Salt spreading over the winter

[logmancheshire]

Can anyone help please. We have been approached by a couple of local pubs and businesses wanting us to grit their car parks in the winter months using our quad, does anyone do this, really wanting an idea of how to price it! Grit is roughly £5/25kg bag. Jobs are no more than 10-15 mins away by quad, it's road legal and insured so that's all ok, waiting for public liability quote which may be the killer! Can anyone give any advice? I think the job will take only 15 mins per car park plus 30 mins travelling time, plus w thought just charge for the amount of grit used your help would appreciated

[Lee Winger]

Gritting isn't a big earner, if they aren't far away you'll squeeze £50 ( per hour) out of them max per visit. I personally wouldn't go spending big bucks on a fancy spreader, I'd consider a cheap snow plow though..

[karl]

Gritting isn't a big earner, if they aren't far away you'll squeeze £50 ( per hour) out of them max per visit. I personally wouldn't go spending big bucks on a fancy spreader, I'd consider a cheap snow plow though..

 

Snow plough??? Must be a pretty niche market down there:001_tongue:

[Lee Winger]

Not really mate we had several inches on the Granite Belt last week..

 

http://www.abc.net.au/news/2015-07-17/thick-snow-blankets-southern-queensland/6626630

[difflock]

We are responsible for a mixed bag of gritting in the wintersmonths ( & now got car parks under our responsibility ownership, hmmm? might require a rethink) but to date despite slick sales pitchs for various expensive contraptions, and certain Directors having daft notions of what ud work.

I have found a plastic bucket and a plastic feed scoop and a flick of the wrist, works better and never breaks down, the key being a dropside truck handy to refill the bucket from. I suspect the lack of spend on expensive machinery, more than pays for the extra labour on the infrequent occassions it is needed.

We simply use a couple of hydrostatic drive vehicles with loaders, in lieu of snow ploughs, since again, where does one "plough" the snow away to in a car park, or urban area,.

Need to lift and dump, either in a corner or into a truck for removal.

Cheers

Marcus

[karl]

Not really mate we had several inches on the Granite Belt last week..

 

Thick snow blankets parts of southern Queensland in what could be state's most significant snowfall in 30 years - ABC News (Australian Broadcasting Corporation)

 

Thats pretty amazing.....i didnt even know you wore coats down there:biggrin:.........you really do learn something new every day

[aspenarb]

We are responsible for a mixed bag of gritting in the wintersmonths ( & now got car parks under our responsibility ownership, hmmm? might require a rethink) but to date despite slick sales pitchs for various expensive contraptions, and certain Directors having daft notions of what ud work.

I have found a plastic bucket and a plastic feed scoop and a flick of the wrist, works better and never breaks down, the key being a dropside truck handy to refill the bucket from. I suspect the lack of spend on expensive machinery, more than pays for the extra labour on the infrequent occassions it is needed.

We simply use a couple of hydrostatic drive vehicles with loaders, in lieu of snow ploughs, since again, where does one "plough" the snow away to in a car park, or urban area,.

Need to lift and dump, either in a corner or into a truck for removal.

Cheers

Marcus

 

We did well out of gritting and snow clearing, the bags were selling like hotcakes at the gate ,also the gritting and snow clearance kept some of the lads busy around some of the estates we do grounds maintenance on. A friend of mine who does a lot more of this bought tailgate mounted spreaders and mini snowploughs for his 4x4 pickups, they were flat out though the last cold snap . I suppose the kit has not moved since,that said I would imagine its all paid for itself and its ready to go if and when we get a situation like this. I know for a fact he got through 4 artic loads of salt/grit because I unloaded it in my yard as he was pushed up for space. The upside is its some turn over at times when nothing else is going on . An interesting aside to this is the liability of snow and ice clearing, if a landlord does nothing and someone slips over and breaks a leg he is not liable, if he clears the snow/ice and someone slips and breaks a leg he will be liable because his efforts are deemed inadequate. True:thumbdown:

 

Bob

[Daniel Jiggins]

We did well out of gritting and snow clearing, the bags were selling like hotcakes at the gate ,also the gritting and snow clearance kept some of the lads busy around some of the estates we do grounds maintenance on. A friend of mine who does a lot more of this bought tailgate mounted spreaders and mini snowploughs for his 4x4 pickups, they were flat out though the last cold snap . I suppose the kit has not moved since,that said I would imagine its all paid for itself and its ready to go if and when we get a situation like this. I know for a fact he got through 4 artic loads of salt/grit because I unloaded it in my yard as he was pushed up for space. The upside is its some turn over at times when nothing else is going on . An interesting aside to this is the liability of snow and ice clearing, if a landlord does nothing and someone slips over and breaks a leg he is not liable, if he clears the snow/ice and someone slips and breaks a leg he will be liable because his efforts are deemed inadequate. True:thumbdown:

 

 

 

Bob

 

 

That subject of doing nothing and being ok is a load of codswallop as an employer you have to take 'reasonable' steps to prevent slips and trips in the work place for both your employees and visitors alike.

Doing nothing does not not show you have made 'reasonable' steps to prevent this.

[biggarlogs]

Beware salt will rot your bike and spreader very fast..unless stainless.like the. Bucket and scoop plan . I use a snow shovel for salt and skid steer for snow.

[aspenarb]

That subject of doing nothing and being ok is a load of codswallop as an employer you have to take 'reasonable' steps to prevent slips and trips in the work place for both your employees and visitors alike.

Doing nothing does not not show you have made 'reasonable' steps to prevent this.

 

You are right about employers and their responsibilities in the workplace. I was referring to the landlords of these estates, they get round their responsibilities and liabilities by supplying grit bins and put the onus onto the tenant.They would leave themselves open to prosecution if they were to supply the service.

 

Extract:

 

If a landlord has granted a right of way to the tenant (and more than likely also their visitors and employees) over the estate areas, then there will be an obligation to ensure that the right of way can be exercised safely. That said, this doesn’t mean that a landlord has to clear every inch of every possible route of access. Case law (see McCondichie v Mains Medical Centre [2004] L.R. 4 below), sets out that landlords aren’t liable for someone who may have an accident in a car park, for example if they have put a reasonable system to clear access routes in place.

 

However, effectively gritting and clearing all access routes could be a particularly onerous task, one which a landlord will struggle to maintain. A practical solution would be for a landlord to facilitate the removal of snow by providing the tenant with the necessary equipment, along with a regularly restocked grit bin.

 

Bob

Edited August 5, 2015 by aspenarb