I like my winter about 3 or 4 months long. 
That"s why I stayed in Texas when I retired from the army.If you have enuf money you dont get into a habit working for others. Life is short. Work for those who are special and for yourself. Being satisfied is good.
). But, we only got about 2 inches Oh, we've got to have a long talk!!!I was really hoping for some real snow when this past system went through the area, I was going to drive the tractor into town and clear driveways for $5... I figured I could clear the average driveway in town in about 3-5 minutes, and in probably 2-3 hours, I could cover the whole town (small town
I'm just glad you don't live in MY town!Did I make a minor miscalculation?
It's bad enough I am dealing with $20.00 per push competition. I don't know how those guys can even break even. My plow truck, fully-loaded, averages between 4.5 and 5.5 miles per gallon on plowing runs. Insurance is through the roof and plow-outfitted pickup trucks are running around $30,000 new. Adding the time I spend giving out quotes, putting together contracts, doing the actual plowing, sending bills, dealing with deadbeats, etc., etc., etc... I am working for roughly $1.57 per hour. From that I must pay self-employment tax as well as state and federal income taxes. 
Brian,I'm just a "weekend warrior" I guess... although whenever I'm home with my unpredictable work schedule (corporate jet pilot) I'm always doing something with the tractor.
I've been thinking hard about getting a rear tiller for my tractor and then going into the garden plowing/tilling business. My Dad has been doing that with his little JD 650 ever since he bought it new back in 1984... although I think my 3525 is a bit on the large side for that business.
I was really hoping for some real snow when this past system went through the area, I was going to drive the tractor into town and clear driveways for $5... I figured I could clear the average driveway in town in about 3-5 minutes, and in probably 2-3 hours, I could cover the whole town (small town
(sleeping in an uncomfortable chair) and I decided I liked working with my hands more. 
It just depends on the size of the garden!
Dougster,Oh, we've got to have a long talk!!!
Dougster
..............just hire him to plow your contracts.He's too far away Brandi... Thank God!!!Dougster,
No talk
hugs, Brandi
Well, all I can say is give it a "go" and see how you make out.Dougster, Naw, it's nothing like that... I live about 3 1/2 miles from a little town of 350 people. I could just drive the tractor into town... and, the biggest houses might have a 2 car garage. I was just figuring that I could clear the average "driveway" there in town in about 3 to 5 minutes tops... really about 2 passes about 40-50ft long if even that much. I thought $5 for that little bit of nothing would be gouging them pretty good going door to door! I'm not shoveling sidewalks... If I can't do it from the seat, it's not getting done by me
I'm certainly glad that you're not here in Eastern Taxachusetts where the competition is already cut-throat... but maybe that price is normal for small towns out in your neck of the woods! Certainly sounds like a darn good bargain to me! 
Oh you got that right... but it's even worse than you might think when it comes to snowplowing. Example: So far three of my customers are all done for the year after 1 billable storm for each. One got his snowblower repaired, one has ordered a snowblower, and one lady went with a neighbor friend guy $5 cheaper than moi. Above staggering fixed costs for advertising and insurance, each of those client accounts required phone calls, e-mails, a site visit with sketches and photos taken, more emails, development & execution of a service agreement, changing my schedule & route to accomodate, entering all the data into quickbooks, running the bills, more emails to cancel and more time to closeout their accounts and reschedule again. On those particular clients, I ended up working for an average of about 80 cents (net profit in pocket) per hour.
Brian,
I was going to be a corporate pilot, but a counselor at Spartan Aeronautical University talked me into getting my mechanics license and hang out at the airport. There I saw where y'all pilots eat (the vending machines) and wait
I don't think your 3525 is too big to do custom tilling. I know of a guy in Kentucky that uses a 6500.
hugs, Brandi
!! And, I just love aircraft engines... I'm fascinated by them, especially gas turbines... it's just amazing how a machine that small can produce that much power, especially compared to a piston engine. I'd really love to go back to school and get a metallurgy degree and then go to Rocketdyne or NASA or such and work on rocket engines... That's my dream... but I know it will never happen. Oh well,
Brian,Brandi,
Did you ever get your PPL (private pilot's license)? I always wanted to get my A&P, but I wanted to fly more, and I was always afraid (and rightfully so) that if I had both A&P and Pilot certificates, I'd be stuck on the ground turning wrenches more than I'd be flying... especially if the flight department had more than 2 or 3 pilots. So, no A&P for me... yet. If something ever happens that I can't fly anymore, I'll be starting on my A&P ticket the next day. I'd try to go more toward the Powerplant side... I really have no desire to work with sheet metal... that is truly an art, and I'm no artist
That is all there is to it.Oh, that's gonna make me feel real secure next time I am up in an SWA 737!!!Jet engine theory is real simple.... Suck..... Squeeze..... Bang..... Blow.
hugs, Brandi
Dougster,Oh, that's gonna make me feel real secure next time I am up in an SWA 737!!!
I hope you later made in past lesson one!!!
Dougster
Lesson two..... don't feed the Humidity Snake.Now you forget that I came out of the electric power industry where we used lots of aeroderivative engines in peak power production and cogeneration plants. I know they aren't quite that simple 'cause I was the guy they'd send in after they blew themselves apart occasionally!Dougster, That is all there is to a jet engine. Everything else is tached on to keep the airplane systems operating and the passengers comfortable. Well, not everything. You still need a monkey sitting up on top of it near the inlet feeding it.
hugs, Brandi
Oh, a souvenir hunter, huh? Been there, done that, got the pieces to prove it. I loved it how the pilot wrote up in the log book documenting that his engine blew apart on takeoff..................#1 Engine burped on takeoff.Now you forget that I came out of the electric power industry where we used lots of aeroderivative engines in peak power production and cogeneration plants. I know they aren't quite that simple 'cause I was the guy they'd send in after they blew themselves apart occasionally!
Dougster