Done for the season???

[SlimJim Z71]

As much as I hate to say it... it's not looking like I'll be doing any more plowing this season. I know there's still a month or so left of winter, but it's looking pretty grim. Temps are staying fairly warm, and then dropping to VERY cold. But it seems as though whenever there's precipitation around, the temps go back up. It's driving me nuts! I think it's getting to be time to start focusing on what I'm going to do for summer work.

-Tim

[4 Saisons]

you're right, better focussing on summertime. And if the snow come, i think you're more than ready to deal with it.

Denis

p.s. are you still planning on sweeping?
BTw if you did'nt got a lot of snow this winter, may be some bizz will go out of the games and this will bring you some new contract for next years!

[plowjockey]

Denis
I agree with your statement about some operators going out of business. Myself I'm not going anywhere...not going skiing, not going out plowing, not going much of anywhere but back to storage with the surplus salt etc.
Oh yeah I guess I am still going to my day job. G.M. has this odd idea about me being there every day to get paid a full check. LOL
Tim unfortunately I think I agree with your assessment.

Bruce

[JD PLOWER]

I know what you mean Slimjim, it looks like the oldman is taking an early exit this year. What really burns me is that I keep reading about how large parts of the country are above average with snowfall. Boston is at 22" for the season but our average is 41" :mad: ! To top it off it was 54 today .

[RB]

It looks like it time to start early spring clean-ups.

I do want to take the time to say thank you to everyone. My first year plowing was a success in part to the great advise I received from this forum.

Ron

[66Construction]

JD Plower

I'm in Albany same situation yearly avg about 64" got about 32-34". The farmers almanac predicts a lot of snow in April. It actualy says as much as fell in the rest of the winter will fall in April. I dont know if this is gonna play out or if the farmers had a littlt JD before they wrote it but I hope they're right. It was in the low 50's here today too. I finaly took the plow off my truck I think I only used it twice since the end of December.

[John DiMartino]

Gentlemen-store the salt,pack everything away-put the plow setup in the back corner of the shop,wash it all down.I guarantee you you'll get blasted the day after you pack it away,and will be scrambling to get it all back on the trucks.I hope we get 2 more events-but not huge ones.I think we are above our average for the season.My books show we had about 50"" this year total.

[OBRYANMAINT]

DO NOT PACK UP THE PLOWS IT WILL SNOW AGAIN THIS YEAR FOR SURE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!PLOWABLE EVENTS!

[66Construction]

I took the plow off the truck in hopes that it will snow. After something like that it usualy does snow. I'm not ready to put anything away yet.

[Randy Scott]

Reverse psychology, I like it!

[npalomba]

I changed the oil in the mowers last night... I am sure that's a sign that It will start snowing anytime now.

[SlimJim Z71]

John,

If that's all it will take to get snow... I should've done that a long time ago!

-Tim

[thelawnguy]

Forecast for snow Fri and again Sun.

Good years and bad we usually have 1 or 2 plowable storms thru mid-March.

[allabout]

Good thing for the ( 2000) December too remember. I do not remember a January & February in the same year with no snow March should bring us in the mid west at least one plowable event. It allways snows one time in march ( yet it allways snow in jan & feb)

[Yardworks]

I don't know about you guys but around here we normally get quite a bit of snow in march. A lot of the forecasters in the area are saying above average snow fall the rest of the winter. We are already 20+ inches above our average in our area. Don't give up hope yet. A lot of winter left. Tim I'am going to try to get you a photo of my sweeping machine. It sounds like you need a good laugh and my machine will give it to you. I just don't have a clue how to send it yet. When I figure it out, I'll send it. Jeff

[SlimJim Z71]

Thanks Jeff. If you've got it saved on your computer, you can just e-mail it to me if you want.

I guess in a way I was kind of hoping by starting this thread that Mother Nature would turn the tables on me and drop some snow! I'm hearing now that we're supposed to get some wintery-mix of weather towards the weekend... maybe this cold front will hang around a little longer and turn that rain into white stuff...

-Tim

[SCL]

Tim,
I'm in the same boat, and maybe after this weekend I'll mean that literally. Supposed to be back in the forties, maybe fifty, and rain. No plowing for jJan or Feb, but I have gotten to salt quite a bit andeven hauling ag lime for ice and gravel for thawed drives. I think we're done. Even started looking at customers for spring cleanup work yesterday and we don't do much of that. If its not going to snow then let the frost be gone!

[Alan]

March historically brings the heaviest snows to Vermont. So far we're just about at the season average, 72" or so against anormal season of 79.2 for the year. I may have jinxed it as I brought in a loader on a few sites this morning and moved banks back to have room for the next storm. If there is a next storm. Last year I moved banks back and the next day we went into a full blown thaw that kept up until the ground was BARE! I expect at least two more plowable events, possibly one of them a major storm. I'll tell you more in April.

[Deere John]

I heard the maple sap is already running down in the mid latitudes.

Not quite so warm here as we have -22 degrees Celcius today, and 4" called for tomorrow.

We aren't quite done for the year - in fact, I signed up three more residentials (contracts-only) Monday for the balance of the season. We have had 288 cm of snow (=113 inches) so far and people are just getting fed up with the shovelling. In fact, I've heard of fights between neighbours about where all the snow is piled - water in basements in the spring - type of arguements.

With all the snow and no thaw this winter, cutting edge wear is not even measurable - we rarely touch the gravel or asphalt.

[75]

I'm about 2-1/2 hours south of Deere John, I say the same thing he does: Referring to my earlier thread, "It's not over yet!"

[earth works inc.]

well maybe i jinxed myself, but went ahead and put the plow back on my truck since the weather man says were going to get 1-2 inches starting in the morning. that would be great.

hmmmm lets see - clear lanes and salt and do the walks in the moring. come back that evening and clear the lot and then salt again. o yea clear the walks again

that would get rid of some salt. guess i will have to set the alarm clock for 4:00 a.m.

[HC]

8 inches last night, flurries tonight (maybe get a salting out of it) and a big storm coming in for Sunday. This one is not even close to being over. We have been out more this year than the last two combined. We can't give Erie Pa. a run yet but we are trying!!
Pat

[75]

HC - you guys have had more than us, and we're only half an hour up the highway! Didn't need to plow this morning, I think the high winds last night took it all down to you. You're right about the number of times out - at least as many this season as the past 2+.

[Rooster]

SlimJim Z71

Tim, Is your plow equiptment still put up for the season?

Just keep it there okay?

:D
2/21/01 we got a little 1"er here in K.C., I actually got to plow 8 hours. Would of been shorter, but another truck got the boot sort of speaking. (would plow how instructed).

[Dockboy]

hey Tim,

What do you mean no more snow, This was me tonight :D

http://www.sover.net/~dapron/stacking2.jpg

http://www.sover.net/~dapron/stacking3.jpg

Greg

[SlimJim Z71]

I actually got to go do a little salting, but that was it for yesterday. Light d-d-dusting. No s-s-snow yet. Need... to... plow...

-Tim

[JCurtis]

Forecasters were wrong again.... What else is new!

original forecasts were for 0 - 2" for the Stamford area, then they changed to 2" to 4" on wednesday's late forecast. then they said 1" to 3" all day yesterday.

I measured 4.5 " to 5" in my driveway.

Wish I was a meteorologist, its the only job I know with no serious consequences if you F*** up.

Sorry for the poor attitude.

[crew]

The reverse psychology thing works!! Took the plow off my rig and decided the time was right to do some front end work on another. Lo and behold we got BIG low pressure moving into Iowa and its all setting up for possibly the biggest event of the season! Now its a scramble to get that truck together so it can make some money all weekend. It aint over by any strech of the imagination.

[SCL]

Was watching the news of the storm out east and wishing I was there, or not. Our storm for Friday night is right on the border of the rain/ snow line. I'm going out to put the plow and the salter back on. That ought to make it rain, huh?

[Deere John]

The other things that makes it snow is to:
1) Load your schedule up with other commitments
2) Miss many hours of sleep on other projects to the point that your IQ drops to that of a functional retard,
3) Say out loud that you hope it doesn't snow now, because you have no time for that nonsense.

Guaranteed to work - it happens to me twice a week.

[thelawnguy]

We had the perfect storm- 3 inches of very dry fine powder that scraped clean one pass. I was out at 5, home by noon.

Rain here for the weekend but we shall see things have a way of changing quickly.

[plowjockey]

My solution? I'm today going to load out all of the ice control product in my garage/shop and take it to the storage facility. My main truck is loaded with what I think will cover any small event we could get. This should insure that we get dumped on with enough ice to supply the NHL, AHL and all other leagues across the continent. Tim, you should be able to hear my arms hurting (bagged material) all the way up there.

Bruce

[Red_Rattler]

Where I live in Wisconsin, everytime it looks like snow, it gets above freezing, and we get rain, I guess its time to put the plow away, and think about spring clean up for my lawn care biz. OH i hate spring clean up...

[crew]

Saw and talked to more than a few plow jocks who are growing weary of our situation up here. We got hammered over the weekend with 4" of snow followed by 8 hours of rain followed by 4.5 more inches of snow. The temp outside right now is around 0 and dropping. The funny thing is this is the first event all season that went off without a hitch. No call backs, no bitching and only one breakdown.
I am going to take the plow off my truck tommorow in the hope that it will bring more snow!

[75]

Hey Crew - can I get you to take the plow off your truck more often? Got me enough snow to plow this morning (looks like around 3" and easy-to-work-with powder too) up here north of Toronto. Off to work I go...

[SlimJim Z71]

This is freakin rediculous!!! It's been almost two months with no "plowable" snow here. That does it... I'm burrying the plow in the garage, taking my spreader off, AND putting my tailgate back on. That should do it...

-Tim

[Mark Oomkes]

I don't want to sound bitter, but I wish you guys who are getting snow would just keep quiet.

[crew]

No promises, but get ready 75- she came off this morning.

[75]

Crew - I hope Mark isn't listening to this but I just parked my truck and plugged it in for the night. Snow's a falling! Don't know how much we'll see by morning but hope for the best...

[Mark Oomkes]

75, just jealous is all. We haven't had a decent plowable event with everybody out since the end of Dec. Good luck and have fun. Although I probably will get a full night's sleep.

[plow kid]

[75]

I know Mark - just havin' fun! This is the first "real" winter we've had in a few. A lot of people are saying what a bad winter it's been, I think it's more just a return to the norm (at least in my area). Only 1 real blizzard that shut things down for a bit, (Dec 12 and everything was back to mormal by the next day) all the rest of the events have been pretty manageable. Did have a day a couple weeks back where it snowed about 12" in the course of the day.

[Red_Rattler]

Now I know I'm done, the big man from above just started the big thaw here, we topped out at 48 degrees to day, oh well, it was fun while it lasted :(

[SlimJim Z71]

Okay, the plow is off, and getting further buried into the garage every day. The spreader is off, blocking the plow. Tailgate is back on. Washed AND WAXED my truck today... and even cleaned the windows and the carpet. If that doesn't trigger a storm, I don't know what will. If I've forgotten anything, please let me know.

-Tim

[plowjockey]

Please let something frozen fall from the sky and stick!!

Tim, the big red beast is ready to give 'em well.

I'm not going to use the spreader this year but I can't wait to see what that big sucka' of a plow will do.

Bruce

[75]

Bruce - pics? (Either here or on your web page) I'd like to see your "new" truck!

[plowjockey]

Still working on the pictures. Rob, I don't have all of the fancy digital camera and photopoint toys but we are going to put the equipment back on it tomorrow and get pictures to post and some that I just got back, of truck #2 (the K-2500 GMC that is my plow truck) if I can figure out how to do it.

Bruce

[SCL]

Washed the spreader and took it off the truck today. Took the salt out of the bed. Not in tehe hopes of more snow but int he hopes that it will dry up and I can get back to landscaping.