With snow event after event last season, having extra equipment for hauling and plowing can prove beneficial – a luxury some snow fighters enjoyed. But it’s what takes place when the snow isn’t flying that often leads to a smooth season.
“We have a tremendous offseason maintenance program and go way beyond what most contractors would do for repairs and maintenance,” says Robert Greene, president of G. Greene Construction Co. in Boston. “We replace all starters, alternators, belts and batteries whether they are needed or not. All bearings pumps and chains on sanders get replaced. All plows get painted ... there is a lot of tearing down and rebuilding whether it needs it or not.
“We have ‘boat mentality’ when it comes to maintenance,” he adds. “You don't want problems a 100 miles offshore. So we make sure we triple check everything and, if we have even the slightest concern with something, replace it. There is no help available when you’re that far off shore – 2 a.m. and snowing.”
That said, with so much stress on the equipment and having it experience peak use, something is bound to break down. Greene keeps a spare for everything. Using multiple pieces of the same brands means wipers, hoses, fuel filters, cutting edges and tires are mostly interchangeable, as are the plows.
Being “prepared for the worst” ensured Park Landscape Associates’ equipment was sufficient, and preventative maintenance adds insurance when the snow hit.
“We start well ahead of the storms to ensure the equipment used at the sites is ready and waiting,” says Jeffrey C. Rai, director of business development for Park Landscape Associates in Boston. “This step in the process eliminates a considerable amount of smaller, easily avoided issues that may arise.”
If equipment failed, Park Landscape Associates employs mechanics who work in shifts to deal with unexpected repair issues in a timely fashion. “It is also key to identify any items that frequently fail on any given machine, and stock up with replacements before the season,” Raia says. “Sure, there were machines down with a part needing ordered, but luckily we were able to get these items from our local supplier without delay for minimal down time.”
Replenish materials
Little would derail a successful battle with Mother Nature than running out of materials in the middle of a major event. According to Steven A. Christy, president of Landscaping, Etc. Inc. in Millury, Mass., that wasn’t going to happen at his company. They were stocked with nearly 3,700 tons of treated bulk salt and 10-12 tractor trailer dumps of bagged ice melt. And proper planning, combined with hindsight, served them very well.
“We bought all of our bulk salt and bagged ice melt last summer,” Christy says. “It was an investment, but we weren’t going to run out. We knew that we needed to make this investment because of last year’s shortage.”
Park Landscape went through between 400 and 500 tons of salt this season. They had pre-ordered salt, so it was readily available for them. However, toward the end of the season they considered ordering another load in case March produced anything significant and discovered the availability had dwindled.
Greene went through more than 900 tons of salt and 155 tons of ice melt. Because they buy a large quantity before the season, take advantage of pre-purchase agreements and use multiple vendors, it was available during the season.
For Cryan, more than 10,000 tons of bulk salt was loaded out of their yard, as well as three trailer loads – about 55 pallets – of icemelt. They had replenishment orders prior to the “real tough times” so they were stocked throughout, but now have let inventories fall.
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