To ensure a steady income year-round, many Canadian landscapers turn to snow and ice management once the ground freezes.
As operating costs increase, the practice is becoming more and more popular for landscape contractors. Jonathan Gardner, Product Manager for Construction Equipment and Attachments at Kubota Canada, explained snow removal also serves to retain skilled employees.
“If they don’t keep their equipment going and paying their operators, they risk losing them for the next year,” Gardner said.
Preparing to work in snow and ice management does require owners and operators to plan for the unknown.
“In landscaping, you can kind of plan your jobs. Rain does get in the way, but it’s not as big. With snow removal, you never can predict when it’s going to snow,” Gardner said. “If it doesn’t snow, like some years, you don’t even go out. But if it does come and it’s coming heavy, you’re working 24/7 until that snow is gone.”
Leading up to winter, owners must ensure machines used for landscaping are able to transition to snow and ice removal. As safety is a factor in snow removal, quickly completing the job is imperative.
“It’s very important that your equipment is in good working order. It’s not just removing snow, it’s safety. If you’re cleaning parking lots, it’s because people want to shop there. And if there’s snow, they can slip and fall,” Gardner said.
The transition
When to start winterizing depends on where in Canada the machine will operate. In Ontario, for example, landscapers may be able to work as late as November, while Western Canada may be plowing their first snowfall in October.
“So really, the transition is when the ground starts to freeze and you cannot do any more landscaping,” Gardner said.
Winterizing equipment starts with checking all fluids and changing the engine oil. As well, summer diesel should be swapped out for winter fuel.
“If you’re using the wrong diesel fuel, it could gel up and then you’re down,” Gardner said.
He also encourages an overall inspection, including the in-cab heating system, to avoid issues when snow does begin to fall.
“Really check to make sure everything’s in working order. Downtime is money,” he said.
Before snow starts to fall, machines should be equipped with the proper attachments for the winter maintenance tasks assigned. Wing blades, V blades or snow blowers are all popular attachments for the right task.
For parking lots with uneven ground, a snow pusher with a trip head blade is a popular option.
“When you get pushing snow and get moving pretty quickly, you can accidentally hit a sewer cover or a curb. The operator feels those, so those trips systems usually help soften the blow,” Gardner said.
CTLs vs. snow
Typically, skid steers are the compact machine of choice for snow removal. However, the use of compact track loaders has been gaining popularity. While skid steers are able to move quickly and provide more grip, CTLs are more productive and operate with lower ground pressure during warmer months for landscape projects.
“It’s getting too expensive for contractors to have two types of machines. So, they’ll use their track machines for the winter for snow removal. So, they are becoming more popular,” Gardner said. “The benefits of having a track machine in the summer outweighs a wheeled machine.”
To winterize CTLs, the tracks should be greased, and bar tracks should be considered for maximum traction on snow and ice.
“When they put a bar track on, they find they’re getting the grip level that they need to actually do the snow removal,” he said.
Keep it clean
Once a contractor begins to fulfill their snow removal contracts, machine maintenance is crucial.
“Winter is harsh on the equipment and salt is a killer for everything,” Gardner said.
Equipment should be inspected and cleared of snow and ice to avoid damage. For example, Gardner explained ice can accumulate on hydraulic cylinders and potentially damage the system.
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On tracked machines, ice can build up in the undercarriage, which can damage the tracks or the carrier.
“You want to keep it just as clean as you would during the summer because summer has a different effect,” Gardner said.
Keeping attachments clear of ice is also important to ensure optimal performance.
“If there’s snow buildup or ice buildup on the cutting edge, you’re not going to get a clear path,” Gardner said.
Starting out
For the new contractor looking to expand their business into the winter months, Gardner said there isn’t much of a learning curve between landscaping and snow removal. The skills required to properly operate a bucket for grading transfer to operating a snow pusher or wing blade.
The preparation work for getting into the business is finding the winter maintenance contracts.
“If you can grade with a bucket, you can go and remove snow,” Gardner said.
