this again.

Friday my friend Dan and I got a call to go clean up a commercial lot which was being plowed by someone who had no business taking on such a lot. It took us Friday, Saturday, Sunday, and we finished up this morning. We weren't able to spend all day there since we each had out own accounts and sub for another company that kept pulling us away, but we got it done.

What they were plowing with:









Before:
















After:


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## Mark13

The rest don't really have before and after pictures. I'd hope you can tell what it was like before and when we got done with it what it looked like.
The sidewalks had not been shoveled yet this winter, they were all 2-4' deep.


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## Mark13

You couldn't tell there were parking spaces when we got there. It looked like part of the lawn.








This is the lot that had all the cars in it:


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## Mark13

No one had plowed any of this area, 5 loading docks that were all 2-3' deep.


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## Mark13

Over View. Blue area was not ours to keep clean.


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## Stik208

And they tried to do that with an S-10 Blazer?


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## Mark13

Stik208;1233530 said:


> And they tried to do that with an S-10 Blazer?


Correct.

A semi driver stopped in Friday when we were working and asked if we could clean out one loading dock for him. He said he had been trying to pickup for 3 days there and couldn't do it. He was saying that the guy in the Jimmy would put the plow down, go as fast and as far as he could until he got stuck then they would hook a jeep up to him and pull him out. I guess he plowed the original passes around the whole complex like that from the sound of things.


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## Stik208

Mark13;1233608 said:


> Correct.
> 
> A semi driver stopped in Friday when we were working and asked if we could clean out one loading dock for him. He said he had been trying to pickup for 3 days there and couldn't do it. He was saying that the guy in the Jimmy would put the plow down, go as fast and as far as he could until he got stuck then they would hook a jeep up to him and pull him out. I guess he plowed the original passes around the whole complex like that from the sound of things.











or








Don't you think the person in charge of signing the contract with this guy would ask what kind of equipment they have? Clearly a Blazer/Jimmy is not going to cut it even before the snow flies.


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## Spucel

That sounds real efficient! Good job on the cleanup though!



Mark13;1233608 said:


> Correct.
> 
> A semi driver stopped in Friday when we were working and asked if we could clean out one loading dock for him. He said he had been trying to pickup for 3 days there and couldn't do it. He was saying that the guy in the Jimmy would put the plow down, go as fast and as far as he could until he got stuck then they would hook a jeep up to him and pull him out. I guess he plowed the original passes around the whole complex like that from the sound of things.


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## the new boss 92

im surprised that rigshaw mad it back to that parking spot lol


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## NICHOLS LANDSCA

Hopefully you get that place it looks like a good one. I'm sure they were saving money with the blazer guy until now. I hope you found that rock with the skid and not a truck. Did they have a map of the property or did you go off the google map? Or did you just go by feel You would really want a skid at that place for all those docks. Where did you stack all the snow it doesn't look like a big enough pile at the end of the aisle. You need a bigger bucket on the skid. Hey don't knock the blazer guy he has the aggressive Tiger Paw tires on it. Looks like the hitch on that thing got a workout


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## EGLC

nice account Mark! hope the guy signs with you! I can't believe those idiots tried to that with a jimmy! even a F250 would have a hard time doing all that by itself and like the guy above me said, forget about those loading docks without a skid!!


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## Mark13

the new boss 92;1233677 said:


> im surprised that rigshaw mad it back to that parking spot lol


It was parked there due to the alternator being a downer. I guess they wrecked the plow solenoid so they wired in some random part off a tractor and shorted something out and wrecked the alternator. Or so the story goes that I was told.



NICHOLS LANDSCA;1233685 said:


> Hopefully you get that place it looks like a good one. I'm sure they were saving money with the blazer guy until now. I hope you found that rock with the skid and not a truck. Did they have a map of the property or did you go off the google map? Or did you just go by feel You would really want a skid at that place for all those docks. Where did you stack all the snow it doesn't look like a big enough pile at the end of the aisle. You need a bigger bucket on the skid. Hey don't knock the blazer guy he has the aggressive Tiger Paw tires on it. Looks like the hitch on that thing got a workout


I have to talk to the owner of the complex and see what his plans are. I can't really take it on this winter but I could consider it for next winter. The rock was found by someone else, better them then me.

I had seen the property during the summer and had pictures of it due to being interested to bid it but never got a call back to hear if he was taking bids or not. And satellite images helped. Pull them up on my phone and then I could see where I could and couldn't plow for the areas I did not remember.

The skid was the key to the deal, I wanted a bigger bucket but that's all I could come up with on short notice. It was still alot better then the dirt bucket the machine normally has. It's not my bobcat so I don't want to go buy attachments.

The jimmy was quite the piece of machinery. He was ranting and raving about this awesome orange salt he uses, I just hopped back in my truck and continued plowing and told him to go park the jimmy because all he was doing was making a bigger mess for us in his efforts to help.



EGLC;1233821 said:


> nice account Mark! hope the guy signs with you! I can't believe those idiots tried to that with a jimmy! even a F250 would have a hard time doing all that by itself and like the guy above me said, forget about those loading docks without a skid!!


Thanks, as stated above I'm not sure if I could take on that lot this winter. I'd need a skid which I don't own.

And I have no idea how to bid something like that.


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## tls22

Great pics mark...glad you got a storm like that.....like eric told me "just keep on plowing"


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## exmark

And I have no idea how to bid something like that.[/QUOTE]

First off great job on cleaning up the property. That guy should have never been hired for a job like that with a piece of equipment like that. If I was to bid that place, it would be by the hour per truck and bobcat. In your situation since you don't own a bobcat. I would use two trucks, mine and hire a sub.


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## Mark13

tls22;1234653 said:


> Great pics mark...glad you got a storm like that.....like eric told me "just keep on plowing"


After seeing your blizzard pics I'm glad I got to see what it's like too. It's totally different from looking at pictures and video and actually having to deal with it yourself. All the criticizing others and saying how they should have done this, should have done that, yadda yadda turns into. AAAAHHHHHHHHH!  I can't see crap and I have no idea where to push this snow. I wonder where that island went? WHAM!! Son of a... found it.



exmark;1234700 said:


> And I have no idea how to bid something like that.
> 
> First off great job on cleaning up the property. That guy should have never been hired for a job like that with a piece of equipment like that. If I was to bid that place, it would be by the hour per truck and bobcat. In your situation since you don't own a bobcat. I would use two trucks, mine and hire a sub.


Thanks! I was lucky and got to plow the whole place with about 2-3" on it. After we started cleaning the place up we got 2-3" over night and were told to take care of the whole place that storm. I think my truck and a skid with a snow bucket and an 8-10' pusher could knock that place out in about 2 hours on a 2-3" storm. 
I would consider getting a 2 spd skid loader with a snow bucket and an 8-10' pusher if I got the account. I could use the machine all year around some, snow plowing, snow relocation, occasional dirt work, picking up hay bales, etc. That Case in the pictures has been at my house for weeks at a time before (it's owned by some good friends who are like my 2nd family) and as much as dad and I say we don't need a skid, the thing seems to be doing something atleast a couple times a day when it's here. It would be a big expense, but I think it would pay for itself fairly quick and if I had to sell it, I don't think selling a skid loader with a decent set of attachments would be to hard.


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## albhb3

Holy crap!


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## exmark

Thanks! I was lucky and got to plow the whole place with about 2-3" on it. After we started cleaning the place up we got 2-3" over night and were told to take care of the whole place that storm. I think my truck and a skid with a snow bucket and an 8-10' pusher could knock that place out in about 2 hours on a 2-3" storm. 
I would consider getting a 2 spd skid loader with a snow bucket and an 8-10' pusher if I got the account. I could use the machine all year around some, snow plowing, snow relocation, occasional dirt work, picking up hay bales, etc. That Case in the pictures has been at my house for weeks at a time before (it's owned by some good friends who are like my 2nd family) and as much as dad and I say we don't need a skid, the thing seems to be doing something atleast a couple times a day when it's here. It would be a big expense, but I think it would pay for itself fairly quick and if I had to sell it, I don't think selling a skid loader with a decent set of attachments would be to hard.[/QUOTE]

If you would be fine with buying a skid, I would place a bid. I would also think that a skid would come in handy way more than what you think. Good luck and I hope you get it.


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## 4wydnr

exmark;1235144 said:


> T
> 
> If you would be fine with buying a skid, I would place a bid. I would also think that a skid would come in handy way more than what you think. Good luck and I hope you get it.


We've found that the larger and nicer the skid the more use you will find for it. I'm sure there is a point of diminishing returns with size. For example our skid is large enough to lift a full pallet off of a semi so it replaced the old ailing forklift. Keep you eyes open for a decent used machine, they can be had for a good price and can hold their value well.


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## Mark13

4wydnr;1235982 said:


> We've found that the larger and nicer the skid the more use you will find for it. I'm sure there is a point of diminishing returns with size. For example our skid is large enough to lift a full pallet off of a semi so it replaced the old ailing forklift. Keep you eyes open for a decent used machine, they can be had for a good price and can hold their value well.


I've found a few New Hollands I'm considering having a look at. A couple LX885s and an LS190. The 190 is a monster and has been repainted but it's still probably worth the drive to look at.


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## 4wydnr

I've been running a 2004 NH Ls180 for plowing and farm work for the last 4 years, with few issues. It has a been a great reliable machine. My only complaint is that it isn't much for creature comforts, mostly it's loud. The cab is an echo chamber for the hydraulic whine. 

I would definitely look for a unit with a cab and heater. I usually end up running with the heater turned down and the windows partly open.


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## QKSnowRemoval

how much would a clean up like that cost?


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## Mark13

4wydnr;1236413 said:


> I've been running a 2004 NH Ls180 for plowing and farm work for the last 4 years, with few issues. It has a been a great reliable machine. My only complaint is that it isn't much for creature comforts, mostly it's loud. The cab is an echo chamber for the hydraulic whine.
> 
> I would definitely look for a unit with a cab and heater. I usually end up running with the heater turned down and the windows partly open.


It would be used for plowing and farm work along with other odds and ends and some occasional dirt work.

The LS190 I found has cab, heater, suspension seat, hi flow, block heater, 2 speed.
The LX885 has 2 speed and aux hydraulics. They put plexiglass on the sides of the cab so I'd have to get a door and figure out a heater. I'd rather it just have a factory cab so everything works the way it should. Not having side windows would kinda suck when you want to talk to someone or want a little fresh air coming in.


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## Bird21

What are the prices on the New Hollands you are looking at? I run 5 New Hollands and for snow they are great. We also run Case machines and really there is no real difference in production just operator preference.


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## Schuley

we run 2 new hollands, one is a 03 or so 170 and the other is a 07-08ish 175. The difference in comfort from the 2 is huge, the newer 175 is way nicer. I can hardly hear my phone ring in the 170 and i hear it clearly in the 175. So I know what you mean about the cab being an echo chamber.... the newer ones are also a lot more comfortable, 3 hours in the older one and i'm getting cramped, 6 hours in the newer one and i'm still fine. But we love both our new hollands for snow, adding a 185 soon.


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## Mark13

Bird21;1236555 said:


> What are the prices on the New Hollands you are looking at? I run 5 New Hollands and for snow they are great. We also run Case machines and really there is no real difference in production just operator preference.


I'm looking at no more then $20k. The LX885 I could probably bring home for about $9k and the ls190 they are asking $18.5



Schuley;1237072 said:


> we run 2 new hollands, one is a 03 or so 170 and the other is a 07-08ish 175. The difference in comfort from the 2 is huge, the newer 175 is way nicer. I can hardly hear my phone ring in the 170 and i hear it clearly in the 175. So I know what you mean about the cab being an echo chamber.... the newer ones are also a lot more comfortable, 3 hours in the older one and i'm getting cramped, 6 hours in the newer one and i'm still fine. But we love both our new hollands for snow, adding a 185 soon.


The new style NH's look really nice, unfortunately their a bit.. err way out of my budget.


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## Bird21

Let me know if u don't buy the885 I will


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## 4wydnr

We paid $18k for the NH ls180 in 2007. Same setup as the 190 you're looking at minus high flow hyd., it had 900 hours on it and came with a bucket and snow plow.

A factory door for the nh is $1200 new.


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## Pinky Demon

vegaman04;1228058 said:


> Nice pics, we had a little less around these parts. Are running any gussets?


Gussets lol.

I don't think I ever want to get that much snow that quickly. That must of added a whole lot of time onto your route.


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## Mark13

Bird21;1237108 said:


> Let me know if u don't buy the885 I will


Will do. I don't know if I want to mess with a machine that has no cab and putting/building my own cab for it.



4wydnr;1237280 said:


> We paid $18k for the NH ls180 in 2007. Same setup as the 190 you're looking at minus high flow hyd., it had 900 hours on it and came with a bucket and snow plow.
> 
> A factory door for the nh is $1200 new.


Sounds like you got a pretty good deal on that ls180 but then again it was 4 years ago. The ls190 kinda worrys me with 2500hrs on it and having the bottom yellow section repainted. I'd still like to go look at it though.



Pinky Demon;1237420 said:


> Gussets lol.
> 
> I don't think I ever want to get that much snow that quickly. That must of added a whole lot of time onto your route.


Our route was never ending for 25+ hours. As fast as we could plow things they'd get snow covered again and you couldn't tell we had been there.


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