Ethics on clearing neighbor's drive ways and private lane

[BigBlue1]

I did not want anything for clearing snow off the road not a thank you or anything but i did not think i should be put down for it.

My response was purely to Coyot25's original post. Not sure what you posted after that but it wasn't directed towards your situation.

I agree you shouldn't get put down for doing a favor. If you do then it is time to change plans. Doing something good ceases to feel good when the recipient acts poorly, so I cease the favor. Very, very rarely had that happen, but I lucked out with some great, like-minded neighbors.

Rob

 

[laurencen]

our driveway is half mile to the highway, I have equipment for just about anything, for a few years I plow my driveway and zip to the neighbor half mile down the road to clear his, with the truck takes half hour, they appreciate it dropping a 40oz by the door each year.

years past before I got the plow I used the Deer644 loader for driveway and when 6 inches or more dropped went down the highway doing a few others, yes they rarely said thanks, couple years ago we had a large dump, with the wind there were drifts one could drive over it was solid, well I dug my driveway and the neighbors, while doing this had several cars stop asking if I would do others, that night I cleared 20 driveways a couple miles away, its a small community and before I cleared each set the price, at $50.00 I figured it was a deal, some scoffed and most willingly paid with a few paying more and offering bottles,

funny my wife said she expected me back hours ago, when I gave her the cash and booze she was hoping for more snow, last couple years next to no snow accumulation the call for 6 inches tonight, Im ready.

 

[3Ts]

I did not want anything for clearing snow off the road not a thank you or anything but i did not think i should be put down for it.

I don't understand the mindset of people who put others down for helping. But, I have experienced it myself. They complain if you don't help, if you offer to help and they turn you down they will still complain, and they complain if you do something for them (all with no expectation of something in return).

 

[FatTire]

We are lucky to have great neighbors. I usually plow three other driveways in addition to our own. One guy is a finish carpenter, lately he has been giving me large amounts of oak kindling (from dimensional lumber) and some big chunks of maple which I guess were from sort of solid slab, already cut to length and ready to burn. This has great value to us since we live in area with no hardwood and additionally he is the kind of guy always happy to lend a hand. Also he is a great powder skier, so good neighbor to have. (If you ski you know the value of a great ski partner...)

Another couple takes us out for an extremely nice dinner at the end of plowing season. And the third gives me cash. So I'm pretty happy to live where we live!

 

[2ndhalf]

Plowing peoples driveway is absolutely one of my favorite things to do as long as I'm doing it in my own time. I would not want to try and make a living at it. I have always, if I had time, checked to make sure my neighbors could get out of their drive.

They are thankful even if they don't say it; for the most part. I plowed two neighbors a couple weeks ago that I've never even met; still haven't. They never came out and IDK. I like it that way actually because it was cold and I was trying to get back to the house to watch football

 

[mike69440]

Plowing peoples driveway is absolutely one of my favorite things to do as long as I'm doing it in my own time. I would not want to try and make a living at it. I have always, if I had time, checked to make sure my neighbors could get out of their drive.

They are thankful even if they don't say it; for the most part. I plowed two neighbors a couple weeks ago that I've never even met; still haven't. They never came out and IDK. I like it that way actually because it was cold and I was trying to get back to the house to watch football

I hate plowing snow out our own farm. I have a lot of area to plow and the ground is uneven and area is lined with boulders and blast rock.

Plowing as much as I do really takes a toll on my L39 TLB tractor, so I am not eager to plow others, but I do. Before my previous neighbor to the right of us lost their farm and marriage, I plowed for them as their equipment was not up to the task and broken down. Before the new owners bought a SV95-2 with big stainless plow, I did major storms for them when they really struggled with their L3901. The neighbor to the left has a pair of ATV's with plows and an old plow truck, and I still will help plow him out in a major storm. I do not take money. I will clear other people on our road to push back snow banks and such, but most have tractors, some with plows and snowblowers, so only when they need help. Folks are thankful.

I sure hope someone would rescue me if my tractor is down, sickness, or family emergency.

 

[Slowpoke Slim]

When we first moved up here, and lived in town, there was an elderly couple a few doors down from us that were nearly shut-ins. The old man couldn't even get to the car without help, and the wife was not in much better shape. The first snow we got, I went down there and cleared their driveway after doing my own. Didn't even think about it, just did it. She came by a couple days later, almost "demanding" that I take money for it. I said "no", and told her I did it just to be a good neighbor. She actually got irritated about it, and I told her whatever money she was thinking of giving me, just give it to her church or favorite charity. That seemed to satisfy her, and off she went home. Next storm came in and I went and did it again. She came outside while I was clearing her driveway and just cursed me out, yelling and telling me to stop.

Seriously?

So I shut down my walk behind blower and took it home. I never helped her again. The next year we got really pounded with a couple of 2 foot storms, and I cleared my own driveway and sidewalk, and that was it.

We live outside of town now, and every neighbor has their own tractors, plows, etc. My closest neighbor and I do things for each other all year 'round. I mow his road ditches when I do my own, since I have a rotary mower and he doesn't, and the ditches are rough enough that it would tear up his fancy zero turn. He clears snow from my driveway when I'm out of town, and when he's away I look after his place and animals, clear snow when he needs it. I also mow his pasture and corral whenever he needs it. We're constantly buying adult beverages for each other, and we each keep the other's "favorite" beverage on hand for when the other one walks over.

My other neighbor came over and cleared my whole driveway last winter after seeing us struggling with our walk behind blower, (before I could find "my" tractor and buy it). He wouldn't take any money (even tried to give him some for fuel). He's set up pretty well with equipment, several tractors, runs horses and cows on his place, but if he ever needed anything, I'd be over there like a shot.

It's nice to have good neighbors. None of us are "keeping score" on who owe's what, we just lend each other a hand.

 

[aczlan]

It's nice to have good neighbors. None of us are "keeping score" on who owe's what, we just lend each other a hand.

As it should be...

Aaron Z

 

[BigBlue1]

When we first moved up here, and lived in town, there was an elderly couple a few doors down from us that were nearly shut-ins. The old man couldn't even get to the car without help, and the wife was not in much better shape. The first snow we got, I went down there and cleared their driveway after doing my own. Didn't even think about it, just did it. She came by a couple days later, almost "demanding" that I take money for it. I said "no", and told her I did it just to be a good neighbor. She actually got irritated about it, and I told her whatever money she was thinking of giving me, just give it to her church or favorite charity. That seemed to satisfy her, and off she went home. Next storm came in and I went and did it again. She came outside while I was clearing her driveway and just cursed me out, yelling and telling me to stop.

Seriously?

So I shut down my walk behind blower and took it home. I never helped her again. The next year we got really pounded with a couple of 2 foot storms, and I cleared my own driveway and sidewalk, and that was it.

Some people think way differently than most. There are folks who really, really don't like 'owing' anyone. I think they feel that if someone did something nice for them and they didn't pay for it then they are on the hook for some imaginary 'favor' in the future and they just can't handle that hanging over them. Other folks are very protective of their property and things. One of my neighbors was thankful for me blowing out his driveway when we had a big storm but really wanted to do it himself most of the time because a) he liked everything neat and perfect; and b) the scratches from my tire chains bugged him. I also had a situation one year where a couple had hired a company to plow their driveway out (because they were both working out of town frequently and the mother-in-law lived with them) and they asked me not to blow theirs out because the plow company apparently got irritated when they came out and the driveway was already done. Who knows if any of these situations applied to your neighbors, but something similar probably did.

Rob

 

[Oaktree]

There are folks who really, really don't like 'owing' anyone. I think they feel that if someone did something nice for them and they didn't pay for it then they are on the hook for some imaginary 'favor' in the future and they just can't handle that hanging over them.

I get that totally, describes me to a degree, probably most people who've gotten what they have "the hard way".
Got a neighbor for whom I'll plow out the last 10' of his driveway to the road for when we have a decent-sized storm. He's specifically asked me not to do the whole thing, I'm sure he doesn't want to feel indebted to me. He does woodworking as a sideline and every year gives me several boxes of wood scraps for kindling, his wife will sometimes give us some stuff she's baked. We're even as far as I'm concerned.
Maybe same thing with Slim's neighbor, though she handled it rather rudely.