As I sit here goofing around on the web, I'm watching a fella from the town run a plow truck up and down my road. He's made about a dozen trips, it seems, not really pushing much each time. (This morning's snow was only about 2".)

Watching this event, and never having driven a snowplow myself, I've gone from "this guy doesn't know what the heck he's doing" to "maybe he's new at this and just now developing his push strategy."

He's got the nice fold-in-the-middle blade, and pushing a little pile up to the intersection. Once there, he lifts the blade and drives through it, turning off to the right. Then he'll back up about a truck length, drop the blade, and push a little bit of that new pile off far side of the road, then line up for a trip to the other end of the road, pushing snow to the left.

I'm wondering, though, once that pile is pushed up into the intersection, why not back up two truck lengths, lower the blade, and push that whole blob off?

I shouldn't criticize, I know. I've never done it. Over all, he's got the road pretty clean now, even working nice and close to the edges. I'm sure the mail carrier and the street-parkers will appreciate that. Heck, on his last pass he was wolfing on a sandwich as he went by.

It's going to take him three swipes to clean out the intersection, but I'm giving him bonus points for being conscientious about it, and not leaving "yuge" chunks to refreeze there overnight.

Just one of those things ol' vthoky is curious about....

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Do you think he is paid by the hour or by the amount of snow that's been cleared?


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Sounds like he's just playing, or doesn't want to work his truck too hard.

I drove a 1 ton dump with a 10 foot plow on it running cleanup after the big boys with the dustpan plows on 10-wheel dump trucks were done. My job was to clean up the corners and plow side roads that were too tight for the big rigs. Dicking around was contraindicated. Get it done, move to the next one.

Figuring out where to put the snow so it isn't in the way next trip is Priority 1.

Doing it quickly and efficiently is Priority 2.

Do it all day for a while and it gets automatic. You get the hang of it after 3-4 storms.

If he is trying to plow 2" of snow he is an idiot. So it is doubtful if he has much of a clue.

quote:

Originally posted by old rugged cross:
If he is trying to plow 2" of snow he is an idiot.

What would be the alternative? Residents would certainly raise Cain on the town if they just left it....

It must be. Our street is at least 25 feet wide and quite often they'll plow a single lane down the middle of it.
When I call the mayor's office to complain they send someone that knows how to plow.

efficiently, safely, productively, with out truck, blade or property damage?
yes


there are people that get 2,3 or 4 years out of their plowing rigs and then there are those that get 6-8 years.

The apt. owners quit doing the plowing and hired the village idiot, who costs almost nothing , I mean he's cheap.

He does more harm than good, He's doing good to get himself dressed in the morning , how he gets home safe is anyone's guess.

I don't think he grasp's any aspect of the snow removal concept

oh ,
and one of the city plows took out the mail boxes for the apts.,
last year

Milking out his time to up his pay for whomever is paying him.

We have (private) guys under contract by the county to plow the side streets here. They drive up and down my home many times. After two passes each way, it's clear, but they keep coming. Just milking the county for more taxpayer $$.

Don't get me started on the stupid fools who leave their cars out on the road even though there is room in their driveways to put them during snowstorms.

A cop pulled over a woman in Iowa who was following the guy in the snow plow. He was plowing the parking lot. He put on the blue lights and stopped her. She explained that she was uncomfortable driving in the snow. Her husband told to just follow the snowplow and she would be fine.

quote:

Originally posted by WaterburyBob:
It must be. Our street is at least 25 feet wide and quite often they'll plow a single lane down the middle of it.
When I call the mayor's office to complain they send someone that knows how to plow.

In Waterbury? They're putting newbies on your street.

I grew up in Simsbury and we never had anyone that stupid plow our street. My brother still lives in town and they still have smarter plow drivers.


Now down here, the idiots they put behind the wheel couldn't find their, um, I'd better stop. I live on a state route, so maintained by SHA, and one moron came through and plowed water an hour ago. Yep, water. Not even slush.

they make this look almost fun
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T4Wi-jXgvsQ

The basics are easy. Being good at it is a whole different matter. and it matters a lot what kind of rig on what kind of road/driveways in what kind of weather with what kind of snow. and how much sleep you get (just from experience)...

The boys from Top Gear did a show on snow plows and it appears to be quite difficult.

Everyone up here armors up their mailboxes. If you dont, you lose it. The plow does not hit the mailbox, but high velocity snow does.

It's one of those things you learn how to do right, by doing it wrong. Some people it takes time to learn, some people never learn. I used to work with guys who I could never understand how they could be so bad at it, after doing it for so very long.

It's one of those things I miss doing, only because I'm not doing it. If I still was, I surely would feel otherwise. People used to say "that looks like fun" and I'd reply, it is for the first few hundred hours.

quote:

Originally posted by cas:

It's one of those things I miss doing, only because I'm not doing it. If I still was, I surely would feel otherwise. People used to say "that looks like fun" and I'd reply, it is for the first few hundred hours.

It do tend to lose some of it's glitter about the 10th time yer boss calls you up at 2am and tells you to saddle up.

The city has to come to my house and re-sod about 3 feet of my lawn every spring where the snow plow rolled it up the first two snowfalls before the ground freezes. We don't have curb and gutter so they can't plow by sound of the blade hitting the curb. However the DOT guys who plow the freeways and state roads are pro's, around here anyhow.

I've been plowing my rural driveway for the past 21 years. It's easy now, but I know exactly where hittable objects are and where I'm going to push each section. I'd imagine unfamiliar territory can make a driver look clumsy.

BTW: Same truck and V-plow the whole time. No drive train problems whatsoever. It really doesn't take much speed or power to push the snow until it gets to about 10-12". No need to be crazy and break things.

Bendable I enjoyed the video. Things change with time. When I lived in the Great White North I never saw a Bobcat with a plow clearing a parking lot. It was either done by hand or they were instructed to move their cars. As kids we used to pelt the guy plowing with snowballs as it meant we would probably going to school the next day. I also learned the guy in his early twenties would stop the plow and chase you. It was unpleasant if you were caught.

I made a lot of money as a kid shoveling driveways until the adults bought Jeeps with plows.

Must say, when we moved into our new house in '72, my dad (not a handyman at all) put up a mailbox. The first plow knocked it down. He put it back up. The next plow knocked it down. He put it back up. The third plow knocked it down.
He waved the white flag and got a PO box. We never had mail delivery to that house again.


Down here, we have a Rubbermaid mailbox, which snaps onto a mount that screws to the post. When it snows, my husband pops it off the mount (kicks it off, actually) and puts it on our back steps. Our mail carrier drives up the driveway, puts the mail in the box on the steps, turns around and goes back down. Makes me laugh every time.

My husband does plow the whole parking area and run down to the street, but that's still pretty cool.

My neighbor mounted a new metal mailbox when they moved in a few years back. The plow went by at 55 mph and knocked it flat and off the post - they found it 3 houses down. Pounded it back out almost right and it still lives to this day, but it's still funny. He did complain to the county, and he's a county employee, but it's a state road, so it did nothing.