# Finally, the 2009-10 plowing season is underway!



## Alaska Boss

Well, it's was getting close to a month late, but today we got 4-5" of super-dry, fluffy snow (12° F today, Nov. 8th), and even tho I didn't need to, I hooked up the Blizzard and scraped out my yard/driveway, just to shake the bugs out of the truck & plow. I got a couple calls today, but since we're supposed to get up to another 8" by tomorrow, I told them, let's just wait til tomorrow after this storm dumps itself out, so tomorrow I'll have a few jobs to do, minimum. The new truck is still in the shop undergoing it's plow-worthy make-over,... hope to have it done in a couple more days. So, I snapped a couple pictures today of what I did,... but this thread will probably just be a general repeat of the one from last year,... so it may be kinda boring, but that's all I got,... except maybe with a different colored truck,... :bluebounc


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## nicksplowing

looks good to me AB helps get us all excited for the coming season


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## Alaska Boss

There's a couple small things to fix on the Blizzard & the truck,... but everything worked perfect,... we've had below zero temps for several weeks now, so the ground is nice & hard,..


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## Alaska Boss

nickplowing1972;855763 said:


> looks good to me AB helps get us all excited for the coming season


Yep, it does that for me too wesport

As it starts to get dark now around 3:30 in the afternoon, the white balance goes off on my camera, so the pictures have a blue tint,.. oh well,...


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## Alaska Boss

That's it for today,.. maybe I'll snap a few more tomorrow,... :waving:


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## grandview

Looks to cold to me!


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## doo-man

I think I could see my breath !!!! 

Cant wait to be doing that !!!


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## EaTmYtAiLpIpEs

lukcy. wish I got snow already. cant wait to see more pics.


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## Mark Oomkes

Alaska Boss=Boring?

Never


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## dmontgomery

I really like that truck.....what tires are you running??


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## mcwlandscaping

absolutely love that truck!! I'm looking forward to plowing season but can really wait another month! Got a lot of landscape projects and cleanups left to do for the year!


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## dmontgomery

I am looking forward to the winter as well, but I too need about 3 more weeks of fall to finish the green work.......


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## gkm

very nice as always.....could be getting nor-easter our way this week with snow in the mountains


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## Steve'sZr2

what kind of after market lights are you using on the plow's light bar? I think you said so in the last thread but that would take a couple of days to find. Great pictures and nice write ups on the plows last thread.


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## Burkartsplow

LOOKS GREAT. Give me three weeks like everyone else and I will be ready. Just waiting on a few more bids to hear back from. Did you get a new truck ro just giving the other truck a paint job,


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## FISHERBOY

Cool pics, can't wait to get started here, sent some cold and snow this way


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## carl b

This has to be the best thread on plowsite . I can't wait to see more pic's


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## doo-man

Come on we need more pics! Almost better than.... Well maybe not but close!!


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## mike psd

let this be known, that well be the new and greatest plow thread of this season !!!!!!


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## 91AK250

looks great as allways!

we got about 3-4" here in anchorage, supposed to get another 3" tonight hopfully i'll have some pics up. tonight also.


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## Alaska Boss

dmontgomery;855871 said:


> I really like that truck.....what tires are you running??


The trucks' got the Goodyear Workhorse Radials in 215/85R16,... nothing special, but they do pretty well, and seem to be wearing good too.



Steve'sZr2;855988 said:


> what kind of after market lights are you using on the plow's light bar? I think you said so in the last thread but that would take a couple of days to find. Great pictures and nice write ups on the plows last thread.


Nope, nothing special in the light bar,... it's just a Whelen Guardian,... I picked up a pair of them (new) a couple years ago (on ebay, I think), for about $110, so I thought that was a deal too good to pass up. Not the latest technology, but they work good, put out a lot of light even in the day, and for $55, it seemed kinda dumb to spend a whole lot more, for warning light. I have dual batteries in all the trucks, so the power consumption has never been an issue.



Burkartsplow;856083 said:


> LOOKS GREAT. Give me three weeks like everyone else and I will be ready. Just waiting on a few more bids to hear back from. Did you get a new truck ro just giving the other truck a paint job,


Well, the other truck could use a new paint job for sure, but there is a new truck being prepped to take it's place,... hopefully it will soon make it's debut,... in the mean time, the dually will handle the early plow jobs for now I guess,... :waving:


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## Alaska Boss

well, we got another 2" or so today, and 4" in the forecast for tonight, so still not a whole lot, but a start. I re-scraped out my driveway again, and tried plowing with the truck headlights,... also wanted to see if it made any difference for pictures too,...


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## Alaska Boss

Plowing this small amount of snow is almost like nothing tho when it's so dry & light,... but at least it's easy on the equipment,...


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## Alaska Boss

Did a couple parking lots in the area,... but most of the people wanted to just let it go for now on their own driveways,... at least til there's no snow in the forecast,...


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## Alaska Boss

But it's nice to be back in the saddle again,... with easy jobs, no pressure, light-duty on the truck & plow,... and 6 more months to push snow around,.... we'll see what tomorrow brings,... payup:waving:


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## MSS Mow

I think Steve'sZr2 was wondering about the aftermarket lights on the headgear of your plow? 

I just needed an excuse to post so that I would get the updates. lol


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## FEFMedia

Such clean, light, fluffy, snow.. Your a lucky man.. that is a great way to start the season.. look how nice the cleanup rows are.. i mean.. ug.. cant wait!!!


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## GMC Sierra

AB- Great post. Nice to see some of the older Chevy iron continuing ot get the job done.....and your "new "rig will be incredible. Older Body stylye Chevies are bulletproof- you did the right thinkg getting another one. I greatly enjoyed that post on the tip to get you "new" truck. Quick question...I noticed on you new truck and this truck the very bright headlights. I would like those for my 1997 GMC...is it simply a bulb change to the Silverstar white lights (I am guessing) or more involved?


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## revtoyota

Up here you find that alot of guys still use the older chevy/ ford trucks.


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## Alaska Boss

MSS Mow;856865 said:


> I think Steve'sZr2 was wondering about the aftermarket lights on the headgear of your plow?
> 
> I just needed an excuse to post so that I would get the updates. lol





GMC Sierra;857004 said:


> AB- Great post. Nice to see some of the older Chevy iron continuing ot get the job done.....and your "new "rig will be incredible. Older Body stylye Chevies are bulletproof- you did the right thinkg getting another one. I greatly enjoyed that post on the tip to get you "new" truck. Quick question...I noticed on you new truck and this truck the very bright headlights. I would like those for my 1997 GMC...is it simply a bulb change to the Silverstar white lights (I am guessing) or more involved?


Yeah, sorry about that,... I guess I mis-read Steve's question,... the truck and plow headlights have both been converted over to HID, which has been one of the best modifications I've done to improve plowing equipment,... especially for me here in Alaska, where it's dark almost all the time, very little traffic, and I have almost no lighted roads, parking lots, etc. The links to what I did are below,.... :waving:

The Chevy truck conversion:
http://www.plowsite.com/showthread.php?t=75977

The Blizzard conversion:
http://www.plowsite.com/showthread.php?t=77501

The Boss conversion:
http://www.plowsite.com/showthread.php?t=77591


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## Alaska Boss

Well, it turned clear and back down below zero again today, but still did a couple plow jobs,...


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## Alaska Boss

A beautiful day, even tho it was cold,... and now they're calling for 4"-8" in the next 24 hours or so,... we'll see,.... :waving:


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## grandview

Did I mention that it looks cold in them pictures?


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## revtoyota

thats one thing I dont miss living in Fairbanks, barrow, or kenai. is the dry cold.


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## Mark Oomkes

revtoyota;858137 said:


> thats one thing I dont miss living in Fairbanks, barrow, or kenai. is the dry cold.


Other than dry skin, why?


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## revtoyota

After working on crabbing boats for the last 13 years the dry cold just hurts the body. Its kind of a love hate relationship. haahaa


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## cet

Great pics as always.

If it keeps snowing everyday you are never going to get that new truck ready.


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## tls22

Great pics...cant wait to see the boss v and new truck.


That alaska low is really going to bring you alot of snow/cold...enjoy. Looks to stay there for a while also.


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## Alaska Boss

cet;858250 said:


> Great pics as always.
> 
> If it keeps snowing everyday you are never going to get that new truck ready.


Boy, you got that right,... and this next storm could be a doozey,... some places calling for more than 3 feet now,.... forget "lake effect",... this is "ocean effect"....payup


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## Alaska Boss

tls22;858296 said:


> Great pics...cant wait to see the boss v and new truck.
> 
> That alaska low is really going to bring you alot of snow/cold...enjoy. Looks to stay there for a while also.


Yep, this is a big one,... but it's probably too far west of me to be a major storm right in my area,... but when you look at the current map of Alaska,... there's blizzard warnings, winter storm warnings & advisories all over the place! And the coasts have gale & storm warnings everywhere as well,... (dark blue sections),.. heavy freezing spray w/seas building to over 30 feet and winds gusting to 90 mph in places,... (them Deadliest Catch boys are gonna rock & roll tonight!) My area is calling for up to 8" of snow with winds, but some places are saying over 3 feet. It's still -6° F here at my place at noon today,... :waving:


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## cet

Some say that will seperate the boys from the men. I'm glad I don't live there. LOL

I like the 4" snowfalls starting at 6pm and ending at midnight

Good luck but I'm sure you've had your share of these before.


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## tmf lawn care

ab sent some snow my way plzz. i want to play with my new toy it got a boss 10" v plow


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## 91AK250

part of that storm hit us today had alittle mini blizzard, about 2" of heavy wet snow turned the roads into hot mopped icerinks. its going to be very slick.

goodluck with this strom hope it does more for you then it did for me.


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## snocrete

What a great thread Alaska Boss!.....as is the thread of comparing your 2 plows. take care, be safe....and keep the pics a comin.


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## Alaska Boss

91AK250;858799 said:


> part of that storm hit us today had alittle mini blizzard, about 2" of heavy wet snow turned the roads into hot mopped icerinks. its going to be very slick.
> 
> goodluck with this strom hope it does more for you then it did for me.


Hi Russ,... well, we didn't get a single snowflake all day, and even an hour ago, there was nothing happening,.... but I just went outside to check, and it's dumping now harder than it has so far this winter. (First 2 photos show what has fallen in the last 30 minutes). It did warm up here too,... mid-20's as it was getting dark,... I sure hope it doesn't get above thawing here too,... man, I hate when that happens. And, I just got a call a half hour ago stating that I was awarded my biggest commercial contract again this year (from the local school district), and they want everything plowed before school starts in the morning,... so I won't get much sleep tonight,... payup. I heard on the news that there were over 100 accidents in Anchorage already by 5pm today!! Better drive one of your beaters around town now til the roads get better again,... check out this last photo I took last week,... and you didn't even know it ! :waving:


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## 91AK250

Alaska Boss;858996 said:


> Hi Russ,... well, we didn't get a single snowflake all day, and even an hour ago, there was nothing happening,.... but I just went outside to check, and it's dumping now harder than it has so far this winter. (First 2 photos show what has fallen in the last 30 minutes). It did warm up here too,... mid-20's as it was getting dark,... I sure hope it doesn't get above thawing here too,... man, I hate when that happens. And, I just got a call a half hour ago stating that I was awarded my biggest commercial contract again this year (from the local school district), and they want everything plowed before school starts in the morning,... so I won't get much sleep tonight,... payup. I heard on the news that there were over 100 accidents in Anchorage already by 5pm today!! Better drive one of your beaters around town now til the roads get better again,... check out this last photo I took last week,... and you didn't even know it ! :waving:


HEYYYY THATS MY TRUCK!!! haha i have been pretty busy the last few weeks so i dont get out front much, too bad i missed ya! next time your in town lemmie know.

i had to leave work early today to run and get a H1N1 shot at the hospital, i was right in the middle of that mess. luckly with the double studded tires and all the weight of the excursion i never had an issue. i couldnt say much else for the other drivers haha i dont have beaters anymore i keep making them too nice! but i daily drive the excursion, put 10k miles since i got it in march absolutly love that thing lol

goodluck with the plowing, and congrats on the contract! thats awsome. make sure to get some updated pics once that storm ends, it looks like a big one for you guys over that way. but i dont need to tell you to post more pics lol stay safe!


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## Banksy

And the plowing artist of the year award goes to none other than...(drum roll).......Alaska Boss!!


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## tls22

Alaska Boss;858356 said:


> Yep, this is a big one,... but it's probably too far west of me to be a major storm right in my area,... but when you look at the current map of Alaska,... there's blizzard warnings, winter storm warnings & advisories all over the place! And the coasts have gale & storm warnings everywhere as well,... (dark blue sections),.. heavy freezing spray w/seas building to over 30 feet and winds gusting to 90 mph in places,... (them Deadliest Catch boys are gonna rock & roll tonight!) My area is calling for up to 8" of snow with winds, but some places are saying over 3 feet. It's still -6° F here at my place at noon today,... :waving:


Yeah looks like that low will be park there for a while. Its kind of a double edge sword when you get snow. I get to see your pics....but for the rest of the U.S. east of the Mississippi is a real warm pattern. Kind of odd how it works out that way. Hope you had a good time plowing last night.


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## L.I.Mike

Absolutely amazing. These are great pictures.


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## deere615

Awesome pictures, yours are never boring!


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## Snowplow71

AK Boss, on your first picture of your above post with the snow falling on the blizzard, looks like your missing the driverside HID or whatever light? Or maybe its covered with a giant snowflake! haha. Looks great, whens the new Boss coming?


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## Alaska Boss

91AK250;859007 said:


> goodluck with the plowing, and congrats on the contract! thats awsome. make sure to get some updated pics once that storm ends, it looks like a big one for you guys over that way. but i dont need to tell you to post more pics lol stay safe!





tls22;859602 said:


> Yeah looks like that low will be park there for a while. Its kind of a double edge sword when you get snow. I get to see your pics....but for the rest of the U.S. east of the Mississippi is a real warm pattern. Kind of odd how it works out that way. Hope you had a good time plowing last night.


Well, we were fore-casted to get 8" last night, (in my area), and that's right at what we got,... some places maybe a little more, some a little less. Plowed about 16 hours straight, so I'm ready for a break, but I have more to plow now than what I had when I started this morning. I think I got between 60-70 calls today, with some new ones too. And another storm coming for the weekend, altho not so big,... I hope,... 



Snowplow71;859949 said:


> AK Boss, on your first picture of your above post with the snow falling on the blizzard, looks like your missing the driverside HID or whatever light? Or maybe its covered with a giant snowflake! haha. Looks great, whens the new Boss coming?


Wow,... you were really looking close there! Yeah, it was coming loose, so I took it off earlier when I got home to re-thread the bracket, but the snow had started before i got it back on. The new Boss plow is just sitting outside, waiting for the new truck to get finished,... maybe I'll stick it on the '92 tomorrow and kinda break it in a little,....


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## SuperdutyShane

Looks great Alaska Boss! Always love your pictures!


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## Alaska Boss

So, I got up around 4:30 this morning to find that the snow had stopped, and dumped about 8" at my place,... and I heard that south of me in Valdez, they got 2 feet. This is what was on the dually this morning, and I had it partly under the overhang of my shop. So, ready or not, here we go,.... wesport


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## Alaska Boss

I live almost a mile off the main highway, and when I got out to the road, I saw that DOT hadn't even plowed the highways yet,... so it was kinda slow going,... and a total white-out when I met a pair of 18-wheelers,...


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## Alaska Boss

The local school is my biggest commercial contract, and it takes priority,... since it's the hub of activity and employment around here, plus it's best to get it done before the teachers & others show up & leave their cars all over the place & in my way,... but today, there were a bunch of them already here & left there overnight anyway,... :realmad:


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## Alaska Boss

Since I had a bunch of vehicles to deal with now, I didn't stop & take too many pictures,... I needed to be done before the school buses got there and dumped out all the kids,... it's amazing how when they see a new snow pile, they can't resist having to run over there & climb up on top of it,... even when I'm still pushing into it,...


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## Alaska Boss

I usually leave the sides & back of the school buildings & gym til the end,... since it's generally clear of cars & kids,...


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## Alaska Boss

Then the firelane that goes around the whole place is the last part,...


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## Alaska Boss

It's a big place,... the biggest place in this whole area,... and takes 2-3 hours on average, depending on cars/snow depth, etc,... payup


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## Alaska Boss

Then it was on to other jobs, mostly private drives, but with an occasional smaller parking lot, such as the church, etc.,....


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## Alaska Boss

Temps today were around zero to -5°,... perfect snow plowing temps,... not too cold (except for GV), but cold enough to keep the snow light, fluffy and easy to push,... hope it stays this way tomorrow too.... :waving:


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## 91AK250

looks great im glad you got some real snow! looks like alot of fun! we're still waiting on a decent dump. how does the 2wd flat bed do in the deep stuff?

i figured out what was wrong with the 250 today, loose spark plug wire, also found some other small issues that could have turned into bad ones if i had not cought them. shes all fixed up and ready for the snow! plus i added some lights to the backrack.


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## Alaska Boss

91AK250;860137 said:


> looks great im glad you got some real snow! looks like alot of fun! we're still waiting on a decent dump. how does the 2wd flat bed do in the deep stuff?
> 
> i figured out what was wrong with the 250 today, loose spark plug wire, also found some other small issues that could have turned into bad ones if i had not cought them. shes all fixed up and ready for the snow! plus i added some lights to the backrack.


The flatbed is a 4x4,... and I always plow in 4WD, plus this truck has the G80 limited slip rear end, so it goes thru the snow like stink. Glad to hear your truck is running good again,... seems like Anchorage hasn't quite settled into winter mode yet,... still the non-stop freeze/thaw cycles,.... I hate that kind of weather,... you want it to be one or the other,... :realmad:


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## fisher guy

great pics AK what part of alaska are u from again?.... I've been thinking about moving up there one day mainly for the fact of being able to plow a pretty decent amount every year and the right to open carry a gun with out a licence (im a pretty avid gun nut) whats rent out there like?


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## revtoyota

Yeah AB i think is in Cooper river. Yeah here in Ketchikan we got the tail of that storm last night. The wind was blowing so hard that none of it stayed around.

Fisher guy rent changes alot up here depending on where you live. for a 1 bed room 1 bath eco rental here is around 1200$ up north that could only half of that. Look at Remax 
http://remax-alaska.com/ that will give you a good idea.


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## GMC Sierra

AB- I see you have some late model Chevies in GREAT condiiton. How many miles on them and any major problems during the time (ie motors, trans, diffs). I imagine those trucks get a work-out under extreme conditions, always interested on how a WELL MAINTAINED Chevy (plow truck) performs, I am a GM fan- I own a 97 GMC K1500 that has been a great truck to me (I am not a commercial plower). Also, you mention the G80 Limited slip....I though that was exclusive to newer body syle GM's (Eaton)? Perhaps I am wrong? Factory item on the truck? Thanks.


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## Squires

Sweet pics as per normal

Whats the plan for the 92? plow until it dies or take it easy on the old girl now and use it as a back up to the back up?


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## Banksy

I think my favorite part of this site is your pictures and you have good details of what your plowing to go with them. Thanks for the effort to share them.


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## 91AK250

Alaska Boss;860138 said:


> The flatbed is a 4x4,... and I always plow in 4WD, plus this truck has the G80 limited slip rear end, so it goes thru the snow like stink. Glad to hear your truck is running good again,... seems like Anchorage hasn't quite settled into winter mode yet,... still the non-stop freeze/thaw cycles,.... I hate that kind of weather,... you want it to be one or the other,... :realmad:


really why did i think it was a 2wd? haha weird.

we havent really thawd at all actualy, that one day but it snowed and hardly melted so i've been very happy now its pretty cold. about 9F cold for us anyhow haha


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## Young Pup

Wow, you get some awesome pictures up here and plenty of snow too. Keep them coming so us snow starved folks can only dream of that much snow.


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## Alaska Boss

fisher guy;860144 said:


> great pics AK what part of alaska are u from again?.... I've been thinking about moving up there one day mainly for the fact of being able to plow a pretty decent amount every year and the right to open carry a gun with out a licence (im a pretty avid gun nut) whats rent out there like?


Well, if you plan on moving up here just to plow snow, I hope you have a back-up plan as well. I'm sure that snow removal in the few bigger cities is just as cut-throat here as anywhere else,... and many, if not most of the folks that live in the rural areas are VERY independent,... many would rather shovel their own yards rather than pay someone. And the annual income of lots of folks around here would technically place them in the poverty level (just don't tell them that), and cash is hard to come by in the winter,... no one is going to get rich plowing snow around here. I know I'm in a unique situation here in my community, as this was almost forced on me, as it was never my goal in life to be a snow plower. Around here, the economy has, almost without exception, only 2 faces. You either work for the government in some capacity (DOT, teachers, Fish & Game, etc), or you do your own thing (self-employed). Most other jobs are all seasonal & regional, and in my area, the unemployment rate in the winter I would guess is over 50%. By the way,.. I always have a predator rifle with me at all times in the winter,... even while plowing,... 



GMC Sierra;860408 said:


> AB- I see you have some late model Chevies in GREAT condiiton. How many miles on them and any major problems during the time (ie motors, trans, diffs). I imagine those trucks get a work-out under extreme conditions, always interested on how a WELL MAINTAINED Chevy (plow truck) performs, I am a GM fan- I own a 97 GMC K1500 that has been a great truck to me (I am not a commercial plower). Also, you mention the G80 Limited slip....I though that was exclusive to newer body syle GM's (Eaton)? Perhaps I am wrong? Factory item on the truck? Thanks.


This latest 2000 Chevy 3500 is the 5th Chevy I've bought now,... and if I added all the major problems/components that have failed (engines, trans, difs, T-cases, etc), on the first four, the grand total would be zero. (knock on wood) The first two had close to 300K miles when sold, the '90 right now is around 215K miles, the '92 has close to 300K miles, and both still start/run great. And it's not like my trucks just haul surf boards down to the beach. Maybe I've just been lucky, I don't know. The '90 does have the G80 LS dif in it,.. as I always get the full factory code list on every vehicle I own, so I know what it at least had from the factory, and this truck had it in from the beginning. Also, everything I own gets Amsoil in it from bumper to bumper,... and I'm sure that that is a major factor in maintaining long-life in equipment,... 



Squires;860462 said:


> Sweet pics as per normal
> 
> Whats the plan for the 92? plow until it dies or take it easy on the old girl now and use it as a back up to the back up?


Well, I used the '92 for plowing again all day today, and it still does great! But I know that it won't last forever, and I wanted a replacement on hand BEFORE it was needed. That truck has been the best, most trouble-free plow truck I've ever had,... I have liked this truck better than anything else I've ever owned. Outside of the frame breaking, everything else has just been normal maintenance/little piddly things. (plus it has clutch #2 in it). It's not worth anything to anyone else now to try & sell it, so yeah, I'll just run it til it dies I think, and it will for sure be a back-up. It'll probably just be my trapping truck this winter & haul my snowmachines around, once the new truck is in service,... :salute:


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## Alaska Boss

Well, I plowed all day again today, but I decided to hook up the new Boss 8.2 I just bought for the new truck, onto the '92 & put it thru the paces to make sure all is well with it,... I forgot how nice new plows are! it was about -14° this morning, but soon warmed up close to zero, and then started snowing again,... payup


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## Alaska Boss

There's no base to the snow here at all this year,... just dry fluffy powder right down to the frozen dirt,... definitely have to get the wing brackets on this plow so I can use the wings too...


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## Alaska Boss

Didn't take too many pictures today,... they don't turn out good when it's snowing hard,... and now the forecast says up to 10" more snow tonight & tomorrow,... we'll see,... payup:waving:


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## terrapro

LOL I had to double take on that last one! I was thinking "didn't I just see that one?" That is pretty cool as usual Alaska Boss!


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## ALC-GregH

Is the grassy area the airplane field you keep cleared? Great pics as always. I tell ya, I really look forward to viewing the pics you post. thanks for taking the time to post them for us guys that never see snow like that.


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## JDWalkbehind

Very cool I'm jealous i can't wait for snow. Any pic's of the new trucks progress?


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## kcress31

ALASKA BOSS QUOTE "Since I had a bunch of vehicles to deal with now, I didn't stop & take too many pictures,... I needed to be done before the school buses got there and dumped out all the kids,... it's amazing how when they see a new snow pile, they can't resist having to run over there & climb up on top of it,... even when I'm still pushing into it,... "

Great thread. I'm jumping in kind of late. We do two large schools here and they don't allow us on the property after 7 am. Also we can't pile any snow where the kids have access. I guess they don't want any injuries from kids falling off the huge piles. We have had 3 - 4 snow events here so far but only one with about 6-8 inches. It is all gone now. Keep up the pics.


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## 04f350powerv-xt

Hey Alaska Boss, the lights you are running on your plows are they still the "cheap" HID's you got off ebay? How long have you had them and how are they holding up? Thanks.


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## albhb3

are those last pics from the airport you did last year? how fast can you go down that strip anyway


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## KrisR

lucky, i want snow, i wish all this rain we are getting up in the right hand corner were snow... 2'' rain lol 2 ft of snow.. ill take it


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## SuperdutyShane

Wow, really great pics Boss!


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## WeDoSnowplowing

*1st snow of 2009 2010 in PA. USA*

PA got some in October 15 & 16 of 2009. Penn DOT was out with other road crews. I did get some calls I told them it be gone in a few days & we only got 2.5 inches of wet snow. I would be going out if got 4 inches. WE HAVEN'T GOTTEN ANY MORE YET! TODAY IS NOVEMBER 15TH OF 2009 TEMPS IN LOWER 60s & UPPER 50s. Monday after Thanksgiving is deer season here.


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## Snowplow71

Was just going threw this topic (for the 4th time..) and thought, since you hooked the '92, to the 2000's plow, why couldn't you put the 11ft Boss on the 2000? For the little snow falls, I'd bet you would love the extra coverage. Just and idea Alaska...


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## albhb3

Snowplow71;862229 said:


> Was just going threw this topic (for the 4th time..) and thought, since you hooked the '92, to the 2000's plow, why couldn't you put the 11ft Boss on the 2000? For the little snow falls, I'd bet you would love the extra coverage. Just and idea Alaska...


cuz as south park put it {I do what I want}


----------



## 91AK250

i think the reason he got the 8'2" was because the 9'2" was getting pretty tired, correct me if i'm wrong?


----------



## Banksy

Who do you call if you have a break down out there in never never land? I don't ever see another truck with you in your pics.


----------



## loggerman

Banksy;862538 said:


> Who do you call if you have a break down out there in never never land? I don't ever see another truck with you in your pics.


Who you gonna call! Ghost busters!:laughing:


----------



## WeDoSnowplowing

Banksy;862538 said:


> Who do you call if you have a break down out there in never never land? I don't ever see another truck with you in your pics.


 Never Never land normal does not have cell service.


----------



## prostk2

Great pics Alaska Boss!!
Nice looking trucks for older plow trucks!!
Good luck and hopefully everyone on here can have some pics of our equipment being used to plow


----------



## Banksy

WeDoSnowplowing;862747 said:


> Never Never land normal does not have cell service.


Ah, good point.


----------



## Mark13

Banksy;862538 said:


> Who do you call if you have a break down out there in never never land?


He get's out his telegraph machine and starts tappin'


----------



## revtoyota

haahaa... Naw up here we have those fancy things called cell phones.


----------



## sven_502

Banksy;862538 said:


> Who do you call if you have a break down out there in never never land? I don't ever see another truck with you in your pics.


I think that's why he drives chevy's, because he hasn't had that problem.

AK boss, I noticed you said you replaced the clutch in your older truck, are all of them stick shift? What about engines? Do you have a thread where you've got all that posted, or an info thread on your preparing the 2000 truck? Awesome pics.


----------



## Mark13

sven_502;862816 said:


> AK boss, I noticed you said you replaced the clutch in your older truck, are all of them stick shift? What about engines? Do you have a thread where you've got all that posted, or an info thread on your preparing the 2000 truck? Awesome pics.


I believe they are all 5.7 (350ci) small blocks with nv4500 transmissions (manual 5spd)


----------



## sven_502

Mark13;862844 said:


> I believe they are all 5.7 (350ci) small blocks with nv4500 transmissions (manual 5spd)


Thanks mark, but I found the thread of where he purchased his new 2000, and have been too mesmerized to mention in this thread that I found it lol. Man I miss 5 speed.


----------



## Alaska Boss

ALC-GregH;861251 said:


> Is the grassy area the airplane field you keep cleared? Great pics as always. I tell ya, I really look forward to viewing the pics you post. thanks for taking the time to post them for us guys that never see snow like that.





albhb3;861438 said:


> are those last pics from the airport you did last year? how fast can you go down that strip anyway


Sorry for not answering all the questions for a day or two, but I've been burning the candle at both ends the last couple days,... plowing my butt off,... but I quit tonight at midnight, cause if I don't get a couple hours sleep tonight, I'm gonna crash somewhere,...

Yep, that's the private airstrip job that I got last winter from our local aircraft rebuilder business. He was so happy with the results of how I plowed it out for them last year, he called me this fall, before any snow flew,... just to make sure that I'd do it for him again this winter. And he called me again this afternoon to do it again.... it's a great job,... fast, (2nd gear, 15+ mph, much faster than that, and too much snow flies into the windshield), and it's all grass,.. doesn't even scratch the cutting edges,... payup


----------



## Alaska Boss

kcress31;861322 said:


> ALASKA BOSS QUOTE "Since I had a bunch of vehicles to deal with now, I didn't stop & take too many pictures,... I needed to be done before the school buses got there and dumped out all the kids,... it's amazing how when they see a new snow pile, they can't resist having to run over there & climb up on top of it,... even when I'm still pushing into it,... "
> 
> Great thread. I'm jumping in kind of late. We do two large schools here and they don't allow us on the property after 7 am. Also we can't pile any snow where the kids have access. I guess they don't want any injuries from kids falling off the huge piles. We have had 3 - 4 snow events here so far but only one with about 6-8 inches. It is all gone now. Keep up the pics.


Haha,... that's really weird how rules are different in different areas,... I've actually had teachers ask me if it would be possible to push up big piles for the kids to play on !! After the piles have had a chance to set up over-night, the kids burrow into them like a bunch of gophers, and I've seen where they make a slide that turns up at the bottom to make a small ski jump,... and once the kids & the teacher tried to carve the whole pile into something,.. never could tell what it was tho... haha


----------



## Alaska Boss

04f350powerv-xt;861409 said:


> Hey Alaska Boss, the lights you are running on your plows are they still the "cheap" HID's you got off ebay? How long have you had them and how are they holding up? Thanks.


Yep,still using them, and they wrok great, but the new plow has just the stock halogen in them. Once you get used to the "whiteness" of HID, a halogen almost seems like just a bright parking lamp or turn signal,...


----------



## Alaska Boss

Snowplow71;862229 said:


> Was just going threw this topic (for the 4th time..) and thought, since you hooked the '92, to the 2000's plow, why couldn't you put the 11ft Boss on the 2000? For the little snow falls, I'd bet you would love the extra coverage. Just and idea Alaska...





albhb3;862292 said:


> cuz as south park put it {I do what I want}





91AK250;862327 said:


> i think the reason he got the 8'2" was because the 9'2" was getting pretty tired, correct me if i'm wrong?


Yep, the 9.2 is sooo wore out,... every pin, bushing, etc is crooked & egg-shaped, cracks all over the place, etc,... I'd sure like to see the mountain of snow that plow has moved in the last 6 years. It's gonna take a lot of work to get that plow tight again, but maybe later on when it's -58° below zero, that will be a project I can work on. but for sure, I could & would put it on the new truck too,...


----------



## Alaska Boss

Banksy;862538 said:


> Who do you call if you have a break down out there in never never land? I don't ever see another truck with you in your pics.





WeDoSnowplowing;862747 said:


> Never Never land normal does not have cell service.


Actually, we have cell phone coverage in most places around here now,.. but there are some stretches of highway that are dead. I can only remember one time that I had to call a buddy to give me a pull.... & that was only because I didn't have my chains with me at the time,... I had kinda slid off into the ditch, with solid ice on the road,... and I just couldn't get myself out,... all other breakdowns I always was able to get home on my own,.... 



sven_502;862816 said:


> I think that's why he drives chevy's, because he hasn't had that problem.
> 
> AK boss, I noticed you said you replaced the clutch in your older truck, are all of them stick shift? What about engines? Do you have a thread where you've got all that posted, or an info thread on your preparing the 2000 truck? Awesome pics.





Mark13;862844 said:


> I believe they are all 5.7 (350ci) small blocks with nv4500 transmissions (manual 5spd)


The only Chevy auto transmission I have had is the TH 400 in the '90 dually I have right now. I had one 4.3 V-6, otherwise all the others have been 5-speeds & 350's, like Mark said. The 5.7/5-speed has proven itself to me to be a combo that will out-live the truck,.. even for plowing, & so at this point, I have little interest in taking the risk to see if some other combo will last as long. wesport


----------



## Alaska Boss

Well, our snowfall on the ground at this point is somewhere between 15 inches & close to 2 feet, depending on where you're at. I've plowed steady now for 4 days, and still have as many jobs left to do as I did 3 days ago. It pretty much snowed steady, with occ let-ups for over 2 days,... so, altho it was late, when the snow came, it came. I've used the '92 Chevy with the new Boss 8.2 for the last 3 days (and it's virtually paid for already,... payup), and the '92 has had a "Bret Favre" attitude the whole time,... "retirement,.. no way!! I can still play! "


----------



## Alaska Boss

It's been below zero for most of this time (-27° yesterday morning) which generally makes for small flakes and more dense snow, but it still plows easy,... wesport


----------



## Alaska Boss

During the heaviest snowfalls, the temps would go up to about +10°, which made it seem almost warm out,.... but already in some of my narrow lanes, a V-blade would be the tool of choice to bust into with the least amount of effort....


----------



## Alaska Boss

Working around buildings, one is always extra careful to not bump the joystick in the wrong way,... and have to buy your neighbor a new garage door,....


----------



## Alaska Boss

Just non-stop plowing open driveways,... prsport


----------



## Alaska Boss

Not too many hours of daylight around here this time of year,... most plowing is done in the dark...


----------



## Alaska Boss

At least there will be well-defined snow banks now for the next dump,....


----------



## Alaska Boss

Gotta make everything as wide as possible the first time,.. because once these banks set up, they'll be a lot tougher to move again,....


----------



## Alaska Boss

I already have piles as high as the truck, and windrows taller the the plow,... and the snow is supposed to be over now for a few days,... so maybe I can finally catch up,... and get a normal night's sleep one or twice before next May,... :waving:


----------



## grandview

My computer screen is icing up looking at those pictures.

How about a thermometer shot when it below zero.


----------



## Brucester1

my wife just told me im nuts 4 looking at pic 's of some 1 plowing snow


----------



## AC2717

I get that comment everyday, especially in June


----------



## AC2717

Stop rubbing all the fun in our faces


----------



## FEFMedia

Funny.. I noticed something in all these pictures.. your always using the correct tool for the job.. correct plow setup for each place you go too. No wonder your stuff lasts so long 

I know people trying to fit a 9 foot blade through a walgreens drive through around here.. doeswork very well thats for sure.

Keep them coming. Now I have my wife looking at these pictures since she used to live in Alaska when she was a kid!


----------



## Lux Lawn

Looks like another good round of snow for you.
Like you said its always cold so your snow is always fluffy, wish we had it that way.


----------



## GatorDL55

Alaska Boss;862942 said:


> Well, our snowfall on the ground at this point is somewhere between 15 inches & close to 2 feet, depending on where you're at. I've plowed steady now for 4 days, and still have as many jobs left to do as I did 3 days ago. It pretty much snowed steady, with occ let-ups for over 2 days,... so, altho it was late, when the snow came, it came. I've used the '92 Chevy with the new Boss 8.2 for the last 3 days (and it's virtually paid for already,... payup), and the '92 has had a "Bret Favre" attitude the whole time,... "retirement,.. no way!! I can still play! "


I got a nice chuckle of out the favre comment.....http://www.plowsite.com/images/smilies/laughing.gif


----------



## RepoMan207

I'm just jealous as all h*ll man.


----------



## 91AK250

i'm jealous also, it hasnt snowed since the first decent amount. now its cold for us ofcourse. it was around -5 this morning suppoed to be -10 to -20 tonight.

i'm sure glad my dads letting me use the garage, i just have to pull his truck in when i leave lol

looks like fun i cant wait to plow some decent stuff too! the ol '92 still looks like one hell of a plowing machine


----------



## WeDoSnowplowing

Broadview Hts, OH, How far is that from Newton Fall OH 44444 my dad lives there.


----------



## WeDoSnowplowing

No snow here. No snow in the weather forcast Temps in upper 50s.


----------



## firelwn82

I hate you Alaska Boss......... :laughing: Why can't we be able to play in the snow too???? :crying:


----------



## NBI Lawn

I think you have gotten more snow so far this year than we did in MN all last year. I dont think I have ever seen anyone that NEEDED a V plow until now


----------



## sn95vert

Can't wait for the snow to fall..


----------



## Alaska Boss

FEFMedia;863164 said:


> Funny.. I noticed something in all these pictures.. your always using the correct tool for the job.. correct plow setup for each place you go too. No wonder your stuff lasts so long
> 
> I know people trying to fit a 9 foot blade through a walgreens drive through around here.. doeswork very well thats for sure.
> 
> Keep them coming. Now I have my wife looking at these pictures since she used to live in Alaska when she was a kid!


No kidding,.. where/when did she live here?

Well, 6 straight & long days of steady plowing, and I've still got at least 2 more days to go before I have everyone done & caught up. Yesterday morning it was -29°,... and the 'ole '92 just fired right up like it was sitting in the shop all night,... that truck must be jealous that I have adopted a new one into the family now, and it's like it's trying to show me that it's still worthy of being the alpha truck in the pack. That thing has sure been a great plow truck! In any case, the new 8.2 Boss plow is more than paid for now, and if things keep going like this, the new truck will be in the black before Christmas. So,... because it was so cold yesterday, I didn't take too many pictures,... plus the truck was putting out a lot of steam from the fine snow getting into the grill/radiator,... it looks like I have flame-throwing headlights on the plow now,...


----------



## Alaska Boss

That truck has a really good heater in it too,... even when it's close to -30° below, I still usually plow with the window rolled down,.. plus it helps keep me awake too....


----------



## Alaska Boss

Snow seems to stick to the plow more when it gets colder too,... I wonder how FF would work at -30° or colder??


----------



## WeDoSnowplowing

Thank You for giviong us some history Life in Alaska. How long are the winters there? 11-18-2009 Still wait for snow. LOL temps in the low 40s today been in lower 50s. Last year we had snow with school closings.


----------



## JR Snow Removal

So jealous right know!


----------



## Alaska Boss

WeDoSnowplowing;865889 said:


> Thank You for giviong us some history Life in Alaska. How long are the winters there? 11-18-2009 Still wait for snow. LOL temps in the low 40s today been in lower 50s. Last year we had snow with school closings.


Well, I've plowed in September already, and also into May,... but my normal season runs October thru April. Schools never close around here for snow, no matter how much we'd get,.. altho they do close when temps hit -50° or colder. When I was a kid, I remember some winters we'd miss a couple weeks of school due to the cold, but that seems to not be the case much anymore,... and some years it never even gets that cold at all... :waving:


----------



## Alaska Boss

After it got light out, I turned off the flame-throwers & just turned on the regular lights,...


----------



## WeDoSnowplowing

Alaska Boss;865902 said:


> Well, I've plowed in September already, and also into May,... but my normal season runs October thru April. Schools never close around here for snow, no matter how much we'd get,.. altho they do close when temps hit -50° or colder. When I was a kid, I remember some winters we'd miss a couple weeks of school due to the cold, but that seems to not be the case much anymore,... and some years it never even gets that cold at all... :waving:


Thank You for getting back to me.


----------



## Alaska Boss

Later in the day in warmed up to around -10°


----------



## Alaska Boss

More private drives to open up all day long,...


----------



## T-MAN

Hi AB great thread as always. Thanks for the awesome read and the ability to live and plow vicariously in Alaska for a bit ! :salute: 

When you plow at the school what sort of time savings does the 9.2 have over the 8.2 V ? How about the speed wing ?
When does the steel start getting set ? Fur is prime now here in IL.


----------



## fisher guy

why is the front of the plow brown? great pics by the way


----------



## Alaska Boss

It turned into a beautiful day yesterday once the sun came up....


----------



## Alaska Boss

T-MAN;865918 said:


> Hi AB great thread as always. Thanks for the awesome read and the ability to live and plow vicariously in Alaska for a bit !
> 
> When you plow at the school what sort of time savings does the 9.2 have over the 8.2 V ? How about the speed wing ?
> When does the steel start getting set ? Fur is prime now here in IL.


I don't know how much time the 9.2 would save over the 8.2,... the wings are the biggest factor,... an 8.2 w/wings would be faster than a 9.2 without. The Speedwing is faster than the either of the V's without the wings. But the 9.2 w/wings would be fastest of all when the snow amounts are 6" or less.

The steel is going out as soon as I can get this plowing done,... this is the first time in my life I think that I've gone this far into the winter and having got anything set yet. I've seen a few fox, coyotes, lynx, etc, crossing the road, plus lots of tracks on people's driveways,... and it's driving me crazy !!! :salute:



fisher guy;865920 said:


> why is the front of the plow brown? great pics by the way


Thanks,... the front of the plow has this brown-colored icy coating on it, but I don't know why that's happening. It feels slippery, yet the snow seems to stick to it worse than normal. I'm scraping most drives down close to dirt,... so it has to be something from that,... but it does look weird!

Well, it's after 6am, so I better hit the road,... another long day of plowing ahead,... the temp right now is only -16°,... so it must have clouded up some overnight again,... maybe that means more snow is coming,....  :waving:


----------



## AC2717

this is killing me possibkly in the black before Christmas, Yeah have to wait till end of March around here to see if that will happen 

Man I would love to be up there with you, Congrats on Being the One man operation in all that! It truely is a full time job


----------



## revtoyota

The winter season up here usually starts around mid October and usually ends mid May. and that stays the same for most of the state Barrow, Nome, Dutch harbor, Fairbanks.


----------



## asps4u

Great thread as usual AB! I love all the pics you take and the fact that you choose to share them with us. And that landscape that you get to live / plow in is unbelievable! Have a great season. :salute:


----------



## WeDoSnowplowing

Alaska Boss;865913 said:


> Later in the day in warmed up to around -10°


Talking about C or F deg.? On that -10


----------



## revtoyota

thinking it would be F since we are in the usa


----------



## DareDog

oh so whats why most pics the windows down...


----------



## sjosephlawncare

hey AB, great thread as normal!!!!! I wanted to ask what oil do you run in your boss plows? just wondering if the cold had any effect on the factory boss oil?


----------



## Lux Lawn

Seems like you have had alot of snow so far this season, whats your yearly average up there?


----------



## F350plowing

this is making me want to go push dirt around or something


----------



## grnstripes

we are finally ready send some my way AB


----------



## 09dieselguy

Snowplow71;859949 said:


> AK Boss, on your first picture of your above post with the snow falling on the blizzard, looks like your missing the driverside HID or whatever light? Or maybe its covered with a giant snowflake! haha. Looks great, whens the new Boss coming?


i saw that to. good eye.


----------



## T-MAN

sjosephlawncare;866468 said:


> hey AB, great thread as normal!!!!! I wanted to ask what oil do you run in your boss plows? just wondering if the cold had any effect on the factory boss oil?


I was thinking the same ??? Amsoil maybe ?


----------



## RepoMan207

AB, Do you need a new sub? I'm thinking I should move over to your neck of the woods Sept. to April, then come back here May to Aug. to my professional beach bum job, what do ya say!!??


----------



## Mark13

Alaska Boss;865884 said:


> That truck has a really good heater in it too,...


You've got that right, the heaters in these obs chevy's work to good. I've never found a reason to need full speed on the fan and full heat, it's like being in an oven. No fan and the dial set right between hot and cold is good for around here if your just driving around in the winter.


----------



## Alaska Boss

WeDoSnowplowing;866142 said:


> Talking about C or F deg.? On that -10


All the temps I give are in F, unless I give the Celsius parallel. -10° F is approx -23° C (as best as I can read my thermometer)



sjosephlawncare;866468 said:


> hey AB, great thread as normal!!!!! I wanted to ask what oil do you run in your boss plows? just wondering if the cold had any effect on the factory boss oil?





T-MAN;866902 said:


> I was thinking the same ??? Amsoil maybe ?


I switch all my plows over to a high-grade arctic aircraft hydraulic fluid (MIL-PRF-5606 or equivalent). I don't know that it's any better than the factory Boss fluid, but when you buy it by the 5 gallon bucket, it's cheaper, at least around here. It's a deep red color, so you can see right away if you have any leaks anywhere, and it's supposed to stay fluid to within aircraft regulations down to -65°. (If it gets that cold, I'm gonna do like Grandview & stay home & play Pac-man on the TV video games anyway. ) I don't think Amsoil makes a direct-replacement hydraulic oil for this application,... it may be too small of a market base for them to bother with, I don't know.



RepoMan207;866933 said:


> AB, Do you need a new sub? I'm thinking I should move over to your neck of the woods Sept. to April, then come back here May to Aug. to my professional beach bum job, what do ya say!!??


Boy, I'll tell ya, I sure could have used some help this past week! Normally, I can keep up ok in my community here, but when the first dump of the season on everyone is 1½ to 2 feet, and everyone needs to be cleaned out at the same time, it's overwhelming,.... but then again, people around here all understand that, and are ok with it if they have to wait a few days before I can get to them,... it's just part of life living around here. Most are just very thank-ful that at least there's someone around here who can/will even do it, because for many years, everyone was on their own to keep their access open all winter.


----------



## Alaska Boss

Well, today started out at about -16°, and only got colder all day I think,.. it was -26° when I got back home before. 7 hard, long days (16-18 hours) of steady plowing, with at least one more to go,... with temps below zero almost the whole time,... the truck & plow needs to sit in a hot-tub for a day or two after this & thaw out,... the truck especially is just packed with ice everywhere,... but just keeps working all day without complaining,..


----------



## Alaska Boss

Again, today was spent opening up people's driveways,... I guess I need to come up with some different type shots,... after all, how many pictures of the same truck doing the same thing day after day can a person take??


----------



## Alaska Boss

I did have one lady tonight ask me if I could make a pile for her kids to play on in their yard, (this was the 3rd request like this, this week), so I did. Hopefully, tomorrow I can get everyone done, and get the new truck ready to go for the next storm,... :waving::waving:


----------



## WeDoSnowplowing

Good Morning Alaska Boss Hows your day look? It is 44 F Deg. & rainy. It is now 7:42 AM my time. My one son ask me whats the time differeance?


----------



## Mark Oomkes

Alaska Boss;867041 said:


> Again, today was spent opening up people's driveways,... I guess I need to come up with some different type shots,... after all, how many pictures of the same truck doing the same thing day after day can a person take??


Hundreds if not thousands.  



Alaska Boss;867048 said:


> I did have one lady tonight ask me if I could make a pile for her kids to play on in their yard, (this was the 3rd request like this, this week), so I did. Hopefully, tomorrow I can get everyone done, and get the new truck ready to go for the next storm,...


Wait, I thought you can't stack with a direct lift?


----------



## revtoyota

When I was still in Kenai alot of the plow guys up there use the same arctic aircraft hydraulic fluid as AB. or just switch it over to dex 3.


----------



## Alaska Boss

WeDoSnowplowing;867112 said:


> Good Morning Alaska Boss Hows your day look? It is 44 F Deg. & rainy. It is now 7:42 AM my time. My one son ask me whats the time differeance?


Well, when I got up this morning, it was around -36° F,... the truck fired right up,... but after plowing out one place, I decided to make a few calls and told the folks I'd like to wait for a day or two when it warms back up a little,... since none of my jobs that I have left are urgent, or need to be done right now,... so today I'm going to stay home & work on the new truck. There's a 4 hour difference between you & me,... it was 3:42 AM here when you wrote this,...  :waving:


----------



## Mark Oomkes

OK, -36* _IS_ cold.

I'd definitely break out the long undies for that.


----------



## 04superduty

Mark Oomkes;867578 said:


> OK, -36* _IS_ cold.
> 
> I'd definitely break out the long undies for that.


would you still have on your wooden shoes, or winter boots.


----------



## Steve'sZr2

Alaska Boss;867041 said:


> Again, today was spent opening up people's driveways,... I guess I need to come up with some different type shots,... after all, how many pictures of the same truck doing the same thing day after day can a person take??


guess the only thing left for you to do, would be to post lots of videos to counter balance all the pictures. Only rational option in my honest opinion. 

....right?


----------



## F350plowing

Steve'sZr2;868577 said:


> guess the only thing left for you to do, would be to post lots of videos to counter balance all the pictures. Only rational option in my honest opinion.
> 
> ....right?


videos are always good


----------



## GatorDL55

WeDoSnowplowing;864300 said:


> Broadview Hts, OH, How far is that from Newton Fall OH 44444 my dad lives there.


It's about 40 miles east of me. I'm about 10-15 minutes south of cleveland


----------



## Alaska Boss

Steve'sZr2;868577 said:


> guess the only thing left for you to do, would be to post lots of videos to counter balance all the pictures. Only rational option in my honest opinion.
> 
> ....right?





F350plowing;868961 said:


> videos are always good


I have thought about making videos, but to make good ones I would need another person to do it,.... plus I'm not sure how to load them onto this site either, but someone could tell me I'm sure,... maybe later this winter I'll try it,.. 

It was -38° F this morning, but by 1am, it had warmed up to -18°, so I decided I should go plow a few more places, as I had built up another dozen or so jobs in the past 24 hours. It's funny how -18° already feels kinda warm, when just 6 hours earlier, it was almost -40°,... :yow!:


----------



## Alaska Boss

Diving off the highway, busting thru the berms along the shoulders is where a V-blade just works really well....


----------



## RepoMan207

-40...god forbid if you break down out there. How do you prepare for that anyway? It's not like a blanket is going to suffice is it?


----------



## Alaska Boss

Unpacked snow is so much easier to move, but this cold weather turns the berms pretty hard after they set up,...


----------



## RepoMan207

Awesome pics AB, the wife makes me forward them to her at work every time you post them.


----------



## Alaska Boss

RepoMan207;869844 said:


> -40...god forbid if you break down out there. How do you prepare for that anyway? It's not like a blanket is going to suffice is it?


I always have warm enough clothes with me so if the truck would quit, I wouldn't freeze, and I always carry a large assortment of tools & parts, including a full oil change, so I can deal with most things, and that includes jacks & a winch if I get stuck. But also, there is cellphone coverage in most areas here now, so I could usually call someone if I needed to,... but generally if it gets that cold or colder, I usually don't go out to plow,... sometimes I have to, but most folks aren't going anywhere either, so we all just wait for things to warm up alittle...


----------



## Alaska Boss

Didn't get to plow much during the short daylight hours today,... but that's ok, sometimes the shadows of things hidden in the snow are easier to see at night anyway,...


----------



## Alaska Boss

It's weird how different settings on different cameras make the plow lights look like fireballs,... well,.. we'll see what tomorrow brings,... :waving:


----------



## Burkartsplow

Looks Good, Cant wait to see the new truck all outfitted. Get some rest.


----------



## GatorDL55

RepoMan207;869844 said:


> -40...god forbid if you break down out there. How do you prepare for that anyway? It's not like a blanket is going to suffice is it?


Did you wake up at 4am to post this or did you not go to bed yet?


----------



## GatorDL55

Alaska Boss;869841 said:


> It was -38° F this morning, but by 1am, it had warmed up to -18°, so I decided I should go plow a few more places, as I had built up another dozen or so jobs in the past 24 hours. It's funny how -18° already feels kinda warm, when just 6 hours earlier, it was almost -40°,... :yow!:


This question is off topic from plowing - Do you have to really insulate your house in this kind of extreme cold? What do you use to heat your home (oil, gas, wood)? I know that i wouldn't want to be the one that pays the utilities!:yow!:


----------



## DareDog

AB,

to put videos on here you have to put them on a hosting site ( ex. youtube )


----------



## tls22

This is the best thread ever. AB i use photobucket then upload it here using the html code....you also can make a long video if you upload it off a web site of your...such as a domain name you own. BNC and stroker do that......youtube is to public for me.


----------



## albhb3

after today i truely hate you 55+ hours this week on fall cleanups my ankles are killin me and its almost sunday:realmad::crying:


----------



## GMC Sierra

AB- IF GM does not get you and that TRUCK into a commercial or some type of advertisement, shame on them. You could have a GM reality show, THEY WOULD SELL MORE TRUCKS for sure! I went out and washed my 1997 GMC K 1500 knowing that somewhere on my truck is some similar DNA as your 1992 (at least a little bit?). That truck rocks and is the Alpha dog! To work a truck in those conditions (-30- to -50F) for the long periods of time you plow (14-16 hrs) along with the service life of your trucks (250K+) is a testament to GM truck engineering and durability as well as a solid operator. Additionally, to virtually wear-out a plow..... and the truck has not given you any major issues is amazing. GM....call this guy and start your recovery!


----------



## kbsnow

I know you stated yiou use aircraft hydraulic fluid for the plow, how about the oil/differential/trans fluids? Synthetics I'm sure, but what brand? I use Mobile 1.


----------



## Alaska Boss

GatorDL55;870001 said:


> Did you wake up at 4am to post this or did you not go to bed yet?


Well, it was 1AM here when I posted that,.. and I had just gotten home a short time before that. I like plowing in the middle of the night,... no traffic, no one calling & wanting to talk about fishing while I'm trying to plow, etc lol. I try & save all the places that don't have people to disturb for late at night,... that way if I can stay awake myself, I can get the most done in a day,... but it eventually catches up to ya,... 



GatorDL55;870006 said:


> This question is off topic from plowing - Do you have to really insulate your house in this kind of extreme cold? What do you use to heat your home (oil, gas, wood)? I know that i wouldn't want to be the one that pays the utilities!:yow!:


When I built my log house, I built it using the "scribe-fit" method. Each log is custom cut to fit perfectly to the one below it, so if done carefully & accurately, it looks like they are melted together, and this results in a very tight & warm home. Plus, big logs have a strong "heat-sink" feature to them, that actually radiates heat out from them that a frame-built house doesn't really have. I heat with a very efficient oil heater (Monitor), and it keeps this place toasty warm no problem, even at -60°. My average heating bill is around $120-$150/month for my house & shop. When I was a kid, we burned wood, and almost every house that burns down around here is because of wood stoves/stove pipes getting out of control. Plus, wood stoves make your house a lot more dirty, with smoke, etc that comes out every time you open it. Plus, you can't let your wood fire go out, especially if you have indoor plumbing, so if you want to leave for a few days, you have to get someone to keep coming over & tending your fire. Growing up here, we didn't have electricity, telephone, running water, nothing, until I was a senior in high school,... and living like that is nice in some ways, but you basically spend spring, summer & fall getting ready & preparing to try & survive winter.



DareDog;870046 said:


> AB,
> 
> to put videos on here you have to put them on a hosting site ( ex. youtube )





tls22;870067 said:


> This is the best thread ever. AB i use photobucket then upload it here using the html code....you also can make a long video if you upload it off a web site of your...such as a domain name you own. BNC and stroker do that......youtube is to public for me.


Maybe later on I'll try & get someone to take some video and try that,.... :salute:



kbsnow;870790 said:


> I know you stated yiou use aircraft hydraulic fluid for the plow, how about the oil/differential/trans fluids? Synthetics I'm sure, but what brand? I use Mobile 1.


Everything I own has Amsoil in it, from front to back. Back in the 80's I used to run my snowmachines until I blew the engines up, then use the machine for parts. I tried every oil on the market, and when I switched to Amsoil, I ran my machines until I just couldn't keep them wired & taped together anymore (more than 20,000 miles), and then I'd have a good spare engine. After I had several spare engines laying around, I quit experimenting with oils, and became a lifetime Amsoil dealer, mainly so I could get it at cost. Even if there was a better oil out there, it wouldn't do ya any good if the oil is outlasting the machine/equipment now already. Over the last few decades, this has proven itself to me over & over so many times, that it's not something I even think about anymore,... not to mention the huge difference in running/starting stuff in extreme cold, etc.


----------



## Alaska Boss

GMC Sierra;870694 said:


> AB- IF GM does not get you and that TRUCK into a commercial or some type of advertisement, shame on them. You could have a GM reality show, THEY WOULD SELL MORE TRUCKS for sure! I went out and washed my 1997 GMC K 1500 knowing that somewhere on my truck is some similar DNA as your 1992 (at least a little bit?). That truck rocks and is the Alpha dog! To work a truck in those conditions (-30- to -50F) for the long periods of time you plow (14-16 hrs) along with the service life of your trucks (250K+) is a testament to GM truck engineering and durability as well as a solid operator. Additionally, to virtually wear-out a plow..... and the truck has not given you any major issues is amazing. GM....call this guy and start your recovery!


Haha,... well, thanks,... but this truck really has been a great plowing machine. It's paid for itself umpteen times over, and it still even has the original starter,.. at least I haven't changed it. (I bought this truck with approx 145,000 miles on it, now it's 294,000). I did the change the clutch, but the clutch was still ok,... it was the shifting fork that was wore out. It's getting kinda beat-up looking now,.. especially since a kid ran his 4-wheeler into it a year or two ago. It'll be a sad day for me when I park it for the last time,... :crying:


----------



## Alaska Boss

Still keep getting a couple calls every day,.... so at least it easy now to keep up,... but just plowed after dark today,...


----------



## WeDoSnowplowing

Alaska Boss;870963 said:


> Still keep getting a couple calls every day,.... so at least it easy now to keep up,... but just plowed after dark today,...


12:17 my time. Pass some that snow to far far far east to PA. U.S.A. :laughing: Well no snow I can get bugs out the plow. So I be ready when it comes.


----------



## Alaska Boss

It was only -8° this afternoon about 4PM when I took off, so it's like a heat wave around here now! prsport


----------



## Alaska Boss

The snow has settled a couple inches from last week now, I think, but it's also a little more dense as the air works itself out of it,...


----------



## Alaska Boss

Another storm system forming out in the Gulf of Alaska again,... so we might get more this coming week.... maybe I'll have a maroon-colored truck to try out next,... :waving:


----------



## 91AK250

looking good as allways, we're still sitting with no new snow  luckly its warming up here..finally above 0 haha actualy hit 16* today which feels nice i must say! nothing compared to your temps ofcourse but the -10 to -20 was getting to me. i'd rather wait till jan/feb for those kind of temps.

hope we get some snow out of this system also, but idk if it'll happen


----------



## RepoMan207

Talk about paradise AB. I would opt for a week in your neck of the Woods rather then some place tropical.....& I hate the cold!


----------



## Alaska Boss

RepoMan207;870990 said:


> Talk about paradise AB. I would opt for a week in your neck of the Woods rather then some place tropical.....& I hate the cold!


Well,... this is my definition of paradise as well.... :salute:


----------



## Alaska Boss

................. :waving:


----------



## revtoyota

GatorDL55;870006 said:


> This question is off topic from plowing - Do you have to really insulate your house in this kind of extreme cold? What do you use to heat your home (oil, gas, wood)? I know that i wouldn't want to be the one that pays the utilities!:yow!:


its really no more insulation then a house in washington. As fat as heating fuel, natural gas, wood ,propane, fuel oil, hot springs. In my place I have a fuel oil boiler and I might go through 10 gallons in a month. Its really not that bad when its that cold out. IT is kinda cool when you can go out with a hot cup of cofffee and through it in the air and hear it freeze and crack mid air.


----------



## Blizzard1988

what town do you live in up there?


----------



## sven_502

AK boss, one thing I wanted to ask you was that in your pics, I notice you run no tailgate, and im not seeing anything in the back. Surely you have ballast back there, I just dont see it. What do you do with your torsion bars? Just crank them up a bit? Or do you put the diesel weight ones in? You have pretty heavy plows so I was wondering.


----------



## DareDog

he usually has a sled in the back (from last yr pics)


----------



## Alaska Boss

Blizzard1988;871367 said:


> what town do you live in up there?


I don't live in a town,... I don't even live along a road,... my place is almost a mile back in off the highway, but I live between the towns of Glennallen & Valdez. It's perfect,... total peace & quiet, no traffic noise at all,... just the sound of a creek that runs thru my property right behind my house, that has king salmon, red salmon, Dolly Varden trout and grayling in it.



sven_502;871462 said:


> AK boss, one thing I wanted to ask you was that in your pics, I notice you run no tailgate, and im not seeing anything in the back. Surely you have ballast back there, I just dont see it. What do you do with your torsion bars? Just crank them up a bit? Or do you put the diesel weight ones in? You have pretty heavy plows so I was wondering.


I almost never have the tailgates on my trucks during the winter unless I need them to haul something. Not only is visibilty much better without it on, they just get all beat up when loading & unloading sleds all winter anyway. I have some custom-cut grader blades in there right now, but more times than not, I just throw a snowmachine in the back, since I'm using them all the time too. Plus, then I have a back-up means of getting home if I drop the truck into some hole or ditch that I can't get out of, and can't call anyone. I put timbrens on, and cranked the T-bars about 3 times I think, but they're whatever came stock on this truck,... but I think they are getting softer now after all this time,...


----------



## Alaska Boss

Well, I finally got all my plow jobs caught up & done today,... 11 straight days of plowing, probably close to 100 jobs,... a great shot in the arm to start the season off,... only thing that happened is I broke a return spring on the new Boss 8.2,... and had to add some air to the left-rear tire on the truck,... can't get too much more trouble-free than that,...


----------



## Alaska Boss

Now if the next storm will hold off for a few more days, maybe I can get a deflector put on, get the brackets done so I can use my wings on this new plow,... and maybe get a chance to refurbish the 9.2...


----------



## Alaska Boss

...... and hopefully, if nothing much happens this coming week,... try out a different colored truck to push snow with,... :waving::waving:


----------



## fisher guy

uh oh sounds like this thread is gonna get interesting with the coming of a new truck cant wait


----------



## firelwn82

Alaska Boss;871021 said:


> Well,... this is my definition of paradise as well.... :salute:


These photos are absolutely AWESOME. I have wanted to move to Alaska all of my short life 27 years old. Hopefully some day I will be able to take a long long like month vacation there. People say the U.P. of Michigan can be compared but I have been there many times and the pictures I have are nothing like those.....  How sweet would that be to see that everyday???


----------



## revtoyota

firelwn82;872729 said:


> These photos are absolutely AWESOME. I have wanted to move to Alaska all of my short life 27 years old. Hopefully some day I will be able to take a long long like month vacation there. People say the U.P. of Michigan can be compared but I have been there many times and the pictures I have are nothing like those.....  How sweet would that be to see that everyday???


Yeah I can tell you that Michigan is nothing like up here. As for the Vacation I think you would have a blast. All sort of things to do up here.


----------



## mike psd

ak boss the pic on this page , man thats one narrow driveway not to much room for more snow . is most of your roads like that ? looks like some of the other pics roads are fairly wide for plenty of room for snow


----------



## thesnowman269

the anticipation of the new truck is killing me and its not even my truck! i ust get to look at the pictures.


----------



## F350plowing

Great pictures cant wait to see more!!


----------



## SuperdutyShane

Wow! Alaska is really such a beautiful state!

Trucks look good too.
Cant wait to see the new truck pushing some snow.


----------



## BoyneCityGuy

I'm pretty new to the thread but all your snow, and your trucks, and AK in general is making me drool...you have the life man...good luck this season and lets see the new truck with plow on pushin some snow!!


----------



## tyler_mott85

I wish I didn't live in Kansas.  And I'm not even in the "wintry" parts of Kansas in the north or west. I'm south central. We're right on the line of the snow to the north and ice to the south. Its very hard to convince yourself to spend thousands on a snow plow to "maybe" use it half a dozen events a year if you're lucky. I enjoy plowing but looking at your photos not only makes me really realize how poor the snow removal business is around here, but also makes me realize how poor the scenery is as well. :crying:

Love the pics! Best of luck to all of you lucky sons' of a guns who get enough white stuff to actually MAKE money at snow removal. Not just break even.


----------



## Alaska Boss

mike psd;872753 said:


> ak boss the pic on this page , man thats one narrow driveway not to much room for more snow . is most of your roads like that ? looks like some of the other pics roads are fairly wide for plenty of room for snow


Yep, many of them are,... and it's a real pain in the neck trying to keep places like this open later on in the winter,... on occasion I've told folks that if they don't widen things out, I'm just not going to do it anymore,... and some have. But that's also why I can't put wide mirrors on the trucks, I'd just tear them off, plus radio antennas, etc,.. :realmad:



tyler_mott85;875000 said:


> I wish I didn't live in Kansas. And I'm not even in the "wintry" parts of Kansas in the north or west. I'm south central. We're right on the line of the snow to the north and ice to the south. Its very hard to convince yourself to spend thousands on a snow plow to "maybe" use it half a dozen events a year if you're lucky. I enjoy plowing but looking at your photos not only makes me really realize how poor the snow removal business is around here, but also makes me realize how poor the scenery is as well. :crying:
> 
> Love the pics! Best of luck to all of you lucky sons' of a guns who get enough white stuff to actually MAKE money at snow removal. Not just break even.


Thanks,... yeah, I suppose if I lived where you do, I'd feel the same way. But here, there's snow on the ground for more months than there isn't, so snow is something we all have to deal with here for most of the days that live here. If you like snow (like me), that's good, if you don't like snow,... then this may not be the place you wanna live. But then again, I can't just go outside & pick an apple off the tree either, so there's good & bad things everywhere I guess.... :salute:


----------



## mike psd

even is if used a blower still narrow roads . i have few on them one ripped the plow markers off last winter haha


----------



## WeDoSnowplowing

Love seeing that snow wish it was here


----------



## c.schulz

Keep me posted


----------



## 91AK250

is this storm we're getting hitting you also? they said 1-3" but we allready have that on the ground and the radar looks good.


----------



## Stik208

The 2000 will never be finished that makes me sad. Also, did the new 8'2" come painted that tan color on the front or was that done by you?


----------



## revtoyota

91AK250;876594 said:


> is this storm we're getting hitting you also? they said 1-3" but we allready have that on the ground and the radar looks good.


looks like you have another storm coming up out of the gulf


----------



## F350plowing

Stik208;876814 said:


> The 2000 will never be finished that makes me sad. Also, did the new 8'2" come painted that tan color on the front or was that done by you?


i think he said that was from the dirt because the ground was not frozen yet! i could be wrong but i think that's what he said


----------



## revtoyota

yeah thats just ice dirt


----------



## ken643

I like the wings, very cool! I miss the snow!!


----------



## ken643

Nice Shot!!


----------



## ken643

I like this picture, V plow very cool


----------



## Lux Lawn

How is the new truck doing? Are you using it for everyday plowing of more as a back up, I don't remember seeing any pictures of it plowing.


----------



## WeDoSnowplowing

Alaska Boss;875783 said:


> Yep, many of them are,... and it's a real pain in the neck trying to keep places like this open later on in the winter,... on occasion I've told folks that if they don't widen things out, I'm just not going to do it anymore,... and some have. But that's also why I can't put wide mirrors on the trucks, I'd just tear them off, plus radio antennas, etc,.. :realmad:
> 
> Thanks,... yeah, I suppose if I lived where you do, I'd feel the same way. But here, there's snow on the ground for more months than there isn't, so snow is something we all have to deal with here for most of the days that live here. If you like snow (like me), that's good, if you don't like snow,... then this may not be the place you wanna live. But then again, I can't just go outside & pick an apple off the tree either, so there's good & bad things everywhere I guess.... :salute:


Did those extra snowplow lamps come with it. Or did you add them.


----------



## AGM Inc.

still waiting for the first snow fall of 09 around here


----------



## GatorDL55

Stik208;876814 said:


> The 2000 will never be finished that makes me sad. Also, did the new 8'2" come painted that tan color on the front or was that done by you?


It's just ice with dirt mixed in. I thought the paint wore off the first time i saw it.


----------



## Snowplow71

Lux Lawn;877404 said:


> How is the new truck doing? Are you using it for everyday plowing of more as a back up, I don't remember seeing any pictures of it plowing.


It hasn't pushed any snow yet :salute: Still getting done.


----------



## pheasantfarmer

Alaska Boss, I have really enjoyed looking, reading and learning from your postss and everyone else one here

I have a few friends that live up in Alaska and i have visisted a few times it is such a beatiful state along with it hardships and cold temps

I have one question for you: you have now 3 plow trucks, but you work a lone so do you just have 3 for reliable back ups or do you use certain trucks for certain jobs?????

Have a great year and good luck with setting steel trapping is so rewarding!


----------



## Alaska Boss

91AK250;876594 said:


> is this storm we're getting hitting you also? they said 1-3" but we allready have that on the ground and the radar looks good.


I was in town for a couple days myself,... for Thanksgiving, and Peter's Creek got maybe 2-3", and I just got home tonight about midnight,... and not a flake here,... that storm front stayed too close to the coast & moved west, and hit Anchorage it appears. It was kinda cool seeing all the city boys out scraping everything,... but I'll take my trails thru the woods where I'm by myself, and don't have the stress of all the things to hit (and people hitting you) that one has in the cities,... there seems to be a lot of Boss V's & Blizzards around Anchorage,... but some of everything,... payup



Stik208;876814 said:


> The 2000 will never be finished that makes me sad. Also, did the new 8'2" come painted that tan color on the front or was that done by you?


Oh yes it will,.. and it's getting close,... I just can't stick to it full-time,... I've already put it to a few tests,... and hopefully with our next dump, it will be ready for action. I just want to have it totally done, so I can use the shop for other things once the new truck is out.

That brown color on the 8.2 is just a dirty-icy coating that I've never seen happen before,... and it hasn't even been close to thawing yet since I plowed with that plow, as a matter of fact, almost all the plowing so far has been at temps well below zero, so there is no ground or snow that is thawed anywhere around here. It'll all melt off as soon as I put it in the shop,... but I have no idea how that happened or what caused it,...


----------



## 91AK250

yeah i ended up with about 6" at my house..kinda wet stuff. since it was turkey day they still havent plowed some of the main roads which i find funny..almost eveyone i had to pass today thought they had to drive 35mph...everywhere..ugh

i posted some pics from the other night..i had fun but still dealing with some issues but hey that happends right lol

btw i cant wait to see pics of the new truck pushing some snow!


----------



## Alaska Boss

Lux Lawn;877404 said:


> How is the new truck doing? Are you using it for everyday plowing of more as a back up, I don't remember seeing any pictures of it plowing.


I haven't used the new truck yet, but it's getting close. The 'ole '92 is still doing great, but I needed to have something ready to go before it dies,.. if it dies. There are a lot of places tho that I plow where the '90 dually just wouldn't work too good in,...



WeDoSnowplowing;877485 said:


> Did those extra snowplow lamps come with it. Or did you add them.


I added the extra lights on the Blizzard when I converted the main plow lights to HID. I wanted the HID's to be unrestricted and blaze out maximum light, so the small lights on the inside work as the low-beams now.



pheasantfarmer;877687 said:


> Alaska Boss, I have really enjoyed looking, reading and learning from your postss and everyone else one here
> 
> I have a few friends that live up in Alaska and i have visisted a few times it is such a beatiful state along with it hardships and cold temps
> 
> I have one question for you: you have now 3 plow trucks, but you work a lone so do you just have 3 for reliable back ups or do you use certain trucks for certain jobs?????
> 
> Have a great year and good luck with setting steel trapping is so rewarding!


Yeah, I now have 3 trucks, but the '90 dually wasn't bought for the primary purpose of being a plow truck,... I wouldn't ever choose a truck like that to plow with as it's main purpose,... it's too tall (always breaking branches off of trees with the headache rack), too wide, doesn't turn very sharp, etc. It's a dump bed, which is very handy, and I got it literally for free plus $300 in my pocket, so who could turn down a deal like that? So, now the 2000 will be my main plow truck, and the '92 will be the back-up,... and if Mr. Murphy is passing thru this area, then the '90 can still be used. I really like the Speedwing, especially in more open areas, so I'll no doubt use it once in a while, but the other 2 will do most of the work from now on. wesport


----------



## Alaska Boss

91AK250;877747 said:


> yeah i ended up with about 6" at my house..kinda wet stuff. since it was turkey day they still havent plowed some of the main roads which i find funny..almost eveyone i had to pass today thought they had to drive 35mph...everywhere..ugh
> 
> i posted some pics from the other night..i had fun but still dealing with some issues but hey that happends right lol
> 
> btw i cant wait to see pics of the new truck pushing some snow!


Yep, I had the same thing coming home tonight,... most roads not plowed,... and it was snowing from Palmer all the way out to Eureka,... but I still have more snow here than anywhere else I've seen. Everyone has their sleds out & riding around here,... but you still have to stay on trails or lakes for the most part. I saw your pics,... looked great, and yep, the only time you don't have issues is when you don't move anything,... :salute::waving:


----------



## B&B

Get the headlamp wiring on the '00 straighted out Dave?


----------



## Squires

B&B;877755 said:


> Get the headlamp wiring on the '00 straighted out *Dave*?


Who is dave? You mean his name is not actually Alaska Boss?? WTF 
Awesome pics as usual, waiting to see the 2000 in action


----------



## F350plowing

Looking forward to more pic's and with the new truck this time! Good Luck getting it done!


----------



## Alaska Boss

B&B;877755 said:


> Get the headlamp wiring on the '00 straighted out Dave?


I did,... the truck/plow switch was bad,... I rechecked all the connections again, and everything was right, so since it still wouldn't switch over, I figured it must be the switch itself, and it was. Thanks Mike :salute:

Well, we haven't had more than about 2" of snow in the past few days, so I've been busy out in the woods getting traplines set out, etc., and not much plowing. There's been a few storms blowing thru lately, and other areas of Alaska have gotten more snow, but not much by me. However, this last big storm has brought temps all around Alaska to above freezing in many places,... even here,... (+35° F), and very strong winds,... close to 80 mph in some places, so I had a few calls today for roads that were drifted shut.


----------



## Alaska Boss

The worst job was this road that skirted a small marsh area,... and the drifts were almost up to the hood on my truck in a couple spots,.... this family was stranded back in here big time,...


----------



## Alaska Boss

When heavy drifting happens when it's warm like this, and then it drops back down to -30° or -40°, the drifts get so hard that you just about can't break them up with a truck,... so I always tell folks to call me asap if they're drifted in,.... and you always have to plow all the snow to the lee-side of a road,... no banks at all from the side the wind blows in from, or you'll have twice the trouble next time,....


----------



## Alaska Boss

I shoved as much snow as I could as far into the trees as I could,.. 'cause there won't be any moving of these snow piles again once they set up... and April is still a long ways off,... payup


----------



## Alaska Boss

I tried keeping my blade straight for awhile,... checking to see how much harder this job would have been if using just a straight-blade,... and I'm not sure I would have attempted it,... this snow was already set up hard enough to walk on,... just using the V-mode to punch it ahead & break it up, then use scoop mode to swing it off to the side,.... it was slow progress, but I finally made it after about 2 hours,... this road was over ½ mile long,... and mostly drifted shut,...


----------



## Alaska Boss

Finally, I punched it all out, and made the whole road wider than what it was, so if this happens again, it can still be dealt with,... when I got to the house, the owner, a good friend of mine, said he called a neighbor who had a plow (7.5 Meyers) on his truck to come over & see if he could punch a trail in so he could get to work,.. the guy drove in a few feet, called back on his cell phone and said,... "No way,... call Dave",.... lol. wesport:waving:


----------



## FordFisherman

Nice work Dave, looks good- Is the new truck in service yet?


----------



## Alaska Boss

FordFisherman;884614 said:


> Nice work Dave, looks good- Is the new truck in service yet?


Thanks,... the new truck is close,... just wanting to get a few of the extra's installed yet before it gets put out into the elements,... it's gonna be a nice rig,...


----------



## Banksy

Why do you have the sled in the truck?


----------



## JoeCool

Banksy;884736 said:


> Why do you have the sled in the truck?


I'm sure it is because "it isn't all about the drive, sometimes it is what you do when you get there",lol. Ballast & emergency travel?


----------



## asps4u

Banksy;884736 said:


> Why do you have the sled in the truck?





JoeCool;884740 said:


> I'm sure it is because "it isn't all about the drive, sometimes it is what you do when you get there",lol. Ballast & emergency travel?


Yes, a few pages back he said it was for ballast and a way home if he were to get stuck or have a problem. Pretty good idea if you ask me, especially for the remote areas he is working in.


----------



## Banksy

Oh I missed that part. Duh, I should have known. I have sleds too.


----------



## DareDog

i think he uses the sled for hunting to .....i was wondering where it was


----------



## mike psd

its to bad who ever cut the road in didn't think about the snow and use those pine trees as a wind break good job man


----------



## T-MAN

DareDog;885119 said:


> i think he uses the sled for hunting to .....i was wondering where it was


Hunting season is over for the most part. AB runs a trap line with the Tundra, lucky dog


----------



## Alaska Boss

Banksy;884736 said:


> Why do you have the sled in the truck?





JoeCool;884740 said:


> I'm sure it is because "it isn't all about the drive, sometimes it is what you do when you get there",lol. Ballast & emergency travel?





asps4u;884782 said:


> Yes, a few pages back he said it was for ballast and a way home if he were to get stuck or have a problem. Pretty good idea if you ask me, especially for the remote areas he is working in.





T-MAN;886070 said:


> Hunting season is over for the most part. AB runs a trap line with the Tundra, lucky dog


Yep, that's it,... all 3 things,... ballast, emergency ride home if needed, and it's my trapline sled,... so it's always in the back of the truck :salute:

Another day of plowing today,.... some new snow,... some places drifted,... some that hadn't been done yet this winter,... payup


----------



## Alaska Boss

A very nice day,.... no wind,... temps in the teens,.... easy plowing,...


----------



## Alaska Boss

Still a few places around that haven't been done yet too....


----------



## Alaska Boss

The drifts have turned almost rock-hard now in some places,.... just have to go slow & not beat on the truck too hard,... :waving:


----------



## Mark13

You've plowed more snow already this winter then I'll plow all winter here.


----------



## dieseld

How can you plow without a snowflap? Isnt the snow pretty fluffy since it is so cold. I would think plowing all those roads would get a ton of blowby onto the hoood and windshield.


----------



## cmo18

Mark13;886354 said:


> You've plowed more snow already this winter then I'll plow all winter here.


same here....today its pooring rain instead of snow...


----------



## corkireland

9 days and more snow that we get sometimes in 3 years.. sheesh.. hope it dumps this year!


----------



## Lux Lawn

Dave, seems like you guys plow everyday up there
Whats your yearly average?


----------



## fordboy

how close is the new truck?


----------



## cpsnowremoval

wow snow looks deep in the last couple pics
good idea with the sled can just back up to a snow bank and go


----------



## Alaska Boss

dieseld;886639 said:


> How can you plow without a snowflap? Isnt the snow pretty fluffy since it is so cold. I would think plowing all those roads would get a ton of blowby onto the hoood and windshield.


Yes, the snow here is dry, light & fluffy, except for drifts, but if you go slow enough, no snow flies over the top of the plow. And later on, when the banks get higher, you have to go faster,... and I have the rubber belting for a deflector for this plow, but just haven't had a chance to put it on yet,... along with the wing brackets too,... but I will when I get a chance,... :waving:



Lux Lawn;887556 said:


> Dave, seems like you guys plow everyday up there
> Whats your yearly average?


Well, I don't think everyone in Alaska plows every day, but I just about could, but that's just me & my situation/area here. I cover a large enough area to have a wide variety of conditions,.. that range from an annual average of 3-4 feet, to almost double that,... depending how close and/or deep into the mountains they are,... 



fordboy;887561 said:


> how close is the new truck?


I could use it right now,... but I still have a few more things I want to do to it before I start... so I'll take some pictures of it all in a few more days,... 

Today, I was scheduled to participate in an oil spill drill in Valdez. Ever since the "Exxon Valdez" oil tanker ran aground in 1989, spilling more than 11 million gallons of oil into Prince William Sound, the Alyeska Pipeline Service Co. the entity that owns the Trans-Alaska Pipeline is now required to perform scheduled & random oil spill drills to train, practice & demonstrate that they are now able to respond & deal with an oil spill at any time of year, under any conditions. And since I have been trained in this for some time now, we were going to conduct some exercises today in Port Valdez,... so I took off at 5am for Valdez,... as roll call for all the boats was at 8am,.. on the water,... but man o man, did I go thru a blizzard just trying to get there,... I tried to take a picture as i drove, but since I could barely see the front of my car, I decided to just concentrate on staying on the road,... 


(pictures never do justice to the conditions anyway,...)


----------



## Alaska Boss

Well, it's been 20 years now since the biggest oil spill on the North American continent happened,.... and last night Valdez got between 2-3 feet of wet heavy snow,... and they already had about 3-4 feet,... so needless to say, things were a mess in town. And after several hours of "standing by" ,... Alyeska cancelled the spill drill,... citing that the conditions were needlessly too dangerous to conduct operations today,... so, I signed off, and was free to go back home,... but decided to take a few pictures of what Valdez, Alaska, and the road between there & my house looked like today,... since most of you guys are still whining about not having any snow yet,... there's enough here now for all of you to push as much as you want,... wesportpayup

I stopped at a few piles around town that were pushed up this morning,... but it was all just a wet sloppy mess,... these piles will turn into cement when it gets cold again....


----------



## Alaska Boss

On most of the side streets, the city loaders pushed in & back twice, just so people could get out,... leaving piles of snow in the middle of roads all over the place,.. to be cleaned up later.


----------



## Alaska Boss

Big front-end loaders, mostly chained up on all 4 tires, are the standard snow removal machines in Valdez,... both for the city & private contractors,... and they were all out in force today,... prsport


----------



## Alaska Boss

Berms around town were 3-4 feet high, and every empty lot is used as a snow storage area in town as well,... and they have begun to pack it in,... wesport


----------



## Alaska Boss

Well, I headed out of town for home,... less than 80 miles away,... and noticed that there were still a bunch of ducks hanging around in the salt-water flats,... (their GPS units must need new batteries or something),... and the eagles are just sitting around, wondering what they're gonna do now that the fishing stinks,... :crying:


----------



## Alaska Boss

Well, today is clearly not a very good day for pictures,... but I just snapped a bunch anyway as I drove home,... so this is what the area here looks like during & right after a good snow dump,...


----------



## Alaska Boss

An area called Keystone Canyon has a bunch of frozen water falls,.. but they don't show up good on days like today,...


----------



## Alaska Boss

On days like this,.... the whole world seems to be in black & white,...


----------



## fisher guy

:crying: holy mother of god thats insane


----------



## Alaska Boss

Soon I was heading up the mountains,... from Keystone Canyon, it's uphill for almost 9 miles straight,... and the berms along the road were as high as my car now,...


----------



## Alaska Boss

At the summit, is Thompson Pass, elevation at the highest point is less than 2700', but this is one of the heaviest snowfall areas in North America,... with yearly totals around 1,000 inches a year,... and small glaciers all over the place,... wesport

(this is like only half way up to Denver, CO,... )


----------



## Alaska Boss

DOT trucks & loaders work around the clock up here,.. trying to keep the road open,... but yesterday, they just couldn't keep up, so the road was closed most of the day,... with small avalanches coming down all over,.... not much traffic today, just a few big trucks,.. and this goofy little green car that kept stopping & taking pictures all over the place,... for some unknown reason...


----------



## Alaska Boss

As I started heading back down the north side of the pass,... the skies started breaking some,... and adding a little color if nothing else.... ussmileyflag


----------



## Alaska Boss

I even saw a couple bozo's with their snowboards carving up a few hillsides,... so if any of you guys want some snow,... let me know how much you want,... and I'll send ya some,... :waving::salute::waving:


----------



## Mark13

Awesome pictures!
Your little car is not the vehicle I'd pick to drive that distance in with the snow, lol. I assume you run snow tires on it?


----------



## asps4u

Absolutely Amazing, as usual. :salute: Thanks for sharing your pics with us AB! :waving: I look forward to seeing the new truck in action as well.


----------



## affekonig

I was one of those bozos up on the hills when I was in Colorado. I miss driving through scenery like that. Keep taking pics!


----------



## Stik208

We shall begin referring to AB as Dave now, only if we could find out if GV has a real name we will be all set. Haha.


----------



## Blizzard1988

so how much snow did you end up getting at your place ? I'm sure you will be busy the next few days


----------



## thesnowman269

I agree with Mark. I feel naked in the snow with out my truck


----------



## L.I.Mike

I love these pictures. Keep em coming Dave. I plow vicariously through him.


----------



## sven_502

Love the pictures, they would make perfect desktop backgrounds. Do you run studded tires?


----------



## Duncan90si

I think I might actually have my wife talked into our next vacation spot being Alaska after showing her the pics in your threads. Thats really amazing considering she is the typical woman who is cold when its 70 degrees inside the house. 

I never get tired of seeing pictures of yours. Its nice to see that someone is getting snow at least.


----------



## revtoyota

Don't do a cruise after working in the tour industry for over 15 years I have heard to many people complain about them. fly then rent a truck or car.


----------



## Alaska Boss

Blizzard1988;888282 said:


> so how much snow did you end up getting at your place ? I'm sure you will be busy the next few days


Not a flake,... the snow got less & less until about 10 miles from my place it had quit altogether,... I had about 3-4 more calls to plow today, but not from any fresh snow.



thesnowman269;888448 said:


> I agree with Mark. I feel naked in the snow with out my truck


Well, had I known that there was still that much snow coming down, I would have taken one of the trucks too... but that little car with good studded snow tires does amazingly well.... I had no trouble with it at all,... plus the fact that it gets better than twice the gas mileage as the trucks,... 



sven_502;888940 said:


> Love the pictures, they would make perfect desktop backgrounds. Do you run studded tires?


Yep, I run good studded snow tires on eveything, except the dually,... there were several places in Valdez where I drove into a parking lot dragging snow with the bottom of the car,... no problem...



Duncan90si;889254 said:


> I think I might actually have my wife talked into our next vacation spot being Alaska after showing her the pics in your threads. Thats really amazing considering she is the typical woman who is cold when its 70 degrees inside the house.
> 
> I never get tired of seeing pictures of yours. Its nice to see that someone is getting snow at least.


Well, depending on how much time you have, and how you'd want to do it,... you have a few options. Many people just take the summer off & drive up here on their own... if you have the time & vehicle. Guided tours have the advantage of someone taking care of you,... plus most of them give you the history, facts and current information about the people, places & things that one may totally miss out on if you do your own thing. There's not too many roads up here,... but if you do drive yourself, one resource book you must have is called the "Milepost",... and it will give you virtually a mile by mile run-down of everything you'll encounter,... that book has stuff in it that I didn't even know,... wesport:waving:


----------



## T-MAN

My Wife and I did a cruise summer of 08. The Glacier was unreal, your not going to see that in a rental car. My wife gets cold easy, and it was snowing there in August. It was nice that she could go inside and warm up with a cup off coffee and some Baileys.They have trips to them, but being on the ship was a very comfortable way to see it with my wife. While cruising you get to see the nooks and cranny's of the waterways as well. I am a water guy, that stuff is intriguing and eye candy to me. I think the biggest drawback is Not enough time at the destinations IMO. The Raptor center was very cool, and the highlight for me was the Crab Boat tour on the Aleutian Ballad.
A sweet trip would be to cruise north, get off the ship, and head north in a rental car for a few weeks, then fly out to the Aleutian Islands, then head home.
Or when I hit the mega lottery, rent a ship for a summer and cruise up from Seattle, hit the Aleutians, then cruise into Valdez, and spend a month inland.

Hunting the Alaskan Moose is on my Bucket List, but I don't think my wife will be joining me on that trip. I guess I had better go get lottery tickets ussmileyflag


----------



## revtoyota

T-MAN;889816 said:


> My Wife and I did a cruise summer of 08. The Glacier was unreal, your not going to see that in a rental car. My wife gets cold easy, and it was snowing there in August. It was nice that she could go inside and warm up with a cup off coffee and some Baileys.They have trips to them, but being on the ship was a very comfortable way to see it with my wife. While cruising you get to see the nooks and cranny's of the waterways as well. I am a water guy, that stuff is intriguing and eye candy to me. I think the biggest drawback is Not enough time at the destinations IMO. The Raptor center was very cool, and the highlight for me was the Crab Boat tour on the Aleutian Ballad.
> A sweet trip would be to cruise north, get off the ship, and head north in a rental car for a few weeks, then fly out to the Aleutian Islands, then head home.
> Or when I hit the mega lottery, rent a ship for a summer and cruise up from Seattle, hit the Aleutians, then cruise into Valdez, and spend a month inland.
> 
> Hunting the Alaskan Moose is on my Bucket List, but I don't think my wife will be joining me on that trip. I guess I had better go get lottery tickets ussmileyflag


yeah you were in ketchikan where I live.. how far north did you guys go on the cruise you went on? As for the Glacier you can get walk right up to them in some places seward is the first one to pop in my head.


----------



## T-MAN

revtoyota;889852 said:


> yeah you were in ketchikan where I live.. how far north did you guys go on the cruise you went on? As for the Glacier you can get walk right up to them in some places seward is the first one to pop in my head.


Yes we did the inside passage. The Glacier was the Humboldt, north of Juneau. Sitka was a really neat town, wanted to hit the Coasties Air Station there, but ran out of time.
Its a good trip for sure, but didnt quite satisfy my appetitie. We need to get to Europe before I get to make a trip back there. Hopefully sooner then later...


----------



## WeDoSnowplowing

Very nice pictures. Snow & Ice in forcast for where I live.    
Urgent - Winter Weather Message
National Weather Service State College PA
241 PM EST Mon Dec 7 2009

... Significant Snow And Ice Accumulation Possible Tuesday Evening
Through Early Wednesday... 

.Low Pressure Over The Southern Plains States Tuesday Will Move
Northeast... Crossing The Great Lakes Region Wednesday. A Surge Of
Gulf Moisture Ahead Of This Storm Will Be Lifted Over The
Relatively Shallow Cold Airmass Entrenched Across Central
Pennsylvania... Leading To A Period Of Accumulating Snow Followed
By A Changeover To Sleet Then Freezing Rain Late Tuesday Night.

Warren-Mckean-Potter-Elk-Cameron-Northern Clinton-Clearfield-
Northern Centre-Southern Centre-Cambria-Blair-Huntingdon-Mifflin-
Juniata-Somerset-Bedford-Fulton-Franklin-Southern Clinton-Perry-
Cumberland-Adams-
241 PM EST Mon Dec 7 2009

... Winter Storm Watch In Effect From Tuesday Evening Through
Wednesday Morning... 

The National Weather Service In State College Has Issued A Winter
Storm Watch... Which Is In Effect From Tuesday Evening Through
Wednesday Morning. 

Low Pressure Over The Southern Plains States Tuesday Will Move
Northeast Through The Great Lakes Wednesday. Strong Southwest
Winds Aloft Will Transport Plume Of Deep Moisture From The Gulf Of
Mexico... Up And Over The Cold Airmass Entrenched Across Central
Pennsylvania.

Expect Snow To Develop From The Southwest Late In The Day Tuesday
And Tuesday Evening. The Snow Could Fall Heavy At Times Early
Tuesday Night... Before A Layer Of Above Freezing Air Aloft Pushes
North Across The Region And Causes A Changeover To Sleet Then
Freezing Rain.

Up To Several Inches Of Snow Is Possible... Followed By The
Potential For Significant Ice Accumulation In Excess Of One
Quarter Of An Inch Of Freezing Rain.

The Wintry Mix Of Precipitation Will Diminish To Drizzle Or
Freezing Drizzle Later Wednesday Morning.

Precautionary/Preparedness Actions... 

A Winter Storm Watch Means There Is A Potential For Significant
Snow... Sleet... Or Ice Accumulations That May Impact Travel. Stay
Tuned To Noaa Weather Radio Or Your Favorite Source Of Weather
Information For The Latest Updates. Additional Details Can Also
Be Found At... Weather.Gov/Statecollege.


----------



## Lux Lawn

Dave, it looks like you need to turn the heat up a little bit. 
Nice pictures.


----------



## CJsSnowplowing

WeDoSnowplowing;894211 said:


> Very nice pictures. Snow & Ice in forcast for where I live.
> Urgent - Winter Weather Message
> National Weather Service State College PA
> 241 PM EST Mon Dec 7 2009
> 
> ... Significant Snow And Ice Accumulation Possible Tuesday Evening
> Through Early Wednesday...
> 
> .Low Pressure Over The Southern Plains States Tuesday Will Move
> Northeast... Crossing The Great Lakes Region Wednesday. A Surge Of
> Gulf Moisture Ahead Of This Storm Will Be Lifted Over The
> Relatively Shallow Cold Airmass Entrenched Across Central
> Pennsylvania... Leading To A Period Of Accumulating Snow Followed
> By A Changeover To Sleet Then Freezing Rain Late Tuesday Night.
> 
> Warren-Mckean-Potter-Elk-Cameron-Northern Clinton-Clearfield-
> Northern Centre-Southern Centre-Cambria-Blair-Huntingdon-Mifflin-
> Juniata-Somerset-Bedford-Fulton-Franklin-Southern Clinton-Perry-
> Cumberland-Adams-
> 241 PM EST Mon Dec 7 2009
> 
> ... Winter Storm Watch In Effect From Tuesday Evening Through
> Wednesday Morning...
> 
> The National Weather Service In State College Has Issued A Winter
> Storm Watch... Which Is In Effect From Tuesday Evening Through
> Wednesday Morning.
> 
> Low Pressure Over The Southern Plains States Tuesday Will Move
> Northeast Through The Great Lakes Wednesday. Strong Southwest
> Winds Aloft Will Transport Plume Of Deep Moisture From The Gulf Of
> Mexico... Up And Over The Cold Airmass Entrenched Across Central
> Pennsylvania.
> 
> Expect Snow To Develop From The Southwest Late In The Day Tuesday
> And Tuesday Evening. The Snow Could Fall Heavy At Times Early
> Tuesday Night... Before A Layer Of Above Freezing Air Aloft Pushes
> North Across The Region And Causes A Changeover To Sleet Then
> Freezing Rain.
> 
> Up To Several Inches Of Snow Is Possible... Followed By The
> Potential For Significant Ice Accumulation In Excess Of One
> Quarter Of An Inch Of Freezing Rain.
> 
> The Wintry Mix Of Precipitation Will Diminish To Drizzle Or
> Freezing Drizzle Later Wednesday Morning.
> 
> Precautionary/Preparedness Actions...
> 
> A Winter Storm Watch Means There Is A Potential For Significant
> Snow... Sleet... Or Ice Accumulations That May Impact Travel. Stay
> Tuned To Noaa Weather Radio Or Your Favorite Source Of Weather
> Information For The Latest Updates. Additional Details Can Also
> Be Found At... Weather.Gov/Statecollege.


Hello all after that: Before N After pictures. 12-09-2009 Here in USA, PA. Elk & McKean counties.
Got 2 to 4 inches of wet & heavy snow.


----------



## CJsSnowplowing

Here is one more after picture. ONLY 5 pics per post.


----------



## affekonig

That doesn't look like Dave's stuff...


----------



## CJsSnowplowing

*I am CJ*



affekonig;897008 said:


> That doesn't look like Dave's stuff...


I am CJ in PA. county line of Elk & McKean. Near Elk State Park in PA.


----------



## WeDoSnowplowing

WeDoSnowplowing;894211 said:


> Very nice pictures. Snow & Ice in forcast for where I live.
> Urgent - Winter Weather Message
> National Weather Service State College PA
> 241 PM EST Mon Dec 7 2009
> 
> ... Significant Snow And Ice Accumulation Possible Tuesday Evening
> Through Early Wednesday...
> 
> .Low Pressure Over The Southern Plains States Tuesday Will Move
> Northeast... Crossing The Great Lakes Region Wednesday. A Surge Of
> Gulf Moisture Ahead Of This Storm Will Be Lifted Over The
> Relatively Shallow Cold Airmass Entrenched Across Central
> Pennsylvania... Leading To A Period Of Accumulating Snow Followed
> By A Changeover To Sleet Then Freezing Rain Late Tuesday Night.
> 
> Warren-Mckean-Potter-Elk-Cameron-Northern Clinton-Clearfield-
> Northern Centre-Southern Centre-Cambria-Blair-Huntingdon-Mifflin-
> Juniata-Somerset-Bedford-Fulton-Franklin-Southern Clinton-Perry-
> Cumberland-Adams-
> 241 PM EST Mon Dec 7 2009
> 
> ... Winter Storm Watch In Effect From Tuesday Evening Through
> Wednesday Morning...
> 
> The National Weather Service In State College Has Issued A Winter
> Storm Watch... Which Is In Effect From Tuesday Evening Through
> Wednesday Morning.
> 
> Low Pressure Over The Southern Plains States Tuesday Will Move
> Northeast Through The Great Lakes Wednesday. Strong Southwest
> Winds Aloft Will Transport Plume Of Deep Moisture From The Gulf Of
> Mexico... Up And Over The Cold Airmass Entrenched Across Central
> Pennsylvania.
> 
> Expect Snow To Develop From The Southwest Late In The Day Tuesday
> And Tuesday Evening. The Snow Could Fall Heavy At Times Early
> Tuesday Night... Before A Layer Of Above Freezing Air Aloft Pushes
> North Across The Region And Causes A Changeover To Sleet Then
> Freezing Rain.
> 
> Up To Several Inches Of Snow Is Possible... Followed By The
> Potential For Significant Ice Accumulation In Excess Of One
> Quarter Of An Inch Of Freezing Rain.
> 
> The Wintry Mix Of Precipitation Will Diminish To Drizzle Or
> Freezing Drizzle Later Wednesday Morning.
> 
> Precautionary/Preparedness Actions...
> 
> A Winter Storm Watch Means There Is A Potential For Significant
> Snow... Sleet... Or Ice Accumulations That May Impact Travel. Stay
> Tuned To Noaa Weather Radio Or Your Favorite Source Of Weather
> Information For The Latest Updates. Additional Details Can Also
> Be Found At... Weather.Gov/Statecollege.


I am T.R.. 
Sorry no pictures my kids took out the good batteries. And put in there (kids) dead batteries. Camera was dead.


----------



## Alaska Boss

Lux Lawn;895914 said:


> Dave, it looks like you need to turn the heat up a little bit.
> Nice pictures.


Yep, it's been below zero for days on end here lately,... beautiful weather, but no plowing,... but that's ok. :salute:



affekonig;897008 said:


> That doesn't look like Dave's stuff...


LOL,... nope, that's not me or my area or my stuff,... maybe CJ & TR are hoping if they post their pictures in this thread, that some of the cold & snow that I have here will rub off on them,... 

Or, maybe it's a sign that I better post something myself, even tho it's been clear & cold for about a week now. I have done a few plow jobs in the past week, but not many,... and it looks like much of the rest of the country is finally kicking into plowing season as well,... so, I'll post a few snow pics of what I've been doing lately that's different,... riding my machines into new country, getting traplines set out,... just enjoying the great winter weather,.... starting off with one of the most intense sun dogs you'll ever see,... and pictures don't do it justice,.... :bluebounc


----------



## Alaska Boss

It's almost 10am now when it's getting light out each day,... and here along this frozen lake a pair of bald eagles are roosting in a dead tree,... hoping that something warm & tasty will come along for their breakfast,... so, when I got closer to them and took their pictures, they didn't pay much attention to me,... but then I started squeaking like a mouse,... and they instantly snapped their heads around and gave me that eagle eye,... so I quit before they decided to try anything else,...


----------



## Alaska Boss

Later in the day, I saw another one that had just caught a salmon,... the water here in this part of the lake bubbles up right out of the ground and never freezes,.. not even at -60°,.... and it supports one of the latest salmon runs in this whole section of Alaska,... so it gives things like eagles a very rare treat,... fresh (well, almost spawned out, but still alive) fish to eat in the middle of the winter!


----------



## JR Snow Removal

man that is so cool I wish I didn't have such deep roots here in Michigan or I know where I'd be moving! On a side note still have not plowed going nuts


----------



## Alaska Boss

Anyway,... with only around 5 hours of light each day,... that's what I saw today,... :waving:


----------



## thesnowman269

Very Cool pictures. So with all that snow that you havent had in the past week how is the new truck comming along??


----------



## CJsSnowplowing

CJsSnowplowing;897000 said:


> Here is one more after picture. ONLY 5 pics per post.





Alaska Boss;898143 said:


> It's almost 10am now when it's getting light out each day,... and here along this frozen lake a pair of bald eagles are roosting in a dead tree,... hoping that something warm & tasty will come along for their breakfast,... so, when I got closer to them and took their pictures, they didn't pay much attention to me,... but then I started squeaking like a mouse,... and they instantly snapped their heads around and gave me that eagle eye,... so I quit before they decided to try anything else,...





Alaska Boss;898144 said:


> Later in the day, I saw another one that had just caught a salmon,... the water here in this part of the lake bubbles up right out of the ground and never freezes,.. not even at -60°,.... and it supports one of the latest salmon runs in this whole section of Alaska,... so it gives things like eagles a very rare treat,... fresh (well, almost spawned out, but still alive) fish to eat in the middle of the winter!


They are my pictures my name is CJ's . 
Nice pictures of the hawk or eagle.?


----------



## affekonig

CJ's - the pictures are appreciated and all, but this is Dave's thread for his crazy Alaska adventures. Start a new, competing thread and we'll see how AK and PA compare...


----------



## Banksy

Dave's pics are the only ones I want to see in this thread.


----------



## sven_502

Agreed. I really want to see his new truck all set up though he's teasing us lol.


----------



## JDiepstra

This is a great thread. Thanks AB. 

It would be nice if other guys would keep their junk pictures out of it!


----------



## Banksy

sven_502;898753 said:


> Agreed. I really want to see his new truck all set up though he's teasing us lol.


Yes, he is. :realmad:


----------



## CJsSnowplowing

Banksy;898732 said:


> Dave's pics are the only ones I want to see in this thread.


Well this Thread is CALLED Finally, the 2009-10 plowing season is underway! 
The season here Finally, the 2009-10 plowing season is underway! started!
DOES NOT SAY DAVE'S PICTURES ONLY!


----------



## sven_502

Correct it doesn't, maybe next year he should title his thread that. It's more or less just understood his threads are for his pictures only, since nobody else's pictures on the site are even it its class.


----------



## SnowplowingLady

Banksy;898732 said:


> Dave's pics are the only ones I want to see in this thread.





CJsSnowplowing;899173 said:


> Well this Thread is CALLED Finally, the 2009-10 plowing season is underway!
> The season here Finally, the 2009-10 plowing season is underway! started!
> DOES NOT SAY DAVE'S PICTURES ONLY!


*Hey Sean Adams The Administrator of PlowSite.com.
Is this the area to put our pictures of Finally, the 2009-10 plowing season is underway!?
If not where then? So I know. THIS IS NUMBER 312 FOR HERE.*.


----------



## DareDog

oh nice!! a yellow one!!

thanks for sending the snow...it got to wrong place...got 2" here 2 hours north of here in ny theres a big lake effect storm!


----------



## Banksy

I was under the impression that it meant HIS 09/10 season was underway. Lot's of guys make threads devoted to their seasons pics. Don't get your panties in a wad...


----------



## KJ Cramer

*My .02 on the subject*

I agree with sven 502, one is led to believe that the pics are only that of the op. And in AB's case many people look at his threads to see the pics he takes of his different adventures up there. I like to look at his threads because it is in Alaska and in the area he lives in, people live differently than the people around here. I never click on AB's posts and want to see pics of people plowing in the city or cars all over the place, I click to see the wilderness with a truck plowing a long woodsy drive or some crazy other adventure he does. I do not want to see NY, PA, WI, IL, etc. if I did I would be looking at the other 90% of picture posts. This thread is suppose to be just pics of AB's work. If you would like to post your pics for the beginning of your season, start your own thread, and maybe just maybe you will have the following that AB has with his posts. Believe me, I am not trying to be offensive, just telling you the way it is.


----------



## asps4u

sven_502;898753 said:


> Agreed. I really want to see his new truck all set up though he's teasing us lol.





thesnowman269;898254 said:


> Very Cool pictures. So with all that snow that you havent had in the past week how is the new truck comming along??


Yes Dave, inquiring minds want to know...and see pics 



CJsSnowplowing;899173 said:


> Well this Thread is CALLED Finally, the 2009-10 plowing season is underway!
> The season here Finally, the 2009-10 plowing season is underway! started!
> DOES NOT SAY DAVE'S PICTURES ONLY!





SnowplowingLady;899197 said:


> *Hey Sean Adams The Administrator of PlowSite.com.
> Is this the area to put our pictures of Finally, the 2009-10 plowing season is underway!?
> If not where then? So I know. THIS IS NUMBER 312 FOR HERE.*.


I hope others understand that they are allowed to start their own thread to showcase their own pics instead of hijacking this thread full of Dave's pics of his outstanding adventures through one of the most beautiful places in the world that he so fortunately gets to call home, and is gracious enough to share with the rest of us.


----------



## RepoMan207

SnowplowingLady;899197 said:


> *Hey Sean Adams The Administrator of PlowSite.com.
> Is this the area to put our pictures of Finally, the 2009-10 plowing season is underway!?
> If not where then? So I know. THIS IS NUMBER 312 FOR HERE.*.


Due really expect a reply to that?


----------



## sven_502

Now that we've wasted another page of his thread, what do you have left to do on the new truck AK Boss?


----------



## RepoMan207

I think we need to stop trashing a really great thread. IMO, this was and is a thread for AB's updates through out the season. Just as there was one last season, and hopefully many more to come in the future. I think I speak for just about everyone on this site, it is one of those things I look forward to seeing every time I log on. .....Oh wait, I never log off. You get the point. 

For you new guys....It's called etiquette, I know that maybe a hard thing to understand this new in the game, but I myself would appreciate it if you practiced alittle more of it. I'm sure there are many less appreciated threads that could be trashed and hijacked, but this is just isn't one of them.


----------



## fisher guy

RepoMan207;899936 said:


> I think we need to stop trashing a really great thread. IMO, this was and is a thread for AB's updates through out the season. Just as there was one last season, and hopefully many more to come in the future. I think I speak for just about everyone on this site, it is one of those things I look forward to seeing every time I log on. .....Oh wait, I never log off. You get the point.
> 
> For you new guys....It's called etiquette, I know that maybe a hard thing to understand this new in the game, but I myself would appreciate it if you practiced alittle more of it. I'm sure there are many less appreciated threads that could be trashed and hijacked, but this is just isn't one of them.


im with repo man the pics of alaska are beautiful its like a documentery lets not fill it up with other things if u have ur own pics post em ... but on ur own thread. i wanna thank u along with everyone else for making this thread so great because of this thread it looks like im going to be going up there one of these years for a vacation so keep it up and put that new truck together we wanna see it


----------



## RepoMan207

RepoMan207;899904 said:


> Due really expect a reply to that?


 What was I thinking "due"? ....Try "Do"....


----------



## DareDog

i think AB needs to post some more pics then we will forgot about all this......


----------



## SnoBull

AB- Couple of questions for ya. Wonderful pics btw.

How do you judge what type of plow to have on your truck for the job you are going to? V or straight...Like for instance the road that was 1/2 mile long that you cleared. Do you go out to look at the driveways/roadways first or judge by descripton from the phonecall? Or do you just prepare your schedule for one day use the V, other days use reg plow with wings if necessary? Surely you aren't changing plows/changing trucks after each push?


----------



## T-MAN

Dave- How about some pictures of the catch. Would love to see what you have caught this season, sets, and target catches. Looks like you have some great fur pockets to set. Any cats in that area ? I seen in the hat thread you caught a yote for your trooper hat. Are they predominate in your area ? I was under the impression the Wolfs pushed them out, like the yotes suppress the fox in this area. We used to have tons of fox, now there rare, and yoteys are every where.
Thanks in advance, and please keep posting the great pictures ! ussmileyflag


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## Roger201

send some snow to Mi we neeed it lol


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## firelwn82

Sweet baby Jesus. Is there any thread on here that doesn't have 30 something year old people crying like little babies???? I agree this is Alaska Boss's thread but seriously its a friggen forum and other people can post as they please.  ussmileyflag Alaska lovin the pictures of the country side but seriously wheres the new truck??


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## Alaska Boss

Man o man,.. I'm gone for a couple days, and look what happens... haha

Well, for what it's worth, like firelwn82 said,... it's a free forum, and anyone can post anywhere they want,... but, like most others have implied, if everyone created their own thread for their own pictures & conditions, it makes things more organized, and pleasant to read,... if we all posted all our pictures in one thread,... what a huge, unorganized mess that would be,.... you couldn't tell who was who, if someone wanted to sort of keep track of conditions in one area of the country, it would almost impossible. If there was no division between the brands of trucks, the brand of plows, etc etc,... but everything was all posted in one thread, what a mess you'd have to search thru to find particular things you were interested in.

That being said,.... and in regards to what Snowplowinglady and CJ have said, in my opinion,... I think it might be worthwhile for the administrators, at the beginning of this site to maybe explain more clearly exactly how a forum works,... how to use it, how to find things, how to post, picture resizing, forum "etiquette", etc, etc. (a lot of that is already there tho). I know when I first joined here, I was a little confused too, as to how this place works, what to do, where to do it, etc. So, I can understand how someone could read the title of this thread & think, "this must be where we post the first plowing pictures of the season",... The size of this site has really grown quite a bit in the past year or so,... so there will be a never-ending stream of new folks coming in here that will be making posts in wrong areas, etc,... after all, some are just kids.

In any case, concerning the new truck, it's basically done,.. I have a couple small things left I'd like to do yet, but I could use it right now,... and will take a series of photos very soon (maybe later today sometime),... and probably post those in the "Equipment" forum,... but after the next significant snowfall we get, there should be a new snow fighter put into service around here,... :redbounce

As I did last year with my on-going threads, I want to have pictures on every page, not just a couple at the beginning, then nothing,.... so, many will be of the same basic things/places, but I try to make variations as much as I can,... and some may, on occasion, be somewhat off-subject, but I want to stay on track with snow conditions as much as possible.

I've been on the ocean the last couple days, but have taken a few more pictures of things,.... so,.... here we go with another batch,... snow, but no plowing,... :waving:


----------



## Alaska Boss

SnoBull;900314 said:


> AB- Couple of questions for ya. Wonderful pics btw.
> 
> How do you judge what type of plow to have on your truck for the job you are going to? V or straight...Like for instance the road that was 1/2 mile long that you cleared. Do you go out to look at the driveways/roadways first or judge by descripton from the phonecall? Or do you just prepare your schedule for one day use the V, other days use reg plow with wings if necessary? Surely you aren't changing plows/changing trucks after each push?


Generally, I'd rather use the regular truck ('92) with the Boss V, just because I have so many narrow driveways to plow, and the dually is not as easy to get into places, being wider & longer. I used the Blizzard for the bulk of the winter that I first bought it,... so if it had any defects, I'd find them while it was on warranty. Otherwise, when I switch from one to the other, it may be because the other is in my shop thawing out so I can check things over, do service/repairs, etc. But, if we have a foot or more in one dump, I'd always use the V if I can,.... it's just faster/easier with the type of jobs I have to do here. :salute:



T-MAN;900462 said:


> Dave- How about some pictures of the catch. Would love to see what you have caught this season, sets, and target catches. Looks like you have some great fur pockets to set. Any cats in that area ? I seen in the hat thread you caught a yote for your trooper hat. Are they predominate in your area ? I was under the impression the Wolfs pushed them out, like the yotes suppress the fox in this area. We used to have tons of fox, now there rare, and yoteys are every where.
> Thanks in advance, and please keep posting the great pictures ! ussmileyflag


Well, I'd love to post those too,... and I could flood this place with all sorts of things like that,... but for sure, it's off-subject here. I know there are a few people on this site that probably do not agree with trapping even being a legitimate enterprise,... and that's fine,.. to each their own. There are a lot of lynx around here now,... they follow the hare cycle, which makes a complete loop about once per decade. Quite a few coyotes around too,... they are found everywhere from the arctic to the desert,... and they do suppress the fox population here too, but the wolves have no affect on them,... they may catch one once in a while if a coyote is out in the open somewhere,... but wolf numbers are directly related to moose & caribou,... nothing else matters (besides humans). But, here are a couple,... the most efficient rabbit-catching machine created by God,... a couple otters checkin' me out,.... and the fixings of another Mad Bomber hat,...  :salute:


----------



## Alaska Boss

Well, a couple days ago, I got a call from Alyeska (the company that owns the Trans-Alaska Oil Pipline), that they were going to conduct an oil spill drill out in a remote area of Prince William Sound (where I fish in the summer, and where the "Exxon Valdez" oil tanker ran aground in 1989), and we had 2 hours to scramble together to be on the water & underway. We were to demonstrate how fast we could respond to an oil spill at night in the winter,.... so, to make a long story short,... I was on the water for the last couple days,... and since the weather has been clear & cold for almost 2 weeks now, I snapped a few pictures of the winter scenes as I drove to Valdez,.... plus other things,...


----------



## Alaska Boss

Some of these are kinda the same as what I posted in the last series,... but it was a much nicer day for photos,... 

( they are taken thru the windshield of my car, so that's what the "spots" are)


----------



## Alaska Boss

Even tho there's really not very much snow yet around here,... not even in the high country,... at least one heli-ski company has already started up,... flying skiers to the tops of the mountains & then they ski down to the highway,... xysport


----------



## Alaska Boss

There's been some extreme winds too lately,... so a lot of the snow up high has blown away,.... as a matter of fact, I heard on the news last week that Alaska broke it's all-time highest wind gust ever officially recorded,... on Attu Island, out in the Aleutian Chain, a station measured a wind gust of 178 mph !!! (I gotta wash my windshield,... )


----------



## Alaska Boss

Going thru the pass,.. one can see for a long ways,.... and a bunch of guys have been climbing the local mountain sides on their sleds too already,...


----------



## Alaska Boss

Then it's downhill for almost 9 miles,....


----------



## Alaska Boss

DOT was out with a couple of graders scraping ice & snow pack on the highway,....


----------



## Alaska Boss

Entering Keystone Canyon,...


----------



## Alaska Boss

Probably be pretty tough for JD, 4x4Farmer and the others to try and plant a corn field around here... :laughing:


----------



## Alaska Boss

So, after our oil spill exercises were over & I was able to head back for Valdez on the boat, I snapped a few shots of the mountains that ring the ocean shore in Prince William Sound,...


----------



## Alaska Boss

Running a boat on the ocean in the winter can be far more dangerous than in the summer, due to "freezing spray",... when it's cold enough, every bit of water that splashes or sprays up on the hull can freeze into ice, and before you know it, the boat is carrying a ton of ice, becomes sluggish & very hard to control, and can suddenly just roll over if things get extreme,... so one has to be alert to that happening,... :salute:


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## Alaska Boss

Coming into the home stretch,....


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## bacwudzme

Unreal all of your pictures are spectacular!


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## Alaska Boss

The marine terminal of the pipeline,... after flowing in a pipe for over 800 miles, this is where Alaska's crude oil is loaded onto oil tankers,... very high security,... if I were to go within the security zone here without permission, the first offense is a $32,000 fine, the 2nd offense is boat confiscation.... so don't do it,...


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## Alaska Boss

This is what the town of Valdez, Alaska looks like approaching it from the water,.... in the winter,... and coming into the harbor,... :waving:


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## Alaska Boss

So, after I got back into town,... I found a guy ramping up snow next to a hotel with a D6 Cat dozer,... weather like this gives people a chance to make as much room as they can, so they don't run out of room by April,...


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## Alaska Boss

more snow stacking,.... Valdez style,... wesport


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## Alaska Boss

So, several days after I came down, I headed back up the highway,... with the weather looking just like it did when I came down....


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## Alaska Boss

More scenes just outside of Valdez,.. heading north,... ussmileyflag


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## Alaska Boss

and the Canyon,.... from the opposite direction,....


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## Alaska Boss

Many of DOT's graders have V-blades mounted on the front,....

....... and the pink-colored sunset reflection on mountain tops is called "alpen-glow",... :salute:


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## Alaska Boss

Climbing back up that 9-mile hill.... and some more tracks of sleds & skiers.... (the skiers make the back & forth "S" trails, as barely seen on the right...)


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## Alaska Boss

Sitting at the top of Thompson Pass,... looking back down on the highway where I just came from,...


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## Alaska Boss

As soon as I crossed over to the north side of the Pass,... I could feel the much colder air come right thru my car,... and had to crank the heater up higher,...


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## Alaska Boss

More scenes going north,.....


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## Alaska Boss

There's been a few small avalanches here & there along the highway so far,.... none have hit the road, but they'll get bigger & more frequent as the winter goes by,....


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## Alaska Boss

It was about -30° at home, but just before I got home, I came around a bend in the road, and there was a mama moose & her baby standing there nibbling on the brush next to the road,... so, that's it for now,.... I think the next set will be the new truck getting broke in to it's new calling in life,... :waving::waving::waving:


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## FordFisherman

No pressure but just about the whole site is waiting for the new truck pics- Great scenery as always. Now lets see that new set-up!


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## Mark Oomkes

Thanks again AB\Dave, awesome pics of God's country.



RepoMan207;899936 said:


> I think we need to stop trashing a really great thread. IMO, this was and is a thread for AB's updates through out the season. Just as there was one last season, and hopefully many more to come in the future. I think I speak for just about everyone on this site, it is one of those things I look forward to seeing every time I log on. .....Oh wait, I never log off. You get the point.
> 
> For you new guys....It's called etiquette, I know that maybe a hard thing to understand this new in the game, but I myself would appreciate it if you practiced alittle more of it. I'm sure there are many less appreciated threads that could be trashed and hijacked, but this is just isn't one of them.


Ditto


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## c.schulz

Ive only visited Alaska Dave. I could really appreciate the life style you lead. Beautiful is not a strong enough word to capture Alaska.

Chris


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## bossman22

AB that is amazingly beautiful! I would love to go someday. One of our friends actually owns a drilling company up there but its in Anchorage. Great work!


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## prostk2

Welcome back from your brief plowsite break. The pics of both scenery and wildlife are awesome!!! Still waiting to see the new truck as well. Glad to hear it is all done!!!


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## T-MAN

Alaska Boss;903563 said:


> So, after our oil spill exercises were over & I was able to head back for Valdez on the boat, I snapped a few shots of the mountains that ring the ocean shore in Prince William Sound,...


Dave, do you keep your boat in the water year around ?

Who are you guys working for, Fish and Game ?

Thanks again for posting this stuff, you should start a website.


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## Roger201

man them are awsome pics i would love to come there on vaction and maybe do some hunting


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## Alaska Boss

T-MAN;904463 said:


> Dave, do you keep your boat in the water year around ?
> 
> Who are you guys working for, Fish and Game ?
> 
> Thanks again for posting this stuff, you should start a website.


Hi Todd,... no, my boat is in winter storage in a warehouse right now,... the one I ran the past couple days was another charter boat that works out of Valdez too... a 34 ft Fibercraft,... this guy keeps his in the water all winter, because he got a contract with Alyeska for oil spill response (Alyeska is the company that owns the Alaska pipeline, and is who we are contracted to). So, he hires me to run his boat when he can't make it to these on-call spill drills. :waving:


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## Alaska Boss

Well, I finally finished up the new truck last night,... and put the plow on & pushed a little snow, just to see how things worked,... it's gonna be hard now to go back to the old truck,.... wesport


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## Alaska Boss

They're forecasting around a foot & a half of snow in the next couple days,.. probably won't happen, but we should get something out of the deal,.... and see how this ex-Missouri truck fits into an Alaskan winter,... and the dually is going to feel a little neglected now I think,.... :waving::waving::waving:


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## Banksy

It will definitely be hard to go back to the old trucks after plowing in that beauty. You are making me want to go find the same truck. We have rot free rigs here in NC.


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## Duncan90si

There is the elusive new truck.  Looks great AB.


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## CJsSnowplowing

*Flashing light looks bright in day time.*



Alaska Boss;905469 said:


> They're forecasting around a foot & a half of snow in the next couple days,.. probably won't happen, but we should get something out of the deal,.... and see how this ex-Missouri truck fits into an Alaskan winter,... and the dually is going to feel a little neglected now I think,.... :waving::waving::waving:


Those flashing lights look bright in day time...?? If so what is the make & model of those flashing yellow lights. Please & Thank You.


----------



## JDiepstra

This may have been noted before but what size are those tall skinny tires you are running? Any tire advice for those of us who only get 100" a season? Thanks for another great thread AB.


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## Stik208

CJsSnowplowing;905532 said:


> Those flashing lights look bright in day time...?? If so what is the make & model of those flashing yellow lights. Please & Thank You.


I love the new truck I want one. The light is a Whelen Guardian rotator, and they are ridiculously bright.


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## DareDog

what are those tanks off the ground?


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## Duncan90si

JDiepstra;905615 said:


> This may have been noted before but what size are those tall skinny tires you are running?


My guess is 235/85/16?? They look similar to what I'm running.


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## thesnowman269

the new truck! wow does it look good!!


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## CHCSnowman

Dave, Nice pictures! That is Gods country!! 

My question........does the water where you keep the boats all winter ever freeze like on "Deadliest Catch"? And if not......why?

Thanks for the pictures........I would love that much room of my own on the roads.


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## KJ Cramer

DareDog;905654 said:


> what are those tanks off the ground?


Fuel barrels. Or at least thats what I think they are.


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## 91AK250

from what i can tell that storm should be hitting you pretty good eh dave?


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## blowerman

Always amazing shots dave...


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## Alaska Boss

CJsSnowplowing;905532 said:


> Those flashing lights look bright in day time...?? If so what is the make & model of those flashing yellow lights. Please & Thank You.





Stik208;905650 said:


> I love the new truck I want one. The light is a Whelen Guardian rotator, and they are ridiculously bright.


Yep, it's a Whelen Guardian,... I got 2 of them a while back for $70/each. Not the most high-tech lights out there, but the bang for the buck is pretty good. Power consumption is not an issue with dual batteries,...



JDiepstra;905615 said:


> This may have been noted before but what size are those tall skinny tires you are running? Any tire advice for those of us who only get 100" a season? Thanks for another great thread AB.


They're just the stock size,... LT245/75R/16,... I just use this size, because they're very common & cheap to buy,... and seem to be about right for traction width, etc. A little wider may be ok, but I sometimes use chains, and wider tires will just hit the fender corners more then. The dually has 215/85R/16, which are a little narrower, but it doesn't seem to make much difference. Studs & heavy siping will give tires a lot better grip too, but most areas don't allow stud use any more. I tend to run less tire pressure in the back tires than the front,... a softer tire will also grab better than one that is rock hard,.. but the front have to be at max pressure to hold the extra weight...



DareDog;905654 said:


> what are those tanks off the ground?


One is gasoline,... I have my gas delivered bulk, (cheaper than buying from a pump),... and the other is heating oil, also delivered. My accounts are on a stay-full basis,... so I never have to worry about where/when to get gas or fuel oil.



CHCSnowman;906075 said:


> Dave, Nice pictures! That is Gods country!!
> 
> My question........does the water where you keep the boats all winter ever freeze like on "Deadliest Catch"? And if not......why?
> 
> Thanks for the pictures........I would love that much room of my own on the roads.


No, things don't freeze up tight around Valdez like it does farther north,... that is why Valdez was chosen as the terminus for the pipeline, because it's deep and considered the farthest north ice-free port in Alaska. The "Deadliest Catch" is filmed in the Bearing Sea,... whereas Valdez is in Prince William Sound, which is in the Gulf of Alaska. The Gulf gets hit with much warmer ocean currents than the Bearing Sea does, along with warmer air too. Saltwater has to be approx 28° F before it freezes (depending on the saline content), whereas fresh water is approx 32° F. Some bays & inlets will freeze up during cold spells around Valdez, but never so bad that a oil tanker can't go. I have a picture of myself standing out in the middle of the harbor in Valdez on the ice,.. but it's a rare thing for it to freeze up that thick.



91AK250;906768 said:


> from what i can tell that storm should be hitting you pretty good eh dave?


Well,... it hasn't yet,... but it might. Calling for about 1½ feet in the next 24-36 hours, so we'll see. You could use some more there in town too I think,... I'll try & blow some over to ya,... :waving:


----------



## CJsSnowplowing

*Thank You*



Alaska Boss;907220 said:


> Yep, it's a Whelen Guardian,... I got 2 of them a while back for $70/each. Not the most high-tech lights out there, but the bang for the buck is pretty good. Power consumption is not an issue with dual batteries,...
> 
> They're just the stock size,... LT245/75R/16,... I just use this size, because they're very common & cheap to buy,... and seem to be about right for traction width, etc. A little wider may be ok, but I sometimes use chains, and wider tires will just hit the fender corners more then. The dually has 215/85R/16, which are a little narrower, but it doesn't seem to make much difference. Studs & heavy siping will give tires a lot better grip too, but most areas don't allow stud use any more. I tend to run less tire pressure in the back tires than the front,... a softer tire will also grab better than one that is rock hard,.. but the front have to be at max pressure to hold the extra weight...
> 
> One is gasoline,... I have my gas delivered bulk, (cheaper than buying from a pump),... and the other is heating oil, also delivered. My accounts are on a stay-full basis,... so I never have to worry about where/when to get gas or fuel oil.
> 
> No, things don't freeze up tight around Valdez like it does farther north,... that is why Valdez was chosen as the terminus for the pipeline, because it's deep and considered the farthest north ice-free port in Alaska. The "Deadliest Catch" is filmed in the Bearing Sea,... whereas Valdez is in Prince William Sound, which is in the Gulf of Alaska. The Gulf gets hit with much warmer ocean currents than the Bearing Sea does, along with warmer air too. Saltwater has to be approx 28° F before it freezes (depending on the saline content), whereas fresh water is approx 32° F. Some bays & inlets will freeze up during cold spells around Valdez, but never so bad that a oil tanker can't go. I have a picture of myself standing out in the middle of the harbor in Valdez on the ice,.. but it's a rare thing for it to freeze up that thick.
> 
> Well,... it hasn't yet,... but it might. Calling for about 1½ feet in the next 24-36 hours, so we'll see. You could use some more there in town too I think,... I'll try & blow some over to ya,... :waving:


Thank You for getting back to me about those flashing lights.
Always beautiful pictures


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## L.I.Mike

These pictures are great. Keep them coming.


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## Alaska Boss

Well, our forecasted 15"-18" of snow only came to about 3"-5" in my area,... north of me got about 2 feet,... and south, Valdez was forecasted to get about 5 feet, and as of this morning had got about 3½ feet dumped in town, and snowing harder than ever,... so I guess it missed me this time. Oh well, I still had a few jobs,... and so the new truck got it's first full day under the clock,... what a nice snow-pushing machine !


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## Alaska Boss

Now, I just have to finish getting the wing brackets put on this plow,... (have to get some more big drill bits first,...)


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## Alaska Boss

It was a very dark day today,... the white balance never came on with my old camera,...


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## Alaska Boss

Also need to thaw this plow out,.. & get rid of that brown icy-coating on it,...


----------



## Alaska Boss

Also just noticed with these pics, that one of the parking lights on the plow is burned out,...


----------



## Alaska Boss

It's dark here now by late afternoon,... in a couple more days tho, they'll start getting longer again,...


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## Alaska Boss

The new truck performed flawlessly on it's first full day,... hopefully with hundreds more to follow,... :salute::waving:


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## dieseld

Looks great. My only complaint is that you did not upgrade to the new style Boss lights. But I will be able to get over it. Thanks for the pictures, I enjoy looking at them with my family.


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## deere615

AB question do you undercoat your trucks? Maybe its not so bad since you guys dont use salt up there?


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## sven_502

I was wondering the same thing, but I think he probably doesn't bother, because once its frozen where he is, it stays frozen, no hovering around freezing and constant messy thawing like where I am. Yuck. Sweet truck boss. It almost looks too good to be plowing. Are you going to just keep the old 92 around as a back up truck and just take it out every once in a while? Or sell it?


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## theguynextdoor

Looking good. Do you always plow in 4x4 and do you have 2 boss plows or just switch the one between the two trucks?


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## 91AK250

looks good! i just did my rounds we got about 8" at my house and across town they got 14! i call BS lol oh well though many more storms to come.

hope the new truck treats you as well as your others!


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## Alaska Boss

dieseld;909089 said:


> Looks great. My only complaint is that you did not upgrade to the new style Boss lights. But I will be able to get over it. Thanks for the pictures, I enjoy looking at them with my family.


The new plow I bought is actually about 3-4 years old,... but it had never been used, so the new-style lights were not an option. I would convert these to HID before I'd get the current new style,... which I hear are having some issues as well...



deere615;910066 said:


> AB question do you undercoat your trucks? Maybe its not so bad since you guys dont use salt up there?





sven_502;910090 said:


> I was wondering the same thing, but I think he probably doesn't bother, because once its frozen where he is, it stays frozen, no hovering around freezing and constant messy thawing like where I am. Yuck. Sweet truck boss. It almost looks too good to be plowing. Are you going to just keep the old 92 around as a back up truck and just take it out every once in a while? Or sell it?


Nope, I've never undercoated anything,... rust & corrosion is just not a serious problem around here.... and for the reasons you both stated,.... no salt use, and things stay frozen for 6-7 months. I'll definitely keep the '92,... not just for a back-up, but it'll be my regular workin'/haulin' rig now,... so I can just leave the plow on the new one. The '92 isn't worth anything to anyone if I wanted to sell it,.... who would buy a former plow truck with almost 300,000 miles, and a past broken frame? But, it still runs great, and I'll just keep using it until the day it dies,... 



theguynextdoor;910584 said:


> Looking good. Do you always plow in 4x4 and do you have 2 boss plows or just switch the one between the two trucks?


I always plow in 4x4, and with the dually & the auto tranny, always in low range. I have a 9.2 Boss V that I originally bought for the '92,... but it's so wore out, that it will take some serious re-hab work to make it good & tight again. Since most of my jobs are narrow driveways, the 8.2 is just as fast as the 9.2,... they both get it done with one pass in, and one out. And on the wider roads, it takes 4 passes with both,... so the 8.2 is no real disadvantage, for the most part.



91AK250;910738 said:


> looks good! i just did my rounds we got about 8" at my house and across town they got 14! i call BS lol oh well though many more storms to come.
> 
> hope the new truck treats you as well as your others!


A friend just sent me some pictures from Peter's Creek,... they got about 13"-14" there,... (a one-foot ruler is on the railing), but that's nothing compared to what's going on in Valdez,... current totals are around 5 feet in the past 48 hours, with no let-up yet in sight,.... ,... but you're right,... not even pushing on the half-way point of the season yet,...


----------



## 91AK250

yeah, it picked back up again and theres atleast another 6" out there i had to pickup some family from the airport tonight and just got home and its nasty out.


----------



## firelwn82

What tires are you running on the new truck. They look like there awesome in the snow and ice.


----------



## DareDog

whats the temperates been up there? here in ny it was 9F this morning and its suppose to get colder! :bluebounc


----------



## DIRSHMAN63

Hey burkarts plow i have a western unimout poly and was told i couls not put the pw22 wings on it . So i came up with a plan to weld square tube inbetween the ribs for support to prevent cracking of the poly what do you think 
dirshman63 /chicago


----------



## kbsnow

Hey AlaskaBoss...is this true...I'm still laughing...

Jack had been in Police work for 25 years. Finally sick of the stress, he quits his job and buys 50 acres of land in Alaska as far from humanity as possible.
He sees the postman once a week and gets groceries once a month.
Otherwise it's total peace and quiet.
After six months or so of almost total isolation, someone knocks on his door. He opens it and a huge, bearded man is standing there.
'Name's Cliff, your neighbor from forty miles up the road. Having a Christmas party Friday night. Thought you might like to come at about 5:00...'
'Great', says Jack, 'after six months out here I'm ready to meet some local folks,,,,,,,,,,, 
Thank you.' 
As Cliff is leaving, he stops. 'Gotta warn you. Be some drinking'.'
'Not a problem' says Jack. 'After 25 years in the business, I can drink with the best of 'em'.
Again, the big man starts to leave and stops. 'More 'n' likely gonna be some fighting too.'
'Well, I get along with people, I'll be all right! I'll be there. Thanks again.'
'More'n likely be some wild sex, too,' 'Now that's really not a problem' says Jack, warming to the idea. 'I've been all alone for six months! I'll definitely be there. By the way, what should I wear?' 

'Don't much matter. Just gonna be the two of us.'


----------



## Alaska Boss

firelwn82;911246 said:


> What tires are you running on the new truck. They look like there awesome in the snow and ice.


Studded BFG TA's in 245/75R/16,... it's what I've run for years on the other trucks too. I found this set on craigslist for $100 for the 4,... and 2 had never been mounted. I've been very happy with both traction & wear,... :waving:



DareDog;912194 said:


> whats the temperates been up there? here in ny it was 9F this morning and its suppose to get colder! :bluebounc


It warmed up this past week to above zero here too, with the huge storm that dumped on almost everyone except me,... today it warmed up to about +5° (F), from about -15° this morning. Very nice temps.



kbsnow;913993 said:


> Hey AlaskaBoss...is this true...I'm still laughing...
> 
> Jack had been in Police work for 25 years. Finally sick of the stress, he quits his job and buys 50 acres of land in Alaska as far from humanity as possible.
> He sees the postman once a week and gets groceries once a month.
> Otherwise it's total peace and quiet.
> After six months or so of almost total isolation, someone knocks on his door. He opens it and a huge, bearded man is standing there.
> 'Name's Cliff, your neighbor from forty miles up the road. Having a Christmas party Friday night. Thought you might like to come at about 5:00...'
> 'Great', says Jack, 'after six months out here I'm ready to meet some local folks,,,,,,,,,,,
> Thank you.'
> As Cliff is leaving, he stops. 'Gotta warn you. Be some drinking'.'
> 'Not a problem' says Jack. 'After 25 years in the business, I can drink with the best of 'em'.
> Again, the big man starts to leave and stops. 'More 'n' likely gonna be some fighting too.'
> 'Well, I get along with people, I'll be all right! I'll be there. Thanks again.'
> 'More'n likely be some wild sex, too,' 'Now that's really not a problem' says Jack, warming to the idea. 'I've been all alone for six months! I'll definitely be there. By the way, what should I wear?'
> 
> 'Don't much matter. Just gonna be the two of us.'


Haha,... well,... that could be just about anyone around here.... the details haven't really narrowed things down much,...


----------



## Alaska Boss

Well,... looks like this major snowstorm has finally dumped itself out after 3-4 days of non-stop snowing in some places,... like Valdez,... which got 7 feet in the last 3 days !! If I had the time, I'd run down there just to take a few pics of it,... they said at times it was snowing at the rate of 5"/hour. Now, everyone has dug tunnels going to houses & stores, etc. Storm totals for my area was supposed to be 25" to 30",.. but we got a grand whopping 5"-6",... :crying:. Oh well, it's easier on equipment I guess, plus I still have a few jobs here too,.... new truck is still performing perfectly.... payup


----------



## Alaska Boss

Just got 3 more calls while I'm trying to post these pictures,.... so I guess I better go push some more,... payup :waving:


----------



## kbsnow

If I'm not mistaking, the tires you have on that truck are the BFG "Commercial" TA

Commercial T/A® Traction
Benefit: Ideal for less-than-ideal roads. 
Feature: Tread designed for snow, mud and practically any conditions (suitable for drive axle or both axles on trucks that spend time off-road). 

Benefit: Made for extreme snow and ice. 
Feature: Molded to accept studs when conditions demand the ultimate in traction.† 

Benefit: Improved stress distribution and increased average treadlife†† 
Feature: Optimized footprint 

Benefit: Better road hazard protection and bruise puncture resistance†† 
Feature: Two steel belts 

Benefit: Stiffer tread for better steering response cornering, and traction†† 
Feature: Dual-compound tread 

Benefit: Compound added in tire shoulder to enhance cooling (A cooler running tire is the best way to prolong life.) 
Feature: CoolWedge™ shoulder insert 

Benefit: Absorbs road shock for smooth, comfortable ride 
Feature: Two-ply polyester carcass 

Benefit: Looks great on vehicles 
Feature: Design cues from our heavy truck tire 

Benefit: †All sizes pinned for studs. Installation of studs (use #16 only) will increase the Commercial T/A® Traction tire's snow and ice traction. 

Benefit: ††Compared to TracEdge®


----------



## Alaska Boss

kbsnow;914398 said:


> If I'm not mistaking, the tires you have on that truck are the BFG "Commercial" TA
> 
> Commercial T/A® Traction
> Benefit: Ideal for less-than-ideal roads.
> Feature: Tread designed for snow, mud and practically any conditions (suitable for drive axle or both axles on trucks that spend time off-road).
> 
> Benefit: Made for extreme snow and ice.
> Feature: Molded to accept studs when conditions demand the ultimate in traction.†
> 
> Benefit: Improved stress distribution and increased average treadlife††
> Feature: Optimized footprint
> 
> Benefit: Better road hazard protection and bruise puncture resistance††
> Feature: Two steel belts
> 
> Benefit: Stiffer tread for better steering response cornering, and traction††
> Feature: Dual-compound tread
> 
> Benefit: Compound added in tire shoulder to enhance cooling (A cooler running tire is the best way to prolong life.)
> Feature: CoolWedge™ shoulder insert
> 
> Benefit: Absorbs road shock for smooth, comfortable ride
> Feature: Two-ply polyester carcass
> 
> Benefit: Looks great on vehicles
> Feature: Design cues from our heavy truck tire
> 
> Benefit: †All sizes pinned for studs. Installation of studs (use #16 only) will increase the Commercial T/A® Traction tire's snow and ice traction.
> 
> Benefit: ††Compared to TracEdge®


Yep, that's what I have,... and I've had no complaints at all,.... good tires.


----------



## intolerableblis

Alaska Boss;914393 said:


> Just got 3 more calls while I'm trying to post these pictures,.... so I guess I better go push some more,... payup :waving:


What year is that truck?


----------



## Alaska Boss

intolerableblis;914850 said:


> What year is that truck?


2000 Chevy 3500

http://www.plowsite.com/showthread.php?t=93287


----------



## Greenstar lawn

Alaska Boss;915161 said:


> 2000 Chevy 3500
> 
> http://www.plowsite.com/showthread.php?t=93287


"Shes a beaut Clark"


----------



## Stik208

Greenstar lawn;915358 said:


> "Shes a beaut Clark"


"Well Ed your looking...fit"
"You could sure use a cool one."
"Now were talkin'"
(hands Clark his beer hes been drinking)
Classic


----------



## Greenstar lawn

Stik208;915705 said:


> "Well Ed your looking...fit"
> "You could sure use a cool one."
> "Now were talkin'"
> (hands Clark his beer hes been drinking)
> Classic


lol it is a must watch around the holidays


----------



## CHCSnowman

Bossman.......Did you get called out to work the tugboat in Valdez that is grounded? Take Care!


----------



## 2brothersyc

do you do side walks or do you not get out of the truck?


----------



## KJ Cramer

Did you get called in for that oil spill, if you did we want pictures, and if you did who covers your accounts for plowing?


----------



## bossman22

Alaska has some beautiful scenery! My family and I are thinking hard about taking a trip. Whens the best time?


----------



## jg244888

:crying:STOP! your making me jealous ive got no snow here :crying: :crying::realmad:


----------



## Mark13

2brothersyc;927871 said:


> do you do side walks or do you not get out of the truck?


Looking at most of his pictures which seem to be gravel driveways, I'm going to take a guess and say that sidewalks probably arn't a major issue of his to worry about.

Maybe at the school he plows but the maintenance guy there might take care of the sidewalks himself.


----------



## Alaska Boss

2brothersyc;927871 said:


> do you do side walks or do you not get out of the truck?





Mark13;929259 said:


> Looking at most of his pictures which seem to be gravel driveways, I'm going to take a guess and say that sidewalks probably arn't a major issue of his to worry about.
> 
> Maybe at the school he plows but the maintenance guy there might take care of the sidewalks himself.


Sorry,.. been gone for a few days,.. and probably gotta be gone for a few more again this week,... if it's not an oil tanker running aground around here, it's an escort tug,... 

But Mark's right,... there is no such thing as a sidewalk around here.... unless you're describing how some guys try to get to their buddie's car when they leave the bar,.... :laughing:


----------



## Alaska Boss

CHCSnowman;924487 said:


> Bossman.......Did you get called out to work the tugboat in Valdez that is grounded? Take Care!





KJ Cramer;928542 said:


> Did you get called in for that oil spill, if you did we want pictures, and if you did who covers your accounts for plowing?


Yep, I got a call several hours after this tugboat ran around on Bligh Reef,... the exact same place that the Exxon Valdez oil tanker ran aground back in 1989. It's just inconceivable to me that these "experienced captains" can keep doing this sort of thing,... I was on stand-by for the last few days,... there wasn't much that anyone could do since this was diesel,... and not crude oil,... it soon evaporated & dispersed on it's own,... I have some pics of this tugboat & the place,... and even tho it's not snow per say,... it is about an environmental issue/pictures,...

This is the tugboat "Pathfinder" (on a happier day) that ran aground on Wednesday, Dec 23,... it's a 136' ocean tug that carries approx 136,000 gallons of diesel,... and reportedly spilled approx 50,000 gallons,... (yet to be determined precisely). I was just aboard the "Invader" last week, (post #363, on page 19 of this thread),.. a sister ship to the "Pathfinder",.... and the Invader is the tug used to tow the crippled "Pathfinder" back to Valdez,...


----------



## Alaska Boss

....... and here is the infamous Bligh Reef Tower,.. erected here shortly after the "Exxon Valdez" aground in 1989,... what is it about this that a person can't see?? Day markers,... night-time blinking lights,... radar reflectors,... rader beacons,... bellowing sea lions,... what else can they do to keep people from running into this?? I go past this every day,... all summer long,... for decades,... I can keep from running aground here, so why can't they?? Bligh Reef is like an island that just doesn't quite come up to the surface,... right on this tower, it's about 8 feet deep at low tide,... on one side it drops right off to about 350 feet,... on the other side, it drops to over 1,000 feet deep...


----------



## Alaska Boss

But,... in any case,... the "Pathfinder" managed to run hard aground doing about 14 knots,... tearing 5' holes in at least 2 main fuel tanks,... ripping a huge section of her main keel off,... and becoming totally disabled with it's own propulsion. (I just heard that they are declaring this tug as "a total loss" from the damage). After the tug was checked out to be at least sea-worthy enough to float, it was pulled off the reef, and anchored up close to shore, surrounded by absorbent boom (material that floats & acts as a fence in the water to keep any fuel/oil from escaping)


----------



## Alaska Boss

The situation was best monitored from the air, by both planes & helicopters,... as the diesel sheen had spread to over 3 miles long when skimming operations were started. The "Valdez Star"... (top picture), the biggest oil skimmer in the world at the time it was built shortly after the '89 spill, was called into service & the final tally that was claimed was approx 49,000 gallons recovered,... (99.99% sea water I'm sure). By contrast,... the "Exxon Valdez spilled over 11 million gallons of crude into Prince William Sound in 1989,... (the "churning" in the water in the last picture is the prop-wash from the hovering Coast Guard helicopter)


----------



## Alaska Boss

So, the situation as of tonight,... is that the "Pathfinder" is safely back in Valdez,... and operations are underway to remove the rest of the fuel that is still onboard. I had heard that initial estimates were that the damage to the tug were of a severe enough nature that repairs would probably not be made, and that this tug will be dismantled,.. but that could be reversed once closer inspections are done. And,... it was reported the the captain & 2nd mate were relieved of their duties,.... :salute:


----------



## Alaska Boss

So,... is it too much to ask that everyone just pay attention to where they are going?? Barring another catastrophic disaster,... let's get back to a nice quiet time of pushing nice soft, clean snow around,.... and making sure that boats don't run aground,... and plow trucks don't plow into moose,...


----------



## Alaska Boss

I have done a few plow jobs in the past week.... but with the situation out of Valdez going on,... a few inches of snow hasn't seemed to be too important in the last few days...


----------



## Alaska Boss

And,... with no big snow storms in the forecast for the next week or so,... it appears that 2009 is just about in the books,... :waving::waving:


----------



## DeVries

Thanks for the play by play on the tanker hope things get cleaned up properly there.

Looks like you have a lot of snow already this season, good for you we are below our average i'm sure as we haven't had to plow yet. 

Thanks for the great pics this year and hope that you keep them coming in 2010, also a prosperous new year to you.


----------



## captntim

Interesting post, Dave. Not too often do I see someone on these boards that is in the commercial marine industry. I run a Z-drive shipdocking tug in NY harbor for Moran and we have been talking about that incident with Crowley. 

Good to meet another fellow mariner! Local 333 UMD, here :waving:


----------



## Mark13

Sweet pictures of the boats. I was looking for that big marker you posted 2 pics of in the other boat pictures and didn't see it. How big is the reef thingy they always run into?


----------



## Alaska Boss

captntim;931168 said:


> Interesting post, Dave. Not too often do I see someone on these boards that is in the commercial marine industry. I run a Z-drive shipdocking tug in NY harbor for Moran and we have been talking about that incident with Crowley.
> 
> Good to meet another fellow mariner! Local 333 UMD, here :waving:


Hi Tim !! Yeah, I suppose this isn't a forum for the merchant marines, but, I would think that there's enough people here now that one could find someone involved in almost every industry that exists. Altho I've been a licensed master for almost 30 years, and have been on the water my whole life, I really don't have much experience in the commercial/merchant arenas,... just primarily the commercial fishing/chartering industries. But, Alyeska, the company that owns the pipeline, has hired/trained local fishing boats to respond to things like this,... since the local fishermen know these waters & weather better than anyone. Over the years, I've had tanker captains and others on my boat, who have plied the oceans all over the globe, and have had some very interesting chats with them about the things they've encountered along the way,... I also have a couple buddies who know the inside scoop on this latest incident,... because as I'm sure you well know,... the real story never comes out in the press,...

Here's another one of Crowley's escort tugs doing a water-canon display for the city of Valdez last July 4th,... as I was approaching the harbor,.... :waving:


----------



## Alaska Boss

Mark13;931182 said:


> Sweet pictures of the boats. I was looking for that big marker you posted 2 pics of in the other boat pictures and didn't see it. How big is the reef thingy they always run into?


Bligh Reef is like a small island that is about 2 miles long, and maybe 3/4 mile wide,... that just doesn't quite reach to the surface of the water. It sits at the base of a narrow (4 miles wide) body of water called the Valdez Arm, which is the entrance into Valdez. The "Pathfinder" was towed away from the reef over to a protected shoreline where divers/Coast Guard could assess the situation better. There are precise shipping/traffic lanes in the whole Prince William Sound area, and all tankers, freighters, barges, cruise ships, etc., are required to stay within their lanes, unless permission has been granted by the Coast Guard/Valdez Traffic to travel outside of them. All vessels now-a-days, with the latest GPS/auto pilot navigation systems have these traffic lanes pre-programed into them,... and the ships will literally run themselves and never stray out of the lanes,... unless someone takes manual control the the vessel. And the Coast Guard has full radar coverage of this area,... so they can watch what the bigger ships are doing, etc. Everyone involved has to mess up in order for things like this to happen. I'm not sure what the draft of the Pathfinder is,... (how deep it sits in the water),... but I would guess 12-15 feet,... and the only place on Bligh Reef that is that shallow or less, is right at the tower,... so the tug had to almost hit the tower in order to run aground out there. Whereas, a supertanker, like the Exxon Valdez, could draw anywhere from 80' - 90' when fully loaded to float,... and so a tanker would run aground on almost any part of that 2-mile reef.

This a picture that I took of the Exxon Valdez less than 24 hours after it ran aground in 1989,... there was about 35' of water on the port side, and 55' on the starboard side, and yet the tanker is listing 5°-10° to port as it sits hard aground,... (one of my deckhands at the time),... :waving:


----------



## RepoMan207

It looks scrawny from that end....

Then you see her bow and get the bigger picture...


----------



## Alaska Boss

But, no snow plowing today,... so today I was out playing in the snow & woods,... chasing fur, and just enjoying the critters and weather of another very nice winter day,... :salute::waving:


----------



## Alaska Boss

RepoMan207;931211 said:


> It looks scrawny from that end....
> 
> Then you see her bow and get the bigger picture...
> 
> View attachment 68456
> 
> 
> View attachment 68457


yep, you got that right,... you can't believe how big those ships are until you get right up next to them... :salute:


----------



## T-MAN

Dave, nice job on the Tug. Thanks for the insiders view. If I was a gambling man, I would bet booze was involved. I know you Commercial Captains get drug tested, so I would probably rule that out.


Great pics of the wildlife, thats a nice Bull there. Hope to some day get a crack at one up there.
Any Martin, or wolf catchs up your way ?


----------



## captntim

Thanks for the pics! Yes...the real story never comes out in the press (and its probably a good thing) I've towed the east coast on boats like the one that ran aground, seen an attempted murder on one boat, way too many fatalities, catastrophic equipment failure and weather conditions that are not believable.

Men get tired, steel gets tired....the sea, never gets tired

Here's my boat:


----------



## captntim

Two More......


----------



## Alaska Boss

T-MAN;931418 said:


> Dave, nice job on the Tug. Thanks for the insiders view. If I was a gambling man, I would bet booze was involved. I know you Commercial Captains get drug tested, so I would probably rule that out.
> 
> Great pics of the wildlife, thats a nice Bull there. Hope to some day get a crack at one up there.
> Any Martin, or wolf catchs up your way ?


The "Pathfinder" had a crew of 6,... all tested for drugs/alcohol,... all negative,... so,... my guess would be they fell asleep... it's just hard to comprehend how someone could throw their whole career away for booze, or not posting someone on watch,... but it's happened more than once,... 

There were 3 bull moose together yesterday,.. but only that one was out in the open,... but one in the brush looked bigger than this one. Both the marten & wolf numbers around here are down,... wolves, for a number of years now, since they had decimated the moose population around here,... and the marten numbers go down when the rabbits are thick,... lot's of rabbits means lot's of owls,... and owls are by far the #1 predator of marten,.. so until the rabbit cycle crashes, and the owls all starve,... the marten population will stay low,... only have 1 wolf so far,... I found where they had just killed a small bull moose,... but it's a beauty,...


----------



## Alaska Boss

captntim;931607 said:


> Thanks for the pics! Yes...the real story never comes out in the press (and its probably a good thing) I've towed the east coast on boats like the one that ran aground, seen an attempted murder on one boat, way too many fatalities, catastrophic equipment failure and weather conditions that are not believable.
> 
> Men get tired, steel gets tired....the sea, never gets tired
> 
> Here's my boat:





captntim;931642 said:


> Two More......


Very nice pictures,... looks great! And it's all here too,... murders, fatal accidents, boats that go out & disappear & are never seen or heard from again,... just last month Alaska registered it's highest official wind gust along the coast out on the Aleutian Islands @178mph !! (and you know that isn't the highest that's ever blown). At least you probably don't have to deal with icebergs, heavy freezing spray, ice-locked harbors, etc.

Ever since the Exxon Valdez oil spill, every tanker, including the double hulls, that leaves Valdez now has 2 escort tugs that follow it out into the Gulf of Alaska,... and one of them is tethered right to the stern of each tanker until they have passed below Bligh Reef,... so if the tanker were to loose power or steerage, the tug is already attached and should be able to keep it from running aground on anything. Don't have any good photos of that,.. but a couple that show it slightly,... plus the main hazard that ships have to avoid when they get too big,... :waving:


----------



## thesnowman269

So about this real story? lol


----------



## firelwn82

Alaska Boss. I would like to start stealing your pictures and making myself a file for pictures of Alaska. Maybe if I get enough of them and my wife see's how absolutely Awesome that country 'yes I said COUNTRY' is maybe she will agree to pack up and move there. 
My uncle is retired coast gaurd and has lived there since 76 I think. We don't see each other very often. Maybe every 10 years but he has some of the best pictures and videos I have ever seen. Some may compare it to you U.P of Michigan but it's in no way even like it. 

So all in all I'm asking permission to snag your pictures.... ussmileyflag


----------



## new guy 79

looks good to me


----------



## Alaska Boss

firelwn82;933536 said:


> Alaska Boss. I would like to start stealing your pictures and making myself a file for pictures of Alaska. Maybe if I get enough of them and my wife see's how absolutely Awesome that country 'yes I said COUNTRY' is maybe she will agree to pack up and move there.
> My uncle is retired coast gaurd and has lived there since 76 I think. We don't see each other very often. Maybe every 10 years but he has some of the best pictures and videos I have ever seen. Some may compare it to you U.P of Michigan but it's in no way even like it.
> 
> So all in all I'm asking permission to snag your pictures.... ussmileyflag


Not a problem,.. and there's a whole lot of Alaska that I haven't seen myself either yet,... plus a bunch that I have that I haven't posted,... trying to stay on topic for the most part,..., but you're right,... Alaska is bigger than many countries around the world. Here's one from down around Homer,... snag away! :waving:


----------



## Alaska Boss

Well, no plowing today,... but ran way down a river that I have a trapline along,... and as it was getting dark this afternoon, the clouds started breaking up, so I snapped a couple photos,... the first couple are what happens when you try to go up a creek that is too small for a sled,... oh well...


----------



## Alaska Boss

After I got out, I stayed on the main river,... and there's no problem with thin ice there.... :waving:


----------



## banksl&s

I just went through this entire thread and just wanted to say it is AWESOME!!! Great pictures and the scenery is spectacular. Good luck with the trap line this winter and stay safe.


----------



## L.I.Mike

I look forward to this thread every day. Unbelievable.


----------



## prostk2

AB:The pic from Homer you posted is AWESOME!!! Still trying to talk the wife into driving to Alaska for a vacation---her response is she will meet me there!!!! Thanks for all the great pictures and have a safe and profitable new year


----------



## chevyman51

those are some awesome pictures i would love to live there someday


----------



## Duncan90si

That pic of the colorful sky is desktop worthy. Beautiful.


----------



## KL&M Snow Div.

Trucks look good, glad to see your having a good winter. Keep the pics coming.


----------



## firelwn82

Alaska Boss;936357 said:


> Not a problem,.. and there's a whole lot of Alaska that I haven't seen myself either yet,... plus a bunch that I have that I haven't posted,... trying to stay on topic for the most part,..., but you're right,... Alaska is bigger than many countries around the world. Here's one from down around Homer,... snag away! :waving:


Sweet. I think this picture is one of the best so far. What would of been cool is if there was an Eagle perched on on branch. I'm extremely envious of you my friend.


----------



## Steve G.

I can't believe I just spent 4 hours of my life reading about yours... LOL

I love the way you plow, it always look so clean! Even though you have a chevy... which I'm starting to like now:crying:

Coming from a ford guy, all three of your trucks are sweet

I think I did the same thing last year... lol
payup


----------



## DareDog

is there any snowmobile trails up there?


----------



## firelwn82

DareDog;941107 said:


> is there any snowmobile trails up there?


Im sorry but I don't know if I should laugh at this or take this question seriously??? Well I'm going to choose :laughing:


----------



## ALC-GregH

DareDog;941107 said:


> is there any snowmobile trails up there?


are you kidding? the entire state is a snow mobile trail. :laughing:


----------



## albhb3

DareDog;941107 said:


> is there any snowmobile trails up there?


Wow just wow... that is about as rediculous as the chick last spring came out and asked what pruning was


----------



## wewille

Awesome pictures definitly the best on plowsite!! Keep them coming and thank you for sharing.


----------



## show-n-go

Awsome pictures as usual, I was going through withdraw for the last few day's.. I was just trying to talk the girlfriend into taking a nice vacation up there and i think your new pics pushed her into saying ok.
Once i get closer to booking I will be asking for some advice on where to go and what to see.
Where would be the best area to come visit to get the full feel for your AWSOME state.


----------



## 91AK250

i think the best thing to do is fly into anchorage and work your way out whereever you want.


----------



## Alaska Boss

Thanks for all the replies,... just been busy out in the woods most every day,... getting into new country,.. since we haven't had any new snow to speak of in a while...

.... as far as trails are concerned,... for the most part, you just make your own trail in most of the areas of Alaska,... but closer to the bigger cities, you can't always do that, so yes, there are groomed trails built & maintained for riding. But that gets kinda boring for most folks, so generally the people in the cities just load up their machines and get out of town for the weekend,... and go off-road,.. to remote cabins, mountain climbing, ice fishing, etc.

.... as far as where to go on a vacation to Alaska,.. it's really hard to tell people what to do, where to go, or even how to come here,... because there are so many options/variables. If you want to be guided & taken care of as much as possible, then a cruiseship-tour bus combo is what most people do,.. especially the older folks that don't want to hassle with finding their own accommodations, "roughing it", or are on a strict timeline, etc. If you want to see as much of Alaska & all the different climates & cultures as you can that exist here, then you'll have to fly-in to different areas, because the vast majority of the state is not accessible by roads,.. and this can get rather expensive if you want to see it all. But if you have all summer free (or any other time of year, for that matter), and you like doing your own thing,.. on your own time-scale,... and going wherever today leads you,.. then consider driving up yourself,.. which many thousands of people do each year. Go where you want, do what you want, when you want, for as long as you want,... and/or interject your trip with tours/fly-ins,.. make it whatever you want. Tourism is big business in Alaska, and there are more than a few companies/websites that can show/accommodate you what is available here, etc, etc, etc. Hope that helps,... :waving:


----------



## Alaska Boss

January is generally the cold month,... and temps from -25° to -45° have settled into many areas of the interior of Alaska for the last week or more,... so after being outside all day in those temps, one appreciates a nice warm place to come home to at the end of the day,....


----------



## Alaska Boss

I had to go visit family on New Years Day, driving about 3 hours from my house, and saw about 30 caribou in the road, and 8-10 moose,... including this one that would not get off the road,... and ran for over ½ mile before finally bailing off the shoulder & down into the ditch,... 

(trying to take pictures thru your windshield while driving, at night,.. doesn't work too well)


----------



## Alaska Boss

About the only plowing I've done this past week, is clean-ups and a few jobs from folks that have been gone for awhile,... but warmer temps & possible snow are in the forecast for later this week.... we'll see,... :waving:


----------



## thesnowman269

Wheres the new truck?? or am I seeing things and that is the new truck...


----------



## firelwn82

thesnowman269;943829 said:


> Wheres the new truck?? or am I seeing things and that is the new truck...


Well its on page 2 and 3 but its also on this thread.
http://www.plowsite.com/showthread.php?t=93287&page=3

As always great job Alaska and yes I'm even more Jealous of your ass now that I seen the log house. I WONT ONE BAD!!! Besides having Chevy trucks your my idle..... :laughing:


----------



## ALC-GregH

firelwn82;943843 said:


> Well its on page 2 and 3 but its also on this thread.
> http://www.plowsite.com/showthread.php?t=93287&page=3
> 
> As always great job Alaska and yes I'm even more Jealous of your ass now that I seen the log house. I WONT ONE BAD!!! Besides having Chevy trucks your my *idol*..... :laughing:


 sorry, had to correct that one word.


----------



## stunter2boy79

very nice pics. any chance you have any more pics of your log home?


----------



## firelwn82

ALC-GregH;943893 said:


> sorry, had to correct that one word.


O sweet baby jesus.... you politically correct people are getting out of control.... :laughing:


----------



## Mark Oomkes

firelwn82;943843 said:


> Well its on page 2 and 3 but its also on this thread.
> http://www.plowsite.com/showthread.php?t=93287&page=3
> 
> As always great job Alaska and yes I'm even more Jealous of your ass now that I seen the log house. I *WANT* ONE BAD!!! Besides having Chevy trucks your my idle..... :laughing:





ALC-GregH;943893 said:


> sorry, had to correct that one word.


You need to work on your proof reading skills. You missed the WONT\WANT error.

:laughing::laughing:

That's my Cat 2 coming out.


----------



## firelwn82

Mark Oomkes;943948 said:


> You need to work on your proof reading skills. You missed the WONT\WANT error.
> 
> :laughing::laughing:
> 
> That's my Cat 2 coming out.


Alright Jeckle and Hyde I have not slept all night so eat it....... :laughing:

Now back to your regularly scheduled program :laughing:


----------



## Mark Oomkes

firelwn82;943955 said:


> Alright Jeckle and Hyde I have not slept all night so eat it....... :laughing:
> 
> Now back to your regularly scheduled program :laughing:


 

Just messing with ya.


----------



## T-MAN

Well Dave, as always beautifull pictures. Is that a Kit fox on the wall there below the stairs ?


----------



## joshg

New to the site, really enjoying your theads. Thanks.


----------



## thesnowman269

firelwn82;943843 said:


> Well its on page 2 and 3 but its also on this thread.
> http://www.plowsite.com/showthread.php?t=93287&page=3
> 
> As always great job Alaska and yes I'm even more Jealous of your ass now that I seen the log house. I WONT ONE BAD!!! Besides having Chevy trucks your my idle..... :laughing:


Well yes I know I have seen the new truck But I was wondering as to why he is plowing with the old truck in these pictures.


----------



## Farmerjohn

I just read this whole thread wonderful pics, makes me want to pack my bags and my plow?


----------



## firelwn82

thesnowman269;944374 said:


> Well yes I know I have seen the new truck But I was wondering as to why he is plowing with the old truck in these pictures.


Um I'm not sure right off the top of my melon but he does mention it. I think he just keeps them in rotation and the Dually has an 810 Blizzard on it which is to large for the small 2 tracks he has to go into. Hope this helps ya


----------



## firelwn82

Mark Oomkes;943983 said:


> Just messing with ya.


Nothing personal taken. Was jokin back. Sorry I mean JOKING... lmao


----------



## plowking35

UMMMM its an 860 speed wing not an 810.
Dino


----------



## Banksy

Your face!!! Ouch!


----------



## DareDog

my guess would be he wants to break 300,000 on the 92 ?


----------



## KJ Cramer

I'm not positive that it isn't the new one, I think those signs are magnetic, so he can take off and put them on whichever vehicle he wants. And if it is the '92 he might have done that on his way home from trapping, cuz he did mention that that was going to be his trapping mobile at one point.

Could be wrong.


----------



## sven_502

That is definitely his 92' truck, dead giveaway is the mirrors.


----------



## Mark13

sven_502;945583 said:


> That is definitely his 92' truck, dead giveaway is the mirrors.


And that it's Tan not Maroon.


----------



## sven_502

Mark13;945642 said:


> And that it's Tan not Maroon.


I know that, but because its dark its harder to be certain about the colour.


----------



## Mark13

sven_502;946287 said:


> the colour.


Dang Canadians. It's color. :yow!:

:laughing:


----------



## Alaska Boss

thesnowman269;943829 said:


> Wheres the new truck?? or am I seeing things and that is the new truck...





KJ Cramer;945476 said:


> I'm not positive that it isn't the new one, I think those signs are magnetic, so he can take off and put them on whichever vehicle he wants. And if it is the '92 he might have done that on his way home from trapping, cuz he did mention that that was going to be his trapping mobile at one point.
> 
> Could be wrong.


Haha,... well, didn't think that anyone would really care too much, but ya, those last couple pics are of the old truck,... I had the new one in the shop for a few days (inside door handle broke off,... ). Plus, like KC said,... sometimes I do a few of my jobs before or after I've run my trapline trails,... many times if it's in the morning, I'll just drop my plow off in a customer's yard & pick it up on my return trip, rather than drive the truck for 50 miles or more with the plow on. I've wondered about that,... if I'm probably the only person on Plowsite that ever does that,... plow someone out, then leave my plow sitting in their yard all day (out of their way, of course),... I always ask permission, and they always say,.. "sure, no problem",...



stunter2boy79;943901 said:


> very nice pics. any chance you have any more pics of your log home?


Thanks,... yeah, I do have a lot more pics,... but I don't want to flood this thread with a whole bunch of off-topic things,... but see below,... :waving:



T-MAN;944108 said:


> Well Dave, as always beautifull pictures. Is that a Kit fox on the wall there below the stairs ?


Thanks Todd,... no, no kit fox in Alaska (I think that's a desert animal),... it's a pair of life-size marten,... the upper one is a partial albino, and the lower one is a normal-colored one, with white toes on all 4 feet (both rare). I usually keep things I catch if they are different, or unusually-colored, etc. Like this full-size wolverine,... nothing special about the diamond, but his throat-neck markings are like nothing I've ever seen! I also keep a full assortment of all the different fur bearers (tanned) on hand, as I do a lot of show-and-tell classes for the elementary schools around here,... teaching the kids all about the animals we have here,... how they live, what they eat, how they survive & hunt, how to identify animal tracks, etc etc etc,... plus they can touch the furs & compare them,... the kids just eat that up,... even most of the girls! I've also leased them & done classes for the National Park Service too,... as most tourists are as clue-less as they come,... . I have other stuff too,.. a lot of people think it looks like a museum in here.... :salute:


----------



## albhb3

OHHHHHHH boy peta's gonna be all over you now!


----------



## c.schulz

Awesome animals. The wolverine is our state pet here in Michigan. On a side note Ive been listening to Palins latest book on CD and she paints herself as quite the do gooder. Im liking what she has done for the people of Alaska. Hope she can do more for the people and politics.

Chris


----------



## IPLOWSNO

very cool furs alaska boss, tell these guys how much it cost to live up there, iseen milk at like 9 something a gallon, is licquor banned all over up there or just by them eskimo lands.


----------



## tyler_mott85

Alaska Boss;946468 said:


> I do a lot of show-and-tell classes for the elementary schools around here,... teaching the kids all about the animals we have here,... how they live, what they eat, how they survive & hunt, how to identify animal tracks, etc etc etc


Let me know when you start your lesson series on how to plow snow.... how you work, what you eat while working, how you survive while out plowing by yourself...how to identify snow plow tracks, etc etc etc. I'd book a flight ASAP! :bluebounc


----------



## SnoBull

AB- just curious how you handle and dress for such cold weather? Are there specific stores there for artic clothing or do you have to go ski stores. It gets pretty dang cold here, but no where near the 
-25 through -50 you've mentioned.


----------



## T-MAN

Alaska Boss;946468 said:


> Haha,... well, didn't think that anyone would really care too much, but ya, those last couple pics are of the old truck,... I had the new one in the shop for a few days (inside door handle broke off,... ). Plus, like KC said,... sometimes I do a few of my jobs before or after I've run my trapline trails,... many times if it's in the morning, I'll just drop my plow off in a customer's yard & pick it up on my return trip, rather than drive the truck for 50 miles or more with the plow on. I've wondered about that,... if I'm probably the only person on Plowsite that ever does that,... plow someone out, then leave my plow sitting in their yard all day (out of their way, of course),... I always ask permission, and they always say,.. "sure, no problem",...
> 
> Thanks,... yeah, I do have a lot more pics,... but I don't want to flood this thread with a whole bunch of off-topic things,... but see below,... :waving:
> 
> Thanks Todd,... no, no kit fox in Alaska (I think that's a desert animal),... it's a pair of life-size marten,... the upper one is a partial albino, and the lower one is a normal-colored one, with white toes on all 4 feet (both rare). I usually keep things I catch if they are different, or unusually-colored, etc. Like this full-size wolverine,... nothing special about the diamond, but his throat-neck markings are like nothing I've ever seen! I also keep a full assortment of all the different fur bearers (tanned) on hand, as I do a lot of show-and-tell classes for the elementary schools around here,... teaching the kids all about the animals we have here,... how they live, what they eat, how they survive & hunt, how to identify animal tracks, etc etc etc,... plus they can touch the furs & compare them,... the kids just eat that up,... even most of the girls! I've also leased them & done classes for the National Park Service too,... as most tourists are as clue-less as they come,... . I have other stuff too,.. a lot of people think it looks like a museum in here.... :salute:


Brain fart there, I was thinking Arctic Fox not Kit.
Awesome mounts for sure. The pelts look nice too. Its good to here your doing your part on educating kids on trapping. That would never fly in this area. 
Those Martens look really cool. Have to send a link to my buddy, a fellow trapper and aspiring taxidermist.


----------



## w4hyi

albhb3;946777 said:


> OHHHHHHH boy peta's gonna be all over you now!


oooooooooooooooohhhhhhhhhhhhh boy People Eating Tasty Animals


----------



## firelwn82

Alaska I have a question for you. I'm looking at switching my fluid in my Blizzard 810. why you ask??? Because one of the rams is leaking and instead of tearing it down during the winter I'm just going to milk it by adding fluid until Spring instead. 
My question is what should I change it to. Right now I'm running universal fluid that costs 6 bucks a quart. It's blue and works just the same as the other stuff. 


My question is. What can I change it to that's cheaper just to throw down the drain? I can plow 10-12 hours before I have to add fluid so its not a bad leak. I just don't want to mess it up by adding crap fluid. Thanks ahead of time


----------



## Alaska Boss

albhb3;946777 said:


> OHHHHHHH boy peta's gonna be all over you now!





w4hyi;951057 said:


> oooooooooooooooohhhhhhhhhhhhh boy People Eating Tasty Animals


That's ok,... they never send me a Christmas card anyway,...


----------



## Alaska Boss

IPLOWSNO;947913 said:


> very cool furs alaska boss, tell these guys how much it cost to live up there, iseen milk at like 9 something a gallon, is licquor banned all over up there or just by them eskimo lands.


Yeah, in some places here the cost of living is very very high,... especially where almost everything has to flown in,... and alcohol has been banned in many villages, voted that way by the native people themselves, because of the severe consequenses that drinking produces, thru crime, suicides, family destruction, etc etc etc. I'm always struck by seeing beer, etc in grocery stores when I'm in Canada & the Lower 48 states,... because in Alaska, it's illegal to sell any alcohol at all in any business, except in licensed licquor stores and bars, and no minors can even enter those premises.



tyler_mott85;947985 said:


> Let me know when you start your lesson series on how to plow snow.... how you work, what you eat while working, how you survive while out plowing by yourself...how to identify snow plow tracks, etc etc etc. I'd book a flight ASAP! :bluebounc


Hmmmm,... that might be an idea for some pre-season activities,... :waving:



SnoBull;948030 said:


> AB- just curious how you handle and dress for such cold weather? Are there specific stores there for artic clothing or do you have to go ski stores. It gets pretty dang cold here, but no where near the
> -25 through -50 you've mentioned.


Well, if it's warmer than -20° or so, I just wear normal winter gear,... and even in extreme plowing conditions, I just wear light jackets, regular winter shoes, etc, while plowing, as all the trucks have great heaters, but I carry arctic-cold gear just in case the truck quits,... but I can't remember a time when that has happened,... And yes, there are a number of places up here that sell arctic/winter gear that will keep you warm in the most extreme conditions,... but they don't give it away. If it gets too extreme,... (-60° or more), you just stay home.



firelwn82;951235 said:


> Alaska I have a question for you. I'm looking at switching my fluid in my Blizzard 810. why you ask??? Because one of the rams is leaking and instead of tearing it down during the winter I'm just going to milk it by adding fluid until Spring instead.
> My question is what should I change it to. Right now I'm running universal fluid that costs 6 bucks a quart. It's blue and works just the same as the other stuff.
> 
> My question is. What can I change it to that's cheaper just to throw down the drain? I can plow 10-12 hours before I have to add fluid so its not a bad leak. I just don't want to mess it up by adding crap fluid. Thanks ahead of time


Well, I don't know,... I've never tried to find something that was super-cheap thinking it was all going to leak out anyway. I've always converted my plow fluids to what works best,.. and for me, that's in severe cold. So, my Boss & Blizzard plows all have arctic aircraft hydraulic fluid in them, that stays fluid in temps colder than what I'm going to plow in, and price really doesn't matter that much to me. I suppose that since that isn't your main concern, that maybe some type of ATF from Walmart would work & maybe be the cheapest,.. but again, I don't really know,... good luck :waving:


----------



## Alaska Boss

Still no fresh snow around here,... it's all apparently falling way south of here,... so just an occasional plow job, but mostly running around in the woods most every day,... enjoying mid-winter,... :salute::waving:


----------



## xtreem3d

hi AB..i'm sure it's been asked but i didn't see it in this years thread ...it's only -2 F here and out of 10 pieces of equip i had to jump 4 or 5.. what if anything do you do special to get stuff running in the extreme cold..remove battery, heat your battery, plug your truck in (even though it's gas) .use thinner oil ect...i saw where you change out the plow oil for aircraft version ...any other tips for the extreme cold,
great pics as always..congrats on the new truck.. it was in my home state.. hehe
steve


----------



## firelwn82

Well, I don't know,... I've never tried to find something that was super-cheap thinking it was all going to leak out anyway. [/QUOTE]

Ok thanks. It's not a huge leak. Takes about a 1- 1.5 quarts per 10-12 hours. but still will add up. I should just see how much a new cylinder would cost and stop being lazy...


----------



## G&T LAWN

Is that truck 2 wheel drive?? Just kidding.


----------



## albhb3

Hey AB wheres that huge snowman from last year?


----------



## erkoehler

Nice stuck w/ the snowmobile! Bet that was a fun one to dig out by yourself......


----------



## 91AK250

albhb3;954318 said:


> Hey AB wheres that huge snowman from last year?


the city doesnt allow the family to put it up anymore, they got into a huge fight over it. i think i was all BS and it was a nice thing to do but whatever.

hows things going up north dave?


----------



## Alaska Boss

xtreem3d;952833 said:


> hi AB..i'm sure it's been asked but i didn't see it in this years thread ...it's only -2 F here and out of 10 pieces of equip i had to jump 4 or 5.. what if anything do you do special to get stuff running in the extreme cold..remove battery, heat your battery, plug your truck in (even though it's gas) .use thinner oil ect...i saw where you change out the plow oil for aircraft version ...any other tips for the extreme cold,
> great pics as always..congrats on the new truck.. it was in my home state.. hehe
> steve


Well, I start by putting in top quality batteries, (and that's duals in all trucks), and then all fluids from bumper to bumper in everything I own are synthetic (I use Amsoil). Other than that, just keeping them in good tune, and I don't have problems starting things, at least down to -40°. I wish I could keep everything in a heated shop, but that's not possible. I use to put heaters on everything in the past (battery, oil pans, etc), but after switching to Amsoil lubricants, all that other stuff just isn't necessary now.



albhb3;954318 said:


> Hey AB wheres that huge snowman from last year?


Like Russel said, the city of Anchorage has declared that they will not allow it to be built again,... and at least to this point it hasn't,... and it's a good thing too that the bureaucrats in the city there have made that illegal, and kept us all safe,... because everyone knows that the two biggest threats to modern civilization are 1) terrorists,.. and 2) Giant snowmen that might fall and crush a drunk as he's urinating on it,... 



erkoehler;954346 said:


> Nice stuck w/ the snowmobile! Bet that was a fun one to dig out by yourself......


Yeah, it's a pain, but that doesn't even make the top 20 of situations that I have gotten myself into over the years,... that was my widetrack, and it rarely gets stuck, but when it does, it is. (I was trying to climb up on a beaver dam there,.. )



91AK250;954407 said:


> the city doesnt allow the family to put it up anymore, they got into a huge fight over it. i think i was all BS and it was a nice thing to do but whatever.
> 
> hows things going up north dave?


Well, no snow here in a long time,.. just like there, and almost everywhere in Alaska lately. But at least the temps haven't been too bad either (-10° to around -30°), because at this time of year, it could be -60° or more. It's gotta snow sooner or later again,... :realmad::waving:

(picture is of frost built up on a chain-link fence)


----------



## Alaska Boss

Well, I made a trip down to Valdez this afternoon,... altho I should have gone last week when they got over 7 feet of snow in 3 days. And since then, they've had rain & warm temps that have knocked the depths way down from what it was,.. but it's not like there's gonna be any bare ground showing up anytime soon. It was blowing over 50mph thru the pass,.. which made for some nasty conditions,.. at least if you happened to get a flat tire up there,...


----------



## Alaska Boss

Even DOT must be about caught up with everything,... since the trucks are still running,... but almost have to run off the road in order to plow anything,... xysport


----------



## Alaska Boss

But in town,.. things are a little different,... care has to be taken to not wipe out street signs,... and other little things that stick up out of the ground,... (like fire hydrants that hold up signs saying,... "Don't bury me,.. I'm right here!!")


----------



## Alaska Boss

Many homes & businesses have piles of snow around them as tall as the buildings,...


----------



## Alaska Boss

Nothing but big loaders & dozers are even going to be able to maintain the streets & parking lots as they are from now until April or May,...


----------



## Alaska Boss

Several places in town have piles taller than any of the buildings,... it'll be next July or August before they melt totally away,....


----------



## Alaska Boss

Piles as high as the power poles,... if nothing else,... they give the kids a fun place to play "king of the mountain",... :salute::waving:


----------



## jrjr2u

Great thread! I look forward to this one... 
I was curious, how deep does the frost line get there?


----------



## Mark Oomkes

Beautiful mounts Dave, those are some nice specimens for sure.


----------



## tmf lawn care

dam dave that a big a** pile. I got a ? for u dave wat the fishin like up there in the summer


----------



## Alaska Boss

jrjr2u;954587 said:


> Great thread! I look forward to this one...
> I was curious, how deep does the frost line get there?


Well, depends on how cold it gets, and how much snow is insulating the ground,... but I've seen un-insulated pipes freeze & break that were buried 10'-12' deep,.. as deep as the backhoe could dig,... there's many areas around here that have what is called "perma-frost",... ground that never thaws below the surface,... and you can usually tell where that is,.. because tree/vegetation growth is severly hampered by ground that stays that cold,...



Mark Oomkes;954776 said:


> Beautiful mounts Dave, those are some nice specimens for sure.


Thanks Mark,... there's more than that too,... and I'm glad I still live in an area where I can go into public schools and show/teach the kids what the real & natural world is like,.. because even most of the kids born & raised here really don't know hardly anything about the wild animals that live right in their own back yards,... ussmileyflag



tmf lawn care;954889 said:


> dam dave that a big a** pile. I got a ? for u dave wat the fishin like up there in the summer


Well, if Alaska doesn't have some of the best fishing found anywhere in the world, then I don't know where to go,... for the last 30 years, I've been running a charter boat out of Valdez,... so most of the fishing I do is on the ocean. King salmon may get all the attention and is probably the most sought-after fish in Alaska by tourists, (world record is 97lbs, on a rod & reel, but many over 100 lbs have been caught commercially), but most of the folks I take out are people that live here,... and we are after halibut,... maybe the best-eating fish on the planet,... and in my opinion,... nothing beats the experience of a father bringing his son out on his first ocean adventure,... and his son hooks and lands (maybe with a little help from Dad and the captain) the first fish he has ever caught in his life,.. and it out-weighs him by more than 2-1,... that kid will be telling his grand-kids about this day and this fish 60 years from now,... :bluebounc:redbounce


----------



## Alaska Boss

Well,.. we finally got a little snow,.. about 5" in the most eastern part of my area,... so I actually had a full day of plowing again,... and because several of the jobs I had today were in very narrow/brushy driveways, I used the '92,... I still have the "new truck syndrome" with the '00,... I kinda don't want to scratch it all up yet,... this is why it's not good to have a nice truck to plow with,... 'cause then you don't want to use it and ding it up,...


----------



## Alaska Boss

A couple of the jobs today had more than 5" of snow in them since I last did them,... plowing deeper snow seems like you're doing a more important service than just cleaning up a couple inches,... wesport


----------



## Alaska Boss

......... more of the same,......


----------



## Alaska Boss

I still haven't gotten around to finishing the wing brackets on the new plow,... :crying:


----------



## Alaska Boss

Even had a couple new places to open up this evening,....


----------



## Alaska Boss

I think I'm going to have to get a new camera,... the pictures at night are just getting too messed up...


----------



## Alaska Boss

that's about it for today,.... :salute::waving:


----------



## firelwn82

So you pretty much can't use the speed wing can you? V's are the way to go in Alaska even though I hate them ay?


----------



## Mark Oomkes

Alaska Boss;959851 said:
 

> Thanks Mark,... there's more than that too,... and I'm glad I still live in an area where I can go into public schools and show/teach the kids what the real & natural world is like,.. because even most of the kids born & raised here really don't know hardly anything about the wild animals that live right in their own back yards,... ussmileyflag


That's a very important thing you do for them, I'm happy to see you can do it as well.

I have a couple kids who would sit and listen to that kind of class all day long. Good chance you could talk them into going along with you as well. They both love being outside and hunting.

Keep up the good work, maybe someday I\we will be able to visit you. Fishing sounds like fun as well.


----------



## Mark13

Alaska Boss;959862 said:


> A couple of the jobs today had more than 5" of snow in them since I last did them,... plowing deeper snow seems like you're doing a more important service than just cleaning up a couple inches,... wesport


I like how you refer to 5" of snow as a couple inches and is hardly worth worrying about.

Here in N.IL we get 5-6" of snow everyone panics, it's a mad rush at the grocery store to get food, the gas stations are packed the day before, the old people worry they won't make it thru the storm, etc.


----------



## unit28

thanks for sharing the pictures.
Alaska is on my list for a place to visit and take the grandkids.

and I love those driveway markers, instead of trees I use a 6" flag.


----------



## sjosephlawncare

Oh yes, five inches cripples central Ohio. Also known as "white death". Very awesome thread too. I think ab should be plowsite president. Or atleast hold the crown for best photographer!


----------



## DugHD

AB , great thread and pictures! I just asked wifey if we can move to AK. The answer is no "F" way! I am going to find the book "milepost" you mentioned earlier and be ready if she changes her mind or I have to send her packin. haha. My cousin lives in Sitka. Great chevy trucks you have there , I have 3 that style also , love the color maroon. 
I thought I was the tough person of my crew braving the cold and working hard. Haha , I might as well be in the Bahamas compared to your climate. I'm pissy acting when its 5degress here , thanks for the dose of "man up" , i will remember your working in -30 weather when i'm whining about 5+. 
P.S.- I think its great the kids dont miss school ! Around here if the weathermans calling for snow , schools cancelled before the flakes hit the ground. ussmileyflag


----------



## albhb3

Alaska Boss;954491 said:


> Like Russel said, the city of Anchorage has declared that they will not allow it to be built again,... and at least *to this point *  it hasn't,... and it's a good thing too that the bureaucrats in the city there have made that illegal, and kept us all safe,... because everyone knows that the* two biggest threats to modern civilization are 1) terrorists,.. and 2) Giant snowmen that might fall and crush a drunk as he's urinating on it*,... QUOTE]
> 
> wow just wow
> :laughing:


----------



## 91AK250

we got about 5" here in town too, its right at that threshold of.. to plow or not. i did the few people i had to do. and i'll do the others this weekend. hope this storm sent you alittle also dave?


----------



## thesnowman269

91AK250;961110 said:


> we got about 5" here in town too, its right at that threshold of.. to plow or not. i did the few people i had to do. and i'll do the others this weekend. hope this storm sent you alittle also dave?


Around here most people want it done at 2in or 3in, you guys dont go out till 5in??


----------



## 91AK250

i dont, lol i just do it fo a hobby. my drive and family. then some others i've collected over the years dont do it for the money as i'd never break even. i just do it for fun. all the plow companys are out after like 2-3" from what i've seen.


----------



## grandview

I see you guys had -50 there the other day. That's about 130 difference that I want.


----------



## Alaska Boss

firelwn82;959897 said:


> So you pretty much can't use the speed wing can you? V's are the way to go in Alaska even though I hate them ay?


Oh yeah, the Speedwing would work,... the dually is kinda big for some of the driveways I do,... and that truck seems to burn more gas than the other 2,... so, it's back-up #2 as of now,... but it's been sitting for a couple months now,.. maybe I'll fire it up next time and plow a few places just to keep it loosened up,... wesport



Mark Oomkes;959961 said:


> That's a very important thing you do for them, I'm happy to see you can do it as well.
> 
> I have a couple kids who would sit and listen to that kind of class all day long. Good chance you could talk them into going along with you as well. They both love being outside and hunting.
> 
> Keep up the good work, maybe someday I\we will be able to visit you. Fishing sounds like fun as well.


 Man, when I was a kid in school, if some guy would have come to our class with a bunch of furs and showed us stuff about animals, I would have thought I had died & gone to heaven. I've done the same thing with ocean life too,... kids and adults both really like stuff like that,... 



Mark13;960390 said:


> I like how you refer to 5" of snow as a couple inches and is hardly worth worrying about.
> 
> Here in N.IL we get 5-6" of snow everyone panics, it's a mad rush at the grocery store to get food, the gas stations are packed the day before, the old people worry they won't make it thru the storm, etc.


Most people here don't bother with getting plowed with only 5",.... some like to not have it all packed down, so spring break-up isn't such a mess,... but 5" here doesn't even make people yawn,...



DugHD;960920 said:


> AB , great thread and pictures! I just asked wifey if we can move to AK. The answer is no "F" way! I am going to find the book "milepost" you mentioned earlier and be ready if she changes her mind or I have to send her packin. haha. My cousin lives in Sitka. Great chevy trucks you have there , I have 3 that style also , love the color maroon.
> I thought I was the tough person of my crew braving the cold and working hard. Haha , I might as well be in the Bahamas compared to your climate. I'm pissy acting when its 5degress here , thanks for the dose of "man up" , i will remember your working in -30 weather when i'm whining about 5+.
> P.S.- I think its great the kids dont miss school ! Around here if the weathermans calling for snow , schools cancelled before the flakes hit the ground. ussmileyflag


As far as I know,... none of the schools in this whole area have ever closed because of snow,... they close at -50° or colder,... but even in Valdez, where a 2 foot dump overnight is no big deal,... schools never close.



91AK250;961110 said:


> we got about 5" here in town too, its right at that threshold of.. to plow or not. i did the few people i had to do. and i'll do the others this weekend. hope this storm sent you alittle also dave?


yeah, that's about what we had here. There was a lot more up in the high country,.. one guy told me he went riding about 20 miles away & has 2½ feet of new snow in his trail from the couple of days,....



thesnowman269;961172 said:


> Around here most people want it done at 2in or 3in, you guys dont go out till 5in??


I don't do anybody until they call me,... and most people won't call at 5". But we usually get 2's, 3's, 4's, etc quite often,... so once it gets to 8 -10 inches since I last did them, then they call. It works out good that way for me,.. because it spreads the jobs out more,.. and since I basically do my whole community by myself, I can keep up better than if we get a major dump, and everyone wants to be done right now,...



grandview;961273 said:


> I see you guys had -50 there the other day. That's about 130 difference that I want.


That was farther north than where I am... but I saw that too... a village called Fort Yukon had -56° yesterday I saw,... I haven't had much colder than about -40° so far this winter,.. and in another month, we'll be past the coldest part,... so it should be ok from here on out,...


----------



## w4hyi

I WANNA SEE MORE PICTURE'S OF THAT BEAUTIFUL LAND ussmileyflag


----------



## Alaska Boss

Well, not a whole lot going on around here lately,.... a few plow jobs here & there,... mostly just getting a couple inches of snow every couple days or so,... but basically, pretty nice weather for mid-January,... seeing as it could be -60° or worse,...


----------



## Alaska Boss

Some areas I do still have less than 2 feet of snow,... which makes for easy plowing anyway....


----------



## Alaska Boss

So,.... mostly riding into new country,... putting a lot of miles on the sleds,...


----------



## Alaska Boss

and just enjoying my favorite time of year,.... :salute::waving:


----------



## DareDog

AB i sent you a pm.


----------



## firelwn82

DareDog;966263 said:


> AB i sent you a pm.


Your gettin a plane ticket arn't you.... You son of a b.... lol


----------



## SullivanSeptic

Hey AB. Are you with another sled when you go out that far? And how far out do you go with those sleds? How many miles from civilization are you?

By the way, love the pics and I always look forward to this thread.


----------



## cmo18

what happens if your sled goes down when your so far out? You must carry a GPS so you can tell a buddy how to locate you?


----------



## DareDog

hes got a skidoo it wont go down


----------



## sven_502

How many miles are on your ski doos AK boss?


----------



## DareDog

all pages of the new truck but no pic of all trucks lined up aka" the fleet" yet????


----------



## Alaska Boss

SullivanSeptic;966645 said:


> Hey AB. Are you with another sled when you go out that far? And how far out do you go with those sleds? How many miles from civilization are you?
> 
> By the way, love the pics and I always look forward to this thread.


99% of the time I'm by myself,... I wouldn't have a problem with having someone else go with me (provided they have a good sled & can ride it), but generally no one is available,.. all my buddies have regular jobs,.. haha. I generally only go as far as a tank of gas will get me out & back,... (and many times I leave in the dark & get back in the dark), which depending on the area, averages from 60-100 miles round trip. So, that would mean that I'm going 30-50 miles out and away from the nearest highway, town or person. Most of my friends wouldn't do what I do,.. at least not alone,... but jump at a chance to go with me & see what I see most every day,.... both critters & scenery,... 



chris_morrison;966674 said:


> what happens if your sled goes down when your so far out? You must carry a GPS so you can tell a buddy how to locate you?


Well, altho I use a GPS every day during the summer on the ocean, I usually never carry one when I'm out in the woods, or on rivers & lakes,... getting lost is not an issue for me,... but having a sled break down is always a possibility,... and 1 hour of riding will take you farther back in than what you could walk out in a day. Some areas have cell phone coverage, but many don't. Even tho I ride older sleds, I keep them up and know them inside & out,.. and carry parts/tools that I might need to fix almost anything that might happen,... and with owning over 30 machines now for over 30 years,.. everything has happened! The reason I ride the machines I do, is because I modify them to better suit my needs on the traplines,... such as hot air blowing up inside the windshield area,... carrying a scoped rifle inside the cowling to keep it warm & dry,.. plus many other things that you can't do on these late-model sleds. But, I always tell someone where I'm going,.. so if I don't show up, they'll know where to start looking. Most of the areas I go into have old trapper/miner cabins somewhere too,... that I could use in an emergency. Outside of an all-out engine failure,... I can deal with just about anything else,.. knock on wood,.. 



sven_502;968449 said:


> How many miles are on your ski doos AK boss?


My current machines are all fan-cooled Ski-doo Skandics (3), even tho I have a Summit cowling on this one in the pics. This one I'm running lately has about 7,000 miles,... my other one has about 8,000,.. and my widetrack has about 12,000. I've had at least 3 machines now that I have put over 20,000 miles on, and the engines still ran just fine & had never been touched, but the rest of the machine is getting pretty used up by then. Most people can't put on the kind of miles that I do, because you have to be out riding almost every day all winter for it to add up like that. Back when I was in my 20's & early 30's, I used to put 6-7,000 miles on machines every winter, (riding from October thru May), but I can't do that anymore,.. plus my snowplowing business cuts into a lot of my winter days too now. 
:waving:


----------



## Alaska Boss

A few more from today,...


----------



## Alaska Boss

DareDog;968537 said:


> all pages of the new truck but no pic of all trucks lined up aka" the fleet" yet????


Yeah, I will one of these days,... maybe in the "Equipment Forum". The '90 dually has been sitting for a little while now, and is slowly getting buried,.. so maybe when it gets a little warmer, I'll fire 'em all up & line 'em all up,... :waving:


----------



## Alaska Boss

The nice weather is great, but it is colder then too... like today it was about -30° when I left home & a little colder than that when I got back,.... and deep snow gets more dense then too,... so if you're not going fast enough, you can get stuck,... but it's no big deal,... :salute::waving:


----------



## asps4u

Man I Love this thread!  Every pic in here makes me want to go to Alaska. One day it will happen, I can't even imagine how beautiful it really is to see in person, not to mention waking up to it every morning. I envy you Dave, and really appreciate you sharing all the pics with us! :salute:


----------



## DRBLawnBuster

Man alaska is awsome, i want to visit alaska soon


----------



## thesnowman269

Awsome pictures


----------



## DareDog

wow that's a lot of miles in a season. i usually ride 1500 in good winter, 1700 in great one (only had 1 of those) this yr so far i got 600 miles on should have about 1,000 on by end of the month.


----------



## Indy

OK, OK, I get it Alaska is beutiful.

But we still have a deal right Dave, If you ever want to see someone plowing around a convenient store dumpster in Indiana.........your gonna call.........RIGHT?:laughing:


No fool'n I just spent an hour checking out Alaska...what an amazing place..thanks.:salute:

Indy


----------



## 91AK250

lol i was just thinking dave..we just got some old snow cats in at work. they would be absolutly awsome to go on your adventures with eh? i would love to have one but no time to get out and enjoy it


----------



## firelwn82

Snowmobiles here are like wall paintings. You buy them and they sit on the wall forever. Here we can only ride 3 maybe 4 weeks if were lucky. Unless you can drive 3+ hours every weekend. but who can afford that anymore?


----------



## Alaska Boss

asps4u;969318 said:


> Man I Love this thread! Every pic in here makes me want to go to Alaska. One day it will happen, I can't even imagine how beautiful it really is to see in person, not to mention waking up to it every morning. I envy you Dave, and really appreciate you sharing all the pics with us! :salute:





DRBLawnBuster;969491 said:


> Man alaska is awsome, i want to visit alaska soon





thesnowman269;969525 said:


> Awsome pictures





Indy;969683 said:


> OK, OK, I get it Alaska is beutiful,
> 
> But we still have a deal right Dave, If you ever want to see someone plowing around a convenient store dumpster in Indiana.........your gonna call.........RIGHT?:laughing:
> 
> No fool'n I just spent an hour checking out Alaska...what an amazing place..thanks.:salute:
> 
> Indy


Thanks,... and I know I'm in a unique place on earth,... and even tho winter is 7 months long here,... I'm always kinda depressed when spring arrives & all this beauty turns into a broken-up mess,... so,.. gotta enjoy it while it lasts,... :waving:


----------



## Alaska Boss

91AK250;970324 said:


> lol i was just thinking dave..we just got some old snow cats in at work. they would be absolutly awsome to go on your adventures with eh? i would love to have one but no time to get out and enjoy it


There's a few guys around here that have them,... and they work good for hauling big loads into cabins, etc, but for just riding around on,... snow machines are much better,... the snow cats are sooooo slow,... comparatively speaking, and they will break thru the ice on smaller creeks & rivers, whereas a sled can scoot across open water, etc. There's a couple guys in Valdez that operate snow cats in Thompson Pass to haul skiers up on some of the slopes (a cheaper alternative than using helicopters). Snow cats could crash thru a lot more brush tho, than a sled would, if snow is sparse,.. but in the high country, that's usually not a problem,... but if you can sneak away with one of them,... post way!! :waving:


----------



## Alaska Boss

Spent today going on a short trapline with the youngest son of one of my best friends,... and showed him how identify different tracks,.. making sets, etc. he's sooo excited about all this he can hardly keep from peeing in his pants,... :laughing:

But I think it's a good thing when there's still a few kids in this day & age that would still rather go outside at -25° all day & be active in things like this,.. and learn about the natural world, than just sit at home & play video games,... so,.. more power to him !!


----------



## Alaska Boss

......... and then on the way home I did a few plow jobs,... so killed two birds with one stone,... :waving:


----------



## DareDog

any trips planned?? like one last year mountain climbing with Alaska boss


----------



## CJsSnowplowing

once again very beautiful pictures. make me on vacation by looking at them.


----------



## Alaska Boss

DareDog;971786 said:


> any trips planned?? like one last year mountain climbing with Alaska boss


Oh yeah,... we have a couple different ideas going as to what we're gonna do later this winter,... but generally we wait til later in March before we go on any extended trips,.. the days are a lot longer & snow is at maximum depth and best riding conditions. But then again,... I'm going on trips almost every day,... :yow!:


----------



## Alaska Boss

Well,.. I could post some more boring pictures of plowing people's driveways,.... or I could keep snapping a few shots along the trails during this beautiful clear & cold snap we're currently in,... so,.... since I know that's there's still plenty of snow plowing left in the next 3 months,... I guess I'll do the latter. In the mornings lately, it's been -30° to -35° F,.... and later it warms up to -20° F or so.... which isn't too bad at all,... so it appears that we are probably not going to get any extreme cold this winter,... (like -50° or lower),... since if it was, it should be getting there now during this clear spell,... and believe me,.. no one around here is complaining one bit,... ussmileyflag


----------



## Alaska Boss

One of my trails follows an old abandoned railroad bed, that goes thru a narrow canyon,... and erosion & time has left it with not a whole lotta room to get by in spots,.... and it's a several hundred foot sheer drop-off,... so one doesn't want to make a mistake in those spots,....


----------



## Alaska Boss

Looking straight down off the edge,.. there was a smokin' fresh wolverine track that crossed the river,....


----------



## Alaska Boss

The farther down the river I went, the deeper the snow got,.... when I got off to the side where the snow was the softest, if I jumped off my machine, I'd sink in over waist deep in places,.... which makes it a chore just climbing back on,... so staying on my trail was best,....


----------



## Alaska Boss

Then I noticed some type of disturbance on the side of the hill,... so after climbing up to it, I saw that a hawk had killed & eaten a grouse,.... and promptly got stuck,....


----------



## Alaska Boss

but on the river itself,... it was good going,.... flat & nice,.... prsport


----------



## Alaska Boss

All in all,... another beautiful January day to be out on the trail,.... :salute::waving:


----------



## coldcoffee

Those are some great pics, I'm envious! 

Just wondering what kind of safety gear you might carry for the unexpected, I see the shovel...But what's in the box??


----------



## DugHD

AB - you ever owned any Skidoo Alpines in your past snowmobiling days? They would go through deep snow very well. I am kinda a Alpine fan and have a website for them and also sell some parts. Heres the link. www.skidooalpine.com doug


----------



## Alaska Boss

coldcoffee;972727 said:


> Those are some great pics, I'm envious!
> 
> Just wondering what kind of safety gear you might carry for the unexpected, I see the shovel...But what's in the box??


Well, I try not to carry stuff I don't need, because I can barely haul around the stuff I do need,... but I always have tools & parts, a come-a-long & rope, bow saw & axe, rifle, and in deep snow country, a scoop shovel. Generally, the box on the back carries my trapping stuff & bait,.... and is usually full of fur on the return trip. :waving:


----------



## Alaska Boss

DugHD;972823 said:


> AB - you ever owned any Skidoo Alpines in your past snowmobiling days? They would go through deep snow very well. I am kinda a Alpine fan and have a website for them and also sell some parts. Heres the link. www.skidooalpine.com doug


Sure did,.... I had 3 of them over the years,... actually, one was a Valmont (a short-track version of the double-track machines),... I think it was a '69 model, (with a 14hp single, I think),... but the Alpines were a '76 & a '78, with the 640's. (I still have the '76, and it still runs). Back in the 70's, nothing could touch 'em. It took some getting used-to to ride them & make 'em go where you wanted to,... but once I got used to how they handled,... I hated those tippy regular machines that got stuck all the time,.... haha. The 640's were very touchy on the PTO side for scorching pistons,... and they were kinda gas hogs, but I liked them back then! I could go back into the mountains and most regular machines couldn't even follow my track. I made a special log saddle that mounted on the back of the '78 that worked great for dragging big house logs out of the woods. I just found a couple slides from 1981 that I converted with my new picture converter,... (it makes the digitals a lot darker than what the slides are tho,...). The first one is from a caribou hunt,... just threw the dressed caribou on the back & took off,...  The 2nd one is freighting some stuff into a trapping cabin I had,... and stopping next to a frozen waterfalls. And the 3rd one,... well, Alpines would go like stink,.. but if you got it stuck,.. it was stuck! (All 3 photos were taken in April, 1981)

(Nice website, BTW)

:salute::waving:


----------



## DareDog

so let me guess you had an elan at one time? i know those love the deep snow.


----------



## CJsSnowplowing

*The Price is Right TV game show*

The people that win trips to Alaska. On The Price is Right TV game show. What part of Alaska do they go?


----------



## Mark13

CJsSnowplowing;976899 said:


> The people that win trips to Alaska. On The Price is Right TV game show. What part of Alaska do they go?


I'm going to guess they send them to Dutch Harbor, then they can meet more "celebrities" (insert Deadliest Catch people here) and maybe try their hand at "winning" more money on a nice warm cruise with fresh crab. (mid winter on the Bearing Sea at 35 below)


----------



## CJsSnowplowing

CJsSnowplowing;976899 said:


> The people that win trips to Alaska. On The Price is Right TV game show. What part of Alaska do they go?





Mark13;977101 said:


> I'm going to guess they send them to Dutch Harbor, then they can meet more "celebrities" (insert Deadliest Catch people here) and maybe try their hand at "winning" more money on a nice warm cruise with fresh crab. (mid winter on the Bearing Sea at 35 below)


I saw sometime last week on The Price is Right that someone won a trip to Alaska in the show down showcase.


----------



## 76Ford

I would love to visit Alaska in the winter i was born in Fairbanks but i was not raised in Ak boo. But i have been there a couple of times to visit family in the sumer and loved it. My grampa had a old weasel wish i was there in the winter to go out on it but oh well his health is getting the better of him and he sold it.


----------



## DugHD

Alaska Boss;975375 said:


> Sure did,.... I had 3 of them over the years,... actually, one was a Valmont (a short-track version of the double-track machines),... I think it was a '69 model, (with a 14hp single, I think),... but the Alpines were a '76 & a '78, with the 640's. (I still have the '76, and it still runs). Back in the 70's, nothing could touch 'em. It took some getting used-to to ride them & make 'em go where you wanted to,... but once I got used to how they handled,... I hated those tippy regular machines that got stuck all the time,.... haha. The 640's were very touchy on the PTO side for scorching pistons,... and they were kinda gas hogs, but I liked them back then! I could go back into the mountains and most regular machines couldn't even follow my track. I made a special log saddle that mounted on the back of the '78 that worked great for dragging big house logs out of the woods. I just found a couple slides from 1981 that I converted with my new picture converter,... (it makes the digitals a lot darker than what the slides are tho,...). The first one is from a caribou hunt,... just threw the dressed caribou on the back & took off,... The 2nd one is freighting some stuff into a trapping cabin I had,... and stopping next to a frozen waterfalls. And the 3rd one,... well, Alpines would go like stink,.. but if you got it stuck,.. it was stuck! (All 3 photos were taken in April, 1981)
> 
> (Nice website, BTW)
> 
> :salute::waving:


Thanks for the pictures. I will put them on the website. I have sent some Alpine parts up your way . I sent a hood to Wasilla , and some springs to Fairbanks. doug


----------



## Alaska Boss

DareDog;976832 said:


> so let me guess you had an elan at one time? i know those love the deep snow.


Yep,... I think I had 3 of those too,... I know I have some photos of them too,.. but don't have time right now to look. They were very popular in the remote regions of Alaska, because pilots could get an Elan in a 206 Cessna, and fly them in to almost anywhere. I don't know why back in the 70's I never thought about putting an Alpine track into an Elan,... just extend the tub out, add another set of bogie wheels,... the first long-track machine! It would have gone where nothing else could have,... oh well... :waving:



DugHD;977289 said:


> Thanks for the pictures. I will put them on the website. I have sent some Alpine parts up your way . I sent a hood to Wasilla , and some springs to Fairbanks. doug


Yeah, it's getting tougher to still find good parts for those older machines,... but there are still quite a few sitting in people's yards,... if you can find them out. Fairbanks has been hosting a "Tired Iron" snowmobile race for a few years now,... and it's great to see a lot of the machines restored & running good that first came out when I was a kid,... I can still remember how "modern" it seemed to have a contraption with a motor that would go thru the snow all by itself, without dogs or horses pulling it,... that kinda makes me seem old,...


----------



## erkoehler

AB, glad to see your doing well up there this winter! As always great thread!


----------



## Alaska Boss

Well,... I'm still going to post pictures of all sorts of things related to snow scenes, weather conditions, wildlife, etc,... but I'm just going to try & avoid things that are mostly off-topic & ripe for causing trouble,... so,... I'm not planning on posting less pictures,... but just going to keep them more inline with snow/winter stuff directly. Thanks ! :waving:


----------



## DugHD

I gotta move north !


----------



## 2brothersyc

what do you do during the summer?


----------



## Indy

2brothersyc;980663 said:


> what do you do during the summer?


PRETTY SURE he puts all his money from plowing on the floor and rolls in it!!

AB, thanks for the super cool pics.
:waving:


----------



## Stik208

2brothersyc;980663 said:


> what do you do during the summer?


Charter Fishing.


----------



## DareDog

hows the cold been? its been cold for here -12 below yesterday morning......6 days ago it was almost +50f out!


----------



## Charles

Alaska Boss;978338 said:


> Well,... I'm still going to post pictures of all sorts of things related to snow scenes, weather conditions, wildlife, etc,... but I'm just going to try & avoid things that are mostly off-topic & ripe for causing trouble,... so,... I'm not planning on posting less pictures,... but just going to keep them more inline with snow/winter stuff directly. Thanks ! :waving:


Good idea:waving:


----------



## brandonslc

Could you post a pic of that case loader?


----------



## CJsSnowplowing

Been having below 0 deg. F. Here in PA. last few days.. Love it when was upper 20s & lower 30s. Lowest was -25 deg. F..


----------



## the new boss 92

jesus i just wasted about an hour looking like a tard staring at the computer screen in amazement! great photos ab


----------



## stotts1

love all this, what a great place to be when you're jonesing for the next storm


----------



## Alaska Boss

Well,.. been gone since late last week,... and I mean gone-gone,.... like all the way to Atlanta, Georgia !! (death in the family). In the process of traveling this past weekend, I was in Minneapolis again,... Columbus, Ohio,... Atlanta,... and Salt Lake City. Man,.. you guys don't have any snow down there hardly at all !! I took a few pics,.. but have mis-placed my disc somehow,... so if I find it, I'll post up a couple that I took. In any case,... as soon as I got home, I had to go to some more oil spill response training in Valdez for the last 2 days,... so, since I haven't plowed any since I got back, I snapped a few while in Valdez again,... and just wondered what the city of Atlanta would do if they suddenly got the snowfall that Valdez gets,... or even if those folks had to drive thru a mountain pass....


----------



## Alaska Boss

2brothersyc;980663 said:


> what do you do during the summer?





Stik208;980867 said:


> Charter Fishing.


Yeah,... I run a charter fishing boat out of Valdez during the summer (May-early Sept),... targeting primarily halibut. I've posted pics of my boat & many of things we catch in various threads on PS.



DareDog;981551 said:


> hows the cold been? its been cold for here -12 below yesterday morning......6 days ago it was almost +50f out!


It's been consistantly below zero around here for weeks on end,... since at least Christmas I'd say,... but nothing extreme,... maybe -42°F is the coldest I think it's been here,... and if we don't beat that by the middle of this month,.. then I'd say that will probably be the coldest we'll get for this winter. When I was flying from Salt Lake City to Anchorage a couple days ago, the 757 we were on had TV screens built into the back of each seat on the plane,... and one of the features it displayed was a GPS map/info of our flight as it was happening,... so you could see exactly where we were at any time during the flight. We were flying at 36,000 feet,... and the outside temp kept getting colder as we went farther north,... and just as we flew over the land of Alaska right over Valdez,... it said the outside air temp was -69°,... what do you think the wind chill would be at -69° when you're going 538 mph??


----------



## Alaska Boss

Valdez hasn't really had much more snow in the last couple weeks either,.... 207 inches so far for this winter, (over 17 feet), but the actual depth on the ground is just a little higher than my car,... since there are numerous thaws during the winter right next to the ocean like this,.. and it knocks the depth way down...


----------



## Alaska Boss

There's a lot more skid steers around here than plows on trucks,... for obvious reasons,.. but I saw both working in places today,.... but they both kinda look like toys playing in a sandbox when there's this much snow around,....


----------



## Alaska Boss

The guys doing snow removal around town have to be very careful not to take out all the signs around here,... as the snow piles get much higher than the signs are,...


----------



## Alaska Boss

Many commercial buildings that are closed up for the winter still have to keep the roofs cleaned off,... or they're likely to collapse from all the tons of snow that builds up on them,...


----------



## Alaska Boss

Some people put a snow thrower up on their roof & just leave it there for the winter,....


----------



## Alaska Boss

Roofs that aren't insulated enough have big ice build-up or ice columns that form as it runs off,...


----------



## Alaska Boss

Equipment that doesn't get used ends up buried,...


----------



## Alaska Boss

Most places have snow piles around them as tall as the buildings themselves,...


----------



## Alaska Boss

Snow piles in the corners of the school playgrounds make great sliding hills at recess,... even some of the teachers get up on them,....


----------



## Alaska Boss

A friend of mine had one of his snow cats parked along the main street right in town,... looking for customers,... xysport


----------



## Alaska Boss

And finally,... our great national symbol,.... the bald eagle,.. has a hard time finding food when everything is buried under many feet of hard-packed snow,... and so they are forced, at least in part,... to become nothing more than garbage-eating dumpster-divers,... until all this snow melts, and a new run of salmon hits the streams again,.... :salute::waving:


----------



## dieseld

In the one picture there is a white Chevy flatbed with a V box on it. I assume you guys spread sand in Alaska? With your temps I would think a V box with salt in it would be instantly frozen solid.


----------



## KJ Cramer

dieseld;986586 said:


> In the one picture there is a white Chevy flatbed with a V box on it. I assume you guys spread sand in Alaska? With your temps I would think a V box with salt in it would be instantly frozen solid.


At those temps I don't think salt even works. He has made several comments in the past related to not using salt, so I would assume that the V-Box is full of sand.


----------



## deere615

Lots of chevy owners up there


----------



## dieseld

deere615;987438 said:


> Lots of chevy owners up there


I was thinking the same thing. Smart fellas in Alaska.


----------



## KJ Cramer

Here we go; Ford vs. Chevy, like we all haven't heard this before.


----------



## cpsnowremoval

man this looks like a good season for you
i wish we got a quarter of what you guys got


----------



## KJ Cramer

CPS - yesterdays/todays storm wasn't half bad, but I agree wish we got more consistently.


----------



## 91AK250

Alaska Boss;986560 said:


> There's a lot more skid steers around here than plows on trucks,... for obvious reasons,.. but I saw both working in places today,.... but they both kinda look like toys playing in a sandbox when there's this much snow around,....


 he dave..do you remeber... 
i put the plow and sander on that truck!!! when you were in last year getting some parts i think and it was getting shipped over there there that day i think. good to see its being put to work!


----------



## Alaska Boss

dieseld;986586 said:


> In the one picture there is a white Chevy flatbed with a V box on it. I assume you guys spread sand in Alaska? With your temps I would think a V box with salt in it would be instantly frozen solid.





KJ Cramer;986908 said:


> At those temps I don't think salt even works. He has made several comments in the past related to not using salt, so I would assume that the V-Box is full of sand.


Yeah, no one that I have ever seen spreads salt here,... sand only,.. but I've always heard that regular pit-run sand won't work in these spreaders,... it'll clog up every time. The only thing I've seen used in the spreaders up here has been a screened/coarse sand, that is about the size of rock salt. I get maybe one or two requests for sanding in my area each year,... so there's no way I could justify buying a sander. DOT puts a little salt in their sand piles just to keep it from freezing into a solid-rock pile. Not only does salt not work when it's well below zero,... but there are also concerns with wildlife,... with the salt run-off poisoning/polluting delicate salmon/fish streams,... and also turning the highways into giant salt-licks for moose & caribou,... enough people get killed every winter hitting moose the way it is, without drawing the moose onto the roads.


----------



## Alaska Boss

91AK250;995459 said:


> he dave..do you remeber...
> i put the plow and sander on that truck!!! when you were in last year getting some parts i think and it was getting shipped over there there that day i think. good to see its being put to work!


Yep, I remember that! I've seen it around town a few times now,... so, he's putting it to use. But a pickup/plow in Valdez can only do clean-ups or light snowfalls,... a person just gets boxed in from every direction in no time,... :waving:


----------



## Alaska Boss

Well,.. I've been gone alot lately,... plus not much new snowfall in the last couple weeks,... so not too many new pics to post. The 'ole '90 flatbed and Blizzard Speedwing have been just sitting for awhile,... slowly getting buried, so I decided to brush it off, warm it up, and do a few plow jobs with it,...


----------



## Alaska Boss

It's always amazing how much snow can just hang suspended from the doors, etc, when there's nothing there supporting it,...


----------



## Alaska Boss

Nice thing about a dumpbed, is that you don't have to shovel the back off,....


----------



## Alaska Boss

But, for the most part I try to combine plow jobs with trips on the traplines when possible,... so that means the old truck still gets used some.


----------



## Alaska Boss

And the 'ole '92 still gets the job done day after day,... what a great plow truck she has been,...


----------



## Alaska Boss

Just point the V where you want the road,... and go. Plowing snow that has been sitting for 3 months or more, is like plowing 2 feet of sugar,... and the piles turn hard as a rock,....


----------



## Alaska Boss

It sounds like the east coast of the US has been getting all the snow lately,... but my season has at least 2 more months to go yet,...


----------



## Alaska Boss

And, if I'm not plowing,... I'm putting on from 60 to 100 miles a day on my snowmachines,... and the best riding is still to come next month,... :salute::salute:


----------



## deere615

Alaska boss-we got hammered here with 30" I live in Pittsburgh Pa so we are used to 1-3" at a time and then all that melting before the next snow. So it was pretty crazy and I got tons of pictures some that look just like yours, I will be getting them up


----------



## 91AK250

i'm trying my best at wildlife pics dave...best i can do is what i got in the driveway last night haha


----------



## DareDog

yes north east got lot of snow but it all went to the southern part! Baltimore MD is going to break 100" of snow this winter! Washington dc has 3' + here I'm in NY with 5" in my yard should normally have 2'+ this time of yr. 

so far bigest storm was like 6"-8" no big dumps yet.


this is the worest winter in al long time but passed 1,000 mile mark for the season today on the sled


----------



## Snowplow71

Nice pictures, new truck looks good. I haven't even put 200 miles on my 09 Ski-Doo 600 REV-XP. Only 530 total, last year and this years. Time to trade for a 260HP Sea-Doo...


----------



## kbsnow

Hey AB, I know it was asked before and you stated your an Amsoil guy, but I don't think anyone ever asked you about coolant. Most coolant is good to -34, yet you get a lot colder than that. What's the "Alaskan" secret for anti-freeze?


----------



## c.schulz

kbsnow;1000201 said:


> Hey AB, I know it was asked before and you stated your an Amsoil guy, but I don't think anyone ever asked you about coolant. Most coolant is good to -34, yet you get a lot colder than that. What's the "Alaskan" secret for anti-freeze?


Ive always wanted to ask the same question??

Chris


----------



## Alaska Boss

deere615;999288 said:


> Alaska boss-we got hammered here with 30" I live in Pittsburgh Pa so we are used to 1-3" at a time and then all that melting before the next snow. So it was pretty crazy and I got tons of pictures some that look just like yours, I will be getting them up


I saw your thread & posted on it too,... looks like you have your hands full there for sure. Nice pictures you took,... but it sure is a different world in what you deal with compared to what I deal with,... but that's what makes it complete,.. good luck! :waving:



91AK250;999376 said:


> i'm trying my best at wildlife pics dave...best i can do is what i got in the driveway last night haha


Well, Russ, that looks great,... but my moose aren't the tame type that you have there in town,... if I got that close to one of the ones out here,... it would be attacking me !! But for sure,... when you can get that close, you can get some good pictures! The only way I can get that close is to put a stalk on them,.. and then use telephoto lens,.... otherwise I'd be getting stomped! :salute:


----------



## Alaska Boss

kbsnow;1000201 said:


> Hey AB, I know it was asked before and you stated your an Amsoil guy, but I don't think anyone ever asked you about coolant. Most coolant is good to -34, yet you get a lot colder than that. What's the "Alaskan" secret for anti-freeze?





c.schulz;1000658 said:


> Ive always wanted to ask the same question??
> 
> Chris


Well, I hope this response doesn't come up 3 times like the last one did,.... In any case, anti-freeze that is mixed 50/50 is only good to -34°, like you said. But when mixed 60/40, then the freezing protection drops to -64°,... and when mixed 70/30, the freezing point is -84°. So, the secret is,... I don't buy the pre-mixed stuff,... if you want more than -34° protection, you have to buy the straight-undiluted coolant, and mix it yourself. I did a bone-headed thing with my new truck earlier this winter,... I checked & replaced all fluids in the truck after I got it home,... except the coolant,... and with this truck coming from Missouri,.. it was only good to -34°, but I never checked that. Well, I had taken it to some friend's house for a couple days, and the temp dropped to about -45° that night,... and it froze up. It started right up,... and didn't do any serious damage, but a whole bunch of coolant was laying on the ground 10 min after I started it,.. coming out of the water pump,... so I had to put a new one on.


----------



## Alaska Boss

91AK250;999376 said:


> i'm trying my best at wildlife pics dave...best i can do is what i got in the driveway last night haha


Here's another "wildlife" photo I found,... this was taken by one of my best friends a couple years ago,... we might not always gets so close to our moose,.. but can city moose ride a snowmachine??


----------



## Lux Lawn

He looks to big for that snowmachine.


----------



## CAT 245ME

Alaska Boss;1000989 said:


> Here's another "wildlife" photo I found,... this was taken by one of my best friends a couple years ago,... we might not always gets so close to our moose,.. but can city moose ride a snowmachine??


The moose didn't piss on it I hope, LOL.


----------



## KJ Cramer

I think he needs a long tracked machine or maybe a snow cat.


----------



## fireboy5722

im from cental pa (williamsport to be exact, home of little leage world serise). we have only gottin 2 plowable storms here this year it sucks. we had about 15-20 last year hopefully we get some more this year, if not maybe it will be better next year. love the post by the way allows me to dream of what we are supposed to get. thanks for the good pics.


----------



## fireboy5722

AB how do you like the spring return on the bosses? do they slam back or slowly?


----------



## dieseld

fireboy5722;1006265 said:


> AB how do you like the spring return on the bosses? do they slam back or slowly?


Boss plow subforum. www.plowsite.com.


----------



## ALC-GregH

dieseld;1006268 said:


> Boss plow subforum. www.plowsite.com.


what difference does it make if he asks AB here or in the "Boss plow" thread? AB runs a Boss plow and he wants to ask him a question about it.


----------



## Alaska Boss

fireboy5722;1006265 said:


> AB how do you like the spring return on the bosses? do they slam back or slowly?


Well, they work just fine,... but I break at least a half dozen of them every winter,... so it's an annual expense with the Boss V-plows, and I have to make sure I have at least a few of them on hand all the time. I have plowed many times with one side broke off, and I remember one night a couple years ago I broke them both off with 10 min of each other,... it was about -42° if I remember right. They never slam back,... but I have them so they are not even fully tight when the wing is all the way back. They always break off at the center tower when the blade wing is fully extended forward,... and so the spring shoots itself at the wing-side bracket like a missle & mangles it up by the end of the winter. I've tried different things, but nothing has made any difference that I can tell. The Boss dealer in Anchorage has told me to save them,... and I think they are trying to see if they can warranty them,.. at least for the guys like me that break a bunch of them. On the plus side, the hydraulics are simpler,... and the wing return is one less function that the pump motor has to run for,... but I think that I may have more trouble with these springs than most Boss owners,... probably due in part, to the conditions I plow in,...


----------



## Alaska Boss

Well.... it's been a virtual drought around here for the month of February,... and even tho I still get a few plow jobs every week,... things have been pretty slow. And the last couple days the high temps have even gone above freezing,.... the first time since maybe October I think,... so, the heart of winter is definitely behind us. The best sled-riding days are coming up now in the next month,... so if we don't get anything major in snowfall in the next few weeks,... most of the pics in this thread may just be snow scenes in various places in the back-country of this part of Alaska. :salute:


----------



## fireboy5722

Thanks i think ill stay away from boss. Keep up the awsome thread.


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## 91AK250

yeah i honestly have to say i dont see many broken springs. we did have an old one break this summer and shoot across the shop and almost seriously hurt a coworker..lucky the main chunk got stuck in the wall...talk about scary! i allways look the springs over good now before extending the wings for the first time.

the new blades have a few changes when it comes to the spring and mount on the wing..im not sue if it would help in your situation or not but the new springs are longer and have like a cone on each end attached to the hook.

glad your not seeing the verrry warm temps we are here in town or maybe you are? it has been in the high 30s to mid 40s! during the day and its melting all my snow and my truck is so nasty..cant keep enough washer fluid in it lol


----------



## erkoehler

Alaska Boss;1007084 said:


> Well, they work just fine,... but I break at least a half dozen of them every winter,... so it's an annual expense with the Boss V-plows, and I have to make sure I have at least a few of them on hand all the time. I have plowed many times with one side broke off, and I remember one night a couple years ago I broke them both off with 10 min of each other,... it was about -42° if I remember right. They never slam back,... but I have them so they are not even fully tight when the wing is all the way back. They always break off at the center tower when the blade wing is fully extended forward,... and so the spring shoots itself at the wing-side bracket like a missle & mangles it up by the end of the winter. I've tried different things, but nothing has made any difference that I can tell. The Boss dealer in Anchorage has told me to save them,... and I think they are trying to see if they can warranty them,.. at least for the guys like me that break a bunch of them. On the plus side, the hydraulics are simpler,... and the wing return is one less function that the pump motor has to run for,... but I think that I may have more trouble with these springs than most Boss owners,... probably due in part, to the conditions I plow in,...


It's definitely something with how cold it gets I'm on my second season and haven't snapped any.


----------



## duramax-king

hey alaska boss, really enjoying looking at all the pictures, kinda make me want to come and visit you in alaska. how does the new chevy handel the plow? i just picked up a 1998 chevy 2500 6.5 diesel, with a 8.2 boss v (my first v plow), anything i should look out for, did you put timberens on yours?? BTW KEEP THE PIC"S COMMING!!


----------



## Alaska Boss

91AK250;1007100 said:


> yeah i honestly have to say i dont see many broken springs. we did have an old one break this summer and shoot across the shop and almost seriously hurt a coworker..lucky the main chunk got stuck in the wall...talk about scary! i allways look the springs over good now before extending the wings for the first time.
> 
> the new blades have a few changes when it comes to the spring and mount on the wing..im not sue if it would help in your situation or not but the new springs are longer and have like a cone on each end attached to the hook.
> 
> glad your not seeing the verrry warm temps we are here in town or maybe you are? it has been in the high 30s to mid 40s! during the day and its melting all my snow and my truck is so nasty..cant keep enough washer fluid in it lol


Yeah, we had above-freezing temps here too,.. but nothing like what you have in town there,.... I think this was the first thaw we had since last October sometime,...

As far as the springs go,... last month when I stopped in at Truckwell.... they sold me the same 'ole springs as always,... and how they mount on the wing won't have anything to do with whether or not they break off at the center tower. I can't think of a single time when the end of the spring broke off at the eye-bolt on the wing,... you'd think if it was just a random spring defect, it would average out 50/50,... so my theory is that it is something with how the spring reacts to the contact it has with the hole in the top of the center tower. In any case,.. if there is a new style spring made now,.. I'm going to be sure to specify that next time I get more,... thanks! :waving:



duramax-king;1007994 said:


> hey alaska boss, really enjoying looking at all the pictures, kinda make me want to come and visit you in alaska. how does the new chevy handel the plow? i just picked up a 1998 chevy 2500 6.5 diesel, with a 8.2 boss v (my first v plow), anything i should look out for, did you put timberens on yours?? BTW KEEP THE PIC"S COMMING!!


It handles the plow just fine. I didn't put timbrens on my 2000 truck, because they don't replace suspension,.. at least they shouldn't. On my '92, I think as the T-bars got weakened over time,... the truck was hitting harder & harder on the timbrens until both mounting brackets got bent on the frame,.. and both timbrens themselves got kinda damaged. If the suspension can't handle the weight mostly by itself, then the plow is too big for the truck,.. in my opinion. I would add gussets to the frame right behind the A-frame just to prevent any future troubles in that area (more info on that in the Chevy forum). Put some type of ballast in the back,... tighten up yout t-bars if you need to,... and you should be in good shape & ready to go. :waving:


----------



## Alaska Boss

The warmer weather we had last week (it went back below zero again last night) triggered a few smaller avalanches in a few places where I ride,... nothing too big,... but these are the first ones I've encountered this winter,....


----------



## Alaska Boss

These smaller ones that start from wet-sticky snow don't come down the mountain with the same force that heavy over-hang or snowmachine-triggered ones do,... I've watched them,... and it's kinda in slow motion compared to dry-cold snow slides,... and it doesn't wipe out trees, etc like the bigger high-speed avalanches do,...


----------



## Alaska Boss

It wasn't the best day for picture taking,... dark clouds make for low contrast,...


----------



## Alaska Boss

If a small one went across my trail, I just go right over it,... but they freeze very hard and rough,...


----------



## Alaska Boss

No major snowfall in the forecast in the short-term,... but winter still has it's grip on the land around here,... :waving::waving:


----------



## L.I.Mike

These pictures are great. Keep them coming.


----------



## 91AK250

Alaska Boss;1009719 said:


> Yeah, we had above-freezing temps here too,.. but nothing like what you have in town there,.... I think this was the first thaw we had since last October sometime,...
> 
> As far as the springs go,... last month when I stopped in at Truckwell.... they sold me the same 'ole springs as always,... and how they mount on the wing won't have anything to do with whether or not they break off at the center tower. I can't think of a single time when the end of the spring broke off at the eye-bolt on the wing,... you'd think if it was just a random spring defect, it would average out 50/50,... so my theory is that it is something with how the spring reacts to the contact it has with the hole in the top of the center tower. In any case,.. if there is a new style spring made now,.. I'm going to be sure to specify that next time I get more,... thanks! :waving:


yeah you would have the same style springs as allways because the new ones will not fit the older blades. like i said i honestly dont know if it would make any differance or not..but the new style springs are alittle different and that may make some differance..how much in your plowing conditions i'm not sure?

the differance is it mounts farther out on the wing...making the spring longer and its not just longer is has like a honey comb kinda thing on both ends insted of like normal.

they are calling for snow maybe this weekend..i hope so!


----------



## SNO-PRO

Hey Alaska Boss from what I know the new V return springs are actually what are on the 10' so yes they are longer and will not fit on the exsisting plows. They actually redisgned the plow to better accomadate the return spring. I am sure B&B knows the exact details


----------



## Alaska Boss

SNO-PRO;1010506 said:


> Hey Alaska Boss from what I know the new V return springs are actually what are on the 10' so yes they are longer and will not fit on the exsisting plows. They actually redisgned the plow to better accomadate the return spring. I am sure B&B knows the exact details


Yeah, that's what I learned too,... the breaking-spring issue is not really all that big of a deal to me I guess,.... if that's the worst thing that happens to this plow,.. I'll be a happy camper. The temps around here now for the rest of the winter should be fairly mild for the most part,... so if I break another one yet in the next month & a half,.. it's just not that big of a deal. :waving:


----------



## Alaska Boss

Still doing a few plow jobs here & there,... but the snows they forecast never amount to much lately,...


----------



## Alaska Boss

Guess it's still all going to the east coast,...


----------



## Alaska Boss

But, at least no snow makes for nice scenery at times,... :waving:


----------



## Alaska Boss

Well,... March is here now with not much snowfall in my neighborhood for the last couple weeks,... just an inch or two here & there,... but I still have a couple plow jobs call in every day or so,... and if things stay like this for the next month & a half,... it will have been just an average winter in this part of Alaska,... which is ok,....


----------



## Alaska Boss

We're gaining from 7-8 minutes of daylight each day now,... so at least it's nice to plow a lot more in the daylight now then how things were 3 months ago,... :redbounce


----------



## Alaska Boss

Now I heard that we're supposed to get 2 feet of snow like they did over on the east coast,.... :laughing:


----------



## Alaska Boss

I also got a call to plow out the local track field,... we have a local high school girl here who last year, as a freshman, was breaking state running records,.. so the coaches want her to get a jump on the season and start running again before spring gets here....


----------



## Alaska Boss

And it seems like the moose are everywhere now,... the deep snow in the high country gradually pushes them down into the valleys where they can still find something to eat that hasn't been completely buried yet,... but it's still a month & a half yet before life will start getting easier for them,... and they like my trails too, and don't want to get off sometimes,... :realmad:


----------



## Alaska Boss

........ more moose ..........


----------



## Alaska Boss

And the snow is deep in the high country,... and even the upper valleys,... even with a paddle track, when I get stuck,.. I'm stuck! :waving:


----------



## dieseld

Very nice, as always. Keep up the wildlife pics, they are great.


----------



## T-MAN

Dave, have the bulls shed there antlers for the season ?

Love the pics ! Hope the plywood box is still getting over loaded.


----------



## Alaska Boss

T-MAN;1022505 said:


> Dave, have the bulls shed there antlers for the season ?
> 
> Love the pics ! Hope the plywood box is still getting over loaded.


Yep,... almost all the bulls will have lost their antlers by this time of year. The bigger bulls lose theirs first,... (like the first 2), usually before Christmas. Sometimes the smaller ones will still have theirs even now yet (like the 2 smaller ones walking thru downtown Anchorage), but for the most part,... in March they're gone. I usually find a couple laying around in the woods each winter that were shed on my trails,... but the rabbits & porcupines chew 'em up pretty fast once they find them.... :waving:

I had some good pictures of plowing thru some big drifts the last couple days,.. but the SD disk in my camera got corrupted somehow, and none of them turned out,... :realmad:

Oh well... there's still plenty of winter time left here yet,... :salute:


----------



## GMCHD plower

Hey alaska. Quick question we know you plow in the winter. Whats your normal job?


----------



## Stik208

GMCHD plower;1022888 said:


> Hey alaska. Quick question we know you plow in the winter. Whats your normal job?


Been stated several times before, he does fishing charters and I believe something for an oil company in Valdez.


----------



## GMCHD plower

Stik208;1022922 said:


> Been stated several times before, he does fishing charters and I believe something for an oil company in Valdez.


Oh yaa. WOW I can't belive I forgot that. Thanks.


----------



## KJ Cramer

Stik208;1022922 said:


> Been stated several times before, he does fishing charters and I believe something for an oil company in Valdez.


He is part of an emergency response team for oil spills out of Valdez. As well as charter fishing boat captain/owner.


----------



## Alaska Boss

GMCHD plower;1022888 said:


> Hey alaska. Quick question we know you plow in the winter. Whats your normal job?





Stik208;1022922 said:


> Been stated several times before, he does fishing charters and I believe something for an oil company in Valdez.





KJ Cramer;1022935 said:


> He is part of an emergency response team for oil spills out of Valdez. As well as charter fishing boat captain/owner.


Yeah,.. all the above is true. But I consider snow plowing as part of my "normal self-employment" as well,.. just during a different season. And I never get tired of winter,... even with snow on the ground at least 8 months of the year,... I still am usually sad to see winter coming to an end,.... but a change of seasons is good for us I suppose,... to keep life in balance to some degree.

Anyway,... since my last batch of plowing pictures all were corrupted,... might as well post a few of other things,... it's not like the price for admission is going up anyway,... this is my ride in the summer,... it's a 32' Seawolf,... but it wouldn't even make a lifeboat for some of the biggest ships to ply the oceans that I go past almost daily,... :salute:


----------



## Alaska Boss

And, to keep these pictures somewhat "on topic",... we go past big piles of floating snow every day as well.... even if it was snow 10,000 years ago,...


----------



## Alaska Boss

And, fellow residents that we stop & say hi to once in a while, that live along the way to the fishing grounds,... :waving:


----------



## MIDTOWNPC

I have a program that can sometimes recover data from damaged harddrives, sdcards, memory sticks ect. pm me if you want to try and get the stuff back.


----------



## deere615

I think you are making "excuses" about the camera disk being corrupted LMAO


----------



## Alaska Boss

MIDTOWNPC;1023523 said:


> I have a program that can sometimes recover data from damaged harddrives, sdcards, memory sticks ect. pm me if you want to try and get the stuff back.


It's ok,... I have already re-formatted the disk & it works again,.. I did have a couple more moose shots,... but it's not like I don't have any plowing pictures,... lol



deere615;1023843 said:


> I think you are making "excuses" about the camera disk being corrupted LMAO


Yeah,... I never hear the end of the "no excuses" jokes,... I think I should just cross out the "no" and write above it,.. "Lots of...." 
:waving:


----------



## sven_502

What made you think of the name no excuses for the boat AK boss? Also what kind of engine does that boat have?


----------



## COLOFIREMAN

Thank you soooo much for the pictures of where you live. I miss Alaska and I've only been there once!! Just wish I could get the wife to move up there!!


----------



## deere615

Whatever its name it sure is a shiny boat!


----------



## Banksy

Nothing beats AB's pics!!


----------



## KJ Cramer

I look forward to them year round. I think it is safe to say he has got somewhat of a following here on plowsite.


----------



## Alaska Boss

Thanks for the comments,.... good thing film is cheap,... 

There was a major storm system that hit the south-central section of Alaska in the past week or so,... some places got many feet of snow again,... other places (like my area) just got a little snow & lots of wind,... but wind makes for plow jobs too. Most of my plowing in the last week or so has been knocking drifts out,... which is a lot harder on stuff than fresh soft snow. Oh well... ya gotta do what ya gotta do,....


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## Alaska Boss

This driveway was completely level with drifts across the field,... a 95yo man lives here by himself,... so I always try to make sure that his driveway is accessible to whomever needs to come check on him,... he's almost completely blind,.... and he always comes out & stumbles over to my trucks with the lights going full-bore, and says,... "Dave, is that you??,... looks like you've done a great job again,..." haha. He's still doing pretty good,... but he's too stubborn to let anyone change his life to something a little easier yet,... :salute:


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## Alaska Boss

Sure is a lot easier doing jobs like this with a V-blade,...


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## Alaska Boss

This place is one of the worst ones I have for drifting,... it's not real long,... but the drifts were as high as the windows of my truck. I just have to go real slow & keep popping chunks loose as I slowly go forward,... there's just no way a regular straight blade could break this all up & get thru,... this is one of many places I used to turn down before I got a V,...


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## Alaska Boss

This guy tried to bust thru the drifts on his driveway to get to his house,.. and didn't hardly even get off the highway,.... he hit it so hard he broke the front bumper area on his Caravan,... I had to pull him out of my way before I could get him opened up too,...


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## Alaska Boss

I live closer to the mountains than most of my customers, so I almost never get much wind, but get a little more snow than some,... so keeping my own driveway open isn't so hard on the truck...


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## Alaska Boss

The highway just south of me was closed for over 2 days due to numerous avalanches & high winds,... so many I'll try & take a run down that way in the next day or two, now that DOT has it opened up again,... just to see what happened,.... :waving:


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## dieseld

If you do not mind, what kind of money does one get in your area for a driveway like those two you showed us? If you do not want to say, I understand. Seems to me like you could be there for a considerable amount of time trying to open them up? anyways, nice work, I do not see any trails or dribbles on your jobs!


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## Quality SR

Great pictures as always Dave. That is some driveway, how long is it? I have been seeing alot of the newer truck ( there is nothing wrong with that), how has the other trucks making out? Have you been using them much? Also, do you normally use the wings on the V's for your long driveways?


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## Alaska Boss

dieseld;1026400 said:


> If you do not mind, what kind of money does one get in your area for a driveway like those two you showed us? If you do not want to say, I understand. Seems to me like you could be there for a considerable amount of time trying to open them up? anyways, nice work, I do not see any trails or dribbles on your jobs!


It really depends,... I always give these older folks a break,... I know they don't have any money,... many have no electricity, most have no running water,... they just live from one SS check to the next,... but on the average I'd say from $40 to $80 for the ones that can pay something. On the worst ones I do spend more time than normal,.. but that's ok. If I make it to 95 & am blind, I'd kinda hope that someone might help me out once in a while too,.. ya know? :salute:



Quality SR;1026843 said:


> Great pictures as always Dave. That is some driveway, how long is it? I have been seeing alot of the newer truck ( there is nothing wrong with that), how has the other trucks making out? Have you been using them much? Also, do you normally use the wings on the V's for your long driveways?


It's just shy of a mile long. There's a couple other families that live on this same road as I do,... so I plow them all out for free,... it's not a big deal,.... and having a close, trustworthy neighborhood is worth a lot,... especially when I'm gone fishing all summer,.. then they look after my place. The '92 has plowed a lot for the first half of the winter mainly,... but then mostly just hauled my sleds around,... and the '90 dually has just been hibernating for the most part this winter,... I took it out a couple times, but I really don't want to use that truck up plowing snow,... it has a lot more & better uses than that. I generally don't use the wings on driveways too much,... having a wing on the trailing end hampers the ability to throw snow up & over the banks,... and many times I like to hit a road with the blade angled both ways,... to help cut down on the "blade chatter" that tends to build if you always plow the same way each time,... you end up getting a "washboard" effect. So, putting the wings on & off all the time gets to be a pain,.. plus most of the driveways I do are so narrow that one pass in & out does it anyway,... so a wing wouldn't really help. But in parking lots, or wider roads,.. then I do use them. :waving:


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## Alaska Boss

Well,... earlier today I took a drive into Valdez to get some things,... and see what happened just down the road from me during this last snowstorm we had. Whereas I had about 3" last week,.. about 15 miles down the road from me had about 3 feet again, and more, as you go farther south. Still a little windy,.. and not the best day for pictures,... but I wanted to see why the highway was closed for 2½ days,... and this is what I found,....


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## Alaska Boss

All the side access roads leading into the pipeline and rest areas are opened up with loaders,... even the big DOT trucks can't get the snow off the road once the banks get too high,....


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## Alaska Boss

It appeared to me that at least 8 - 10 avalanches came down the mountains earlier this week,... but because it was cold & fresh snow,... they didn't make the huge snow piles, or wipe out the trees and guardrails like they do when the snow is wetter & heavier,... and many of them were smaller ones that maybe only put a few feet of snow across the road,... so I didn't bother stopping at those,... I only stopped at the places that appeared to have snow blocking the highway at least 8-10 feet high or more.

And so this is the first one,... this snow slide was around 100 feet wide,.... and judging the best I can after the fact,.. was at least 8 feet high in the road. The first picture shows the path it takes coming down the mountain,... ones like this one have no big tree growth in it,... at least a couple slides come down right here each winter,...


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## Alaska Boss

And that one was a few miles before you come up to this sign,.... haha


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## Alaska Boss

Avalanche #2 This one was the biggest one that hit the road. It was several hundred feet wide at least,.... and had some small trees & brush all mixed in with it. This chute right here normally doesn't hit the road,... but it actually went quite a ways on the other side this time,.... it's hard to take pics of these that show it like it really is,....


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## Alaska Boss

This section of the highway has snow sides all over the place,... and it's such a narrow valley that there's no place to put a road that isn't in the path of at least a few of them.... there's still lot's of snow hanging in the tops of these mountains,... with 2 months more to come,...


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## Alaska Boss

The snow depth is higher now than the gates blocking access to the pipeline,... no one is going to drive into here until at least July,...


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## Alaska Boss

Avalanche #3 This one wasn't very big,... but it almost pours straight down onto the highway, since the mountain right here is so steep,...


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## Alaska Boss

As you keep going up,... the snow gets deeper & pretty soon the landscape is virtually pure white,....


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## Alaska Boss

Avalanche #4 This one maybe wasn't the widest, but was probably the deepest in the road.


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## Alaska Boss

The DOT camp up here has crews that work the road 24/7,... because even when it's clear, the wind never stops blowing,... so Mother Nature is also working 24/7 trying to stop those metal buggies with people in them from tresspassing thru her domain,.... wesport


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## Alaska Boss

Avalanche #5 This was the last one & also the highest up,... but I only took one quick pic,... the grader was right behind me,... plus the wind was blowing too hard to stand there and take a bunch of pictures,....


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## Alaska Boss

A couple shots of the road going thru the summit of the Pass,....


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## Alaska Boss

Then it's 9 miles downhill.... and once you got back down to tree line & the canyons,.. it was dead calm again,...


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## Alaska Boss

It was getting dark when I finally hit Valdez,.... and it was the usual,... people trying to find places to put snow,... with loaders running up & down the streets...


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## Alaska Boss

My dentist put his tracks on his Chevy truck again.... :bluebounc


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## Alaska Boss

Valdez is right at about 24 feet of snow for the winter at this point,... which is about average,....


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## Alaska Boss

And finally,.... kids are writing graffiti in the snow along the road in places,.... the snow-wall here is at least 5 feet high,... I should have parked my car next to it for a reference.... there's no one around here getting ready to mow their lawns yet,... :waving::waving:


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## KJ Cramer

What are those right angle poles along the roadway, are they some kind of street light or are they a navigational tool for when the snow is blowing?


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## Quality SR

Alaska Boss;1026958 said:


> Valdez is right at about 24 feet of snow for the winter at this point,... which is about average,....


Wow..... 24' of snow on average?!?!?  Those pictures you took are incredible. You take beautiful pictures, my wife and I love to look at them all the time, even during the other seasons. I bet when the winter is over, EVERYONE is relieved, lol. Keep the great pictures coming.

After posting my question about the wings, i thought it might be just be to lessen the load on your truck with all that snow. I see you have pros and cons figured out with the trucks and plows you have on them. I bet the SW works great on the parking lots. But I think the V is the way to go hands down. Do most people in your area have V's?

In Alaska does everyone have plows on there trucks? Does business owners have there own truck and plow for there own parking lots? In my area hardly any business owners have there own rig. Almost everything is done by a contractor. Plowing contractors are a dime a dozen, everyone has a plow. But, it seems like subs here get paid more per hour, then other areas that get more snow then us. We had more snow here this year then we have had in a long time, and that's around 5 feet, lol. 
How profitable is snow removal in Alaska? I know you make a living in the winter, but how many contractors are out there? Do you often loose/ gain customers from other contractors? Sorry for all the questions, lol.



KJ Cramer;1027078 said:


> What are those right angle poles along the roadway, are they some kind of street light or are they a navigational tool for when the snow is blowing?


I was wondering that as well. If i had to take a guess i would say that they are light fixtures. And they are bent like that so they are visible with all that snow that builds up thought out the winter.


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## G.M.Landscaping

I love your pics as always. It's a whole different life there. Thanks for taking the time to post and write all the descriptions.


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## Lux Lawn

Great pictures as always. I have to admit, I have never seen a truck with tracks on it before.
Besides most dentist around here drive BMW'S, Caddy'S Lexus or Benz not trucks with tracks....LOL


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## Lux Lawn

With that much snow up there all the time what the roads like normally? They got to be pretty icy most of the time I would think. Is there lots of accidents? From your pictures it looks like they do a good job, but it has to be impossible to keep up at times. I would think 4x4 sales up there would be a great business.


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## Alaska Boss

KJ Cramer;1027078 said:


> What are those right angle poles along the roadway, are they some kind of street light or are they a navigational tool for when the snow is blowing?


Those are snow poles,... no lights,... and are used by the plow trucks so they know where the edge of the road is. During white-out/blizzard conditions, there is no way that they can see anything,... and so the horizontal end of the pole that points into the road is where the edge of the pavement is, - straight down. They are spaced so that as you pass one,... the next one should come into view very shortly. The horizontal ends also have reflective tape on them, so they can see them and know where the edge of the road is at night.



Quality SR;1027178 said:


> Wow..... 24' of snow on average?!?!?  Those pictures you took are incredible. You take beautiful pictures, my wife and I love to look at them all the time, even during the other seasons. I bet when the winter is over, EVERYONE is relieved, lol. Keep the great pictures coming.
> 
> After posting my question about the wings, i thought it might be just be to lessen the load on your truck with all that snow. I see you have pros and cons figured out with the trucks and plows you have on them. I bet the SW works great on the parking lots. But I think the V is the way to go hands down. Do most people in your area have V's?
> 
> In Alaska does everyone have plows on there trucks? Does business owners have there own truck and plow for there own parking lots? In my area hardly any business owners have there own rig. Almost everything is done by a contractor. Plowing contractors are a dime a dozen, everyone has a plow. But, it seems like subs here get paid more per hour, then other areas that get more snow then us. We had more snow here this year then we have had in a long time, and that's around 5 feet, lol.
> How profitable is snow removal in Alaska? I know you make a living in the winter, but how many contractors are out there? Do you often loose/ gain customers from other contractors? Sorry for all the questions, lol.
> 
> I was wondering that as well. If i had to take a guess i would say that they are light fixtures. And they are bent like that so they are visible with all that snow that builds up thought out the winter.


The average snowfall for Valdez is between 25' - 30',..... I'm not sure what the actual number is,... but the record was the winter following the Exxon Valdez oil spill,... ('89-'90), when just over 46 feet fell,... and ya,... people there get tired of dealing with all that snow,... the summer of 1990,.. the snow piles in town weren't totally gone until August,... so there was snow on the ground 11 months of the year,... I guess that's how glaciers get started,... lol

I would venture to say that probably more people around here have plows on their trucks than the national average,... but most are just used for their own properties, and most are straight blades,... very few V-blades. I probably see more Meyers around here than any other single brand,.. and I would guess that is because of the price. There are very few businesses in my area,... simply because there aren't too many people,.. but most of them do their own snow plowing,... almost everyone has a 4-wheeler, and many have a plow on those,... and then call me half way thru the winter when they've got themselves boxed in and don't have enough room to move anymore... lol. In my community, I'm the only show in town,... so if they don't do their own,... they have to call me. There's always been a few guys now & then trying to start up a plowing business here,... but there's just not enough people around here to go around,... and if they try to cut prices lower than mine to get business,.. they soon quit and say it's not worth it. I know in bigger cities like Anchorage,.. snow plowing is a cut-throat deal there too,... as everybody & his dog is trying to make a buck with his truck. So, I know I have a rather unique situation where I live,... where it's a profitable venture, and it's fairly secure to stay like it is. Every year I lose a few customers to people getting the means to do their own snow removal,... and every year I gain a few people that say to heck with it,... it's easier to pay someone than to get out there at -48° and do it themselves. (the latter attitude seems to come with age,... ). :waving:


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## thesnowman269

Soo more pics of your dentists truck please! Iv always wondered if anyone plowed with mattacks, Id love to have a set of those bad boys!


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## Alaska Boss

Lux Lawn;1027400 said:


> Great pictures as always. I have to admit, I have never seen a truck with tracks on it before.
> Besides most dentist around here drive BMW'S, Caddy'S Lexus or Benz not trucks with tracks....LOL


Haha,... yeah. I'm sure that most dentists here have rides like that too,.. but this guy tries to keep his own parking lot open himself without a loader,... he tried to sell me those tracks last winter for my truck,... $25k,... I said I think I'll just stay on my tires,.. lol



Lux Lawn;1027566 said:


> With that much snow up there all the time what the roads like normally? They got to be pretty icy most of the time I would think. Is there lots of accidents? From your pictures it looks like they do a good job, but it has to be impossible to keep up at times. I would think 4x4 sales up there would be a great business.


The roads are generally snowpack and icy all winter long, but it's a dry/cold ice,.. so it's usually not too slick most of the time. Salt is not used out here,... only sand,.. altho they put just enough salt in the sand to keep it from freezing. Overall,... the Alaska DOT does a pretty good job in my area with roads,... altho places like Valdez will have ice on the streets at times that can be 6" thick or more. Virtually every car on the road has studded tires,... and it's a very rare family/individual that does not own at least one 4x4/AWD vehicle. If we have years where it doesn't get above freezing all winter (like this winter), then they can keep the roads down to dry pavement for the better part of the winter. There's always accidents,... but then again, you'll always find a few bozos no matter where you go. :waving:


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## Alaska Boss

thesnowman269;1027573 said:


> Soo more pics of your dentists truck please! Iv always wondered if anyone plowed with mattacks, Id love to have a set of those bad boys!


Here's a link to a thread I started last year about his truck,... that's all I got,... :waving:

http://www.plowsite.com/showthread.php?t=75870


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## Alaska Boss

Most of the plowing I'm doing now is opening up places that have been closed down all winter,... and the "snowbirds" are coming back. This is when you have to know where things are,... very easy to damage stuff when it's been buried all winter,... even tho the snow isn't all that deep in some of these areas,...


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## Alaska Boss

Another place that I had to open up.....


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## Alaska Boss

And another one,... before,... during,... and after,...


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## Alaska Boss

Now with the nice temps coming along,... I even woke the skid steer out of hibernation,... and started moving some snow piles around,....


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## Alaska Boss

A day or two ago, as I was sitting by the computer, I looked out my front window,... and there across my lawn stood the makin's of a new "Mad Bomber Hat".... 

(picture taken right thru my front window)


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## Alaska Boss

And less than an 30 min later,... here was the Easter Bunny out one of the back windows,... wondering how he was going to make all his deliveries with that other guy in the front yard,....


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## Alaska Boss

And have had some beautiful weather lately,... this is the time of year to explore new country,.... :bluebounc:waving::waving:


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## CJsSnowplowing

Well here in PA. looks like winter is over.


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## Alaska Boss

Well, for sure,.. winter is winding down,... the days are now longer than the nights,... and temps in the sun are now going above freezing. This weekend I took a trip north,.. and snapped a few pics as I drove along,... and tried not to hit any suicidal big-game animals that seem to want to test my reaction skills at the most inconvenient times,.... :realmad:


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## Alaska Boss

When I got into the high country of the foothills of the Alaska Range,... the clouds were gone, the snow quit, the sun was out in full force,... and people were riding their sleds all over the place,...


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## Alaska Boss

Not as much snow driving thru the Alaska Range mountains as there is where I live,... but nice dry roads, and still some good winter scenes,...


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## Alaska Boss

And finally,... DOT pushing back snow drifts,.. and trying not to jam a caribou into the grill,... spring is around the corner,.. but not quite here yet,... :waving::waving:


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## L.I.Mike

This has been said a million times, but that is some beautiful country.


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## T-MAN

Great pictures Dave, as always.
Hope you start one for us land lovers this summer from the boat


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## Alaska Boss

Well,... March is just about in the books,... and it's starting to thaw during the days here now pretty regularly, although break-up is still a couple weeks away. The plowing jobs are starting to get thinner,... but still usually get one or two calls a day,... mostly just clean-ups tho for the most part....


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## Alaska Boss

At least I get to plow mostly during daylight at this time of year,...


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## Alaska Boss

We did get another 1"-2" overnight,... and since I wanted to move the dually,... I decided to scrape my driveway out with the Blizzard,... (took the light bar off just to plow with an unobstructed view,... it's nice!)


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## Alaska Boss

I tried to throw that little bit of snow out of the road,... and it didn't make any difference how fast I went,... it mostly couldn't do it,... the Speedwing blade curl is just to sharp & forward-throwing to get it up and over the snowbanks. Oh well,... I still like the plow,... but windrowing is not it's strong suit,...


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## grandview

Did I mention it before?,looks to cold for me!


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## Mysticlandscape

I have a question I don't think we have touched upon yet, or if we did I just missed it. How do the insurance rates up there compare to the lower 48, since your in a totally different game up there? That goes for auto and liability.


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## KJ Cramer

Is that a stick or is something hanging off your truck by the rear driver's side of the new plow truck?


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## cet

KJ Cramer;1033670 said:


> Is that a stick or is something hanging off your truck by the rear driver's side of the new plow truck?


It's a strap coming from the bed of the truck. Might be using it to tie the sled in.


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## Alaska Boss

grandview;1033523 said:


> Did I mention it before?,looks to cold for me!


And here I thought I heard that Ford's started coming out with heaters in their trucks a couple years ago,... but maybe not,... 



Mysticlandscape;1033543 said:


> I have a question I don't think we have touched upon yet, or if we did I just missed it. How do the insurance rates up there compare to the lower 48, since your in a totally different game up there? That goes for auto and liability.


I have no idea how Alaska rates with other states, or even Canada for that matter. All I know is that when I first started my snow plowing business up,... the insurance co. that I had at the time dropped me like a hot potato (Nationwide), and I was at least a 20-year customer with a spotless driving record and no claims of any kind. They said at the time that they will not write a policy for snow plowing for anyone under any circumstances in Alaska,... period. And at the time, every other insurance co said the same thing, except State Farm, so that's who I have been with ever since. And, having never made a claim on any auto insurance, I think my rates have gone down over the years, rather than up,... but I'd have to dig out my old records to verify that. I'm sure tho that Alaska rates are higher than most of the rates in the states,... everything else is,.... :waving:



KJ Cramer;1033670 said:


> Is that a stick or is something hanging off your truck by the rear driver's side of the new plow truck?





cet;1033751 said:


> It's a strap coming from the bed of the truck. Might be using it to tie the sled in.


Yep, that's the tie-down strap end that I tie the sled in with,...


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## Alaska Boss

Well, April is now here,... and so are the last few weeks of snow plowing for the 2009-2010 season. Temps have been getting up into the upper 30's to low 40's in the afternoon, but dropping again to the teens or single digits at night. And the snow levels are going down, but there's still plenty of snow left for riding, etc. But the chances that we'll get any significant dumps are pretty slim from this point on,... so I've opened up a few places in preparation for spring break-up. And once break-up starts,... people that have been packing their snow down all winter will be calling and getting stuck in their own yards,...


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## Alaska Boss

And, just for the sake of doing something different,... I used the SS to open up a couple places too,....


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## Alaska Boss

after shots,....


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## Alaska Boss

And there's always more & more folks coming back now that have been gone all winter that want their places opened up,... and since the Blizzard has been sitting most of the winter, I decided to give it a work-out the last couple days,... wesport


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## Alaska Boss

It's definitely harder & slower getting an initial trail punched in than what a V-blade would be, but once I have that,.. clean-up goes very well & fast with the Speedwing,...


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## Alaska Boss

And I had to do the place again that has the 3 bears that stand guard,.. making sure no one tresspasses,....


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## Alaska Boss

And, since I wasn't attacked by a bear,... all is well,... 

I also went on another exceptional glacier-exploration trip again a couple days ago,... and took about 300 pictures of some of the most amazing ice formations one will ever see,... but rather than post them in this thread,... I'm going to start another one just of that trip,... it's worth it,.... :waving::waving:


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## Quality SR

Nice picture once again AB. It sucks winter is over. I look forward to seeing what you post. Hope you had a good year.


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## DareDog

whats the temp up there today? 4/3. its 83F here in New York way way high for this time of yr! mite set a record!..


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## Quality SR

DareDog;1034838 said:


> whats the temp up there today? 4/3. its 83F here in New York way way high for this time of yr! mite set a record!..


83*?? What part of NY are you in?


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## DareDog

Quality SR;1034840 said:


> 83*?? What part of NY are you in?


central near Syracuse right now its 87F out and set record old one was 83 back in 1981.


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## Quality SR

DareDog;1034889 said:


> central near Syracuse right now its 87F out and set record old one was 83 back in 1981.


Wow. I dont think we broke 70*.


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## Alaska Boss

Well,.. after another 7 months of snow plowing my community, I think another season is in the books. The days have been just gorgeous,... but the sun is high enough now to put some serious heat on the snowpack,... and break-up is just about to happen around here,... but you couldn't tell by looking at the mountains,....


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## Alaska Boss

Another sign that spring has sprung is when the ptarmigan start changing colors,... and it starts with the males,... and it starts with the breeding season, which is on right now,... and is seen by the patch of red feathers above the eye,... and the first brown feathers starting to protrude from the neck area,... as they call & cluck,... looking for new girlfriends,...


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## Alaska Boss

But today was cloudy & windy,... and our snow depth on the ground is down to about a foot & a half or there-a-bouts,... so I decided it was time to move most of it out of the front yard areas so that break-up will be much faster & things will dry up sooner,... so I called on the Speedwing,... and put it to work for probably the last time this winter,... wesport


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## Alaska Boss

And it worked great,.... I fired up the 1840 as well,.. just to compare them,... and the Speedwing was clearly faster with cleaner finish than the skid,... at least where there is plenty of room,....


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## Alaska Boss

So, I just pushed a lot of it into the edge of the woods,... where these piles will still be around until about the 1st part of June,....


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## Alaska Boss

So, that may be about it for another season,... this coming week is the start of commercial shrimp fishing, along with other things,... so even tho we can keep riding our sleds well into May,... the snow plowing season has probably come to an end,... and it's been another good year,... with hundreds of plow jobs, and virtually no trouble from the trucks again. The coldest temp I think I had at my house was -47° this winter,... so not too bad at all. After plowing pretty steady for 7 months,... I'm really not sick of it,... and wouldn't mind at all if winter kept on going,... it would be better than all the mud & mosquitoes that are about to make their debut,.... :realmad:

:waving::waving:


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## dieseld

Well, thanks for all the pictures. I will be looking forward to next season.


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## CJsSnowplowing

So still plowing snow there? 
It been unseasonable warm here last week temps in the 80s. This week temps in the upper 50s lows in the 20s.


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## DareDog

i was watching dangerous drives on speed network the other night. they had thompson pass on it. it was witner they had DOT people snowplows, big snowblowers and a cannon. it was when 4'+ storm. they closed the road down they brough out the cannon and shot it 10 times and didnt hear a avalanche. there also was a trucker from anchorage that was hauling to valdez.


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## cmo18

CJsSnowplowing;1036854 said:


> So still plowing snow there?
> It been unseasonable warm here last week temps in the 80s. This week temps in the upper 50s lows in the 20s.


Did he not just say the season was over?


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## CJsSnowplowing

Calling for snow for tonight & the weekend.


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## CJsSnowplowing

Snow season is not over here until end of April begin of May.


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## CJsSnowplowing

This is my 1st snowplowing season on this site was asking Alaska Boss if he was get snow.


CJsSnowplowing;1036854 said:


> So still plowing snow there?
> It been unseasonable warm here last week temps in the 80s. This week temps in the upper 50s lows in the 20s.


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## Alaska Boss

I think now that I have done my last plow job for the 2009-2010 season,.... even tho it keeps snowing, and still may, our snow is on the way out. Any fresh snow now will just melt away on it's own in a day or two, so I need to begin to change gears into summer mode. This is what my driveway looked like today,... mostly driving on dirt now,... :crying:


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## Alaska Boss

But winter is not over yet by any stretch of the imagination in the mountains,... a few days ago I drove to Valdez,.... and it snowed close to 2 feet that night in the Pass,... and even tho the road crews were out all day & night,... it was still pretty much a white-out,...


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## Alaska Boss

But in town, there was about a foot of wet heavy slop,.... and even tho a lot of snow has melted here too,... things aren't even close to being over here yet either,....


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## Alaska Boss

And with the streets wet with melting fresh snow, I drove around & snapped a couple pics of the snow that people in Valdez still have to deal with even as we get close to the month of May,....


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## Alaska Boss

And a few more,....


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## Alaska Boss

Then, I was out on the water for a few days on a commercial shrimp-fishing venture (another thread), but on my way home back up the highway, I snapped a few more pics as I drove along,... since it was a much nicer day then when I came down a couple days earlier,... starting with a couple small avalanches that came down to the road just a few miles out of town,....


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## Alaska Boss

Some of the huge drifts at the top of the Pass won't fully melt all summer,.. next Sept when the new snow starts,.. it'll fall on some of the old drifts left over from this winter,.... maybe that's how glaciers start,....


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## Alaska Boss

The slopes of the mountains along the road are laced with the tracks of sleds, skiers and snow-boards,....


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## Alaska Boss

.............. it's still full-blown winter in the mountains,.... :waving::waving:


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## deere615

Those pictures of the snow coming off the roofs is amazing


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## GMCHD plower

Ok I'm confused... You've said many companys go belly up by doing plowing because people don't want to pay. But if you have "hundreds" of plow jobs then why couldn't someone move to closer were you are and do some of them? Or do you mean that sense your in a "different" situation sense no one else near you plows you can make money, but in the bigger citys it's very hard to make money?


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## Mark13

GMCHD plower;1038992 said:


> Ok I'm confused... You've said many companys go belly up by doing plowing because people don't want to pay. But if you have "hundreds" of plow jobs then why couldn't someone move to closer were you are and do some of them? Or do you mean that sense your in a "different" situation sense no one else near you plows you can make money, but in the bigger citys it's very hard to make money?


My guess is that he is kinda in a special market and has long time customers and an established business that everyone knows. Now if someone new tried to come into his area and start doing the same thing he does that person might have a tough time getting customers to switch from Dave to them even if their prices are a little lower.

And I'm sure in the larger cities and towns plowing is just as competitive as it is around the rest of the snow belt, just a long way away from the other states that get snow.


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## Alaska Boss

GMCHD plower;1038992 said:


> Ok I'm confused... You've said many companys go belly up by doing plowing because people don't want to pay. But if you have "hundreds" of plow jobs then why couldn't someone move to closer were you are and do some of them? Or do you mean that sense your in a "different" situation sense no one else near you plows you can make money, but in the bigger citys it's very hard to make money?





Mark13;1039024 said:


> My guess is that he is kinda in a special market and has long time customers and an established business that everyone knows. Now if someone new tried to come into his area and start doing the same thing he does that person might have a tough time getting customers to switch from Dave to them even if their prices are a little lower.
> 
> And I'm sure in the larger cities and towns plowing is just as competitive as it is around the rest of the snow belt, just a long way away from the other states that get snow.


Yep, Mark has it,.... I know in a city like Anchorage, every other truck has a plow on it, and several friends of mine who have plowed snow there for many years have given up,... there's just no end to the number of guys that will plow driveways for $10-$15 a pop,.. and they don't last of course, but next year there will be a whole new crop of 'em,... and it just doesn't end. Out where I live, there's only one highway, with several spur roads off of it, and so there's not a very big market here,.. and it's very spread out compared to a city. There have been any number of guys over the years that have tried to start a snow plowing business around here, and I have never tried to stop them, or cut my prices to keep them out, etc. It's almost always a kid just out of high school, with an older pickup and no job, and around here, so much of our economy is based on seasonal jobs, with almost nothing going on during the winter. No one, including me, could live here year 'round solely on snow plowing income,... even tho I do ok with it. I know what it takes to maintain a snow plowing business around here,... and if someone came in & undercut me to the point of me losing a large percentage of my business, I just know it won't last, and even if it did,... then more power to 'em. I'm not going to lowball myself to keep doing this,... I would say that at least 20%-25% of my customers routinely "tip" me or just pay more than I charge, as a way of saying "thank-you" for a job well-done,.. which tells me that I could actually raise my prices a little & probably not lose hardly any business,... but I'm not going to unless I have to,.... I just consider it as a buffer against lowballers. But I have found that for most of my customers, quality of the job, (no damage, not pushing snow up against their house, keeping things as wide as possible, piling snow where the water will not run toward their house in the spring, etc) is more important than saving $5 or $10 bucks. I personally know at least 90% of everyone who lives within 20-30 miles of me in every direction,... and I just have no problems with anyone, so there's just no real threat that things will change too much,... I have all happy campers, I make a decent wage,... that's how it's always been, and until I just decide to quit, I don't see how or why my situation will change too much. :waving:


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## Alaska Boss

Well, the plowing season is done for me now,... but snow closing down the highway isn't... there have been a lot of avalanches coming down around here lately,.. as a last act of Old Man Winter taking one last swing at spring as it melts him away.... still plenty of snow on the upper halves of the mountains here yet,.... :bluebounc


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## Alaska Boss

In the high country, the hillsides are full of little slides of snow as the warm spring-time sun starts to put some heat into the exposed rocky areas,....


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## Alaska Boss

But the avalanches that can make it all the waydown to the bottom of the valleys get bigger as they drag more wet snow with them,....


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## Alaska Boss

And they're a lot dirtier too at this time of year,.... last year we had a bunch of volcanic ash in the snow,... but this is just dirt,....


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## Alaska Boss

This one came right up to the shoulder of the road, but stopped just before the edge of the pavement,...


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## Alaska Boss

But just a little ways farther, a much bigger avalanche came down & had the road closed for most of a day,.... this was about the biggest one I've seen at this particular spot.....


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## Alaska Boss

There was some serious weight in this slide,... this wasn't dry fluffy snow, but wet heavy cement-type stuff that poured down like lava,.... the last pic is what poured down over & past the road....


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## Alaska Boss

This snow set up very hard,.... so these piles will take some time to melt now,.... this is the chute that it all came down the mountain thru,...


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## Alaska Boss

But the skiers, snowboarders and sled riders will still have plenty of snow yet to play in for weeks to come,... as long as they stay up high,....


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## Alaska Boss

And finally,... standing up at the top of the Pass,.. looking down at the highway more than 2,600' feet below,... where the first signs of life have begun to poke out of the ground,... skunk cabbage,... which sometimes sprouts right thru the snow,.... summer time is so short, there's not a single day to waste,.... :waving::waving:


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## dieseld

Thanks AB, I will be looking forward to next season's pictures!


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## ajslands

Hey AB, can you see Russia from your coastline or can Sarah palin only do that? :laughing:


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## Alaska Boss

Well, June 4th will apparently be the final day of snow survivng in my yard,.... this small pile is all that is left of the '09-'10 season,.... then we have July & August which is usually snow-free, but then September more times than not, will see the first snow on the ground for the start of the next winter,....


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## Alaska Boss

I used the skid steer to lift my sleds up before giving them their spring-time power-bath prior to putting them into summer storage,... and the trucks are already taking it easy now while enjoying their summer-time vacation,.... wesport


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## Alaska Boss

Life suddenly gets much easier for wildlife once they no longer have to battle the deep snows,... but even before the lakes opened up, critters like this fox just seem to enjoy traveling around now without much effort,... and then soon even the smallest ponds have new life in them,.. like this swan,...

prsport


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## Alaska Boss

And the creatures that have been asleep for 6 months now finally are coming out again,... like this black bear, about a mile from my house,... (Not too good of a picture, but it's the only one I have so far this spring)


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## Alaska Boss

The herbivores are not only shedding their winter fur coats, but are finally now able to eat something, for the first time in many months that actually has some fresh green in it,....


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## Alaska Boss

And now that the lakes are finally open, things that haven't seen daylight since last fall can once again breathe some fresh air,... like this muskrat,... but also have to beware of new threats, like this fox that was trying to figure out how to catch one of them for lunch without getting his feet wet,....


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## Alaska Boss

And even tho the roads are now dry & good,.... bad things can still happen,... like this trucker that rolled his big rig 360° off the road down into a pond just south of my place last week. 2 big wreckers had the highway closed for over 2 hours while they winched it back up onto the roadway,....


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## Alaska Boss

But,... now that summer time has arrived, I'm back to running around on the ocean,... looking for that monster halibut,.... and the very first fish of 2010 was a nice respectable 5-foot long 110 lber,... with many more to come,.... :bluebounc

Hope everyone has a great and safe summer,... until the real fun starts again next winter,... :waving::waving::waving:


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## DIRSHMAN63

*awsome fish*

hey alaska hope all is well. Youre fish is much better there ,than we have here outside of Chicago. Looks like fun catchin it!!! Have a grat summer and talk soon in a couple for some more snow DIRISHMAN


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## GMCHD plower

Really random, but I thought you said you lived by yourself and were single? I know weird question but I saw you had a ring on.


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## Chrisxl64

GMCHD plower;1044952 said:


> Really random, but I thought you said you lived by yourself and were single? I know weird question but I saw you had a ring on.


creeper.


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## ajslands

I can't wait for winter! It's too humid out right now and that makes it misserable and very tirring to work!


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## Quality SR

GMCHD plower;1044952 said:


> Really random, but I thought you said you lived by yourself and were single? I know weird question but I saw you had a ring on.


Normally the ring would go on the other hand. I dont remember him saying he was married.

Nice pictures as always AB. Enjoy the summer.


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## Chrisxl64

We had Balls Deep humidity all day,,,and finally just getting walloped by wicked thunderstorms,,,so hopefully that will break it.


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## Alaska Boss

GMCHD plower;1044952 said:


> Really random, but I thought you said you lived by yourself and were single? I know weird question but I saw you had a ring on.


Hahaha,... it's really funny some of the comments that come along. The picture above with the first halibut of the season is not me,... that's a friend of mine who lives in Valdez that I have taken out fishing many times,... who was just one of 6 people I had on that first trip. Not that anyone would really care, but it is true,... I am not married, and do live by myself,... at least since my little plow-buddy beagle got killed & eaten by something a couple years ago,... 

It seems like it's been really hot around here too,... into low/mid 70's, but with almost no humidity,... so I know that's nothing when compared to many places far to the south. But then just a couple days ago, we got some rain (which is badly needed, as over 100 forest fires are currently burning in Alaska), but new snow fell on the mountains in many places too, which wasn't much above tree line,... :waving:


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## deere615

That picture of the 3 trucks looks mean!


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## Alaska Boss

Well, a final few pictures to close out the '09-10 snow season,.... there sre still a few snow piles remaining in downtown Valdez yet. The first one is right next to the Subway store in town,... comparing the pile on July 8, 2010 to March of 2010,....


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## Alaska Boss

And the last avalanche to hit the highway in early May,.... compared to today,....


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## Alaska Boss

Still quite a few snow patches left along the road around the upper parts of the pass as well,.. between my house & Valdez,....


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## Alaska Boss

And even tho we didn't get enough snow to make the local glaciers any bigger this year,... by next month, the tops will start collecting new snow,... and soon this long, drawn-out summer will be over again,.... 

:waving::waving:


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## Mark13

Alaska Boss;1049859 said:


> soon this long, drawn-out summer will be over again,....


You can come here if you want more summer. About 85-95*, 80%+ humidity, and hardly any breeze. :realmad:


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## tmf lawn care

same here in jersey mark. it blows


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## fordzilla

great pics man


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## GMCHD plower

Alaska Boss;1049859 said:


> And even tho we didn't get enough snow to make the local glaciers any bigger this year,... by next month, the tops will start collecting new snow,... and soon this long, drawn-out summer will be over again,....
> 
> :waving::waving:


Do they ever take a loader and spread the piles out to get them to melt quicker?


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## SDPlowman

wow. that's all I have to say about all this...
I don't even feel bad about spending a couple of hours on this thread


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## DareDog

hows weather up there now? here on northern New York its been in 50-70's and 40-50's at night and Thursday its suppose to go down to 36F.


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## KJ Cramer

Its gotta be pretty soon here that AB will be starting a new thread for this season, they probably already have snow in the forecast or will shortly :bluebounc


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## albhb3

I was thinking the same thing


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## 91AK250

its actualy alittle ways off, i'd say end of the month or somtime in october. this year has been weird. i was just up that way(sorta) and the leaves are changing and temps dropping.


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## albhb3

october but thats sooooooooo far away:crying:


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## snowplowpro

i cant wait for those oh so desperate customers to call and say i need my driveway plowed can you come and plow me out and then they take forever to pay 

granted i love the snow i love plowing but hate those dam people that take forever to pay and those people that think they know how to drive in the snow (women wit suvs) especially payupussmileyflag


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## dmontgomery

funny cause I don't plow those until the greenbacks hit my hand........


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## kyle1710

dmontgomery;1073539 said:


> funny cause I don't plow those until the greenbacks hit my hand........


Amen Brother!


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## Alaska Boss

GMCHD plower;1066583 said:


> Do they ever take a loader and spread the piles out to get them to melt quicker?


Sometimes,... but usually only if they want to use that lot for something right away. What I've seen them do tho in the past, was to actually load & haul it off to somewhere else. But since Valdez gets so much snow each year, every street and every big open area has dedicated snow storage areas that are needed every winter.



DareDog;1072321 said:


> hows weather up there now? here on northern New York its been in 50-70's and 40-50's at night and Thursday its suppose to go down to 36F.





KJ Cramer;1072745 said:


> Its gotta be pretty soon here that AB will be starting a new thread for this season, they probably already have snow in the forecast or will shortly :bluebounc


Well,... another summer is in the books, and another fishing season is over,... so now it's a mad dash to get things done before Old Man Winter shows up,... which isn't too far away now. We've had about 10 days in a row now without a cloud in the sky,.... which has ushered in the fall season, or at least blessed us with some gorgeous days. It freezes every night now,... going into the low-mid 20°'s,.... but getting into the mid 60°'s in the middle of the afternoon. No snow in the forecast yet,... but it's not too far off at this point,.... :bluebounc


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## grandview

I prefer beaver myself.


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