[robbo]

hey wxmn6 my mother has a guy that has a truck gear and works by himself just doing lawn matience(weed wacking and cutting) and he lives off that for the yr. he charges 25 bucks a week, so i would figure he can handle about 40 residetial accounts at about a half hr a stop and make 1000 bucks a week.
does this sound about right?

 

[PSDF350]

Robbo,
It sounds like your area gets a reasonable amount of snow. Here are a couple more ideas:
1)- Buy a 2 or 3 yr old 3/4 T Dodge, diesel if you can swing it. It should be at least $10k less than new. that cuts your earning requirements big time. The fuel mileage on the diesels will be much better than gas, and maybe almost as good as your Euro.
2) Definitely sign on with a big company as a sub. Your hourly rate will be less, but you will usually work more hours to make up. That will also let you get some statistics together for when you do go on your own. You won't be over-extending yourself as easily.
3) Look for your dealer and quality service just as much as you look for features in a new plow. You will likely need the dealer sometime, and you want him to be stable, open reasonable hours with good parts inventory.
4) If you have less than 4 years of experience plowing, suck up the fee, and buy Chuck's book. Except for being written by a Chevy lover, it is a good use of the $$ and the time to read it.:grinz

Lastly, prowl the history pages around here. Great wisdom is here and good folks who will help you. :nodd

i agree with all this except of course the dodge part if you want a real truck get a ford:burnout

 

[snonut12]

robbo - $25 a cut for half hour sounds about right to me. Sure, it depends on what equipment he is using but still it sound reasonable. Assuming that each of 40 accounts take about an half hour to mow/trim, then yeah it is possible for him to do that. That is total of 20 hours mowing/trimming a week but there is alot more to this such as travelling time between the accounts, time to unload/load equipment, filling up gas, changing the blades, etc. etc. Of course one of the biggest player: weather. So I would think that 40 accounts would be enough to fill his schedule & be manageable.

 

[jmoriweb]

hey everyone!

ive plowed snow for 4 yrs with the county parks department, so i have some exsperience with plowing.
im considering buying a new dodge with plow rig to have a winter income since im just making enuff for my wife and i to live on with my regular income. i know nothing about running my my own 1 truck contractor business, so can someone please point me in the right direction to a good book that will set me up with everything i need to know about insurance, contracts ,ect....

anyone read the snow plowing handbook?

also , is it possible for 1 truck to get 20,000 do11ars in contracts for the winter season and handle those accounts with a 1 man truck setup?

thanks !
robbo in new jersey

The biggest issue is the insurance. That can be $3K plus per year. The truck and wear and tear by plowing can take a toll. There will be constant maintenance and things will break. Many get lucky and it may be years before that happens but it will happen and most likely when you are plowing so you would need at least 2 trucks in case one breaks down. Of course, there is always the hidden danger under the snow that will cause you to break a piston or crack a frame. Then there is the issue of billing and collecting. While it is not a big deal, it does take time to get it all out and follow up when people do not pay on time. The company name, registration, legal paperwork and bank account is simple, but need to set that up. You can use your cell phone as the main phone number but then you are the main point of contact to the clients which is OK just understand the commitment. Overall, is can be lucrative but it is a lot of work. As you grow, you get more trucks and hire people. Just do a good job and charge a good rate and manage it properly and you will do fine. Getting the clients winds up to be the hardest part.

 

[BUFF]

Thread has been dead since 2004 and participates in the thread haven't been around for a looooooooooooooooooooong time.