To cut or not to cut:when cust. sprinklers are on?

[General Grounds]

:blob2: Her's another growing problem this year. Being that NJ has had hardly no rain we have been on sch. with are mowing all year, and i still have people with the damn sprinklers on. We show up at the house same time week to week and every time the water is on i put a note on the mailbox to please reset the timer or even not to water on their cut day, some people 5 weeks in a row. Generally i try to go back not only not to miss the cash but so im not cutting ass high grass. the people i have to skip get pissed when they get doulbe charged b/c i could,nt get back and had to cut twice the amount of grass.

My ? is what do you guys do? Tony

[LoneStarLawn]

Originally posted by General Grounds
...every time the water is on i put a note on the mailbox to please reset the timer or even not to water on their cut day...

My ? is what do you guys do? Tony

Don't put anything on a mailbox ...it is illegal. Go put it on the door.

If this has happened more than once after you told them the first time...we would increase their rates all together and if it happened again they would be dropped. They don't listen ...they screw up our schedule and it just hurts other customers who are doing what they are suppose to do. We do not cut wet grass.

[Starling Lawn]

Turn off the irrigation at the valve box.Service the lawn,turn it back on when you leave.
Dave

[dfor]

Ditto. Shut the valve off and cut.

[General Grounds]

:angel: right on lonestar, thanks i thought i was the only one who didn't enjoy cutting wet grass. rock on. T

[Runner]

I hate cutting wet grass as well, but after they had a yard of smal clumps for a few weeks in a row, they would probably get the idea. If they ask what the deal with the cut job is, just simply tell them. If you have any hills or slopes that aren't completely safe to cut, leave them.

[LoneStarLawn]

Originally posted by Runner
I hate cutting wet grass as well, but after they had a yard of smal clumps for a few weeks in a row, they would probably get the idea. If they ask what the deal with the cut job is, just simply tell them. If you have any hills or slopes that aren't completely safe to cut, leave them.

The only problem with that is that we are not only trying to impress ours client, but future clients as well. You would be making a point to the client, but you might be making another point to their neighbors.

[powerreel]

DON'T MOW WET GRASS?



Don't move to the Northwest. We mow in the rain, maybe even what some of you would call a downpour. I wouldn't mow when the sprinklers are on because you'll run over the heads. I would trim, though and I have been known to bleed off a valve on a hot summer day!


In fact we only mow "dry" turf a couple of months- if that. That's why reels work so good.....you can mow in the rain @ the same speed as you do in dry. Ya Gotta Have The Killer Raingear!!!

[fivestarlawnken]

I hope they are not watering in the middle of the day!!!!!!!:eek:

[joshua]

i'm with powerreel, you have to cut in the rain to survive in the spring and fall, well let me change that if you want to eat you have to get wet once and a while.

once i was cutting 1 of my funeral homes and the sprinklers came on when i was in the middle of the lawn. i finished got alittle wet didn't hit any of the heads. stripes looked good. i got wet but didn't mind since it was hot out.

[Scotty]

Tell the customer one time, not to water on the cutting day, and if the watering continues there will be an additional charge. Let them know it takes longer to cut and clean up wet grass. Plus your machine will be clogged and dropping clumps of grass on the next two or three lawns you cut.

Last week, I charged an addtional $8.00 on a $27.00 cut. The sprinklers had just turned off, the grass was long and pavement was soaked. The job took forever and looked really bad.

[LAWNGODFATHER]

Originally posted by Starling Lawn
Turn off the irrigation at the valve box.Service the lawn,turn it back on when you leave.
Dave

One problem I think, you could burn up the valves in the lawn for the irr. system. But I have done before to mow. Gotta stay on schedule.

P.S. I will post on Irr. forum and find out if it will harm system.

LGF:blob1:

[TGCummings]

I take this case by case.

If they turn on while I'm there (very rare!), and I can get to the valve, I'll usually just shut 'em off and cut. If the customer is home, I'll sell them on a quick reprogramming of their control box.

If their soaked and I have another in the area, I'll turn 'em off and mow it last. If I don't have another in the area, I'll skip 'em and send 'em a note. I bill monthly the same amount, cut or not, so it behooves the customer to stay with the schedule.

If I'm in the northwest, I cut it anyway. ;)

-TGC

[LAWNGODFATHER]

Well I posted a thread on it here is the link.

http://www.lawnsite.com/showthread.php?s=&threadid=19664

LGF:blob1:

[Remsen1]

not too smart to water during the day anyway.

[Mike Paulsen]

Lawngodfather, that's the first I have heard of burning the vavles. Didn't know they were water cooled. I have seen systems with the control box left on all winter (4-5 month) with no water running through them and they worked fine in the spring.

[LAWNGODFATHER]

Check the link some said maybe, under some diff. circumstances.

LGF:blob1: