Help on a One Man Show

[RB]

I"m a one man operation. I have approx. 45 accounts (mostly residential and most averaging 7,000 sq. ft.)

I use a 21" lawnboy commercial duty and a 36" exmark wb. I'm thinking about trading in the 36" wb and buy a 44" lazer or 44" toro z master.

Does anyone run a one man operation with a lazer and without a wb? Are there any disadvantages other than not fitting through 36" gates?

Also, I can get a new exmark 44" for 6,175 and I can get a toro z master for 5,750 44"; I know they are the same mower except decks. What deck "mows and blows" best?

Thanx everyone.
Ron

[PIONEER]

keep the 36 and get a 52in get the hidro it's well worth the extra money. demo one first

[Fantasy Lawns]

Ditto ....keep the 36" (would the $ from sale really help or having a 2nd fair sized back up mower & can cut smaller area's quickly give better peace of mind) and try to get an up grade mower like your looking at

[TJLC]

I'm solo and run an Exmark 48" hydro w/b as my main machine and an Exmark 36" hydro w/b as my backup, but everytime I visit my dealer for something I have to walk past the new dixies and lazers. Maybe some day, I'm not getting any younger. LOL

[SMB]

We bought our Bob-Cat ZTR for under $6000 (it was end of season). 48" cut, 19 HP Kawasaki, dual hydro pumps w/hydro oil cooler. Keep the 36, you really need to have a backup. Right now, we're trying to get something to work as a backup.

[Eric ELM]

My dealer sells both too. You won't believe how much more engergy you would have at the end of the day riding either one of them. When you get as old as me, you will need all the energy you can get. ;)

[Island Lawn]

1 Man op here too.

Keep the 36"!

I have a 48" exmark. My "back up" is a 21" crapsman.
I'm putting off the ztr for another year.

[RB]

Thanx guys, but I was really hoping someone would tell me to ditch the 36" and go solo w/zrt.

Thanx again.
Ron

[Mowman]

RB,
I'm also a one man show. I don't have as many accounts as you. I started with a 21" Toro Pro-Line. Last year I bought a used Walker w/ 54" SD deck. I use it on 98% of my lawns. I"m not getting any younger so I decided to get a rider instead of a larger WB. I would trade in the 36" on a rider, but I don't have any gated lawns that I service either.

Good Luck,
Mowman

[Mark]

One man operation also. I have 2 52"walkbehinds,two commercial trim mowers, and a Toro Z-Master 62deck Ive been doing this for 10yrs and have found that bigger is better. I don't have but one 36" gate,but have to use the trim mowers sometimes on the sides of yds where its maybe just 2foot. Plus i do a yd for a special client with a 21" proline, where good friends he is very rich and pays me very well thats the only reason i do it with the 21. Marks Mowing Service

[65hoss]

Don't get rid of the 36". I would hate to know my back up was a 21 incher. My backup to the 52" Lazer HP is a 48". Back up to that is a 36". I would probably go by another mower if I then had to use a 21".

Don't waste your time on a 44". You will accomplish nothing. Get at least a 48", but really consider bigger.

[joshua]

if your thinkning of a lazer i would get a 60", last year money resticted me to a 52" lazer i love the thing to death but could do 7 more lawns a day with the 60" next year i'll get the sucker.

[mowerman90]

I too, am a solo operator doing about 70 accounts per week and I'm not getting any younger. I've got a 52" Grasshopper 725 G2 that hauls my sorry self around all day. I had 5 gates that the 52 wouldn't fit through that I offered to enlarge for cost for my customers. 4 of them took me up on my offer and I dropped the other one. Bigger is always better.

[TLS]

RB,

If your only averaging 7000 sqft that means that 1/2 are even smaller! Heck my driveway is bigger than 7000 sqft! You dont need a rider, you dont even need a sulkie. I would get a 48" Hydro WB and keep your 36 belt for backup and small gated yards. I'm not busting on your yards, just trying to help you out, but they are too small for any type of riding mower in my book. Save your money and stay with WB's, you will do less turf damage with the WB's, and get more bang for your buck. Now if your future includes bigger lots or commercial accounts, then this is a different story.

[lawnboy11]

I agree with the above post. I also am solo, 70 accts, but small properties. A ride on would be overkill for most of the small properties, but a hydro w/sulky would be great.

[Roger]

Interesting responses ... How we all approach the same issue with a wide variety of solutions.

I work solo, 36" Exmark hydro, 21" LB sp. I have one yard, a front yard, abouta 6K sq ft. I wouldn't think of using my 36" machine on an area that small. On other properties that are larger, I use the LB on the smaller areas, such as front yard, side yard, and use the w/b only on the larger rear areas. Even though I believe my Ex does a great job, I believe the small areas are best mowed with the small mower - the final result is important.

Yea, I see other contractors who mow small front yards with large mowers. But, I wouldn't be satisfied with the result.

If I had a full diet of 7K lawns, I probably wouldn't even own a w/b.

I need to add that yards in this area are often difficult terrain, steep slopes, sharp changes in slope, etc. The small mower conforms to the terrain much better. I would agree with others about a 36" w/b, IF most were flat.

[Edited by Roger on 03-22-2001 at 09:01 AM]

[VLM]

One man show here. My yards are about the same, a little bigger. I am looking at the Areins 42" Z. This machine is a hydro and it is much less expensive than most others (under 3K). Take a look at it.

[TLS]

My neighbor has a 2 yo Ariens ZTR, 16hp B&S Twin and 48" cut. I have run it. It is pitifully slow MAYBE 6mph and very sluggish with the sticks a little sloppy. It does give a good cut. Blades seem very busy under there, must be up there with fpm. He only mows his 1 acre home with it. IT IS BY NO MEANS A COMMERCIAL MACHINE. Do not even think about it! Not a bad homeowner ZTR wannabe, but not for us commercial guys.

[eggy]

A walk behind is nice to trim with we have a 36 we use from time to time, however I would get a ztr, or something to that like. You will feel a lot better after a full day.

[TJLC]

My biggest problem is I do some very rough area. Some are hard to walk on, let alone ride. If everything I did was flat then I could see riding. I guess I can't see using two different mowers to do my commerical properties. I like to pull one mower off and use it till I'm done. If I do go to a rider I guess I'll keep my 36" for the rough areas and ride the flats. The more you guys talk about riding the more I want one, please stop. LOL

[MikeGA]

The only ZTR I have rode on is the Hustler Z. I was cncerned about stability because around these parts the ground is for the most part NOT FLAT. My dealer told me to take it around back and go up the power line right of way, then turn around and come back down, stop about half way turn sideways and go back and forth sideways. It was pretty steep and I never had to use the wheelie bars on the back of the Z. Also, if the ground is rough, slow down. Just because the machine will run 15 mph, dont mean you have to run 15 mph ALL of the time. And I bet you won't be jerked around as much sitting on the machine as you will having to fight a machine you are walking behind.

[Nathan]

I didn't see on any of your posts whether you have many gates. It's very important to figure out how much you will actually be able to use a rider. We use only 36 hydro's but I would love to use a bigger mower, the problem is that most of our yards are gated. If you can't use the larger mower on enough yards to allow you either more accounts or more free time(whichever you are looking for) then the money is not worth spending.

[accuratelawn]

What about a Great Dane Gateway mower?? 52 inch cut that can go 36.5 with deck folded up. Gates are not a problem.

[bridges]

I am a one man opp also my main mower is jd ztr 54". I also have a 54" cub wb, that i use for the hills other than that it sits in the shop. also have 21". the cub i use once a week. I have about 45 lawns.