Ten minutes in November saves a cracked driveway and a lot of phone calls in January.
Winter in Hamilton County is not a question of whether, only of when and how much. The homeowners who have the easiest season are the ones who prepare the driveway for winter before the first plowable snow. Here is what we ask our own plowing customers to do, and why.
Walk the Driveway With Your Plow Crew
Before the season starts, we walk every property we plow with the owner. We are looking for the edge of the pavement, the curb, landscape lighting, sprinkler heads, the mailbox post, the edge of the beds, and anything else a blade can catch under snow. Then we mark it. A row of stakes along the drive looks a little fussy in November and looks brilliant in February when everything is white.
Decide Where the Snow Goes
Snow plowing means pushing snow, not making it disappear. Every driveway needs a spot for the pile: usually a corner of the yard where it will not block the sidewalk, bury the mailbox, or melt into the garage. Pick it now, while you can see the ground. If the only option is a spot with shrubs or a young tree, tell us and we will plan around it. We plow and push; we do not haul snow off site, so the pile location matters.
Move What Can Be Moved
Basketball hoops, trailers, the extra car, the kids’ bikes: anything that lives on the driveway in summer should find a winter home. A plow truck needs a clear run, and anything left on the pavement either blocks the pass or gets buried until March.
Know Whether Your Driveway Can Take Salt
This is the big one. Deicing salt is hard on concrete that is less than a year old. New concrete is still curing, and salt can cause the surface to flake and pit in ways that never heal. If your driveway was poured this year, tell us and we will plow and shovel it carefully and skip the salt, or use a gentler product if you ask. Older, well-cured concrete and asphalt handle standard salt fine.
Think About Paws and Plants
Standard rock salt works, but it is rough on dogs’ feet, on the lawn along the driveway, and on the beds beside the walk. If those matter to you, ask about a pet- and plant-friendly deicing product. It costs more per application, and for a lot of households it is worth it. Our driveway and sidewalk salting page covers both options.
Set the Trigger
Agree on the accumulation that starts a plow run. Many homeowners pick two inches; commercial lots often want less. We agree on yours before the season. Knowing the trigger means you are not wondering at 6 a.m. whether anyone is coming, and it means we are not plowing a dusting you would rather sweep.
Clear the Walks Too
Plowing the drive and leaving the front walk buried is how people get hurt. Sidewalks, steps, and the path to the door should be shoveled by hand and salted along with the drive. If you are hiring it out, make sure the walks are in the plan.
- #salting
- #snow plowing
- #winter
