LOCATION: BLUE BELL, PA
Average annual snowfall: 21.7″
Sno Pusher type: Pro-Tech rubber edged Sno Pushers 8ft to 20ft
Equipment: 18 Loaders
Keywords: INCREASED JOB SPEED, TRADITIONAL PLOW VS CONTAINMENT PLOW
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
This is a case study of a large snow removal and landscaping firm in Blue Bell, PA, outside of Philadelphia. HPK has been using Pro-Tech Sno Pushers in their business for the last three years. They utilize them for their work on large and small commercial lots in order to increase the efficiency of their snow removal by reducing the number of man hours and amount of equipment required at each site. This study will attempt to demonstrate the efficiency of Pro-Tech Sno Pushers in commercial snow removal. It aims to show the ease and speed with which parking lots can be cleared completely and cleanly using Sno Pushers.
COMPANY BACKGROUND
HPK is primarily a snow removal firm with about 75% of their business coming from snow the other 25% in landscaping. In the winter they employ 150 full time snow removal employees, in addition to 30 subcontractors. Altogether they handle between 200-250 commercial snow removal contracts each winter. A full range of equipment is employed to assist in their snow removal operations ranging across skid steers, wheel loaders, and trucks equipped with salters and plows. In sum, they have more than 300 pieces of equipment and attachments. Included in this number are (18) Pro-Tech rubber edged Sno Pushers ranging from 8ft skid steer models up to 20ft loader models.
SITE INFORMATION
The site analyzed in this study is a 2 acre parking of a shopping center outside of Philadelphia. The parking area is completely open with no obstructions and is empty at night to allow it to be cleared completely. The annual average snowfall in the region is 21.7” spread over 8 snow events with a 3” snow fall considered average. In addition, the region also receives approximately 8 ice events each year. The snow in this region is usually wet and heavy making it an ideal application for the rubber edged pusher.
COMPARISON: BEFORE & AFTER THE ADDITION OF PRO-TECH SNO PUSHERS
Before: HPK has been handling this site for 6 years. Before deploying a Pro-Tech Sno Pusher on the site they were using a 3500 series pickup truck equipped with a western V-Plow and a salter. With this equipment, the one employee working on the site took about 3 hours to plow using the traditional windrowing method of plowing. This equates to 30,000 ft2/hr cleared for a 3in. event, or 15 min/in/acre, and a grand total of 3 man hours.
After: For the past three years, HPK has been using a Bobcat 863 equipped with a 10ft. Pro-Tech Skid Steer Sno Pusher (SP10S). The change from plow to pusher has halved the plow time on the site. With the same number of pieces of equipment and same number of employees HPK is now able to plow the lot in 1.5 man hours for a typical 3” snow fall. The pusher allows the snow to be moved off site quickly and easily in very little time. It equates to 60,000 ft2/hr or 7.5 min/in/acre.
STATISTICS
- For 3” snow events, HPK was able to achieve average removal rates of 7.5 mins/in/acre or 60,000 sq. ft./hr.
- A 10’ Skid Steer Sno Pusher provided a 50% decrease in man hours over windrowing under 3” snow conditions
QUOTES
“We were able to add another site to the piece of equipment.”
“It was entirely an efficiency move.”
“I believe Sno Pushers are valuable to most snow contractors.”
“It makes us more competitive, we were able to grow our business and take on more work.”
Ken Pagurek
HPK Properties Maintenance
1626 Kendrick Ave.
Blue Bell, PA 19422
Office: 610-275-7980
K.Pagurek@4hpk.com