[Bsin12]

I’m in a new apartment complex this year and while it’s less intricate than I’m used to, it has some very long runs. I want to make sure I’m doing this as efficiently as possible and I’m not missing anything. I’m running a pickup w/ 7.5ft straight blade. There is a loader with a push box on it from another sub on site. According to the contractor he’d like me to handle everything under 4” on my own. Over 4” he’ll call in the loader.

The runs I have are 750’ long and 25’ wide with perpendicular parking spots on either side. The 25’ width is the fairway not including the spots. The way it’s set up I need to push the full 750’ one way into a corner.

With a straight blade on 4” what would your approach be? I was hoping there would be some empty spots where I could T-off and push through the spots onto the grass but that isn’t the case at night when everyone’s home. Almost all the spots are filled up. Any tricks anyone has up their sleeve? Thanks!

 

[seville009]

Simplest “trick” is to emulate the push box loader design by putting wings on your plow., that will help significantly in the snow you can carry/not lose. Maybe do a half run at a time too; not very efficient though.

 

[dieselss]

Wings, expandable plow, V plow, that's about all your options

 

[jonniesmooth]

Clear the center of the lane, before angling the blade to push the snow from the sides into the center.
7.5' plow is pretty small on a full size truck, when it's angled it's barely as wide as the truck. An extra foot would make a big difference.

 

[Aerospace Eng]

With the usual caveats (I have never owned a plow or pickup truck, or plowed commercially), I sure hope you are getting paid hourly. The pushes between my hangars are 750 feet, and the width for each taxilane runs 75' to 90', and I think I would shoot myself if I was trying to do it with a straight blade on a pickup. That's why I put a big pusher on an articulated truck.

A typical number I see on this site is an acre an hour for a truck with a blade. If you use that number, the aisle should take under half an hour. However, with a long push, that is fantasy.

To illustrate, some math....

750 feet x 25 feet x 4 inches = 231.5 cubic yards of snow. If you just had to push straight to the end and keep the 25' width, that is a pile 25' wide, 25' deep, and 10' high, if there isn't compaction. With compaction, you might get to half that, but that is still a big pile.

Eventually, all the snow that was on the cars in the parking lots is going to have to get cleared. Assuming 20' deep parking spaces on each side, that is an additional 370 cubic yards of snow.

If we ignore the parking spaces for the moment, and just look at the center aisle, let's do a time estimate....
It sounds like you have to push one way, so you have to back down the aisle each time, for up to a 1500 foot round trip.

If your blade can carry 1.25 cubic yards of snow (this is a complete SWAG on my part) then you have to make 185 round trips. The trips get shorter as the far end of the aisle gets cleaned, but the average is 375 feet forward and another 375 in reverse. This means that you will travel 26.3 miles total. If you can average 10 miles per hour (including time for shifting and moving the plow at each end and recognizing that half the time is in reverse), it will take over 2.5 hours to complete.

It will take at least another 4 hours for the parking areas, assuming there are no cars in your way. Basically, 4" in that lot with that push leaves little time for other customers. If you are getting paid hourly, great. You don't have any transit time between sites and can make $$.

Obviously, this estimate is heavily dependent on the amount of snow you can carry with your plow. A large v-plow with wings would cut your time considerably. If you can average faster than 10 mph per trip, that will also cut your time (this consideration makes skid steers an unlikely candidate).

FWIW, with the caveat that this is speculation as I haven't tried it, a cost-is-no-object bet might be a small (ag) telehandler with a Metalpless, HLA snowing or Kage type system. That way, one machine can both cut-in and push. The travel speeds are relatively high, they can turn within the aisle so you don't have to reverse and can get high speeds in both directions, and the boom will allow you to stack incredibly high compared to a compact loader or truck, and/or push piles well off the pavement .

 

[leigh]

I had one job with a 400' push between mail trucks. It was painfull. Bought my 810 expandable and that helped a lot. After reading aerospaces post I'm of the opinion that it's probably impossible to do that in any reasonable time frame.Just the shear amount of snow at the end of each run is unbelievable! Don't want to be a downer but you've got a problem!

 

[WIPensFan]

I had one job with a 400' push between mail trucks. It was painfull. Bought my 810 expandable and that helped a lot. After reading aerospaces post I'm of the opinion that it's probably impossible to do that in any reasonable time frame.Just the shear amount of snow at the end of each run is unbelievable! Don't want to be a downer but you've got a problem!

You read Aerospace's post?? I skipped it.

 

[WIPensFan]

Seriously OP, get a better plow. I think they discovered a 7.5’ straight plow in King Tut’s tomb...

 

[John_DeereGreen]

There is no truck plow in existence that would make this job enjoyable. The only hope would be a back blade and even that would suck.

 

[leigh]

You read Aerospace's post?? I skipped it.

I have a "cliff notes" program on my computer !

 

[Bsin12]

It’s not REALLY a problem. I am paid hourly and this is my only site until its done, then he moves me around to where he needs. Always plenty of hours to be had.

To give a little more clarity (didn’t expect you guys to go into so much detail but thanks!) I’m a single truck, owner-operator so purchasing new-equipment isn’t really on my radar. As far as plow size, the 7’6” really works well for getting in and doing single spots when needed which is pretty much every storm. I take very good care of my truck and plow and it has made me PLENTY of money, King Tut be damned.

Even though I’m paid hourly, I don’t like being inefficient, and wanted to check with the brain trust here to make sure I wasn’t missing anything. I surely don’t know it all. Seems like the general concensus barring any new purchases is to keep plugging away and working the windrows down towards the corners. The complex IS an oval (roughly) circuit so I’m not reversing all the way back down each run. I can make laps. Unfortunately I don’t have room to pile in all 4 corners, only 3, and only 2 can really take a larger pile. So 750’ is my longest run with the other 2 being about 500’ and one at 250’.

 

[leigh]

Can you hot wire the loader or get a key for it?

 

[leigh]

It's not REALLY a problem. I am paid hourly and this is my only site until its done,

Then just throw on a pair of 200$ wings and have at it!

 

[John_DeereGreen]

Yes most certainly wings would be what I’d want. I think I’d go crazy plowing that place with a straight blade.

 

[NYH1]

Then just throw on a pair of 200$ wings and have at it!

Yeah, at the very least add a set of wings.

NYH1.

 

[framer1901]

My brain couldn't take the dundrum of plowing like that, hourly or not. I'd be fabbing on like 4' long side plates or something.... 4' pin on wings braced back to the bumper... As you're going back and forth back and forth you'll think of something.

Seriously - cheapest thing is end plates, still allows what you like in getting between cars. Next step is wings of some sort...

 

[ponyboy]

Who cares if he pays you keep plow and stress on truck to a minimum
Keep doing what your are doing
If he complains get wings if not if not broke ...

 

[leigh]

Who cares if he pays you keep plow and stress on truck to a minimum
Keep doing what your are doing
If he complains get wings if not if not broke ...

I just noticed in his list of equipment that he's piloting the legendary lly Duramax.So no need to worry about the truck,its bulletproof with the Allison/6.6 combo! I'd agree if it was one of those other budget brands.