The Good and the Bad-your opinions

[thelawnguy]

Just wondering what everyone likes the best and worst about the snow business.

My opinion on the best-REAL good money for what generally amounts to part-time work, and having what amounts to several hours of quiet time in the truck.

My opinion on the WORST-tight deadlines which afford little or no margin for downtime, and the prospect of working thru holidays like Thanxgiving Xmas etc-I have little kids and that means a lot to me.

 

[DYNA PLOW]

i like being out there fighting the elements, man against
nature.realy like it when my equipment that i've maintained
works flawlessly. also like the fact that i am helping people start their day safely. (roads plowed,salted sidewalks) although when things go bad they go bad. last year during a storm plow broke,threewheeler that i use for plowing sidewalks would not start,broke shovel handle.(had to shovel cause threewheeler did'nt start)and ujoint went out on front drive shaft,all before 6.30am.
had to take half day off of work just to repair all my stuff.
dan

 

[GeoffD]

Good things:

1. Lots of Extra Revenues
2. Keeps a lot of my equipment at work year round.
3. Keeps Gives me another way to keep employees busy, when its slow.

Bad Things:

1. Possiblities of work on weekends (weekends aren't a big deal) and holidays.
2. Not much room for errors or breakdowns.

Geoff

 

[BRL]

I love snow & winter. Might as well make some good money while "playing" in it. And all of the other stuff already mentioned.


I love snow & winter. Can't schedule my snowboarding trips in advance anymore, usually go on a whim now & ususally can't get friends to drop everything & join me, and I always seem to miss the pow pow cause I have to plow plow at home.

 

[CCSwanson]

LIKES: Just love pushing Snow


DISLIKES: Not able to push enough, Not fulltime yet

 

[ADMServices]

All of the above goes for me too.

I really love salting. You have an outlined route with x amount of stops, and x amount of loading stops. It is quiet, and the pace is fast.

Plowing gets really crazy. Phone ringing, radio making noise, guys not here yet, walks not done yet, etc... It can get pretty nutty sometimes.

Andy

 

[OBRYANMAINT]

good
the money , the serene mornings that you are actually ahead of schedule and you can take your time

bad
knees and back
almost able to sleep better in truck than in bed

 

[diggerman]

I love when Im driving to the shop to get everyone going and its snowing and quiet and I'm the first to make tracks in the snow on the road.

I hate laying under a plow truck in the snow,with cold water dripping down my neck, wondering why a trucks 4x4 quit working.

 

[iowastorm]

I love winter and snowfall more than anything, but since I live in a refridgerator box, the moisture rots the cardboard and then I have to find a new home. . .

 

[plowking35]

The bad
I get real hungry at 3 am, and we have no 24hr restuarants.
Anytime something breaks
When customers are less than willing to understand that you have no control over mother nature

The good has all been documented by others. I love the way the snow rolls the moldboard at full left angle. That is sweeeeeeeeeeeeet
Dino

 

[John Allin]

Good....
When it starts snowing.

Bad...
When it stops snowing.

Best...
Shoveling the front walk at our office at midnight on New Years Eve after a 12", 4 hour storm that quits just before midnight - I'm all alone, it's quiet and I watch the fireworks knowing that in a few hours we'll all be out in it, having at it.....

Life is good.

 

[jaclawn]

Good-
Good money for the time spent.
Generally out in the middle of the night, no customers around to bother you.
Feeds the desire of the inner child in ALL of us to drive a bulldozer.
I Decide who gets in to their parking lots on time.
When there is a major power outage, and the only lights you see for miles are plow trucks. REally neat.



Bad-
On call 24-7 all winter.
Out in the worst of weather conditions.
Getting up at 2 a.m.
Hard on your truck.
Loading salt by bag.
Laying under the truck.
During an unexpected snowstorm, having to hook up a plow that some genious parked in the full angle position.
People that don't think that they have to pay.
Residential driveways that call after they have 12+ inches on them.
Not one rock of salt in the tri state area.
Can't really make any plans during the winter, don't know when it is going to snow.
Am I going to have everyone done on time?

 

[finnegan]

You guys forgot to mention laying in wet snow getting electrocuted by your lincoln arc while stick welding one of your so called friends plow trucks because he's to stupid to watch out for telephone poles.....

 

[DaveO]

The GOOD:
The feeling of being out in the fresh snow late night/early am before traffic.
Out during a BAD storm, knowing that all your maintenance and preparation is paying off.
That cup of hot coffee on your way to 1st account.
Like Dino said...Watching the powder roll off your snofoil @ 25mph.
Watching it drop 6"+ of powder outside, While the weatherman is telling you 0-2" tops!!


The BAD:
Anything that breaks!
Laying in the snow fixing it....
Customers that didn't need you, until 12" falls.
Customers that are never happy.
Chasing people to get paid.
Waiting for that big forecasted storm...that doesn't happen!!


I have always enjoyed playing in the snow. The plow is just another toy to play with.
I'd probably plow for FREE, BUT DON'T TELL MY CUSTOMERS!!!

Dave

 

[cutntrim]

I Like...The solitude of being out at 1:00am listening to the radio LOUD while rocketting through 6" of light, dry powder on a lot I know like the back of my hand.

When the snow stops by midnite, and our route is done in time to have breakfast at Harveys (Canadian Restaurant), while the "civilians" are on their way to slave 9-5 working for "da man".

Getting good money for using as little physical exertion as possible...click,click with my index finger and thumb.

I Don't Like...When the weather guy screws up and we get way less, or way more accumulation than expected.

Equipment breakdowns...plows are meant to do one thing, and one thing only - push snow - why is it so difficult to manufacture ones that won't break?

When the snow stops at 1:00am, we start our route, then it starts snowing again at 4:00am, and you can't even tell we touched an account we were just at an hour ago. Re-doing your route sucks.

Having to listen to (erase, more like it) a dozen messages from moron customers who don't understand why there is snow on their lot at 8:00am even though it didn't stop snowing 'till 5:00am.

 

[diggerman]

I shed a little tear when reading these posts that there are other people who love snow as much as I do, but more important that when I'm out cussing some piece of crap truck or plow or wanting to strangle a stupid customer that there is a plower some where else in this great country cussing at his plow and wanting to go postal on one of their customers.Wow what bonding,do I hear an Amen.

 

[John Allin]

Amen to that.......

 

[Aspen Snow]

The good is that when I see snow I see $$$$.

The bad is when it 90 degrees in the summer. I hate to sweat.

We all are a little crazy for snow.

 

[finnegan]

I just like getting out of the house during a good storm, It's cool being out fighting mother nature and getting paid for it...

 

[slplow]

The good,of course the money. Making a big snow bank in front of your truck. Noone is out during the wee hours in the a.m. exept idiots and plowers. Not to be confused between the two, ha ha.

The bad, people passing behind you when you are backing up out of someone's driveway. Not being able to cuddle with the wife. And you can't snowmobile and plow at the same time. Customers denying that you were there to plow their driveway, when you did (obviously trying to get out of paying for three inches cleared off their driveway). One guy even went so far as to saying that it melted. Stiffed me!!! When 50 other people had no complaints and paid. He was actually a neighbor!!