This post is a bit different than how big is your snow plow or blower :thumbsup:, more so I'm wondering how other tractor owners use or not use their resources to help others. This may say this is my first post but Ive been a member since 2005 in the Kioti forum as 7mmrum, unfortunately the email I used at the time of creation was a work email for which I company I no longer work for anymore. So I cannot reset that old account. Now that this fluff is out of the way.
So my question to all of you is what you feel right about helping out others in your neighborhood?
Let me provide the use case. I live in a small neighborhood of 5 to 10 acre lots the road we live on has 12 home sites and is not state maintained; maybe 1/8 to 1/4 mile long. I have lived here for over 10 years and the only one with adequate or that matter any snow removal equipment. There is no HOA for snow removal on this private lane. So each year I have cleared the private feeder road to the best of my ability with my tractor using a front snow plow or the bucket. Thought it was a kind gesture, more so in the beginning was to see how effective my new toy is. As each year would pass I would see a few families shoveling out and so I pushed some snow out of the way to their driveway to their house, I mean a few minutes of me pushing snow saves them and hour of back breaking work. So on average I clear about 4-5 other driveways in addition to the private lane every year or when we have something substantial.
Each year I get disheartened or cynical with the fact that folks don't take my time/work to clear the road or their driveways for them so they can get out to the state maintained road. I mean I'm the second house on this line of as I said 12 homes. So I can clearly screw the folks beyond my residence by simply clearing myself up to the main road...... well the rest of you are on your own. Each I year I get less and less "thank you's" or even come out of the house to wave; and rarely does anyone offer up a few bucks for at least fuel. These home sites are in the neighborhood of 400k to 600k, so it isn't a lack of extra cash for them.
This last storm "jonas" which in the my area dumped about 30+ inches of the stuff and honestly a bit much for my tractor and the work involved.. As you guys all well know there is a quite a cost to purchasing a tractor, operating costs, buying chains for the tires, a plow or snow blower, the stuff really adds up. Now we do use our tractors for other farm related uses, not as if it is a dedicated snow mover that sits 10 months of the year.
So I'm curious on the others that are out their in a similar situation as what you do.
- do you tell them sorry
- do it for free
- charge them a flat fee / hourly fee - if so what is it
- or in similar situation do you clear yourself out then your done
So my question to all of you is what you feel right about helping out others in your neighborhood?
Let me provide the use case. I live in a small neighborhood of 5 to 10 acre lots the road we live on has 12 home sites and is not state maintained; maybe 1/8 to 1/4 mile long. I have lived here for over 10 years and the only one with adequate or that matter any snow removal equipment. There is no HOA for snow removal on this private lane. So each year I have cleared the private feeder road to the best of my ability with my tractor using a front snow plow or the bucket. Thought it was a kind gesture, more so in the beginning was to see how effective my new toy is. As each year would pass I would see a few families shoveling out and so I pushed some snow out of the way to their driveway to their house, I mean a few minutes of me pushing snow saves them and hour of back breaking work. So on average I clear about 4-5 other driveways in addition to the private lane every year or when we have something substantial.
Each year I get disheartened or cynical with the fact that folks don't take my time/work to clear the road or their driveways for them so they can get out to the state maintained road. I mean I'm the second house on this line of as I said 12 homes. So I can clearly screw the folks beyond my residence by simply clearing myself up to the main road...... well the rest of you are on your own. Each I year I get less and less "thank you's" or even come out of the house to wave; and rarely does anyone offer up a few bucks for at least fuel. These home sites are in the neighborhood of 400k to 600k, so it isn't a lack of extra cash for them.
This last storm "jonas" which in the my area dumped about 30+ inches of the stuff and honestly a bit much for my tractor and the work involved.. As you guys all well know there is a quite a cost to purchasing a tractor, operating costs, buying chains for the tires, a plow or snow blower, the stuff really adds up. Now we do use our tractors for other farm related uses, not as if it is a dedicated snow mover that sits 10 months of the year.
So I'm curious on the others that are out their in a similar situation as what you do.
- do you tell them sorry
- do it for free
- charge them a flat fee / hourly fee - if so what is it
- or in similar situation do you clear yourself out then your done