WEST HARTFORD-- More snow may be on the way, but crews are still working around the clock to clear recent winter storms. Their increase in workload means big business for snow removal companies.
Troutbrook Landscaping in West Hartford has been busy lately because they've had so much snow to clean up around homes.
"We've been working from 7 in the morning until dark. There's only so much time in the day," said Todd Pinnette, a worker.
Troutbrook Landscaping owner Andrew Bachman says his guys have been working to clear around 10 homes each day. "It could be double the average winter we have for us with the the extra work we have for us," Bachman said.
Much of that work is done from above in a bucket truck. He uses it to get on top of roofs to clear snow and break up ice dams that can cause damage inside and outside of the home.
"There's no more fuel for the ice dam, if we get off all the snow off above it," said Bachman. Bachman says this bucket gives him a leg up on the competition.
American Landscaping LLC Tree Service of West Hartford been charging $150 per hour for crews to use bobcats to clear snow, mostly from parking lots of commercial properties. The company has billed 40 customers as of Wednesday and says there's a backlog of people requesting service.
"We have three crews working constantly working, day and night," said Alex Sonkin, owner of American Landscaping, LLC Tree Service.
The company owns a two-acre lot on New Park Avenue where it brings and dumps the snow.
"This is our dumping ground," Sonkin said.
Right now around 50 truck loads of snow fill the lot and Sonkin expects four times as much by the end of the winter.
"I'm thinking for the next two weeks, there's going to be a lot of snow removal," said Sonkin.
Troutbrook Landscaping is making enough money from the storms to look into making investments for equipment for the landscaping business.
"This year we can be in a situation going into March where we hopefully can buy some new mowers," said Bachman.
Bachman has capitalized further on the winter storms by traveling to Cape Cod to help out there and plans to return in between upcoming storms.