Buying new snow and ice equipment is a big deal. You need equipment that’s going to work in the worst weather possible, and you need to rely on this equipment not to break down in the middle of the night.
Think Long-Term
Expanding your construction or landscaping business to include snow and ice removal is an excellent way to keep the cash flow coming in during the slow winter months. However, there’s no guarantee that Mother Nature will dump buckets of snow in your region.
So, you need to play it smart. You need a good mix of contractual customers as well as some pay per push. Your contractual clients will most likely be your green and white customers.
Conversely, you also want some per push clients who pay you only when you need to move snow and ice from their parking lots. You may have a minimum amount where you’ll start pushing, such as 2” of snow, and you may not offer deicing solutions right away.
You need to think long-term because if you have a low snow year, you still need to pay your employees, maintain your trucks and other equipment as well as store the plows, snow blowers and salt spreaders for the rest of the year.
It’s also why you want to consider snow equipment that you can put to use all year round.
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3 Tips to Keep in Mind When You Buy Snow and Ice Equipment
There are many possibilities when it comes to buying equipment when you’re first starting out. Should you buy new or used? Should you buy, rent or lease?
Here are three things you need to know about buying snow and ice equipment:
- What’s your budget for buying new equipment? There are many variables when it comes to your budget. What’s your cash flow situation? Do you have enough winter clients? Do you have lawn care or landscaping clients who are now four season clients? How much cash do you have on hand? What about your business savings? And do you have an established line of credit?
- If you own a lawn care or landscaping business, what do you already own? Take stock of what you already own in your company. You already have on hand your vehicles, including trucks, skid steers, and UTVs. You need to buy plows, snow blowers and salt spreaders to service your winter clients.
- If you need to buy snow equipment, what can you afford? So, you don’t need to go out and buy new trucks or ATVs. But you do need some specific snow equipment.
If you’re thinking about buying used snow equipment, think again. Snow and ice removal companies use their equipment hard. While you think you’re getting a great deal, you’re probably getting equipment that doesn’t have much life left in it.
Learn more about Spyker’s new Ergo-Pro™ Series in this blog post.
It’s better to buy new, if you can, instead of buying used. Otherwise, you may be repairing a broken axle or any other possible breakdown right in the middle of a blizzard.
Here are some attachments to consider buying new:
- Plows: Generally speaking, a snow plow—whether it’s a straight edge that’s good for residential customers versus a V-blade that cleans commercial properties, is one of the first pieces of snow equipment you should buy new. Plows tend to get the most abuse during the wintertime—especially in areas where it snows a lot.
- Salt spreaders: Salt spreaders can be used in the spring, summer and fall to spread fertilizer, seed, and sand. So, this piece of equipment is an excellent choice to use for both your green and white businesses. Plus, even in a low snow season, you may still need to apply deicing agents on commercial and residential walkways.
- Snow blowers: Typically, you won’t be using a snow blower attachment all year long. A snow blower is an item that may be better to rent or lease.
- Snow pushers: These pieces of snow removal equipment allow for a cleaner scrape and can scoop up snow to pile. Depending on the brand, you may be able to use this equipment in some light landscaping or construction jobs.
Spyker Spreaders Can Be Used All Year Long
Our spreaders are versatile. You can use them in your construction or your landscaping business during the growing season. Plus, we just recently introduced our new Ergo-Pro™ Ice Winter Spreader. This new salt spreader is bigger and better. Its design includes a steel carving blade and Hi-Vis reflective frame, making applying deicer easy and fast.
Besides our new winter spreader for snow and ice, our ERGO-PRO™ Spreader line also includes:
- 50# Powder-Coated Broadcast Spreader
- 80# Powder-Coated Broadcast Spreader
- 80# Stainless Steel Broadcast Spreader
If you’re in the market for one of our Spyker Spreaders, you can find a dealer on our website, call our customer service at (877) 728–8224 or fill out our contact form. Our customer service is available Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. ET.
And don’t forget, we’ll be at GIE Expo this year Oct 17th-19th in Louisville, KY! If you’re in the market for snow and ice equipment, don’t miss the chance to come by our booth and try out our new Winter Salt Spreader. Even better, you can enter for a chance to win an ERGO-PRO™ spreader in one of our multiple spreader giveaways! Just make a stop at booth #3126 (inside) or #7715-D (outside).
Sources:
ForConstructionPros.com, “How to Plan for Snow Removal Business.”
TotalLandscapeCare.com, “How to Run a Successful Snow-Removal Business.”
