It’s a rite of passage for most kids in the winter wonderland parts of the world to pick a shovel and start shoveling snow. Some of those kids find their entrepreneurial spirit and start their own snow removal business with only a shovel and a can-do attitude. As the years go by, some of those shovels turn into snow plows and that $5-20 bill turns into proper snow and ice removal contracts.
Time is valuable and operating a profitable business comes from efficiency and productivity. Snow and ice removal companies invest into professional snow removal equipment to boost productivity and open room to take on more jobs. Certain pieces of snow equipment quickly pay for themselves given you have the financing available to make those investments within your business. We’ll check out the best snow removal equipment for your snow business to tackle those residential and commercial contracts.
3500 Truck
Any serious snow and ice removal business needs a 3500 truck to shuttle around equipment, road salt, and to be able to carry the equipment needed to answer any call. A proper one-ton truck is the ultimate utility equipment to plow snow, attach a salt spreader, carry your shovels, and provide shelter in the winter weather.
It goes without saying, you should do your research prior to purchasing a truck. Understand what you need from your truck as far as GVWR (gross vehicle weight rating), curb weight, and payload capacity. You want to make sure you’re able to carry around the weight to do the snow removal work before you start slapping a snow plow, lights, and all the other attachments. Last thing you want is to weigh over the payload capacity because you and your coworker hit up the buffet the night before.
Snow Plow
Once you get the truck, you need to get a snow plow. There are many different types and shapes of snow plows, so it’s easy to get lost making a choice, even if it’s choosing between new or used equipment or whether or not you should go purchase or lease. For starters, there’s the choice of a straight snow plow or opting for a V-blade. Straight blades are the cheaper of the two options and are friendlier to a startup snow and ice removal business. On the other hand, V-blade snow plows are more efficient at breaking through drifts or that initial push into a driveway buried deep in snow. V-plows also have a scoop option that will push snow up over snow banks taking stress off of your truck. If you need the extra support, there are also back plows you can purchase so you don’t have to backdrag or spend time turning around.
Base your snow plow purchase off of where your budget is currently set at, what kind of work you expect to pick up, and how much your truck can handle. There’s also snow plowing techniques that you need to be sure your plow can handle before you start pushing or pulling snow.
Snow Blower
It’s not entirely obvious to startup snow and ice removal businesses looking to build up their residential contracts, but there is a difference between your dad’s snow blower and a commercial grade snow blower. Depending on the scale of your business, types of contracts or job sites you have, and transportation limitations, your snow blower choice might be drastically different from other businesses.
The best qualities you should look for in a commercial snow blower are size, reliability, maneuverability, and power. If your business clears mostly residential walkways and sidewalks, it might be better to opt for a single stage snow blower to finish the job efficiently without breaking your back lifting it on and off of your truck. If you need to move larger volumes of snow, two-stage snow blowers are most common in the industry. Make sure your snow blower engine has a high CC rating to get the most snow displacement.
Shovel
Owning a shovel to push around snow is a non-negotiable for any functioning snow business whether you’re a kid making a few bucks for video games or a multi-million dollar revenue snow and ice removal business. All you need out of your snow shovel is for it to last the season and for it to have a decent blade. Testing the weight, length, handles, and handle design on a shovel are great to get a feel for prior to making that purchase, but it typically won’t matter to higher revenue snow removal businesses since it’s the entry level laborers who will be using them. Either way, shovels are essential to keep in the truck in case of emergency or to get into smaller places your truck can’t access.
Snow Plow Lighting Kit
Your snow plow truck’s high beams aren’t enough when you’re caught in a heavy blizzard. Investing in a snow plow lighting kit for your truck will keep you and your crew safe, as well as increasing visibility so you’re not missing any spots on site. The best snow plow lighting kits are lightweight, easy to install, weatherproof, durable, and have different powered lighting settings to toggle between.
Salt Spreader (handheld and truck attachment)
Salt spreaders are one of the primary guardians from slip and fall claims if used correctly. Whether it’s a push salt spreader or an attachment for your truck, salt spreaders are used to dispense road salt, sand, or sometimes calcium chloride on roads or walkways. Most businesses use a tailgate spreader to compliment their snow plow, so make sure you purchase a salt spreader with decent reach/spread.
Skid Steer
If your snow business is operating at a commercial contract level, it might be worth purchasing or leasing a skid steer for all of your snow removal needs. Tight maneuverability, size, precision, durability, and ability to switch between attachments make this piece of snow equipment extremely versatile. The ability to swap between attachments is a major selling point on its own, as skid steers can use brooms, angled plows, salt spreaders, and anything in between. Even if the job site doesn’t call for a skid steer, they’re fantastic to have on the yard to help load trucks with salt or sand, and maintain a semblance of organization among the snow piles.
Front End Loader
Front-end loaders are generally snow removal equipment used by multi-million dollar revenue snow and ice removal businesses or farmers who’ve rigged their John Deere to push snow in the winter. Most contractors who operate a design and build company that does snow removal in the winter use their front-end loader as a yard machine during the summer months. They are helpful for loading trucks, moving equipment, mulch, and other materials like salt for the salt spreaders, aggregate, etc. They are also one of the only pieces of equipment that maintain a more significant amount of equity within them at the end of their use. A large payloader can still retain 30-50% of its total value even after 8000 engine hours. They are multi-use and can dramatically increase productivity depending on the size of your company.
Honorable Mention: Side-by-Side With Snow Plow Attachment
Side-by-sides double as toys and workhorses now. It’s likely more common to see them better suited for smaller job sites if you decide to outfit your personal toy as snow removal equipment. It’s not unreasonable to equip a side-by-side with a snow plow attachment given their size and maneuverability for tight locations. They’re also a fraction of the cost of a skid steer, so it’ll beat shoveling by hand.
Cell Phone and Laptop With Snow Removal Software
Communication and keeping notes is key to a job well done and preventing liability claims when working in the snow removal industry. Keeping a cell phone and laptop in the truck can keep you updated on temperature, snowfall measurements, document photos and notes taken on the job site to prove that the job was done, and provide a line of communication between dispatcher, crew, snow subcontractor, and the client.
All the best snow removal businesses use LMN to manage all of their business administrative functions in one place. LMN can help you manage your photos, files, and communications to help protect your business from slip and fall claims and any other liabilities. Route optimization, live GPS tracking, scheduling and dispatching tools, and our invoicing features can save your business time to focus on the actual job at hand. No more shuffling between papers, napkins, and receipts on the floor of your truck. Let’s be honest, everyone does it.
Financing Your Next Snow Removal Equipment Purchase
Purchasing snow removal equipment and materials like road salt can be a substantial cost of running a business. Even an unexpected repair can even put businesses in an uncomfortable position managing their roster of contracts. If your business has a healthy cash flow situation, you can save money through bulk purchases of road salt ahead of the season or lower the chance of repairs with proper maintenance ahead of the busy season.
LMN Lend provides easily accessible financing options to snow and ice removal businesses at competitively low rates. Purchase the snow removal equipment that you need without having to wait for your customers payments to go through, or for waiting at season’s end.
