Marking Lots and Drives?

[GeoffD]

Do you guys mark your lots and drives with stakes in the fall?

I have always marked mine, because i find that its just better service, and the stakes are where you want them.

For excample all my residential drives the stakes are 2' from the edge. All the drives know this, allowing for a drive to be cleared to the edge.

Some residential customers tend to go stake crazy. I had one guy, great paying customer but used way to many stakes, i said to him you let me stake, or i won't plow. He said ok, becuase after i started explaining why you can have too many stakes he understood.

I don't stake private roads, only in some locations, because they are often way to long.

Geoff

 

[thelawnguy]

Drives: I stake 3 out of 30, just to mark curves. Around here the school kids usually pull em out and use em as weapons anyway. I dont stake my lots since by now I could probably plow them with my eyes closed and not hit anything.

 

[plowking35]

we stake all our lots, if nothing else it lets the customers know that we value their property. As far as kids pulling them out, we charge $10.00 per missing stake in the spring, so the customers usually make sure they stay put.
Dino

 

[diggerman]

We stake the ones where there are alot of islands and where there are off set runs.We only stake on the island curve.It works okay for us, but plows are'nt nearly as big of a problem as our big loaders where bumping a curb even a little hard(even if you know its there) and wala pile of snow w/curb on top. But at least the stakes show concern and genuine effort to preserve their property.

 

[Alan]

We stake a few residential drives, the ones where the drive itself is level with the lawn. That way we don't end up relocating the driveway by accident. Other than that we mark water shutoffs and other surprises that are close to where we will be plowing. Usually our early storms are relatively light and we can still see the terrain features enough to know where to plow. After one plowing there is a bank to mark the path and they usually stay all winter.

 

[Aspen Snow]

We stake only the customers that request it and we charge for it.

 

[n y snow pros]

Stakum

Simply put we stake them all and we lose a ton of stakes to shoppers taking them home to stake there own drive ways

 

[GeoffD]

I use a 9' 1 ton rack body full ever year to mark everything. I send my kids and maybe a friend or two out for a couple of weekends. They take a lot of marking paint, and sledge hammers. Each year i repaint the stakes in the fall. In the spring when they pick them up, they bundle them with plastic zip strips. This way i can resuse them from year to year, but still end up buying a bunch every year.

The kids do a good job, too what kinda supperise me. Only every driver says they have done a good job, for the past 2 years they have been doing it. Maybe thats because the regular guys hated doing it.

Geoff

[Edited by GeoffDiamond on 08-31-2000 at 12:14 AM]

 

[cutntrim]

Geoff,

We don't stake any of our properties. Since most of them are gr*** customers as well, we know where the trouble spots are. I can understand the reasons for staking though, we just haven't bothered so far.

 

[cutntrim]

Nice obscenity spell-check here. I type g-r-a-s-s and it gets edited!

 

[soilmover]

Marker Stakes???

Where do buy your marker stakes?

Are they wood? polyurethane?? or other??

What size are they??

We use wood 1" x1" x 48" .They are cheap. They never last for a 2nd year. I want to re use them. The polyurethane stakes in J-Thomas that are .26 cents are to small. The Dura pro stake II in J-Thomas are a good size. They are also .89 each. That will add -up.
Anyone have any thoughts????

 

[john r]

I go to the local masonary supply and purchase rebar. Lasts forever and is tough for the public as*****s to pull out. You cut them to the length you need. Paint orange. Hammer them in good and deep. We hardly loose any.

 

[WHITE=GREEN]

we use 1" heavy wall PVC. about $1.50 for a 10' length cut in to three pieces and they last forever.

 

[soilmover]

John r.

What size rebar .5 in , .25 in ???

 

[john r]

soilmover, 3/8's works for us

 

[CT18fireman]

I tell my owners that grass is replantable. If they want the drives kept clear throughout the winter then we have to push back early in the year. This prevents windrows from piling into the drive. In the spring we rake an areas smooth and throw down some seed. I have yet to have a disatisfied customer.

 

[thelawnguy]

Hope you never get a pushed-over piece of rebar jammed in a sidewall, or stuck in an oil pan...

 

[john r]

I hope you never hit a manhole cover at 40 mph either.

 

[jimsmowin]

we mark all of ours. use markers from lowes or home depot for high end properties. use cheapie's in town.

 

[GeoffD]

I use the grade stakes for marking.

1. They are cheap.

2. If your going to break one its no big deal.

3. They are easy to store.

Geoff