Buying Advice What should I consider?

[archwoodholding]

I am located in Northeast, Ohio and I like everyone else have been enduring this winter. My problem is this, I own a small 40 unit apartment complex which requires me to shovel or blowoff sidewalks. I currently have the parking lot plowed. There is no place to store equipment at the location aside from a snow blower but it is becoming increasingly difficult both physically and financially to handle this seasonal problem.

I need to know if there is a piece of equipment that can clear sidewalks, walkways to units, and possibly with an attachment clear the parking lot which is 60' wide and 500' long half of which is slightly sloped which is causing damage to the snow plows, their trucks, and also my asphalt. My widest sidewalk is about 40" and vehicles can limit that at times. The problem is that there is an extensive amount of sidewalk running the length of each building and then to each first floor apartment as well as to stair cases. To keep costs down, I'd like to be able to do this myself. Right now it takes me 2 hours to clear just the walks the guys plowing the lot take 30 minutes or so due to lot never being empty, slope, and where snow needs to be moved etc...

By the time next season rolls around I may have convinced myself that I can still do it so thought I'd start looking now.

Any help is greatly appreciated!

 

[GManBart]

A garden tractor with a front snowblower in the 32-36" range should make clearing the walks easier, and might be faster than the current setup you have. They make soft cabs which would get you out of the wind/blowing snow as well. It would really depend on whether you think it would fit past the cars, etc. You could clear the parking lot with this kind of setup, but it would be pretty slow when you figure that it would take something like 16 passes that are each 500 feet long.

 

[terryknight]

how about a holder? you can get blowers, brooms, plows, etc. you can probably find some other things to use it for. it's not cheap though

Holder Tractors: Homepage

 

[Gary Fowler]

Not much is going to help you to clear stairways and upper balcony areas other than manual labor.

You could put heat coils on the stairs and upper balcony areas to keep the snow melted off of those, but cost might be prohibitive.
You don't say how far away the nearest storage area is so we don't know if you will have to trailer your snow removal equipment or if they can be driven to the area.

A tractor with a front mounted snow blower I think would be best for parking lot clearing while a small walk behind might be ok for the sidewalks. Put down some tire bumpers for those drivers that don't know when to stop so vehicles cant get far enough forward to block the side walk.
It sound like you have a pretty big parking area for a 40 unit complex. Is there enough room to have the parking alternating one side to the other so you can clear 2/3 of it at a time. You would need to strictly enforce is and have any idiot parking on the wrong side towed.

 

[LD1]

No storage area is a problem. Do you have a truck and small trailer to transport equipment there. For sidewalks, a small tractor, UTV, or ATV with a small blade.

I do alot of plowing down at OSU in columbus. OSU seems to employ a very large fleet of kubotas. From B's, Bx's and UTV's all with cabs and blades. They zip around the sidewalks and have them cleared pretty quickly.

I would be leary of using a blower in a parking lot especially with cars on both sides. I would be too afraid of throwing a stone or stick or chunk of ice and damaging someones car.

 

[varmint]

I was on the campus where my wife is a faculty member the other day, and noticed lots of Kubota RTV's clearing sidewalks and tight roadway areas. Some with angled brooms, some with smallish blades. You might need a small storage building for anything you get, and as was noted, maybe parking curbs so you have a clear pathway on your sidewalks. I would think you have too much surface area to be clearing it with a walk-behind blower. Maybe a giant dome over the whole thing?

 

[TJP89]

This a knotty problem. I know the campus where I work uses Bobcat Toolcats, but I think they'd be too big and I know they are VERY expensive. very nice to have though. Even a 18HP Kubota BX, which is the smallest normal tractor on the market, would be too big for your walks, though not for the lot. I see you have a L3540, anyway to do the lot with that? I would look at an ATV with a plow and see if that could work. Those are relatively inexpensive, compared to tractors at least. Just some ideas I'm throwing out.

 

[archwoodholding]

Thanks so much for the ideas. To further describe my what the complex looks like, it is comprised of 3 buildings with slightly wider walks running length of each. The parking areas are single car depth in front of each building. As you enter from 4 lane road, there is a building on either side with parking as stated with middle area used as driveway. The 3rd building is on the left after about 200' (this area is where mailboxes etc... Are located next to driveway) there is also some additional parking past building on right as driveway parking lot curves slightly to right to our dumpster area.

What really sucks about the lot this is the building on the right which is longer than the other 2 buildings is at a higher elevation of say 3' from side to the other which is enough to cause problems with plows and even create enough slope to allow cars to slide into center driveway area if spaces are icy.

Now to tweak things even more I have a creek which runs behind the two buildings on the left bends right to reach the property line on the right about 100 feet behind my dumpsters. I am fighting with city, county, epa, soil conservation corps, army corps of engineers, etc... Because the city has permitted this creek to be over used for storm drainage over the past decades. What I'm getting at is though there is green space to construct storage anything in these areas will be flooded at least 2-3 times a year. I have lost 20' of bank depth along the area behind dumpsters since 2004. So putting a structure there may end up in the creek not all that far into the future.

The other issue as always is security. This complex is in the City of Akron. It's not in a bad area, but since we are are on our private cul-de-sac but have had a trailer stolen etc... and just amazed that no one saw a thing but they know everything else.

Our offices are over 10 miles away so driving a tractor on unplowed snow/icy roads isn't in the works nor is trailering. My complex sits at the bottom of a large hill so very treacherous. The lot doesn't allow easy turns in the summer with other cars parked on either side so not an option in winter. Honestly, I've watched to see what others do and I don't see anyone trailering equipment. The company that plows the lot will clean walks and stairs but that is with a separate crew and hauls it all in a truck. The company that does my asphalt repairs said that they push snow with Bobcats in shopping centers etc... But due to safety wouldn't even move one of them by trailer if it needed repaired or moved until roads were clear.

I've been doing this since mid 1990's and lets just say age is getting the better of me. I know I'll have to clear steps etc... manually but trying to find an economical solution. Snow and ice removal is nothing but an expense. There is no reward for removing it or treating it. There is however huge liability for not doing so. I know it sounds as though I'm tossing excuse after excuse but this property of all properties is the most challenging I own. Some would say sell but with the real estate collapse of 2008 that isn't even an option. I'm not a slum lord and would sell no matter what before things ever went to that level but I must attest that my taxes are huge, water and sewer rates could increase by 300% !!! (That's not a typo) with all expenditures increasing while we are very near the cap folks are willing to pay due to location etc... (No industry ... Largest employers are hospitals and university) Akron was the tire capital of the world home to Goodyear, Firestone, BFGoodrich, etc... And at one time had a population of 1.2 million people. It now has a population of 400,000 and continuing to fall.

I'm hoping someone has an idea that maybe I've overlooked.

 

[LD1]

Not sure for others, but think we have exhausted ideas here, and not sure what you are looking for. Lets recap and see if I missed anyting

1. No place to store anything other than a walk behind blower
2. Dont want to trailer anything there
3. Too far to drive any equipment there
4. Cant build storage building on site

If that is correct, I am afraid to say I think you are SOL. There is no other way to do steps other than with a shovel and elbow grease.

Any option that would be better for walks than a blower cannot be stored on site and you dont want to transport.

So I think you are down to 3 options really
1. Keep doing what you are doing
2. Change some of your requirements. Like find storage somewhere closer, or get a trailer and make the 10 mile drive on bad roads
3. Contract the whole thing out to a snow-removal company and sit back and relax when it snows.

 

[LD1]

Not sure for others, but think we have exhausted ideas here, and not sure what you are looking for. Lets recap and see if I missed anyting

1. No place to store anything other than a walk behind blower
2. Dont want to trailer anything there
3. Too far to drive any equipment there
4. Cant build storage building on site

If that is correct, I am afraid to say I think you are SOL. There is no other way to do steps other than with a shovel and elbow grease.

Any option that would be better for walks than a blower cannot be stored on site and you dont want to transport.

So I think you are down to 3 options really
1. Keep doing what you are doing
2. Change some of your requirements. Like find storage somewhere closer, or get a trailer and make the 10 mile drive on bad roads
3. Contract the whole thing out to a snow-removal company and sit back and relax when it snows.

 

[archwoodholding]

You know I've seen folks plowing with them but not having an ATV, I guess I thought them more a novelty than actual snow mover. One of them could make cleaning out spaces a lot easier. I don't know about walkways since tenants like to pull cars over the walk way. The other issue is the amount of snow over time so plowing on walkways would have diminishing returns in terms of places to put it. My L3540 with FEL and Back Blade is relegated to use on the homestead. It handles the chores of plowing here at the house but is heavy and a cold ride when it's windy or temps drop below freezing. I have a trailer but it is stored next to my barn. Honestly, due to the weight of the L3540 I don't think I'd want to tow it in anything but nice dry weather certainly not in snowy or icy conditions. The apartments are over 10 miles from here and the despite the tractor being 4WD etc... That open cab in the snow and elements would be far less than pleasant.

I would also not want to leave it there simply because we are on a busy road ... Yes off on our own but could not secure it adequately. It would also be something kids would want to play on (liability issue) or something to vandalize. I've been told I have trust issues but I hate dangling something for someone to damage or steal out there. Even the ATV would probably be a storage issue since my store rooms only have standard 36" doors. I have limitations on limitations... I don't mind spending to potentially remodel and widen them but cost benefit has to be there.

 

[fishheadbob]

How bout a large walk behind snowblower. I mean a really deluxe model. Stencil your name all over it to slow down thieves, chain it to something sturdy, and by all means insure the daylights out of it. Move the chute around so the snow goes where you want, not on top of somebody's car and it might work.

 

[fishheadbob]

I like the garden tractor with snowblower idea; you could do your own lawn maintenance with it too. Or a deluxe walk behind snowblower; stencil your name all over it , chain it to something indoors and sturdy, and insure the dickens out of it . Make it harder for crackheads to steal; they get cold fingers too.

 

[archwoodholding]

You pretty much have it. The problem with transporting equipment is for where I have to come from and go to it would be dangerous during bad weather which is exactly why I would be trying to get there in the first place. Trailering would be pretty neat impossible to pull onto site and get either turned around or back onto 4 lane road not to mention being in the way of the work and tenants wanting to come and go. Unlike a retail property or college campus, I can't close, cancel, delay, etc... In order to clear walks and lot. I'm willing to accept I may have to continue to bite the bullet and have my lot plowed by others but walkways are my focus. Snow doesn't always arrive here on a nice schedule so sometimes we are clearing these walks 3-4 times a day depending on snow fall. I also must contend with people stomping fresh snow into icebergs when they get up to go to work, walk the dog, etc... Before you get to them. If you've owned property tenants are generally nice but try to get them to do something simple like move their cars and you might as well wait until spring for it to happen in most cases. I appreciate the fact that you like I may not see any other options but trying to let fresh eyes look at it and see if they have any solutions I may have simply not considered.

 

[TJP89]

A problem you've mentioned several times here is people parking to far up so they obstruct the walkway. Somebody suggested bumpers, that's a good idea. Or tell people not to park up close, and anyone who does gets the car covered in snow from the snowblower, they would get the idea pretty quick then (at least I would)

 

[terryknight]

you say your storage rooms have 36" doors, i would think making a wider door would be the easiest solution, don't know how big those rooms are though.

 

[tcreeley]

Our maintenance people used to use an angling back blade to clear the sidewalks at our school on a 20 or so hp tractor.

 

[varmint]

Based on what I've read, I still think a RTV, or ATV, if you prefer, with blade and broom attachments, kept in a small storage building- the kind brought in on a trailer, set on a gravel pad, and movable as the creek causes issues, maybe with some 4x4 post anchors?, would do what you want. It would be a tax write off, of course, but I'd guess even used you'd be talking $15K. But I know your pain in shoveling so much snow. Just came in from plowing, in the blowing snow, w/o a cab.

 

[jaydee325]

I'm not picturing your parking lot, so I'm just throwing this out as a wild idea.

Can you erect some covered parking spots? These could then be offered to tenants as a premium parking option at an additional cost. You could build into this structure an enclosed area for secure storage of whatever snow removal equipment you settle on.

This could even work out to be an additional income stream for the property.

Just a thought to solve your storage issue.

 

[archwoodholding]

They are only about 12' wide and 30' deep. Whoever built them did so cheaply and allowed for nothing.