Production Old School vs New

[humble1]

zt spreader sprayer, vs push spreader tanksprayer ww/ hose.

What was a good avg day production per day did you haveold school?
What kind of production ZT sprayer?

I am looking for residential
What is the most on a commercial field

[MStine315]

We probably average 10 acres per day with either PG or turf tracker in a "normal day" of residential lawn. It has more to do with lawn size, but if we're on school grounds, parks, etc... 20 acres per machine isn't unheard of. In my CL days, again, it depended on lawn size. It was all about dollar amounts and goals, not acreage, but a country route with big lawns guys would pump out 1200 gal. at 3 gal. per M. That's 10 acres +/- (400,000) I had a very small average lawn size (4,000) and would do probably 30-35 lawns per day average, so that's, what, 120-130,000. The kicker to all this is how you feel at the end of the day. That's the biggest payof with the ride-ons.

[rcreech]

zt spreader sprayer, vs push spreader tanksprayer ww/ hose.

What was a good avg day production per day did you haveold school?
What kind of production ZT sprayer?

I am looking for residential
What is the most on a commercial field


Machines really pay off more on larger areas...but they still work great on smaller lawns (10K).

The thing I like about machines is you can do 10-15 acres per day and you are not even tired at the end of the day!

I usually hit between 5-15 acres/day on residential depending on the size of the lawns.

You definitly won't walk that much in one day!

[RigglePLC]

I just found some data for big lawns in October. Using PG Ultra and applying both fertilizer and weed killer. On a 37,000 sqft lawn I averaged in total about 67 seconds per 1000 sqft. Next week I did an 88,000 sqft lawn in 81 minutes, (55 seconds per 1,000 sqft). Of course, considerable time is wasted refilling the hopper and mixing new tanks of weed killer.

[humble1]

so i see the production on the ride ons, what was your production ols school push spreader and spray hose?

[rcreech]

so i see the production on the ride ons, what was your production ols school push spreader and spray hose?

I can honestly say I have never pulled a hose except to spray trees and perimeter pest.

I have always used tractor and then switched to my PG.

[indyturf]

I was always very fast with the hose and spray-gun! maybe even faster than a pg on smaller lawns. but I was beat at the end of the day! now with a pg and a Zspray I can do more because I'm not tired at the end of the day (or the next morning)

[MStine315]

One other thing, consistency. You're not overapplying by the end of the day due to a slower walking speed.

[RigglePLC]

A good test. Please someone do this:
Choose an average 15,000 sqft lawn. Spread fertilizer with a Perma green, timing the application exactly. Then pull out the hose and spray it with weed control--again timing it carefully. Which is faster?

Of course if you are applying weed control, you need to add (to the Permagreen time), about one-half of the time needed to refill the Permagreen tank, and gas up. (If you assume you refill the tank after two 15,000 sqft
lawns).

I suspect the hose is faster on lawns less than 15,000 sqft. And what about quality factors? Which do your cutomers prefer? Which does the best job? Do you have to get out a hand sprayer and do narrow strips around the edges and flowers? Equal green? Equal chance of stripes? Equal weed control? Crabgrass?

Its driving me nuts! If the average lawn size for the day is 10,000 sqft--some bigger--some smaller. Should i use the Permagreen or hose it for the day? (I apply liquified fertilizer and weed control).

[lawnservice]

A good test. Please someone do this:
Choose an average 15,000 sqft lawn. Spread fertilizer with a Perma green, timing the application exactly. Then pull out the hose and spray it with weed control--again timing it carefully. Which is faster?

Of course if you are applying weed control, you need to add (to the Permagreen time), about one-half of the time needed to refill the Permagreen tank, and gas up. (If you assume you refill the tank after two 15,000 sqft
lawns).

I suspect the hose is faster on lawns less than 15,000 sqft. And what about quality factors? Which do your cutomers prefer? Which does the best job? Do you have to get out a hand sprayer and do narrow strips around the edges and flowers? Equal green? Equal chance of stripes? Equal weed control? Crabgrass?

Its driving me nuts! If the average lawn size for the day is 10,000 sqft--some bigger--some smaller. Should i use the Permagreen or hose it for the day? (I apply liquified fertilizer and weed control).

you will also need to factor in equipment maintenance. which method requires less maintenance? (personally I think the answer is a no-brainer, but I post the question regardless)

...tighten a few hose clamps weekly/monthly, rebuild pump yearly, replace hose as needed(after several years)

...or, replace belts weekly, replace pumps monthly, replace cables as needed(weekly/monthly) replace ball bearings, replace the parts that get eaten up from corrosion, lets see, I'm trying to remember all the problems we have had with our PG's...its a long list. Yes, you have less fatigue at the end of a day...but you'll need your energy to make those repairs

I am an old school guy. Our average lawn size is 9,000sf. For best results I swear by hose/tank

the PGs are nice when you have lawns across the street from each other whereas a hose you'll need to reel in and make that U-turn then pull the hose back out (which saves you minutes...really not that big of a deal)

But, everyone needs to use what works best for them

[GREENITUP]

ok - I'll bite. I am an "old school" applicator....and can not comment on ride-on machines. I pull a hose @1000sf per minute on flat, open area.... add 10-15 seconds for beds and bushes to work around. With ye-old Lesco push spreader... about the same early in the day....25% slower after lunch time! My lawns average 7-10k. But i can guarantee my coverage is excellent and even.... corners and edges alike. How do you ride-on guys rate in these areas?

[buttaluv]

I had a guy tell me, in order to do it right, you have to use a tank sprayer, you cannot put down all granular and liquid spray broadleaf with P.G or z-spray...

I think he puts down liquid dimension and urea in his second app...not sure though!

[americanlawn]

I remember spraying 1200 gallons a day by myself (4 gallons per 1000). Once in a while I would double truck & go through 2400 gallons. (all big lawns) We would crank up the pressure and spray 60,000 s/f in 45 minutes. When I ran an "iron route", I sprayed at 3 gallons per 1000. (Texas ChemLawn).

One thing about liquid app's -- you are covering every part of the lawn evenly (especially along the curb) compared to ride-ons and other lawn spreaders.

[mkroher]

I remember spraying 1200 gallons a day by myself (4 gallons per 1000). Once in a while I would double truck & go through 2400 gallons. (all big lawns) We would crank up the pressure and spray 60,000 s/f in 45 minutes. When I ran an "iron route", I sprayed at 3 gallons per 1000. (Texas ChemLawn).

One thing about liquid app's -- you are covering every part of the lawn evenly (especially along the curb) compared to ride-ons and other lawn spreaders.

"Spraying iron".. That reminded me of a McDonalds I drove by this past summer. Nice looking lawn, sidewalk was brown. Why the hell would you spray iron, when there are off-target areas you really can't hit?

[New Green]

I agree with Lawnservice on the PG's as far as durability. I have a Magnum and an Ultra. No offense to the PG people, but these are real prizes. The people who like these machines have good relationships with the Snap-On guy. However, I believe in the ride-ons. I will be converting to the z-sprays next year. I used the hose and tank method for 3 yrs. I really miss cranking out 400ft and pulling around trees and being tangled up. Or my guys calling in and telling me they had to call it a day because it was too windy. Not really!