I'm going to say it would be nice to be first to market but don't think it would be that bad to be second or even third? Lets be honest, I bet 95% of the current plow guys wouldn't go for a tractor/blower set up if their life depended on it... Maybe it would be easier to be the second guy, you don't have to educate the masses on the benefit?
I'm going to say it would be nice to be first to market but don't think it would be that bad to be second or even third? Lets be honest, I bet 95% of the current plow guys wouldn't go for a tractor/blower set up if their life depended on it... Maybe it would be easier to be the second guy, you don't have to educate the masses on the benefit?
Possibly it would be easier after the customers are used to the practices. Last year was the first year with tractors and with the driveway stakes with our name on them.
Last year I had several customers asking if we could not put the markers on their driveway. and some even pulled them out (more then once!) and every week I would send a guy around to see which houses needed markers, at first thinking it was kids taking them. Found out it was the homeowners, when we started seeing some markers sticking out of the garbage, or laying up by the garage. Well I had to call those customers and tell them it was either the flags stay up, or here's your refund check, because we will only service driveways with our flags. Only had 1 customer take the refund, and it was more then likely because they were bitching about the lack of snow anyways, and saw this as an "out". The rest of the customers understood it when I explained the reasoning. (it really does make it faster/easier to find your customer(s) on each street)
Anyways, fast forward to this year, and not one customer questioned the flags with our name that we put up. Even customers that were new this year, no questions, and no problems with them. I'm thinking its because last yr they saw their neighbors with them, and so they are used to them now.
Edit: Funny story, last year I kept getting calls asking if the house I had at xxx or yyy was for sale, or how much rent was, etc... seriously I got at least one of these calls every week for a different address. At first I would just say, sorry you must have the wrong number. But after a few calls I started to ask where they got my number, and they said the sign by the driveway! People were mistaking our snow flags! I kept getting those calls all winter, and I kept explaining that the flags were our snow markers. Well this year I might of got 1 call like that, maybe. So the general public has figured it out also what the flags are for.
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Do you think you could have done that faster with a blade on the tractor? That took you only 12 mins on so with the tractor. I know you are using what you got. Just curious.
Do you think you could have done that faster with a blade on the tractor? That took you only 12 mins on so with the tractor. I know you are using what you got. Just curious.
Maybe faster but they dont allow to put snow from private property on the streets around here. With a blade, I still wouldnt have any place to put the snow at.
When I got the tractor, I inquired about a SHoule expandable blade and an undercarriage but with a blade in front, I wouldnt be able to turn in some of the tight alleys Im contracted to do.
Maybe Quicke loaders arms would be better but thats a bunch of monies
For the empty lots, definitely a blade would have been faster, but I dont have much of those under contract, this one was a on-call type of work.
I hear you on the tight turning. My thought was to have a blower on the back and take off the Horst blade when it was time to do driveways. Didn't work out due to the fact the hydro lines are a pia to get on and off and not enough clientele to warrant a blower.
What width do most run? The 92" the most desired as the 102" can't get everywhere?
I hear you on the tight turning. My thought was to have a blower on the back and take off the Horst blade when it was time to do driveways. Didn't work out due to the fact the hydro lines are a pia to get on and off and not enough clientele to warrant a blower.
What width do most run? The 92" the most desired as the 102" can't get everywhere?
In my case, 92" is the biggest I can use. Some streets with cars on both sides, I have only an inch of clearance on each side before I rip them cars's sideview mirrors
if your doing mostly residential, 92" is the biggest you would want, any bigger and there will be lots of properties you cant touch that have a car on one side of driveway.
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2013 New Holland 5050
2011 New Holland 4050
2012 New Holland 5050
92/28 Pronovost inverted blower
92/26 Normand inverted blower
86/26 Pronovost inverted blower
2010 Ford F150 XTR
2012 Ford F150 XTR
Arctic HD plow
I was thinking about an 8 footer for myself and what I hope to do. I guess it will depend on the the tractor I end up with....if I can get enough people to commit prior to next season.
So.... This thread has been a HUGE eye opener for me and my small business! Thank you Everyone that has contributed to this thread and making it what it is today! And what your words, thoughts, aspirations, pros and cons, and experience have given not only to me, but every other person that has ever thought of an easier, more efficient way to run their business!!
No problem, thats what the site is for, lots of knowledgeable guys on here. I sure learned alot since I started it.
I'm going to try something similar over in the commercial snow forum about the process of bidding from meeting the manager to pricing to equipment selection based on a large 30acre terminal I will be pursuing.
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We have been using our Shoule inverted blower for three winters and have snagged three manhole covers, each time bending up the bottom of the blower. The cutting edge on our Shoule comes in at a fairly aggressive angle to the plowing surface and cleans very nicely. Some of you have modified your Shoule so the cutting edge lays flat to the ground similar to the Normand. Would that modification minimize the incidents we have with manhole covers? Are any of you having issues, regardless of brand of inverted blower, with manhole covers as well?
We have been using our Shoule inverted blower for three winters and have snagged three manhole covers, each time bending up the bottom of the blower. The cutting edge on our Shoule comes in at a fairly aggressive angle to the plowing surface and cleans very nicely. Some of you have modified your Shoule so the cutting edge lays flat to the ground similar to the Normand. Would that modification minimize the incidents we have with manhole covers? Are any of you having issues, regardless of brand of inverted blower, with manhole covers as well?
I hit them all the time. Only thing I broke was a pin once because I unseated the manhole cover and it got fed to the blower. When I hit one, it barely dings the cutting edge. On my 3pt, on the lower links, theres a thingy that allows around an inch of play up/down, so that takes most of the hit. Its not a nice feeling for sure but nothing broken or bent yet. The blower is a Pronovost, where the cutting edge lays flat.
I've been lurking on this forum for years but just joined today to ask some (long-winded) questions about this thread. This thread is great, by the way. Thanks for posting your experiences everyone. I've read every page and hope I'm not asking something that already posted.
Question 1: What do you guys do about getting close to garage doors on residential accounts? - I would assume the inverses would leave a couple feet of untouched snow by the door and that the traditional blowers (Toolcat - MNLefty) would leave a pile in front of the garage door. Do you leave this snow for the homeowner to take care of? Do you shovel it? Is anyone running one of the Pronovost X-Blades (and are they worth the cost?)? Or am I dramatizing the amount of snow actually left?
Question 2: Guys who do residential snowblowing. Between storms, do any of you do contract work for other companies cleaning up commercial or municipal areas to make extra money? Such as moving (eliminating) piles or widening roads that would normally be contracted to a wheel loader or bobcat. Is there a market for that or do most companies/cities seem to have the equipment they need already?
Question 3: Since the blade of a snowblower is square to the direction of travel, does it hook badly on cracks? - For example transitions from cement to asphalt or from road to driveway where there is a rain gutter. What happens when it hooks? Are you going so slow that you just stop without drama? I read about hooking the man hole covers but I would think that would be a problem whether you are using a plow or blower.
Question 4: For purchasing a specific snowblower, what do you guys look for in doing residential work? Impeller size? Auger sizes? Ribbon style auger or solid auger? What designs allow you to do more then others and what allow you to do less? I'm guessing most important would be a reliable, simple snowblower with good parts availability?
If you've made it this far, Thank you very much for reading. Thanks in advance for any input or ideas.
Matt
P.S. MNLefty, I live in SW Minneapolis and drive through Edina every day. I've had my eye out for a toolcat scurrying around during the storms. Haven't seen you all winter. You're probably further south then 50th. I'd love to see your operation in action.
mdroham, glad to have you on the "switching to snowblower" website. Since I'm not in the mood to type, most of these questions have been answered here. Depending on time, we will all post responses again though. They are all good questions to ask and we will all answer them again for you. Give us time and keep reading.
For getting close to garage doors you can put a "back blade" on the inverted blower. The back blade hangs off the back of the blower and becomes the furthest back part of the blower. With it you can get as close as you want to a garage door, within inches if you wanted. However even with a back blade I tell my guys to stay 1-2' away. It's quicker for them that way to not worry about getting really close. You can push snow backwards some with the back blade too, I've done it a few times and it works OK, but it's not like having a plow and shouldn't be a replacement for one. Just comes in handy for a quick touchup. That reminds me, with the pull blower and can use it like a box blade also, with the pto off, and pull snow around to get it past an obstacle, around a corner, etc...
I don't know about other guys, but I know my tractor only does it's route and nothing more. It pays for itself on that route, so I'm not looking to send it somewhere else chasing some extra hours. Maybe if I had a bunch of tractors I'd consider it, but likely if I had a bunch of tractors I'd just have one dedicated to that type of work.
As for hooking things with the edges, I've heard of it happening, but I haven't had it happen. I'm sure at some point it will though. You're definately not moving at a creep speed so there is a chance for a hard hit. Hopefully no damage is caused but it can't be ruled out.
Even doing residential work, these are commercial blowers. There isn't anything residential in their construction. They are built heavy duty to stand up to the abuse that commerical snow removal guys are going to put on them. Generally the bigger the impeller the better, because it makes it easier for the tractor to move the snow, and reduces the chances of plugging. The 3 main brands of blowers all have impellers and augers of similar sizes, or very close. However Normand is the only one with a Hardox steel impeller and Hardox frame. Deep snow, windrowed snow, heavy snow, frozen city plow ridges, they can handle it all. These blowers don't have anything 'residential' about them except that they are the best option for the snow professional to service residential accounts effeciently.
Definately if you have any questions you can call me directly also anytime. My cell is 218-205-7198. And yep, go ahead and keep asking these guys for info too. Lots of good users in this thread and they know their stuff.
Oh and this summer again we'll be at the SIMA show, and it's in MSP in June this year. You should come check out our booth and see one up close. I'll even get you a day pass to the show if you want.
__________________ Steve@FargoSnow.com NEW Normand Inverted Snowblowers for sale -- CLICK HERE
Normand Snowblowers -Inverted, Commercial, and Industrial/Municiple up to 350hp
Dealers Wanted - PM for details. Visit and "like" us on Facebook. New pictures and vids updated frequently on our Facebook Page.
Just an FYI if you're considering a blower purchase... We're offering Free Shipping and 10% discount during April on Normand blowers. Contact me for more info - 218-205-7198 or steve@fargosnow.com - Thanks!
__________________ Steve@FargoSnow.com NEW Normand Inverted Snowblowers for sale -- CLICK HERE
Normand Snowblowers -Inverted, Commercial, and Industrial/Municiple up to 350hp
Dealers Wanted - PM for details. Visit and "like" us on Facebook. New pictures and vids updated frequently on our Facebook Page.
How bad is it to use inverted blower on dirt road or driveways?
if it's not mud, not a problem. I've run mine on gravel with no issues. Similar to plows, it helps when the ground freezes. Soft conditions are a pain with any machine in snow, lift the 3point a little.
Almost 90K views and no discussion on dirt or gravel?
Catching up on my reading. Couple of hopefully helpful points to folks thinking about using a tractor. Don't think I saw anything mentioned on top link adjustment. That affects the cutting angle of the blower cutting blade depending on the blower model. In some cases with a steel blade, you can peel up ice if wanted or possibly create other unwanted problems. Its a simple adjustment that some folks just use to get the blower to fit.They also get loose. I've seen brutal driveway cleaning due to a loose top link that is packing snow rather than picking it up. They also can be adjusted to pack snow on dirt or gravel instead of adjusting down the shoes. I also noticed in some of the videos of New Hollands running with blowers partially up. In the NH 40 series tractors, there are accumulators in the 3 pt hitch for heavy loads due to bouncing that only work when the blower is fully up. If the blower is not fully up, the shock loading of a 1800 lb blower is transferred to the rocker arm assembly in the rear housing. The 50 series are a larger frame and may not have this issue. This little repair runs around $5,000 as the back end of the tractor needs to be split. People tend to forget how much energy is out at the the ends of the lift arms.
Plows were so yesterday.
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