# Snow Blowing at 2:00AM ??



## BRENTMAN (Oct 13, 2008)

I used the search a little bit, found nothing on this, so I'll throw it up here. 

Who fires up the loud snow blowers in the middle of the night? Right outside of homes on the quiet streets????

I've got Resi walkways to do, and hopefully a couple small commercials that have pretty long sidewalks, and I cant imagine firing up my loud a$$ snow blower in the middle of the night. Daytime is no big deal. 

What do you guys do? Who's got some input on this?


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## ppandr (Dec 16, 2004)

Let em rip.....


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## bowtie_guy (Jan 1, 2004)

We don't start any appartment/residential stuff till 6:30/7 at the earliest. Makes for a pain but no compaints that way about noise. Usually start commercial at a decent time so it leads us up to the residential stuff on time.


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## BRENTMAN (Oct 13, 2008)

ppandr;889269 said:


> Let em rip.....


Ever get any noise complaints?


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## BRENTMAN (Oct 13, 2008)

bowtie_guy;889270 said:


> We don't start any appartment/residential stuff till 6:30/7 at the earliest. Makes for a pain but no compaints that way about noise. Usually start commercial at a decent time so it leads us up to the residential stuff on time.


90% of my Resi's gotta be cleared by 7-730am, so I'll definitely be working in the middle of the night. I'll hear from a small commercial tomorrow whos walks are all right on the corner of a quiet side street with homes right there.


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## Shop's Lawn (Nov 9, 2008)

We let them rip also. Never no complaints in over 8 years! Well take that back I guess- we had one but it was to be expected with this customer. Glad to say I dont service her anymore.


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## WIPensFan (Jan 31, 2009)

You gotta use your head on this one. People don't want you outside their home at 2:30am running blowers. If you promised resi's done by 7-7:30am your asking for trouble. You might get away with it, but don't be suprised if someone makes a fuss about it, and I wouldn't blame them.


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## Lynden-Jeff (May 21, 2006)

Doesn't matter what time, we use the blowers.


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## wizardsr (Aug 8, 2006)

Commercial contracts = Let 'em rip!

Residentials = use a shovel.

Apartments = Wait til 6am, contacts allow plenty of time.

We've had the cops show up on multiple occasions and tell us to stop running blowers, we have a couple accounts rather close to apartment buildings. Our route books have the city ordinances in them, so when the cops show up, we show them the ordinance and keep working. Most cities allow 24 hours on commercial properties, regardless of the time of day.


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## the new boss 92 (Nov 29, 2008)

i would use a shovel untill about 530 or so, after that i would let them rip,most people get up for work at 6 and are out the dooor at 7 in a storm. but then its expected to have blows running in the widdle of the nigt during a storm. but you also have to have respect to.


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## lawnproslawncar (Dec 9, 2007)

I come when I come...Otherwise can't guarantee what time you'll get to work...END OF STORY

lol


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## lawn king (Nov 21, 2004)

This is emergency service, you do what you have to do. The cops have never shut us down in the middle of the night!


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## dchr (May 9, 2009)

Your own discretion is the key here. If I promise a residential customer that his property will be completely clear by 6 or 6:30 a.m. I also tell them that there will be a certain level of noise that will have to be tolerated with this (plow,truck,blower if needed). Most residentials I get the drive opened up for them to go to work then worry about walks/steps at a more resaonable hour or if need be shovel instead of blow. All depends.


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## carl b (Dec 28, 2006)

wizardsr;889364 said:


> Commercial contracts = Let 'em rip!
> 
> Residentials = use a shovel.
> 
> ...


x2.....................


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## redman6565 (Jul 14, 2008)

idk much about snowblowing but i have a couple commercial lots that are surrounded by homes and i plow that with my old '74 Trojan, with the loud Detroit Deisel motors in them, so they scream. I fire it up and use it constantly 1 a.m. to 8 a.m. whenever it snows. the neighbors are all accustomed to it


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## larrylaverne (Nov 13, 2009)

snow comes down whenever it wants to,its an act of nature.i think MOST people understand noise issues at any times.i say if you got a heavy work load fire up the blower, but if you have to shovel because of noise issues, raise the price


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## Alpha Property (Jul 25, 2008)

i do strictly residentials, and in my contract it states " due to the type of equipment being used, no snow removal will take place between 11pm and 5am"


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## exmark1 (Nov 30, 2005)

We do what we have to regardless of the noise created. If there are alot of sidewalks we just fire up the blower regardless of what time it is. Never had a complaint about it yet!


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## redman6565 (Jul 14, 2008)

exmark1;889581 said:


> We do what we have to regardless of the noise created. If there are alot of sidewalks we just fire up the blower regardless of what time it is. Never had a complaint about it yet!


you shouldnt either. people that live in snow regions should be accustomed to the early noise by now


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## Brian Young (Aug 13, 2005)

We had a set of condo's that when you talked at the top you could hear the echo half way down. I had this same question for them, they said do what you have to do. I took that as fire em' up and get the snow gone...i guess, we dont do them any more some other company can make all the noise now. Oh wait he's one of them there, low balling company's I doubt he has a snow blower,lol I crack myself up! 
Seriously, if you have any doubts just ask them if they are opposed to all the noise the blowers will make.


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## grandview (Oct 9, 2005)

no difference from the guy who fires up his at 2 am and does the who street.


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## show-n-go (Feb 5, 2009)

When i was on a sidewalk crew we fired em up whenever we got there. All those years i had one person come to the door and complain and i was on her porch with the blower at 3:30-4:00 am. i have to admit the echo on the porch was pretty loud and that community was all old people so we always had some kind of problems with them. I hated that place all summer and even more in the winter.


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## djagusch (Oct 15, 2007)

I take care of 3 HOA's and never had a complaint. The BOD member told me I here you out there and thought I was nuts for being out at 2 am but was glad when he walked out the door everything was done. I said I could hold off till morning to not wake people and he said the noise is barely heard inside the houses so it's no big deal. He rather have it done than shovel it himself.


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## TonawandaNY (Aug 3, 2009)

The town I live in gives you 24hrs after snow fall has stopped to clear the sidewalk. I have told folks that I wait until it ends unless it is a several day storm and I do not use snow blowers until after 8am.


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## REAPER (Nov 23, 2004)

City noise ordinance here would prevent you from starting in the neighborhoods here before 7 AM. Yes they will ticket as I have received one many years ago at 4:30 AM doing my own drive with a blower.
But I still see some guys around me out there, it just depends on if someone calls it in as a complaint. 

I would not do it myself out of respect and would think it would look bad on the company.
Do the drives and come back for the walks.


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## integrityman (Feb 23, 2008)

Good question. 

I still don't understand why small equipment makes so much %^& noise. Or, rather, why the engineering folks at B&S, Kohler/ Kawi et al haven't figured out how to make a good quiet muffler. 

Last year I was out snow blowing a residential about 9:30pm, the elderly homeowner thought a helicopter was outside! :laughing:


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## TonawandaNY (Aug 3, 2009)

I am by no means telling folks to go buy products that are not american made. However, if your looking for a quite snowblower, then look into a Honda.


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## prostk2 (Oct 18, 2009)

I will fire up when needed to make the areas safe. So far I have never had anyone complain about noise in over 15 years.


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## show-n-go (Feb 5, 2009)

TonawandaNY;889803 said:


> I am by no means telling folks to go buy products that are not american made. However, if your looking for a quite snowblower, then look into a Honda.


X2, my dad has the one with the rubber tracks on it and it is very quiet. Its 10 years old or real close and still runs that way, never had a problem out of it but it sure is heavy.


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## Premier (Nov 20, 2007)

lawnproslawncar;889418 said:


> I come when I come...Otherwise can't guarantee what time you'll get to work...END OF STORY
> 
> lol


thats how we roll here too.


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## ScottPA (Nov 11, 2009)

Hmm, I use this to blow snow between 3-4 a.m. Noone seems to complain about it.


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## Schuley (Jul 22, 2009)

ScottPA;889971 said:


> Hmm, I use this to blow snow between 3-4 a.m. Noone seems to complain about it.


LMAO.... too bad it isn't self propelled... 
We get stuff done lickity split, we run our toro single stagers at 3 and 4am and dont get any complaints. But its so brief that we are there. We do drives with a New Holland skid steer that is for what ever reason very quiet. Then the sidewalk guys fire up the blowers (which are only 1 year old) and we are out in 5-10 mins max, hardly enough time to get someone worked up. Now if you were there for 30mins or more at 3am, then I could see someone getting pissed. I dont think we are any louder than the city plows that go by. Our town also uses a Blower on the front of a cat loader with a big ole detroit diesel to fill trucks on narrow streets all through the night when car's aren't out driving. That thing will wake you up on the other side of town!


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## redman6565 (Jul 14, 2008)

ScottPA;889971 said:


> Hmm, I use this to blow snow between 3-4 a.m. Noone seems to complain about it.


why would they complain? you're a like a free alarm clock service lol


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## snowman4 (Nov 25, 2007)

I would say people would rather noise at 2am rather than walking through 12 inches of snow the next morning - especially if there are a lot of walks. But at the same time they may look at you funny if you are blowing only 3 inches especially if there is not a lot of linear feet worth of walk to do.


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## Young Pup (Aug 13, 2004)

redman6565;890021 said:


> why would they complain? you're a like a free alarm clock service lol


Free??????? Heck with that, tack it on the bill as shop supplies.


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## redman6565 (Jul 14, 2008)

Young Pup;890046 said:


> Free??????? Heck with that, tack it on the bill as shop supplies.


:laughing: 10% overhead and profit too


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## Lawn Enforcer (Mar 20, 2006)

I never had a complaint, even at my earliest time I started at, which was 3am. People realize it's either deal with some noise or have a 2ft drift in front of their door. My blower is a 1975 Ariens, and she isn't quiet by any means, but it still wasn't as loud as the company that used to do the streets. They came by with big graders at 3am and you could hear plates rattling in the cupboards!


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## EcoGreen Serv (Oct 26, 2009)

Those Shovel things are pretty quiet I hear. 

So are Honda ATV's with plows on sidewalks. Especially with poly edges.


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## Burkartsplow (Nov 1, 2007)

I just got my craigslists $20 buy Toro ccr2000. I looked up serial number and it is 23 years old and that suzuki 4.5hp 2 stroke runs like a champ. I cant wait for 2am when I get to pull that out of the bed and let her rip. Hey people dont like snow so in the morning they will be happy with it gone. No complaints or tickets in 13 years.


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## WIPensFan (Jan 31, 2009)

You guys are missing the point. Yeah, people that pay for your service will be happy you came and removed their snow at 3:00am - maybe - but the neighbors will be pissed! That's who you have to worry about 99% of the time. I had a customer say I was too early at 5:00am one time. I told her it was that time or never. She was one of three that were out of the way and I wanted to get them done before traffic got heavy. I say after 4:00am your golden, before that is unprofessional.


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## MIDTOWNPC (Feb 17, 2007)

I have an apartment building / condo behind me. They complain about everything.


complain when I warm everything up... 3 dodge diesels, a tractor and a bobcat... in perfect harmony

compain my dog barks when some one is at the fence... if she wants out casue someone is at the fence at 3am, she goes out. they shouldnt be at the fence. the end.

actually had the cops called on my one time on my own property with my own bobcat sweeping the parking lot at 9pm. couldnt do it during the day, cause of all the cars.
cops asked how long i would be, I said another half hour and said if i was more then an hour he would ticket me for noise. From what he explained its whats considered excessive, if there are complaints filed you could be in trouble. I wanted to test him a bit but I didn't So I just pointed the sweeper the other way and covered the apartment with dust. If people get togeather and call all at once... you might be toast.


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## Grassman09 (Mar 18, 2009)

MIDTOWNPC;890364 said:


> I have an apartment building / condo behind me. They complain about everything.
> 
> complain when I warm everything up... 3 dodge diesels, a tractor and a bobcat... in perfect harmony
> .


That must sound nice. Are the older 90s dodges. Those one rattle nicely.

I need to put a switch in my Skid steer to silence the B.U. alarm for early morn resi work.


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## sven1277 (Jan 15, 2008)

Another consideration is applying icemelt after clearing the walks. If done at 2am, that gives plenty of time for it to work. You don't have that extra time at 7am when there is a lot more foot traffic.


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## BigLou80 (Feb 25, 2008)

redman6565;889553 said:


> idk much about snowblowing but i have a couple commercial lots that are surrounded by homes and i plow that with my old '74 Trojan, with the loud Detroit Deisel motors in them, so they scream. I fire it up and use it constantly 1 a.m. to 8 a.m. whenever it snows. the neighbors are all accustomed to it


Detroit diesel. The most efficient way to turn diesel fuel in to noise.

II usually try to plow everybody out first and go back later and open up the sidewalks. 
I have run snow blowers are 2 am with no complaints, people understand you can't start everybody at 6 am and be all done by 6:30


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## d8on27 (Nov 19, 2007)

This is how we make our living. You can believe every single customer that gets up at 6am and has to walk or drive their car through snow to get out is going to wonder where you are and why they are paying for their service. We are a snow blower only service and we run the route as soon as the snow stops, regardless of time. That's the professional way to do it IMO. Who hasn't been woke up by the city plows at 3AM? Clearing snow is an emergency service.


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## Grn Mtn (Sep 21, 2004)

people need to get a life, you clear snow what, 17 times in 365 days out of the year and its the end of the world.


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## the new boss 92 (Nov 29, 2008)

ftp, and the neightbors shouldnt complain. for every complain i think they deserve a 10 foot pile in the driveways. no one cars about the city plow, why should they car about the small contractors. either way someone is bound to ***** and complain. its to noisy, my sidwalk is done poorly. its going to happen, let it rip!


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## buckwheat_la (Oct 11, 2009)

wizardsr;889364 said:


> Commercial contracts = Let 'em rip!
> 
> Residentials = use a shovel.
> 
> ...


i agree, commercial let'em rip residential shovel till 6am, apartments 6am


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## pats plowing (Nov 27, 2001)

My brother has been snow blowing for 4 years now and he does not have a complaint. I just had customers who mentioned they heard me at 3 am and knew it would be clear when they woke up.


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## McGaw (Aug 15, 2008)

When I wake up, I go to the garage, open the door, start the blower, move the car onto the street (if possible), put on my pants, jacket and boots, and start. I do three houses, starting at 5:30 am. I've had one complaint from a neighbor, but they also complain that the exhaust from vehicles parked in the customers driveway is killing the children she babysits (close the ******* door). Plus she has no license/ insurance, and does 11 kids. I beleive there is a ratio, something like 6 children to 1 adult. I also throw snow onto her minivan annd into her window wells because they complain about me clearing the 18" of snow on her property (part of the the driveway I do). Last year during a large storm she had the kids out shoveling, didn't take to long before she called and asked if I could come over. 25 minutes later I had $75 in my hand. payup
My customers pay well, and therefore I give them good service.


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## yardsmith (Jan 3, 2000)

Alpha Property;889574 said:


> i do strictly residentials, and in my contract it states " due to the type of equipment being used, no snow removal will take place between 11pm and 5am"


For the most part, isn't that shooting yourself in the foot?


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## Nelsen (Oct 19, 2008)

Alpha Property;889574 said:


> i do strictly residentials, and in my contract it states " due to the type of equipment being used, no snow removal will take place between 11pm and 5am"


What? LOL. If I didn't go out before 5 I'd lose half my route! You must not have residentials that go to work, huh?


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## Nelsen (Oct 19, 2008)

Grn Mtn;891148 said:


> people need to get a life, you clear snow what, 17 times in 365 days out of the year and its the end of the world.


Hear, Hear!


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## sjones (Nov 19, 2009)

Beats shoveling


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## The Big Push (Dec 10, 2009)

Noise complaints are still cheaper than slip n' falls. We run ag tractors all through the night, even backing up the driveways once and a while. If it ain't the noise, it's the lights. We had one guy put a stereo in his skidsteer that was so loud I could hear him drive by with my trtactor at 1800 rpm and my own radio going.

Let em' whine


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## Stik208 (Oct 19, 2004)

At work I took a call during a 17 inch snowstorm a year or 2 agoit was around 9 or 930 for a guy snowblowing. I proceeded to tell the caller that there was 17 inches of snow on the ground what do you want this guy to do? Then I hung up.


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