Snow Equipment Buying/Pricing what snow plowing costs?

[medicshawn]

I live a couple hours south of DC but have an uncle who lives in Herndon (northern Virginia) and he has 5 feet total it was definitely a rough year.

My perspective is different. I work for the fire department and your ability to keep things clear could be a matter of life and death. If it gives you the ability to get out in an emergency or me to get in for emergencies. I know nobody thinks it will happen to them but it does. We had a chimmney fire Saturday night and when I say chimmney I mean the the wood surrounding the chimmney caught fire and was coming close to burning down the house. Luckily there was only 8 inches left on the ground and the road and driveway was clear. We were able to stop it without to much damage. But with a little more snow and the driveway not cleared it could have been a different story.

We ran plenty of people who were shoveling snow and are no longer with us.

Piece of mind being to get yourself to help or help to you is priceless.

 

[simplemike]

I for one agree with Eldorado money is nice but you can't be food for payment. I do nine driveways in the morning before work payments range from cash to 1" thick boneless porkchops , gota love retired people that barbecue. I have a 20hp Simplicity with a 42" 2stage blower I do it for fun so anything I get is bonus.

Enjoy your toys Mike

 

[daveinnh]

We have a 800' drive that includes a circle up near the house. We moved in 2005 When having the house built in 2004, I asked locals for plowing costs - ranged between $80-100 / event with sanding extra.

I use a 7' rear blade behind a Kubota L4310 HST (bought used) that works well. A few times / winter I pay $50 / sanding event and that includes 2 runs up the drive. The drive is crushed gravel. and faces SW, about 75% exposed to afternoon sun to melt.

 

[etcallhome]

I for one agree with Eldorado money is nice but you can't be food for payment. I do nine driveways in the morning before work payments range from cash to 1" thick boneless porkchops , gota love retired people that barbecue. I have a 20hp Simplicity with a 42" 2stage blower I do it for fun so anything I get is bonus.

Enjoy your toys Mike

Same here I have never asked or charged for doing snow.or anything else using my tractor...I have bought 55 gal of diesel soon 15 gal more. and I have not paid for 1 gal of diesel..(since week before Christmas)
Meaning I have rec'd 2 diff gift cards for, boxes of chocolate candy,strawberry jam, about 5 packs of frozen hamburg ,t bone steaks and from the same family at least $80-100, plus others that have given me money..
So this year I haven't paid for any of the diesel, other years I can't remember ,and it doesn't matter. I'm here to try and treat my neighbors as my family. and the way I want to be treated.. Thankful for what my wife and I have worked so hard to end up having . If I get paid ,OK but if I get a thank you ,a hug ,that also pays the bill, especially if it is from a elderly widow .
Just my 2 cents

 

[varmint]

Same here I have never asked or charged for doing snow.or anything else using my tractor...I have bought 55 gal of diesel soon 15 gal more. and I have not paid for 1 gal of diesel..(since week before Christmas)
Meaning I have rec'd 2 diff gift cards for, boxes of chocolate candy,strawberry jam, about 5 packs of frozen hamburg ,t bone steaks and from the same family at least $80-100, plus others that have given me money..
So this year I haven't paid for any of the diesel, other years I can't remember ,and it doesn't matter. I'm here to try and treat my neighbors as my family. and the way I want to be treated.. Thankful for what my wife and I have worked so hard to end up having . If I get paid ,OK but if I get a thank you ,a hug ,that also pays the bill, especially if it is from a elderly widow .
Just my 2 cents

Amen. I always plow out my elderly neighbor, who lives past us at the end of the lane. Probably another 500', but he needs help, since he's over 90 and his kids don't seem to do much for him. When he has a vehicle running, he will always pick up and deliver our morning paper, which I really appreciate, since the papers get delivered 1/2 mile away, at the public road. You try to help- it's just the right thing to do.

 

[etcallhome]

varmint Just noticed what part of Md are you from ??

 

[MikePA]

It's really great to see how many people use their tractors to plow out neighbors without looking to get paid simply because it's the right thing to do. It's also encouraging to hear how the recipients of this kindness pay in other ways. Tractors can build a community.

I clear out 2 driveways in the neighborhood in addition to my two (house and barn). One is a couple about 10 years older than us and the husband had an ankle replacement and doesn't get around like he once did. The other was a family where the husband died of a heart attack, then the wife got cancer. Sad story. When she passed away and new people moved in, I kept doing it. The husband said thanks and that he'd pay me. He never did, but I kept doing it. It was kind of a short driveway and only took a few passes. This year he bought a snowblower and was doing it himself. I still clear out the 'plow debris' at the end of his driveway. There's another guy on the road with a tractor who does another widow's driveway. If I am out plowing my driveways anyway, all it takes is a little more time and a little more diesel.

 

[bp fick]

Sometimes the older folks near me offer me some gas for my tractor. I politely decline.

 

[_RaT_]

I know snow moving back East is entirely different then it is out here in our part of the world. When we get a storm it brings in about 12"-36" of snow. We hire out our clearing to a service. He charges $50 to clear a driveway or a seasonal contract for $300. Our driveway is about 60 foot, two cars wide. He (and his wife) only uses a blower. That works so much better than the bucket/blade types and it is so much easier on the driveway. He has the driveway done in 10 minutes. He does so many driveways that it works out for him. When I was building a home back in Maine I was surprised at the number of pickups with blade attachments on front. I asked the owner of a lumber company what was up with that. He said that you really have to get the snow up or it freezes and then you have problems. We typically don't have that problem as daily temps typically climb out of freezing up here at Tahoe.

 

[LQPAPPY]

Been cleaning neighborhood driveways and our road out to the highway since we moved to this house in 1984. About ten driveways plus our own. Through the years I have received cakes, pies, cookies and this year $ 75. in gas cards. Some years we have very little snow, this year maybe three with fair accumulation. Neighbors have always offered money and I refused letting them know that would be like work. Some neighbors are elderly, couple of widows and all are very appreciative, they do not expect to have clean drives every snow but are thankful. I enjoy the work(play) and just being a good neighbor.