# Alaska Snowplowing Picture Journal for 2011-12



## Alaska Boss

Ok,... I guess it's high-time to get this started again for another year,... I've actually been plowing in earnest for a number of weeks already,... even with our first plowable snow coming in a little later than normal this year. We got our first dustings in early October,... but nothing to speak of,... which is a good thing, because then it got cold & the ground froze up good, so when I did start up, the ground is hard,.. the snow is dry & fluffy,... just like it should be,... no wet heavy mess to deal with. But then, as November came in, I went on a deer hunt for a week out on the islands where I fish in the summer, and ended up dropping my camera in the ocean,... :realmad: so I lost my first bunch of pictures from the beginning of this winter. In any case, as I start this out,... I only have a few shots of some jobs from the past week or so,... but let the fun begin,.... wesportpayup


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## grandview

You must be in the Continental United States to post pixs! Way to cold for me


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## Alaska Boss

I've run both the Boss & the Blizzard quite a bit so far, and both are doing good. I took the Blizzard apart earlier, just to inspect it & repair a couple of cracks that were starting,... so hopefully it should be able to put in another 7-month snow plowing season again,... :bluebounc


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## Alaska Boss

grandview;1344649 said:


> You must be in the Continental United States to post pixs! Way to cold for me


Well, last time I checked, Alaska was still on the same continent as the rest of the states, so I guess I qualify,... but it's only been down to -14° (-26° C) so far, so even the boys & girls from NY could handle that,.... Thumbs Up


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## Alaska Boss

Our snow as of now is about knee-deep, maybe a little more in some places, a little less in others,... just depends how deep into the mountains you go,...


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## Alaska Boss

The 2000 Chevy is going to do most of the jobs this winter tho,... in places I have piles higher than the truck already,... and other than driving a spike into one of my new snow tires and destroying it, (left rear), all is well so far,....


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## Alaska Boss

So, that's all I got so far,.... hope some of the rest of you are getting off to a good start too,... more later,... :waving:


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## KBTConst

Great pics, I hope we are lucky enough for the ground to freeze before we have to plow, it has done nothing but rain for the last 4 days every where is ankle deep mud.


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## dieseld

Finally. Please have a backup camera from now on. As an Alaska Boss groupie, I cannot stand waiting this long for pics.


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## xtreem3d

dieseld;1344681 said:


> Finally. Please have a backup camera from now on. As an Alaska Boss groupie, I cannot stand waiting this long for pics.


2nd that ! ...glad your back...thought something might have happened to you.
Steve


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## WilliamOak

subscribing!


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## quigleysiding

I'm in Great shots:salute:


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## big_belly4ever

I'm in for this year.
So far here 3.5 inch and 51degrees today most will be gone. 
Deer season starts the 15th here in MI
19th in Wisconsin I hunt both. 
So after my deer hunting is out of the way(so i don't have come in from camp and plow) let her fly


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## vegaman04

Sub'ed for another great thread


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## secret_weapon

Love looking at the pics! Subscribed!
I told my wife I want to retire in Alaska, she said have fun, I'm staying here. I'm gonna miss her.


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## albhb3

giggity giggity i was starting to wonder as well


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## Mr.Markus

I'm In..................


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## GMCHD plower

Subscribed


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## Dlongerman

Subscribed keep up the great work hopefully no more problems...


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## NickT

I enjoy the pics thanks for sharing


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## justinizzi

Subscribed


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## tailboardtech

i seen this had 2 pages already i thought the boss added some more photos here its all subscribed posts you must be a snow god on this site Thumbs Up



by the way subscribed


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## gene gls

Subscribed.........Thanks for another season.


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## ShorePower

Subscribed. Love the pics.


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## Moonlighter

Hey Alaska Boss glad to see everything going well for you again this season, can't wait to see more.


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## 91AK250

looking good! we're getting a great start to winter down here also!


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## w4hyi

subscribing!


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## Banksy

I've been anxiously awaiting this thread. Glad to see you back AB! Have a great and safe season!


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## ken643

Love this last pic, very cool shot, thanks for sharing them all


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## joshg

Nice to see you are off on a good start. Slow start to winter here in new england. 

Don't remember many pictures of the blizzard/dually last winter, nice to see it out too. 

Do you usually put weight on rear for ballast/traction or find it does ok without?


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## TomsSnowPlowING

Hello Alaska Boss, Still waiting for the snow to come here. In PA.


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## Lux Lawn

Alaska Boss;1344650 said:


> I've run both the Boss & the Blizzard quite a bit so far, and both are doing good. I took the Blizzard apart earlier, just to inspect it & repair a couple of cracks that were starting,... so hopefully it should be able to put in another 7-month snow plowing season again,... :bluebounc


Looks like a decent amount already but theres know way I could handle a 7 month season.


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## THEGOLDPRO

Subbing for another awesome thread.


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## PlowThisSnow

Great pics!!! Still waiting for snow here in mid-michigan!


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## bossman34

Like everyone else I have been waiting for this thread. Had some short lived snow in mid-wisconsin but still waiting for the pennies from heaven. Thanks for the pics AB


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## Alaska Boss

Thanks for the comments everyone,... yeah, it's been a very busy first month here for me so far,.... have plowed virtually all day every day in November so far,... would actually kinda like a break for a few days to get caught up on some maintenance, etc. No big dumps yet, but lot's of 4 to 6 inch "dustings". I have heard that Valdez got 3-5 feet in the past week or so,... have to run down there one of these days & get some updates on that. I have tended to use the Speedwing more in the beginning of the winters before my berms get too high,... it's fast & easy & does a nice job. I generally haven't used ballast on the flatbed,... that truck doesn't seem to need it like a pickup does,... but also because I haven't figured out a good/safe/easy way to strap something down on it,... plus I don't use it all that much,... it's still the back-up truck,... more later :waving:


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## cet

As always some great pics.

I don't think I would enjoy plowing that much to go every day.


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## skimastr105

subscribed. i really love looking at your photos! keep 'em coming!


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## Dondo

I'm subscribing!! Those are some great pictures. Good luck, be safe, and keep the pics coming!!


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## IDOCTORTREES

The pics are great. Looks like you do great work.


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## dfd9

dieseld;1344681 said:


> Finally. Please have a backup camera from now on. As an Alaska Boss groupie, I cannot stand waiting this long for pics.


Better idea, how about _we_ buy him a backup camera?

Subscribed


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## fordboy

I have been waiting for this for a month, finally.


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## mercer_me

Like allways, great pictures Alaska Boss. I'm SOOOOOOOOOOOOO jelius of you.


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## M & MD Lawn

Subscribed, my adrenaline just went up looking at the pics lol


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## grnstripes

glad to see you back alaska hope you have a great season and hope your computer stays well
this year


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## nalegtx

Subscribed!!.................we got 12" in my area....almost 3ft in the western hills...all gone in two days...now 70F weather!?!?!?!....hope it all changes, their saying an early cold dumping then late warm up here in the NE.......let it snow, let it snow, let it snow!!!!


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## Alaska Boss

Well, another full day of snow plowing,.... altho it started out with an equipment malfunction,... my Boss plow wouldn't drop,... it would lift, angle, scoop, "V", but no drop,.... took a few hours at home to get it figured out,.. finally found a broken wire inside my joystick control,... got that repaired, and all's well again. Today was one of the few days in November so far that we had virtually no snow fall,... so it gives me hope again that I can maybe get caught up on my plow jobs,... but it would be very temporary at best,....

(lost a spacer somehow on the driver's side headlight, so it's a little crooked now)


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## grandview

Pixs make me want to get under the covers!


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## Alaska Boss

Twice today, I had moose run across the road in front of me,... but couldn't get the camera out fast enough for any good shots,... but this is the first two as they are running off into the woods,...


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## Alaska Boss

Much of my plowing is in the dark now, and that will increase for at least another month yet,... but I like plowing in the dark anyway. Piles are getting big enough that once they set up, I can't move them again, so that is where they will be until next June,...


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## Alaska Boss

grandview;1347238 said:


> Pixs make me want to get under the covers!


It's supposed to get down to between -20° & -30° tomorrow,... but speaking of getting under the covers GV, that sounds like agreat idea,... I think I'll do that & see what tomorrow brings,.... 

:waving:


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## Greenstar lawn

well well well its about damn time ....Cant wait for all the pics


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## BPS#1

Nice pics!


Dang, I want some of that fluffy snow.
We've had two hard pushes of thick slush so far this year.


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## asps4u

Subscribed...Thanks for sharing once again. Like others, I look forward to this thread every year...Good Luck this season


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## snow storm

wow! Alaska looks beautiful! thanks for the pics. I am a newbie and i have a question. how does a truck plow do the job? doesnt your parking lot get smaller and smaller since you are using a plow and cant pile the snow off of the property??


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## grandview

snow storm;1347452 said:


> wow! Alaska looks beautiful! thanks for the pics. I am a newbie and i have a question. how does a truck plow do the job? doesnt your parking lot get smaller and smaller since you are using a plow and cant pile the snow off of the property??


that's when you bring a loader in and charge extra!


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## BlackKnight07

Awesome Pic's!! I'd love to Vaction up there, living up there well...Don't sure i could deal with that. lol


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## ken643

Alaska Boss always has great pictures!!, Thanks for sharing them


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## KJ Cramer

Alittle late on my end for finding this but I have been checking regularly and was getting worried, just a late start I guess. Nice pics and cant wait for more! Wish we had something/anything down here; we were in the 50's today. We need snow!:bluebounc:bluebounc:bluebounc:bluebounc


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## Mark13

dfd9;1346515 said:


> Better idea, how about _we_ buy him a backup camera?


Seems to me like a fair idea. I'd think if those who wanted could put a few bucks each in a paypal fund or something like that he could probably have a decent point and shoot camera covered or atleast not be out much of his own money since I'd imagine most of these pictures he takes for us.

Glad to see another thread, will be anxiously awaiting new pictures to enjoy and see what real snow fall looks like.


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## BPS#1

grandview;1347461 said:


> that's when you bring a loader in and charge extra!


Snow melter.






I'd like to have a biz like that.


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## NickT

Would love to know what that costs


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## nalegtx

more than anyone whose into private plowing would care to venture...haha... our town has used one of these in the past at the local Mall


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## Alaska Boss

Well,... another day of snow plowing in the books,... and 2 days in a row with no new snow,... must be some kind of record,... 

Most of my jobs today were in my lower-snowfall areas, a little bit away from the mountains, so it seemed pretty easy. Plowed up lot's of leaves with the snow in some of the new areas that I haven't hit yet,...


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## Alaska Boss

Even the little jobs were kickin' up leaves along the edges,....


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## Alaska Boss

It was -26° below when I got up this morning, (the coldest temp so far this winter),... so I figured that no new snow was going to happen today, but then this afternoon after it got dark, the north wind started blowing,... and here comes some snow flurries again,....


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## Alaska Boss

But it never amounted to anything,... and it soon quit,....


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## Alaska Boss

So, another day came to an end,... and I was thinking that I was about caught up,.. until I got home and checked my voice mails,... now it looks like I might get a few days off sometime in June,.... if I'm lucky,....


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## Sealer People

great pics !
Im gonna subscribe. (as soon as i figure out how to).

Beautiful scenery. 

nothing snowize here to speak of as of yet.


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## dfd9

This must be one of your busier Novembers?


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## Dlongerman

Sealer People;1349370 said:


> great pics !
> Im gonna subscribe. (as soon as i figure out how to).
> 
> Beautiful scenery.
> 
> nothing snowize here to speak of as of yet.


you just did... it sends you and email when ever somone posts another comment...


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## ken643

You must be making a fortune, if those big drives your doing were by me I would be rolling in the dough, lol best of luck!!


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## BPS#1

*Subscriptions*

And now for a wee short lesson in subscriptions.

Near the top of the page on each thread there are some drop down menus.

Click on the one that says "thread tools" and scroll down to the last one.
"Subscribe to this thread". Click there and when the page reloads click again on your choice 
of notifications.

Baadaaa bing, baadaaa boom............... you are now subscribed without even making a "subscribed" posting.

I apologize for the hijack and now return you to your regularly scheduled programing of payup payup payup pictures.


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## firelwn82

Alaska, I ebjoy the hell out of your yearly threads. Some day it would be nice to get up there. I have family in Kitchikan Alaska. To see senery like that I could drive about 8 hours to the U.P, I have family there to. I would be in heaven to live there everyday.


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## Dubl0Vert

Love seeing the V in action....thanks for the updates!


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## MatthewG

Better than a bedtime story...


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## M & MD Lawn

BPS#1;1347965 said:


> Snow melter.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> I'd like to have a biz like that.


Sooooooo, it was snowing in that video, so what do they do salt or something, How do you keep the ice from forming? or is this supposed to be done at the end of the season? which they weren't doing nor explained?


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## BPS#1

M & MD Lawn;1350258 said:


> Sooooooo, it was snowing in that video, so what do they do salt or something, How do you keep the ice from forming? or is this supposed to be done at the end of the season? which they weren't doing nor explained?


Looked to me the melt water was pouring directly down a storm drain.


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## Alaska Boss

dfd9;1349462 said:


> This must be one of your busier Novembers?


Well, I guess you can't get more busy than to be plowing every day, which has been the case so far. Today I spent alot of time re-opening places that had drifted shut,... but I didn't take too many pictures,... we had very high winds, with wind chills down to close to -50°,... so I did like GV & stayed inside the truck with the heater on, for the most part,... Thumbs Up


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## Alaska Boss

firelwn82;1349595 said:


> Alaska, I ebjoy the hell out of your yearly threads. Some day it would be nice to get up there. I have family in Kitchikan Alaska. To see senery like that I could drive about 8 hours to the U.P, I have family there to. I would be in heaven to live there everyday.


I've been in Ketchikan a couple times, but that's about as far south in Alaska as you can get,... it's like half-way down along British Columbia,... I don't think they get too much snow down there. But being along the coast, the scenery there would be a lot different than here, altho maybe no less spectacular than other places. We're about to plunge into the deep freeze here now I think for a few days,... the "alpenglow" on the mountains as the sun sets in the afternoon says cold is coming,.... altho the moose don't seem to mind too much,... :waving:


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## justinizzi

Hey ab have you been out on your snowmobile this year yet.


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## RONK

AB,you gave us a bit of worry last season,very glad your OK and back.Before you started posting I wrongly thought evryone in Alaska had a pick-up and plow.If I can ask,how do you price,per season,per event?Thank you again for your great posts and pictures,please stay safe.


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## JBMiller616

Mark13;1347921 said:


> Seems to me like a fair idea. I'd think if those who wanted could put a few bucks each in a paypal fund or something like that he could probably have a decent point and shoot camera covered or atleast not be out much of his own money since I'd imagine most of these pictures he takes for us.
> .


I have a camera he can HAVE if a couple people chip in for shipping to AK. It's nothing special, just an older 4mp Casio, but it's in great shape, it's small and I have all the cables for it.


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## deere615

Great to see ya back cant wait to see pictures all season, nice ones so far! Did you get your school contract back this year?


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## jg244888

subscribed look like fun


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## JK-Plow

Subscribed


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## hlntoiz

Surprised you don't have a wing plow for the dually at least? Wouldn't that be a huge help?

Great Pics BTW. I would love to visit someday.


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## Alaska Boss

justinizzi;1350393 said:


> Hey ab have you been out on your snowmobile this year yet.


Just today, I went out riding for the first time this winter,.... I did one small plow job this morning,.... and decided that since it clouded up again & didn't get cold (only -14°), I was taking today off & going down one of my trails, so I did. Because of the strong winds we had earlier this week, the snow has blown/settled out in many places and seems like only half of what it was. Up in the high country there's 3-5 feet, so lot's of guys have been riding for weeks already up higher,...


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## Alaska Boss

RONK;1350476 said:


> AB,you gave us a bit of worry last season,very glad your OK and back.Before you started posting I wrongly thought evryone in Alaska had a pick-up and plow.If I can ask,how do you price,per season,per event?Thank you again for your great posts and pictures,please stay safe.


I price everything here by "per event". I've tried other things and other ways, but this is what folks around here want & like,... and it's fair for everyone. The customer never pays for something they didn't get or need, and I don't work for half price or get paid for nothing if our season is highly out of norm either way. And I have no "trigger" either,... I tell everyone to call when you want to be plowed out,... that way I don't have to try & guess or figure out what everyone wants, how much snow fell 15 miles away, etc. No one gets a plowing bill that they weren't expecting,... and out in this area, folks know that at times they might need to wait a day or two til I can make it to them,... it's just a part of living in rural Alaska. But I have to say, that it seems like I suddenly have a bunch of new competition around this year,... I've heard their ads (at least 3 new snowplowing business ads) on our local radio station, but I haven't seen anyone, and don't know who they are,... maybe some kids who put a plow on an old truck trying to make a few extra bucks during the winter, I don't know,... but I haven't had any reduction in my accounts at all,... as a matter of fact I got some more new ones again this year.



JBMiller616;1350485 said:


> I have a camera he can HAVE if a couple people chip in for shipping to AK. It's nothing special, just an older 4mp Casio, but it's in great shape, it's small and I have all the cables for it.


Haha, thanks for the offers, but I have a few older cameras laying around that I could use (only 2-3mp),... it's just that I had just gotten this nice new one (16mp), and had it in my shirt pocket, and while leaning over,.... ka-plunk! If that's the worst thing that happens to me this year,... I'll make it! :waving:



deere615;1350924 said:


> Great to see ya back cant wait to see pictures all season, nice ones so far! Did you get your school contract back this year?


Yep, I did,... the last few years they have just been awarding it to me without even letting it go to public bid, which I think is technically not what the school board is supposed to do. But I am always told that they are more interested in quality & prompt response without worry about school property damage, than trying to save a couple bucks in this area. But, with all the pressure to cut budgets, etc, I have heard rumours again of maybe having school faculty doing snow removal with the school's own equipment,.... which has been tried in the past and shown not to work,... but with new school board members, it seems like we have to go thru that cycle every so often, because some lessons have to be learned over & over the hard way,... we'll see.



hlntoiz;1351038 said:


> Surprised you don't have a wing plow for the dually at least? Wouldn't that be a huge help?
> 
> Great Pics BTW. I would love to visit someday.


Well, the dually has a Speedwing on it, so it has wings, unless you're referring to a side-wing plow? I only have a couple sub-division roads that are even wide enough to use a side-wing plow,... but most private drives are far too narrow for that,... so it would be mostly in the way on most jobs. The flatbed dually actually isn't all that good of a plow truck for my needs,... it's too wide, too tall, and doesn't turn very sharp,.. but being a dump-bed,... and the fact that I got it for free,... I do like it for other things,... and it's a very handy rig for hauling firewood, gravel, etc. :waving:


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## cet

AB I love your pictures. As pretty as it is there I don't think I would like 7 months of winter.

Are your customers smart enough to know when to call you? What do you do if they wait until there is 30" of snow in the driveway? You get to the job only to find out it can't be done.

We have a driveway leading to a pump house. When it is blowing hard it fills in to 30 plus inches. I have spent 20 minutes there only to make it 100'. Faster and easier just to send the backhoe. I got stuck twice last year and didn't enjoy having to dig myself out.


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## ryde307

Great pictures. I have always wanted to make it to Alaska. Summer would be great but Snowmobiling in the spring is my goal within a year or 2.


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## Greystorm

very nice photos what do you do to keep that chevy running and starting in those cold temps?? engine blockheater??


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## gardenkeeper88

Asking permission to copy a couple of pics to post on my facebook page to let my customers know that they don't have it too bad considering we have had only 1 snow (no plowing)


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## mercer_me

Do hire any body to plow for you Alaska Boss or do you do all the plowing your self?


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## ddb maine

Thanks for your post about the HID conversion. That was very helpful. I finished up my conversion yesterday, what a difference.


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## Sealer People

AB, you mentioned the dually is not that good for plowing. 
how come ? not a 4x4 ?


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## vegaman04

What is your typical amount of snow per season?


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## grnstripes

Sealer People;1355203 said:


> AB, you mentioned the dually is not that good for plowing.
> how come ? not a 4x4 ?


he had said it was because it was too wide and tall and dose not turn well for all the small drives they have up there


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## Dubl0Vert

vegaman04;1355210 said:


> What is your typical amount of snow per season?


Last year he said about 250" payup


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## DieselSlug

Pictures are yet again awesome. Here in Central NY we have only gotten down to about 20 degrees F. So not too cold yet. We have had two dustings so far, nothing major. Im sitting in wait for the first good snow. Love the Alaskan pics, i want to visit someday.


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## Alaska Boss

cet;1351208 said:


> AB I love your pictures. As pretty as it is there I don't think I would like 7 months of winter.
> 
> Are your customers smart enough to know when to call you? What do you do if they wait until there is 30" of snow in the driveway? You get to the job only to find out it can't be done.
> 
> .


Well, that used to happen occasionally before I had V-blades & a skid steer,... usually not from a big dump of snow,.. but from folks that were gone all winter, came back in the spring with the whole winter's snowfall in their yards,... then call & ask,.. "Can you come plow me out?"  A 30" dump here is pretty rare (but common down in Valdez),... but even if it happened, I could still do it,... but they're gonna have to pay,...



Greystorm;1351784 said:


> very nice photos what do you do to keep that chevy running and starting in those cold temps?? engine blockheater??


I have a heated shop for one rig, but everything has Amsoil in it bumper to bumper, so everything fires right up at -30° or colder no problem anyway,.... and if it gets alot colder than that, I could plug them in, but I usually find excuses to not go anywhere,...



gardenkeeper88;1352024 said:


> Asking permission to copy a couple of pics to post on my facebook page to let my customers know that they don't have it too bad considering we have had only 1 snow (no plowing)


No problem,..... :waving:



mercer_me;1352222 said:


> Do hire any body to plow for you Alaska Boss or do you do all the plowing your self?


I hired a young guy a number of years ago,.. but it didn't work out too good,... so now I just do it all myself,... I can't keep up fixing things when 2 guys are busting stuff at the same time,... 



vegaman04;1355210 said:


> What is your typical amount of snow per season?





Dubl0Vert;1361147 said:


> Last year he said about 250" payup


Yeah, around 250" would be on the extreme southern portion of my area, with only a couple people living in that area,.... most of my other areas would be half that or even less. I live right on the edge of a coastal mountain range, so as you go deeper into the mountains, the more snow you get,... and as you head away from them into the more open areas, you get less,... all things being equal, most people wouldn't choose to live in an area that gets 20 feet of snowfall,... plus then all that rain in the summer too.

Well,... the snow plowing around here has pretty much been a steady thing for the last month or more now. Some places only have a foot or so on the ground, and in other areas it's pushing waist deep. We currently have the warmest weather of the winter right now, with a high today of close to +30°, where most of November seemed to be -30° or colder.


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## Alaska Boss

Been using both trucks lately,.... Boss is better for narrow lanes, Speedwing is better for larger areas,...


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## Alaska Boss

The Blizzard is ok too now early in the season for driveways,.. before the berms get too high,...


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## Alaska Boss

I like to push snow under bigger trees when I can,... that way I know it won't be in the way for anything,...


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## Alaska Boss

Sometimes I have an inspector come over to see what I'm doing,... I'll post more later,... :waving:


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## Stik208

No light tower on the Blizzard this year?


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## mercer_me

Do you use your 9'2" Boss V often?


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## Mark13

mercer_me;1366504 said:


> Do you use your 9'2" Boss V often?


The last I knew he said it was getting pretty tired and would be needing a considerable amount of work to get it back into shape again.


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## Sealer People

great pics


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## TomsSnowPlowING

Great pictures. Weather is same here in Elk County in PA


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## A&J Landscaping

Looks like fun up there


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## TomsSnowPlowING

I sit back & look at those picture I feel like on on a vacation. On these warm rainy days.


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## SnoBull

So the day you lost your camera AB, did you continue to your trip to that island area for deer? Did you see any whitetails this time?


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## Dr Who

Alaska Boss;1346291 said:


> T No big dumps yet, but lot's of 4 to 6 inch "dustings".


:laughing: 4-6" dusting? here that is a major storm that would shut down most of the city, most of the state and they might even call in the National Guard in the Eastern Counties:laughing::laughing:

Also what do you do with the snow on the lanes when the snow on the side of the road is higher then what is on the ground?


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## NickT

I got that too, dusting? The lowballers are crappin in their pants in a 4-6 inch snow event


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## SnoBull

I noticed as well. 4-6'' is a significant storm around this area. Thats crazy how its only a dusting in Alaska and -13* isnt really all that cold. Yikes. We must really be pansies...


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## DareDog

that would be a good tv show can you make it in alaska :laughing:


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## c.schulz

As always AB the best pics.

Thanks Chris


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## 91AK250

looking great dave, we just about lost our 30+ inches we had here in anchorage to the big warm up.


on a side note we're building some trucks at work which are going up your way. going to copper valley wireless. 3 blue chevys with fiberglass service bodies.


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## Second Nature

Well...I've found my ideal thread perhaps. It has Alaska...it has snow...mountains...and moose! Thanks for entertaining me so much with those great pictures. My hunting partner and I migrate all the way to Fairbanks every September. From there we fly in by Super Cub to a remote wilderness setting, and we moose hunt with just our longbows for 2 weeks. I'm a dedicated Alaska-lover. Now, I'm simply waiting for the snow season to really kick off here in Ohio. Once that happens, I'll be a happy guy. Until then I just have to dream of next September...and maybe a cold Alaskan Amber to chase my halibut!

Thank you so much!!!


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## TomsSnowPlowING

Every season Alaska Boss has an enjoyable thread. This is my 2sc season enjoying his threads.


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## SullivanSeptic

I enjoy them too. So im subscribing.


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## comeeonn

one day i will make my way to alaska, seems to me to be the closest thing to heaven on earth.

enjoy your season, i look forward to the pics, they show me what im missing out on:realmad:


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## Rico T.

Subscribed. My dream of moving to Alaska continues...


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## DugHD

Glad I found this thread this year. It reminds me to not be such a sally .


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## TomsSnowPlowING

*He must be very busy!*

He must be very busy!
Slow reporting things this season. Normaly have more pages by Christmas


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## jschmitz93

Not sure if it the lack of snow here in MN or the fact Alaska looks amazing or a combo of both, but I have spent the last couple of days checking out these threads. Your V plow vs speed wing comparison was awesome too. Please keep them coming.


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## TomsSnowPlowING

I sent him (Alaska Boss) a message see if he is Okay?


----------



## firelwn82

TomsSnowPlowING;1388726 said:


> I sent him (Alaska Boss) a message see if he is Okay?


I have been a little worried myself. Like said previously he usually has many new posts by now. I hope everything is alright with him. Who knows maybe Santa needed help at his shop. ussmileyflag


----------



## TomsSnowPlowING

firelwn82;1388785 said:


> I have been a little worried myself. Like said previously he usually has many new posts by now. I hope everything is alright with him. Who knows maybe Santa needed help at his shop. ussmileyflag


Glad to see I am not the only 1 worried.


----------



## Alaskaforby4

I am sure he is fine, we got hit with a massive storm here in central AK, 40" were reported on the news In one dumping. He probably hasn't sleep in a few days, let alone checked on his minions. haha.


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## TomsSnowPlowING

Alaskaforby4;1388896 said:


> I am sure he is fine, we got hit with a massive storm here in central AK, 40" were reported on the news In one dumping. He probably hasn't sleep in a few days, let alone checked on his minions. haha.


What part do you live in? Near him?


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## firelwn82

HOLY SHIZNAT!!!!! Thats a poop load of snow...... I love that picture lmao...... whoops


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## 91AK250

yeah lots of snow!!!


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## firelwn82

DAMN..... Can you send some of that to the south. I have not had a push since december 30th and its not looking good for December at all.... We just got a lite dusting last not. Doesn't even cover the grass completely. Wont be there for long either..... :realmad: What a crappy Christmas with no snow.


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## risin187

I just started to cry a little looking at that pic lol i miss you :crying:


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## SnoBull

TomsSnowPlowING;1388726 said:


> I sent him (Alaska Boss) a message see if he is Okay?


Have you heard back from him yet?


----------



## ALC-GregH

91AK250;1389685 said:


> yeah lots of snow!!!


Is that your place in the pic? That looks like a very nice log cabin. If it is, do you have any other pics you wouldn't mind posting?


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## ALC-GregH

If AB got the snow mentioned, chances are he's working his but off. Between that and getting out and snapping pics, he's got his hands full. LOL I'm sure he's OK. He's a smart guy and knows how to handle weather like he's getting. He just needs time to get the lanes open and then upload all the great pics he's taking.  A big thanks for sharing them.


----------



## buttaluv

"Is that your place in the pic? That looks like a very nice log cabin. If it is, do you have any other pics you wouldn't mind posting?"

ALC...I was going to say the same thing...I've always loved Log Cabins...one of these days maybe!


----------



## Alaskaforby4

buttaluv;1390286 said:


> "Is that your place in the pic? That looks like a very nice log cabin. If it is, do you have any other pics you wouldn't mind posting?"
> 
> ALC...I was going to say the same thing...I've always loved Log Cabins...one of these days maybe!


This was taken at Sheep Creek Lodge
http://www.sheepcreeklodge.com/


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## TomsSnowPlowING

SnoBull;1390184 said:


> Have you heard back from him yet?


Not yet just check Private Messages: Unread 0, Total 1. the 1 is my sent out to him.


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## w4hyi

look back at some of the old pictures of his trucks an get the number an call him


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## DareDog

ALC-GregH;1390200 said:


> If AB got the snow mentioned, chances are he's working his but off. Between that and getting out and snapping pics, he's got his hands full. LOL I'm sure he's OK. He's a smart guy and knows how to handle weather like he's getting. He just needs time to get the lanes open and then upload all the great pics he's taking.  A big thanks for sharing them.


he also has been busy working on his sled, He is on another forum im on and he was just on it yesterday afternoon.


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## risin187

3 days and 7 hrs to get to the lodge prsport


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## c.schulz

DareDog;1390987 said:


> he also has been busy working on his sled, He is on another forum im on and he was just on it yesterday afternoon.


Cool! Glad to hear he is fine. Just very busy making cash.

Merry Christmas AB

Chris


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## SnowplowingLady

Thumbs Up
Thank you for sharing.


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## Mark13

risin187;1391039 said:


> 3 days and 7 hrs to get to the lodge prsport


Here's what mine tells me:

3,528 mi, 2 days 21 hours


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## vegaman04

Someone pick me up on the way, ill chip in for gas. I'm good for a road trip.


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## Mark13

vegaman04;1393724 said:


> Someone pick me up on the way, ill chip in for gas. I'm good for a road trip.


Sounds like a plan. Think I should take the plow off first?


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## BPS#1

Mark13;1393738 said:


> Sounds like a plan. Think I should take the plow off first?


I'd take it along. Load that puppy in the bed so that when you get there you can pay for the trip. payup payup
It'll make a good bar story, "ummm yeah, I'm an experienced plower in ______ states".


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## SnoBull

TomsSnowPlowING;1390737 said:


> Not yet just check Private Messages: Unread 0, Total 1. the 1 is my sent out to him.


ok cool. Well hopefully he responds. It's been an unusual season for him this year for sure and things just never really got going on this thread. Im sure losing the camera in the ocean this past fall didnt help the situation.



w4hyi;1390919 said:


> look back at some of the old pictures of his trucks an get the number an call him


Great idea!!


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## xtreem3d

Did any of you Alaska guys (Anchorage) see ash from the volcano that erupted and are closely watching?
Steve

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/45829384


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## 91AK250

nope no thoughts of it coming this way far as i have heard.


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## Alaska Boss

Wow,... well, sorry for the delay in back on here,.... but if I have ever been as busy snow plowing as I have this year, it has passed from the memory banks a long time ago. I just cannot seem to get caught up with everything,... there has not been a single day in over 2 months that I didn't have something to plow,... and in some areas, my trucks are now about maxed out in trying to keep some places open. Trucks are doing great, but my plows are starting to show fatigue,... seems every other day or so I have to weld something that cracks or breaks,... which leaves me even less time to get back here.

But, thanks everyone for all the comments,... and sorry about not answering all the questions,... I'll try and work back thru the last couple pages & do what I can.

I'm not even sure how much snow we've had around here so far, some areas away from the mountains it's about normal, but other places it's more,... my deepest-snow areas are over 100",... and I think Valdez is pushing close to 200" by now,... course, they get rained on occasionally during the winter too. We had some thawing spells as well several weeks ago, but it still mostly snowed instead of getting rained on, like the coastal towns got (Anchorage, Valdez, etc).

Anyway, I have taken a few shots of plowing the last couple weeks,... so I'll post a few, and try to stay more current again,...(famous last words,... )


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## Alaska Boss

Been using the Speedwing quite a bit this winter so far,... but it's a stacker-plow for the rest of the winter,... not too many places I can wind-row with it anymore,...

Lot's of moose down in the valleys and along the roads already too,... they're driven down out of the high country when all the brush gets covered up,...


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## Alaska Boss

On the bigger-lot jobs, the Speedwing does good,... I'll probably get another one when this one is wore out,... which may not be all that far off anymore,...


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## Second Nature

Outstanding! Nice to see a guy getting to the bottom of things. Around here we dodge whitetails at night and consider them a nuisance/hazard. A moose...well...I prefer to take them on with my longbow.

Thank you for the fine images!


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## Alaska Boss

This time of year, most of the plowing is done at night,... but I can do a few during daylight hours. Someone asked if I plow without the lightbar,... sometimes I take it off during daylight,... just to have a nice open/clean view for awhile,...


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## Alaska Boss

Second Nature;1399260 said:


> Outstanding! Nice to see a guy getting to the bottom of things. Around here we dodge whitetails at night and consider them a nuisance/hazard. A moose...well...I prefer to take them on with my longbow.
> 
> Thank you for the fine images!


Thanks,... but moose on the roads here are a nuisance too,.... and a deadly one at that! People die every winter from moose collisions,... they're so tall on the road that sometimes they shave the cab right off a pickup!

V-plow has been getting it's fair share of work too,... but has also been getting beat up pretty bad,... seems like I can't go for more than a day or two anymore without having to weld something,...


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## Alaska Boss

Windrowing even with the Boss requires more speed as the banks get taller, in order to throw it out of the road,....


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## Alaska Boss

But in my deepest snow areas, there's no more windrowing,... it's all push & stack from now til April,... so hopefully, I have made enough room from the beginning to last until then.


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## Alaska Boss

DOT has 24-hour crews working trying to keep the one lone highway open,... but has closed it twice so far this winter for avalanche-control in the mountain pass area.


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## Alaska Boss

But at least the temps haven't been too bad yet,... around -32° is about the coldest I remember seeing so far,....


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## BPS#1

AB when I get enough guys to look after my snow accounts my dream is to put the plow in the back of the pickup and roll up to AK.
Plow with you for a couple weeks just so I can say that I've plowed in AK.

lol

I can't fathom 100". We've had 25 2011/2012 season to date. Thats more than we usually get all winter.


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## Alaska Boss

More with the Blizzard,....


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## Alaska Boss

BPS#1;1399279 said:


> AB when I get enough guys to look after my snow accounts my dream is to put the plow in the back of the pickup and roll up to AK.
> Plow with you for a couple weeks just so I can say that I've plowed in AK.
> 
> lol
> 
> I can't fathom 100". We've had 25 2011/2012 season to date. Thats more than we usually get all winter.


C'mon up,.... there's more than enough to share,... 

Of course, 100" isn't 8 or 9 feet deep on the ground, but it might be later on, and some places have a lot more than that. Serious snow removal in areas that get 100"+ of snow really need something more substantial than a plow on a pickup, but for the few folks that live in that area, it's me or shovel it all by hand,...

Last week when I opened their road back up again, I was trying to windrow along banks that were half-way up my cab in height,.... and this is about it for what I can do with a pickup,... to go fast enough to throw it over these banks, one has to go so fast that it all just blows over the top of the plow and piles up on top of my hood,... and in 10 seconds, I can't see a thing,....


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## Alaska Boss

Then when I do a 5" or 6" job in an area that only has 2 feet on the ground, it seems like this isn't enough to bother messing with,....


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## Alaska Boss

Other places I end up building snow walls like a big maze, that I can't even see out of it,...


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## Alaska Boss

But deep snow country makes doing regular plow jobs seem like a piece of cake,...


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## Alaska Boss

For sure, equipment likes it better when it's not trying to create new mountains,....


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## Alaska Boss

I even have some competition this year, and yet I'm still almost too busy to keep up. This is one of them,.... I pulled him out, then checked over his set-up,... it's an old Snow-Way,... and his plow is held up with a chain,... he can't lower it or raise it, he can't even angle it,... it rides about an inch off the ground, and that's where it is whether trying to plow someone, or driving down the road,.... :laughing:


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## Second Nature

The old Appalachia saying is...

"Poor people has poor ways".


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## Alaska Boss

So, that's about it for now,.... colder temps are coming they say,... but then so is more snow,... :waving::waving:


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## Banksy

You posted the same beat up truck last year, I believe. Didn't he take one of your customers or something?


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## BPS#1

Alaska Boss;1399285 said:


> C'mon up,.... there's more than enough to share,...
> 
> Of course, 100" isn't 8 or 9 feet deep on the ground, but it might be later on, and some places have a lot more than that. Serious snow removal in areas that get 100"+ of snow really need something more substantial than a plow on a pickup, but for the few folks that live in that area, it's me or shovel it all by hand,...
> 
> Last week when I opened their road back up again, I was trying to windrow along banks that were half-way up my cab in height,.... and this is about it for what I can do with a pickup,... to go fast enough to throw it over these banks, one has to go so fast that it all just blows over the top of the plow and piles up on top of my hood,... and in 10 seconds, I can't see a thing,....


Ever thought about a wing? Maybe on the flatbed.
That'd help keep the roads plowed back right from the start of the season.
By season's end the sides would be about where you are now.


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## BPS#1

Alaska Boss;1399296 said:


> I even have some competition this year, and yet I'm still almost too busy to keep up. This is one of them,.... I pulled him out, then checked over his set-up,... it's an old Snow-Way,... and his plow is held up with a chain,... he can't lower it or raise it, he can't even angle it,... it rides about an inch off the ground, and that's where it is whether trying to plow someone, or driving down the road,.... :laughing:


At first you want to laugh and shake your head.

On the other hand you do have to give some credit to his ******* engineering skills.


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## dmontgomery

love this thread........did the flatbed have a pickup bed initially and are the all diesels??


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## ALC-GregH

Banksy;1399325 said:


> You posted the same beat up truck last year, I believe. Didn't he take one of your customers or something?


I thought the same thing. It looks like the same exact picture.


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## BPS#1

ALC-GregH;1399484 said:


> I thought the same thing. It looks like the same exact picture.


Site software won't allow you to upload the same pic twice.


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## Stik208

Looks like the Boss took a good hit on the driver wing.


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## Mark13

dmontgomery;1399463 said:


> love this thread........did the flatbed have a pickup bed initially and are the all diesels??


If I remember right he got the flatbed from a neighbor or something and has next to $0 in it. I think it dumps too.

And I think they are all gas motors (454/auto in the flatbed and 350/5spd in his pickups.)



Stik208;1399496 said:


> Looks like the Boss took a good hit on the driver wing.


Looks like the paint is just worn off?

How big of a mileage distance does your usual route cover AK Boss? Either from start to finish or a radius from your house.


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## NICHOLS LANDSCA

The drivers side does look like it has a twist, might be an optical illusion?


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## ken643

I always enjoy your pics Alaska boss, Thanks for sharing!


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## Alaska Boss

Mark13;1399510 said:


> If I remember right he got the flatbed from a neighbor or something and has next to $0 in it. I think it dumps too.
> 
> And I think they are all gas motors (454/auto in the flatbed and 350/5spd in his pickups.)
> 
> Looks like the paint is just worn off?
> 
> How big of a mileage distance does your usual route cover AK Boss? Either from start to finish or a radius from your house.


Mark has a good memory, I believe the flatbed was originally a dually pickup, rather than a cab/chassis, but not sure,... and it's a Canadian-built truck, since the VIN starts with a 2. All my trucks have the 5.7 (350) engines, and the flatbed is the only auto. And I did get it from a neighbor,... his wife developed a medical condition and the Dr's said if they wanted her to live longer than a couple more weeks, then they needed to move to warm to a warmer/drier climate right now. So he called me and offered to dump this truck & a '95 Ford on me if I'd take them both, so I did. The Chevy had a Fisher plow on it,... and I sold the Fisher plow & the Ford for $300 more than I paid for both trucks, so I did end up with this truck for free plus $300,... and yes, it dumps.

The paint is wore off on the driver's side more than the other,... I tend to windrow more angled towards the driver's side since I can see better exactly where the end of my blade is.

My area that I cover ranges from 20-30 miles from my home in all directions,... well, north, south & east,... no roads going west around here. And south of me,... there's only 3 places in over 30 miles,...



NICHOLS LANDSCA;1399514 said:


> The drivers side does look like it has a twist, might be an optical illusion?


The left-side half of the blade does have more issues than the right side,.. mainly because I windrow to the left more. Plus every pin, every hole is getting sloppy & worn out,.... which just accelerates other issues,...

.... and my "competition" plow truck was a picture from last year, because it's all I had, but saw him again driving it last week,... but I couldn't find it in last year's thread, and since it let me post it again, I figured I must have forgot to last year,... but apparently I changed it somehow,... oh well.

Supposed to get up to another foot or so in the next 24 hours,.... no rest for the weary,...

:waving:


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## mercer_me

You are very luck Alaska Boss. Hear in Maine we don't have any snow on the ground. I have never scene it like this before.


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## 09Daxman

Are you thinking about replacing any of the plows after this season? Ever thought about a boss VXT? Might help throw the snow higher and farther. I also saw that you had your sled in the back of your rc/lb, need it for weight or for getting stuck/stranded? Good luck with all of the plowing and thank you for the great pics!!


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## TomsSnowPlowING

*Glad to see you are Okay.*

Alaska Boss, Glad to see you are Okay


----------



## dmontgomery

Good to see that the 350's give you all the power you need. I have a 93 dually with the 454 and is a major gas hog........I am use to diesels......so while I love the power of the 7.2.....it is expensive to run....I love the older Chevys.........

Have you done any transmissions upgrades???


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## redskinsfan34

Glad to see everythings ok there. Is the snowmobile in case you get stuck somewhere?


----------



## M & MD Lawn

09Daxman;1399784 said:


> Are you thinking about replacing any of the plows after this season? Ever thought about a boss VXT? Might help throw the snow higher and farther. I also saw that you had your sled in the back of your rc/lb, need it for weight or for getting stuck/stranded? Good luck with all of the plowing and thank you for the great pics!!


I was going to post about a vxt also...seems like a great investment for you


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## RONK

AB,glad your well,thank you again for the pictures.Have you ever considered using an AG tractor to plow with?It seems like a very versitale peice of equipment,you can use a blower and a plow.They seem to be very popular with some of the guys from Canada.


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## Willman940

I think the sled was discussed somewhere along the line, if I remember correctly he said its for weight and getting out if theres a break down. The part I can't say for sure is I seem to remember him saying he carries a fair amount of tools and supplies but tends to just ride home instead.


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## L.I.Mike

Seems to me that Boss should send him a new V plow for free. Besides all of us reading this thread it would be great R+D for them.


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## Mark13

L.I.Mike;1401095 said:


> Seems to me that Boss should send him a new V plow for free. Besides all of us reading this thread it would be great R+D for them.


No kidding, he has conditions in a month that we don't see in 5 years or temperature changes that we will never see.

If I took my truck and plow up there I wouldn't be surprised if it gave the the middle finger and refused to work.


----------



## ajman21

Mark13;1401138 said:



> No kidding, he has conditions in a month that we don't see in 5 years or temperature changes that we will never see.
> 
> If I took my truck and plow up there I wouldn't be surprised if it gave the the middle finger and refused to work.


nah it would do ok its a chevy after all!


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## IceJockey

subscribed


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## 91AK250

i'm thinking dave is very busy! his area and mine to a much lesser extent have been hit by storm after storm. Valdez and cordova have got a unreal amount of snow.

http://www.ktuu.com/news/southcentr...s-hit-hard-by-snowfall-010612,0,2114329.story

http://www.ktuu.com/news/photo-gallery-alaska-massive-snowfall-ktuu-20120106,0,3651785.photogallery


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## BPS#1

Your lower 48 cousins are begging you to share the love.


lol


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## South Seneca

91AK250 Those are some fantastic pics! I'm thinking the pickup plow is in over his head.


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## CAT 245ME

M & MD Lawn;1400042 said:


> I was going to post about a vxt also...seems like a great investment for you


X3 on this. The 9'2 VXT is 38" tall vs the 30" flat tops. Well worth the investment.


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## 91AK250

South Seneca;1407793 said:


> 91AK250 Those are some fantastic pics! I'm thinking the pickup plow is in over his head.


yes, those amounts of snow they get over there you need a 966! hell i had a rough time moving the 16" we got last night/today. i'm running out of places to put it all. we are working on over 100" so far for the season... Valdez got over 100" just in December alone.


----------



## Alaska Boss

09Daxman;1399784 said:


> Are you thinking about replacing any of the plows after this season? Ever thought about a boss VXT? Might help throw the snow higher and farther. I also saw that you had your sled in the back of your rc/lb, need it for weight or for getting stuck/stranded? Good luck with all of the plowing and thank you for the great pics!!





M & MD Lawn;1400042 said:


> I was going to post about a vxt also...seems like a great investment for you


Look and see what I just did,... :yow!:



dmontgomery;1399941 said:


> Good to see that the 350's give you all the power you need. I have a 93 dually with the 454 and is a major gas hog........I am use to diesels......so while I love the power of the 7.2.....it is expensive to run....I love the older Chevys.........
> 
> Have you done any transmissions upgrades???


I have never touched a GM transmission in any of the trucks that I have ever owned, (knock on wood),... and almost all have been manuals,... which is the main reason I drive sticks.



redskinsfan34;1400024 said:


> Glad to see everythings ok there. Is the snowmobile in case you get stuck somewhere?


Yeah,... for me it's the most practical ballast. Since I ride a lot, it's always a hassle to load & unload dead weight whenever I want to haul something useful. And, it's an emergency ride home if I were to get my truck stuck big-time on some back-road somewhere during the middle of the night,....



91AK250;1407748 said:


> i'm thinking dave is very busy! his area and mine to a much lesser extent have been hit by storm after storm. Valdez and cordova have got a unreal amount of snow.
> 
> http://www.ktuu.com/news/southcentr...s-hit-hard-by-snowfall-010612,0,2114329.story
> 
> http://www.ktuu.com/news/photo-gallery-alaska-massive-snowfall-ktuu-20120106,0,3651785.photogallery


Well Russ, you got that right! I was just at Truckwell a couple days ago,... and check out what I got,... Thumbs Up

In the 30 years or so of snow plowing that I've done,.... I can't remember ever having this much snow around here before,... and the winter isn't quite half over yet. For the first time ever, I'm right at the verge of not being able to keep my own driveway open,.... the windrowed banks are about half-way up the windows of my trucks, and I just can't really go fast enough to throw it up & over. And my 8.2 V-blade was getting so sloppy, that it wasn't even doing a good job anymore,...


----------



## buildinon

Looks like it is time to bring in a skid steer or a loader and move some snow like we do in the lower 48. When we run out of room we have to start stacking, I know you guys are limited on equipment up there...but someone you know I am sure has some sort of tractor you can use to start moving and stacking. I wish that we would just get 2 inches here in Chicago right now. We have yet to hit that mark yet for the first time that I can ever remember, so feel free to start sending it our way...you can even ship it to us...lol


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## Alaska Boss

And since this plow has had some serious damage in the past,... (hitting a 6" steel well casing sticking up about 6" in the middle of a parking area that "they forgot" to tell me about,...:realmad, so I had to do some major cutting/welding to even get it useable again,... and it was getting to the point that I couldn't even make it thru one day without having to weld something back together again,... so I decided to get new blades,... so I upgraded my plow to a VXT! I ran into Anchorage and picked up a pair of VXT plow blades, and swapped them out. This is when I just got back to my place with them,... and had another 5-6" fall while I was gone that day,...


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## Alaska Boss

buildinon;1408280 said:


> Looks like it is time to bring in a skid steer or a loader and move some snow like we do in the lower 48. When we run out of room we have to start stacking, I know you guys are limited on equipment up there...but someone you know I am sure has some sort of tractor you can use to start moving and stacking. I wish that we would just get 2 inches here in Chicago right now. We have yet to hit that mark yet for the first time that I can ever remember, so feel free to start sending it our way...you can even ship it to us...lol


Well, that might have to happen,... but my SS seems like a toy now with as much snow as we have in some areas,... it would take forever to do,... all the big loaders are in Valdez,.. 

To be perfectly honest, I kinda thought of the VXT as more sales-gimmick than function, but not anymore! The blades swapped out fine, and right away I could tell that now I can stack at least a foot higher,... and probably windrow another foot higher too. It was easy to push enough snow with the old straight blades to make it boil over the tops, but I almost can't do it with these VXT blades. After a couple days of plowing with it now, not only are they paid for, but they really do make a difference! I wish now I had done this earlier,.... Thumbs Up

(this might be one of the few VXT plows with the older-style headlights,...)


----------



## Alaska Boss

Some places got drifted in,... and the new blades bust thru drifts with ease,.... my old straight V-blades wanted to trip when in "V" sometimes, but these haven't once yet. These are some "before" shots,...


----------



## Alaska Boss

....... and "after" shots....


----------



## Alaska Boss

Still using the Speedwing for some jobs that are all or mostly just pushing, with little to no windrowing,...


----------



## Alaska Boss

We even had a day last week where the sky turned blue,... what a weird thing that was to see,....


----------



## Alaska Boss

But my new " '03-VXT" is working out good,... and the way things are going this winter, I'm going to need every inch that this plow can throw,.... sure is nice to have a plow again that has aligned & parallel cutting edges,...


----------



## Mr.Markus

Any nice cabins for sale up there.................Did not realize how much I miss the white stuff.


----------



## firelwn82

WOW. I bet your gonna love the hell out of that VXT. Should throw snow like no tomorrow. To bad you didn't start the season off with it ay? How much snow can your roof hold? Looks like it built up quite a bit.


----------



## A&J Landscaping

AB how do your cutting edges hold up being on dirt all the time i would think they last a long time.


----------



## SnowMatt13

AB-

I've followed your winter journals the last few years.....awesome. I enjoy all the pics you share with everyone and it helps when we are still looking at bare ground


----------



## Mark13

SnowMatt13;1408357 said:


> AB-
> 
> I've followed your winter journals the last few years.....awesome. I enjoy all the pics you share with everyone and it helps when we are still looking at bare ground


Road trip with the trucks Matt?


----------



## SnowMatt13

That would be an awesome trip. Your truck might help at this point, my little 8' blade may just be good for ballast on the way up there 
Based on all the pics, the scenery is awesome.

Don't loose faith Mark....there may be a big 2" in our future :laughing:


----------



## dfd9

So you had to put a couple plows together and then plow, after a road trip to boot. 

Maybe, just maybe it will slow down a touch for you AB, supposedly the jet stream is heading south, we can all hope so.

Congrats on the new plows, and thanks for the snow porn.


----------



## jjklongisland

awesome pics... now thats real plowing...


----------



## CAT 245ME

Any one notice that AB's missing the blade return springs?


----------



## BOSS LAWN

... time to move the equipment up to Alaska!


----------



## albhb3

well I see whos hogging all the snow


----------



## RepoMan207

Absolutely breath taking! I'm jelous as all hell.


----------



## firelwn82

I heard on the news this afternoon that parts of Alaska are under state of emergency and the National gaurd was called in. There are people trapped inside of there homes because the snow has buried there house's. Some homes have even collapsed under the mass amounts of snow.


----------



## M & MD Lawn

NICE Alaska....Glad you got the VXT, u just buy one? I thought I read you bought a pair or was that a pair of wings....did All you have to do is remove the pin and attach the new ones?


----------



## Rico T.

What are the gas/diesel prices like in Alaska?


----------



## deere615

I am seriously about to through my plow in the bed and go visit AB for a while, help him plow all that snow for free and get a nice tour of alaska at the same time!


----------



## GMCHD plower

Anyway for you to get videos while you plow Boss?


----------



## Rick547

deere615;1409026 said:


> I am seriously about to through my plow in the bed and go visit AB for a while, help him plow all that snow for free and get a nice tour of alaska at the same time!


I don't think you can get there from here.


----------



## RepoMan1968

i see your cutting edge doesn't get a chance to rust Thumbs Up


----------



## 91AK250

looking great! i saw the wings getting loaded out but i didnt see your truck. woulda liked to say hi!

im sure you will love that thing..we have swaped out the XT wings on a few older plows..so your not the only one lol

even here in town my little 7'6" is working its little butt off..i'm running out of room for all my snow.

good luck with the rest of the season dave! be safe!


----------



## 91AK250

Rick547;1409057 said:


> I don't think you can get there from here.


why not? he is on the road system.:salute:


----------



## Alaska Boss

Mr.Markus;1408316 said:


> Any nice cabins for sale up there.................Did not realize how much I miss the white stuff.


There are some for sale,... but no one knows where they are anymore....:laughing:



firelwn82;1408346 said:


> WOW. I bet your gonna love the hell out of that VXT. Should throw snow like no tomorrow. To bad you didn't start the season off with it ay? How much snow can your roof hold? Looks like it built up quite a bit.


I already do,.. and had I known how this works, I would have swapped them out before the other ones got damaged. As far as the snow loads on my roof,... what you see is only half or less of what's fallen this year so far,... but the way in which I built my roof, I don't think it's possible to have too much weight on it where I have to worry about anything,... unless it just gets ridiculous,... I know there's been a lot more on it in past years than what's on it right now.



A&J Landscaping;1408349 said:


> AB how do your cutting edges hold up being on dirt all the time i would think they last a long time.


Yep,... I can always get 3-4 years out of a set of edges, unless I break one, but only ever broke the older straight ones,... and that's with a 7-month plowing season,... so cutting edges are a minor expense for me.



CAT 245ME;1408433 said:


> Any one notice that AB's missing the blade return springs?


 Haha,... I wondered how long it would take for someone to notice that,... my old V-blade had the shorter return springs, but this VXT takes the newer longer ones, and the shorter ones don't reach,... forgot to ask about that when I picked them up, so I'm just using it without them now til I get a chance to get the right ones,... it's a pain at times, but it works



firelwn82;1408854 said:


> I heard on the news this afternoon that parts of Alaska are under state of emergency and the National gaurd was called in. There are people trapped inside of there homes because the snow has buried there house's. Some homes have even collapsed under the mass amounts of snow.


I have some good friends in Cordova,... and one of them told me a couple days ago that his sons were going around helping friends & neighbors shovel their roofs off before more homes collapse,... but since the National Guard showed up in town, they have stopped almost everyone because they (the sons & most everyone else) are riding around on snowmobiles that aren't properly registered,... and threatened confiscation if they are caught twice riding them around town. So leave it to the government to show up and put a stop to people helping each other,... I'm tellin' ya,... the government is the enemy. There is no road to Cordova.



M & MD Lawn;1408904 said:


> NICE Alaska....Glad you got the VXT, u just buy one? I thought I read you bought a pair or was that a pair of wings....did All you have to do is remove the pin and attach the new ones?


All I bought were the two blade halves of a VXT, but they come with new cutting edges attached. Then you take off the return springs & rams, pull the center pin & put the new ones together,... hardest part was getting them aligned & the center pin back in,... but wasn't too bad, maybe 2 hours total.



Rico T.;1409023 said:


> What are the gas/diesel prices like in Alaska?


Gas around here right now is around $4.35/$4.40 a gallon,... and diesel averages maybe 50¢ more.



GMCHD plower;1409050 said:


> Anyway for you to get videos while you plow Boss?


I think I could make some pretty cool videos if I had a way, or someone with me,.. that would be the best. Today I was windrowing a fresh 20" snowfall in an area that already has had at least 10-12 feet,... and had snow piling up on the hood that was falling from the side of the banks onto my truck hood,... and I thought to myself that this would be a pretty cool video. 



91AK250;1409339 said:


> looking great! i saw the wings getting loaded out but i didnt see your truck. woulda liked to say hi!
> 
> im sure you will love that thing..we have swaped out the XT wings on a few older plows..so your not the only one lol
> 
> even here in town my little 7'6" is working its little butt off..i'm running out of room for all my snow.
> 
> good luck with the rest of the season dave! be safe!


Thanks Russ,... yeah, I was sure I'm not the first one to do that, but I'm very happy I did! I was going to park my truck next to your Excursion again & take a picture,... but there was no room,... things were pretty busy there. And I hear ya about running out of room,... and we have a lot more snow out here than what's in Anchorage. :waving:


----------



## Wesley's Lawn

With these pictures and all the shows about Alaska it makes me want to pack up and move up there. Whats the quality of life like up in your area? So with you plowing everyday how much have you spent on fuel this year so far? Got anymore pictures of your beautiful home?


----------



## Alaska Boss

Haven't taken too many pictures lately, but the snow plowing just goes on & on every day. In the most southern end of my area (towards Valdez), about 20" of new snow fell in the last 2 days, so this gave me a good test for these new VXT blades to compare them to the older-lower ones. The banks along the road are 20" taller too as what they were from the last time, but I still could get snow over them now without going 73mph. But I think one of the things I like most, is that I almost can't make the snow boil over the top of the blades like the old ones would. Not only does the added reach/height help, but the continued arc seems to roll the snow more forward now,... which allows less snow on my windshield & hood,.... Thumbs Up


----------



## Alaska Boss

Wesley's Lawn;1409395 said:


> With these pictures and all the shows about Alaska it makes me want to pack up and move up there. Whats the quality of life like up in your area? So with you plowing everyday how much have you spent on fuel this year so far? Got anymore pictures of your beautiful home?


The quality of life? Well, I think it's very high, but it's also very hard & expensive,... just depends what "quality" means. Folks around here tend to be much more down-to-earth than urban people,... and like a life-style that is more free & open than most places, but you also give up a lot of the instant conveinences and resources that more settled areas have,... but we have no local government, no taxes, etc. And you can shoot/hunt right from your front door, cut trees down, etc, & no one knows or cares. I don't know what I've spent so far on gas,... but it's in the thousands $$. I have posted other pictures of my place in other threads,... but who knows where,... lol


----------



## Alaska Boss

It's starting to get colder now as the daylight faded today,... about -34° at sunset around 3pm, but there's another big storm coming they say,... 

All the snow this year is going to be hard on the wildlife too,... today I spotted these moose just off the road along a river,... and they paid no attention to me,... until I squeaked,... 

:waving::waving:


----------



## IMAGE

Sweet Pictures! Thanks so much for sharing, I woke up tonight and couldn't fall back asleep, so I started looking at snow pictures, and spent a half hour on this thread! I've been thinking it's about time in life I start taking an annual vacation, never had any idea where I would want to go before, but now I'm thinking Alaska might be the first place on the list. Thanks again for the pics, enjoy the VXT


----------



## rv4jesus

*thanks for sharing AB*

Great plowing and wildlife pictures. Glad to see you like the VXT. I've only been able to get up there once and hope I can return some day.


----------



## dfd9

Alaska Boss;1409394 said:


> I have some good friends in Cordova,... and one of them told me a couple days ago that his sons were going around helping friends & neighbors shovel their roofs off before more homes collapse,... but since the National Guard showed up in town, they have stopped almost everyone because they (the sons & most everyone else) are riding around on snowmobiles that aren't properly registered,... and threatened confiscation if they are caught twice riding them around town. So leave it to the government to show up and put a stop to people helping each other,... I'm tellin' ya,... the government is the enemy. There is no road to Cordova.


And you guys have it good. lol

I couldn't remember if there had been a road built to Cordova or if it was even possible from that book I read. Very interesting.

Pics are great as always, any time you want to share the snow, feel free.


----------



## Charles

Great Pics and commentary as usual Alaska Boss. I love this thread:salute:


----------



## TomsSnowPlowING

Gad to see that Alaska Boss been checking.


----------



## SnoBull

AB: What's the firearms carry laws like up there? I know you've mentioned in the past you carry when you're on your snowmobile but do they enforce it if you dont have a ccw or just overlook it?


----------



## plowguy43

SnoBull;1410674 said:


> AB: What's the firearms carry laws like up there? I know you've mentioned in the past you carry when you're on your snowmobile but do they enforce it if you dont have a ccw or just overlook it?


From watching Alaska State Troopers there is not license required. If you get pulled over the first thing you have to tell the officer is that you have a gun in the vehicle.


----------



## toby4492

Great pictures AB. I will definately stay tuned :waving:


----------



## Charles

plowguy43;1410783 said:


> From watching Alaska State Troopers there is not license required. If you get pulled over the first thing you have to tell the officer is that you have a gun in the vehicle.


I watched that show. The Cop took his gun away from him. Scary that he had the gun hid under his leg--from some strange reason


----------



## 30below

Charles;1411125 said:


> I watched that show. The Cop took his gun away from him. Scary that he had the gun hid under his leg--from some strange reason


Wasn't just THAT show, it's been shown on several of those shows.

I'm not fully aware of all the laws, but there is no CC law anymore here. If I remembe correctly, you used to have to get a permit by taking classes and pass shooting tests with different caliber guns to be cleared for their specific use. Now you just have to own a gun and have a way to conceal it. There are rules you're supposed to follow though, like no alcohol, which is all too common also around here also. The FIRST thing you do when you get pulled over with a gun is declare you have a firearm on board.


----------



## F350plowing

I wish you would share at least a foot of snow with us sometime soon


----------



## Alaska Boss

SnoBull;1410674 said:


> AB: What's the firearms carry laws like up there? I know you've mentioned in the past you carry when you're on your snowmobile but do they enforce it if you dont have a ccw or just overlook it?


To tell you the truth, I'm not sure what the technical laws on concealed weapons in Alaska is at the moment. I know for a while there it seemed like everyone I knew was taking the class & getting a CCP, but I never did. Which is kinda weird, since I carry something with me at all times no matter where I go, or in what,.. but nothing is ever concealed,... since I'm not packing for self-protection, but predator hunting during the winter. The Alaska State Trooper stationed in Valdez for many years was one of my good friends,... I even chartered his boat before & during part of the Exxon Valdez Oil Spill,... and I have known & been stopped by many troopers in this whole area of Alaska,... and not one has ever said anything about seeing rifles in my trucks,.... except to maybe ask how the predator calling has been for me. I do carry a concealed weapon on the boat during the summer, for shooting monster fish if I need to,... and I have asked more than one trooper that I have taken out halibut fishing about that,... and they just kinda shrug and act like it's no big deal. The chief of police in Valdez is also a good friend of mine,.... we have gone on many hunts & fishing trips together, and I asked him about it once,.. and he too, acted like it's no big deal. Growing up around here, it was just part of life if you went some where, you'd check to make sure you had tools, spare tire, arctic survival clothes, a rifle, etc,.. it was just what everyone did. Now if you'd go to Anchorage, then I suppose you might run into the same kind of issues if you were stopped & had a firearm in your vehicle as one might down in the states,... but around here,... people still pretty much have common sense freedoms left,... 



F350plowing;1419070 said:


> I wish you would share at least a foot of snow with us sometime soon


I'll tell you what,... if you pay the shipping, I'll send ya all the snow you want,.... and I could keep it coming your way well into June,... that should make ya happy,... Thumbs Up

Well, I have finally had a break from snow plowing for a few days,.... but a break means it cleared up,.... and that means it's gotten cold now,.... -47° so far is the coldest I've seen right here, but I know that it's been colder than that in other areas close by. And with all the fuss about all the snow in Cordova, Alaska in the news,... and having to use Coast Guard ice breakers & Russian ice tankers to bring gas & diesel thru the frozen Bering Sea into Nome, Alaska,... no one seems to pay any attention to the snow in Valdez,... which is on pace to break their all-time records there too,.. but Valdez has the equipment & the know-how to deal with it,... so life just goes on. With all the snow Cordova has gotten so far this winter, Valdez has had almost 12 feet more (about 355 inches, or around 30 feet). At this pace, Valdez is about 120 inches over their average for this time of year,... and about 50 inches above this point in the winter of the all-time record snowfall of 560+ inches (or about 47 feet, set during the winter of the Exxon Valdez Oil Spill, the winter of '89-'90). And I'm not positive about this, but it seems like I remember a guy from the National Weather Service in Valdez telling me that February is the snowiest month on ave for Valdez,... so things are far from being over around here. In any case, I had to run down there this afternoon, so I snapped a few pictures of what things look like as of today, when they've had a chance to get somewhat caught up too. And to be honest,... with all the winds, and always some rain there too,... things didn't look to me like they are any worse than any other year,... so here's a few glimpses of life in one of the snowiest small towns in Alaska,... and even before I got there, it was already impossible to run off the road,... all traffic is confined to the mazes created by DOT & the city of Valdez,...


----------



## Alaska Boss

When you first pulled into town, you're met by several of the biggest hotels & inns, which have snow piles ramped as high or higher than the buildings themselves,....

(these pictures would be a lot better in daylight)


----------



## Alaska Boss

As you drive down the streets, traffic & homes are pretty much hidden from view until you can see directly down streets & driveways,....


----------



## loudcav

I always had the understanding that every one in alaska is carrying simply because of the nature of the beast but heres the kicker your pulled over or stopped and you do have a firearm you are to tell imediatly


----------



## Alaska Boss

Almost all snow removal by the City of Valdez is done with big chained-up front end loaders or blowers,... plow trucks are pretty much useless in town. Now with a break in the snowfall, some of the main intersections can be cleared more open with dump trucks hauling snow off. And almost every street dead ends with a big snow storage area, so people many times just push their own snow out into the middle of the street, and wait for a city loader to come by & carry it down to the end,... I wonder how this would work in Chicago,...


----------



## Alaska Boss

The actual snow depth right in Valdez on the ground seemed to be about twice as high as my car. And I don't know how high a blower can stack snow, but this pile right in the middle of town is higher than any building around it,...


----------



## Alaska Boss

Every empty lot is a snow storage area in Valdez during the winter,...

and I happened to go past my dentist, and saw that he has taken the tracks off his plow truck & has just regular wheels on now,...


----------



## Alaska Boss

Some of the single-story businesses around town are just about ready to go out of sight,...


----------



## Alaska Boss

The schools in Valdez have been closed now for a few days, because the snow-load codes for Valdez are 90lbs/sq ft, and they were over 100 lbs with the last big dump,... so the city has put out ads in all the local newspapers & radio stations looking for snow shovelers,... $20.30/hr, and all the hours you want, until the schools and other public buildings are back under code loads aagin,... they made up snow chutes between different roof levels, so it can be hauled off,....


----------



## Alaska Boss

Other public buildings that get shoveled off can be damaged just from the snow loads against the sides if they aren't careful, and if the sides aren't opened up, the snow will soon be right up to the roof itself,...


----------



## buildinon

Alaska Boss;1419099 said:


> Almost all snow removal by the City of Valdez is done with big chained-up front end loaders or blowers,... plow trucks are pretty much useless in town. Now with a break in the snowfall, some of the main intersections can be cleared more open with dump trucks hauling snow off. And almost every street dead ends with a big snow storage area, so people many times just push their own snow out into the middle of the street, and wait for a city loader to come by & carry it down to the end,... I wonder how this would work in Chicago,...


Here in Chicago you run the chance of getting a ticket for the snow spilling into the street while stacking it to haul away. It happened to me over the weekend. I got a warning from our "wonderful Chicago PD" for creating a hazard while I was stacking snow to load into a dump truck to haul away as some had rolled over into the steet that I did not see, the kicker is I was the end of a dead end street in the middle of the night and the only people on the street were me, him, and the guys who work for me removing the snow.
Great pics by the way, keep them coming, my wife loves the scenic ones as well and has been blown away by the amount of snow up there. As well as the photos you have posted of it.


----------



## Alaska Boss

Just because half of the street signs around town are buried, doesn't mean that you don't have to stop,...

and everything that can move snow is put to work in Valdez,... even mini-ex's,...


----------



## Alaska Boss

buildinon;1419108 said:


> Here in Chicago you run the chance of getting a ticket for the snow spilling into the street while stacking it to haul away. It happened to me over the weekend. I got a warning from our "wonderful Chicago PD" for creating a hazard while I was stacking snow to load into a dump truck to haul away as some had rolled over into the steet that I did not see, the kicker is I was the end of a dead end street in the middle of the night and the only people on the street were me, him, and the guys who work for me removing the snow.
> Great pics by the way, keep them coming, my wife loves the scenic ones as well and has been blown away by the amount of snow up there. As well as the photos you have posted of it.


Haha,.. yeah I knew that,... doing what they do here in Valdez is illegal almost everywhere,... and may even be technically illegal here too, I don't know. But weaving around your neighbors snow pile he pushed into the middle of your street is just par for the course in Valdez,... 

Then you have vehicles that people aren't watching or taking care of,... and this is one thing that the city here doesn't tolerate,... leaving your vehicle parked in the street. Here's just a few that have been parked in parking lots, down by the harbor, etc,.... if you want some ballast in the back of your truck,... just don't shovel it out for a week or so,...


----------



## Alaska Boss

And if you ignore them long enough, the snow load on your rig will actually crush it,... like what is happening to this nice (no pun intended,... ) Ford F350,... I checked it out closer, and the hood is crushed, the cab is crushed,... you can even see how the front fender is jammed down into the bumper,... what a shame,... this could have been a nice plow truck,...


----------



## Alaska Boss

Finally, I went down to the harbor,... and it's all froze in too,.... letting snow build up on your vehicle is one thing, but if you do that to your boat, you soon won't have a boat,... they use small skid steers to keep the docks open,.... but why someone would leave a small skiff & outboard sitting in the saltwater all winter is beyond me,... I mean,.. where exactly do you think you're going to go in it anyway??


----------



## Alaska Boss

Heading back home, and going up thu the pass, I stopped at the gate where they close the road when they can't keep it open & safe,.. or an avalanche has already closed it,.... like what happened last week,...


----------



## Alaska Boss

And this is the avalanche that had the road closed for a while last week,... not a very big one,... but probably a little more than my car could have busted thru,.... wesport


----------



## Alaska Boss

And finally,... as I was driving thru the mountains, I saw something white running down the side of the hill and onto the road,... thinking,.. "What the heck is that..??",.... but then realized that the winds (which were blowing a steady 40-50mph) had blown a big snowball loose from somewhere up above,... and it rolled right down into the middle of the highway,... it was hard as a rock,.... so I snapped these pictures,.. then rolled it back off,... it must have been blowing so hard up on top that Frosty lost his head,....

:waving::waving::waving:


----------



## BPS#1

HOLY COW thats some snow. 


Good pics, keep em coming.


----------



## dfd9

Simply amazing. 

I think you missed most of the excitement, but there was a gentleman here on PS that was making comments that the folks in Valdez don't know what they're doing with snow removal because they didn't use Unimogs with blades and blowers. But no worries, I think he is in the midst of Siberia about now.


----------



## dmontgomery

Sasquatch bowling


----------



## SnowplowingLady

Great pictures


----------



## rugbyinthesnow

with the lack of snow in southern Ontario, think the city would pay cash for bored Ontario workers to come up and shovel those buildings? I've never seen snow so high in my life, just to experience it would be amazing! 

Probably think I was crazy after a few minutes of shoveling that stuff... never mind, I would know I was crazy, especially with that -47.... need to get out the converter for the Celsius value.  lol


----------



## fordboy

obviously they you leave the boats in the water all winter, but is it you do to keep the motors and other stuff from freezing and being damaged?


----------



## Eronningen

Pretty interesting. What an opportunity for folks to make some money up there.


----------



## chlawnservice

Nice pics, still no snow here this sucks this year.


----------



## Charles

fordboy;1419298 said:


> obviously they you leave the boats in the water all winter, but is it you do to keep the motors and other stuff from freezing and being damaged?


The Outboards have nothing in them that can freeze. The inboards and I/O have engine drain plugs to let the water out of the engine blocks. I bet up there they mainly have closed cooling systems that contain Anti Freeze. I would be worried about a boat sinking under the weight of the snow but it looks like the water is frozen to keep them from sinking? I doubt if any pump system would hold up once it starts to thaw unless you had the battery hooked up to trickle chargers. Glad it ain't my problem


----------



## Eronningen

Charles;1419622 said:


> The Outboards have nothing in them that can freeze. The inboards and I/O have engine drain plugs to let the water out of the engine blocks. I bet up there they mainly have closed cooling systems that contain Anti Freeze. I would be worried about a boat sinking under the weight of the snow but it looks like the water is frozen to keep them from sinking? I doubt if any pump system would hold up once it starts to thaw unless you had the battery hooked up to trickle chargers. Glad it ain't my problem


Like you you said, bilge pumps must be off and batteries pulled. Drain plugs are in obviously. There will be a heck of alot of water in those boats when the snow melt begins.


----------



## D Mack

I really appreciate you taking the time to take and post these great pictures. I look foward to coming home and checking in on this thread. The pictures are incredible as well as the story that goes along with them! Thank you!!!


----------



## xtreem3d

I don't fish so forgive the stupid question but in post 249 you said you have a gun in case you have to shoot a monster fish..why would you shoot a fish?


----------



## dfd9

xtreem3d;1420043 said:


> I don't fish so forgive the stupid question but in post 249 you said you have a gun in case you have to shoot a monster fish..why would you shoot a fish?


Ever try to drown a fish? Lolololol


----------



## Mark13

xtreem3d;1420043 said:


> I don't fish so forgive the stupid question but in post 249 you said you have a gun in case you have to shoot a monster fish..why would you shoot a fish?


I think it's halibut that Dave fishes for, going by pictures I've seen they look huge. Not to mention that other things he could accidentally catch could also be gigantic. Not quite the blue gills, perch, and bass that are common in this area of the US.



dfd9;1420154 said:


> Ever try to drown a fish? Lolololol


:laughing:


----------



## 2_Djinn

I love the new boss blades on the C/K Chevy! My favorite body style, Alaska sounds great


----------



## RepoMan1968

When I look at the pictures I cant help but thinking to keep a small controlled fire near the walks or front/rear/side yard . 
Would that be legal and if so , does anyone do it ???:yow!:

beats moving it .


----------



## 09Daxman

Glad to see that you got yourself a new plow. I always wondered if the XT actually did something or it was just to look bad ass! haha How is it plowing with manuals? Thats alot going on at one time. Plus your leg has got to get tired sometime. And I have to ask, what kinda race car are you driving around there when your not in your trucks? Im digging the 5 spoke plastic wheel caps Thumbs Up


----------



## Alaskaforby4

RepoMan1968;1421031 said:


> When I look at the pictures I cant help but thinking to keep a small controlled fire near the walks or front/rear/side yard .
> Would that be legal and if so , does anyone do it ???:yow!:
> 
> beats moving it .


LOL, this is great!!:laughing:


----------



## fordboy

dfd9;1420154 said:


> Ever try to drown a fish? Lolololol


damn thats funny!:laughing:


----------



## Rico T.

What speaks to me is how clean those streets look...we got _maybe_ 6 inches in the past week (total), and our streets still looked like crap.:realmad:


----------



## firelwn82

And I'm pretty sure they don't apply salt to the roads either...Thumbs Up


----------



## LawnGuy110

Can we have some of that snow down here?


----------



## EGLC

time for bigger trucks


----------



## Banksy

EGLC;1432998 said:


> time for bigger trucks


.....or a grader. He does amazing work with three pickups.


----------



## Morrissey snow removal

this thread has great pics all the time i can only dream of snow


----------



## KPZ Enterprises

dam thats a lot of snow...keep pics comming.


----------



## EGLC

Banksy;1433033 said:


> .....or a grader. He does amazing work with three pickups.


no doubt! truly a "boss" he does work with pickups that most of us would need a loader or grader to do down here in lower 48 hahaha even a 6-12" storm here means bring out the dozers


----------



## Mark13

EGLC;1434015 said:


> no doubt! truly a "boss" he does work with pickups that most of us would need a loader or grader to do down here in lower 48 hahaha even a 6-12" storm here means bring out the dozers


No kidding. If we got snow like that I wouldn't be plowing snow commercially. Heck I'd have enough trouble keeping my driveway open and my house from collapsing.


----------



## NickT

I'm sure this has been asked before, when building new houses up there,do they add additional bracing to the walls and roof to handle all that weight of the snow? I know you have to rake the snow off,like some of the houses in the lake erie snow belt, but you couldn't possibly keep up with the amount of snow in Alaska. Thanks ahead for the replies.


----------



## tailboardtech

NickT;1434356 said:


> I'm sure this has been asked before, when building new houses up there,do they add additional bracing to the walls and roof to handle all that weight of the snow? I know you have to rake the snow off,like some of the houses in the lake erie snow belt, but you couldn't possibly keep up with the amount of snow in Alaska. Thanks ahead for the replies.


they do have tougher building codes they also (at least i know Fairbanks/ north star borough does) they have earthquake regulations also. this is compared to Maryland's building codes


----------



## Alaska Boss

NickT;1434356 said:


> I'm sure this has been asked before, when building new houses up there,do they add additional bracing to the walls and roof to handle all that weight of the snow? I know you have to rake the snow off,like some of the houses in the lake erie snow belt, but you couldn't possibly keep up with the amount of snow in Alaska. Thanks ahead for the replies.


Yep, places like Valdez have a minimum of 90lbs/sq.ft. snowload roof codes for public buildings, but even with that, there's always homes, warehouses, etc that collapse every winter there from people that don't keep up with that.

Sorry for the delay again,.... this has been the toughest winter for me that I can remember for snowplowing in at least 30 years. We finally got a break for a week or so of no new snow, but then the bottom dropped out of the temps,... -56° was the coldest I saw around here, but places farther north were pushing close to -70° (no wind chills either). I have a bunch of jobs waiting for me to do, but for the first time in a long time, I'm really getting tired & wore out from what seems like non-stop & never-ending snowplowing. My trucks have been doing so good thru all this tho, that I'm expecting something to happen at some point,... nothing can just go on & on forever and not have anything happen. But just regular travel can be dangerous at these temps,... not so much because your truck would break down, altho it could,... it's more like having something like this happen, when you jam your whole front end full of snow, then you can't even keep the engine running for heat,... and around here it could be several hours or more before another vehicle even comes by.


----------



## Alaska Boss

It's been so cold that even when I do a few jobs, I don't wanna get out & take pictures,... deep sub-zero temps also make snow harder to plow & harder to stack,... fresh snow piles higher & better than sugar does,... and super-cold temps seem to accelerate snow becoming more settled and dense,.....


----------



## Alaska Boss

These folks have been gone for a couple weeks, and had a fox run right up onto the porch of their little cabin,....

Well, it's finally going to get warmer than -20° tomorrow they say,... so I need to find my Burmuda shorts now,...  Even the DOT guys are getting worn out,....

Maybe if it finally gets a little warmer I can snap a few more pics,... where's Al Gore,... me & him need to have a little talk,.... 

:waving::waving:


----------



## BPS#1

Looks good Boss.


I can only imagine how worn out and tired of snow and cold you are.

Down here we are sick of 50s and 60s in January. And no snow.
Most of the lower 48 would be more than happy to relieve you of a few feet of accumulation.

Don't get me wrong its kinda nice to run around in shirt sleeves and no coat, but it just aint natural in Jan.


----------



## Eronningen

Its amazing how you can be having a record snow year and the whole lower 48 is having a record dry year with very warm temps.


----------



## KPZ Enterprises

that must have been a scary ride in the chevy that went off the road!!!


----------



## jjklongisland

Let me ask you a ?, do you find that because of all the snow customers are having trouble paying? I can only imagine that people are starting to feel it financially. Is the pay structure for snow removal similar to other areas of the country or is it inflated due to high fuel prices and such. Just curious. Thanks for the photos...


----------



## LawnGuy110

Alaska Boss;1436620 said:


> These folks have been gone for a couple weeks, and had a fox run right up onto the porch of their little cabin,....
> 
> Well, it's finally going to get warmer than -20° tomorrow they say,... so I need to find my Burmuda shorts now,...  Even the DOT guys are getting worn out,....
> 
> Maybe if it finally gets a little warmer I can snap a few more pics,... where's Al Gore,... me & him need to have a little talk,....
> 
> :waving::waving:


Global warming at its best!


----------



## deere615

Thanks for still taking the time to come on here even with being so busy! For as long and as much snow as it seems you have had I can only imagine, Its a totally different story down here in the lower states! He in Pittsburgh Last day of January and first day of February today I have been outside in a t-shirt washing trucks!! Made it to 61 here yesterday
I also find it funny how we never hear much on any news around here how much snow you guys have up there. I get all my information about that stuff from this site


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## Mark13

deere615;1437365 said:


> I also find it funny how we never hear much on any news around here how much snow you guys have up there. I get all my information about that stuff from this site


x2. When Cordova and surrounding area got all the snow some people around here were talking about it and my mom asked if I had heard anything about it yet or not. 
"Yeah, heard all about it already, saw a bunch of pictures and all that too"


----------



## NICHOLS LANDSCA

It would be nice to have even 10% of your snow. We've had 15" this year coming from the 4th snowiest on record last year and the snowiest December ever. There isn't even any snow on the ground except in the shade. The highs have been in the 40's all week and above freezing highs through the 10 day


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## ladder6

Great pictures...I want more snow!!!


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## ladder6

Well said BPS! Awesome pictures...my kids are loving them.


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## dmontgomery

NICHOLS LANDSCA;1437601 said:


> It would be nice to have even 10% of your snow. We've had 15" this year coming from the 4th snowiest on record last year and the snowiest December ever. There isn't even any snow on the ground except in the shade. The highs have been in the 40's all week and above freezing highs through the 10 day


I am sure this is hard. But I do not feel sorry for you. I have done 8 salt runs and no plowing this season....our largest accum has been 1"......


----------



## NICHOLS LANDSCA

dmontgomery;1439397 said:


> I am sure this is hard. But I do not feel sorry for you. I have done 8 salt runs and no plowing this season....our largest accum has been 1"......


Ya not as bad as you, we've had 4 pushes and 5 dedicated salt runs. The largest accumulation was 3"(but 10 miles away only had 1") all the others were just enough to make the 1" trigger


----------



## cod8825

Dmont:

1" Now I am jealous here in Kansas City we have only gotten 1/4" all season. We have had two salt runs.


----------



## pldann86

I guess the local wildlife is taking a beating up there.


----------



## Alaska Boss

jjklongisland;1436956 said:


> Let me ask you a ?, do you find that because of all the snow customers are having trouble paying? I can only imagine that people are starting to feel it financially. Is the pay structure for snow removal similar to other areas of the country or is it inflated due to high fuel prices and such. Just curious. Thanks for the photos...


Yeah,... this year I have had some trouble with a few people that can't/aren't paying, which has been a rare thing for me in the past. Everything around here is done on a per-push charge, and I know that many folks can't just have their snow removal bills double or triple from normal and not be affected. I'm doing some places now that I know full well, that I probably won't get paid,... but they're neighbors/friends that I have known all my life,.. some are quite elderly and if I don't do it, they will have no ambulance/fire access if the need should arise. I just found out last week that a former next-door neighbor of mine who now lived about 15 miles away was found dead in the ashes of his house,... no fire trucks could get into his place at the time, so it burned down and he died. This has become a very tough winter this year.



pldann86;1439837 said:


> I guess the local wildlife is taking a beating up there.


No one even knows the extent of what the winter kill will be on almost all wildlife that lives around here, because the worst is yet to come. The Alaska Dept of Fish & Game earlier this winter had estimated that the mortality rate of the entire deer population in our area could reach 80%-90% before spring. Some of the beaches have a 8-12 foot wall of snow at the high tide lines, and the deer are forced onto the beaches and have to eat seaweed & kelp, which they cannot survive on alone. Plus, on the highest tides, the beaches go underwater, and the deer are forced to swim in places where they can't stay on dry ground. Most winter kill happens just before break-up, when snows are at the deepest, and the animals in the poorest/weakest state. All the moose have now been forced down into the valleys & river bottoms since the brush is mostly all covered under snow in the high country. Moose stompings & vehilce collisions are happening more this winter than normal around here,.... another one just happened today a few miles up the road from me,...a pickup looks like it hit a brick wall when it plows into a moose,... many times neither moose nor driver survive. Moose on the roads now are everywhere,... especially at night,....


----------



## Alaska Boss

Well, a few days ago we got another foot & a half of snow at my house,... and for the first time in my life, I couldn't keep my own driveway open with a truck. Just south of me a few miles, it dumped about 4 feet,... it just won't stop this year,... and we have at least another 2 months to go. Buildings are collapsing & caving in all over the place,... a tree fell on my closest neighbor's storage shed & crushed it with the snow load. Even in Valdez, the former main grocery store in town is crushing in and can no longer be entered or ever used again.


----------



## Alaska Boss

Even in my own yard, I have never ran out of storage space for snow,.... but this year I'm getting close to being boxed in. Ths Speedwing on my dually can still be used in an open area for stacking,... but is totally useless for windrowing driveways anymore this year,...


----------



## Alaska Boss

A couple weeks ago I parked my skid steer next to my house just in case I needed to start it since we had temps lower than -50°,... and thinking then that I didn't need to cover it,... well, it got half buried too.....


----------



## Alaska Boss

Even with my new long-track snowmachine, I jumped the banks of my driveway to see how well I could go in this snow,... and instantly buried the thing,...

more to come,....


----------



## Charles

Incredible scene!


----------



## dfd9

Unreal........


----------



## bossman34

As much as i love reading your posts and enjoying your pictures, I just can't imagine that much flippin snow.


----------



## KPZ Enterprises

wow that is incredible...i dnt want to jnx u but have u had any break downs from the amount of snow?? its wierd that your getting record snow amounts, as well as Europe. I wonder what nxt winter will have for us all...


----------



## DScapes

Incredible... I'm here doing landscape cleanups in February, and you're dealing with the worst winter ever! Let that arctic air release down here and unleash some of this on the lower 48!!


----------



## plowingkid35

Do you ever think about upgrading your skidder and running a blower? I know that for us last year was the most snow weve seen in quite a while and ended up using our skidders with blowers to move piles back. Just wondering if you have though of doing the same thing or not..


----------



## djr623

That is unreal!!!! Thanks for taking those photos, not sure i would have believed how much you actually got. Keep the pics coming and good luck up there guys!


----------



## mercer_me

Do you think all the snow will melt before next season's snow?


----------



## deere615

Crazy amounts of snow!!!! We are still seeing green grass here for the most part!


----------



## 91AK250

this has been a intense winter! you guys are getting hammered. here in town we're seeing alot more then we normally do by this time of year. trying to pull out of side streets is so hard because you cant see around the snow bank. on the highway exits you cant see anything other then a 4x4 truck because the snow hides all cars (over there roof). good luck with keeping things going!


----------



## hlntoiz

WOW, so now we know where all the snow is going.


----------



## all ferris

Beautiful and crazy all at the same time. 

Pretty much all of us in the lower 48 had a really good year last season. This year there is nothing. So what I am trying to tell you is that you might not want to spent all the money you are making this year because next year could be not so friendly to your wallet.

BTW- I appreciate you taking time to post the pics and write about your endeavors. I think if we had that much snow here all I would want to do on my time off is chase the old lady and sleep.


----------



## White Gardens

Alaska Boss;1443790 said:


> Yeah,... this year I have had some trouble with a few people that can't/aren't paying, which has been a rare thing for me in the past. Everything around here is done on a per-push charge, and I know that many folks can't just have their snow removal bills double or triple from normal and not be affected. I'm doing some places now that I know full well, that I probably won't get paid,... but they're neighbors/friends that I have known all my life,.. some are quite elderly and if I don't do it, they will have no ambulance/fire access if the need should arise. I just found out last week that a former next-door neighbor of mine who now lived about 15 miles away was found dead in the ashes of his house,... no fire trucks could get into his place at the time, so it burned down and he died. This has become a very tough winter this year.


I'm sure you will get paid, it's just a matter of when and not if. It seems like you provide awesome service for the area, and I'm sure these people will do what ever it takes to keep you for next year.

......


----------



## Daner

I have never seen so much snow, I do feel sorry for those animals.
As far as snow plowing It's a whole different ball game where you are....Thanks for the pictures....Very interesting

Dan


----------



## CGM Inc.

WOW! That is nuts!


----------



## 2006Sierra1500

Holy sh*t...and i thought last winter here in MA was bad...we had buildings collapsing left and right with only 2.5 feet of wet heavy snow


----------



## DareDog

how is that possible?? your getting TONS of snow here in new york my front lawn is green


----------



## 2004chevy2500hd

DareDog - Our local weather said to "brace" for a winter storm last night and had a dusting....if you could call it that...

PS - My grass is brown 

Anyone up for a roadtrip to go meet AlaskaBoss?


----------



## chevyman51

2004chevy2500hd;1445913 said:


> Anyone up for a roadtrip to go meet AlaskaBoss?


When do we leave!?


----------



## NickT

chevyman51;1445923 said:


> When do we leave!?


You ll have to leave in august to get there by winter lol


----------



## Mark13

NickT;1445975 said:


> You ll have to leave in august to get there by winter lol


We're not taking a covered wagon.


----------



## tmf lawn care

Mark13;1446617 said:


> We're not taking a covered wagon.


that to funny mark13

on a other note ab we got no snow here jerey for


----------



## Flawless440

This is a great thread, feel sorry for the animals. Crazy pics, just showed the wife and kids


----------



## chevyman51

NickT;1445975 said:


> You ll have to leave in august to get there by winter lol


According to google maps its only 3,697 mi, 2 days 23 hours so I could be there by thursday.


----------



## TomsSnowPlowING

My wife & kids love the pictures


----------



## D Mack

AB, Does the fire dept there have any snow removal equipment? When we have a bad storm around here we run a plow out before the trucks, but im sure man power is scarce around there.


----------



## Top_Notch

Just found this thread and it's fantastic! Thanks for taking the time to keep it going!

Jeff


----------



## White Gardens

Haven't heard anything from AlaskaBoss in a long time. Anyone got any info on him?

Just hope he's doing OK.

....


----------



## 91AK250

lots and lots of snow! i'm sure hes busy!


----------



## Jersey Push

WOW!!!! I have never seen anything like this before. We'll never get anything close to this in New Jersey or would i want it........... Hopefully everything is going well.....I would surely come up and help if I was closer. I think it would thak 3 or 4 days to get there. LOL


----------



## secret_weapon

AB has not been on here for a while, I hope he is ok. I think Alaska has gotten record amounts of snow and we've gotten record amounts of no snow. I'm sure the streets are like a maze now with walls of snow everywhere. Hopefully we'll hear from AB soon.


----------



## Salty dog

Thats some crazy weather up there , Hope all is well with you Thumbs Up


----------



## BPS#1

Good gawd....


----------



## KPZ Enterprises

BPS#1;1464495 said:


> Good gawd....


ur not kidding...its going to be 66 on thursday around me!!


----------



## BPS#1

53 today, 60 monday and tues here


----------



## KPZ Enterprises

ya i put all the snow gear away over the weekend...prob will be cutting grass by the end of march.


----------



## SullivanSeptic

That's not even funny. Thata straight dangerous. AB has to be getting his butt kicked.


----------



## muffy189

im sure he is but hes got to be rolling in the dough


----------



## SullivanSeptic

Probably not like we think. I assume they are in survival mode and I'm betting a lot if people can't actually afford that much snow removal. He's probably going to end up doing a lot if charity plowing.


----------



## muffy189

ya thats probably true. ive did some of that last winter this winter im in need of charity lol. what a difference in a year


----------



## mulcahy mowing

muffy189;1465204 said:


> ya thats probably true. ive did some of that last winter this winter im in need of charity lol. what a difference in a year


customers didnt write us checks "Because we need it". but we plowed because they needed it last year. Karma....yeah thats the payment


----------



## muffy189

mulcahy mowing;1466743 said:


> customers didnt write us checks "Because we need it". but we plowed because they needed it last year. Karma....yeah thats the payment


how true. How has your winter been up there?


----------



## 89Heaver

still no word on AB...hope all is as well as it can be up there. Wonder what the melt off is like with that much snow


----------



## linycctitan

My thoughts and prayers are with you, your family, neighbors and friends AB. Hope you get a much needed and deserved reprieve soon.


----------



## tmf lawn care

any updates about AB ? Hope he ok not hared anything from him in a long time.


----------



## KPZ Enterprises

idk prob still plowing drifts. lol


----------



## show-n-go

Great pictures as always AB, hope all is well with you.


----------



## White Gardens

Anyone heard from AlaskaBoss?


.....


----------



## big_belly4ever

Snow should have started to melt up their by now?
Weather channels says it was 46 today up their in Anchorage Alaska
Need pics Alaska BOSS 
We need all to converge on his house once so that he sees we all need him to continue to give us our pics fix now that he started us on this its hard with these long withdrawals.


----------



## White Gardens

big_belly4ever;1473489 said:


> Snow should have started to melt up their by now?
> Weather channels says it was 46 today up their in Anchorage Alaska
> Need pics Alaska BOSS
> We need all to converge on his house once so that he sees we all need him to continue to give us our pics fix now that he started us on this its hard with these long withdrawals.


I'm just concerned with his well being.

Hell, who knows if he's alive or not after that kind of winter?

..


----------



## Willman940

I'm half and half. We always seem to worry about him, and yet year after year we come to find hes out chuggin along as usual. Not that our worry is unwarranted maybe another call to the local radio station is warranted.


----------



## dieseld

Maybe boating already?


----------



## w4hyi

look back through his post somewhere there's a picture of his truck with his phone # on it and call him


----------



## Willman940

You try that, Mark and I being rational will begin packing for the rescue mission.


----------



## 2006Sierra1500

Hey if you guys are going on a rescue mission remember your plows. You'll need it...I wouldn't trust any of my trucks plowing that..

I hope AB is ok


----------



## muffy189

so anyone heard from AB yet? should have stopped snowing by now, maybe hes in hibernation mode. Im sure he would need it after that winter


----------



## 91AK250

i know they just got another 2-4" up there overnight


----------



## mulcahy mowing

muffy189;1466774 said:


> how true. How has your winter been up there?


it was awful here only went out a few times this year.


----------



## muffy189

mulcahy mowing;1476207 said:


> it was awful here only went out a few times this year.


thats the way we had it here also.


----------



## muffy189

AB you rested yet


----------



## F350plowing

im surprised he hasn't showed up yet in here


----------



## DareDog

Hes probably out fishing Thumbs Up


----------



## nalegtx

if i lived in AK, I'd deff be out either fishing or hunting. Something that involves taking advantage of living in AK!...............hopefully he's ok. I know he had computer problems a year or so ago...or at least i thought he did


----------



## SnoBull

I would've thought they had their first dusting by now, prompting AB to post an update...


----------



## nalegtx

AB u dead man?....hope u have ur lucky egg....(cool runnings)


----------



## Banksy

Seriously. Where is he?


----------



## SnoBull

Aren't there some members on this forum that have spoken to him on the phone in the past just to shoot the breeze and talk about plowing in AK conditions? Hope you're okay bud...


----------



## bossman34

It was his posts and pics that got me interested in this site. He will be back, he always is..


----------



## risin187

Send out the search party !prsport


----------



## MatthewG

I heard he got married to a pornstar, I know I wouldn't ever be on here if that were true


----------



## Banksy

MatthewG;1493992 said:


> I heard he got married to a pornstar, I know I wouldn't ever be on here if that were true


I suspect you'll be around here for a while. :laughing:


----------



## linycctitan

My thoughts and prayers are still with you AB, Hope everything is ok, just very weird that it's been this long.


----------



## mercer_me

Somebody on hear called his house before. They got his number off one of his trucks.


----------



## nalegtx

i really hope he's ok, its just about October. He usually has a fishing or hunting or even a first flake post by now.. AB i pray ur safe n everything is ok. And if u did marry a porn star, will she be coming along for the rides this winter?...LOL


----------



## Alaska Boss

*I'm back in circulation!*

Well hello again to my Plowsite family! Thanks for all the comments & concerns,... I'm still alive & kicking,... but things have taken a different turn in life over the past year,... some good, some not so good.

So as not to write a book, I'll keep this as short as I can. It appears that my 30-year charter fishing career has come to an end. Due to new & never ending & constantly more restrictive federal regulations in the fishing industry have finally made me choose to quit fighting a war that can't be won anymore. There's other factors as well,.... but it wasn't an easy thing to do,... I was by far the longest-running active skipper charter fishing out of Valdez,... as a matter of fact, I wasn't sure what people do on dry land in the summer,... . I've filleted 1½ to 2 million pounds of halibut during that time,.. not to mention the uncountable numbers of other fish as well,... and as weird as it sounds,.... one of the things I missed most this summer was cleaning fish!

But the other major factor that entered into my decision, was an opportunity to do some exploring and seismic mapping of areas of the Arctic Ocean,... indirectly for BP. So, that's where I've been all summer,... we just got back home here a few days ago. Maybe I'll start another thread w/photos of a body of water that very few people have had the chance to run around on,.... life on earth is a little different from on top of the 3rd rock from the sun,....

But, since I never finished this thread from my snow plowing activities from last winter, I guess I should do that now. I have to say that our record-setting winter last year was one of the toughest I've ever had to deal with in my life. Even now in modern history, heavy snowfall is still a very dangerous & deadly situation,... that I witnessed like never before. Late last winter, I never had to attend so many funerals & mermorial services in my life! Commerical & private homes & buildings that collapsed all over,... houses that caught on fire from snow-related causes,... firetrucks that couldn't get to homes on fire,... ambulances that couldn't get access to people with heart attacks & strokes and other things,... even a very close neighbor had a stroke last winter & layed on the floor in his house for 18 hours alone,... finally me & another guy busted thru his locked door,... his fire had gone out (it was -30°), the house was freezing up,... and he lived,... but he'll be a potted plant now for the rest of his life. I just couldn't really keep up with everything,... for the first time since I started my snow plowing business. Many places had snow that got beyond what pickups could do. I got involved with so many "rescue" issues,... fuel trucks that couldn't deliver fuel to homes, etc etc etc,... I plowed uncountable times for people for free,... just because someone had to help them. I still have stacks of invoices that weren't paid,... I guess I'll just write them off. Then on top of all that, I had more truck & plow break-downs than ever before,... trying to do more than what I should have. So that is the short version of why I just didn't have time to come on the computer much last year. But a couple years ago, I was plowing by now already,.... so like it or not,... I have to get ready to go.

So, since I still have a few pictures left from last winter,... maybe I'll post them now,... as a pre-view of what will be here shortly. And it wasn't just deadly for people here last winter,... the wildlife has a very tough time as well. I don't remember ever seeing so many dead moose in the woods before,... but the wolves had a hay-day,... in some areas they could find a moose & just start eating it without killing it, since the moose couldn't hardly walk, much less run or fight,... just a slaughter in places. According to the NWS, history seems to have a track of back to back record-type winters around here,... but we're all just hoping that a nice average-type winter is in store for our area,... there's still plenty of memories & evidence of what we got last year,...

And thanks again for all the comments,... I hope to have more time to come on here this winter than last,... but who knows,... :waving:


----------



## Alaska Boss

I'm not really sure what pictures from last year I have left that I didn't post,... I guess it won't let me if I did,... so I'll just post what I can find right now,... I've kinda lost track of dates & times,... so these probably won't end up being in the proper order,.. but it's ok I guess.


----------



## Alaska Boss

Heavy snow years are always bad for moose-vehicle collisions,... and last year was no exception,... moose were on the roads all the time,... and hitting a moose is not like hitting a deer,... more like a slamming into a horse with long legs,...


----------



## Alaska Boss

I couldn't even keep my own driveway open with a truck towards the end,... had to use the skid steer and push banks back,... never had to do that before,...


----------



## Alaska Boss

Some at night,...


----------



## DeVries

Welcome back. I've always enjoyed your pics. Hope to see some more if you're still in the plowing business.


----------



## Alaska Boss

DOT boys stayed pretty busy too last winter,....


----------



## Alaska Boss

DeVries;1494920 said:


> Welcome back. I've always enjoyed your pics. Hope to see some more if you're still in the plowing business.


Thanks,... just hoping I have more than a few days now to get ready to start this all over again,... :waving:

I had to keep up as much as I could,... or soon some places would get almost more snow build-up than I could punch into,... I'd have no hope without a V-blade,...


----------



## Alaska Boss

Parking lots just gradually got smaller as the winter wore on,....


----------



## Alaska Boss

At least in late winter I have more daylight to plow in,...


----------



## fordboy

Nice to see your well, and god bless you for helping others in need last winter. Hope you have an easier winter this year and would love to hear moe about your summer adventure if there is mmore to tell. thanks for all the interesting adventures you post up on here.


----------



## Alaska Boss

Moose are forced from the highcountry down into the river valleys in late winter,... so at least they can get out of the deeper snow if the river overflows & keeps making more ice,...


----------



## Alaska Boss

fordboy;1494926 said:


> Nice to see your well, and god bless you for helping others in need last winter. Hope you have an easier winter this year and would love to hear moe about your summer adventure if there is mmore to tell. thanks for all the interesting adventures you post up on here.


Thanks,... I'll start a new thread on that when I get a little more time,... the Arctic is a "cool" place,... but very different,... :waving:

More day-time plowing....


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## Alaska Boss

Sometimes if I had to open up a place with the SS, I'd do the major portions with it, then finish/clean-up with a truck,...


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## Alaska Boss

Wind is a killer for keeping places open,... when a driveway gets filled in,... it's like busting out concrete,.....


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## Alaska Boss

If some of these filled in a 2nd time,.... it becomes an all-day project to open them up,... they fill in as high as the banks are,...

Well,... I'll add some more later,... better get a little sleep, since it's 4:30am here,.... :waving:


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## bigc1301

Glad your ok. Cant wait to see more pics


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## Bossman 92

Welcome back AB, glad to hear all is well.


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## snowman6

Welcome back AB, Glad all is well for the most part. Love the pictures and thanks for taking the time to post them.:salute:


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## BPS#1

Alaska Boss;1494933 said:


> If some of these filled in a 2nd time,.... it becomes an all-day project to open them up,... they fill in as high as the banks are,...
> 
> Well,... I'll add some more later,... better get a little sleep, since it's 4:30am here,.... :waving:


I know how that works, I've seen plow banks on the county roads high as a vehicle after they've blown shut several times.

Glad to see you're still here, thats some tough stuff to deal with for sure.
The media never reports on such things down here as all the collapses and medical issues. The only thing we heard about was once or twice they mentioned it "snowed a lot" up there.


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## Mark13

Glad to have you back on here. Quite a few of us were missing your posts and the pictures to look at. Especially after last winter when most of us had nothing else to do. 

After seeing pictures of the snow your area got last winter and the way your able to keep your accounts open with a smaller skid steer by todays standards and a 12yr old pickup with a v plow shows a lot. You can handle snow that very few of us on here could. Not to mention temperatures or lack of temperatures. -30*F here, F that, I'm staying inside. And your plowing with the windows down, an open cab skid, and out wondering around taking pictures for us. 

Thumbs Up


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## fordboy

Kinda staying off topic, but how do you like the v-xt compared to the regular vee. Obviously you have some plow time behind it now.


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## 89Heaver

I may be new to the forums here but very glad to see you're ok AB. After that last winter you had up there I couldnt help but hope you were ok. Best of luck and fair winds!


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## mjstef

Looks like you plow a lot of the same type of areas as i do. How do you like a full trip (boss) VS trip edge (fisher, hiniker) I tried a boss but it beat the hell out of the truck when you hit a rock or hard area where the blade tripped. Ended up with a Fisher with a trip edge and find i can plow faster without beating up the truck and when the edge does trip i only loos a little under the blade VS the blade riding up and over the snow pile your pushing as is what happens with the boss. What's your experience??


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## 91AK250

DAVE!!! glad your alive, i was even starting to have concerns. i was going to try and contact you when i was in your neck of the woods this summer but i never got a number for ya.

sounds like you had a heck of a summer! hope this winter is alittle easier on us. but i'm not so sure how thats going to play out. we just got 8" in some parts of anchorage friday night.


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## 03fordboss

Welcome back AB. Glad you are well and look forward to more pics from you.


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## fireboy5722

glad to see you back AB, sorry to hear that you didnt get the porn star lol. cant wait to see this years post..... hopefully we get some here so i can post some picturesussmileyflag


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## muffy189

Glad to see your still alive AB cant wait for the new posts


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## Banksy

Welcome back, AB!! I'm very relieved that you are ok. Sorry to hear about the fishing and loss of friends and residents.


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## nalegtx

:waving:AB!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!....glad to hear your alive. Very sorry to hear about your troubles/losses. I hope everything works itself out. I know we're all glad to hear from you though.....ussmileyflag


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## [email protected]

Good to hear you are back, and sorry to hear about the lose of your charter business, although it sounds like another door opened for you, which is good


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## Kajun

Just incredible pictures in this thread...


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## mercer_me

Nice to have you back AB. I love all your pics. Now I want to move to Alaska.


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## RONK

Glad your ok and back.


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## Alaska Boss

Well, thanks again for all the comments,... I'll try & post a few more shots from late last winter,... along with some other interesting deep-snow situations.

Some of my jobs that were a little bit away from the mountains weren't too bad,... the snow depth varies greatly depending on how close to them you get. But the SS was still faster in places than fighting with a truck when there's no where to go with the snow in front of you,...


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## Alaska Boss

My little ole' Case 1840 may not be the best or fastest SS for snow removal, but it does the job, and it's all I got right now,... and it has never yet given me the slightest problem/issue with anything,.. other than a tire that has a slow leak,..


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## Alaska Boss

Because of the record-snowfalls we had last winter, the skiing companies that operate out of Thompson Pass (mostly helicopters) just south of me & north of Valdez had a booming business well into May,... some of the favorite slopes & gullies had beat-down trails from many hundreds of runs,... pros from all over the world show up here, including many Olympians,... both skiers & snow boarders

(This was in early May)


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## Alaska Boss

Of course there are hundreds of snow machiners running their sleds to the tops of some of these mountains too,... and other things,.. such as these para-skiers,... or should I say, para-boarders,....


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## Alaska Boss

DOT crews are fighting snow & drifting just as severe in May as they do in January,... except it's not so dark in May,....


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## Alaska Boss

Me & a couple buddies did our own mountain climbing too,... but we tend to try & go where no one else goes,.. or has ever gone,...


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## Alaska Boss

But as break-up started,.. that's when snow plowing is at it's toughest,... digging up all that ice -snowpack-slush is much tougher on equipment than the lighter dry snow of the whole winter,...


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## Alaska Boss

At the end of winter is when moose are at their weakest,... and also the most dangerous. They don't have enough strength & energy left to run from predators,.. so one can get pretty close, but they'll choose to attack & fight rather than run,... so keep your distance,...


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## dfd9

As usual, unbelievable pics AB. 

Glad to see you back. Hope this winter isn't as bad for you, either.


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## Alaska Boss

The only pavement I have to plow is my biggest commercial job,.. the local school, so one of my last jobs each year is clearing the ice & snow-pack off the pavement part of the parking lot. To finally see the pavement that has been buried for the last 7 months is almost like seeing flowers blooming again,... :bluebounc


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## Alaska Boss

dfd9;1496130 said:


> As usual, unbelievable pics AB.
> 
> Glad to see you back. Hope this winter isn't as bad for you, either.


Thanks,.. I hope so too. Just posting these pictures again right now is bringing back the 
memories of what happened last year,... and reminding me to be thankful that it's not always like it was then,.... :waving:


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## Alaska Boss

Here's a young moose I ran into (not literally) late last year that was so weak it couldn't or wouldn't get up,.... it probably died shortly after this,...


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## Alaska Boss

But speaking of moose,... here's some weird things they night do to survive & find food during record-setting winters,... even in cities like Anchorage,... I found these on the Anchorage Daily News website,....

First off,... it's best to keep the snow shoveled off your car,... or a hungry moose may just use it as a step ladder,...


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## A&J Landscaping

Thats awsome AB hope you have a good season keep us updated i love to see your pics i feel like i live there.


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## Alaska Boss

But one of the most unusual moose situations I ever heard of happened to a family in Anchorage last winter,....

The husband & wife both decided they needed to shovel the snow off their garage roof before the whole thing collapsed,... which was alot of work with over 130 inches of snowfall on it,.... and it left snow piles that reached right to the roof,....

So, they went to work the next day,... only to come home & find a distressed cow moose in their driveway,... with her calf standing on top of the roof of the garage!! 

(and no, this is not photo-shopped)


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## Alaska Boss

The younger moose can't reach as high as older/bigger moose, so they have even less brush & tree twigs available to them by late winter,... so this calf saw the un-eaten branches of the trees next to the garage,... so it climbed up on the snow piles,.. right up onto the roof!

The couple said that the calf seemed like it couldn't figure out how to get back down,... so they shoveled up several "ramps" for it to come down,... all the while being very careful to have an escape route handy for the irritated momma moose that wasn't too happy about junior pretending he was a mountain goat,...

And,.. after it nibbled on all the branches it could reach,.. it did finally come back down on it's own,... with no harm done to garage or moose,....


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## Alaska Boss

And finally,.... a few shots of snowstorms that didn't want to let winter die last year,... I believe these were taken during a snowstorm on May 18 last year,.... as I was going to Valdez,...


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## Alaska Boss

And the final stab came with these shots taken on July 8th, right near Gunsight Mountain on the Glenn Hwy, northwest of Anchorage, during a heavy snow-squall. It was funny watching these guys on motorcycles wondering what the heck is this??

I have a bunch more, but that should do it for last year's stuff. I've started getting a few gathered up of the new snow this fall already, so I'll start this year's new thread shortly,... :waving::salute:


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## DareDog

Wow just wow and over here on east coast we got nothing last winter how is that possible?? 

Did you sled much?


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## vegaman04

Do you trailer your SS or road it?


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## mercer_me

You must freeze with out a closed in cab and heat in the skid steer.


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## plowmaster07

Thanks for sharing all these great pictures Alaska Boss! Glad to hear you're alright! As far as the change in work is concerned, I'm sure it will work out in the end!


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## secret_weapon

In post #444, the last picture, it looks like 2 motorcycles just went by. Am I right?


Edit: I missed your comment on the motorcycles. So, yep...


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## Dogplow Dodge

Well, Mr. AB


Your thread was amazing. Took me almost an hour to read through it, but it was time well spent.


Hopefully you can get some rest now..





BTW,


How many miles per year do you put on your truck with the V-plow ? Just curious...


Thanks again for sharing, as it was a really great experience for someone who wasn't even there...


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## 91AK250

i cant believe the snow in july up there! i went to Mccarthy and valdez in july (24-27) and it was so freaking hot! 70s/80s..amazing trip. first time i had been up your way. it was so beautiful.

outside glennallen


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## DieselSlug

Motorcycles in slush lol.


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## BOSS LAWN

Got wet in the wind


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## nalegtx

THOSE MOOSE PICTURES AND AWSOME!!!!!...................always one of a kind photos AB nice to c u back in action here!


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## Dogplow Dodge

nalegtx;1497065 said:


> THOSE MOOSE PICTURES AND AWSOME!!!!!...................always one of a kind photos AB nice to c u back in action here!


Yeah, and most of the folks in the lower 48 complain about stink bugs invading their homes. He's got moose up there doing the same thing.....


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## secret_weapon

Glad you're back AB! Glad you're ok too. Can't wait for the new thread.


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## buildinon

AB, glad all is good up there and you are alive 

Sorry about the shut down of the commercial / charter fishing business but as well all know you guys up there are survivors and adapt and over come to any and all situations, other wise you wouldn't be able to make it up there. And it seems that you have already found a way new way to make your boat work for you.

I recall talking to you on here last winter about using the SS (as we use them here in Chicago ALOT) and you mentioning yours, did you use it more this year than in the past? Just food for thought but I know of guys who have bought extra or old plow mounts then made a plate to attach it to and mounted it to their SS, you could then attach your V-Plow to it when need be, and have the option of using either the bucket or V-Plow on site with it. I have even seen guys make thier own custom snow baldes for them as I know pusher boxes are probally not easy to come by up there for you guys.


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## Alaska Boss

vegaman04;1496180 said:


> Do you trailer your SS or road it?


I trailer it,... I have a 16' tilt-bed trailer custom-built for hauling a SS,... works very well.



mercer_me;1496358 said:


> You must freeze with out a closed in cab and heat in the skid steer.


Well, not really,... I just dress apporpriately for the temps. I have hand grip heaters on the control levers, which is nice. Several guys around here that have enclosed doors have said that they have fogging issues at cold temps,... snow melting inside making humidity, etc,... I don't know. This is all I got, so I make it work. I'm not going to run it if it's colder than about -20° to -30° or so.



Dogplow Dodge;1496555 said:


> Well, Mr. AB
> 
> Your thread was amazing. Took me almost an hour to read through it, but it was time well spent.
> 
> Hopefully you can get some rest now..
> 
> BTW,
> 
> How many miles per year do you put on your truck with the V-plow ? Just curious...
> 
> Thanks again for sharing, as it was a really great experience for someone who wasn't even there...


It varies some,... but most years are around 3 - 5,000 miles plowing,... of course that's only about half, since there's almost that many then going backwards,... 



91AK250;1496558 said:


> i cant believe the snow in july up there! i went to Mccarthy and valdez in july (24-27) and it was so freaking hot! 70s/80s..amazing trip. first time i had been up your way. it was so beautiful.


 Hey Russ,.. wish I was around when you came thru,... I could have shown you a few things around here that you probably didn't see. But ya, I agree that this is a nice area of Alaska. I gotta get some plow parts pretty quick now, so maybe I'll see ya in town,.. :waving:



buildinon;1498783 said:


> AB, glad all is good up there and you are alive
> 
> Sorry about the shut down of the commercial / charter fishing business but as well all know you guys up there are survivors and adapt and over come to any and all situations, other wise you wouldn't be able to make it up there. And it seems that you have already found a way new way to make your boat work for you.
> 
> I recall talking to you on here last winter about using the SS (as we use them here in Chicago ALOT) and you mentioning yours, did you use it more this year than in the past? Just food for thought but I know of guys who have bought extra or old plow mounts then made a plate to attach it to and mounted it to their SS, you could then attach your V-Plow to it when need be, and have the option of using either the bucket or V-Plow on site with it. I have even seen guys make thier own custom snow baldes for them as I know pusher boxes are probally not easy to come by up there for you guys.


I used it far more last year than ever before. I do have a Western plow rigged up for it which I have used a few times, but have found that a bucket works better for me in most situations when I can't use a truck. A bucket is also much better to have on when you're stuck & need to get yourself unstuck. Last winter I had snow drifting so deep in places that I could barely lift snow high enough to get it out of my way,... a plow just doesn't work too well when you have to bust up 4-5 foot drifts that are hard as concrete. I've been using it lately for loading firewood with a log-grapple attachment,... man is that nice!

Thanks again for all the comments,... snow plowing for the 2012-2013 is about to begin!

:salute:


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## linycctitan

Glad to see you are alive and well. Too bad about the fishing biz, but it sounds like a new life adventure is abound. Great way to adapt and overcome. Looking forward to reading/seeing more of "The life of Dave". It's truly fascinating to see how things operate up there in those extreme conditions, takes a certain breed. Best regards and have another safe season.


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## DAFFMOBILEWASH

I think you need a film crew from the discovery channel folowing you this upcomming winter season. I am sure you would have a ton of fans.

Take care and good luck to you in 2012-2013


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## South Seneca

I second that.


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## BOSS LAWN

the people have spoken. :salute:


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## CSLC

DAFFMOBILEWASH;1503073 said:


> I think you need a film crew from the discovery channel folowing you this upcomming winter season. I am sure you would have a ton of fans.
> 
> Take care and good luck to you in 2012-2013


that would be something I would watch!!!


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## ultimatelawns

Awesome pictures. Love the fresh snow pic with no tracks.


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## TomsSnowPlowING

Hello Alaska Boss,
Any snowplowing yet?
Here in PA with temperatures in the 60 deg. F. No snow here.


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## FordFisherman

Ummmm, this is a 4 year old thread???....?


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## gene gls

FordFisherman;2073656 said:


> Ummmm, this is a 4 year old thread???....?


And every one would love to hear from AB.


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## Mr.Markus

He hasn't been active since Dec 2012. Everyone misses his pictures..


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## FordFisherman

Someone talked to him last season I thought? Was having computer problems?


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## RONK

I miss his posts too. I hope where ever he is,he and his family are well.


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## scottr

Well, I know I can never replace the AK Boss, but I can toss out a few photos of Alaska 
Here's one of a couple weeks ago, been getting some good snow this winter (so far).


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## scottr

One of the Mnts I like to play in.


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## scottr

Some of the not so fun part of playing in the Mnts. While riding a guy ran my buddy and I down telling us his friend was buried in and Avalanche and didn't have a beacon on. He pointed to a general area and took off for more help. We bolted up t where we thought he might be and found his 2 other riding partners digging and probing and the edge of the slide. I asked where exactly they last seen him and how long he was under. They said he had been buried for 18 minutes. We set up a prob grid going east west and north south, we had a prob strike in about 6 minutes. He was 6 feet down, we started digging, at that point a couple other guys showed up to help dig. I've been through this a time or two and figured we were recovering a body. We got down to him, cleared his airway. He was blacked out but trying to breath. Long story short (sort of) he was under for about 24 minutes and is alive. Spent a couple hours getting him up and walking and getting his air back. His sled was 10' down, it took us a while to dig it out. If you look close you can see his face in the bottom of the photo. 
Ok I'm getting way off topic for this post.


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## BDTRUX

scottr;2073925 said:


> Well, I know I can never replace the AK Boss, but I can toss out a few photos of Alaska
> Here's one of a couple weeks ago, been getting some good snow this winter (so far).


Can we get some pics & details on the truck ? It looks like a bronco on 8 lug axles ?


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## scottr

BDTRUX;2074032 said:


> Can we get some pics & details on the truck ? It looks like a bronco on 8 lug axles ?


More details than you care to have ( most likely) do a search I the commercial section for " ground up truck build" or look under my name for the same thing. It's all in there start to finish. (Lots of photos)


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## SnoFarmer

scottr;2073929 said:


> Some of the not so fun part of playing in the Mnts. While riding a guy ran my buddy and I down telling us his friend was buried in and Avalanche and didn't have a beacon on. He pointed to a general area and took off for more help. We bolted up t where we thought he might be and found his 2 other riding partners digging and probing and the edge of the slide. I asked where exactly they last seen him and how long he was under. They said he had been buried for 18 minutes. We set up a prob grid going east west and north south, we had a prob strike in about 6 minutes. He was 6 feet down, we started digging, at that point a couple other guys showed up to help dig. I've been through this a time or two and figured we were recovering a body. We got down to him, cleared his airway. He was blacked out but trying to breath. Long story short (sort of) he was under for about 24 minutes and is alive. Spent a couple hours getting him up and walking and getting his air back. His sled was 10' down, it took us a while to dig it out. If you look close you can see his face in the bottom of the photo.
> Ok I'm getting way off topic for this post.


He got very lucky.
and you say you have dug out friends before?

Maybe its time for one or more of you to take a avalanche education class.


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## scottr

SnoFarmer;2074064 said:


> He got very lucky.
> and you say you have dug out friends before?
> 
> Maybe its time for one or more of you to take a avalanche education class.


My buddies and I train and attend classes yearly, we wear locating beacons and Avy air bags when we ride. However it can still happen to us. This last guy was someone I didn't know, lucky for him we had training and found him.
Heres another shot of one that came down about 10 minutes after I passed through that section of road, Had to turnaround and start clearing it with my shovel  ( I travel thru Attigun Pass on the Dalton Hwy often for work)


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## c.schulz

Dude with shovel - Hold my beer, this will just take a minute to clear. Dude with camera - Have at it brother, have at it


Chris


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## scottr

c.schulz;2074160 said:


> Dude with shovel - Hold my beer, this will just take a minute to clear. Dude with camera - Have at it brother, have at it
> 
> Chris


LOL,, good one. Lucky for me I could radio the shop and 2 loaders were on their way from about 5 miles down the road.Thumbs Up


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## scottr

another Avy just down the road. This was a pretty good one, peak was about 35' deep and 300 yards long.


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## scottr

Different angle, same Avy


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## scottr

Single lane punched thru to get traffic cleared up and flowing again.


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## SnoFarmer

Nice , deposition ...

I know how it goes, been in a few myself.
Sometimes having equipment and some knowledge draws Ya to them. 
Ether way he made it, maybe not with all of his brain cells intact.


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## muffy189

Scottr very nice pictures we all miss AB but you've done a great job... keep them coming


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## scottr

Well, the bad news is the snow has been falling in other places more than around the house = no plowing, bummer. Soooooo, go where there is some snow. Got a couple short days of riding at my cabin.


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## scottr

Picked up a new 4 stroke sled with a turbo, takes some getting use to.


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## scottr

Good time, good horse power, need more snow for sure,


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## scottr

OK, enough "non-Snowplowing" photos. This is the end


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## SnoFarmer

that last pic just shows that your a @ss...


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## scottr

You mean a good looking @ss  Thumbs Up


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## muffy189

great pics (except for the last one lol) love the sled


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## UniqueTouch

is that brown chevy 4x4? beautiful truck , thats my favorite body style. ive been looking for a dump but finding a lot of 2 wheel drives but they have plows on them . i dont understand


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## kah68

AB how does the pick up handle the weight of the Boss V, I have a 9'2"VX-T poly and I am looking for a cherry 2500/3500 single wheel with 5.7 5 speed (hens teeth) and since I only plow occasionally I was hoping it would be just fine since you don't seem to have too much trouble with it.

Thanks

Kirk


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