Besides plowing...

[90plow]

Besides plowing what does everyone do? Right now I'm not plowing at all :mad: due to school and not being at home. I was just wondering if when I get out of here I can go back to it even if I have a full time job. Just looking to see what everyone else does to work around their work or as alot of you do cut lawns in the spring summer fall and push snow in the winter. I love plowing and just was wondering who does it on the side with any sucess.
Thanks
Eric

[RPM]

I am a Paid-Firefighter/ EMT/ Driver for a class 3 Department in a city of 55,000. I also have a mowing crew and do Landscaping as well. Oh, I guess I should tell you I enjoy plowing also!!:cash

[BKrois]

I attend a local community college so i still live at home and am able to have a part time job and also snowplow. When it snows, my school is cancelled anyway, so i don't have to worry about missing classes.

[grasshopper]

Absolutely nothing.:D There is snow on the ground so our fall cleanups are done. It isn't snowing right now so I am getting bored. I am just measuring the living room floor to put wood laminate in. We have white carpet right now, and I really want to get rid of it. The next project is finishing the basement. Since I am a rookie home renovator my wife is a little worried how it'll all turn out. Ah well it will keep me busy for a while.:drinkup

[90plow]

RPM, being that your a paid fireman dont you have to work shifts in days like 4 days on 4 days off or weeks if its a live in dept. like 1 week on 1 week off? If so how do you cover your on days? My major is criminal justice and I'm seriously considering a job in law enforcement (police officer) and wondering how people do jobs like that and plow too. So anyone who has specifics on anything like that would be greatly appretiated, I realize its not always going to be the same situation but some idea of how I could get it to work would be nice. Sorry for all the questions.
Thanks in advance,
Eric

[Mick]

90plow, the best situation for you would probably be to work as a sub with the understanding that you are not going to be available all time. You might also try getting some driveways you could do before you left for work or where they're not going to expect you to keep up with it during the day.

I'm a retired federal employee. When I was working I had a job I could take off at any time or not go in till whenever I was finished plowing. Not too many like that around. That's why I'm retired at 54 - my position became obsolete.

[90plow]

I was thinking subbing or trying to find a partner to cover either my brother, my father, or a friend that I trust. I'm just trying to figure out what I want to do in the future, not as far away as it once seemed :eek: Real jobs, house, family of my own, etc... Its gonna be an adventure just want to try nad make plowing part of it. Thanks for the advice Mick and anyone else who has or will post.
Eric

[atgreene]

I am also a full time fire fighter with a small excavating/plowing business on the side. I work in 24 hour shifts and swap with fellow ff's as needed. While everone else wants time off in the summer, I take mine in the winter as needed.

90RPM, as I tell all my police friends, come on over to the good side. People actually use all their fingers when they wave to us! And while my friends are working late-outs and eight hour shifts, I am enjoying my days off.

As long as sleep isn't a priority, which if you plow snow it obviously isn't, you don't mind vomit, blood and getting dirty, you'll enjoy it.

[90plow]

Thanks for the words at greene. I know what you mean about using all fingers haha :rolleyes: . But it is good to hear from people that are making it work. The cops in my town ussually run 12 hour shifts 4 days on 4 days off so I could see it working somehow. I really want to get back into it I miss it already and I havent missed any snow yet. Ive been "clearing snow" since I was walking behind my dad with the shovel adn him on the tractor or blower. I got my own plow on my fourwheeler in the 8th grade and that was the end of it. I was hooked got my own truck fixed it up finnaly got to use it and then sold it. :mad: Oh well thanks for the tips guys.
Eric

[Adams Plowing]

I have my own horseshoeing business and my customers know this and we adjust appointments accordingly... the best way for you to prob do it would either be to sub with them knowing your work restrictions or having another driver for your truck for when your doing your other job...

[RPM]

90plow, I swing this similar to atgreene, I can have someone come in for me to cover my shift. Usually I don't unless I have to, I have a foreman to run the show and FF's on other shifts that run my trucks, as well as other subs.


P.S. Yes, come to the good side, I can't tell you how many times a Cop has voiced their regret about not being a FF over doing Police work. :usa

[ilhmt]

I work 8 hour swing shifts in a power plant as an operator (we are currently trying to establish a 12 hour swing to gain more days off). Other than that I'm the Vice Chairman of our County Board.

[atgreene]

I should add, don't do it for the schedule. You have to love this job, or it shows. If it's something you love, even the nights with 6 or 8 calls for drunks and trash fires don't seem like work.

I've always heard that if you find a job you love you'll never work a day in your life. I've been blessed with that opportunity.

[90plow]

I know what your saying Atgreene and I'm not taking a job for the hours I really think I will enjoy police work. I'm a police explorer in my town and we do ride alongs and train I went to a practice police academy this summer for a week. I really do enjoy what they do, I also enjoy plowing and being that I have no plow this winter I have alot more time to sit and think about what I will do in the future. So I figured why not ask you guys how you work around with your busy schedules to plow or have any type of other job. I see that you have quite a fleet started atgreene and I just wanted to know how you did it. From the sounds of it I had the same idea of getting my dad and brother involved to help me out. Thanks for the replies guys.
Eric

[4evergreenlawns]

Well, here is goes, and from experience "been there done that".

Wanted to be a Poilce Officer for as long as I could remeber. After 12 years of active duty and 5 years of corporate USA testing on and off I got on the job at age 32 and in 1997.

While being a cop I was working 12 hours shift and although I loved full time Law Enforcement after take about a 40% cut in pay I needed a second job. I invested in a new 3/4 ton P/U with a plow and started my own business. I started plowing for another cop that had a side business. Then started picking up work on my own. I hooked up with one of the cops with oppisite shifts so we could cover the plowing for each other and spit the cash, money I mean, cash is bad word (IRS, and police ethics). Also got state certified to do lawn chemical and began doing lawn treatment in the summer ended up with about 150 lawns five times a season. That brought in some money too.

So seems like all was going well right, got really sick Feb. 02, bad ear infection resulting in total hearing loss in my left ear. After seeing 5 hearing experts between Feb. 02 and June 02, all with the same results in July 02 I was certifed permantly disabled from Police Service. I was granted 50% disablity and flipped my business full time.

Now I have two trucks and a sub for snow plowing servicing 30 commercial accounts with about that many new commercial contracts pending and looking good for 2004. So I am already thiking about what my next one, maybe two, new truck/s is going to be.

Moral to the stroy, I would go back to work as a cop in a heartbeat if my hearing could be restored, but having my own business sure is running a close second at this point in the game.

Answer to you question, it can be done. Lots of guys have a full time job and plow on the side, having a good truck and dependable back up is all you really need to make side money plowing.

[90plow]

Sorry to hear about your hearing 4evergreenlawns. Thanks for the story though. Can I ask why it took so long to get in and why they gave you a 40% pay cut? The buisness seems doable I know I could convince my dad to get in on it he would do something to help me out with a buisness endeavor in a heartbeat gotta love him for that :) . I would also want to do something in the spring and summer months either wokrign for my dad in his buisness as a contractor or starting my own landscaping buisness (seems everyone wants to start doing that though). I do not know what the futre holds I can only dream for now.
Thanks and keep the replies comin,
Eric

[4evergreenlawns]

Once you start testing you will see what the turn out at Police Officer testing is like.

That 40% pay cut was going from the private sector working as a Corporate VP to starting pay as a Police Officer. I as able to make up about 20% of that year in overtime, I was salary in corporate and there is not such thing as a 40 hour work week in corporate work. So the trade off was well worth it, but still had bills to pay.

[90plow]

Once you start testing you will see what the turn out at Police Officer testing is like.

Sorry for being ignorant 4evergreen, but why does the testing take so long? I thought that some of the cops in my town were right out of college, but I could be wrong. Thanks again.
Eric

[jbutch83]

Eric,

I have been a Police Officer for 4 years, worked in the jail for 3 years before that. Depending on where you apply, it can take as long as 2 years from start to finish to as little as 3 months. The department that hired me, I started the process with them in Oct., and in December I was told that I was being hired. At the same time, I was going through the hiring process with another dept, and I was 16 months into the process, and was told it would be another 6 months before I would be hired. I would not changed my career for anything, some days are better than others, but I could never give this job up.

John

[atgreene]

90plow, I started out with literally nothing. When I got out of college I didn't have two nickels to rub together. My family had a small farm and never had any extra money, not even for college. I did logging and plowing in the winter for a private contractor and excavating in the summer. Was lucky enough to get a letter that I had passed the fd test and scored well enough for an interview. Managed to get a job in '93, continued to work part-time plowing etc... Bought a Kubota tractor shortly after getting married and started plowing for myself. SLOWLY grew from there. Now I have a mini excavator, 2 pick-ups, one 55 hp Kubota, a 2 dump trucks, a tri axle lowboy, and a gooseneck equipment trailer. Still growing, but I'm working 80-110 hours per week. Gave up my snowmobiles and toys so we could start a family. My wife stays home with the little one, so I put in the hours to pay for her raising him. It's worth it, but does get old sometimes. Finally promoted in 2002, which helped the wallet a little, but created more headaches and responibility.

Put in the effort, keep a positive attitude, and treat people nice, you'll go anywhere you want.

[90plow]

Thanks for posting guys I like hearing everyone's stories and they are giving me some idea of how it can be done.

Thanks
Eric