Need to identify an item...

[GMTruckGuy74]

Okay, I want to know what these orange-reflective colored poles are called. They're usually steel, but I've seen some that are plastic (I'm more interested in the steel ones).

The reason? My Homeowners Association meeting is coming up in two weeks. My development, unlike many other housing developments, businesses, and shopping centers in NJ, does not employ the use of these marker to aid snow plow drivers when plowing my housing development. What would normally be two passing lanes have turned out to be one, maybe one & a half narrowly plowed lanes. I have seen how these markers improve plowing results outside of my community and want to recommend my HOA purchase them for winter usage. Of course if I leave it up to the HOA Board Members, it will never get done. If I can find out the technical name of these markers, then I can search where to purchase them and provide this actual information to the Board. If they don't act on it, at least I can point a finger.

I know this is off-the-wall, but I'd appreciate anyone with knowledge of these markers.

[Drew Dowdell]

It's a marker so that the snow plow knows where the curb is when they are plowing snow that is higher than curb level.

Here's the link http://www.discountsnowstakes.com/store/

[Camino LS6]

Ugh.

I hate those things.

More often than not they end-up being in the way.

Do your plow guy a favor and consult with him when placing these.

As for the name, I've heard them called driveway markers.

[balthazar]

Place I plow has no curbs, so these are quite welcome for me. They are well-placed by whomever does them.

With a winding, buried lanscape to traverse, they are often my only guide.

They mark the storm sewers in a different color. I'm supposed to leave them clear for melting runoff, but when you are dealing with 24" : no way.

You are well advised to buy & place them yourselves (like Camino said- perhaps with input from the plower), because plow companies have the ready potential to charge out the wazoo for everything, including these.

[GMTruckGuy74]

Thank you three for replying, I appreciate your input.

It's a marker so that the snow plow knows where the curb is when they are plowing snow that is higher than curb level.

Here's the link http://www.discountsnowstakes.com/store/

I know what they're for, silly The link and name (snow stakes) are exactly what I was looking for. Thanks for providing them both.

Ugh.

I hate those things.

More often than not they end-up being in the way.

Do your plow guy a favor and consult with him when placing these.

As for the name, I've heard them called driveway markers.

I figured "driveway markers" would be too easy... especially when my quick search brought me these cheesy items that you can buy at Wal-Mart and Home Depot:

The Snow Stakes, or Snow Poles as some sites I quickly found, are what I've seen in different communities and shopping centers (and usually appear in November and disappear in March/April).

Place I plow has no curbs, so these are quite welcome for me. They are well-placed by whomever does them.

With a winding, buried lanscape to traverse, they are often my only guide.

They mark the storm sewers in a different color. I'm supposed to leave them clear for melting runoff, but when you are dealing with 24" : no way.

You are well advised to buy & place them yourselves (like Camino said- perhaps with input from the plower), because plow companies have the ready potential to charge out the wazoo for everything, including these.

Well, part of the HOA Board is a "snow captain", whose job it is to drive around after the snow stops and make sure the plow contractor is doing as they have been paid to do. I'd imagine it would be his job, o his committee's, to oversee the installation of these snow stakes/poles and subsequent removal/storage until the following year (or if the contractor supplies these).

[balthazar]

^ Agreed. Mark the radiuses adequately, driveway openings & any road-edge obstacles, and maintain a 'line of vision' along straightaways with these. If one can visualize the complex buried in 12" of snow, where even the 'humps' of buried obstacles are getting lost, the placement should be fairly self-apparent. On straights, a stake every 150' or so should be fine. About the only thing a competant plow driver needs to know is about how far off the road these stakes were placed (ie; just on the other side of curbing, or 'inland' notably more. Often times the logistics of plowing requires pushing quantities of snow onto the lawns in certain spots- stakes too close there may quickly get buried.

This thread is really making me appreciate whoever places these stakes for me- never gave it much thought before!

[GMTruckGuy74]

This thread is really making me appreciate whoever places these stakes for me- never gave it much thought before!

Yes, I've noticed that these snow stakes/poles just seem to magically appear overnight in November (in my area) and subsequently disappear overnight in March/April when the threat of snow is gone. My parent's "active adult" 55+ community uses these at driveway openings and other key areas along the curbing and the plowing results are so much better than my development. Shopping centers galore and large companies use these to identify parking islands, sidewalk/crosswalk openings, and other curbing areas. My development employs two different plowing services - the township is responsible for the main access roads, whereas a larger landscaping company will do all of the side roads and parking lots (I live on a golf course community). Both services tanked last snow storm - not close enough to the curb (some areas the curbs were visible due to snow drifts, other areas were completely covered), narrow lanes, and large amounts of snow piled at intersections and in front of people's homes and community mailboxes. Last year the landscaper came in the day after clean-up with a skid steer tractor and moved most of the mounds of snow onto the common areas to clear most of teh roadways. The township also came back the day after and replowed lanes wider; not this year. These snow stakes/poles would definitely aid in determining how wide to plow.

Again, thanks to all for the input and information. A quick google search last night turned up various suppliers of these snow stakes/poles.

[Camino LS6]

Whatever you do, don't put these too close together. Also be mindful of "snow dump" areas and areas where the plow truck will have to manuever in tight confines. Plow trucks often need to "hang" either the plow, or the rear of the truck over the edge of an area to be plowed in order to get where they need to be. That is when these things become a real pain to deal with if they are placed wrong.

[GMTruckGuy74]

Thanks for that info, Camino!!

[Camino LS6]

My pleasure.