jenkinsph
Super Star Member
Hire it out with a contract and get a copy of the insurance policy. Save everyone the grief of the tractor wars.
Subdivision snow removal machine?
- Thread starter stlbill
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I can see this scenario going bad in a number of different ways. The first of which would be the worst case. A operator is involved in a accident during or after a snow event and ..heavin forbid, someone dies. At that point everyone in the subdivision is going to get sued. A lawyer is going to see 2 miles of homeowners and leach onto every homeowner policy he can get. IMO, hire a contractor and be listed as additional insured.
Lt CHEG
Platinum Member
Hire it out to someone reputable with sufficient insurance and enough equipment to handle the job no matter the situation. Road maintenance for a situation like this isn't for amateurs and when access to homes for things like police, fire and EMS service are at stake you need to be sure the job gets done. A professional will have backup equipment and the ability to handle large events. And in the long run accounting for liability, breakdowns, etc. hiring it out will be cheaper.
Everyone,
Well, it sounds like this is not such a good idea after all. All great points. Thank you!
So my search for a plow and spreader contractor continues...
Dave1949: In St. Louis a big snowfall is 6" or more at once. Before anyone says it: I was born and raised near Lake Erie so I remember what real snow was like. The problem we have in St. Louis that makes Pennsylvania look easy is freezing rain. For this reason we must have someone with a spreader. The contractor last year told me he spread only 600 pounds of sound on a little more than 2 miles of roads. One bid I received this year verbally (working on getting it in writing) promises to deliver 4,000 pounds per 2 miles, but he costs a whole lot more than last year. That's why I am considering buying a machine all our own, but now I see that was foolhardy. Salt works well for us because temperatures infrequently plunge below 20 F. If they do it is only at the coldest time of the day. We do pay for our own asphalt maintenance in the Summer season so there is merit in using Magnesium or Calcium "Ice melt", but there is a lot of disagreement over whether it is healthier for our asphalt or concrete driveways that meet our asphalt. The cost of Calcium and Magnesium here is very high. I have not yet found anyone who will mix sand with salt of any flavor.
Question: All contractors who have ever cleared snow in the neighborhood use a pickup truck. Is it really possible to spread 4,000 pounds of salt from a pickup truck? How much can be carried in a V-Box in-bed spreader on a 1 ton pickup truck? It seems he would have to return to base for another load of salt soon afterward and before doing another nearby subdivision making his "route" much more challenging.
Well, it sounds like this is not such a good idea after all. All great points. Thank you!
So my search for a plow and spreader contractor continues...
Dave1949: In St. Louis a big snowfall is 6" or more at once. Before anyone says it: I was born and raised near Lake Erie so I remember what real snow was like. The problem we have in St. Louis that makes Pennsylvania look easy is freezing rain. For this reason we must have someone with a spreader. The contractor last year told me he spread only 600 pounds of sound on a little more than 2 miles of roads. One bid I received this year verbally (working on getting it in writing) promises to deliver 4,000 pounds per 2 miles, but he costs a whole lot more than last year. That's why I am considering buying a machine all our own, but now I see that was foolhardy. Salt works well for us because temperatures infrequently plunge below 20 F. If they do it is only at the coldest time of the day. We do pay for our own asphalt maintenance in the Summer season so there is merit in using Magnesium or Calcium "Ice melt", but there is a lot of disagreement over whether it is healthier for our asphalt or concrete driveways that meet our asphalt. The cost of Calcium and Magnesium here is very high. I have not yet found anyone who will mix sand with salt of any flavor.
Question: All contractors who have ever cleared snow in the neighborhood use a pickup truck. Is it really possible to spread 4,000 pounds of salt from a pickup truck? How much can be carried in a V-Box in-bed spreader on a 1 ton pickup truck? It seems he would have to return to base for another load of salt soon afterward and before doing another nearby subdivision making his "route" much more challenging.
jenkinsph
Super Star Member
I use Ford F 550 service trucks and these have a payload rating of about 11,000 lbs. Should be able to carry 4 tons of salt in one trip with these trucks. If I was in your shoes find a reputable contractor and let him deal with it, he may have heavy trucks for this specific purpose putting out salt.
Buppies
Super Star Member
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Salt is not good for asphalt or concrete especially in large doses. Number eight stone would give you traction while not being harmful to the road or driveway surfaces
I think you need to determine and balance, not good for asphalt and I need ice melted for safety reasons. I plow and salt all winter. Commercial accounts don't care about asphalt. They do however care if someone slips on ice.
Buppies
Super Star Member
- Joined
- Oct 26, 2011
- Messages
- 12,299
- Location
- SouthWestern Virginia
- Tractor
- Kubota L5240 EX mark 60 in 29 hp Toro 60inch Z Master 21 inch walk behind Polaris 900 hunter edition 30in toro walk behind
Good point but they have more money to spend than individuals or home owners associations
grsthegreat
Super Star Member
Our association faced this same question years ago...ended up[ in a fight. Who would store it and whats to prevent someone from using it and breaking it on their own property and everyone having to cough up $$ to repair, etc.
Now all we ever do is solicit bids for outside contractors to do the work. Nothing to prevent a homeowner from bidding to do the work as long as they get commercial ins coverage.
Iv'e bid to do the work myself but found it didnt pay enough to cover my time. I made 3x the $$ doing the electrical work i was missing while i plowed snow. The guy doing ours the last few years has done good job, at a set pre season price.
no one has complained.
Honestly, our association couldnt agree as to the color of a tree most of the time.
Now all we ever do is solicit bids for outside contractors to do the work. Nothing to prevent a homeowner from bidding to do the work as long as they get commercial ins coverage.
Iv'e bid to do the work myself but found it didnt pay enough to cover my time. I made 3x the $$ doing the electrical work i was missing while i plowed snow. The guy doing ours the last few years has done good job, at a set pre season price.
no one has complained.
Honestly, our association couldnt agree as to the color of a tree most of the time.
