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Enquired last year about a plough for the front of a Ford Ranger...dont think it was worth while, its a lot to fork out , although i know farmers get paid for clearing snow so if you enquire with your local authority about clearing they may be interested
I was thinking more along the lines of getting a blower to clear drives, parking areas for blocks of flats etc.
This a regional thing, the problem with offering a snow clearing operation in our area is the infrequency of snow. OK we have had a decent fall over the past 3 years in our area, but the previous 10, hardly any. So is it worth the outlay for a snow blower or purchasing a towable grit spreader and have them idle for 99% of the year? You wouldn't spend £2.5k on a shiny new mower and have it siting in the shed for 363 days of the year.
Another point worth thinking about is that once you advertise yourself as a snow clearing service, everyone will want to be 'first on your list'. How would you cover that?
That's not to say we sit at home, we visit our existing customers, armed with snow shovels, brooms, bags of salt and some buckets, keeps our customers happy, gets us out and keeps us warm!
Hi Colin.
Whilst I appreciate what you are saying about investing in a blower, compared to investing in mowers or other machinery which you can use all year round, the benefits of having a high power snow blower may be worth taking a look at.
This is difficult (or impossible) to work out because of so many variables, however if you are offering a snow removal service using snow shovels and charging say £50 an hour for two people, how much snow could the two people shift?
So, if you have a high power blower (that shifts 0.66' tonnes per min) you could shift more snow per hour than ten men, meaning that you could in theory charge £250 per hour.
I agree, in a perfect world that would be the case, but where do you blow the snow and all the hidden debris, into the road, into adjoining gardens or when clearing a car park, over parked cars?
Good luck if you want to give it a try Adrian, but we'll stick with keeping our regulars onside and happy with a quick 15min visit that makes their day!
Adrian Noble said:
Hi Adrian, our village hall committee have been toying with the idea (for the last year!) of us clearing their car park, the stickler is Public Liability Insurance. When we approached our insurers and mentioned that the general public have unrestricted access to the car park they couldn't put the phone down quick enough!. Insurers will not give you a quote until the snow is just about to touch the ground when they can then have a rough idea of how much snow is going to fall etc.
At present i just pass on the work, as last year i had several car dealerships request snow clearence near me but the chances of damaging a car in the process is very high and the insurance is way too steep.
Hi Adrian,
We are Tracmaster based in Burgess Hill, Sussex, we are suppliers in lawn and groundcare machinery. We also supply BCS Snow Clearing Equipment. Please take a look at our website for more information about our product range. We don't provide snow clearing service, but we can provide you with a demonstration on the machinery you require.
BCS Snow Clearing Equipment.
Insurance for snow clearance and gritting is not cheap, however many insurance companies will cover this.
£250/hour would be lovely, however unrealistic, however with the right kit and the right contracts it doesn't pay bad.
The option to work for the council is there however, you need the right kit and they don't pay great, private and commercial pays far better.