Quality Made in the U.S.A. SnowEx is a division of ©TrynEx

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TRY149_HowTo
23455 Regency Park Drive
Warren, MI 48089
1-800-SALTERS
586.756.6555
Quality Made in the U.S.A. SnowEx is a division of ©TrynEx International. L1144
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Sand and salt spreading: opportunity or inconvenience?
For many – even those already in the snow removal
business – it's considered the latter. Why? Because
most people haven't taken the time to consider the
opportunities. The fact is those who don't offer spreading
are letting the bulk of their potential profits melt away.
Top Five Reasons to Spread:
4. Natural Fit with Plowing
• If you already plow, the investment to start
spreading is minimal.
• Provide your current clients with more value.
• Be a “one-stop” shop for winter
maintenance services.
• Get more out of your truck.
5. Contractor Liability
1. Profits
• You don't have to rely on snowfall
to spread.
• Like it or not – If you plow, you share some
of your customer's liability.
• 3:1 Ratio – On average, you can spread 3
times for every 1 plowing event.
• Offering spreading services can lower your
liability – and keep lawyers out of your pockets!
• Faster – A parking lot that takes 1 hour to
plow can take 10 minutes to spread.
*Tip – Make sure that both your spreading and plowing
services share the same contract. Provide a space
for your customer to sign if they choose not to take
advantage of your spreading services. This helps reduce
your liability by providing proof that your spreading
services were at least offered to a client and that he
or she declined.
• Bottom Line. You can make more money
spreading than you can plowing!
2. Necessity
• More than 1,000,000 slip-and-fall accidents
each year.
• 300,000 are disabling.
• 12,000 die (2nd only to auto accidents).
• The majority of these lead to lawsuits – and
the last thing any business needs is a lawsuit.
• Businesses will cut expenses, but they'll rarely
choose to increase liability. They need you!
3. “Unlimited” Potential
Where is spreading needed?
• Commercial Complexes
• Office Buildings
• Schools
• Shopping Centers
• Subdivisions
• Hospitals/Clinics
• Driveways
• Bridge Decks
Any area that is exposed to pedestrians and ice is a
potential market.
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Choosing a de-icing agent can be daunting given
there are more than 100 different products currently
on the market. Don't fret…simplify. Take comfort
knowing that 95% of all ice melters are made from
one or more of six basic ingredients. Consider the
effective temperatures for each major ingredient,
while factoring in the pros and cons, to
choose the right product for your application.
Urea
• Effective down to about 20º F.
+ Only 10% as corrosive as sodium chloride.
– Can contaminate groundwater and runoff
collection ponds with nitrates.
– Relatively high temperature of effectiveness.
Calcium Chloride
Sodium Chloride (Rock Salt)
• Effective down to about -25º F.
• Effective down to about 12º F.
+ Very hygroscopic salt – readily absorbs moisture.
+ Most readily available ice melter.
+ Very low temperature of effectiveness.
+ Least expensive.
– Easily tracked into buildings; can result in
slippery floors.
– Highly corrosive.
– Very dusty material; results in safety concerns for
people and animals.
– Potentially damaging to plant and soils.
Potassium Chloride
• Effective down to about 20º F.
Magnesium Chloride
+ Safe around plants and soils.
• Effective down to about -25º F.
+ Less corrosive than sodium chloride.
+ Very hygroscopic salt – readily absorbs moisture.
– Relatively high temperature of effectiveness.
+ Very low temperature of effectiveness
+ Not as dusty as calcium chloride; fewer
safety concerns.
– Easily tracked into buildings; can result in
slippery floors.
– Material will harden quickly if stored in open bags.
Calcium-Magnesium Acetate (CMA)
• Effective down to about 15º F.
+ Completely non-corrosive and environmentally
friendly.
+ Prevents ice from bonding to surfaces when applied
prior to ice and snow accumulation.
– Very expensive when compared with sodium chloride.
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As with spreading materials, there are countless
spreader options available. What will work best for
you can't be determined in a page. In fact, a book
dedicated to the subject would still fall short of making
the decision for you. Every contractor is as different
as the snowflakes they’re paid to maintain. From
their geographical location, to the customers they
service, to the materials they'll be spreading, to their
own individual work styles – the right spreader decision
should be based on all of these factors…and more.
But there are some basic guidelines that can help
you choose a general category of equipment and
certain features and benefits everyone should consider.
Midsize-to-Large Tailgate Spreaders
Capacity Range: 9.0 cu.ft. and greater
• Designed for the professional contractor.
• Ideal for maintaining driveways, parking lots,
roadways and bridge decks.
• Ability to mix materials in hopper.
• Easily calibrated for precision material
spreading.
• Undersized for malls and subdivisions.
Walk-Behind and Small Tailgate Spreaders
Capacity Range: 2.7 cu.ft. to 5.75 cu.ft.
• Geared to homeowners, business owners
and facility managers.
• Ideal for maintaining sidewalks, driveways
and small parking lots.
• Ability to mix materials in hopper.
• Easily calibrated for precision material
spreading.
• Too small to be a private contractor's primary
spreading option; supplemental value.
V-Box-Style Spreaders
Capacity Range: 1 cu. yd. and greater
• Designed for the professional contractor.
• Ideal for maintaining large parking lots,
roadways, bridge decks, malls and subdivisions.
• Best accepts bulk material; has limited
mixing capabilities.
• Limited calibration capabilities; not intended for
precision spreading.
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Major Features to Consider:
Auger/Spinner Control
• With spinner control alone, the only way to
change distribution volume is by adjusting
truck speed.
Poly Hopper Construction
• Does not rust or corrode.
• Will not pit, scratch or scale.
• Non-stick characteristics; encourages
material flow.
• Less than half the weight of comparable
steel-built units; less wear and tear to your
truck…and your back! (fig. 1)
• Units with both auger and spinner control
allow for more control.
• Auger adjustment controls material flow/volume.
• Spinner control adjusts distribution pattern.
(fig. 3)
(fig. 3)
Material Capabilities
(fig. 1)
Auger-Fed Spreaders
• More consistent flow of material.
• Reduces clumping, which can clog the
discharge chute. (fig. 2)
• Bear in mind that not all spreaders are capable
of spreading sand.
• If you intend to spread sand, look for a
spreader with at least the ability to spread a
50/50 mix of ice melter and sand.
• Spreaders are available that can spread 100%
sand or 100% salt.
Reliability
• Consider the warranty. This will give you some
insight as to how well the manufacturer
expects its equipment to perform.
(fig. 2)
• Spreader maintenance should not be labor
intensive. Look at how the spreader is engineered
and designed. Simplicity of design and corrosionresistant construction will allow the spreader to
perform in more harsh environments...and for
longer durations.
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There are too many variables involved in spreading
to create an application strategy that caters to
everyone. But there's no need to overcomplicate the
process. Spreading is simply the application of a
de-icing material to snow and ice. You just need to
have a basic understanding of how a deicer works
and take some general application points into
consideration.
Where to Start
A typical suburan fast food parking lot with 50
spaces and an entrance drive with a drive-through
would require approximately 225 pounds of rock
salt. You have to consider temperature, time of day,
whether the treated surface is asphalt or concrete,
and drainage to adjust your material usage quantities.
Learning your variables through experience and
recording them makes your business more profitable.
It's All About the Brine
The melting potential of most de-icing materials
is determined by its ability to attract sufficient
moisture, which then forms a brine. Simply a
mixture of water and the de-icing material, a
brine lowers the freezing point of water and
begins to melt the surrounding ice and snow.
Not to worry – you don't need to understand the
chemical processes taking place. Just know that
the correct material selection applied in the right
concentration is crucial for each application's success.
Know Your Material
When buying material, everything you need to
know about its capabilities, effective application
rates and area of coverage will be printed right on
the bag. It's free advice – so use it!
Temperature
Choose an appropriate material for the temperatures
in which you are working. Bear in mind, as temperatures approach a material's low-temperature
threshold, the melting process will slow.
Moisture
Consider the moisture content of the snow and ice you
need to address. A wet snow is easier to melt than a
dry snow because the moisture gets the brine
process off to a good start.
Traffic
It's easier to melt from the bottom up than it is from
the top down. If you're in a high traffic area, passing
vehicles will help push the de-icing material down
into the snow and ice. But, if you're in an area of low
traffic, take the time to drive back over the application
path a few times to assist the de-icing process.
Night and Day
Depending on the time of day, your application
approach should change. It's easier to melt snow
and ice during the day than it is at night. Not only
will it be colder at night, but you also don't have
sunlight, which helps expedite the melting process.
Mix It Up
When working with tailgate spreaders, consider mixing
different materials right in the hopper. This allows you
to take advantage of the best characteristics of different
materials to achieve a better, and perhaps more cost
efficient, end result.
*Tip – When mixing materials, start by pouring the larger
material into the hopper, followed by the smaller material.
During the application, the smaller material will naturally
work its way down through the bulkier material, delivering
an even mix of de-icing products to the spinner.
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With the amount of work available and the overwhelming
demand for spreading services, there is no reason why
you can't be successful in this business. So why do more
than 50% of all new snow and ice removal businesses
fail? The simple answer is pricing. Many contractors
have several different reasons for why they price jobs a
certain way. Unfortunately most of these reasons aren't
based in logic. Don't be a statistic. Take the time to
establish a smart pricing structure.
Most Common Mistakes
• Basing Price on Competition – How do you know
they won't be part of that 50% failure rate?
• Undercutting the Market – Sure, it will win you a
lot of customers, but at what cost to you? And
try raising your prices after establishing yourself
as the “cheap” option.
• Failing to Pay Yourself – Don't pay yourself with
profit. Profits are above and beyond expenses.
Even though you may own the company, your
labor is an expense that should be factored into
the price.
• Perception vs. Reality – What most perceive the
market will bear is far below reality. Remember,
this is a time-sensitive service. Customers
will pay a lot more for it than they will for
landscaping and lawn services.
Factor Your Costs
To price a job effectively, you must know what it's
costing you:
Direct Costs
Indirect Costs
Overhead
- Truck
- Fuel
- Rent
- Equipment
- Oil
- Phone
- Materials
- Grease
- Advertising
- Financing
- Repairs
- Administrative
- Insurance
- Preventive
maintenance
- Utilities
- Licensing fees
- Labor
Every successful business prices its goods above and
beyond its costs. Why should you be any different?
*The key is to boil all of these costs down to a perapplication rate. Materials are easy because they come
with a price tag. The rest takes a lot more thought.
Remember, the more you use your equipment, the less
the per-use cost should be.
Though this doesn't directly relate to pricing, you
should always remember to document every job in
as detailed a manner as possible and attach a copy to
your invoices. Include the date, time of day you applied
material, what type of materials were applied, what the
conditions were, what the ambient temperature was,
wind direction and strength, and so on. The more
details, the better.
This not only will help build better relationships with your
clients, but better yet, helps reduce your liability. During
a lawsuit, everyone involved can be called into the
courtroom as the finger of blame continues to search
for a final target. Protect yourself with documentation
that proves you not only did the job, but did it right for
the situation. Also, documenting jobs is a good way to
add discipline to your service, encouraging you to take
the time to assess conditions before each application.
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You've decided to get into the spreading business,
bought your spreader, researched materials and
figured out your pricing scheme. So now what?
It's time to pursue a healthy stable of customers
to keep you working and profitable. No matter if
you're an unproven rookie or a seasoned veteran,
the following sales tips can help you find, or
improve, your spreading success.
Contact Current Customers
*Tip – Make your business card magnetic. It's
inexpensive – and will help ensure that a potential
client not only keeps your information, but also
sees it several times a day.
Network
Get to know your competition. Since most snow and
ice control contractors stop taking additional business at
some point, establishing relationships with them can
often lead to referrals.
If you already have an established plowing service
or are branching a lawncare or landscaping business
to offer winter maintenance, the first thing you
should do is contact your current customer base. It's
a no-brainer. You've already established a comfort
level with these clients and they'll likely appreciate
the extra value you're offering them.
Practice Good PR
Canvas Businesses/Neighborhoods
If you're new to the business or are a small operation,
don't let it phase you. Spin this into a benefit for
your customers. You're more driven to address a
customer's needs, more flexible and, if you give
them a reason, people will often go out of their way
to support a new business.
It's simple, but effective. Distribute flyers door
to door and count on the volume of contacts to
generate interest in your services. If you're mostly
interested in residential business, focus on more
affluent neighborhoods, as the people here are
more likely to engage your services. Timing is
very important. Typically, the best time is right
after the first cold snap hits. You'll catch people as
they're first thinking about the upcoming winter,
but have yet to contract services to deal with it.
*Tip – Don't skimp on your flyers. They don't have to be
works of art, but make sure they look professional, are
well-worded and include complete contact information.
Set Up Customer Meetings
This puts a face on your business, making potential
customers more comfortable with you and your
services. Even if it's simply a handshake and an
explanation of your services, the face-to-face
meeting makes you seem more real and true to the
potential customer. And don't forget business cards!
This is yet another simple and inexpensive way to
establish credibility.
Periodically ask your customers what they like and don't
like about your services. They'll appreciate being able
to provide input and it conveys the message that you
care about their business. Not to mention you might
get a good idea on how to improve your business.
Don't Worry About Being New