HITING THING IN THE YARD TOYS ECT ECT

[CLARKE]

For years now i have a rule i go by 1st time i'll move it
2nd time at the yard i'll pick it or move it butt the 3rd
time if the same small foot ball or kids toy or something
that i get tired of stoping and moveing it, IT GETS THE CHOPP. Maybe i"m a sicko but i show up to mow the lawn about
the same time every week they know i"m coming but they some
times leave the same things on the lawn, I'"M there to mow
the lawn not clean/pick it up.1/2/3 chop-chop. tennis balls
shot out real good, sometimes about 40 to 50 feet. am i the
only one or are there more that feel the same way i do..

[oneEXMARKfan]

not me.....

[Paradise Yard Service]

I suppose if the customer knows when your schedule is for mowing they have no excuse!
I hate it when you bid a job and THEN they start buying lawn furniture/make babies that have to have all those big Tyco/Tonkas, toy soldiers balloon fights,packing peanuts all over,and we get stuck with moving/cleaning. Charging extra after the bid has raised eyebrows, but I kindly explain that moving furiniture/Tonkas is an additional charge(no small feet for some of those tables with umbrellas).
Hope this helps.
Aloha,
P.Y.S.

[KD'sLawns]

I have some customers that are as good as gold when cleaning their lawn. Picks up all feces, even if it wasn't their dog. And cleans every little piece of trash up. they even walk through their lawn and check all of their pop-up heads to make sure a straggler didn't stay up. Nice to work for!
Then, I have the awful ones too. Toys on the ground, fruit, and dog feces. I do my aunt's lawn and she has two cocker spaniels. I will pick the dog toys up as I am mowing and toss them out of my way. Those dang dogs just sit and wait till I toss it, then they go pick it up and carry right back where I am going to mow. I have got rid of some of the toys.

[Craig Turf Management]

Running over objects in the lawn with your mower is irresponsible and bad business. It shows a lack of professionalism and a lack of regard for your clients property and safety from projectiles (tennis balls) or other debris coming from under your deck. If it bothers you that bad, speak with your client about your concerns. If that gets you nowhere, move on to greener and less cluttered pastures. You know I'm right, don't let your temper get the better of you. Remember, you're a professional.
Bill Craig

[Double D]

If you always have to spend 10 minutes picking things up around the yard, just include this in your price. I have several accounts that have these extra charges included in the price. Now, I'm not saying to itemize this on the invoice, but you are getting paid for your time. You can usually tell what type of people they are the first time out. I also have one guy who likes to talk for a good 15-20 minutes after I get through with his yard, he may not realize it, but he is paying a 'consulting' fee with every check he sends me. :)

[lsylvain]

we used to mow a community college and there was always tons of tennis balls in the field next to the courts. We would pass them back and forth between mowers all day. It keept things interesting for the 8 hours it took the 4 of us to mow that place.

As far as residential stuff. I usually pick the stuff up and put it in the middle of the driveway or on the walk way. Most times when you do that it gets put away. If you just toss it over onto the grass you've already cut it will sit there until the next week and you have to move it again.

[Twotoros]

I notified my customers in a letter this year that I spend about 40 hours a year moving things. I told them that the lawns are bid "mow ready" and that next year prices would be adjusted accordingly. Low lifes in apts. are the worst affenders and I will raise the management companies price which they can pass on. I have reached the year of ZERO tolerance. No turning back now. An apt dweller came out and tried to scold me for dragging her hose (always in my way)into the lot. I ran to her and proceded to tell her the score."hose out of my way,toys too! and who said you can have a dog" She shut up mighty quick. Which reminds me I must call the management and turn her in for the dog.

[awm]

one thing that works is to raise the deck or mow around object, if it becomes obvious that customer is just letting you do it.a couple of wks of high places or whatever and the customer will get the idea.then if they ask you to doit
time to talk money.

[1MajorTom]

Nah, I don't think it is right to just run over the stuff.
We have one customer where I have to move her hamonic, glider, dog chain, dog toys, and who knows what else.
I just move the stuff and deal with it. The bad part is, all of that crap is on my side that I have to mow.

Grrr, that yard irritates me, but I just move the stuff and move on.

TwoToros: Awwww, have a heart. Don't turn that lady in. The poor dog might end up on the street if she has to get rid of him.
If you want to get her back, just discreetly slice up her hose so the next time she turns it on, she gets wet ;) Just kidding there, don't take me up on that idea.

[Charles]

Some of you guys need to take a course in anger management :)

[Eric ELM]

We have found that if you pile this stuff in front of the garage doors, they have to get out of their cars to move it, to get in the garage. This seems to work best for us. ;)

[Skookum]

Eric, That is a super idea. If they have to move the items, they get the point and you look like you were just putting it out of your way and helping them out by placing it for them to put into garage!

You get your point across, a little revenge, and can still look like a real saint and professional!

[ChadsLawn]

what about all the toys in the backyard..Im not gonna walk em all the wat around to the garage door..i just stack the in front of the backdoor..which most of the time the next week there stil sittin there.

[joshua]

the best is when i go to one of my ghetto apartments i just make lawn cafadie out of all the paper. the new people got the point after 1 time now when they see me pull up i see 10 black kids running around picking up everything in the lawn.

other than that i pick everything up, the customer will only think more of you if you do this. or you can do what eric does put it in front of the garage, thats a great idea, but if the person is anything like my dad he'll just park in the drive until someone else gets it.lol

[jnjnlc]

I do not mow over them if I see them. I have hit tennis balls sometimes if they are in deep grass. I hit one a couple of weeks ago that taught me to look a little closer. It bounced off of a tree and came right back at me.

I usually send a newsletter every other month or so. A statement about picking up toys and other objects in the lawn is in every one I send. If I am riding I have a trash grabber and move it out of the way. If I am walking I usually kick were I have already mowed.

I do like the idea of putting them in front of the garage door. I have a couple I want to try that on.

[eslawns]

Sorry dude, but you shouldn't run over things on purpose. Aside from being unprofessional and childish, it could damage something important, or worse, get someone hurt.

I have to watch more for golf balls than anything else. I have one lawn whose back yard butts up to the rough on one of the golf courses here. There are always balls there. These things can really fly, too! Some of my clients practice their chip shots in the back yard. If it becomes a problem, I just ask them to be more careful. I also suggested to one man that he use neon colored balls, so they would be easier to see. That has worked pretty well.

[awm]

that reminds me ofa time a friend and i were cutting up
walking down the rd.there was this box laying on the edge of the rd ,so he gives it his best punt.you guessed it ,some sucker had put a concrete block in it.um um not so good.

[lawnman_scott]

Ezlawns those golf balls sure can fly out of the mower cant they, i have hit a few of them accidently. i just bump balls or toys out of the way with the side of the tire, it works and doesnt wreck them, but running them over on purpose????

[TLS]

If it wont damage my mower, off with their heads! Sometimes I run over balls and small toys. This seems to get the point across better than moving them. These lawns I could care less if I lost anyway, so is it PROFESSIONAL ? I just "pretend" I dont see it! I'm a Lawn Service, not a trash man or cleaning lady. I only have a few "problem" lawns and most of the time I can push it over with the deck. I have one of those trash grabbers, but am scratching my head as how to mount it on the Lazer where it wont get in the way, yet is still easily grabbed to pick up that bottle or napkin. Any ideas?

P.S. Tennis balls are fun in a big open lawn!

[65hoss]

Speaking of golf balls. Last year I was mowing on a customers lawn that is on the fairway. I'm minding my own business when BAM a golf ball hits my mower. I look back and all the guys at the tee were laughing. They really thought that was funny. It just pissed me off. I could see the ball in the tall grass. I just waited. The punks should up in their golf carts and started looking for the ball. They kept laughing at me. I slowly made my way toward the ball. Then, finally I ran right over the top of it and slung it right at the group. I cut the ball into about 3 pieces and as they all were ducking, I was laughing. What goes around comes around.

[Grapevine]

Toys on the lawn are a pain in the ass, but you have to move them.Sometimes you can't see everything and you nail a tennis ball once in a awhile, but that's life. I hate the guys who practice their golf shots and leave 25 balls all over the lawn, those bastards can do a job on your blades if you don't see them in time. If you see the kids playing in the yard when you get there, ask them (tell them) to pick up
toys and put in the sandbox or on the driveway, most times they do it.

[Charles]

Thats a good one 65Hoss they deserved that.

[Fine Lines Lawn]

LOL Eric

[kris]

I guess I am used to trash etc from doing alot of commercial accounts...do I mind??? NO!!! I am getting paid for it... try building it into your price...If you didn't build it in and it cause's you that much grief then give the job up... I would NEVER run over a customers property on purpose... I have one residensial account that I take a shovel and clean out there dog pen once per week...would you do it??? I sure do... they are a $1,500.00 dollar a month customer ( plus extras )... If I was to chop up something of there's on purpose I would deserve to be fired

[Acute Cut]

I was doing a clean up the other day (10" tall grass) and i did hit a few things. I didnt see em but i heard them and saw the resuslts afterwards. "MULCH IT" i said in a funny/evil voice. Take all things in stride guys and remember the job. Would you rather be doing anything else.................? (Is rhetorical, dont answer that)

[Twotoros]

Great idea Eric. Should work fine for residential and I will try it next time. Usually I put stuff right in front of a door. Tripping time when they come out.
My biggest problem are apartments. These people are pigs. (yes all of them) I never pick up anything or they will expect it all the time. I kick stuff out of the way as I pass if it is small all I hear is the barely audible crunch as that happy meal toy from last week goes to McHeaven:) Sorry but these people have no resect for my business or my time. They slam doors as I go by and glare at me for interupting Jerry Springer. They could care less if the lawn ever gets mowed.

[John DiMartino]

I never intentionally hit anything thats not boidegradable.I added 15% to my bids to cover trash on commercial property,unless they have a FT janitor/or written agreement to keep it clean.I hit a golf ball at our course on wednesday by accident with the steiner-it went a good 250 yards.When our kitchen has day old hardrolls-they leave them for me to feed to the animals-I take them out in the woods,usually a full garbage bag,engage the steiners deck,rev it up,drive over the pile,and drop the deck at max RPM's-its the funniset thing you've ever seen,and all the critters can carry away the bread easier mulched.all you hear is a little grunt from the engine and poof,the pile blows apart like it exploded.

[DBM]

I would never run over stuff intentionally. It's dangerous. I saw a thing on the news last week where a ladies mower ran over a hard rubber ball and was hit in the throat with it. Her 3 year old child ended up having to talk to the folks at 911 because her throat swelled up and she had difficulty breathing. If she was hit in the head with it she would be dead. Do you wear a hardhat when cutting?
Doug

[Eric ELM]

Not a good idea to run over stuff with a w/b either. A girl I know hit a spoon laying on the turf and it went through her foot. OUCH :mad:

[KirbysLawn]

Originally posted by Craig Turf Management
Running over objects in the lawn with your mower is irresponsible and bad business. It shows a lack of professionalism and a lack of regard for your clients property and safety from projectiles (tennis balls) or other debris coming from under your deck. If it bothers you that bad, speak with your client about your concerns. If that gets you nowhere, move on to greener and less cluttered pastures. You know I'm right, don't let your temper get the better of you. Remember, you're a professional.
Bill Craig

Well said! I would rather pick up a few SOLID objects than MANY shredded ones.

What, don't pick up what you shread? I bet the next guy will.

[Mike (MLC)]

I have ran over a few things, but never on purpose. Most of my customers have fairly clean yards. Some of them have hardly ever used their backyard. The couple of clients with things in there yard usually doesn't take me but a couple of minutes to pick up. I usually just pick it up as I am mowing along.

[summitgroundskeeping]

we are called SUMMIT GROUNDS KEEPING. We make our clients property perfect no matter what their kid left in the yard. Besides, how do you think the kid feels when you dice up thier favorite toy? We move it and proceed.

[Vintage]

I don't hit things on purpose, but one time I came around a corner and was looking the other way and ran over a Sunday newspaper. The mower just made a poof sound and the next thing you know there was confetti all over the place, funniest thing I ever saw, took forever to clean it up.

[65hoss]

You haven't lived until you pick up a shredded paper. lol :D

[CSRA Landscaping]

Originally posted by KirbysLawn


Well said! I would rather pick up a few SOLID objects than MANY shredded ones.

What, don't pick up what you shread? I bet the next guy will.

Too true!

You know, I find that if you get the attitude of 'this isn't my job, this isn't what I took this for,' then you also end up, later, wondering why in the world you can't pay the bills.

You guys that run over stuff for revenge, I understand it and have been seriously tempted from time to time. I like Eric's idea MUCH better, though! You won't keep those accounts nearly as long if you become known as 'the shredder.'

[joshua]

as i said about my ghetto apartment in a post before, all i hit is paper and plastic bottles with out the cap being on. the landlord has told these people over and over again and they told me if i felt like picking it to pick it up, sorry but i don't know where their trash has been (besides the lawn) if their sick and have anything contageous, honestly i'm not willing to take the chance of picking something of theirs up.


the other day it was a sad day for buzz lightyear. i was mowering a acre lot and it was about2 weeks between cuttings about 7 inches high, i was going along almost full speed on my lazer and hit a cotton stuffed buzz doll, i tried to stop but i seen the little guy at the last second, all i seen was cotten come out. as i made another pass i looked down to where buzz was and i seen his head and he had the biggest smile on his face.

[turfguy33]

I haver one apartment complex that is the worlds worst for trash. When I wrote the bid, the manager said that trash pick up was not needed since the maintenence crew will keep the place clean. The first week, I noticed alot of trash, but assumed that the crew was busy. The second week, I got mad, the same trash was there, but again, I moved it to the side. After the third week, I said the hell with it, I picked everything up, and gave the manager the bags of trash. I told her that next time this happens, I will raise the bill up $50 weekly to cover lost time. Now I know that no one is perfect, and in community living its hard to keep the place clean, that is why I don't mind picking up stuff sometimes, but every week si a different story.
Earlier this year, I ran over a nest of rabbits with my Great Dane. I sucked a few little bunnies right out, and spit them right back out. OPPS, felt kinda bad, but I figured the living rabbits that seen this happened will run and tell the other bunnies to stay away from the mad man on the big yellow thing. At least thats what they ought to do. LOL

[oneEXMARKfan]

Funny you should mention rabbits. I've seen more baby rabbits this year then I've ever seen in my whole life.

[Davis TLC]

I've hit a few dog toys that I missed on the initial walk through in the lawn. Hit a small stuffed toy in some tall grass once, I don't know how they got that much stuffing in that little toy. Stuffing scattered a good 20 ft passed the mower. Tennis balls fly out of the DC pretty fast, can't play tennis with them any more but the dog still loves them. Run over a few snakes over the years.

I usually go over the lawn to look for these things before I start mowing. Most of my customers keep these things picked up so I don't have to spend alot of time picking up.