Do you guys have any Rookie plowing fails or tips you can share? If you have a funny story too, leave me a comment down below. I love reading them and knowing I'm not the only newbie out there figuring things out, ha!
01Chevy2500HD❤ w/ a 3yr 8'6"FisherPlow.... 🤔 (female)3yrs plowing... 5-7 Driveways (2 plowed in big storms only). I have found several new dents @ my Left side of the Rear bumper & RR fender(fleetside) behind the wheel/bumper (tail pipe zone)!!! I find that it's possiblly.... from not judging correctly to the point that i Should stop inches sooner!!! I have no idea where it happens cuz the truck has power... it just smoothly bulldozes thru or into things.... I can not feel it in the truck !!! I backed into a small deck & never even felt it !!!! Same property.... backed into a split post & rail fence.... never even felt it !!?!! 😎...No JOLTing/AbruptStops.... 😎the truck is amazingly smooth LIKE A CADILAC!!! ***********************TIPS*********************************Tips***********************************tips********************************** 👌😎KNOW YOUR PROPERTY in the FALL!!! Where is the well head?? Granite curbs/steps??😎 -It's Well worth the homework!!!!!!!!!!!! 👍PAY ATTENTION!!!! ALWAYS!!!! 👍ALWAYS PLOW IN LOW RANGE !!!!! 👍CHANGE YOUR PLOW OIL EVERY YR!!!! 👍COMPLETELY STOP WHEN CHANGING DIRECTIONS!!!! REMEMBER>>>>>😢😢YOU ARE DEAD in the Water w/out your transmission!!!!!!!!! 😒 😢 Ps..... Thanx for the vid.... good job!!!! -cawhp NH 03576
If you don't regularly do it flush your hydraulic brake system in the fall eliminate the moisture and the possibility of brakes freezing up. Nothing worse than having a brake failure in traffic or near a building. That is the worst of experience.
It was my first year plowing I bought an old 99 k2500 with an 8 foot straight blade thing was amazing but i have a similar story to yours thank God I had a guy with me or I would probably still be stuck but I was back dragging in front of the garage and stopped a little to fast and started to slide well I ended up looking at the sky the guy I was with literally picked up the back corner of my truck that was teeter tottering on this massive hill . And I was able to then drive out of it .
Maintenance on truck, Maintenance on plow. Good snow tires, extra light bulbs, hoses, blade bolts, tools,flashlight, extra hydraulic fluid plenty of snacks and drinks. I like to have a chain incase you get stuck and a snow shovel. Jumper cables and a hot coffee. And in case you break down make sure your dressed to fix a problem in a snow storm a phone power bank just in case. First aid kit and road flares in case of a emergency.
Here is a couple of time and life saving tips to follow. When plowing, do NOT slam into the pile with the truck, gently ease each "run" into the piles. Also, when in transit, angle your blade (preferably to the right) to allow airflow into the radiator. Happy and safe plowing! :)
Always wear your seatbelt I was plowing a wide open commercial lot once and caught the edge of manhole trucking along at about 15mph pushing a small pile of wet slush. I ended up half on dashboard after bouncing off the steering wheel.
One peace of advice a old timer told me. “Make every move count” don’t plow snow were you have already plowed. Time is money the faster you do it but safe the more contracts you can get.
Please try to remember that kids make forts in snow banks. One time I was asked to push a windrow further back, it scared the heck out of me to see three kids come running out of the back side of the windrow! In most storms kids get the day off, so I just wanted to share that story. Thanks for the tips here!
That's scary. I grew up in a house next to a cul de sac during the Blizzard of 1978, and I remember tunneling into a snowbank as a kid after that storm.
@@kenc.9067 Wow! That's a cool memory. I also remember the 78 blizzard. We didn't see a single vehicle for 3 full days. As a 13 year old it was a blast!
Plow in first gear, it’s better on transmission, plus you shouldn’t go faster than that plowing anyway. I’ve been plowing since 1998. Superior lawn&snow mason mi👍🏽
- Stake the properties yourself, that way you have a visual, PRE SNOW. - Get the larger sized florescent plow edge markers. Much better visibility for you, especially after being fatigued. - Be careful with late call / new customers. Look for red flags.
A quick addition to your #3 is to keep the radio volume low or off. I even keep the window cracked a couple of inches so I can hear around me. If someone walks across the lot or drives up behind you, hearing the screaming or horn is going to be really important! As a Canadian I'd like to add a #11. When you do your first couple of plows during the season; raise the plow a few inches higher than the curbs and push the snow as far back as you can. As it hardens you will run out of places to put it without losing parking spots. You also don't want to cover up the drains. A good start is really important if you get 20 snow falls per season. Cheers.
Back up any hills you think you might get stuck on and plow down hill. Truck will climb better in reverse and if things get sketchy you can just drive right out straight ahead. Also if its deep and uphill, drive up first turn around and plow down hill Last is if the roads are icy don’t go plow stuff you are not familiar with. People flagging you down can get you stuck and your regulars will not get done if your stuck in someone’s driveway. Do all drivebys after all your regulars are done. Bring a tow strap so you can yank people out and make some extra cash Most importantly if you have a few minutes and you see an elderly guy shoveling the plow pile at the end of the driveway, drop your blade and save him 5 hours of shoveling and a heart attack. It makes you feel good to do that and even better when they try to pay you and you tell them it on the house!
Been plowing 33 years and I have seen good and bad stuff keep your controller close if you have to stop suddenly hit neutral and drop blade will stop you instead of sliding with brakes locked up you just slide along for ride neutral allows you to keep steering great job keep working
Any advice for plowing lot that's on a slight hill and is reversing up the hill and pushing snow down better or more dangerous. 1st year plowing any advice be appreciated
If I know I will be going out at 3am. I go to bed at 9pm and get up at 230am. that way I have the rest I need to plow for 13 hours strait. the worst is when your done all your parking lots and it still hasn't stopped snowing. round 2 is always tough. great video, thanks.
I'm newly retired so I figured I do some plowing in the winter to stay busy. Like yourself, I just bought a new truck (2019 Ram 2500) and a fisher v-plow(plow install on tuesday). Your video gave me some great tips/lessons. NEVER would have thought of a log book! I will definately subscribe and keep ya posted on the good, the bad, and the ugly...lol Thanks for the informative and energetic video. Holiday blessings from the Adirondack Mtns.
great info. I work for a large car dealership and part of my job is to get in the truck and plow snow. Before this winter I had never plowed snow in my life. Already got lectured about not tilting the plow away from a row of cars when making a pass. I have to be extremely careful around cars but yet we have so much snow that if I don't maintain good momentum I can't keep going, have to back up and get a run at it. Yes, running into a curb sucks.
One thing you said backwards is at one point is that if you go too fast you may spill snow onto an area you just shoveled. You should always shovel last for this reason. If you have a crew with you then be careful and plan with them. You don’t want to upset your shovelers or that makes for an awkward truck ride. 1. Also weight in the back is always helpful 2. Invest in good winter tires 3. Only backblade when you have to as it can pack down the snow not drag it 4. Take a minute before starting each site and plan on how to attack. You will save yourself so much time if you stop and think first 5. Think before you put the snow somewhere. If you’re in a heavy snow area you need to either push the snow further back than the curb at have multiple areas to place it. If you are in a hot and cold area you need to put the snow somewhere where it won’t pool and is not covering a drain. 6. Always coordinate with any other drivers on site for larger properties. You will save so much time if you don’t redo each other’s work. 7. If at all possible buy a v-plow instead of straight blade. The extra $2-4000 is so worth it. 8. As I said firstly. Shovel last. Not only will you prevent shoveling the same area twice, but if your by yourself, the drive between sites is the most likely time to fall asleep. If you get out of the truck and move around before that your less likely to fall asleep with the blood flowing. I was hoping to have 10 more for you, but this is all I can think of for now.
use mileiq to document your mileage and your to and from desinations,this will tell you how many times you were at the property.it goes on your iPhone and will track your every movement in any vehicle you are in
Here's a must know tip lighting is key if you can't see where you are plowing then you could hit something or someone and end up damaging your plow or truck I suggest The 42" Auxbeam LED Light Bar it's truly amazing and lights up way more then the plow lights do
Have good tires. Hint: Bald tires don’t do ANYTHING when you have your blade dropped. Even if the same tires would usually get you through on your daily, they aren’t going to work on the plow truck.
Another tip is to stack and or pile snow near the storm drains doing this helps to avoid patches of ice when the snow melts and then refreezes you don't wanna be liable if someone gets injured by falling on a said patch of ice
Nice setup I used an older version of the same plow. You definitely picked the right plow never agian would I use a straight blade. I notice most about rookie plow operators they pick the worst trucks 1500 no good at least 2500 or they will just keep breaking.
Always have a gallon of hydraulic fluid, an extra hydraulic hose and some dielectric grease in the truck in case something happens to your plow and some chains also
All good advice. I have come close to driving into garage doors forgetting to go reverse for sure. We used to all stake the properties as a team so EVERY driver was able to survey EVERY property BEFORE it snows.
My biggest rookie mistake plowing..... Prices my first year...customers had to of literally went to bed feeling like they hit the Powerball. All is well lesson learned, Great video!! 👍👍
I have 1 commercial property I do. Long driveways and a decent size parking lot. And I do it on a rider with a blade. Great fun. But I wait until the sun comes up.
I've been plowing for two years now. Another tip have a game plan, walk the property with no snow and buy some markers because you don't want to mess up your plow and truck. Also the thing with going to fast there's no need to go fast and bang them out. The snow will still be there when you get to it. Also drink a lot of water.
Also for the gas you can get a extra tank put in the bed of the truck keep that full so if it is the middle of the night you can still fill up if your running low. And when your cutting lawns you can gas up with that instead of having to go to the pump every time your running low.
who is lending you a snowplow to learn I guess if you work for someone , may as get paid at the same time .Always good to walk the area you are going to plow before in the day light is better and worth the time . You did bring up some good points . Thanks
Great video Brian! You are making great video's, good content. Keep up the good work ! I love snow removal, just wishing for more snow! I have wings I want to fly... need snow
Hey Brian! First time I tripped the blade on a sewer cap I thought I ripped it off..... I would've loved to have seen you guys on camera going over the edge.....lol glad no damage..... We got hit NYC Blizzard just finished 11 straight hrs. plowin/blowin....Thanks for the video, I needed the laugh....
EAGLE 1 i live in ct. went from 7 am to 1 am woke up at 5 am cause i was on call. and that was mostly comertial accounts. plowed comertial until 10:30pm. 10:30-1 was residential
I hear you bro, but I love SUV's. I don't wanna give that up ya know. I have a 2016 Yukon Denali, and I def can't afford to have a pickup along side this so for now the ATV will be it but hey you never know lol
Prep your equipment ahead of time. Check fuel, plow and keep a snow shovel in the back seat. Get rest. It’s hard for me to get rest before a storm because the not knowing what I’m getting into makes my nerves go crazy.
well. first time i drove a plowtruck it was shitty weather. like very bad blizzard. road had ben stuck for hours due to cars stuck. they called and asked if a could drive. sure. learned how to operate it by phone on the fly. did a test run on a smaller road before going on the highway. drove off the road, but managed to back up again. all fine and we did a good job. weather cleared a bit and i figured i would tru turning around at another place. got stuck and closed the entire highway. showeled myself out by hand. only took me better part of the hour. traffic backing up and people getting out wondering how long time it would take. real fun lol. second time i plowed my mate called 9am one sunday morning. he had overslept. so we went out with two trucks trying to save the day. over a foot of snow on the highway at places. luckily not much traffic then and a really nice day. so i did some filming and uploaded it on youtube. all good until the owner some weeks later asked me if a knew something about a plowing vindeo. he had been in a meeting with DOT and got fined for 6000usd for not having the road plowed as in the contract. DOT found the vid on youtube. he was pissed lol, but not at me. but at the government and the prime minister :D hes a bit nuts hehe. here is the actual video. i never took it down :D ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-rP9dBdscW8M.html
I went through a garage door. It really makes for a sucky day I tell ya. Luckily the damage wasn't too bad. We have since gotten rid of all those down slopped driveways. To much stress and lets face it garage doors are pricey.
I had one that was so steep going towards the garage door I only used a snow blower on it. The owner only went in the drive after the door was open because when icy it was almost impossible to stop before the door.
This is why guys use a diesel truck, that fuel last that much longer. I've filled a gas truck twice to one time a diesel. You right to havethe property lines marked. Its not good to be stuck off the pavement and have to call someone to get you out, then your paying your snow profit. I always wonder if I should have carried a winch to get my self out. Be careful on stacking snow if soft you can get yourself stuck that way as well. Carry a shovel with you incase you have to dig out your plow as well. I had it so stuck that was the only way out. becareful when your doing a windrow in heavy snow you could get stuck at the end a your getting ready to stack. Break the row about mid way if you can. Glad your having fun with it! I learned with someone else's plow. I'm still using someones plow but now with a payloader. When I retire I will have my own. :)
yeah the number one rookie plowing fail is when all my roads are plowed out the end of the night and the only reason i have to come back at 5 am is some asshole left a mess in the street and literally 50% of guys do it
Great tips .. thank you Brian .. you are learning the trade very fast .. I would like to add that drivers need to be extremely careful when they are backing up also, putting weight in the truck's bed really help plowing and not slipping.
As soon as you started saying the story about the truck rolling up in drive and forgetting to throw it in reverse I thought about the channel "ThePlowGuys" they accidentally mangled 2 garage doors xD
Back when I lived in Illinois was working full time, I plowed snow at work. We used forklifts with cabs and heaters but still dressed warmly. We had 8 ft. blades that only had one angle. One time plowing a car was parked where it shouldn't have been, so I had enough snow between the plow and car, I pushed that car at least 10 ft. It was pretty funny when the guy came out an seen his car was moved. We would come in on a Sunday morning and plow till we couldn't go another foot. 12 hours or more getting double time pay and breaks too! That part of work was the best!
8 hours up, 3- 4 hours sleep, 8 Hours up, 3-4 Hours sleep. Keep low number of contracts, One community/gated subdivision is nice (if u get a good contract) Money is good on the 14/18/20 Hour days but is it worth getting Killed over ?
I just damaged my bumper in my last hour of 14 hours plowing by being tired and not alert and going kinda fast wanting to get home. Also always keep your windows clean. I’m so frustrated at myself. Luckily I got a new bumper for $450 a junkyard today. I’ll put it on myself when it warms up. New ones where $700 on eBay
I’m right there with the getting sleep. I had once been up n going for just over 15 hours was on the last parking lot and I feel asleep with the blade down. I don’t know how fast the truck was going when I get the curb but it was hard enough that I cracked the windshield and gashed my head open.
bought one and hate the blue colors, handle bar is uncomfortable cause it sits so far away you have to lean forward. And 28MPH is a lie. mine has only reached 25 mph.
Trucks are cheap in the States compared to here in Canada, i wish i could only pay 65 we pay 15 to 20g more per truck, i bought 2 diesels at 85 grand each plus tx so 65 is a used truck here
honestly, thanks for the video's. I totally believe in having a newer or brand new reliable truck and plow. That goes with plowing safe and to your ability. $65,000.00 plow truck is a great idea. That truck is going to make you money for the next 10 years. If your like me, I don't have time to be fixing junk, wore out old trucks, they need to be making money, 12 hours a day 6 days a week. RIGHT NOW, not in two day or waiting for a part. Your Biggest tool in the tool box
Number one tip. Don’t plow residential. There is no money in residential. Turn off your phone when trying to sleep. If you spread salt on your log record both air and surface temperature it will help you from going to court.
More rookie plow fails! Some people may think these are no brainers, but believe me they aren't! 01. Make sure you have the equipment necessary to pull of the service you've promised to the clients you've amassed! Don't pass out 1000 door hangers and promise snow removal to a dozen home owners and leave your house at 2 am with a snow shovel telling yourself "I'm gonna make some bank tonight." After the first driveway takes you 2 or 3 hours and you're dripping in sweat and your arms and legs are gone, you'll have to explain to your other clients when they get up in the morning expecting a clear driveway why you weren't there. 02. Dress appropriately! This is two-fold. Dress so you're protecting your extremities from the cold and wet, but also don't dress so warm that you're going to sweat a lot. Sweat turns to ice in some temperatures and will give you hypothermia very quickly. 03. Bring things to drink! Just because it's cold outside does not mean you won't dehydrate! If anything you'll actually dehydrate faster because your body is working harder to keep itself warm. Drink just a few sips, and drink often. Don't chug a bottle of water in the middle of blowing off a driveway cause you'll water-log yourself and make yourself sick. 04. Plan your routes! My snow service route spans over 30 miles. So you have to be careful to plan it in a way that you're more or less traveling in the same direction and not having to backtrack to take care of another client. This can be time consuming, but well worth it as im sure all of you know that the cost to run a truck and plow, or even just haul around a snow blower all night is outrageous. Hopefully some of these helped you out, check out Lazar Companies as well as facebook.com/lazarlandscapingservice and www.yardbook.com/hp/118991
Brian's Lawn Maintenance it's true. You should always write up a contract stating the services provided, cost, length of contract, liability, damages or accidents. I have been plowing for 4 years now. I've had times where newer customers or one timers call me MONTHS after winter saying I have damaged their property whether it be grass or gravel driveways and you have no way to prove that it was not done by you.
