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.
