I try to get $120/hour, but most people freak with "sticker shock" if quoted that price. They feel comfortable with a preset fee. We plow at 2.5" to 3" and the "base rate" includes up to 6" unless there is heavy drifting. For most of our customers on small hobby farms with just one driveway and a 2 car garage and a turn around the base rate is $35, and I can do that in about 10 minutes. We upcharge for snow more than 6", usually less than a direct proportion. But if we get 12" of real wet heavy stuff, then the base rate is doubled for that time. Some of our bigger places have 1/4 mile driveways, plus extra drives to barn with a lot of area to be cleared. Base rate on the big ones is $85.
But our customers know we have the investment in equipment to do whatever is needed. We run 2 1-ton PUs with 8 ft blades, and have 1 big tractor rigged with 9 ft front and back blades, and 2 big tractors rigged with 8 ft snowblowers, plus a 900 series Bobcat with a 9 ft snow bucket. Of course we pay liability insurance and do this as a business. We currently do about 30 farm and residential accounts, but no commercial accounts. Many years ago I did business parking lots, but that was just too much grief with high liability insurance costs. My son and I do all the operating and repairs. I do not hire other operators, they are usually very hard on equipment and drive the repair costs like crazy.
I don't look forward to big snow anymore. I've been plowing for 41 years, besides working full time and farming (up until I retired from the "job" 9 years ago).
If you are going to plow, plan on some breakdowns. That needs to be built into the price. Chevy plow trucks have a reputation for eating trannys, but I've never lost one on a Dodge (727) or a Ford. Maybe I just got lucky. But we did lose a clutch on the Ford TW10 last Christmas. Of course it required a split at the bell housing to get to it. If you are going to come out financially, you need to have a shop and do your own work, unless you are really big with commercial accounts.
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Today's Featured Article - New Life for an Old Allis - by Tyler Woods. My friend Jon, has an old '39 Allis Chalmers B. He thought it a marginal tractor that had long since served its time. She smoked terribly and never had much power but he couldn't afford another so he was limping along with what he had. Jon's Allis has a small front loader and though it doesn't carry much, it serves his needs. It was the hard starting and low power that made him think it was time to replace the old girl. Jon called me to help him discover why his tractor wouldn't start
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