quote:

fella from the town

Does this mean that he is employeed by the town/city. If so, he's racking up OT and knows exactly what he is doing.

I grew up in the Upper Midwest. If it was a slow winter (i.e. storms few and far between), the city plow guys would plow neighborhoods like it was an interstate freeway. There would be sparks flying off the blades.

The biggest scam ever was some genius decided to have the city plow guys be responsible for replacing every broken mailbox in the spring. Lo and behold, they set a record for broken mailboxes and got a shitload of OT in the spring to fix them. They were driving so fast through our 25 mph neighborhood that snow was nearly reaching the front door.

quote:

Originally posted by tatortodd:

quote:

fella from the town

Does this mean that he is employed by the town/city. If so, he's racking up OT and knows exactly what he is doing.

Ehh, the truck had a town logo on the door...

I did get a pretty good laugh when the second truck showed up on my street, a few minutes after my original post, pushing the "snow debris" around.

I grew up in Nebraska and we had darn good plow drivers. When I lived on the Western Slope (Colo.) I had a snow removal/plow business with quite a few Resort/Condo Associations and when, not if, one of my guys was too slow or did a less than stellar job he got to do it again on my equipment and his free labor. I learned my 1st year to do that and weeded out the bums toot-sweet. 8 years later I sold the business and helped the guy who bought it to get ALL the Contracts re-negotiated since my Contracts were for 2 years at a time. He was one of my best guys and was wise with his $.

I have a plow on my UTV. Plowing is easy, it's knowing where to push the snow so you'll have room for the next blizzard that's hard. I can do my whole yard and 100 yard driveway in about an hour now. It took a lot longer than that the first few times though.

This message has been edited. Last edited by: Pyker,

quote:

Originally posted by 229DAK:
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.

Watched one of these morons run up and down the side street tonight for a couple hours.

During a 'snow emergency' (Really? This is WI) we have to park on either the even, or odd numbered side of the street. This idiot comes up one way with the blade angled correct, then comes back and plows the cars in. Then does bizarre combinations. Went out and shoveled my car out tonight, rather than tomorrow.

You know, this is a funny question. I"m not sure anyone has ever even done it (plowed well). Some are significantly worse than others. I've only called to complain once in the last 43 years. The jerk (the nice term for him) managed to give me a berm 3' high out front. So when I called the city to bitch, the supervisor said he had to put it some place. I thought I was reasonable, I said anyplace besides in front of my drive. He somehow managed to not plow in the side road, but he gave me their snow. He came back and made it worse. I went out front and gave the roadway my excess snow, the stuff he left for me.

So out comes a cop to tell me not to do it. I said no problem, it wasn't my snow to begin with. Even he agreed the driver left me with the city's snow from the side road. I considered punching a hole in his engine block with some AP rounds, just for fun. Plow drivers don't understand that the public hates them, or the bad ones at least.

Oh, the 3' berm was ice. I still don't understand why he's allowed to plow in driveways. I didn't want him fired, I want him killed in public. Yeah, it would be hard for him to do a good job. That's why he's overpaid. Even making minimum wage. And I'm sure he's not. If I knew where he lived, I'd get my neighbors together and go to his house, hand shoveling him a 3' berm he'd have to move. But then he's tired from doing that with a truck all day to others.

But then global warming says we won't be getting snow soon.

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Originally posted by Leeann:

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.

Simsbury plow drivers are town DPW employees, not hourly or contract. Just watched them go down my street (West Simsbury, near Flamig Farm). One pass each way. They'll come back by when the storm is over and clean it up to the curb...

The trick is not hitting stuff buried in the snow that you can't see, like curbs, parking lot islands, improperly constructed manholes, fire hydrants, etc. We have pretty good plow drivers around here. They get stuff done. I woke up on Sunday and the road was already plowed clear of the 6-8" we got overnight. Sure there was a berm at the end of my driveway, but you can't realistically expect them to avoid doing that. The snow DOES have to go somewhere, and if they stopped and backed up and plowed out the end of every driveway they passed, the roads would never get plowed. I figure I'd rather spend 20 minutes dealing with 3' of snow at the end of my drive than hours trying to navigate snow covered roads because all the plow drivers are tied up clearing driveways.

Ya need this cool jacket:

The Sierras got its atmospheric river of a storm, 6' in 24hrs, nearly 8' total in three days, plunging a number of communities without power or, cell service; lots and lots of downed trees pulling down house cables and snapping power poles. The full-time locals know they've got to get their driveways cleared before the Sierra Cement sets-in and hardens the plow berms.
I was just up at my parents place where they've been without power since Wednesday..if it wasn't for the plows, good or, otherwise, the entire place would've been paralyzed. Luckily everyone bought generators over the last 5-years, which meant the gas stations were a zoo.
A number of contractors have wised-up and worked in tandem, putting rotary blowers on their Bobcats to get through the heavy stuff and their buddy with a plow attachment on their pick-up to help clean-up afterwards.

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Originally posted by feersum dreadnaught:

quote:

Originally posted by Leeann:

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.

Simsbury plow drivers are town DPW employees, not hourly or contract. Just watched them go down my street (West Simsbury, near Flamig Farm). One pass each way. They'll come back by when the storm is over and clean it up to the curb...

I’m from West Simsbury, but I grew up over by Town Forest. Our street, small, was always the last road they plowed. My brother lives just a little down West Mountain from you.

To plow well actually takes one season, as far as on the road plowing is concerned.I plowed one year in Marquette, MI., where Yooper sig lives, in a prior life. After forty plus years I plowed for the county I live in now. Only took two or three outings to get it back but I've run equipment most of my life. To plow with a smaller truck is a whole different ballgame. Some people never learn but if it's their own truck who cares. When I first moved to Grayling I considered plowing but I made more money rebuilding transmissions from plow jockey's trucks.

Jim