pull plows,are they worth it?

[lawnjocky]

I've been using strait blades (meyers with wings) for several years with good success but I'm always looking to improve my speed and quality of service (make more money).

The accounts I think I would pull the most would be residential drives, most of my commercial are strait pushes.For the average drive I spend 5-10 min. plowing and stacking.The first 25' or so never looks to sharp by backdragging with a front plow but it works.

As I see it a pull plow would do the following:
plus side-
1.better finish
2.save 2-5 min time
minus side-
1.extra lenth on truck,more liability
2.more weight on truck,accelerated wear (I already counterbalance).

Is an additional $3000.00 investment per truck (with an average of 3 plows per season) worth the time savings I invision? While I have no first hand knowledge since no one else uses pull plows in my market at this time, I can't help but think it would be a bad investment.

With all that said, I would like opinions on my logic and comments from people who are using pull plows to be certain I'm not overlooking a means for more business and profits.

 

[GeoffDiamond]

For your application.

I have one word, YES.

You will find that on short residential drives, you will only use your regular plow to stack snow at the end of the drive. Because the pull plow can do most of the work.

Geoff

 

[plowking35]

Spend three hundred on a urethane edge that mounts on front plow, and save $ 2700.00. It will work just about as well as a pull plow and less liability.
Dino

 

[slplow]

Dino, What extra liability is there with a pull plow, I didn't understand that? How can a polyuerathane edge do as good a job as a pull plow? When the pitch of the blade is meant to push snow, not pull it and in the northeast we have alot of wet, heavy snow it tends to raise the plow up. In the past, I have been using a back drag blade attached to the back of the plow with the opposite pitch. They do cut some time but the downside is when your stacking snow, they hang lower than the blade itself and it drags some snow back into the spot your just tried to clean. I am seriously considering buying a pull plow and do mostly residential driveways and i am really wondering if the $2000 is well spent money?
Please advise any comments or advise. P.S. Can anyone tell me how much time a pull plow on average can save.

 

[GeoffDiamond]

The urethane edge may work almost as well in a couple inches of snow. Only if you want to move 6" at a time, a pull plow will brind you top bare tar in one pass. I think for lots of residential drives they are the way to go. Only thats just me,

Geoff

 

[lawnjocky]

Dino,
I have used the rubber edges on lots that have speed bumps (trailor parks),gas stations and uneven or cracked pavement.For those applications rubber works great.But rubber leaves a thin layer of snow that most customers object to and unless I salt or the sun burns it off I'm left with ice the following night.
As for back dragging with rubber it floats worse than steel in my experiance.

Geoff
Do pullplows loadup very badly? Enough to hangup a truck?

 

[GeoffDiamond]

I would say it depends on your model truck, and how far it sits of the ground. I have never had a problem with my pull plows hanging up. Only mine are all mounted on 3/4 tons or larger, so they are fairly high off the ground. I belive they are worth every penny when you need to move more then 2" of dry powder.

Geoff

 

[plowking35]

URETHANE IS DIFFERENT THAN RUBBER
It is totally different and it actually scrapes cleaner than rubber. I dont know how else to say it, you hav eto try it to believe it. Why is it that anything new, has got to be bad.Do you ride on steel rims, no you use rubber. Is your cushioned by steel bushings, no they are rubber, or better yet, POLYURETHANE.
The stuff wears better than steel, in effect creates down pressure, and wont harm turf, curbs,plows, or trucks.
Now if you do alot of driveways, then a rear plow makes sense, but if you only have a few why spend 3 k on a new plow plus probably buy 2-3 garge doors as well while you or a driver learns how to manuever the thing.(thats where the liability issue comes in)
Look I didnt belive all this stuff about urethane either till I tried it, so I will offer the same to all of you as was done to me.
Buy one, use it, plow with it. If you dont like it we will buy it back.
Just so you know, we have never bought one back.
And last time I checked steel leaves snow in lots also, in all the nooks and crannies that it rides over because it doesnt bend, where as the urethane will get all that out.
Dino

 

[lawnjocky]

Dino;
Having reread your post I'm starting to wonder if we're talking about the same thing. When you say "urethane" are you refering to rubber edges? Is'nt urethane a type of plastic? If so I've only known of it used for molboards. If it's also edges please tell me more as I have not heard or read about it.

On a related note.
Has anyone tried Plow Guard's for cutting edges? Their listed in the Central Parts Warehouse catalog (a company I highly recommend).
Sam

 

[lawnjocky]

You guys posted while I was posting (type with 1 finger, 2 on a good day)
Dino,
where do I get this miacle edge and how much is it?

Geoff.
I can move 2" of powder now. Tell me about 6"-8" of wet stuff.
Sam