How the Work Truck Works! – Snowplow Series – Personal Use

The Twelve Things You Should Consider Before Buying a Plow for Personal Use

The clearing of driveways and small parking lots may be accomplished with light duty and medium duty trucks with plows attached. The decision to buy snow removal equipment is more complex than it may appear at first; influenced by your geographical location, intended use, design and reliability of product and service, cost of purchase of truck and snow removal equipment, opportunity costs, operating costs, time and scheduling and many other factors!

For those trying to decide whether they should purchase a snowplow, I break them into 4 categories:  

·   Personal Use only – Non-revenue generating

·   Personal Use and some other – Some revenue generating

·   Light Commercial use- Revenue generating

·   Heavy commercial use- Revenue generating

If you are a residence owner and live in the snow-belt, you are faced with several choices for snow removal. Depending on your geographic location and for areas that generally receive light snow, the simple method is shovel or scoop your own driveway and walks! For those with heavier snowfall, shoveling may be too grueling; you may want to consider a snow blower!

But for those who normally get heavy snows on a regular basis, you may want to consider a truck mounted snowplow. The following considerations may help you in this decision. 

1)      Have you considered contracting with a snow removal company?

·         If you have an unacceptable experience with a present contractor. Consider contacting another; ask neighbors and co-workers for other referrals.

2)      What motivates your decision to handle your own snow removal?

·         Do you think that you will save money or be able to accomplish a better job of removal if you handle it yourself?

3)      Do you own a 4x4 truck?

·         If not, a new 4x4 truck may cost you around $40,000 to $50,000 or more for a full size model. Also, are you prepared to invest $4000-$6000 in equipment plus around $1000 in necessary tools, etc.?

4)      Do you have knowledge of plowing techniques, have you plowed before?

·         It would be worthwhile to spend time riding with a plow operator during a storm. You will learn a lot about plowing techniques/

5)      Have you spoken with other owners of snowplows to get a better understanding of what is involved?

·         Even if you just speak with other operators and contractors, you will learn a lot.

6)      Do you have another need for a truck or 4x4 SUV?

·         When I say “another” need, unless you have a lifetime burning desire or a need to own a 4x4, consider the total investment you will need to make for the truck and plow and other gear.

7)      Do you work for yourself or are you employed full time?

·         If you work for yourself, you have customers that need your services. If you work for someone else, you still have customers that need your services at work. In either event, consider that snow doesn’t always come while you are at home and prepared, it may come in heavy accumulations in the middle of your work day. Are you prepared to delegate your work responsibilities to leave and plow your own driveway?

8)      Are you considering buying a used truck and/or used a snowplow?

·         Consider that a used truck may have hidden issues; it’s possible if it has previously been used for snow plowing, it may have some frame or drive train problems. Previous drivers may have been careless while plowing or had possibly not unseen objects under the snow. In either case, the impact and wear may cause you a breakdown and a high truck or plow repair bill.  

9)      Are you comfortable working on trucks and / or equipment, are you mechanically inclined?

·         Even if you buy a new truck and plow, and unless you live next door to a 24 hour repair shop, you can expect to work on it in some manner!  Keep in mind that hooking it to the truck is not always easy, even with the newer, much improved designs. If you intend to remove it after each storm, you are expending extra time and maybe frustration each time you hook it up to the truck!

10)   All things considered, evaluate whether you will likely save money by buying and operating your own plow truck?

·         Keep in mind that not only the initial investment is substantial, but operating and maintenance costs can be high. If you decide on plowing your own driveway, its doubtful that you will save any money.

11)   Do you want more control of the snow removal, timing, quality of work, etc.?

·         This may be a better reason for buying your own equipment.

12)   If you choose to purchase you own truck and plow, choose a truck dealership with several years of truck/snowplow sales and service. Make sure you understand what’s covered under warranty and who the contact for service on your unit is. If its installed by a third party, the warranty and maintenance may have to be performed at a location other than the dealership.

by Steve Taylor. Steve is a consultant in the Truck Equipment business with over 30 years in the snowplow and truck body manufacturing business. He writes and blogs about the truck equipment industry, and he is a specialist in the design and quality/reliability field. He may be reached by email at steve@truckarchitect.com. You may visit his website at http://www.truckarchitect.com/ and http://.www.upstreamsource.com.