customers

[MRPLOW]

Nobody has ever stolen a lawn customer from <br>me. You don't own customers. I have lost a <br>few lawns due to lower prices, but the new <br>people never did as good of a job as me, so <br>I felt satisfied that they got a lower <br>price and also a lower level of service. <br>Not everbovy wants full course <br>dinner(professional cut, edge, and trim), <br>some just want a plain old burger(low <br>guality mow, no extras)!

[southside]

Very true.<p>Karl<br>

[Charles]

Even with a plain ol lawn job. You still have to drive over to their house with 1000s oflbs of equipment and load and unload it and spend and hour or more at the persons house running 1000s of $ worth of equipment. We are the only type of business that will do this for monkey change. If you think differently call a plumber, air condition man, appliance man

[gene gls]

If the lawn mowing business had to be licensed like every thing else then there would be less opperators and higher prices.

[yardsmith]

Maybe I'm missing something, but everywhere I know of you DO have to be licensed. We all do here in Ohio; the service vendors license. $25 to start, & $10 a yr. renewal.<br>Anyone else not need a license??????<p>----------<br>Smitty ô¿ô<br>

[Jason]

Smitty,<p>I actually found somewhere where you don't have to be licensed. I'm licensed in Washington. I live on the Idaho border. I called the state to ask what I needed to do to work in their state. I told them I was licensed and insured in Wash. and wanted to work in Idaho. They told me I didn't have to do anything. Don't even have to charge tax! The only thing is, if I make over $2500 there than I have to report it, otherwise I don't have to worry about it. If I were to apply pesticides than I'd have to be licensed, but for lawncare no license is required.

[Richard Martin]

Charles wrote:<p>{We are the only type of business that will do this for monkey change. If you think differently call a plumber, air condition man, appliance man}<p>If these other professions had to come to your house every week, year after year, they <br> wouldn't get nearly the money they do. Think about it. Ours is an almost assured source of income except for the occasional drought. I spend a lot of time in the Trades Forum on AOL and believe me, they go through some devastating dry spells. If you aren't making more money cutting grass than you did before you started in this biz then you are doing something wrong.

[Charles]

Richard, those professions I mentioned probably make 120$ an hour plus 8 hours a day, all year long. Just using hand tools and parts. One plumber could do this much. As someone said in one other post said our pay hasn't increased much in the past 10 years. But our equipment has gotten more productive. But the equipment we use cost 2 or 3 times as much as it did 10 years ago.

[Lazer]

??????<p>1986 Toro 52&quot; 12.5hp Kaw $2886.00<p>2000 Toro 52&quot; 12.5hp Kaw $2589.00<br>

[Charles]

I dont consider a 12.5 hp a commercial mower

[columbiaplower]

well you should. why dont you?

[Charles]

Columbiapower, when you come out of the shallow part of the swimming pool you will understand. I would think a 12.5 hp mower would have trouble pushing a 52&quot; deck in high grass. or do a really good job a a high speed

[Lazer]

Okay,<br>Try this one:<br>1986 Toro Commercial Rider 20hp Onan 62&quot; $9650.00<br>2000 Toro Commercial Rider 23hp Kohler 62&quot; $5800.00<p>I guess I just don't buy that equipment prices have doubled and tripled since 1990.

[Charles]

Maybe I exagerated a little:). But it has gone up more than we have gone up in prices. if they don't get you on the price of the mower. They get you on the parts and labor. Anyway lawn equipment and repair labor has increase in inflation faster than most products in the US

[MRPLOW]

I'm with Lazer on this one. Here's my experience 1996 48 Scag 14hp Kawaski $2999.00. 1999 Scag 48 15hp Kohler $2750.00.

[Charles]

denpends on what part of the country you are in and what you buy. My exmark lazer 23hp cost me 7900$

[Gus]

Don`t need a license here in michigan at least in the areas I cut. Having a license to do anything doesn`t prove much except you paid some government agency an outrageous fee to tell you you are competant in your field.<br>There are plenty of licensed whatevers that are complete hacks.

[AB Lawn Care]

Charles-I do agree somewhat with what you say ,but there is one major diffrence between us lawn care pro's and plumbers.Everone knows how to cut a lawn.Plumers have to go to school or take a corse to learn what to do.That is why many gardners and lanscapers make more than strickly lawn cutters like us.Sure we can make a lawn look alot better than most home owners but we don't have to got to lawn cutting collage.Plus plumbers are not at your house every week.And also alot of there work is emergencys like busted pipes and so on.Hope this will give you a few reasons why plumbers charge more!<p><p>----------<br>from:Adam<br>AB Lawn Care

[Charles]

Adam, what we don't have in brains we make up in having dependable high price equipment. To take care of our customers year after year after year. I just don't see why some of u guys dont see that. We are seasonal workers who deal with droughts, rain etc. Plumber work all year long. Seasonal businesses always charge more during their peek periods to get them through their down time ITS THE EQUIPMENT MEN ITS THE EQUIPMENT. if you don't think you are worth more than you are making maybe you know something about yourself that i don't