How much should I charge for a 5 acre lot?

[Slugger]

It doesn't have any trees or fences to deal with. Two persons working on it.

[daveintoledo]

and what your cost are, figure out what it cost you to run yuor business per hour, plus your needed profit, and how long it will take you... only you know your cost of business

i would charge around 150.00

[Jay Ray]

and what your cost are, figure out what it cost you to run yuor business per hour, plus your needed profit, and how long it will take you... only you know your cost of business

i would charge around 150.00

Dave, can I ask what size deck you would use? Or if more than one mower, how many total inches of deck width?

BTW, what instrument do you play in your band or are you a lead singer?

[Joey bag a' donuts]

We typically charge $30/acre. Sometimes we bargain a little and drop the price to around $27/acre. Go with your gut.

[MMLawn]

We typically charge $30/acre. Sometimes we bargain a little and drop the price to around $27/acre. Go with your gut.


Do you also know your true cost to mow that acre?

[RyanD]

MMLawn's point (I think) is that once you pay for your costs you are not taking home much at $30/acre.

[daveintoledo]

im solo, so im not the best to ask, i have a toro z with 48 inch deck.... the biggest i do now is a 3.5 acre and that takes me about 1.75 hours or so.... and i only have to trim there 2 times a month...

that would leave me around 3 hours to cut coming to around 50 per hour.... a little low

this is one of the reason i dont do alot of large properties, its much more profitable for me to do 8, 30 dollar yards in the same time....

but if you have helpers or a crew your time , and profit could be better, but not for me... alot has to depend on the area, very depressed econimics here, very hard to get more the 40 per acre here, and for bigger properties no one want to pay much...

there are some bigger companys and more experienced guys here who could give you better advice im sure...

[daveintoledo]

i play bass in two bands, we all sing about 20 songs each plus harmonies, our guitar player is a music teacher at university of toledo, drums in a different band, and i also play guitar and keys (10 years of piano lessons payed off hahha):)

[Ol'time Lawncare]

It doesn't have any trees or fences to deal with. Two persons working on it.
on my 48''WB with my sulky, per actor $45. if it has acouple of trees, i'll try for 55! EVERY WEEK! commercially speaking.

[godzilla]

Around here no less than $80 per acre. Less than that it can go to the lowballers for all I care.

[justinslawncare]

5 acres no trees 2 guys depending on the size mower u have i would say close to $200 per cut

[daveintoledo]

that is wht you have to find out, you see alot of different numbers here indicating the very big difference in what local market will bare....maybe yours is a great area and you can get 80 per acre... not here no way no how, never happen..... but its toledo man :p

[6'7 330]

We typically charge $30/acre. Sometimes we bargain a little and drop the price to around $27/acre. Go with your gut.

At those rates--can your gut afford a bag of donuts?

[plateau lawn care]

If it's residential you will probly loose money on large acres because we get 40 or 45 bucks on 1/2 acre lots and unless the homeowner has lots of money he's not going to pay $200 or more a week to get his grass cut. But if you do get it be sure to cut weekly only because if you go longer than that and then it rains for a week you will have to cut 5 acres of tall grass and that would stink. hope this helps

[2menandamower]

I am thinking if it is a residential lawn then I would charge 200.00 per week and I also agree to cut it every week. You do not want to have to try to bag 5 acres. Good luck with this one.

Scott

[mslawn]

I would probably bid around 200.00 for an open lot, little to no obstacles with little or no trimming. I personally would use my 72" to cut this for a huge time savings. This is definately something people should keep in mind when selecting a ztr. If you have a 48" or smaller walk behind, then what is the reasoning to get a 52" or smaller rider. You can be more versatile with a larger mower if you have a smaller walkbehind or z to back it up. As far as using a 72" ztr on small residentials, they are just as versatile as a 52 or 60
ztr when used properly and they leave alot less tire track impressions. Just my .02.

[The Cowboy]

I have the same thing coming up this spring. I have one client who I charge 125 for 3 acres, but he recently expanded his yard to become about 5. I would charge probably 195 for a yard with no trees to give that psychological edge you need to keep it looking low priced. My client says to cut it first and bid afterwards to keep it fair. I cannot complain. He has more trees, so I might be 225. We'll see.
My base price, 40 per acre.

[Joey bag a' donuts]

At those rates--can your gut afford a bag of donuts?

HAHA...sure can. One guy said $80/acre...not in my neighborhood. I personally think $30-$40/acre is a fair price and is also what most companys in this area are charging. You obviously think differently and I'm obviously not here to measure or compare wang sizes so anyways...back to the original question...if you can get $80/acre go get it, every market is different with what that area is accustomed to paying, talk to local companys and ask what they charge for a better idea of what you can get.

[Newbie In GA]

I look at what ever I am cutting when I get on big tracks and guess the time, I always tell them I will do it at a price the first time and see how it works out but make it clear I may need to adjust my price after the first cut. Most people understand it's a bit of a crap shout on large lots. It is not worth running my equipment for less then 45. per hour. I charge more per hour on small yard because I have travel that you don't have with the big ones. After a wile you get a good feel for how long it will take just by walking a lot.

[work_it]

It always catches me off guard to hear how low priced some of your markets are. When I first restarted my business I was only charging $40/acre (which was a lowball price at that time), but over the last 4 years I've watched the economy and adjusted my prices accordingly. Now my average price/acre is $60 which is very competitive in this area. It all comes down to the amount of trimming involved. Even if I didn't have to pick up a trimmer I would charge $45/acre. When there's an excessive amount of trimming I charge as much as $70/acre.

I don't see how anybody can afford to do a large job at $27-$30/acre. After taxes, insurance, replacement parts, business expenses (including equipment maintenance, ie...gas, grease, time spent working on truck/s & equipment, sharpening blades, billing, office supplies, advertising, etc... ), and setting enough money aside for equipment replacement, you're mowing for free. Or worse yet, you're paying for the privledge to mow somebodys yard.