# Salting 4,105 ft. of sidewalks



## herbert02 (Jan 18, 2011)

How would you bid salting roughly 4,105ft x 3ft. of sidewalk? Would price vary using a drop spreader or throwing by hand? Also using $4.50 per 50 lb. bag rock salt, and salting under and inch of snow.


----------



## jrs.landscaping (Nov 18, 2012)

$130 per app

I wouldn't spread by hand or a drop spreader, utv with spreader, walking a mile with a drop spreader would get old after the first storm.


----------



## SnowGuy73 (Apr 7, 2003)

herbert02;1697334 said:


> Also using $4.50 per 50 lb. bag rock salt, and salting under and inch of snow.


What about when its below 5 degrees?


----------



## herbert02 (Jan 18, 2011)

Has to be done with some type of push spreader. Some areas are too tight.


----------



## herbert02 (Jan 18, 2011)

When its cold we use robomelt. Which is about $7.50 a bag.


----------



## herbert02 (Jan 18, 2011)

jrs.landscaping;1697376 said:


> $130 per app
> 
> I wouldn't spread by hand or a drop spreader, utv with spreader, walking a mile with a drop spreader would get old after the first storm.


How much salt you figuring for $130?


----------



## born2farm (Dec 24, 2007)

How do you plan on carrying salt with you? If it were me I would use a spreader on the back of a quad. That way you can carry four or five extra bags of ice melt. If you get into a tight area salt by hand


----------



## herbert02 (Jan 18, 2011)

born2farm;1697481 said:


> How do you plan on carrying salt with you? If it were me I would use a spreader on the back of a quad. That way you can carry four or five extra bags of ice melt. If you get into a tight area salt by hand


My drop will hold 160 lbs. at one time with zero wasting of salt. Using a quad for these walks is not economical. There are a lot of tight turns and areas where machinery would not fit in. Condo applications. Not to mention trailering it there and back.


----------



## jrs.landscaping (Nov 18, 2012)

herbert02;1697471 said:


> How much salt you figuring for $130?


50 lbs per thousand


----------



## Wayne Volz (Mar 1, 2002)

*Sidewalk deicing*

If you are going to use something like magnesium or calcium chloride for the sidewalks, I think you would be around 150 - 200 lbs of product plus labor. Pricing for us would be around $225.00 to apply product with no shoveling give or take a little based on the actual amount of product applied.


----------



## herbert02 (Jan 18, 2011)

How do you get your numbers? (which are fairly close to mine), and if you had a customer that wanted a one figure price per event (contract price) for salting these walks would you give any discount ant the end of the year if you didn't use the salt estimated on some of the events?


----------



## ryde307 (Dec 3, 2009)

herbert02;1698346 said:


> How do you get your numbers? (which are fairly close to mine), and if you had a customer that wanted a one figure price per event (contract price) for salting these walks would you give any discount ant the end of the year if you didn't use the salt estimated on some of the events?


No, Will they pay you extra if you use more than planned?


----------



## herbert02 (Jan 18, 2011)

ryde307;1698407 said:


> No, Will they pay you extra if you use more than planned?


No but my price is for worst case senerio basically. So sometimes I don't even use half.


----------



## salopez (Apr 11, 2004)

how many times are you salting per event? what exactly is an "event?"

maybe come with a per application price. for 3/4 of a mile I would be much higher then 250 bucks. what are you getting per bag about 750 sq ft and at what temp?

at 750 sq ft per bag you are looking at 17 bags (I rounded up .3 bags) if material is costing aprox. take the 7.50 pricing with tax and delivery aprox 195. then how much is your labor/time/truck....then a fudge margin for when you need more or it takes more time....then profit? $300 and app seems about where I would be. then figure you are going to have at min. 2 aps per event.....


----------



## herbert02 (Jan 18, 2011)

salopez;1698468 said:


> how many times are you salting per event? what exactly is an "event?"
> 
> maybe come with a per application price. for 3/4 of a mile I would be much higher then 250 bucks. what are you getting per bag about 750 sq ft and at what temp?
> 
> at 750 sq ft per bag you are looking at 17 bags (I rounded up .3 bags) if material is costing aprox. take the 7.50 pricing with tax and delivery aprox 195. then how much is your labor/time/truck....then a fudge margin for when you need more or it takes more time....then profit? $300 and app seems about where I would be. then figure you are going to have at min. 2 aps per event.....


I didn't mean to say event. My price is per app.

The most I have used so far this year was 350lbs. of rock salt one application, and at about 25 degrees, but most of the time its only around 200lbs. or so, sometimes less. The walks are also shoveled first if there is over an 3/4" of snow. Even though contract says remove at 2". I think its a waste to try and burn off that much snow. Would rather shovel and use less salt.

I think the reason I'm not using as much as I anticipated is because of this new drop spreader that is so precise with the way it drops material.

How much do you think I would use trying to melt over an inch?


----------



## fozzy (Nov 25, 2005)

herbert02;1698561 said:


> I didn't mean to say event. My price is per app.
> 
> The most I have used so far this year was 350lbs. of rock salt one application, and at about 25 degrees, but most of the time its only around 200lbs. or so, sometimes less. The walks are also shoveled first if there is over an 3/4" of snow. Even though contract says remove at 2". I think its a waste to try and burn off that much snow. Would rather shovel and use less salt.
> 
> ...


What kind of salt spreader is it?


----------



## herbert02 (Jan 18, 2011)

fozzy;1729813 said:


> What kind of salt spreader is it?


SnowEx SD-95ss


----------



## fozzy (Nov 25, 2005)

Thank you. How many man hours are into that much sidewalk clearing? Are you using shovels or snow blowers?


----------



## herbert02 (Jan 18, 2011)

fozzy;1730026 said:


> Thank you. How many man hours are into that much sidewalk clearing? Are you using shovels or snow blowers?


Between 1-2.5hrs. depending on amount/type of snow. Shovels if its under an inch. Snow blowers most of the time.


----------



## Mark Oomkes (Dec 10, 2000)

Wayne Volz;1698112 said:


> If you are going to use something like magnesium or calcium chloride for the sidewalks, I think you would be around 150 - 200 lbs of product plus labor. Pricing for us would be around $225.00 to apply product with no shoveling give or take a little based on the actual amount of product applied.


You do realize he asked about rock salt, right?


----------



## Antlerart06 (Feb 28, 2011)

herbert02;1698561 said:


> I didn't mean to say event. My price is per app.
> 
> The most I have used so far this year was 350lbs. of rock salt one application, and at about 25 degrees, but most of the time its only around 200lbs. or so, sometimes less. The walks are also shoveled first if there is over an 3/4" of snow. Even though contract says remove at 2". I think its a waste to try and burn off that much snow. Would rather shovel and use less salt.
> 
> ...


I glad there people out there thinks like I do 
I see so many people salting walks with 1'' or less of snow and you know it takes more salt to burn off 1'' or less then does a cleaned walk


----------



## Mark Oomkes (Dec 10, 2000)

My contract states 1" or more for clearing walks, but in reality, we're shoveling a half inch. Who wants to walk on a bunch of slushy crap?


----------

