Snow Blowers

We were wondering if Snow Plowing Services makes more sense for consumers than purchasing their own snowblower. Aside from the convenience of having someone clear the snow for you, we wondered if this made sense for many people and if it makes sense from a financial perspective. Our driveway is two car widths wide and about 2 car lengths long and sometimes during the winter, the city snowplow does not push the snow all the way back to the curb so it actually even becomes longer than that. It is a lot of areas to clear and you really do not want to think about shoveling this area by hand so a snowblower or a snowplow service is the only way to go.

How does Snow Plowing Services Work

Snowplow services use trucks with blades on the front to clear the snow. This is different than snow blowing services. Snow blowing services usually have a snowblower mounted on the front or the rear of a tractor and can blow the snow well away from the driveway. Snowplow services or trucks with blades on the front like the one shown in the picture usually drive into your driveway drop the blade and backup with the blade dragging the snow out of the driveway. They then have to push the snow removed from your driveway onto your lawn or at least away from the driveway area.

Concerns with Snow Plowing Services

There are several problems with this approach. First, the action of driving the truck onto the packed snow tends to pack the snow down. Particularly wet snow which the scraper does not remove and gradually builds up on the driveway. Secondly, the snow must be pushed somewhere. This creates a huge mound of snow at the front of your house usually. Thirdly if there is a lot of snow to deal with it is very hard for the trucks using a snowplow blade to actually remove all of the snow. There is also the danger of the blade scraping your driveway and actually digging into your driveway or your lawn on the side and removing some of the lawn. This leaves quite a mess in the spring and lawn that needs to be repaired.

Whether you hire snow plow services or a snowblower service, you still will need to think about whether you want someone to shovel the step and any sidewalks that lead into your yard or up your front steps. This is extra work in either case and they may charge more for this service.

Comparing the Cost of Snow Plowing Services and Snow Blowers

Depending on the size of the snow blower you can pick one up for around a thousand dollars, give or take. You get to clear your own driveway whenever it needs it. It will be cleared properly and done right. There are no mountains of snow on your front lawn to deal with.

The cost of snow plow services for us where we live with the size of the driveway we have is around $350 per year. This amount does not include the clearing of the steps and front area outside our front door. There is an additional cost to clear this area of snow. It is obvious that the breakeven cost is around 3 years. It gets less because the cost of snow plow services increases in price every year. At this time I have no problem clearing snow with a snowblower. I also do not mind being out in the cold. Based on these simple economics and preferences I have no problem clearing my own driveway of any snow that we get.

On the other hand, not everyone feels the way I do about clearing snow. There are many people who would prefer to just hire someone to clear the snow for them. They do not have to be concerned about this work. For them, either snow plow services or a snow blowing service can work for them. They just need to decide if they need the extra service of the sidewalk and step clearing snow service. Sometimes it is just a lot easier to have someone do this work for you!

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