# Anyone starting out?



## hickslawns

Anyone starting out sweeping in this economy? Sounds crazy, but we are having some ridiculous bids around here right now. I am not getting out, but not planning any future expansion until my new competitor puts himself out of business. If anyone is looking for a nice startup unit or backup truck, I am going to be selling my 99 Schwarze 343D. Selling cheap. Under $10k


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## redman6565

i happened to fall into the business more than anything else just because lot managers/lot owners wanted an all-in-one guy. i cant say i plan on getting rich or anything at this but atleast i dont have to worry about the sweeping guy trying to take my lots away. but email some info about this truck and [email protected]


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## plowtime1

Hey Phil,
Would you send me pics as well through the this site or post them. Thanks


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## hickslawns

We are currently taking the lettering off and repainting the hopper. It is a 1999 Schwartze 343D with the Perkins rear and 6.5Turbo front. I need to look, but I am thinking around 125k miles. Not great, but not going to be expensive either. Seems like $30-40k for a used unit usually. We went thru and rebuilt the lift cylinders and put new hydraulic lines on it earlier this year. I will get some pics posted when it is done. Might be a week or two. THanks, Phil


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## redman6565

how much were you looking to get for this truck again?


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## hotshot4819

please send me a pic to [email protected] might be interested. and the price


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## hickslawns

I guess i let the cat out of the bag too early. I need to see what our total costs are in the truck, where it has been depreciated out to, and what this paint ends up costing. Probably be another week or so before it is ready to leave the shop. We are painting it in house. I guess I didn't figure on much activity with the economy and since the ongoing joke seems to be nobody follows the sweeping section on this site. ha ha Joke is on me. Will work on getting the truck finished and out the door for pictures ASAP. Price will be under $10k but I just don't know how much under just yet. Thanks for your excitement and interest.


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## redman6565

listen i make it a point to keep the sweeping forum active haha


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## Dwan

Phill ?

I find my best times are just after gliding through the tight times. If you get out the competition will raise there price and be able to afford to stay in business. Hate to see you go.
You will come back around and say hi once in a while won't you?

Dwan


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## hickslawns

Dwan- Hi!
I am not going anywhere. I still have 2 trucks working, I am just trimming the fat. Lose a couple big ones, and pretty soon you don't need 3 trucks. I figure as cheap as this guy is bidding, I will work within the profit margins I need to stay in business, and wait for him to fail miserably. I am not trying to sound like a vulture, and certainly not trying to sound arrogant. It simply is what it is. I have local competition bidding 15acre properties for $60. The one in particular is 35 min SW of me. This joker is 40 min north of me. I just scratch my head, and figure it is a matter of time. Just because things are tough in the economy doesn't mean you should drop prices in order to pick up accounts. If you work at less than cost, you are losing money. Losing money is worse than breaking even. I am simply selling one of the trucks, trimming the fat, and positioning myself for the long haul. I want to be able to post on here 20 years from now. 30 years. Heck I am only 33yr old, so maybe in 40 or 50years I might retire. ha I doubt that one, but maybe in 40-50yrs I will start thinking about slowing down a bit. 

I stated earlier I am not planning any future expansion which after re-reading isn't totally correct. I am staying on the offensive and doing more sales calls. I am simply working on grouping and keeping a tight route locally within the margins.


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## Snowshow

Phil has it figured out! I like your philosophy.


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## Superior L & L

But were are the pics of the sweeper?


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## hickslawns

Snowshoe- I wish I had it figured out. You are giving me a big head! Far from figured out, but I do have a game plan. We all need one if we are going to be in it after this economic slump is over. If we are still rolling after the slump, we will emerge stronger. I am confident my company will still be rolling, and I am confident the joker under cutting me will not.

Superior- you are right. What a turd I am. I will get some pics. We got side tracked with a couple little snows, the hectic holiday schedule, and my Grandmother is not well. I will get some pics as soon as I can. Sorry.


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## jadyejr

Please send me some pics of the unit. As well as a bottom price to [email protected] Thanks! 
John


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## redman6565

hickslawns;677298 said:


> Snowshoe- I wish I had it figured out. You are giving me a big head! Far from figured out, but I do have a game plan. We all need one if we are going to be in it after this economic slump is over. If we are still rolling after the slump, we will emerge stronger. I am confident my company will still be rolling, and I am confident the joker under cutting me will not.
> 
> Superior- you are right. What a turd I am. I will get some pics. We got side tracked with a couple little snows, the hectic holiday schedule, and my Grandmother is not well. I will get some pics as soon as I can. Sorry.


Did you ever end up selling the sweeper truck?


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## hickslawns

Still sitting behind the barn. Grandma died. Christmas and New Year happened. Plowing snow ever since. The truck has not been a priority as we have had a busy plowing season so far. I still plan on finishing the painting and making sure everything is good to go before I officially list it. I will keep you posted. Sorry for the delays.


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## redman6565

sorry to hear about your grandmother...no rush i was just wondering is all


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## redman6565

hickslawns;630956 said:


> Anyone starting out sweeping in this economy? Sounds crazy, but we are having some ridiculous bids around here right now. I am not getting out, but not planning any future expansion until my new competitor puts himself out of business. If anyone is looking for a nice startup unit or backup truck, I am going to be selling my 99 Schwarze 343D. Selling cheap. Under $10k


did you end up deciding to sell this?


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## redman6565

did you ever end up selling the truck?


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## plowtime1

Maybe theres an emotional attachment ? LOL


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## AiRhed

Anybody ever seen one of these? I found a Mog u500 for 50K. Wonder what one unfitted with one of these runs? Would be nice to have a "dual purpose" sweeper.

http://www.schwarze.com/PressReleases/A7UNIMOG.html


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## Do It All Do It Right

they take the sweeper off and put on the epoke salter


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## merrimacmill

So did you sell the sweeper?? Let us know whats up with it.


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## salt guy

i have a t 500 cheap if interested


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## hickslawns

*Update*

So much for being in a hurry. hehehe It is time to roll this truck one way or the other. I will work on pictures this week. $7500 takes the truck.

Here is the updated part. The joker undercutting me must have fallen off the face of the earth. About a month ago I got a return call from one of the stores he had snagged. We swept once a week just to try to keep it somewhat presentable. After three weeks, we were back in sweeping 4x per week just as before. Didn't raise the price, didn't lower the quality. However, look who is still in business. Same service, same price, reacquainted with a former customer. Good for me! Yesterday, I got a call from the other "large" store he had snagged. Sweeping 4x per week there as well. Should be picking up a T-500 tomorrow from saltguy unless something unforeseen happens between now and then.

How did I do it? Continued mowing for the store. Made quarterly follow up calls. Asked how things were and if there was anything we could do to help. It is called customer service. Not too common anymore. Sad. The greeters at the "large" store smiled and said they were glad we were back. Parking lot was in pretty sad shape. Truck hopper was full last night and then some.wesport

Hope everyone else trudges through this economy like we are attempting. Customer service, quality workmanship, and prices that afford you the ability to stay in business. My goal is simply to outlast those few other sweeping companies in our area and steadily pick up the work. It has been a slow but successful process so far. Best part about it is the fact I was able to hire an out of work gentleman and help him out. Mutually beneficial. Probably be adding another part timer fairly soon as well. Take care of those when they are hurting and the rewards cannot be calculated with dollar signs. This is something I have learned many times over in business. In general, take care of the customers and employees and the dollar signs will follow. Hope everyone else on this site is sharing some similar stories.


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## gd8boltman

*Hickslawns*

Please post the photos of the sweeper you have for sale.

Thanks.


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## hickslawns

I don't know how to post them here. I don't have any accounts for this online I can draw them from. I have tons of pictures if you would like to send an e-mail.

Here is what I have for sale.

1999 GMC 3500 with Schwartze 343D. Truck has 128,000 miles on it and has the 6.5Turbo diesel. Rear engine is a Perkins diesel. Hour meter shows 8402 hours. I do not know if either of these has been rebuilt in the past. They have operated fine since my purchase. I have NOT used this truck much though. Just being honest. I will tell you this truck is going to need some repairs prior to placement in service. Tires, and something with the curb broom is wrong. The only other thing is the pick up head drops down sometimes when you go down the road. Should be able to replace the small cylinder which controls this or rebuild it cheaply. Head does go up and down and hopper lifts/lowers as it should. I did spend $1500 to have the hydraulics worked on. Cylinders were rebuilt and new hoses all throughout. All cylinders rebuilt except for the one which leaks down and causes the head to drop. Truck body is pretty good. No major rust or dents except for one cab corner which is damaged but not rust damage. Interior is fair and the drivers side of the seat is the only thing I know of which would need any attention. Send e-mail address for pictures or call my cell at 419 233 9339. $7500 is my asking. These trucks are ridiculous in price and usually see them in Sweeper Market magazine for $12-20k of this age and model. At $7500 you have room to do some minor repairs in order to make it an everyday unit.

The other sweeper I have for sale is a 2000 Tow Vac. We use this regularly up until last week when we picked up the new one. This is a pretty heavy duty sweeper mounted on a trailer. We painted it 2 years ago as preventative maintenance. There are a few spots where it shows we painted it ourselves if you are up close to it, but nothing terrible. It is in safety yellow. It has a curb broom and a new Honda 18hp motor we put on last year. Fully operational and ready to go to work. $5000 for this unit. I would consider selling the 1997 Ford Ranger 4x4 we use to pull this for an additional amount. $3000 for the truck or $7500 as a package deal. The truck is in pretty decent shape other than rust on the tailgate and one spot on the bedside which is ate up on the top of the bed rail. Very odd how it rusted there. Never seen a vehicle with just one spot of rust which is on the top of the bed rail in the middle of the rail. Weird. Truck and sweeper tires are good. rebuilt tranny in truck 2 years ago. 4x4 works but fuel gauge does not work. ABS light is on.

Let me know how to post pictures or just email me and I can send you some.

Thanks, Phil


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## hickslawns

http://www.plowsite.com/picture.php?albumid=690&pictureid=4366

http://www.plowsite.com/picture.php?albumid=690&pictureid=4367

http://www.plowsite.com/picture.php?albumid=690&pictureid=4368

http://www.plowsite.com/picture.php?albumid=690&pictureid=4369

http://www.plowsite.com/picture.php?albumid=690&pictureid=4370

http://www.plowsite.com/picture.php?albumid=690&pictureid=4371


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