Condo walk ways

[Clean Cut Lawns]

How do you guys deal with condo walk ways
there only about 2' -2.5' wide. what the fastest way to clear them depending on snow fall amounts.

Also how do you spread the deicer on them?

[Adams Plowing]

the fastest way probaly would be a snowblower as to that you could get your path in one pass and they can handle most any ammount of snow you get. and as for salting you could use a backpack spreader or a push spreader like the ones used for fertalizeing lawns.

[JohnnyU]

I find that the little single stage snowblowers work great for the narrower sidewalks.

I use a small blower on one property, it makes quick work of the sidewalks, I make one pass out, then one back, and I'm done. Onto the next stretch.

[Clean Cut Lawns]

what about ice melt applications?

[JCurtis]

Well you can use several methods....

You can spread by hand and scoop,
or you can use a walk behind spreader or
you can use a backpack liquid sprayer and spray caliber on the walks

If there are miles of sidewalks, you could mount either a spray tank or spreader on the back of a quad

[Clean Cut Lawns]

adams, sorry i didn't see your post before....what do u mean by back pac spreader? do u mean sprayer? if so what are u spraing and does it cost the same or more than ice melter?

[Adams Plowing]

thats alright i was refuring to spraying liquid like caliber it costs more than rock salt but depending on the area it can smoetimes be worth the extra money becides its comming out of the customers pocket ultimately... so it just depends what they want.

[JCurtis]

at The Taconic BBq, They were demonstrating a battery powered 3 or 4 speed backpack sprayer. Holds about 5 gals of liquid and you can walk and spray quite a distance.

I think the sprayer was about $250

Caliber is a liquid deicer, not sure at this point what the prices is per gallon.

They recommend Caliber for sidewalks because it is clear.

[JCurtis]

Just had another idea for sidewalks .

You can use one of the Power Debris brooms like from Shindawa or you can try one of these ( they may work on lighter accumulations) but everyone I know that uses them swears by them.

[CNY Joe]

A snowblower and a walk behind speader seen to work the best for us.

[NWPA]

We've used these - and find them to be really quite productive and efficient.... clear up to 6" of snow as fast as you can walk... wet or heavy...

http://www.ariens.com/products/powerbrush/

[Lawngodfather]

Jeff, that gives new meaning to the term "stick plow."

[pro property]

Im useing a Ariens single stage blower 5hp, and the same spreader I use for fertilizer. Its broadcast walk beind spreader that i hung heavy plastic around ( like a skirt) so it will drop the salt on the sidewalks and not cast the salt all over the grass....

:canada

[JCurtis]

But people I know that have them say they work. Go figure !

[Clean Cut Lawns]

pro property

any picks of your spreader

[pro property]

Ill take some with the digital today and post them this afternoon...
:canada

[pro property]

It aint pretty , but it works well. I tried it in the driveway... Its the plastic carpet protector . You can buy it off the roll... I then trimmed to proper length and pop riveted it on to the upper edge...

[pro property]

The plastic wraps all the way around the spreader...

[micah79]

Nice!! I like the shield

[Clean Cut Lawns]

does it spread even?
too much or to little?

Thanks great pics

[pro property]

I just tried it a bit in the drive way at home. I havent had the chance too actually put a lot of salt through it. It seems like it should do the job....
If it would snow here, I could give it a test...:canada

[pro property]

I just tried it a bit in the drive way at home. I havent had the chance too actually put a lot of salt through it. It seems like it should do the job....
If it would snow here, I could give it a test...:canada

[cat320]

It looks like it should do the job.What are you gonna use thru it to melt?

[Clean Cut Lawns]

i think i'll be using calcium chloride

[JohnnyU]

Wow, that sure beats the hand-held spreader I used last year. I pulled a broadcast spreader out of someones garbage a few weeks ago, I might try to do something like that to it, I bet it works pretty well at a walking pace!:cool:

[tlc]

I do a condo complex with about 50 units and I have tried different methods. I have seen it work best throwing rock salt by hand.

2 workers can throw a lot of salt in a half hour.

[Clean Cut Lawns]

Originally posted by tlc
I do a condo complex with about 50 units and I have tried different methods. I have seen it work best throwing rock salt by hand.

2 workers can throw a lot of salt in a half hour.

out of a bag or bucket?

[AndyN.]

We usually use single stage throwers, but this year we are going to try an ATV with a plow. Should kill in time. We throw CaCl with regular spreader with the deflector down. We loose a little from overthrow but it works well. I like the idea of the shields on all four sides though.

[NNJSnow]

For small storms, use a shovel, for moderate accumulation storms the FASTEST way would be a single staged (non-self propeled) snow blower is the best, for big storms a 2 stage(self propelled) snow blower would be the best.