can u cut it shorter

[bobbygedd]

most of my customers let me do it my way, but there are always a couple that need it shorter, need it longer.... anyhow, we use walk behinds , and i have only one customer i lower the blades for, takes two seconds with a couple of wrenches. do most of u raise and lower blades to suit each customers preference, or just tell them this is the height, period.

[Eric ELM]

I can go from 2.5" to 5" with a push of my foot, so I adjust to what I feel is the right highth. Some do want it cut short and one does want it at 4.5", but most of them I cut at what I feel it should be. ;)

[gusbuster]

Tell the truth, let them make the decision, cut shorter or taller as requested. The customer is always right! Ha ha ha

[SLS]

I agree with gusbuster.

I used to put up a fight with some who wanted me to 'plow it' instead of mow it...but not anymore.

I just want them to smile as they hand over the money. :)

I do have a couple of "I want it shorter" types that I have eased up a 1/4" ever 2 or 3 cuts and so far they haven't caught on...hehehe :D I've gained an inch (from 2 inches up to 3 inches) on them so far...

All in all, most just never say a word abiut cutting heigth and let me do my thang.

[Esby]

I work everyday to please the customer, if they want it long, then its long, if they request it short one week and long the next....so be it. Its not that tough to pull one pin on the Lazer Z to adjust the height of the deck. I suppose if you had a fixed deck on a walkbehind it would be a pain, but otherwise why not work to please the person with the "real" green.

[geogunn]

the customer is always right but I have a minimum height that I will cut at. that height is determined by leaving two spacers on the bottom of my spindles.

I have had some people want it cut shorter but at shorter I hit everything in the grass...iron pins, old bush stumps, all kinds of crap and I just tell them NO.

[awm]

i have one that wants it shaved. im at two inches and thats as low as she thinks my mower will cut. believe it or not her grass holds up to it. by the way im talkin fescue in 90 + temps.

[MOW ED]

I don't mind lowering to 2.5 if the customer is on a fert program and has an irrigation system and uses it but all of my other accounts are at 3" and they look fine and are relatively healthy , even after the baking season. I'm cutting mostly KY blue with red fescue mix and rye.

[Mike (MLC)]

I usually cut it the way my customers want it. Most of them let me choose the height. I do have a couple of clients that are very picky about the height. I also have a min cutting height. Some like it to be so short it is almost scalped, but I will NOT cut it that short. The lowest setting for any of my clients is 2.5. ;)

[crazygator]

I have some accounts that like it as short as possible. But after talking with them and explaining all the benefits they understand, although I cut for them at 2.5". Most are 3 - 3.5" depending. Wife likes ours really short so we have a compromise too.....hehe!

[kutnkru]

If we left it up to our clients we would have over 150 different heights to adjust to each week. I think that although it is important to listen to your customers so you can develop a repoire with them, we have to inform them of what is best for their property.

People hire us because of our expertise and knowledge. Therefore, they look to us for advise and coiunsultation on whats best for their properties.

We will advise them about how we do things and why. If they still insist that we alter our methods/practices then we do not service their accounts.

Do you tell an electrician or plumber how to do their jobs when you hire them??? The same goes for us. We are not just someone who cuts the lawns. We are a Turf & Landscape Management Company that offers mowing as a convienience to our clients.

They are not able to dictate to us how we do our business.

Kris

[jeffyr]

Originally posted by kutnkru


People hire us because of our expertise and knowledge. Therefore, they look to us for advise and coiunsultation on whats best for their properties.


Do you tell an electrician or plumber how to do their jobs when you hire them??? The same goes for us. We are not just someone who cuts the lawns. We are a Turf & Landscape Management Company that offers mowing as a convienience to our clients.

Kris

Well put Chris.
Excuse me plumber man--I think you should use 3/4 instead of 1/2 inch.
Hey electrician guy--I like orange wire nuts, not yellow.

However, I would rather raise or lower the height instead of moving the garden hose and million of other things a couple of people have in their yard !

jeffyr

[bobbygedd]

kutnkru, i like it. people want what they want regardless of how many times i tell them it should be cut higher. i can talk till im blue, they want what they want! so, i have to tell them what i have to offer. also cutting shorter often results in double or tripple cutting to make it look neat if im not bagging, im sure they dont want to pay extra for that. for me speed is everything. i have to do a good job, as fast as possible, and move on. i dont like to have to raise and lower blades. i only have one that i do it for, but u should see the tips she gives me.

[LAWNGODFATHER]

Over the years I thought I had to mow every lawn at 3" because my contract stated that. Now I mow as many lawn I can at 3.5" to 4" especialy in the summer when less rain and more heat. The grass looks better and fuller (more lush) and will require less water to keep green and growing healthy. But there are a few we drop the deck for. One we mow his whole front yard at 1.5" we used to mow it with a reel mower and it's a pain in the butt to carry all day for one or two lawns a week. I have another we mowed it at 2.5" but talked him in to 3"+ after I proved his lawn will look better and not fried all the time. Well anyways this is a loabor biz that deals with customer satisfaction and we are in it to satisfy customer and try to do what they want. Even if they are wrong.

LGF:blob1:

[kutnkru]

Bobby that is so true about having to cut it more frequently or double/tripple when they request a lower height.

I think that the key is to make sure that we stay on top of the turf conditions. I have seen many LCOs in our area who cut once a week regardless and if they grass gets shaggy, so be it.

We on the other hand will cut on a 5 day rotation in May and late Oct thru mid Nov if necessary to keep the lawns in a meticulously manicured state during heavy growth and leaf accumulation. Our "service agreements" reflect the number of cuts it takes to do this as a figure, and they all sign up for our service yaer after year.

This week we could probably skip, but there are enough leaves on the ground due to the drought conditions that we will bag them up and keep things in check.

Like you said, production is how we make money cutting lawns and as long as they are not willing to pay double for the time to change blades its just not worth it. There are far toio many clients out there who want the satisfaction and peace of mind knowing that things are taken care of to nickle and dime ourselves to death over height changes.

Tips are great, however. Its always nice to be appreciated.

Kris

[powerreel]

Gosh! 2.5? That's me in Aug.- maybe for a week or something if I haven't been for awhile? How tall do some of you guys mow? Here it rains SO much that you keep it short because you HAVE to mow in the rain. I like my lawns around .75 - 1 3/4" . But we mow all year round just about.

[kutnkru]

This year inparticular we started cutting at 3.5" in June and usually its 3" in the summer months and 2.5"-3" depending on weather conditions in the spring and fall.

[awm]

you are in a different situation up there,power.
is it blue or fescue or what.

[wallzwallz]

the only customers who want lower,want it about a mm off the dirt+ don't have irrigation,I just tell them my mowers don't go below 2.5" end of discussion

[HBFOXJr]

KutnKru - You da man.

I never discuss mowing height with a customer. Always cut 2.75" to 3" year around. If it was an issue I'd tell them Ok and still do it my way and if that didn't suit I'd quit.

Who's in charge and knows more? The inmates or the keepers?

And why would it vary from lawn to lawn and customer to customer? In any given geographic area the turf make up will be pretty similar and require the same culture?

And I don't do anything other than weekly cuts but will skip if dry. No 10 day or 14 or 5 day stuff.

If you want to put your name on good work YOU gotta be responsible for the specs and production.

[kutnkru]

Harold

I dont know the set up of your routes and how many clientele you have. Im not asking for figures either. :)

However, since you know what your set-up is you might want to consider 6 cuts at the beginning/end of the season if you can do so.

I like to keep the guys busy as well as keep the revenue flowing strongly thru the door- especially the closer to the end of the season it gets.

By us cutting on a 5 day rotation later in the fall we actually increase the revenue of fall clean-ups because its several smaller chunks added to their billing vs. the huge lump sum others offer.

Thats why we cut on the 5 day cycles in May and again in starting in late October.

Kris

[roscioli]

Kutnkru- It sounds like you have a very well run, very organized business, I am very impressed. Eventually, I would like to make my business organized :D

[LAWNGODFATHER]

KutnKru

Do you mow on Saturday and Sunday. If not it's not a true 5 day schedule. I would realy like to know how yu sold them on that but it will be vary hard for me to sell that. Grass gets taller and needing more frequent cut we just get higher in deck hight. No I don't let my customres tell me what to do. If they want to vary from the program I just give them a higher price!

Also some one e mail me how they bill on this 9 month seasonal (per how many cuts) contract? and explain how it works

LGF :blob1:

[fivestarlawnken]

I mow at 3 inches all year.My customers treat me well, and they trust me so far no complaints. I did have have one yard earlier this year who wanted it push mowed at 2 inches. Our relationship ending the next week.Also she had trugreen steriods every 6 weeks !!!! So i raised her price and she left.

[laserman]

I've got a lady that wants her st. augustine cut @ 2"
three comes back too quick she says I tried to tell her I would kill her grass but she insisted and it does ok. You can almost see the roots. I hate cuttin that low but her moneys still green.:cry:

[Keith]

Originally posted by laserman
I've got a lady that wants her st. augustine cut @ 2"
three comes back too quick she says I tried to tell her I would kill her grass but she insisted and it does ok. You can almost see the roots. I hate cuttin that low but her moneys still green.:cry:

The lowest I ever cut St. Augusinte is about 3" in early spring. We move to 4 and then 4 1/2" during the summer. If a customer ever asks for it to be cut lower I will explain to them that it will be the same height when we come back in 5 to 7 days. I also tell them there is no benefit and cutting lower may be destructive. This will almost always end the discussion. If they insist on a lower cut, they will have to find someone else. They are not gonna be your friend when the lawn goes south from cutting too low. They will never remember telling you to cut it that way.

[JJ Lawn]

What Keith said.

I wholly agree with what he said about St Augustine or any grass for that matter. If a customer wants me to scalp it, I will tell the to find another lawn service. I don't care how much they pay. It's my reputation. I will not have potential customers see me mess up someone's yard.

I had one customer that told me to cut lower, said no. She mowed it lower after I left. I mean scalped it, 1.5". Told her that I will no longer mow her yard. That was 3 yrs ago, and her yard still looks like heck, a lot of weeds and not much grass.

Jim

[kutnkru]

Mike B.

Although we do cut on Saturdays, we are not a true 5 day schedule because we dont cut on Sundays. The guys need to have a day off. :)

If the date of cut would fall on Sunday then we either try to cut some on Sat if its feasible, or move the date forward to Monday. By the end of the week all is back in place! :angel:

Kris

[awm]

IM expecting a call from a lady that does her own and i come in once a month and straiten things out. i left it beautiful today
but at 4 inches. i think she cuts as low as her mower wil cut
21/2 i think. well ill hone up on my ways to explain why it should be left longer.by the way her grass grows like its in a green house