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AG VanGundy Landscape, Inc. & AG Landscape Materials, Inc. |
Posts Tagged ‘Snow Plow’
Wednesday, December 28th, 2011
Wow can you believe that in less than a week it’s going to be 2012?
The cold, snowy winter a lot of forecasters were predicting still hasn’t hit us. Personally, I’m a little disappointed. A lot of snow means a lot of plowing for me; cold weather usually means a lot of firewood sales. However, I know I shouldn’t complain. We’re still making firewood sales, and sooner or later, it’s gotta snow – right?
This past year has taught me to appreciate everything (from the big things to the little things), to be thankful for what I have in my life, not to dwell on the things that are gone or the things I never possessed, and to know that with each new day comes new hope. It’s also taught me that having good health is truly a blessing and that loving family and friends and faith are really the most important things in life.
So, while no one’s life is perfect and some may feel that there’s not much good in it, take a couple of minutes before the new year starts and think of the blessings you do have in your life and then think of ways you can build on them in the coming year.
Here’s wishing you all a Happy, Healthy and Prosperous New Year!!!!
Tags: AG Landscape Materials, AG VanGundy Landscape, AGVanGundy.com, de-icing, Do It Youself Projects, facecord, fall, Firewood, Hardscaping, Landscape Designing, landscaping, Roselle, Salt, Schaumburg, Snow Plow, Snow Plowing, snow removal, winter services, winterize
Posted in Uncategorized | No Comments »
Thursday, November 4th, 2010
It’s been approximately 1 year since I’ve started blogging about various aspects of landscaping and landscape materials. Hopefully, many of you have found the information useful.
Some of our most popular blogs have been about Topsoil, Firewood, and Planning for Spring. Other blogs have been about Permit Processes, Sales Processes, Lawn Renovation, Snow Plowing, and Mulching, just to name a few.
Today I just wanted to let you know about some blogs that I’ll be posting in the future:
Cleaning & Sealing of your brick pavers
Polymeric Sand vs. Fine Sand
Building your own retreat space
Permits & the many new regulations for a lot of the villages in the Chicagoland area
I’m looking forward to continuing posting blogs.
If you have a topic or subject you’d like me to discuss regarding landscaping or landscape materials, please don’t hesitate to submit it to me via my web site at www.agvangundy.com.
Tags: AG Landscape Materials, AG VanGundy Landscape, AGVanGundy.com, Do It Youself Projects, Drain Tile, Drain Tile Work, facecord, Firewood, Hardscaping, Landcape Construction, Landscape Installations, Landscape Planning, landscaping, Lawn Care, Retaining Wall Construction, Roselle, Schaumburg, Snow Plow, topsoil, winter services
Posted in AGVanGundy.com, Firewood, General, Gift Ideas, Landscape Designing, Landscape Planning, Lawn Care, Snow Plow, Uncategorized, topsoil | No Comments »
Monday, December 28th, 2009
We just got finished with a big snow weekend. Questions always occur with a big snow event like this past one that happens over a few days with several inches of accumulation. The weather service originally predicted 1 – 3 inches; however the Carol Stream area got approximately 8 – 10 inches, plus some drifting.
Going into Christmas, the event looked like it was going to be more of a rain event, with some flooding, than a snow event. As we all know, it changed on Friday night to all snow and continued to snow all day on Saturday. So, the first question is when should your snow plow provider be at your facility to plow it? Conventional wisdom may suggest that the provider wait until after the event is finished and complete the plowing on Sunday. This is possible, especially for commercial accounts where business is not normally conducted on Saturday or Sunday; however it may not be the option for residences nor for businesses that are open on Saturdays and Sundays (i.e. restaurants, retail operations, banks…). Often when cars start driving on the unplowed surfaces the snow becomes compacted and unable to be scraped clean at a later time. Also the equipment has a harder time pushing and lifting the snow when the quantity of snow is higher. Depending on the site, and the restrictions of the property, plowing may have to be done several times just to be able to clear it later. Also, plowing of the “lanes” to open the site or like on our residential accounts, just quickly plowing the main drive may have to be done just to keep accessibility to your facility/residence.
On these several day events, after everything is plowed and the equipment is returned to the shop, a small dusting of snow may happen or some drifting may occur. On a zero tolerant account, this usually isn’t an issue, as a heavy salting would cure this. These types of accounts pay a premium for this level of service. Other clients may wonder or question why the service provider doesn’t just wait for 100% of the snow to fall and then start the plowing operations. The answer is simple, if the provider waited for all of the snow to fall, the time needed to complete a full plowing operation would interfere into the next day at your business or home. Another reason for not waiting is that it is common for temperatures to drop right after a snow fall and that could lead to freezing of the fallen snow and that would deter your provider from completely finishing the plowing. Finally, waiting in most cases, creates hardships for both clients and employees, as well as being hindering to your provider from giving the best service possible.
During these drawn out events, it is hard enough to predict what Mother Nature is about to do and often weather fronts can either stall or hasten or return with lake effect snow. The most important thing is to align yourself with a good, experienced snow plow contractor that has new modeled equipment and give or has thought out back up plans.
Always remember “Snow Happens” and often when no one wants it or at the most inconvenient times.
Tags: de-icing, Salt, Snow Plow, Snow Plowing, snow removal, winter services, winterize
Posted in Snow Plow | No Comments »
Friday, December 4th, 2009
 Now that Thanksgiving and is over and Christmas is just around the corner, we are all in “Holiday mode”, accumulating snows are not far behind. Often, after snow is removed from paved surfaces it may be necessary to apply salt or other de-icing chemicals to prevent icing from occurring. Depending on outdoor temperatures and sunlight, the skim of snow or ice can be removed with road salt (otherwise called rock salt). In my experience, if the temperatures are over 10 degrees Fahrenheit, salt works fine especially if it about to get sunny. The salt, together with the sun often supplies enough heat to melt off surface ice and snow. During the night hours, more salt may need to be applied a little more heavily. Again, in my experience, under 10 degrees, salt’s effectiveness is lessened; however, the granular textures help in traction and with sufficient traffic may work fine. There is no exact science, that I know of, for application rates as temperatures, sunlight, amount of snow and ice and spreader speed after shoveling can vary. On a typical 40’ X 18’ driveway, 5 – 10 gallons of salt will usually work. More may be needed on north sides as compared to the south facing driveways. In extreme cold, chemicals like Magnesium Chloride, Calcium Chloride, or Potassium may need to be used.
When any de-icing chemical is used, it creates heat. This heat may or may not chafe certain materials, like concrete. This often cannot be avoided and must be taken into account. Is a slip and fall more important than a chaffed driveway or walkway? New concrete pavers seem to chafe the least. Check with your installer when considering using a de-icing chemical on concrete surfaces, including stamped concrete. A good question to ask your installer is: Will the use of de-icing chemicals change my warranty?
You should also be careful to apply only as much as you really need so that the environment is least affected. Try to protect your plants from over spray/applications. Everything you apply to the surface eventually ends up in a pond or stream. Try to use only what you need.
For the most part, I think that typical road salt works for most applications. It is usually less expensive and the “grit” helps as well.
Salt may be purchased in bags or in bulk. Companies like A.G. Landscape Materials, sells Bulk Road Salt. A good idea is to purchase it in bulk, by 5 or 30 gallon containers (i.e. garbage cans). The salt can be stored in your garage with a lid and be there when the need arises.
Whatever you decide to use as your de-icing chemical, remember to use only what you need.
Tags: de-icing, Salt, Snow Plow, snow removal, winter services
Posted in Salt | 2 Comments »
Tuesday, November 17th, 2009
It’s now mid November and many of us turn our thoughts to the winter and snow. Have you thought of using a snow removal service? Have you used a snow removal service in the past, but were not happy with the service your received? Have you wondered what the difference is between snow plowing, snow blowing, and shoveling and their measure of success? Have you questioned when service should occur? These and several other questions are common and the answers can help determine the level of service you require and what you should expect from your service provider.
First, snowplowing is usually performed with a truck (or loader) with a snow plow blade “pushing” the snow to a pre-determined location. The blade is curved to “dig” into the snow. Often, as in the case of residential areas (driveways), the snow plow may have to be dropped near the garage door and the snow “pulled” back down the driveway toward the street. This procedure is called “back dragging”. When a surface is back dragged, it can sometimes leave a light skim of snow on the pavement, especially where traffic has occurred prior to the plowing. This is common and should be expected. This can also be topic of disagreement between the client and the service provider. The customer needs to also realize that it is impossible to get right up next to the garage door with the plow; therefore, a “trim” of shoveling at the garage door will usually be needed. Manual shoveling may add additional costs to the snow plowing price. Shoveling usually has the best results, as it doesn’t leave much of a skim, except where traffic has occurred. Shoveling, as discussed above, is usually an additional charge or drives the cost up.
Snow Blowing is also considered a manual service, although most of the work is done with a machine. The contractor walks behind the snow blower and angles the snow off of the surface. Snow Blowing can also leave a light skim. Snow Blowing is commonly performed on sidewalks and walkways when you have a snow plowing contract, if shoveling is not done. Again, this is usually an additional cost to the snow plowing price.
When setting up your contract with a service provider, it is pre-determined when the snow plowing will occur (i.e. 1”, 2”, or even “plowable snow”). When these inches are determined, it is for the actual snow fall. There are times, because of blowing or drifting of snow, that you may have more snow on the surface than actually fell. When this situation occurs, you may have to contact your provider and inform them of the need for a plowing. Depending on how your contract is set up, there may be an additional charge for having to dispatch a truck.
This brings me to the next topic of setting up a contract with a service provider. Contractors set up their contracts differently. Some contractors will charge 1 fee for the month, based on certain accumulations of snow. Other contractors will charge per push or per time they plow, based on certain accumulations of snow. Still other contractors have no set contracts and will plow your driveway based on individual calls (when you want the service, you call and a truck is dispatched). There are usually no set fees with this type of service and the contractor will base his fee on amount of snow to be plowed and the location. However, the service provider should give you the price prior to performing the work. When you set up the contract, be sure that the contract states the scope of work to be done, i.e. snow plow only, snow plowing with trimming with a shovel, and/or shoveling the walkway and/or stairs end to end… Also, the contract should specify, that in the case of damage to the lawn on the side of the driveway who pays for the repairs. You should realize that scratches to the surface are common and is usually not the responsibility of the contractor.
If you do decide to contract with a service provider, remember that even the best forecasters don’t know when or how much snow will actually come down – you may need to be flexible.
Tags: Snow Plow, snow removal, winter services
Posted in Snow Plow | 2 Comments »
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