any one here do any plowing?

i bought an 86 chevy 4x4, needs a tranny i'm swapping out the 700r4 for a turbo 350.. i rather keep the 700r but i have heard alot about them being a bad tranny. i also bought a whole fisher plow set up from the junk yard.

is there any money in plowing? i have hear alot of mixed anwsers. some say there is good money others say i might have a hard time getting money from people and i have heard of people getting paid in the summer..

i dunno if i should bother or just plow my own long drive way.

 

I'd say give it a try, if you aren't doing anything anyway. But I'm not sure if I would make that my only income due to the part about having a hard time getting your money. I know first hand about that mess.

 

i wouldn't know, its only snowed twice in the past 20 years here

 

I don't know much about the plowing. I can offer this though. Figure out how much it has snowed over the years, decide if you want to get paid by the snow fall or by the year, and then make the math work for you. If you can get people to pay by the year you can come out ahead if it doesn't snow a ton.

The 700r4 is actually a decent tranny and can take some serious abuse if built right. Even a stock rebuild is dependable if they do all the necessary updates. If it's a 1/2 ton truck your axles are going to take a pretty good beating unless your just doing driveways so you might want to think about upgrading axle shafts and u-joints.

 

it's 3/4 ton...

i live in maine.. we get quite a bit of snow from time to time.
the last couple years we havn't had a whole lot of snow.
we usually get dumped on pretty good...

 

Do you know any business owners/ operators? They usually pay more reliably. Better money in plowing lots for businesses than individuals. We used to do both. How much experience do you have plowing? Most of the time, plowing gets done at night - how will that affect your day job? (btw - don't quit your day job) You'll want to know how often they want it plowed, too, like every "x" number of inches. Also decide if you bill by times plowed, or by snow storm - some people think they should pay the same for you to do there lots 3 times in one storm as when you do once for a couple inches. It's all negotiable, but plan it out ahead. As far as how much money is in it, it depends on the area, big city or small community, and how most of the plowing is done, by guys with trucks, or by companies with fleets of trucks. Fleets win most businesses, hands down. Unless you're somebody's uncle's cousin's friend's brother in law.

 

yeah i know some business they are already taking bids. i don't wanna give any bids till my truck is 100% ready. i'm having a turbo 350 rebuilt and just have to put the plow on... also the truck hasn't been used in about 3 years. so i'm not sure what else might be wrong???
i'm just a lobstermen.. i don't work on bad days.. well in the winter i hardly work at all any way. not to worried about the day job

 

LOL... then it sounds like something to look into when your truck is proven!

 

well there must be money in plowing. one of the local dirt works/ construction guys stopped by cuz one of his plow trucks burnt up and he wanted to buy mine for plowing..

 

There is money to be made but you got to know how to bid it. If you dont have any expierience then i would suggest hooking on with a company that allready is established and see if it is something you want to commit to, that you like and if it pays for you. I have plowed the last 6 yrs or so comercially with a big company and hope to be on my own next year. It sure makes for some long day and nights but i love doing it.