aerating prices

[adamc6]

is the a general rule for charging to aerate a lawn. i have heard it's about double the price you charge to mow it. If you have any information, please let me know. thank you...
Adam

[thartz]

See the post a little farther down this page. If you repost Plow Kid will have to shoot his dog. You'll understand what I mean if you see my post on Home Depot.

[leeslawncare]

I charge 10 per k.works well for me.

[KirbysLawn]

$12 per K here

[bayaa]

I charge about thrity five dollars for the first 1000 sq ft and about half that (17) for the next. To de-thatch i usally doble the price i would aerate a lawn for and if they had both I give a ten dollar discount.

[jason2]

I sure wish I could get 10$ per 1000 sq ft in my primary market. My primary market is flooded with guys who advertise $15 for a small lawn, $20 for a medium lawn, and $35 for a large lawn. I don't know what they consider a small lawn, etc.. But at any of these prices I don't bother with aeration.

My secondary market 40 miles from the primary one is another story. I charge 3 times my cutting charge and get some work.

[65hoss]

$10 per 1000 sf. Sometimes I use 2.5 to 3 times a cutting price.

[Lawn-Scapes]

As you can see it varies and depends where you are and how large the props are..

I charge $5 per K for my maintenance customers. $7.50-10 for non customers.. depending how large or whether I'm seeding also. Majority of the properties are over 44K...

Shoot for 3 times the mow..

[David Haggerty]

$5/K is cheap.
But that's what I've been charging. For my customers' lawns that are measured by the acre.
Holes only, 2" deep x 3/4" cores.
About 8 holes per sq ft. (two passes)

This is also an excellent time to upsell the customer:
Fertilizer
Overseeding
Topdressing with sand, compost, etc
Dragging (wish there was a better word)

I'm just figuring this out myself, but I'm thinking I'd charge an added $5/K to topdress & drag smooth.

Dave

[Atlantic Lawn]

Usually try to get 7-10 per k depending on the yard and difficulty.

[BOBCAT36]

IN GENERAL MY AERATOR THEY LEAVE THE TRUCK FOR LESS THAN 65.00.......THE HOMEOWNER RENT ONE FOR THAT..AND PLUS ITS A BI*^6 TO WORK WITH

[PaulJ]

I just got out-bid on an aerateing a lawn. 12700 sq ft, bid it at $120 ($10 per K). She said the other company would do it for about half that. I cut this lawn for $22 per cut last year (i know, to low), I was raising to $24 per cut this year ( $30 per man hour), but before I could give her that price she said her neighbor kids want to mow so she was going to hire them. :confused: I also got out-bid on fertilizer by $15 per application by the other company. All they do is fertilizer and aerating. They use liquid or cheap granular, their flyer calls it "heavy fertilizer". I plan on using commersial grade slow release granular with spot weed control.I'm sorry I started rambling here but the more I think about this the more it bothers me. :mad: She was my first Ofical customer when I went out on my own and I thought it was because of my work but maybe it was because she thought I would work cheap. :angry: I thought maybe I bid to high, but after seing this thread and one on fertilizer prices and all the other info on lawn site i know my price was in line. She's just cheap and the other company is a LOW-BALLER. :blob2: Ok thanks for letting me vent. :)

[bayaa]

For this area in the bay area your guys prices are really low. I dont know how you guys stay in buisness at those prices. How much does a lawnair 4 go for. Here they cost about 2000 dollars.

[jrblawncare]

$8.00 per 1000 sq ft last fall...$40.00 min.worked out well
Hey Kirby....sure love my new Claussen split-drive!!!!

[stahls2]

I'm curious! Why is it when someone asks what everyone charges to mow a lawn. They get answers like, depends on the size, hills, trees, landscape, and never really says.

However, when the person asks about prices on aeration, they actually get prices, which is great.

I'm not trying to be a smart a$$. Just wondering what the difference is.

[LAWNGODFATHER]

Originally posted by stahls2
I'm curious! Why is it when someone asks what everyone charges to mow a lawn. They get answers like, depends on the size, hills, trees, landscape, and never really says.

However, when the person asks about prices on aeration, they actually get prices, which is great.

I'm not trying to be a smart a$$. Just wondering what the difference is.

Because most have generalized their price for aeration, etc..

But for mowing there are so many more veriable involved.

Aeration $8.00 1000 sq/ft to 12,000
Aeration $6.00 1000 sq/ft to 60,000
Aeration $5.50 1000 sq/ft to 120,000
Aeration $5.00 1000 sq/ft feet over 120,000

This is copied and pasted from my aeration spreadsheet
My minimum charge is $72.

This is what my market will bare, and it's going to be done with a 60" 3pt that will put 18 holes per a sq/ft, hooked to a 4x4 tractor that can do most hills, in one way or another.

Also have a 26" WB that can do the aeas the tractor can not get in.

As said before, I also expect to up sell other stuff at this time also.

BTW this was one area I need to improve on and thanks to LS I did.

David, is it called screening also?

Drag some thing that looks like a piece of fence over the ground.

[stahls2]

LGF,

Now that I think about it.

With mowing, a person has to considering trimming, edging, and blowing of drives and sidewalks, etc. Each property would vary considerably.

With aeration, you only have really one factor to consider, square footage.

Why not develop a formuala a person could use for mowing with these variables in mind. I have seen this formuala on a recent post, just can't find it. Of course when you need it.

[LAWNGODFATHER]

That might work for some.

But my prices are set for 1 guy on the job. Don't have to get right next to beds and edges. Doesn't have to be exact, just close.

Don't have to double cut, blow clippings out of beds, off drives walks or any other pavment. No edging, or house, or buildings to trim around.

Almost all basic square footage areas.

When I would bid mowing like that, I would have to measure every bed, fence, tree ring, swimming pool, etc..

I try to stray away from using liner feet when submitting a mowing bid.

[stahls2]

I agree, if a person had to measure every bed, sidewalk, and drive, that could be time consuming.

I bid by square footage with everything included into the price.
Unless there was a tremendous amount of trimming, edging, and blowing to do.

This seems to be a simple and quick way to do estimates. This way a person is not just eyeballing it. Which may work for some, but not me. I would lose a ton of money.

[King City Lawns]

Do you guys always screen after you are done?? Grasshopper mowers are very big around here, so many people just use their solid tine vibrators... no cores... they use this to sell their service. Guess also wondering if the cores are a problem for any customers if you are not dragging when done.

[LAWNGODFATHER]

I have not pulled a screen after done. I always let Mother NAture help me on that, with great success.

[David Haggerty]

Originally posted by LAWNGODFATHER


This is what my market will bare, and it's going to be done with a 60" 3pt that will put 18 holes per a sq/ft, hooked to a 4x4 tractor that can do most hills, in one way or another.








Reallly? 18 holes per sq.ft.? Mine only averages about 4 or 5 holes psf each pass.
What do you have, one of those plunger type aerators? How big of diameter hole does it leave?
I read somewhere I should try for 10% coverage. But with 3/4" holes that would be 32 holes psf. Can that be right? It'd look like a plowed field!



David, is it called screening also?

Na, I don't think that's screening. I think screening is one of those machines that scoups up the cores, then shakes them thru a screen to get the dirt off.

Dave

[scott's turf]

Your math is right for the 10%. It seems like an aweful lot! It would look like a golf course green after they have aerated. I wouldn't try that with a home owner. Especially if you weren't using the plunge type where they go straight in.

Do most of you guys have the walk behind aerating machines or the tow behine ones. I currently rent a wb one and use it all day. It usually is my most profitable day of the year, but I am totally wiped out too. Those machines are tough to use.

[Craig Turf Management]

I charge 10.00per 1000ft.sq., and add a little extra for properties with steep slopes. My aerator doesn't come off the truck for less than 50.00!
Bill!

[LAWNGODFATHER]

I don't have it yet or the tractor.

www.Turf-Aire.com

.75" cores

You have an option of adding more spoons on it. Comes with enough for 9 per a sq/ft and if you double tine them you get 18.

Most aeraters put 9 per a sq/ft and I was trying to make sure and sell it like a double aeration on 1 pass.

Not quite sure how you got a 32 of a 10% number. I got 14.40 per a sq/ft.

[David Haggerty]

Darn! I can't get the pic to load.
It sounds a lot like the Mill Creek aerator.

I was glad I only got the 72 spoon aerator.
It's tough enough to push and to turn.

I was wondering if the 10% figure was accurate.
Can't remember where I read it.


I figured at 10% aeration,you'd have 14.4 sq in worth of holes per square foot. A 3/4" round hole is only .44 sq. in.
Divide 14.4 by .44 and it equals 32 holes.
One fourth of that amount seems like a lot of aeration to me.

Dave

[LAWNGODFATHER]

Ah sorry about the web site, some times it comes up and somes it doesn't.

The person I consult on that matter said it was an exalent patteren. 4 holes for every 8 sq. inches.

Might seem like a lot, but how much can you over do it? I've seen to many aeration jobs of 1/2" deep holes, missed areas, etc...

I figure it will pull some good plugs on a tractor with some weight on the aerater. If not I can add more weight or remove half the spoons. Versitility would be the key factor, and I thought that would give it to me very well. I do not know if they offer the spring kit for theirs , but might ba able to convert MIll Creeks to it.

Now I guess you see why I wanted to use a good size tractor since you said you have the same problem I had with my Cushman turing. Plus it was front heavy with all that weight on the front.

I do like the Aera-Vator, and was thinking, that cores in the moist Spring and Area-Vator in the dryer Fall.

Aerating at 6mph max with a 3pt 60" aerator, I think has the best profit margin of any lawn maintanence service.

As you can see we have posts from $5 per 1000 sq/ft and up. How long does it realy take to do 1000 sq/ft? Not long.

At 60,000 sq/ft an hour using the $5 per 1000 number, you are looking at $300 an hour. Maby $40 for expencises and you have $240 an hour left for profit.

[David Haggerty]

I hear you're saying about getting good penetration. I was concerned about doing a good job too.

After one whole season of aerating, here's what I found out about getting good penetration:

Adding weight only helps a little. You can't add too much weight or you're bending spoons.

The moisture content of the soil matters a lot on being able to pull good cores. The softer the better, right up to the point where the tires are damaging the turf.

The number of spoons you're trying to stick in the soil has a big effect. With 72 spoon aerator, 12 are in the ground at one time. With more spoons I wouldn't have gotten the penetration needed. It's better to make two passes.

Some soil is so hard packed the rain just runs off, and it never gets soft. The first time I went over one particular lawn, it only penetrated a half an inch. But that opened it up enough, that after a rain, I could get 2 inch cores.

Next year I adding sand and compost to that lawn to soften it up some.


Having that aerator mounted on the front is a big help. You can really see well, and lets me put that big 5' aerator almost anywhere.

Although I aerated a lot of square footage, it was all cut up into little plots. The biggest open area I had was 3 acres.
I never had need of a smaller walk behind aerator. Except for one area where the sidewalk was 4' from the curb. So I may rent a walk behind for that area next season.

Hope this helps you with your choices.

Dave

[PrimeGreen Lawn]

Originally posted by The Groundskeeper
They use liquid or cheap granular, their flyer calls it "heavy fertilizer". I plan on using commersial grade slow release granular with spot weed control. :)

I hope you have your appllicator's license!

[plow kid]

Originally posted by thartz
See the post a little farther down this page. If you repost Plow Kid will have to shoot his dog. You'll understand what I mean if you see my post on Home Depot.


Did somebody say my name?

[horseman201]

O.K I need your help. I am bidding a yard to aerate and it has 32,000 sq. ft. What do you guys charge for something like this?

[LAWNGODFATHER]

Aeration $8.00 1000 sq/ft to 12,000
Aeration $6.00 1000 sq/ft to 60,000
Aeration $5.50 1000 sq/ft to 120,000
Aeration $5.00 1000 sq/ft feet over 120,000

This is copied and pasted from my aeration spreadsheet
My minimum charge is $72.

Using my handy dandy price scale I posted earlier in this thread.

32,000 sq/ft is $8 x 32 = $256.00

[Lawn-Scapes]

What type of aerator are you going to use? Are they a regular customer?

I think I remember someone here from Tenn.. saying they have no problems getting $10-12 per 1000

[PaulJ]

Prime Green

YES i do have my applicator lisence. Got my first one in The late 80's. Just got my latest lisence in 2000 and it doen't expire till next year. Does that answer you question or do you want the number? Why is it that every time someone makes a comment on Fert. or chem. app. their credentials ore put in question? I think the veiw of unlicenced and illigals has been discussed to death. Sorry for running on and I know this isn't even the right place.

[leeslawncare]

tsg.it may have been me.i use a drum coreer that fills with water,i pull it with my honda rancher.works great.

[Craig Turf Management]

Groundskeeper,
I feel your pain. If you have a pesticide license, can you not ask a question? You can't learn it all from the certification class.
Bill Craig!

[Twotoros]

I charge 30$ for the first 2k and 5$ per k for additional. That is 70$ for 10,000 ft. That 32,000 ft job would be 180$. Best I can get here.