# I do the walkways for Companies who just want to Plow.



## Plow Now

Hey to all. I am new to this site and have learned so much. While I haven't yet bought the mount for my plow (have the rest though) I do however have tractor mount snow blowers, plows and walk behind machines that we use for companies that just want to plow the lots. We also provide all the labor, fuel and back up machines so jobs stay fluid. We are based in Philly, haven't had any serious storms here but have traveled up to 150 miles for work. There was a commitment in advance though. We can usually provide emergency or additional service as needed. 
Dependable and available for (SUB WORK) work as described above. If you need our services or dont want to concern yourself with walkways yet know its handled , leave a message here and will promptly return the call.

Thanks all
Ben Nemitz


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## Pristine PM ltd

Why can't you live in Toronto!


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## Mark Oomkes

Pristine PM ltd;1950766 said:


> Why can't you live in Toronto!


Screw that, why don't you live in Grand Rapids?


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## White Gardens

Way to find a niche for the guys who don't want to get out of a truck!

Pfffffft! Lol


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## Plow Now

Toronto? No way, im a Flyers fan LOL and Grand Rapids? Those rapids really aren't that Grand and really now. Nothing wrong if you don't wanna get up out of the truck. I fully support those who choose wisely such as that!! WHY THE HELL don't you ALL live even as little as 500 miles closer?


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## Mark Oomkes

White Gardens;1950805 said:


> Way to find a niche for the guys who don't want to get out of a truck!
> 
> Pfffffft! Lol


With the luck I've had with sidewalk personnel this year, I'd be ALL over someone who would subcontract my walks.


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## Plow Now

Hey Mark,
Sorry to hear about your sidewalk personal. We have a very cool group of guys but then again were pretty damn col ourselves lol. At least to me we are. 1st off here in Philly (except for last year) you get soooooo much more snow then we do, but I think the reason (in large part) we hardly have any personal issues is because we make the work fun for the guys. For example heres just 1 thing that makes people look at us a little differently, we have a name for each machine. We have 2 tractors, 1 w snow blower attachment and 1 w a plow. The 1 w blower we call her "wide wanda" and the plow tractors name is "Round Rhonda." If wanda breaks down we say "help me Rhonda" lol I swear. 1 of our walk behnds we call large marge because shes a beast, 1 is "el toro" and so on. Well also say take Marge and wanda......... and it also defines exactly what machine were talking about..


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## Defcon 5

Plow Now;1951320 said:


> Hey Mark,
> Sorry to hear about your sidewalk personal. We have a very cool group of guys but then again were pretty damn col ourselves lol. At least to me we are. 1st off here in Philly (except for last year) you get soooooo much more snow then we do, but I think the reason (in large part) we hardly have any personal issues is because we make the work fun for the guys. For example heres just 1 thing that makes people look at us a little differently, we have a name for each machine. We have 2 tractors, 1 w snow blower attachment and 1 w a plow. The 1 w blower we call her "wide wanda" and the plow tractors name is "Round Rhonda." If wanda breaks down we say "help me Rhonda" lol I swear. 1 of our walk behnds we call large marge because shes a beast, 1 is "el toro" and so on. Well also say take Marge and wanda......... and it also defines exactly what machine were talking about..


Don't feel to sorry for Mark......He just drives around in his Ram "Cummings" barking out orders............:laughing:


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## Defcon 5

Plow Now;1950706 said:


> Hey to all. I am new to this site and have learned so much. While I haven't yet bought the mount for my plow (have the rest though) I do however have tractor mount snow blowers, plows and walk behind machines that we use for companies that just want to plow the lots. We also provide all the labor, fuel and back up machines so jobs stay fluid. We are based in Philly, haven't had any serious storms here but have traveled up to 150 miles for work. There was a commitment in advance though. We can usually provide emergency or additional service as needed.
> Dependable and available for (SUB WORK) work as described above. If you need our services or dont want to concern yourself with walkways yet know its handled , leave a message here and will promptly return the call.
> 
> Thanks all
> Ben Nemitz


Sounds like you have a Good Plan.......


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## Plow Now

Hey Defcon,
I have definitely heard of them. Do you know them or have just heard of them? 50 grand a push LOL. Im gonna look them up on monday and give them a call to let them know were out there. (Some have said Im WAY OUT THERE) And I was feeling most sorry for Mark because he is driving a Dodge, Cummins or not LOL.


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## Defcon 5

Plow Now;1951336 said:


> Hey Defcon,
> I have definitely heard of them. Do you know them or have just heard of them? 50 grand a push LOL. Im gonna look them up on monday and give them a call to let them know were out there. (Some have said Im WAY OUT THERE) And I was feeling most sorry for Mark because he is driving a Dodge, Cummins or not LOL.


No...Your not way out there....Good sidewalk crews are hard to come by and they are a profit center....payup


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## Plow Now

Thanks for your input. This is year 2 for us re: snow removal services and this angle just came about. Your input also helps solidify our resolve to dig in (pardon the pun) and focus in on providing this service as an option for snow removal contractors in the area! Thanks again.


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## Mark Oomkes

Why am I getting a Citytow deja vu feeling?


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## MK97

Mark Oomkes;1951399 said:


> Why am I getting a Citytow deja vu feeling?


Same here. Can we get an IP check?

Although currently the grammar and spelling is a lot better.


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## Defcon 5

Mark Oomkes;1951399 said:


> Why am I getting a Citytow deja vu feeling?


Maybe its the son of Citytow.......


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## Plow Now

If I was related to citytow in any way, do you really think I would be doing walkways LOL. Or if you looked at any other posts Ive made would be looking for a used mount for my truck? Wait lol, bustin my balls. Haha, caught on a little late. Ok, I probably deserve it! But then again.... The reason I was asking about City Tow was because I originally was gonna mention you guys but since I really don't know you, it would be a bit presumptuous of me to do that. You may be getting a deja vu feeling, but what i need here is a deja snow feeling. We have been getting too many of those "if it tracked just a little bit more to the west" calls. Last year we got hammered which was great to learn a lot about snow removal. This year if I want any snow work I have to go to it because it doesn't seem to be coming here.

IP check? Have prostate issues?


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## snowngo

Plow Now;1952652 said:


> If I was related to citytow in any way, do you really think I would be doing walkways LOL. Or if you looked at any other posts Ive made would be looking for a used mount for my truck? Wait lol, bustin my balls. Haha, caught on a little late. Ok, I probably deserve it! But then again.... The reason I was asking about City Tow was because I originally was gonna mention you guys but since I really don't know you, it would be a bit presumptuous of me to do that. You may be getting a deja vu feeling, but what i need here is a deja snow feeling. We have been getting too many of those "if it tracked just a little bit more to the west" calls. Last year we got hammered which was great to learn a lot about snow removal. This year if I want any snow work I have to go to it because it doesn't seem to be coming here.
> 
> IP check? Have prostate issues?


............................


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## Mark Oomkes

I'm still getting that vibe.


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## Defcon 5

Mark Oomkes;1953098 said:


> I'm still getting that vibe.


...........


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## LapeerLandscape

I kinda got that vibe also. Hey Mark one thing I read on here a while back to help keep employees all year. Say you offer to pay a sidewalk guy $15.00 an hour and agree to pay them $10.00 an hour all year and if they make it to April 15 without missing anytime they get the other $5.00 for every hour they worked. You can use your own numbers.


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## Kevin_NJ

I don't get it, this guy has a pretty good grasp on the Americanized English language. Half of the time I had no clue what toe even pecked out on his keyboard.


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## Plow Now

Hey Mark,
That vibe may be your pocket pal you forgot to turn off LOL!!


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## EWSplow

Plow Now;1950706 said:


> Hey to all. I am new to this site and have learned so much. While I haven't yet bought the mount for my plow (have the rest though) I do however have tractor mount snow blowers, plows and walk behind machines that we use for companies that just want to plow the lots. We also provide all the labor, fuel and back up machines so jobs stay fluid. We are based in Philly, haven't had any serious storms here but have traveled up to 150 miles for work. There was a commitment in advance though. We can usually provide emergency or additional service as needed.
> Dependable and available for (SUB WORK) work as described above. If you need our services or dont want to concern yourself with walkways yet know its handled , leave a message here and will promptly return the call.
> 
> Thanks all
> Ben Nemitz


I'll pay you to move to Milwaukee.


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## Plow Now

milwaukee,
shlameal, shlamazel.. Your bucks just got MCW. Sixers suck..
Ill stay but thx


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## Plow Now

Bet you have to be getting more snow then we are cause we are getting nothing and in abundance. What a difference a year makes. No snow yet but installing my plow next week or so, got a 2nd plow truck, 2 quad atv's w plows which in theory and for our applications should be so much more productive this year. Only thing missing now to put it all to the test is..... snow. I would also like to thank all the experienced folks who have saved me a lot time and grief learning from their experience. This site has been a wealth of knowledge. Thanks again!!


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## GMC Driver

I've been trying for years to get someone interested in doing this - there are huge opportunities in sidewalk clearing. Be it municipal contracts, HOAs, or other contractors. This is one of the most challenging aspects of our industry, finding reliable labourers to perform this work. Everyone wants to be in a cab (tractor/truck).

We've tried incentivizing the sidewalk work with a bonus system of $XX per callout, payable in the spring, but they have to make every callout. I've also tried giving an increased hourly to those who can bring extra people out with them to shovel. I've paid piece work (this works best) - pays per callout, same amount regardless of how much snow. Big storms are multiple callouts anyway, and they make the same amount on a 2" shovel as a 6", so the small storms they are doing really well. 

If we could only get someone to sub-contract our largest shovelling account, I'd be willing to pay them well on a piece work basis. They have to show up with 6 people everytime, it can be done in 6 hours, would work out to $30/man hour. Just can't seem to get anyone with enough ambition to put it together.


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## JMHConstruction

GMC Driver;2089811 said:


> I've been trying for years to get someone interested in doing this - there are huge opportunities in sidewalk clearing. Be it municipal contracts, HOAs, or other contractors. This is one of the most challenging aspects of our industry, finding reliable labourers to perform this work. Everyone wants to be in a cab (tractor/truck).
> 
> We've tried incentivizing the sidewalk work with a bonus system of $XX per callout, payable in the spring, but they have to make every callout. I've also tried giving an increased hourly to those who can bring extra people out with them to shovel. I've paid piece work (this works best) - pays per callout, same amount regardless of how much snow. Big storms are multiple callouts anyway, and they make the same amount on a 2" shovel as a 6", so the small storms they are doing really well.
> 
> If we could only get someone to sub-contract our largest shovelling account, I'd be willing to pay them well on a piece work basis. They have to show up with 6 people everytime, it can be done in 6 hours, would work out to $30/man hour. Just can't seem to get anyone with enough ambition to put it together.


All I do is walks and I hate it as much as the guys trying to fill the properties. This year I can't get guys to show because they're either out of town or working something else. When we have very little snow amounts I always find it hard to get guys to show. The same goes with the complete opposite. When we get a bunch of snow it hard to get guys to keep showing up. It's like they want to work, just not too hard.

For the skill involved in shoveling snow I pay pretty damn good. After parting ways with the company that I subbed with for years it was damn near impossible to find a contractor who would pay worth a damn (never found one, had to settle). Because of this I can't afford to give the bonuses or piece work like I've done in the past.

Guys, please pay your sidewalk guys what they're worth. Remember they have to pay multiple people, still have to buy/use small equipment (good speader, blowers, lots of shovels, and some use atvs or skids), and we still have an overhead with insurance. Anyone who wants to argue that their plow costs more can save it, I have in blowers alone. Now you big companies out there it's a different story, but I'm sure you make enough to pay for all your equipment. I enjoy (most days) what I do, but the stress this year from being underpaid is killing me. Sorry for that little rant, but after doing some paperwork today I wanted to shoot myself with how little I am actually making this year with my new contractor.


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## Plow Now

1st of all I'm sure we can both agree that in most every industry,a solid and dependable work ethic is becoming a rare trait to find in anyone. That being said, I more and more think shoveling is an even tougher proposition to fulfill. While we are small, I've taken a different approach to the whole walk way thing. Our approach (which has proven successful for dependability but yet to be really tested) and thats make the work fun. Therefore to make it fun, had to take shovel 90% out of the job. We now have 6 walk behind machines, 1 tractor mount snow blower (works well never used, someday will) just puttin a plow on my truck and have just added a 2nd plow. Also just added 1 quad w plow and about to take delivery on a 2nd quad. They will help Huge w large wide walkways and residential work we do. Each machine has a name. Really for example a 26" 8 hp large machine is named large marge, tractor is wide wanda, 1 toro is "el toro" and so on. A its a great way to easily identify a machine and makes it fun to say grab marge and the yard bird...... Keep it light, I buy my guys lunches or what evers and they rock and roll when they need too. But machines, all sizes all types, very little shoveling and they are good as many hours as it takes. Who really wants to shovel? Once in a while to clear the steps no biggie... Hopefully i can establish us as dependable as it gets to fill a thorn in many commercial contractors side. Costs more then a 15 dollar an hour guy, but whats the stress worth?


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## JMHConstruction

^ only that first part was for you GMC, my rant about pay just got off topic.


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## JMHConstruction

Plow Now;2089829 said:


> 1st of all I'm sure we can both agree that in most every industry,a solid and dependable work ethic is becoming a rare trait to find in anyone. That being said, I more and more think shoveling is an even tougher proposition to fulfill. While we are small, I've taken a different approach to the whole walk way thing. Our approach (which has proven successful for dependability but yet to be really tested) and thats make the work fun. Therefore to make it fun, had to take shovel 90% out of the job. We now have 6 walk behind machines, 1 tractor mount snow blower (works well never used, someday will) just puttin a plow on my truck and have just added a 2nd plow. Also just added 1 quad w plow and about to take delivery on a 2nd quad. They will help Huge w large wide walkways and residential work we do. Each machine has a name. Really for example a 26" 8 hp large machine is named large marge, tractor is wide wanda, 1 toro is "el toro" and so on. A its a great way to easily identify a machine and makes it fun to say grab marge and the yard bird...... Keep it light, I buy my guys lunches or what evers and they rock and roll when they need too. But machines, all sizes all types, very little shoveling and they are good as many hours as it takes. Who really wants to shovel? Once in a while to clear the steps no biggie... Hopefully i can establish us as dependable as it gets to fill a thorn in many commercial contractors side. Costs more then a 15 dollar an hour guy, but whats the stress worth?


That is what I'm saying! I can't justify (other than blowers) to buy these for my guys because I can't find a contractor willing to pay for the services.


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## Plow Now

I guess there is 1 xfactor to consider, My brother/partner is a small engine mechanic. Trying to establish this or find our place is like trying to change how people think. To do this someone has to be a small engine mechanic. All our machines are used, but theres maintenance and guys know if they beat their machines, theres always a shovel. Im hoping the quads cover enough turf I can lessen manpower on a larger site.


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## Plow Now

But without snow, its all worthless.. BRING US SOME SNOW!!!!!!! Please


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