Snowplowing Tips

Helpful Advice For Plowing With Your Truck/SUV

For Your Driveway/Laneway:

To ensure easy maintenance of laneways throughout the winter season, plow your laneways as wide as possible during the first snowfall.

Here’s how:

Set the plow on an angle and proceed down the lane close to the edge where the snow will be piled. Be careful to stay clear of ditches, trees, buildings and any other obstacles that may run parallel with the laneway.
At the end of the laneway, turn the vehicle around and without changing the angle of the plow, return on the other side of the laneway to accumulate a second pile of snow. Repeat this action to push the snow pile back further.

For Your Small Business Parking Lot:

To ensure easy maintenance of your small business parking lot, plow parking areas as widely as possible and as deep as possible during the first snowfall.

Here’s how:

Generally, work from the center to one side and then from the center again to the other side. Do this by setting the plow on an angle and proceed down the center of the parking lot until you reach the far edge.
Lift the plow and back up to the position that you started from. Now, plow a parallel and slighting overlapping path. After you have plowed half the parking lot, exit the vehicle, adjust the plow to the opposite angle and starting from the center again, work progressively in a lateral direction, towards the outer edge of the parking lot.
When approaching the end of the lot, reduce your speed and stop before the blade slams the snow pile. Your plow should not be used to stack the snow.

Helpful Advice For Plowing With Your ATV

*Source: Below is an excerpt from the article "Moving Snow - Tips & Tricks For Plowing Snow With Your Quad" that appeared in ATV Magazine's 2007 Buyer's Guide. For more information about this magazine, please visit www.atvmagonline.com.

One way to determine you are plowing your driveway correctly is to watch someone who has experience doing it. Of course, you could learn by the seat of your pants, but watching someone else do it could pay off. Watching snow plowing could mean watching that diesel truck push snow across the bank parking lot, or it could mean watching your neighbor use his ATV. The goal is to learn what not to do.

Don’t plow fast! This can be dangerous because the blade could catch on an edge or rock or curb and force the ATV to a jarring halt. Typically, you’ll want to drive at a pace that both pushes snow effectively, yet is not so fast it damages the blade or any of its parts. Practice makes perfect. Plus, your quad’s speed will be determined by the amount of traction it’s getting and the type of snow you are trying to move.
Don’t tear up your lawn. A smart move is to push the snow further than to the edge of your driveway, if possible. That way, when the temperature warms up, the snow won’t melt on your driveway and form patchy ice. The theory is, if you push it far enough away from your driveway, it will melt into the ground and not on the driveway.
Don’t push all the snow in your driveway to the end of the drive, especially if it’s a wet, sticky snow. All this will do is create one large, firmly packed wall of white stuff. Your ATV is not powerful enough to move it and that means you’ll have to bust out a shovel.

We’ve tried several methods over the years and a down and back method seems to work for us. It creates less snow build up or deep spots. We’ve also pushed one direction to the edge of a driveway and then stopped, reversed the quad and created a new path in the same direction. However, you must lift the blade off the ground before you back up, unless the manufacturer says it’s not necessary.

Some professional snowplow operators have learned the skill of lifting the plow blade as they approach the pile. This has a couple advantages. The first is it lifts the snow to new heights and helps you push it farther off your driveway or open lot. The second is it prevents you from smashing into the wall of snow and possibly damaging the blade or its parts.

Don’t assume your plow will always work perfectly. Regardless of which system you select, you must examine it before, during and after each usage. Look at it before you plow for loose parts for example. Inspect it while you plow to prevent ice build up, which can make pushing snow more difficult. Finally, examine after you plow so you know it will be ready to go the next time you need it. Plus, if you find any damage, you may have time to order new parts before the next massive snow storm hits.