Snow Equipment Owning/Operating Snow plowing

[MossRoad]

<font color=blue>Sometimes being a "good samaritan", neighbor helping neighbor... can cost ya </font color=blue>

At our old house I use to snow blow the neighbors sidewalks and driveway. They were old and it only took me 5 or 10 minutes extra. In the summer, he'd mow my front yard for me while I was at work. His yard was always perfect and he wanted my yard to match. He didn't care for my dandelions, but I didn't want to apply herbacide. One time I went to look at my front yard and there were all these brown circles of dead grass, hundreds of them. I asked him if he put down some weed killer. He said he spot sprayed my dandelions. I asked him what he used. He said Ortho Weed-B-Gone. I asked him to show me the can. He took me in the garage and pulled a can off the shelf. It was Ortho Clean Up /w3tcompact/icons/laugh.gif/w3tcompact/icons/laugh.gif/w3tcompact/icons/laugh.gif He killed most of my lawn. The Weed-B-Gone was behind it. He felt so bad. I told him no big deal, the grass would come back next year. We laughed about it together for several years and I still took care of his snow until he passed away. Then I took care of his yard and snow for his wife until she moved away several years later. Great old couple that lived well into their 80s. /w3tcompact/icons/smile.gif

 

[MossRoad]

<font color=blue>She is very appreciative and occaisionally gives me a pie - which is just fine, even though the pie is not very good, but it is the thought that counts. </font color=blue>

/w3tcompact/icons/laugh.gif You got that right! You're a good person /w3tcompact/icons/smile.gif

 

[northcreek2624]

<font color=red>"Just be careful..so if something should happen and you decide not to plow for free anymore,there won't be to many sour grapes w/your neighbors"</font color=red>

Thomas,I have found that plowing neighbors is kind of like feeding the birds,once you start you have to keep doing it....Mike

 

[jhburke]

I live on the end of a dead end lane. There is 6 houses on the lane. I plow the lane and depending on how I feel several drives. Last year I paid to have my drive cleared twice. I had a heart bypass in oct of 2001. No one even offered to clean my drive. I have no problem with not plowing if no time or energy. If they give me any guff I won't plow at all.

 

[crown]

Gary
I have had my tractor now for two years and we have not had more than 3 inches, I too am looking forward clearing some snow, there forecasting 10 inches before it stops today, boss called and said stay off the roads so I'm off for some fun on the tractor, my only mistake is I left the finish mower on and did not get it off and the blade on until last night, needless to say it was very cold. Let it snow and the fun begin.

 

[WVBill]

Hear Hear on the snow, Crown. My boss agreed with my decision not to make the trek into DC today. Looks like it's starting to slow down around here in our parts now. Let the tractor snow plowing "games" begin!

 

[hazmat]

It always amuses me the scale at which snow brings the DC area to a halt. Seems you guys get snow every year, but nobody (including the local & state DOT's) knows what to do with it.

 

[Rick Jay]

I think this really depends upon the neighbors. One of the advantages of having the tractor is that I don't have to go out and plow or snowblow during the storm. If I don't have to go anywhere, I just wait for the last snow flake to fall and go out and play. Most of my neighbors have small walk-behind snowblowers so they are often out during the storm. By waiting until it's over, most of the neighbors have a good start on their driveways before I go out.

I would like to add one thing you all might be interested in. If you have municipal fire hydrants, make sure that the closest one to your house is cleared and visible from the road. Where we live, it's the responsibility of the homeowner to keep it clear, but most people around here don't bother. Since that will impact my family and house, I make sure that it is well cleared after a snow storm.

~Rick

 

[Anonymous Poster]

Well...we got 8" today and I managed to plow both our drive after returning home from a customer briefing in NJ and as my first "good deed" of the season, an eldery neighbor's place across the street. I guess that makes up for the "lack of seat time" lately...<G>

 

[BigDave]

This also is my first winter with a tractor. Today we got 7" of snow, and I got the day off. I plowed my drive, my neighbor's drive, and our shared road. I live in a 3 house neighborhood, so I didn't do one of my neighbor's driveways. I wanted too, but I ran out of daylight. His driveway is about 600' long, so it would have taken a while. I hope he doesn't take offense.

I won't won't charge anyone for doing a driveway, but if the snowfall is light, I'll only do my driveway and go to work.