# 4 townships, 100 miles....I got this....



## 4x4Farmer (Sep 22, 2006)

Well...took on a different aspect of work for the upcoming winter. No more commercial snow removal. Took on 4 townships all touching each other and the mother of all snow removal machines. Have a snow wing with it as well. Looking into a v plow instead of the one way.


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## John_DeereGreen (Jan 2, 2011)

Well, I suppose that's one way to limit the competition you have to deal with. 

Awesome looking setup, and I believe action videos are in order here.


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## 4x4Farmer (Sep 22, 2006)

Yes...I plan on getting back into the movie making....it's been a long time. I have been toying with this idea for the last year and finally bit the bullet when the opportunity presented itself. The guy who was doing our township was trying to do about 15 with one machine and it would be about 5 days after a storm when he would get here. Unfortunately the winter work came with the summer work of blading the roads. Busier then I need to be in the summer.


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## Aerospace Eng (Mar 3, 2015)

The airport where I have my hangars has a V plow (Henke, 12 foot when straight I think) that was designed for a grader but adapted to their forestry machine. They have never used it. I could ask what they might want for it.


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## 1olddogtwo (Aug 6, 2007)

What kind of back plow you going with for driveways?......

30 years ago I used to run a blade at the airports..... We didn't have Push boxes back then. 

That was the good old days when were able push snow into the Lakes and ponds.


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## Mark Oomkes (Dec 10, 2000)

That's a heck of a bullet to bite Nick. 

I'm very jealous...that looks like a lot of fun.


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## Defcon 5 (Mar 20, 2014)

That’s big boy snow removal right there....Very Nice


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## Philbilly2 (Aug 25, 2007)

Defcon 5 said:


> That's big boy snow removal right there....Very Nice


Would you say he has some skin in the game???


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## Mark Oomkes (Dec 10, 2000)

Defcon 5 said:


> That's big boy snow removal right there....Very Nice


Definitely not yard monkey skin...


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## 4x4Farmer (Sep 22, 2006)

I'm not sure I could get backed into a driveway in town and be up against their garage door with the back of the machine and the front of the v-plow against the garage door across the street LOL


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## BossPlow2010 (Sep 29, 2010)

Those things sure do push some snow


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## Randall Ave (Oct 29, 2014)

When I started here as a youngen. The town had one and I got to drive it every once in a while. That was fun.


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## Defcon 5 (Mar 20, 2014)

Philbilly2 said:


> Would you say he has some skin in the game???


Yes....A lot of skin...I bet he had to include some skin at the Cat dealer on that transaction


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## Philbilly2 (Aug 25, 2007)

Defcon 5 said:


> Yes....A lot of skin...I bet he had to include some skin at the Cat dealer on that transaction


LMAO... I would bet you are correct


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## 4x4Farmer (Sep 22, 2006)

Defcon 5 said:


> Yes....A lot of skin...I bet he had to include some skin at the Cat dealer on that transaction


 It was actually a really good deal. I guess when I look at the cost of equipment you have to look at the return it will give you. If it all pencils out after man hours, fuel, wear and tear, insurance and such it makes since to do it. I'm just saying if I was joe blow off the street walking into a cat dealer to buy this blade it probably wouldn't work. Like I said ...it was a one time opportunity that I couldn't pass up. It came down to knowing the right people and having a good relationship with the townships around the area. Overall compare the price to my farm equipment......pennys


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## 4x4Farmer (Sep 22, 2006)

.......and I left my junk at the bank years ago :laugh:


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## Aerospace Eng (Mar 3, 2015)

I took some pictures of the plow this weekend. It's been in an ild hangar on a pallet since it was purchased.

I mis-remembered.

It's 12' when opened.


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## rebert (Nov 6, 2008)

Looks awesome.. good luck this year!
just curious, why is a grader the tool of choice for a road way application like that? I always thought the guys that used them simply because they had them?


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## White_Gold11 (Jan 4, 2016)

Looks like fun. 100 miles seems like it could take some time in a ND blizzard!


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## Mark Oomkes (Dec 10, 2000)

rebert said:


> Looks awesome.. good luck this year!
> just curious, why is a grader the tool of choice for a road way application like that? I always thought the guys that used them simply because they had them?


Have you ever seen the results of a ND blizzard?

He also mentioned he has the contract for grading in the summer.


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## Philbilly2 (Aug 25, 2007)

rebert said:


> Looks awesome.. good luck this year!
> just curious, why is a grader the tool of choice for a road way application like that? I always thought the guys that used them simply because they had them?


Have you ever seen a grader in action?

They are bad ***. You get a good operator on one and they are absolutely an unbelievable piece of iron.


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## Broncslefty7 (Jul 14, 2014)

you must be pulling some serious money hourly for that piece of equipment. Congratulations


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## rebert (Nov 6, 2008)

Mark Oomkes said:


> Have you ever seen the results of a ND blizzard?
> I have not.
> 
> He also mentioned he has the contract for grading in the summer.[/QUO


I missed that detail. makes sense


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## rebert (Nov 6, 2008)

Philbilly2 said:


> Have you ever seen a grader in action?
> 
> They are bad ***. You get a good operator on one and they are absolutely an unbelievable piece of iron.


I remember when I was a little kid standing at the end of my street near the main road watching the plow trucks go by, when it was really deep I would see the graders with one way plows out.


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## FredG (Oct 15, 2012)

Philbilly2 said:


> Have you ever seen a grader in action?
> 
> They are bad ***. You get a good operator on one and they are absolutely an unbelievable piece of iron.


Years ago the operators were amazing, I would get the opportunity to run one now and then but when it came to finish grade I would get thrown off. :laugh: Now they got all kind of electronics on them don't have to be quiet as good.


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## Philbilly2 (Aug 25, 2007)

FredG said:


> Years ago the operators were amazing, I would get the opportunity to run one now and then but when it came to finish grade I would get thrown off. :laugh: Now they got all kind of electronics on them don't have to be quiet as good.


No doubt. The old guys that I have seen run them were unreal. Have not seen a guy under 50 run the snot out of one yet. Not that they are not out there, the last guy I was around had already retired 2 times and they keep calling him back as the hall could not produce enough proficient qualified operators.


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## FredG (Oct 15, 2012)

Philbilly2 said:


> No doubt. The old guys that I have seen run them were unreal. Have not seen a guy under 50 run the snot out of one yet. Not that they are not out there, the last guy I was around had already retired 2 times and they keep calling him back as the hall could not produce enough proficient qualified operators.


There still doing it, some of these guy are real old, they get it close with the dozers then you would see the old guy show up with his Buick. :laugh:


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## leigh (Jan 2, 2009)

FredG said:


> There still doing it, some of these guy are real old, they get it close with the dozers then you would see the old guy show up with his Buick. :laugh:


 Must be the same all over.Knew a guy who was in his 80's they would pick him up and bring him to the jobsite! He would try to hide sometimes but I think his wife would rat him out to get him out of her hair.


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## Bighammer (Aug 20, 2003)

Nice looking machine. I can't help but think that it will create some major drifts in places. Hope it all works out for you.

Our county hadn't graded our road in 6 or 7 years, until about a month ago. Looked like a large grader came thru with the blade straight; took off all of the crown and left windrows on both sides. WTF? I went out before it rained and turned it into a muddy slide/bathtub. Good help must be hard to find.


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## FredG (Oct 15, 2012)

leigh said:


> Must be the same all over.Knew a guy who was in his 80's they would pick him up and bring him to the jobsite! He would try to hide sometimes but I think his wife would rat him out to get him out of her hair.


 I use to get it close with the bulldozer, then go to the grader to try to get sometime on it was not long for I got the 86. :laugh:


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## Captaingc (Sep 9, 2018)

BossPlow2010 said:


> Those things sure do push some snow


Yep!! Seen this happen in Alaska


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## DavCut (Jan 30, 2009)

How did the summer road gig work out? Back on the snow contract again this winter?


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## 4x4Farmer (Sep 22, 2006)

The summer time work went well. Could have been a full time job if I had a guy to run it 8hrs a day. With farming I can only handle so much summer time work. I have enough townships beating the door down for snow removal I'm adding another machine. I can't justify having another maintainer for snow only so I'm planning on using a cat 926M loader with a one way or hydraulic v plow. I know I wont have the speed to throw it like the maintainer but will be able to get them opened up and then come back and wing it with the maintainer if need be. Plus I can use the loader on the farm in the summer time. With that being said....looking for a big beefy v plow with fusion coupler if anyone has one laying around they want to sell. Let me know.


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## RevelationL&S (Feb 19, 2018)

Back when you could push the snow into lakes and ponds eh? Yeah.... I bet those were the days when you could push snow into a pond.


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## DavCut (Jan 30, 2009)

How are the new rigs working out this winter?


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## jonniesmooth (Dec 5, 2008)

Philbilly2 said:


> No doubt. The old guys that I have seen run them were unreal. Have not seen a guy under 50 run the snot out of one yet. Not that they are not out there, the last guy I was around had already retired 2 times and they keep calling him back as the hall could not produce enough proficient qualified operators.


One of my BiL's is a foreman for a road construction co. He had a dozer operator fresh out of school,real know it all type, too. Told him, " you need to take that rise out in the middle of this lane"
Came back an hour later. guy is just sitting there.
Asks him why it's not done.
Guy says, " i can't get the GPS to pick up the elevation to set it."
My BiL tossed him out of the dozer and did it himself,didn't take 15 minutes.
He keeps threatening his dad that he's going to make him come back to work.


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## DavCut (Jan 30, 2009)

Starting to get to be that time of year again. Running with the grader and loader again this winter? Did they get your loader setup to you before the spring melt?

Hope that the summer has gone well for you. 

Dave


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## 4x4Farmer (Sep 22, 2006)

Sorry for the delayed response. Been a busy fall. Yep still running the grader and the loader. I did get to use the v plow one time for a little drifting at the end of the season last year. We have had no snow this year yet. Been in the 40s and 50s all fall for the most part. Did take on another township so we are about at the max now for 2 machines. I did put a wing on the loader this year as well. I will update with pictures when I get some time. Now we just need to pray for some snow!


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## 4x4Farmer (Sep 22, 2006)

Just throwing a couple pics out. Almost have the wing all mounted on the loader. Just have to do the back push arm support. Added a chest toolbox on the back of the grader for all the emergency winter gear. Otherwise just waiting for some snow.


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## 4x4Farmer (Sep 22, 2006)

Winter Update. Been the worst winter we have seen in many years....and when I say worst I mean the lack of snow. I have used the loader on 2 miles so far just as a little test and I have about 15hrs on the maintainer winging a few shoulders off. Some of you have been busy as hell while I sit in the shop sipping coffee. I should have probably hooked on to the lowboy and headed toward Texas last week.


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## Randall Ave (Oct 29, 2014)

That sucks, we all like the vids of your equipment.


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## jonniesmooth (Dec 5, 2008)

4x4Farmer said:


> Winter Update. Been the worst winter we have seen in many years....and when I say worst I mean the lack of snow. I have used the loader on 2 miles so far just as a little test and I have about 15hrs on the maintainer winging a few shoulders off. Some of you have been busy as hell while I sit in the shop sipping coffee. I should have probably hooked on to the lowboy and headed toward Texas last week.


Glacier out of Fargo took 3-4 trucks, went to Arkansas and plowed Wal-marts, mostly.

https://instagram.com/glacier_snow_management?igshid=1sj1xaivytkid


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## 4x4Farmer (Sep 22, 2006)

jonniesmooth said:


> Glacier out of Fargo took 3-4 trucks, went to Arkansas and plowed Wal-marts, mostly.
> 
> https://instagram.com/glacier_snow_management?igshid=1sj1xaivytkid


Yeah...I work with them from time to time and saw that on snapchat. I should have loaded up my v plow and went with them.


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## snopushin ford (Feb 20, 2010)

4x4Farmer said:


> Yeah...I work with them from time to time and saw that on snapchat. I should have loaded up my v plow and went with them.


Are you still running the grader? If so how many hours on it? I have a 2015 cat 140m3 awd with about 3300 hrs on it and just interested to see how the machine has been treating you. Thanks. matt


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## 4x4Farmer (Sep 22, 2006)

snopushin ford said:


> Are you still running the grader? If so how many hours on it? I have a 2015 cat 140m3 awd with about 3300 hrs on it and just interested to see how the machine has been treating you. Thanks. matt


Still running. Ive got about 1500 hrs on this 2019 model. Haven't had any major issues with it. I think about the only thing I've had go out was the high pressure switch for the AC. I and some others in the area have always had troubles plugging our engine air filters with snow when its below zero. They tried a couple things the last two years and nothing seemed to work. They finally came up with a differnt intake and they just came out and put it on my machine today so we will see how it works. Its been a busy winter since about 2 weeks before christmas. If its not snowing its blowing. Im about at 400hrs on just that one machine since we started moving snow in December.


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## snopushin ford (Feb 20, 2010)

4x4Farmer said:


> Still running. Ive got about 1500 hrs on this 2019 model. Haven't had any major issues with it. I think about the only thing I've had go out was the high pressure switch for the AC. I and some others in the area have always had troubles plugging our engine air filters with snow when its below zero. They tried a couple things the last two years and nothing seemed to work. They finally came up with a differnt intake and they just came out and put it on my machine today so we will see how it works. Its been a busy winter since about 2 weeks before christmas. If its not snowing its blowing. Im about at 400hrs on just that one machine since we started moving snow in December.


Sounds like you have been busy! I do not use my machine in snow so i can't give you my experience with my air filter. Hopefully they will get it working properly.


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