Snow Removal in Greencastle and Putnam County
Greencastle is where On Grade's equipment sits overnight, so a snow job here starts from the shop, not from a drive in across two counties. Travis plows long rural drives and farm lanes across Putnam County, clears and salts church lots, shop aprons and business lots in town, and loads out piles when there is no room left to push them.
- Free estimates
- Equipment based in Greencastle
- Residential and commercial
Snow removal in Greencastle and Putnam County
Home ground, rolling ground
Putnam County is flat across the north, but the middle of the county around Greencastle rolls, and the ground falls toward Big Walnut Creek and the streams that feed it. That shapes winter here. A drive that drops from the road to a house in a hollow, or climbs to one on a rise, is the drive that ices first and stays iced longest. Snow on the flat drives east of here is mostly a question of pushing it somewhere. Here it is also a question of traction on the grade.
So the grades get treated. Travis plows the run, then salts the slope, the curve and the stretch in front of the garage where the car has to stop and start again. The snow is pushed to the low side, so its melt does not run back across the drive. On a long drive with a hill, that is often the difference between getting out in the morning and leaving the car at the road.
Long drives and farm lanes
Outside the city limits, Greencastle addresses are farms and parcels cut from farms, on county roads off US 231, US 40 and US 36. Long gravel drives are common, and a long drive in snow is its own job. The plow has to stay on the stone without peeling it into the yard, the edges have to be found under the drifts, and the turnaround at the house has to be pushed out wide enough for a truck. Marker stakes along the edges go in before the ground freezes.
Farm lanes and field entrances are the other half. A lane to a barn or a grain bin that has to carry a truck in January needs to be open to the full width, with the piles pushed past the doors and not into them. Travis builds and repairs these drives the rest of the year, so he knows how the stone and the crown take a plow blade.
Town lots, the square and DePauw
In town the work is shorter and tighter. The older neighborhoods around the courthouse square and DePauw University have narrow drives and parking squeezed onto small lots. Churches, offices, shops along US 231 and rental houses near campus all have pavement or stone that is the owner's to clear. The city plows the public streets, and the windrow its plow leaves across a drive or a lot entrance comes back to the owner as well.
A landlord near campus and a business on the square need much the same thing: walks and entrances open and salted before people are on them, and one call that covers the whole winter. That is a seasonal contract, set up around the hours the property has to be open. Travis writes down the areas, the trigger and the salting, and the route follows it.
Shops, churches and county roads
Commercial snow work in Putnam County is mostly small and spread out: a church lot on a county road, an equipment shop with a stone apron, a business with a paved lot in front and a gravel yard behind it. A contractor coming from Indianapolis has to cross two counties of bad road before he plows anything. On Grade's equipment is already here, which is why a half-day job in Greencastle is a job worth taking in winter as well as summer.
Stone lots and aprons need different handling from paved ones, or the stone ends up in the snow pile and the pile ends up full of stone in the spring. On gravel the plow rides a little high and leaves a thin packed layer rather than scraping bare, then salt goes where people walk. The commercial snow removal contracts page covers how a winter agreement for a church or business is set up.
Ice, the refreeze and who plows what
Winters here bring a few real snows and more freezing rain than anyone would like. The ice is the bigger problem, and on rolling ground the melt from a pile at the top of a drive runs down it and freezes again overnight. Piles go on the low side or past the end of the drive, where the melt can leave. On a farm lane they go where they will not block a ditch or the culvert the drive depends on.
The city plows its streets, the county plows the county roads and the state handles US 231, US 40 and I-70. Private drives, lots, lanes and any private road shared by a few houses are the owners'. If three or four neighbors share one lane, one agreement for the whole lane usually makes more sense than three plows. The snow removal and plowing page has the rest of the service.
Snow Removal and Plowing
Plowing, salting, hauling and sidewalks for homes and businesses from Greencastle to the west side of Indianapolis.
See the pageTalk to Travis(317) 203-8928
Call or text the address and what needs clearing: a lot, a drive, walks or all three. Travis sets the route and the terms with you before the first snow.
Call nowWhat that covers
- Long rural drives. Plowed to the stone, edges staked, turnaround pushed wide.
- Farm lanes and aprons. Lanes to barns, bins and shops opened to full width.
- Church and business lots. Paved and stone lots plowed and salted before people arrive.
- Walks and steps. Entrances, steps and walks cleared and salted.
- Snow hauling. Piles loaded out with the skid steer where there is no room left.
- Shared private lanes. One agreement for a lane that several houses use.
Snow Removal and Plowing
Plowing, salting, hauling and sidewalks for homes and businesses from Greencastle to the west side of Indianapolis.
See the pageSnow serviceCommercial Snow Removal Contracts
Seasonal, per-push, per-event and time-and-materials snow contracts, written and signed before the first storm.
See the pageSnow serviceCommercial Snow Plowing
Parking lots, drive lanes and loading docks plowed in a set order, with piles where the site map puts them.
See the pageSnow serviceDriveway Snow Plowing
House drives, long gravel drives, private lanes and subdivision drives, plowed per push or by the season.
See the pageSnow serviceSalting and Ice Management
Pre-treating before freezing rain, salting after the plow, and going back out when meltwater refreezes.
See the pageGreencastle and the roads east
East of Greencastle the ground flattens into Hendricks County. Snow removal in Danville is the next county seat up US 36, and snow removal in Plainfield is out I-70. Cloverdale, Bainbridge, Fillmore, Roachdale and Reelsville are short runs from the shop. The Greencastle page covers the rest of the year's work in town and around it.
Set up before the first snow.
You call
Call, text or send the form with the address and what needs clearing: a lot, a drive, walks, or all of it.
Travis walks it
Before the season he walks the property with you, marks curbs, drains and islands, and agrees where the snow goes.
Terms in writing
Seasonal, per push or per event, the trigger, salt and walks are written down, so nobody argues at five in the morning.
Cleared when it falls
When it snows, the property is worked in the order agreed, salted if it is in the contract, and logged.
The machines and the crew.
These are photographs from Travis's actual jobs: the same equipment and the same crew that run the snow routes. See more recent work.
Questions people ask
Not seeing yours? Call (317) 203-8928 and ask Travis, or read the guides.
Does On Grade plow rural drives outside Greencastle?
Yes. Long drives on county roads across Putnam County are a large part of the residential snow work, along with farm lanes and drives to barns and shops. Travis plows to the stone without scraping it into the yard, and stakes the edges before the ground freezes so they can be found under drifts. Tell him the length and what has to get in and out.
Will the county plow my private lane?
No. The county plows the county roads, the city plows its streets, and the state plows the US routes and I-70. A private lane, even one several houses share, is the owners' to clear. Where neighbors share a lane, one agreement covering the whole run is usually simpler than each house hiring its own plow.
Can a gravel drive be plowed without ruining it?
That is the main thing about a gravel drive in winter. The plow is set to ride a little above the stone and leave a thin layer of packed snow, rather than scraping down and throwing the surface into the pile. Low spots and soft edges are worth fixing before the ground freezes, because the plow follows whatever shape the drive is in.
Can a church or small business in Greencastle get a seasonal contract?
Yes. The contract lists the areas, the trigger depth that sends the plow out, the salting and the hours the property needs to be open, such as Sunday morning for a church. The lot is walked in the fall so curbs, drains and pile spots can be marked on bare ground. Estimates are free.
Where should snow be piled on a sloped lot?
On the low side, or past the downhill end, where the melt can run off without crossing the pavement. A pile at the top of a sloped drive or lot melts in the afternoon sun, runs down across the surface and freezes overnight. Piles also stay clear of ditches and culverts, so the melt has a way out.
Other work he takes on
Most jobs end up being two or three of these at once, and they get quoted together.
Snow removal in other towns
Excavation & Site Prep
Sites stripped, cut and graded, ready for the builder.
Learn moreFoundation & Basement Excavation
Basements, crawl spaces and footings dug to grade and backfilled.
Learn moreDrainage, Culverts & Utilities
Water moved off yards and away from foundations; culverts and service lines set.
Learn moreDriveways & Finish Grading
Gravel drives built and crowned; yards finish graded for seed.
Learn moreLand Clearing & Forestry Mulching
Lots and acreage cleared, brush mulched in place.
Learn moreBuilding & Pole Barn Pads
Pads cut, filled and compacted for barns, shops and houses.
Learn moreFree snow estimate in Greencastle and Putnam County.
Call or text Travis. Snow contracts and one-off plowing, set up before the first snow.
Greencastle, Indiana · Putnam, Hendricks, Boone and Marion counties
Snow removal where you are
Each town has its own page: what winter does there, what gets plowed and how the contracts are set up.
Need snow removal in Greencastle?
Call or text Travis with the address and how long the drive or lot is.