SITE: A MALL PARKING LOT
LOCATION: RUSSELL, OH
Average annual snowfall: 100″-110″
Sno Pusher type: 10ft Skidsteer Pushers,12 ft. Loader Pushers,16 ft. Loader Pushers
Equipment: 10 Skidsteer, 6 Loaders
Keywords: INCREASED JOB SPEED, TRADITIONAL PLOW VS CONTAINMENT PLOW, LARGE SITE
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
This is a case study of a small-medium sized Landscaping and Snow removal firm in Russell Ohio. Green Estates (GE) landscaping has been using Pro-Tech Sno Pushers for 8 years and now owns 14 rubber edged pushers ranging from 10ft skid steer pushers to 16 ft. loader pushers. The purpose of this study s to examine the efficiency increase provided by Sno Pushers over windrowing in a scenario involving a large parking lot. It aims to show the ease and speed with which parking lots, runways, ramps and industrial sites can be cleared completely and cleanly using Pro-Tech’s containment plows, which in turn creates reductions in equipment and man hours.
COMPANY BACKGROUND
GE has been operating in the snow removal and landscaping business for more then 30 years. They have been actively contracting in snow removal for 32 and it now makes up about 60% of their business. In the winter, to handle 12-25 commercial contracts, they employ 15 people and hire 25 subcontractors who provide their own machines but use GE’s Sno Pushers. GE’s own fleet is made up of 4×4 pickups equipped with plows, (8) dump trucks with straight 2-way plows and salters, (4) Cat skid steers, (1) 924 Cat Loader, and (1) 175 hp 1500 yd3/min John Deere snow blower. They equip their own and their subs loaders, skid steers and backhoes with (10) 10 ft. skid steer pushers, (4) 12 ft. loader pushers, and (2) 16ft. loader pushers all from Pro-Tech.
SITE INFORMATION
The Site analyzed in this study is a large mall parking lot east of Cleveland, Ohio. It’s 32 acres are divided into several parking areas and connected by inner and outer ring roads.
The lot itself is fairly clear of obstructions and is usually plowed when empty, this combined with its large area and need to move the snow off site into “snow zones” makes it an ideal application for Sno Pushers. The eastern section of the greater Cleveland area receives between 100-110 in of snow a year on average over the coarse of 30 or so snow events. The average snow fall is between 2”-4” though they expect to receive at least (1) major (8+in.) in a season. The snow extends over the whole range of types from wet and heavy in the early and late season to dry powder in December-January.
COMPARISON: BEFORE & AFTER THE ADDITION OF PRO-TECH SNO PUSHERS
Before: GE has been handling this lot for many years before they brought in Pro-Tech Sno Pushers. Prior to increasing their efficiency they were a combination of 8 pickups and dup trucks equipped with straight 2 way blades. This meant having 8 operators on the site. In a typical 3 in. snow fall they were able to clear the site in 5 hours by moving the snow to locations midway between the inner and outer ring roads. This equates 40 man and equipment hours and 34,848 ft2/man hour cleared. Aside from the large expenditure on man and equipment hours the quality of the cleared lot was lower then desired, as the snow was located too close to the mall as a result of the limitations of windrowing large amounts of snow.
After: For 8 years GE has been using Pro-Tech pushers on this mall site. They use (2) loaders equipped with 12ft, and 16 ft. Pro-Tech pushers, combined with (2) dump trucks with salters and (1) 4×4 pickup truck for cleanup. These 5 operators are able to clear the lot in 4 hours for a 3” snowfall.This equates to 20 man and equipment hours or 69,696 ft2/man hour cleared. In addition to doubling the rate of clearing GE is able to move the snow out away from the mall beyond the outer ring road for a much higher quality finished product.
FACTS AND STATISTICS
- For 3” snow events GE was able to achieve average removal rates of 12.5 mins/in/acre or 69,696 sq. ft./hr.
- Using pushers GE was able to halve their man and equipment hours
- Using pushers GE was able to reduce the amount of equipment on site
- Pushers allowed GE to move the snow off site cleanly and easily something they were never able to achieve with windrowing methods.
QUOTES
“My original Sno Pusher is at least 8 years old and still running.”
“At least a 3 to 1 ratio of production overall before and after Sno Pushers.”
“I can put 2 pieces of equipment out and handle it better then with 7-8 before ”
“Anyone who does not use pushers is not getting work”
“You can’t be competitive in plowing large area properties without a pusher-type attachment. Pro-Tech has been and will continue to be our choice”
Green Estates
8815 Music St.
Russell, OH 44072
216-589-2381
dmdudash@aol.com
www.greenestatesohio.com
Winner of the SIMA
Excellence in Business Award