# Plowing Roads



## Mackman (Nov 3, 2009)

Anyone esle on here plow roads for your local township or any other type of roads. Or im i the only one?? I dont hear to many guys on here talking about plowing roads.


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## ajslands (Sep 3, 2009)

I plow my own street because it is the primary road and the county dosn't get to it for at least 72 hours.. But I'm not complaining because I know some roads aren't plowed at all! I also know it is unlawful to plow the street because of liability issues, but no body on my street minds, infact their pleased I plow it!


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## quigleysiding (Oct 3, 2009)

We plow roads for the state. We also do a few driveways and a couple of small commercials.


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## ajslands (Sep 3, 2009)

What about municpal such as municipal Irports? Or fire depts.


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## Mackman (Nov 3, 2009)

quigleysiding;1068322 said:


> We plow roads for the state. We also do a few driveways and a couple of small commercials.


All i ever plowed was roads. I dunno if i could do anything else. I know for a FACT i want no parts of driveways.

I think roads are the best. Always working with the storm and pushing forward 95% of time. Not this Reverse and Forward 100times in a parking lot. Plus we do alot of messing around. Hanging out at dunkin donuts for hours on end etc. Guess i have it kinda good.


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## JDiepstra (Sep 15, 2008)

Mackman;1068735 said:


> All i ever plowed was roads. I dunno if i could do anything else. I know for a FACT i want no parts of driveways.
> 
> I think roads are the best. Always working with the storm and pushing forward 95% of time. Not this Reverse and Forward 100times in a parking lot. Plus we do alot of messing around. Hanging out at dunkin donuts for hours on end etc. Guess i have it kinda good.


Well, this explains why no work ever gets done, the roads always look like crap, and the municipalities always complain about not having enough money to pay the guys who plow snow... or who are supposed to be anyway.


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## ajslands (Sep 3, 2009)

JDiepstra;1068739 said:


> Well, this explains why no work ever gets done, the roads always look like crap, and the municipalities always complain about not having enough money to pay the guys who plow snow... or who are supposed to be anyway.


Hey do I need a dot number?


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## Mackman (Nov 3, 2009)

JDiepstra;1068739 said:


> Well, this explains why no work ever gets done, the roads always look like crap, and the municipalities always complain about not having enough money to pay the guys who plow snow... or who are supposed to be anyway.


No work ever gets done LMAO you dont have a clue. They dont let us go home intill 3-4 hours after we are done. Just to make sure everything is ok. So we do what we are told by the road master.

This township snow contract has been awarded to my unlce for the past 12 years. Must be doing something right. They love the way we handle things. Dont be mad cuz you prob. work for USM doing Walmarts for 200 per push.



ajslands;1068743 said:


> Hey do I need a dot number?


LMAO thats great


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## ajslands (Sep 3, 2009)

Bahahhahahahhaa I can stop laughing! :laughing::laughing::laughing:


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## Mackman (Nov 3, 2009)

Oh and just to let you know we get called out around 1-2 hours before the 1st flake comes down. So we ride around and throw alittle salt and then its back to dunkin for a hot cup while we kill time waiting for it to stick.


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## iceyman (Mar 1, 2007)

quigleysiding;1068886 said:


> We got a new boss last year he sends us home right after the last flake.We still get to hang out at dunkin donuts though.


so you have everything plowed before the snow ends????


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## quigleysiding (Oct 3, 2009)

iceyman;1068996 said:
 

> so you have everything plowed before the snow ends????


We plow with the storm so when it's done snowing we are pretty much done.We squirt some salt, see you later.


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## JD Dave (Mar 20, 2007)

Mackman;1068755 said:


> No work ever gets done LMAO you dont have a clue. They dont let us go home intill 3-4 hours after we are done. Just to make sure everything is ok. So we do what we are told by the road master.
> 
> This township snow contract has been awarded to my unlce for the past 12 years. Must be doing something right. They love the way we handle things. Dont be mad cuz you prob. work for USM doing Walmarts for 200 per push. :


No it means your uncle is paying off the right people.


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## mercer_me (Sep 13, 2008)

I don't plow roads. But my uncle has a contract for 2 towns with a total of over 50 miles. He has 7 trucks with plows, wings, and sanders and a total of 4 drivers.


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## Mackman (Nov 3, 2009)

JD Dave;1069087 said:


> No it means your uncle is paying off the right people.


Maybe i dont really know. But knowing my Uncle i wouldnt put it past him lol.



mercer_me;1069100 said:


> I don't plow roads. But my uncle has a contract for 2 towns with a total of over 50 miles. He has 7 trucks with plows, wings, and sanders and a total of 4 drivers.


Hows he like doing roads??


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## mercer_me (Sep 13, 2008)

Mackman;1069201 said:


> Hows he like doing roads??


I think he likes it pretty good. But since he is paid by the season he is allways praying for no snow.


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## Mackman (Nov 3, 2009)

mercer_me;1069207 said:


> I think he likes it pretty good. But since he is paid by the season he is allways praying for no snow.


I dont blame him lol.


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## mansf123 (Nov 10, 2009)

How does your equipment hold up plowing roads? I know i dropped my blade on my street just for the hell of it and i hit 3 manholes pretty good. Luckily no broken parts but it was not something i would want to deal with for 20 hours


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## Mackman (Nov 3, 2009)

mansf123;1069356 said:


> How does your equipment hold up plowing roads? I know i dropped my blade on my street just for the hell of it and i hit 3 manholes pretty good. Luckily no broken parts but it was not something i would want to deal with for 20 hours


My stuff hold up good. I do the same 6 or 7 roads. So i know where all the manholes are at. I go real slow when i come up too them. Once you get to know where all the manholes etc are at it aint too bad. But i have to replace my cutting edge once a year.


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## mercer_me (Sep 13, 2008)

Mackman;1069551 said:


> My stuff hold up good. I do the same 6 or 7 roads. So i know where all the manholes are at. I go real slow when i come up too them. Once you get to know where all the manholes etc are at it aint too bad. But i have to replace my cutting edge once a year.


My uncle said he has to wach out for stumps on the side of the road when he is winging the banks bank. Eaven going slow the wing will come up so hard that it will take the door out.


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## quigleysiding (Oct 3, 2009)

mansf123;1069356 said:


> How does your equipment hold up plowing roads? I know i dropped my blade on my street just for the hell of it and i hit 3 manholes pretty good. Luckily no broken parts but it was not something i would want to deal with for 20 hours


It's not to hard on equipment.We also do the same route every storm so you know where the bad spots are. Last year I hit an expansion joint on a bridge. It broke the bolts off the plow motor so parts of the motor where all over the street.When it broke it busted the shaft off my pump at the same time. . Took it to my Buddy's shop and he had it up and running in an hour. Fun Day.Like Mackman said one cutting edge per year. The salt sucks.It gets everywhere.


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## mansf123 (Nov 10, 2009)

I have thought about putting one of my trucks on with the town but it takes a good 6 inches for the subs to get called out. They only called the subs out 4 times last season.


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## quigleysiding (Oct 3, 2009)

mansf123;1069673 said:


> I have thought about putting one of my trucks on with the town but it takes a good 6 inches for the subs to get called out. They only called the subs out 4 times last season.


With the state of R.I you need to have a sander and they will call you.When I started I didn't have a sander and they never called unless we had 6 inches.Next year I got a v boxes and they called us every storm.


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## Mackman (Nov 3, 2009)

mansf123;1069673 said:


> I have thought about putting one of my trucks on with the town but it takes a good 6 inches for the subs to get called out. They only called the subs out 4 times last season.


Good thing about the township we plow for is they have no trucks at all. So we are always out.


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## thesnowman269 (Nov 7, 2009)

Mackman Are you using your Mack truck this year or still using your F-350?


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## Mackman (Nov 3, 2009)

thesnowman269;1069734 said:


> Mackman Are you using your Mack truck this year or still using your F-350?


i will still be using the F-350. Shooting for next year to get the mack all set-up.


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## DGODGR (Nov 30, 2008)

Mackman;1069737 said:


> i will still be using the F-350. Shooting for next year to get the mack all set-up.


I would think that would get expensive. Correct me if I'm wrong (I am speculating after all), but a truck that new will be hard to find used components for. I think you would be way better off buying a truck that is already properly equiped. There are many low miles/low use former DOT trucks out there, and they usually are pretty inexpensive. I would think you could easily spend $20k to upfit that Mack with the sub frame, hydraulics, plow, controls, and installation. You could by a used ex-DOT truck for about the same money. You could easily find a 2 axle with a plow, spreader, and 4X4 for that.
Just my .02 (but probably not worth that much .


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## Mackman (Nov 3, 2009)

DGODGR;1069827 said:


> I would think that would get expensive. Correct me if I'm wrong (I am speculating after all), but a truck that new will be hard to find used components for. I think you would be way better off buying a truck that is already properly equiped. There are many low miles/low use former DOT trucks out there, and they usually are pretty inexpensive. I would think you could easily spend $20k to upfit that Mack with the sub frame, hydraulics, plow, controls, and installation. You could by a used ex-DOT truck for about the same money. You could easily find a 2 axle with a plow, spreader, and 4X4 for that.
> Just my .02 (but probably not worth that much .


You have a good idea. But for me i think i would save and make more money if i set the Mack up. I got a price of 17-18,000 for a new plow and spreader installed out the door.

The problem with a 2nd truck just for snow work is. Another insurance bill, Tags, another truck to cuz more problems etc.

With the Mack i know what i have and it runs all year round. So for 18,000 i would rather have all new snow stuff and a truck i know that will give me little problems at all. Plus a tri/axle will get alot more per/hr from penndot then a single or tandem axle will. Plus where i live i never seen a single axle work for penndot. I have seen 1 tandem before.


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## Quality SR (Oct 25, 2006)

Very Interesting. 
I have only seen a few private guys and their trucks plowing roads. That was during big storms. We have town F350 pickups and dumps with 8'-9' Meyers plows, plowing our residential streets. Bigger dumps with plows, side wings and spreaders do the state roads, highways and parkways. The F350's normally come out again, after the big trucks to clean up intersections and entrances to residential streets.
Yes some roads are left out for a long time. My road is on the left out list. I never plow my street for insurance reasons. I only push the snow back in front of my house, about 3 car lenghts. 
I did plow a 6 home culdesac for my brother. The road is brand new, last year was the first winter. We had a 28" storm last year and the snow laid there on the road for 18 hours. Yup all 28". He called the town when I showed up to do his driveway. The town sent a highway dump truck with a plow and spreader. It even had a side wing too, lol. He took one look at the block, and shook his head. Needless to say, i ended up doing it. 
I have to say it was nice plowing the road, very easy. Hopefully his town will have a better plan worked out this year. 
I did call my town a few years back for info about working for them. They said they use subs when there is alot of snow or the snow is falling fast. They wanted a hell of alot of insurance, I think it was neighborhood of 3-5 mill. I could be wrong, for some reason I remember those numbers. They gave each sub a route of residential roads, that was your route. He said if the route was completed they would give you another route to help with, if you wanted it. They also couldn't guarantee the route being close. The guy i spoke to said most of the routes are spit up. There not right next to each other. 
I don't think it is worth plowing roads in my town, IMO. So I don't think I would get into it.


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## EPPSLLC (Oct 9, 2008)

We have two municipality contracts to do roads that are smaller towns that the county can't handle and they towns don't have a road dept. so they pay us to be pretty much public works 

we plow, mow, do the landscaping at the city building and park and pressure wash all the stuff at the park in the spring. 

We don't pay any one off just high quality work, professionalism and unbeatable customer care.

We also do the roads at a local HOA and have a few Industrial accounts which are mainly one smaller parking lot and then roads running around the plant. 

I love it!


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## fatheadon1 (Dec 27, 2007)

i plow roads when it snows in nj that is, we have about 20 trucks on the road for our town. we only have 42 square mile town and we dont get called out till about 3 inchs. mackman if you dont mind me asking what part of pa are you from and what would a 8 ft plow on a pick up get per hour.


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## Mackman (Nov 3, 2009)

fatheadon1;1072126 said:


> i plow roads when it snows in nj that is, we have about 20 trucks on the road for our town. we only have 42 square mile town and we dont get called out till about 3 inchs. mackman if you dont mind me asking what part of pa are you from and what would a 8 ft plow on a pick up get per hour.


I'm about 25min south of philly. The township i plow backs up to Delaware. All plow trucks get 80/hr or 85/hr an hour. I get 110/hr cuz i have a spreader. The township does not pay the plow trucks. So we don't work for the township direct. My uncle has the snow plow contract so he pays us and he says what the rate is. I guess how ever he bids it.

My uncle doesn't go by plow size for how you get paid. An f-150 with a 7.5 foot blade would get paid the same as a F-350 with a 9ft blade. I dunno why he does it that way but he does. Before i bought my plow i was thinking of getting a V-blade. But i said to myself there is no point it will not make me any more money.

Plus on another good side of things is when he sends a bill in. Every 2nd Tuesday of the month (township meeting) he gets a check. So we get a check by Friday. Always there like clock work. If i couldn't sub under him i would most likely get out of snow work all together. He has talked a time or too about giving it up. I would either try to get it myself or just hang it up.

We have 6 trucks out there. Me , my dad, my uncle and his son, My cousin and one other guy. So it is mostly all family. It works out good for everyone. WE have a good time out there plowing we try to make the best of it. Tho last year we got are asses kicked. lol


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## fatheadon1 (Dec 27, 2007)

thanks for the reply your in the same ball park as us my boss gets paid 100 an hour he and pays everyone 75 same as you weather its a jeep or f550 its a 100 an hour but dump trucks get 150an hour. id have to say the best thing about plowing for the town is if you break something and they can fix it they will and they dont take you off the clock or charge you for anything. As for family i plow with friends iv known for at least 10 years we weeded out a few bone heads. you guys are lucky with how fast you get paid. it takes at best a month sometime 2 or 3, we also hold the tree contract and it kills us at time to wait so long to get paid.


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## Mackman (Nov 3, 2009)

fatheadon1;1072244 said:


> thanks for the reply your in the same ball park as us my boss gets paid 100 an hour he and pays everyone 75 same as you weather its a jeep or f550 its a 100 an hour but dump trucks get 150an hour. id have to say the best thing about plowing for the town is if you break something and they can fix it they will and they dont take you off the clock or charge you for anything. As for family i plow with friends iv known for at least 10 years we weeded out a few bone heads. you guys are lucky with how fast you get paid. it takes at best a month sometime 2 or 3, we also hold the tree contract and it kills us at time to wait so long to get paid.


Yea we had one bonehead work for us. He lasted about 1 storm. That's was the end of him. That was about 3 years ago. Well the township we plow for doesn't have a shop or any trucks at all. So they cant really help us with stuff like that. But if it is a quick fix we don't go off the clock.


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## bighornjd (Oct 23, 2009)

I'm thinking about bidding on the snow & ice removal for a small borough a few miles away from me. I have a single-axle dump and already have a plow and frame for it only because i got it for practically scrap price. I would just have to get the hydraulics plumbed up to it and install an electric over hyd. pump for it. Doesn't have central hydros so I would probably just go that route then take the tailgate off and slide in a V-box. I'm having trouble finding hourly rates for similiar trucks to compare to. I know about what i would need to make with it, just looking for other rates to compare to to see if I'm in the ballpark. I would have pretty low overhead with this rig so I don't want to cut myself short. I was thinking minimum $85 an hour just for plowing but sounds like they bring a little more over your way Mackman? I think I would be at 100+ with the spreader but you get more than that with just a pickup It's a really small area and pretty rural though, so I don't think I will be able to fetch top dollar. I could still make decent money though.payup


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## bighornjd (Oct 23, 2009)

Scratch that last post, lol. Just got ahold of a copy of last years bid... 

Tandem dump with 11' plow, 13' bed and spreader - $72/hr
Backhoe - $75/hr
Rubber tire loader - $80/hr
Skidsteer - $50/hr

I think i might turn in a bid anyway so they realize they are getting a deal with the guy they got


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## Mackman (Nov 3, 2009)

bighornjd;1075438 said:


> Scratch that last post, lol. Just got ahold of a copy of last years bid...
> 
> Tandem dump with 11' plow, 13' bed and spreader - $72/hr
> Backhoe - $75/hr
> ...


Them rates are crazy!!!! Who in their right mind would bid that?? Something tells me they are not giving you the right numbers or something. All them numbers seem way too low.


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## tjctransport (Nov 22, 2008)

i am 5 miles and 2 towns north of fatheadon1, and we get $95/hr for pickups for town roads. 
i had the same 11 mile section for 19 years that we did with 8 trucks. now i have a smaller section, about 6 miles we do with 3 trucks.
and all i do is residentual roads, o driveways or comercial at all. 
i get 3-4 years out of a cutting edge. i use western pods on meyers C-8.5 plows on my trucks.


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## Pinky Demon (Jan 6, 2010)

I'm kind of curious, on the bigger heavy duty trucks with single, tandem, or tri axles, what kind of trip mechanism do the 10 ft, 11 ft. plows have? I would imagine that a trip edge would be the best for that kind of work but I've never had a chance to get up close with a heavy duty plow.


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## tjctransport (Nov 22, 2008)

in jersey they use 12 foot full trip plows with sectional cutting edges on the tandems and tri-axles for state and toll roads. the county trucks use 10 foot full trip, full cutting edge plows on their single axle trucks.


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## Township1 (Apr 17, 2008)

Pinky Demon;1075866 said:


> I'm kind of curious, on the bigger heavy duty trucks with single, tandem, or tri axles, what kind of trip mechanism do the 10 ft, 11 ft. plows have? I would imagine that a trip edge would be the best for that kind of work but I've never had a chance to get up close with a heavy duty plow.


All of ours are full trip - Don't like trip edge plows for municipal work.


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## gtstang462002 (Dec 23, 2009)

Average rate in southern MD is $115/hr for a 1 ton with plow and spreader. $100 for the backhoe and $80 for the Skid steer.


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## mrsnowman (Sep 18, 2010)

Mackman;1068261 said:


> Anyone esle on here plow roads for your local township or any other type of roads. Or im i the only one?? I dont hear to many guys on here talking about plowing roads.


We plow plenty of roads. prefer paved over gravel though


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## Morrissey snow removal (Sep 30, 2006)

i was plowing for the rown for 5 yrs have noin the last 2 i was gettting $75 hr with a 950 cat with a 11 p/a i liked it better than the 10 wheeler


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## MaineF250 (Dec 12, 2007)

I plow for the town I live in and I love it. You can have the parking lots, I like going straight :salute: My route is about 15 miles.

Hope this year is a good snowy one !


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## bighornjd (Oct 23, 2009)

Just landed the contract for a small borough near me last night. Not the one I mentioned earlier in this thread though with the low rates. I didn't bother bidding it - the same guy got it again this year that's had it for years. (big surprise with the rates he's getting) The town I'm doing is actually closer to me - only about 10 minutes away. Main street and another street that runs parallel with it are about a mile and a half long with several short side streets and alleys. I'll be running my 32,000 GVW dump with a used 10' Valk power angle plow (full trip) and a hydraulic undertailgate spreader. Got it for $125 an hour. Now I just gotta get my ass in gear and get the truck ready, lol. Hopefully no snow till after Thanksgiving, then bring it on! Wish me luck, I'll try to get some pics for everybody this season.


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## dux5977 (May 1, 2008)

*I work for Michigan DOT, 25yrs*

We do I-75, I-675 and the M routes in Saginaw Co. Have wings and chems for Z-bridge. We don't have it as good as you, the down time. Then again, where is it your located? Hills or mountains? All flat here and prefer it that way. Anyone in the area maybe looking for sub work. I have Boss V 8'2 and 7.5' Meyer, curious how much the pay is? The hours I work <MDOT> are 6pm til 230am unless of course there's an event then i work til 630am. Running tandems and a few single axles with wings.


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## dux5977 (May 1, 2008)

*I work for MDOT*

sometimes now im wishing i took that early out ....not sounding good here fiscally. Ohhhh well, going to have to take the good with the bad. we need to get out of this whole the govt. dug us into.


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## HEStufrthnnails (Nov 20, 2009)

I plowed roads for about 8 years.These were gravel roads so I didn't have to worry so much about manholes but the occasional stump , bridges,signs,etc. And guys after using a belly blade.( Never had awing or big-V) You truely can see that a pick up and plow just dont compare or hold up to that kind of abuse. I now plow commercial.Few lots, and driveways. dux5977,if you were closer I'd could probably use your help.


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## LunchBox (Oct 28, 2010)

Plowing for the government is all I do. i rather get paid by the hour not the inch.


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## cplmac (Nov 25, 2009)

I plow for IDOT (Illinois). It's the best job I've ever had, they bring you on full time as a "highway maintainer" working 0630-1430 Mon-Fri. When there is snow we are broken into two groups each working opposite sides of the 630 hour. On the regular non-snow days we just drive around filling potholes, cutting and chipping trees from the roadside and staying warm in the truck or washing trucks in the yard. It's absolutely gravy work and pays decent. My route is a bit rural and about 25 miles. 


Pinky Demon;1075866 said:


> I'm kind of curious, on the bigger heavy duty trucks with single, tandem, or tri axles, what kind of trip mechanism do the 10 ft, 11 ft. plows have? I would imagine that a trip edge would be the best for that kind of work but I've never had a chance to get up close with a heavy duty plow.


We use 10 and 12 foot heavy duty plows on International 5400's with large V-Box conveyors and hydraulic spreader discs. They have spring loaded trip mechanisms just on a larger scale than normal plows. My truck also has a wing.


tjctransport;1075917 said:


> in jersey they use 12 foot full trip plows with sectional cutting edges on the tandems and tri-axles for state and toll roads. the county trucks use 10 foot full trip, full cutting edge plows on their single axle trucks.


We have sectional blades too, as well as a wear guards which are basically just a second blade made out of carbide and mounted directly under the standard cutting edge. I go through a set of cutting edges about every three storms. Some roads burn them up faster than others.


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## Oshkosh (Sep 11, 2005)

10 years contracting to Mass Highway, four large trucks three 10yard spreaders,6yard spreader, various other specialized equipment.4 years with the City of Beverly Ma. 1 year with Maine DOT,1 year with the Town of Jackson,NH and 2 years with NH DOT.


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## 02powerstroke (Nov 7, 2006)

bighornjd;1075438 said:


> Scratch that last post, lol. Just got ahold of a copy of last years bid...
> 
> Tandem dump with 11' plow, 13' bed and spreader - $72/hr
> Backhoe - $75/hr
> ...


I plow roads for the town for 70 an hour in my pickup lol


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## scooter_ (Dec 8, 2010)

*wow*



Mackman;1069551 said:


> My stuff hold up good. I do the same 6 or 7 roads. So i know where all the manholes are at. I go real slow when i come up too them. Once you get to know where all the manholes etc are at it aint too bad. But i have to replace my cutting edge once a year.


6 or 7 roads? i live in mass i work for the city our city has aprox 1500 road miles the city is broken up into 7 routes we have maybe 8 pieces in each area for plowing. as far as sanding goes, we have 4 to 6 guys (if we are lucky) on an average night to do the (main roads) one driver will cover about a 50 mile area (just on the mains) not mention the hills after the main roads are done.


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## m.$terner (Feb 28, 2010)

you guys are lucky.my states so small nobody gets government bids to the best of my knowledge.we have state and county trucks that are all county and state workers year round.small towns or cities use there own trucks too and the bridge (de/nj) has there own set up of about 12 truckss mostly new internationals w/ dumps.


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## mercer_me (Sep 13, 2008)

MaineF250;1103034 said:


> I plow for the town I live in and I love it. You can have the parking lots, I like going straight :salute: My route is about 15 miles.
> 
> Hope this year is a good snowy one !


What town do you plow for?


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## 06dmax (Dec 6, 2010)

One of the local construction companies has a contract with the town to plow the back roads and keep them sanded. They seem to do pretty good with it, but then they get a call with an inch of snow on the road and its time to plow because one person complained


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## mercer_me (Sep 13, 2008)

06dmax;1144040 said:


> One of the local construction companies has a contract with the town to plow the back roads and keep them sanded. They seem to do pretty good with it, but then they get a call with an inch of snow on the road and its time to plow because one person complained


Alot of the small towns around hear contract all there roads out. 2 of my 2nd cousins have the contract for Belgrade and North Belgrade, they hire 3 other people also. My 2nd cousin's husband has the contract for Mercer, he has 3 other people working for him also.


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## HEStufrthnnails (Nov 20, 2009)

I've noticed in Kentucky,last winter that they must of contracted out the work on I-75. The trucks had a name other than K-dot or whatever Kentucky may have. It was a name unlike a municipalitywould have.


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## bighornjd (Oct 23, 2009)

More and more municipalities seem to be contracting out, whether it be just for some extra help in addition to thier own stuff, or contracting out everything at the smaller ones. They are finally starting to wise up and realize that it is cheaper in the long run for them to hire someone who has to price themselves to compete with other contractors and actually do things efficiently to be profitable. Rather than waste tax dollars on brand new top of the line equipment that's not always necessary, and pay wages (and OT), insurance, and generous benefits to a bunch of lazy government employees with no incentive to save money or be as productive as possible. As I've always said is true with almost all government agencies, if they were in business to make money like the rest of us, they would be bankrupt in the blink of an eye. Funny how poor some decisions are when it's someone elses money being spent and you don't have to worry about getting it back. You start over next year with a fresh pocket of cash, and if you need more, just raise taxes.


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## maher871 (Sep 6, 2010)

We plow roads. The whole fleet of Ford F-series is western plows. Made the mistake of buying our first Fisher HD on the last F-350. What a nightmare, Fisher plows HATE manholes. Wish I could throw the darn thing in the garbage and put a western on.


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## 02powerstroke (Nov 7, 2006)

maher871;1144475 said:


> We plow roads. The whole fleet of Ford F-series is western plows. Made the mistake of buying our first Fisher HD on the last F-350. What a nightmare, Fisher plows HATE manholes. Wish I could throw the darn thing in the garbage and put a western on.


lol yeah its alot better when the plow just bends


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## cplmac (Nov 25, 2009)

bighornjd;1144473 said:


> They are finally starting to wise up and realize that it is cheaper in the long run for them to hire someone who has to price themselves to compete with other contractors and actually do things efficiently to be profitable. Rather than waste tax dollars on brand new top of the line equipment that's not always necessary, and pay wages (and OT), insurance, and generous benefits to a bunch of lazy government employees with no incentive to save money or be as productive as possible. As I've always said is true with almost all government agencies, if they were in business to make money like the rest of us, they would be bankrupt in the blink of an eye. Funny how poor some decisions are when it's someone elses money being spent and you don't have to worry about getting it back. You start over next year with a fresh pocket of cash, and if you need more, just raise taxes.


I think you are confusing the obligations of a private contractor with those of a government agency. The state/county/muni has to make sure the roads are maintained throughout a storm, not just towards the end or after it stops. That obligation requires a different set of operational practices. Speaking from my own experiences I can tell you that at least IDOT is unquestionably getting the job done for less than what it would cost to hire a private contractor to do the same work. They already have yards for maintenance, trucks that are WELL used, not just brand new state of the art trucks with all the bells and whistles. In fact I've never seen one of those at IDOT. The pay is not some windfall, it's about the same as I make in my summer job. I'm sure there is some waste somewhere in some agencies winter program, but I think you are describing the exception and not the rule.


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## schockservices (Apr 13, 2009)

*Roads*

I plow mostly township roads and have contracts with 2 towns and one small subdivision of 60 homes. Mostly gravel I enjoy it my contract reads after the first inch accumulates I roll out and work through out the storm all paid hourly to date knock on wood no complaints.payup


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## LunchBox (Oct 28, 2010)

maher871;1144475 said:


> We plow roads. The whole fleet of Ford F-series is western plows. Made the mistake of buying our first Fisher HD on the last F-350. What a nightmare, Fisher plows HATE manholes. Wish I could throw the darn thing in the garbage and put a western on.


Thats funny. No one up here has a Western. Even the Western dealer has Fisher. Honest to God truth.


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## Y-town IceMan (Jan 10, 2011)

cplmac;1145858 said:


> I think you are confusing the obligations of a private contractor with those of a government agency. The state/county/muni has to make sure the roads are maintained throughout a storm, not just towards the end or after it stops. That obligation requires a different set of operational practices. Speaking from my own experiences I can tell you that at least IDOT is unquestionably getting the job done for less than what it would cost to hire a private contractor to do the same work. They already have yards for maintenance, trucks that are WELL used, not just brand new state of the art trucks with all the bells and whistles. In fact I've never seen one of those at IDOT. The pay is not some windfall, it's about the same as I make in my summer job. I'm sure there is some waste somewhere in some agencies winter program, but I think you are describing the exception and not the rule.


I agree directly. I plow for DOT in Nova Scotia and I'll be the first to admit, when the weather is fine we have a pretty cushy job. but during an event we can expect to put in a 16 hour day.There has been talk here of privatizing the industry, but the general consencus is " if it ain't broke, don't fix it".we do a fine job IMO and the average route is approx 100km. And I can also safely say that none of our trucks will win the award for fancy. I drive a flat fender Volvo tandem, M11 cummins/eaton fuller 13 with a 13ft one way plow and 9ft wing with a 12 yard box and cs230 speader. She gets fed a hot supper everytime i leave the shed


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## Dave Preuhs (Dec 26, 2008)

*Oshkosh truck*

Been doing the contract snow plowing and blading for our township for 30 years. We have 25 miles of roads and this winter has been a rough one with lots of snow and some wind. I posted a thread on here about 2 years ago, here is the link to it:


Plowing snow with Oshkosh


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## mike86544 (Jan 10, 2011)

i do plow for my city in glen ellyn illinois


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## leon (Nov 18, 2008)

*plow etc.*



Mackman;1068261 said:


> Anyone esle on here plow roads for your local township or any other type of roads. Or im i the only one?? I dont hear to many guys on here talking about plowing roads.


All the municipals in new york state plow the roads they own; the state relieved the counties of plowing roads a few years ago and are using single axle trucks 8-10 foot plows with spreaders and not plowing the shoulders at night.

The airports are maintained, plowed and mowed BY fully qualified EMT's, which is a shame as it eliminates a lot of potential work.

You could cover a lot of ground with a small or medium sized grader and wing plow for sure in this situation for roads.


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## firemanmarc (Dec 27, 2009)

All roads all the Time...


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## tjctransport (Nov 22, 2008)

i always wanted to get a sicard to use on the roads.


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## PR Fect (Oct 22, 2003)

bighornjd;1144473 said:


> More and more municipalities seem to be contracting out, whether it be just for some extra help in addition to their own stuff, or contracting out everything at the smaller ones. They are finally starting to wise up and realize that it is cheaper in the long run for them to hire someone who has to price themselves to compete with other contractors and actually do things efficiently to be profitable. Rather than waste tax dollars on brand new top of the line equipment that's not always necessary, and pay wages (and OT), insurance, and generous benefits to a bunch of lazy government employees with no incentive to save money or be as productive as possible.


Bighorn, I don't know why you would go on a blog that is entitled "public works and airport personal" and make the statement that we are "lazy" unless you must really believe that. I have plowed snow here in Wisconsin for the past 29 years. That's just under 500 storms average 3 inch's of snow each one. I have worked for a private contractor and did p-lots, I have and do own my own business, and also for the last 10 years I have plowed for the city of Appleton. I agree with your statement that I have re-posted except that I am lazy, and/or that my co-workers are lazy. I think you may have us confused with people who do not work and take a government check. My is earned. And as cplmac had said. Its different work keeping a government municipalities traffic safe and moving than it is keeping a private p-lot or driveway safe and moving. There is always room for improvement, mostly because of mis management of tax dollars. But I think there are many hard working guys and gals out their keeping are streets and highways open and safe, and getting a well earned government check for it. Different rules for different situation. I am also glad that my city buys all new equipment. Used equipment would not last with the miles we put on in a night. You plow a hell of a lot more snow, spray a hell of allot more ice, when you are only going one direction, and not stopping each pass. Our city equipment is well used. And our private contractors fill in the needed niche.


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## bighornjd (Oct 23, 2009)

Obviously not ALL government employees are lazy. I don't think I said that, however re-reading my post i guess I should have been more clear. There are certainly plenty of lazy workers out there though. Public or private. That doesn't mean they all are. In this area at least, it's not an uncommon sight to see guys sitting along the road doing nothing for hours. The old joke about someone who's just standing around "must be a state worker" or "must be a county worker" didn't come about for no reason. Sometimes the management can be blamed for this though. My point was more that governments and municipalities generally don't need to be as efficient or productive as private companies. They don't require earning a profit to exist. Don't get me wrong, I have plenty of respect for road crews out putting in long hours to keep the roads safe. My dad works for the county he lives in and most of the guys in his shop are always ready to go and not afraid to work. But it doesn't take a genius to see some of the waste that goes on. It's everywhere in any part of the country. Waste in a private company affects the bottom line. If your an employee or management, it affects your paycheck or even whether or not you have a job. You have to increase efficiency to increase profit. In the public sector, there doesn't seem to be as much accountability when the taxpayers are footing the bill, and there is no need to make a return on the investment. Not trying to disrespect any public works employees, I know most are hard-working honest guys trying to make a living, I know quite a few personally. I guess my digust is more with the 'system'. I'm just sick of all the waste by our government at every level, at the expense of the taxpayers.


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## PR Fect (Oct 22, 2003)

bighornjd;1199680 said:


> Obviously not ALL government employees are lazy. I don't think I said that, however re-reading my post i guess I should have been more clear. There are certainly plenty of lazy workers out there though. Public or private. That doesn't mean they all are. In this area at least, it's not an uncommon sight to see guys sitting along the road doing nothing for hours. The old joke about someone who's just standing around "must be a state worker" or "must be a county worker" didn't come about for no reason. Sometimes the management can be blamed for this though. My point was more that governments and municipalities generally don't need to be as efficient or productive as private companies. They don't require earning a profit to exist. Don't get me wrong, I have plenty of respect for road crews out putting in long hours to keep the roads safe. My dad works for the county he lives in and most of the guys in his shop are always ready to go and not afraid to work. But it doesn't take a genius to see some of the waste that goes on. It's everywhere in any part of the country. Waste in a private company affects the bottom line. If your an employee or management, it affects your paycheck or even whether or not you have a job. You have to increase efficiency to increase profit. In the public sector, there doesn't seem to be as much accountability when the taxpayers are footing the bill, and there is no need to make a return on the investment. Not trying to disrespect any public works employees, I know most are hard-working honest guys trying to make a living, I know quite a few personally. I guess my digust is more with the 'system'. I'm just sick of all the waste by our government at every level, at the expense of the taxpayers.


Agreed. Very good post.


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## WingPlow (Jun 18, 2007)

i hear you all saying your disgusted with goverment and municipal waste at every level..

and it comes at the taxpayers expense....


lets not forget the public works guys are also tax payers, most inthe towns or citys they work for...how about seeing that waste first hand and not knowing if you may or may not have a job because of it...and not being able to do anything about it


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## fisherv (Jan 21, 2009)

I work for the town I live in and the biggest waste of time is all to rules and regs from the state and federal level. In most cases it takes longer to set up a work zone and tear it down than it will to do the job.


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## PR Fect (Oct 22, 2003)

WingPlow;1200353 said:


> i hear you all saying your disgusted with goverment and municipal waste at every level..
> 
> and it comes at the taxpayers expense....
> 
> lets not forget the public works guys are also tax payers, most inthe towns or citys they work for...how about seeing that waste first hand and not knowing if you may or may not have a job because of it...and not being able to do anything about it


I'm right there with ya. As I said I own my own snow removal and lawn care business, and I plow for the city where I own a home and pay my taxes. Very frustrating some times, lots of good, smart, hard working guys and gals being held back by what I some times see as mismanagement. PR


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## snobeast (Mar 4, 2005)

Mackman;1069551 said:


> My stuff hold up good. I do the same 6 or 7 roads. So i know where all the manholes are at. I go real slow when i come up too them. Once you get to know where all the manholes etc are at it aint too bad. But i have to replace my cutting edge once a year.


you got it good only replacing the cutting edge once a year Im on my second one already and Ill chew thru atleast one more this winter... But I am a municipal driver


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## WingPlow (Jun 18, 2007)

snobeast;1206710 said:


> you got it good only replacing the cutting edge once a year Im on my second one already and Ill chew thru atleast one more this winter... But I am a municipal driver


do you guys run carbide down there ?


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## 89Comanche (Jan 10, 2011)

snobeast;1206710 said:


> you got it good only replacing the cutting edge once a year Im on my second one already and Ill chew thru atleast one more this winter... But I am a municipal driver


 I plow for Framingham ma, the roads up here are about 2 years past when they should have been repaired. Since our first big storm last month I have gone through 3 cutting edges on my truck and 2 on my other truck. I am getting pretty fed up with spending $185 every other snow fall to keep the trucks going. These roads are pot hole city and are littered in raised manhole covers. I have brought this all up with the route supervisor but that is not getting me anywhere. Oh well, life goes on.


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## tailboardtech (Feb 28, 2010)

89Comanche;1221692 said:


> These roads are pot hole city and are littered in raised manhole covers. I have brought this all up with the route supervisor but that is not getting me anywhere. Oh well, life goes on.


that's why i had to switch over to a rubber blade i got a new development on my route and they have storm drains in manholes from hell in it i sheered a carbide off and ate the steering wheel thanks to a manhole last year.


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## 89Comanche (Jan 10, 2011)

Rubber edge? I've heard of carbide, steel, and poly edges but never a rubber one. Would like to know more about this.


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## tjctransport (Nov 22, 2008)

rubber cutting edge is basically a section of industrial conveyor belt sandwiched in between the mole-board and a steel cutting edge, with the rubber sticking lower than the steel.


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## tailboardtech (Feb 28, 2010)

^ what he said if I could up load pics from my phone I would post a pic but they are about a 1 1/2 in. thick the ones we get are double sided so when the one side wares down it can be flipped. You want to keep them a maximum of 2 in below molboard or it will tair. I get about a year out of one.


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## tailboardtech (Feb 28, 2010)

heres a rubber edge


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## salvage101 (Feb 10, 2011)

i plowed roads for the township last season, and boy did my truck take a whippin! I got out of it for 2 reason..my insurance company wanted 15 grand to plow public roads and i almost blew a hole thru my plow catching a manhole cover. Unless your using their trucks i feel its not worth destroying mine...


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## bighornjd (Oct 23, 2009)

salvage101;1236843 said:


> i plowed roads for the township last season, and boy did my truck take a whippin! I got out of it for 2 reason..my insurance company wanted 15 grand to plow public roads and i almost blew a hole thru my plow catching a manhole cover. Unless your using their trucks i feel its not worth destroying mine...


15 grand? Time for a new insurance company. And as far as wear and tear? I try to scope out the problem areas before the season starts and make little written and mental notes. Take it easy the first couple times and you learn where the real problems are. I hit one manhole cover 3 times in a row, bout knocked my teeth out, and would have done damage if I was going any faster. I learned where it is after that and can now cruise right around it. Other than that, I think it's less painful on trucks than lots are. Less stopping and starting and backing up. Less wear and tear on clutches and trannys, less chance of backing into something, and your generally constantly plowing with the storm, so you are rarely pushing large amounts of snow at once. The biggest wear item plowing roads is probably cutting edges. I run carbide and that makes a big difference. I've plowed it all and personally like roads the best. JMO


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## LunchBox (Oct 28, 2010)

Just take your time I don't go over 15 mph and I'm the lead guy on my tandem


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## OldCrow (Dec 14, 2009)

tjctransport;1223679 said:


> rubber cutting edge is basically a section of industrial conveyor belt sandwiched in between the mole-board and a steel cutting edge, with the rubber sticking lower than the steel.


I wouldn't call it conveyor belt. The rubber we run is inch and a half thick. Conveyor belt is much thinner and less rigid. Rubber works very well if used properly.

As far as running steel and manholes, it's usually hit and miss. Roadways as well as manholes, water valves, gas valves etc., will heave and sink with the temperature. Just because you don't hit a manhole this storm, doesn't mean you won't hit it after a hard freeze and thaw cycle. And hitting one that you're not expecting can do some serious damage.

I can't see how plowing roads is easier on a truck than lots. You have to remember a contractor plowing a lot is only plowing a lot. I understand the forward and reverse thought, but a plow truck running roads is under a constant strain. Especially in heavy snows. There could be hours of pushing before the truck gets a break. Picture a truck pushing back a windrow in a 300' lot. It would take what, 30 seconds at most? Now picture a truck running a few miles pushing back a windrow. It's a big difference. Plus, there's travel time between lots. And lets not forget, municipal plows hit the road the instant a storm hits, and don't stop until long after the storm has passed. Atleast my trucks do.

With that being said, I do think plowing lots or residential drives is tougher on a driver than doing roads. Sort of. The constant back and forth will have you looking for a chiropractor after a few storms. But then again, they don't have to deal with contractors pushing into the road, angry residents who are willing to put their snow shovels through your windshield to avoid having their sidewalks plowed in again, the old guy that just needs to walk his dog in the middle of the road at 3 in the morning in a blizzard, and then get pissed at you because you could barely see 10 feet in front of the truck and almost made him a plow ornament, etc..


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## wideout (Nov 18, 2009)

I plow the streets in the town i live in its a town of 500 so not to bad to plow and get to the really good money 8 miles north of me. My question is how well does your town control there budget and do they cut you off on plowing during a storm and just have you plow after its done


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## bighornjd (Oct 23, 2009)

The town I plow for likes me to keep after it as much as possible until its over. If we get more than 2 inches, i'm expected to be there phone call or not. If it's less I'm supposed to wait for a phone call to go out. I have it pretty good because the town council understands that i know what I'm doing better than they do and they pretty much leave it up to my discretion. If there is winter weather forecast, i generally get a call from the council president well in advance that says "just do what you do best - i'll leave it up to you". I try to do a good job and be fair and honest with the hours i bill and evweryone seems to stay happy so far. They just finished the bidding process at the last meeting. I was the only contractor to submit a bid - i gave prices for 1,2, or 3 year contract, they decided to lock in for three... so now I have a huge weight off my shoulders and all that's left is getting equipment ready this fall and praying for lots and lots and lots of snow! payup


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## Landcare - Mont (Feb 28, 2011)

Much prefer to drive a road plow than a parking-lot plow - at least the scenery changes all the time. We do 3 small suburban towns, about 75 kilometres in total, ditches, no sidewalks. The larger town does its own salting but we do it for the two smaller ones. If your truck is set up properly, there's less strain on it doing roads than parking lots because you go around the blocks without stopping, no reversing and not a lot of braking or shifting. A good working relationship with the head of the public works department gets the manholes, etc. fixed, usually before you cause serious damage. Wearing a shoulder seatbelt at all times is also a good idea.

Our contracts send us out when there's 5 centimetres (2 inches) on the roads; once you get started, you keep going until after the snow stops and everything's clean. Usually we lay down the salt-abrasive mix when we're finished and go home until the next time.


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## Plow man Foster (Dec 10, 2010)

I've been plowing sub division streets since i was 19! Started out with a Little jeep wrangler with snoway plow! Now im alot bigger...and 36years old...I almost dont like plowing subs yet LOVE the checks i get every winter! yeah it really does Beat the trucks up but since i been doing this since i was practically a kid i know where every bump,crack dip,drain, etc etc. I could prob plow these subs wit my eyes closed! Havent tried it though! luckly there are NO man whole covers in the streets i plow. There are storm drains but they are way on the side of the street usually we dont even plow that far over


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## benben (Nov 27, 2010)

do any of you know of anything for new york or around the new york new jersey area i have 2 trucks that i would like to run???
or if you know where i can find this information that would be kool to


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## tailboardtech (Feb 28, 2010)

i hate to tell ya but all the contracts are out for this year my county are opened in May most county's and states usually open in June or July and are closed within a couple weeks. you will have to check on there web sites for an announcement for next year.


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## Plow man Foster (Dec 10, 2010)

benben;1356402 said:


> do any of you know of anything for new york or around the new york new jersey area i have 2 trucks that i would like to run???
> or if you know where i can find this information that would be kool to


I tried to do that YEARS ago.... Maybe its changed but the county was the hardest people to get to and had strict guidelines to when they wanted me to go out and plow and they just were too crazy for me.

Its alot easier to go to the president of a Home owner association (HOA) and present them with a contract with your prices. Thats what i do!

Forget the county. You have a better chance at getting a HOA directly opposed to going through the County. Over here that is!


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