Do you plow snow?

[kmzlawncare]

Originally Posted by orangemower

I get 38 cents a pound to spread salt. The places I salt take 4 50lb bags each to cover on average. So in two places that I salt, it takes 20 minutes to get to both, salt them and come home. I pay 5.15 a bag so that's 41.20 in salt leaving me 262.80 in gross income for 20 minutes of my time. It's hard to beat $13 a minute.

I didn't say I didn't make any money but when we plow my gross is a lot more money then just salting. I know it's takes a lot less time to salt but I look at the bottom number not all my customers want ice melt but they all want plowed.

[CreativeLawncareSolutions]

3 more inches of accumulation by Sunday morning here in Cincy. It's going to be a looooooong weekend.

[Darryl G]

This is how a local guy by me charges. If you want a driveway plowed and the garage front shoveled it's gonna cost you a minimum of $70. And this per minute stuff...WTF. What's he do, run a stop watch?

RESIDENTIAL:

$50 plus tax for the first 6 minutes of service.
Additonal time bills at $7/min and may be needed for houses on busy streets, large accumulations of snow, excessive backblading, circular driveways, steep hills, driveways with limited or no place to put snow or those driveways that dead end at a garage door with retaining walls on both sides of the driveway. If you require any shoveling, like the strip of snow the plow cannot get at in front of the garage door or a walkway, see below for the schedule of charges.


SHOVELING: $20/man plus tax minimum for the first 6 minutes. Additional time if needed is $1.50/minute/man.


SANDING: $150/yard spread plus tax, 1/2 yard minimum


COMMERCIAL:

$150 minimum for the first 1/2 hour plus tax. Additional time is billed in 1/4 hour increments for any part of that time plus tax. Walkway clearing is additional and bills at $45 plus tax minimum for the first 1/2 hour. Additional time is billed in 1/4 hour increments thereafter for any part of that time plus tax.

[94gt331]

Originally Posted by Darryl G

This is how a local guy by me charges. If you want a driveway plowed and the garage front shoveled it's gonna cost you a minimum of $70. And this per minute stuff...WTF. What's he do, run a stop watch?

RESIDENTIAL:

$50 plus tax for the first 6 minutes of service.
Additonal time bills at $7/min and may be needed for houses on busy streets, large accumulations of snow, excessive backblading, circular driveways, steep hills, driveways with limited or no place to put snow or those driveways that dead end at a garage door with retaining walls on both sides of the driveway. If you require any shoveling, like the strip of snow the plow cannot get at in front of the garage door or a walkway, see below for the schedule of charges.


SHOVELING: $20/man plus tax minimum for the first 6 minutes. Additional time if needed is $1.50/minute/man.


SANDING: $150/yard spread plus tax, 1/2 yard minimum


COMMERCIAL:

$150 minimum for the first 1/2 hour plus tax. Additional time is billed in 1/4 hour increments for any part of that time plus tax. Walkway clearing is additional and bills at $45 plus tax minimum for the first 1/2 hour. Additional time is billed in 1/4 hour increments thereafter for any part of that time plus tax.

This guy is a ass. But there's lots of guys like that out there that charge like that. They try to meet there entire winter budget in 1 or 2 stroms. People will argue with me about it, saying it's good buisness and ther not lowballing get real there only screwing people.

[Darryl G]

I consider getting in front of the garage doors part of the job and don't charge extra for it. I do charge extra for sidewalks, but I have a few elderly customers who are also lawn care customers and have small sidewalks that I don't charge extra.

[CreativeLawncareSolutions]

Coming down hard and fast here in Cincy right now. Heavy stuff expected to be done by noon. It's gonna be a long night. It's also going to be a very profitable night.

[orangemower]

I'll be on my atv in the f'in freezing cold to do my roads and driveways. Some old man fell asleep going down the highway and totaled my truck this past Tuesday.

[Darryl G]

Originally Posted by orangemower

I'll be on my atv in the f'in freezing cold to do my roads and driveways. Some old man fell asleep going down the highway and totaled my truck this past Tuesday.

Well that sucks! The bright side is that an ATV is more maneuverable for those tight spots.

[RSK Property Maintenance]

Originally Posted by CreativeLawncareSolutions

Also, you can get a great used plow for 2k, Heck, I bought another truck and had it installed with mounting bracket for $1700. There's deals out there if you do a little investigative work.

there absolutely are, I did it, I picked up my 96 f350 powerstroke 7.3 with 238,000 miles for 3500 with fisher minute mounts and wiring, and then picked up the original plow that was bought new in 96 with the truck for another 300, not working, knowing it needed a headlight wiring harness which cost 136 from fisher in maine. and I just started plowing in 2011 with 0 accounts, got 20 my first year, and another 25 my second year, and I stopped advertising for snow removal in december 2012, as of right now I cover 7 towns with one truck do all residential, and my average driveway is 45 or 50 but in december i'm raising my plowing prices, on all driveways that are below 50 dollars. with one truck, i'm busy for 18-20hrs which is too long for me and for customers, but the addition of second truck would mean i need to find more work closer to my other accounts to keep profits high. right now my whole route is about 140 or 50 miles and cost about 85 dollars in diesel. I end up around 140hr as an average. sometimes its over 200/hr but then i have some accounts with a lot of drive time, like 15-20 mins.

hopefully this summer i'll pick up an 94-97 f350 dump truck with a mm plow and throw a sander on that, and i would like to pick up an 2008-10 f350 reg. cab and throw a stainless v plow on that. and pick up some commercial work. i need more work closer together I have alot of times where i'll do two driveways for 40 dollars and they both only take 15 mins and there is no drive time, because they are neighbors

[RSK Property Maintenance]

oh i forgot to add i picked up a toro single stage snow blower for sidewalks for 100 dollars, it is 10 years old but it starts every time and pays for itself every time, i take it out along with my plow, and the portion of my truck that i bought with truck pays for its self every time. also the way to make money with plowing is to set the trigger at 1" or close to an inch so when there is a little under an inch like these little storms we just got in the past week you plow all your accounts and still make money. vs. waiting for 2" or more might only happen twice a season. almost all my customers are at 2" or more which will change in december, I'm telling them i'm doing there driveway around 1" that way i get out as much as possible. I know i can get new accounts very easily, and enforce a 50 dollar minimum from 1-6 including sidewalks pretty easily. unless the driveway is long or up a hill or something extreme