# 1" of snow, to plow or not to plow?



## trqjnky (Nov 12, 2009)

Alright, say you get 1 inch of snow. Accounts have 2" trigger. But its going to be below freeing and cloudy for the next week. 

Do you plow to help it melt or let it get packed down and stay there because it wasn't two inches?


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## bln (Feb 12, 2004)

I have had this situation happen before. I contacted the property mananger and we were compensated for the plowing. (The plowing was seasonal and the salting was per app.) Don't plow it unless you know your going to get paid or else they will expect each time. If your plowing is per push then yes go ahead and plow. Bill for it, if they complain take it off and make up for it later.


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## m_falafel (Jul 27, 2010)

What the guy before me said is pretty good. Also, if it's a seasonal, well for me it depends if it's a commercial account or a resi. If it's a resi I only plow when we get the amount written on the contract, if it's commercial I plow almost whenever there's an accumulation.


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## peterng (Apr 13, 2006)

that's really interesting. I wrote a 1" trigger into my contracts and I know now the first thing I will do is have 2 levels of seasonal next year, 1" & 2" 

2" ends up with 15 visits per year on avg up here, 1" ends up with 30 visits

1" gives some damn nice clean driveways though.
Pete


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## wideout (Nov 18, 2009)

with an inch or less here we just put down salt and let that burn it off


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## Lawn Rover (Aug 16, 2009)

wideout;1156381 said:


> with an inch or less here we just put down salt and let that burn it off


+1 definitely salt it.


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## MahonLawnCare (Nov 18, 2007)

i agree with the notion of plowing if it's per time and salt if its seasonal. that's what i always do.


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## got-h2o (Sep 26, 2008)

Depends how wet it is. We have a light inch dropping as we speak. I hope/plan to just salt it. A wetter 1" of snow around here would need pushing.


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## basher (Nov 13, 2004)

We had an inch yesterday, salter made it go away


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## dforbes (Jan 14, 2005)

I would talk to each customer, explain the situation and let them decide, If they are willing to pay for it then do it. If not let it go. A 2 inch trigger is just that, you show up at 2 inches. If you are going to change it all the time, then you don't need a trigger.


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## Mdirrigation (Dec 12, 2003)

ok , you have a 2 inch trigger , and it snows 1 inch , and tomorrow it snows another inch and the next day an inch more . Put in your contract that plowing can occur at the contractors discression , based on predicted weather forecasts. We just got an inch we plowed and salted , this morning lots were black, those that didnt , those lots were ice. error on the side of caution


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## ericklinehamer4 (Nov 3, 2010)

It ALWAYS pays off to scrape off 1" first. You will use FAR less salt to end up with the same clean lot. Obviously, this may vary from account to account (size of lot, difficulty of plowing, wording of actual contract, etc.) but if your true concern is quality of work and satisfaction of customers---plowing off what you sensibly can before salting is always the way to go!


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## wideout (Nov 18, 2009)

My customers would not be happy at all if they seen I plowed a little 1 inch snow but the salt they understand and are ok with and my lots are clean and my customers are happy. They don't feel like I'm just trying to hose them but they are taken care of and as long as they are happy that's all that matters so you should really just sit down and talk to who is in charge of the place to see what they want


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## ericklinehamer4 (Nov 3, 2010)

I see what you're saying Wideout but this is how I look at it: Conserving materials benefits BOTH the customer and the contractor. The less salt I use, the less overhead I have which allows me to keep my price low. Also, the less salt I use on a given lot means reduced corrosion and pavement breakdown which can stretch lot maintenance dollars. Additionally, the green footprint (which as we all know is much more important these days than ever before) is significantly reduced when we responsibly manage the amount of salt we all use. Just sayin... ;-)


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## wideout (Nov 18, 2009)

I know what your saying but unfortunately for the most part the only green these companies care about especially right now is the green in there pocket they don't worry about the concrete and other small things now! I buy the most eco friendly ice melt I can that is still at a reasonable price it says it won't harm concrete or vegetation but who knows for sure.


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## brianbrich1 (Dec 3, 2010)

Salt one inch or less...if the sun comes out it really goes away!!!


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## basher (Nov 13, 2004)

ericklinehamer4;1156843 said:


> It ALWAYS pays off to scrape off 1" first. You will use FAR less salt to end up with the same clean lot. Obviously, this may vary from account to account (size of lot, difficulty of plowing, wording of actual contract, etc.) but if your true concern is quality of work and satisfaction of customers---plowing off what you sensibly can before salting is always the way to go!


The trick is to pre-apply. then you use less salt get no bond and save the cost and wear and tear of plowing.


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## brianbrich1 (Dec 3, 2010)

Pre-apply works great!


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## bristolturf (Dec 20, 2008)

plowing at 1" salting up to an inch. Sometimes we will even just scrap the lot clean if its 3/4 of an inch of snow. Accounts that are a nothing below 1" with out approval are billed t/m below 1", if it comes up to be more than what a 1" storm costs will usually just bill them for 1". Has happened, all day snow storm on a weekend needing lots of salt and occasional clearings before the full plow.


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## ericklinehamer4 (Nov 3, 2010)

It's a gamble tho BrianBrich, it can actually screw ya in the long run when temps drop enough...OR...if it ends up NOT snowing you really look like a jackass and obviously have to end up eating the salting charge! lol, but a good pre-salt (when all the planets DO align) is a pretty sweet thing. ESPECIALLY when there's a Steelers game on! ;-)


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## paponte (Oct 28, 2003)

wideout;1156381 said:


> with an inch or less here we just put down salt and let that burn it off


+2. You can't efficiently plow an inch of snow unless the lot is perfectly flat. It's a waste of time. Salt and be done with.


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## bristolturf (Dec 20, 2008)

we plow less than 1 inch all the time, ya you get those dips in the lot and it doesnt do anything, but majority of our stuff just scraps right off. It allows us to use less salt, since we arent trying to melt off 1inch of snow and then trying to prevent the formation of ice. We can just salt, and worry about ice only. Secondly, when we have salted even less than an inch of snow, you get areas where it doesnt melt off, and you need to reapply salt (mainly around corners, along edges, etc.)

Zero tolerance sites any accumulation over usually .25 inches is scraped off and salted, all others are salt below 1", plow at 1". Some sites request plowings below an inch too, but that is just a special request.


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## SnowGuy73 (Apr 7, 2003)

got-h2o;1156456 said:


> Depends how wet it is. We have a light inch dropping as we speak. I hope/plan to just salt it. A wetter 1" of snow around here would need pushing.


Agreed, well said.


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## ericklinehamer4 (Nov 3, 2010)

My main 'lot' IS in fact perfec: Hilltop TERRACE! ;-) I plow EVERY snow before salting and it amounts to HUGE savings in salt usage over the course of the winter.


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## pvtben121 (Aug 22, 2010)

salt it while u can


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## Wayne Volz (Mar 1, 2002)

*To answer your question*

Many variables have already been addressed very well. But to answer your question, we have plowed an inch many times in an effort to get the job completed faster than waiting on ice melter. Variables are the biggest issue of making this a wise choice or not.


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