any okies?

[scott59]

anyone out there fromn oklahoma?

[retrodog]

anyone out there fromn oklahoma?

I am back and forth, we have a place in ok, and TX, but they are only 45 minutes from each other, we have to come up to Childrens in OK City about once a month for appointments.

[yardtamer]

I am based out of Broken Arrow, Ok. I service Broken Arrow, Tulsa, Bixby, Jenks, and Sapulpa. If theres anything you need let me know..
theturfbuler@gmail.com

[jose85]

i'm here in central okc :) in bethany
all i do is weed control..

[casekey]

Bixby Oklahoma right here!

[casekey]

Anyone else?

[freshcutter]

Tulsa metro

[casekey]

Tulsa metro

Hows it going fresh cutter? Where all you mow? Good to see someone close to me

[freshcutter]

Tulsa, Sapulpa, Kellyville and in between. Not much yet but I'm still trying to grow. What about you?

[Kent Daniel]

yea! 50 feet away.

[All_Toro_4ME]

I'm in okc. hows everyone doing? :waving:

[freshcutter]

yea! 50 feet away.

REALLY?!?!:hammerhead:

[TLS2005]

Tulsa metro area. Anyone know what tge average rate is per man hour for leaf removal around here? This is my first year doing leaves (been mowing and installing landscapes for 5 years) I normally have one other guy helping me and we're pretty efficient I think. We can usually round up a pile 20'x20'x4' in an hour or so and get it sucked up with my 18hp loader. Of course it all depends on how much I have to drag out of back yards and how the wind is blowing. I have a little wonder WB blower, EB802 back pack, another small echo back pack for small stuff and a 18hp Lesco loader on my trailer with an 8'x12' box. I'd like to know what the average is in this part of the state...there are too many low ballers doing crap work. Those of us who are actually thorough in our work should be the ones getting the jobs, not Joe Blow that takes 5 hours to get done with a job that would take my 12yr old nephew 2 hours to do by himself with my equipment and hes never worked a day in his life! (My sister married a rich guy) Any suggestions or info would be greatly appreciated!
Posted via Mobile Device

[Kent Daniel]

TLS2005, you will find cost for leaf removal in the Tulsa area all over the map. I have seen it as low as $20.00 per hour and as high as $150.00 per hour. I price it at $35.00 to $40.00 per man hour on average. One thing you have to remember is after you have it loaded you still have to hall it off and dispose of it. That takes additional time and effort for you and your helper. So you should no low ball it.
Also be confident and explain to the customer everything he or she will get for the quoted rate.

I would not worry about the quality of work others are doing or how long it takes them. What is important is what you do and the perception your customer has of you and your work. If you do a good job and have a positive attitude and take time to talk and listen to your customer you will in list the trust of the customer.

Remember first impressions are everything with a potential customer.

Good Luck!

[casekey]

TLS2005, you will find cost for leaf removal in the Tulsa area all over the map. I have seen it as low as $20.00 per hour and as high as $150.00 per hour. I price it at $35.00 to $40.00 per man hour on average. One thing you have to remember is after you have it loaded you still have to hall it off and dispose of it. That takes additional time and effort for you and your helper. So you should no low ball it.
Also be confident and explain to the customer everything he or she will get for the quoted rate.

I would not worry about the quality of work others are doing or how long it takes them. What is important is what you do and the perception your customer has of you and your work. If you do a good job and have a positive attitude and take time to talk and listen to your customer you will in list the trust of the customer.

Remember first impressions are everything with a potential customer.

Good Luck!

Good info! Thanks for that!

[TLS2005]

Thanks for the reply Kent. That price range is about where I'm at as far as an hourly rate per man. Does that include all of your applicable "fees"? For instance, some people may charge a dumping fee on top of their hourly rate per man just to kind of "pad" themselves.
Posted via Mobile Device

[Kent Daniel]

If I have to dump anything I always include the cost of the dump and total hours it would take to do it. Do you know about the free leaf dump near Jenks?

[freshcutter]

I don't, where is that?

[Kent Daniel]

Take 33rd to 101st south and you will see it on your left. It sets on the east side of the road; you can see it from the road.

[casekey]

Take 33rd to 101st south and you will see it on your left. It sets on the east side of the road; you can see it from the road.

Isnt that like Gems dirt sales? my boss told me about that place

[TLS2005]

Yea that's where I dump...it's free which is awesome but unfortunately it's way out of my way. It's right across the street from Creek County Landfill.
Posted via Mobile Device

[ropinghorns]

Coweta, Oklahoma here www.lantermantractor.com

[casekey]

Coweta, Oklahoma here www.lantermantractor.com

Wow im in love with your equipment!

[ropinghorns]

Thanks, casekey, I wish you would help me with the payments.

[casekey]

Haha I'm sure! I'd sure like to use it haha, how many propertys do you maintain?
Posted via Mobile Device

[ropinghorns]

None, we do landscaping mostly. Some brushoging.

[lawnprosteveo]

Another Tulsa guy here. All my customers are in Tulsa. How did everyone's leaf season go?

[OKLawnGuy]

Anyone have any advice for a new startup in the Tulsa area? I have done lawns for awhile, but not really as a business. I would like to really ramp it up this season. Thanks!

[lawnprosteveo]

Anyone have any advice for a new startup in the Tulsa area? I have done lawns for awhile, but not really as a business. I would like to really ramp it up this season. Thanks!Keep your overhead low and be sure to charge enough for your services. If you dont charge enough you'll be outta business as soon as you have to start replacing old equipment or vehicles.

You can learn a great deal from this site too.

[OKLawnGuy]

Thanks I appreciate that. I shouldn't have to much overhead, and I guess I will have to resist the urge to buy a nice new mower, lol. Thanks for your input.

[elite lawns]

Yukon Here

[Hoots]

Anyone need help with the ice bringing down trees? We can bring a bobcat and gooseneck trailer.
Posted via Mobile Device

[Rayner Lawncare]

Born and raised.

[casekey]

Anyone in the Oklahoma area have a blower for sale? All of my hand held were stolen yesterday in front of my house. So if anyone has anything exter they will sell at a decent price let me know thanks.

[clydebusa]

North of Tulsa, I do a little of everything, lawns, landscape, construction, rent homes, property management.

[ONEBLADE]

I live in Glenpool but most of my accounts are in Sapulpa

[dwmason]

I am down in the Ardmore area, do mostly brushogging and tractor work but getting into the mowing side

[PiRiskMgmt]

General Liability for those Commercial Jobs. WC because its the law. Commercial Auto to protect your personal assets. And of course your equipment because without your 60" Zero Turn your clients might go elsewhere! Package all those policies together and you get cheaper pricing. Not to mention, I only work in the Landscape industry, my markets are very competitive. Also, did you know that you can actually control your work comp costs? Most just think its regulated by the state, but there are several ways to reduce the cost of work comp.

[jcbabb]

I've got a small operation in Norman. Beginning our third year in 2011. It's more of a self-sustaining hobby, but it just keeps growing.

[lyndont]

Keystone lake area here. This will be my 2nd year. I have learned a lot off this site but would love some hands on work in some sprinkler installs if someone ever needs the help. Thinking about going on into Tulsa next year but I am wondering how efficient that would be unless I can get a few in certain areas. Talk radio has me a little nervous about 3.50 gas this summer. I hope not though
Posted via Mobile Device

[lawnprosteveo]

A few years back when gas hit over $3 I really culled out alot of my outlying accounts. That along with a small price increase helped me tighten up my routes and increase my bottom line. Gotta do what you can to stay afloat.

[lyndont]

Yeah I am thinking about wrapping my truck soon because I drive in to tulsa everyday for work and I am hoping I can get a few accounts that wouldn't be too far out of my way. The only thing is I am not busy enough to quit my job now and would hate to spend a lot of money on that when I could buy better equipment
Posted via Mobile Device

[cowchaser]

Hello everyone. I am from Bartlesville here. I don't own a business, but have been thinking about starting something part time to supplement my fulltime job. May even consider finding someone that needs some help from time to time since I don't have the money for such a large investment at this moment. I only work 14 days a month due to a 12 hour schedule. Not sure if it would be better to start my own part time thing or hook up and just work my days off for someone else. Anyway just wanted to say hello and hope everyone is doing well. Right now I am just trying to help my young daughter earn some extra money by mowing a few yards in the neighborhood. With all the snow on the ground we won't have to worry about it right now.

[bladesnshades]

HI everybody, new here and to the business as well, aug. 010
Live in Sapulpa, look forward to running into some or all of you in the future!
Good luck to all this year if and when the white stuff stops!

[lyndont]

Yeah I am by keystone lake and it just keeps falling here. I need to get out before I go crazy.
Posted via Mobile Device

[cowchaser]

I already went crazy. Just trying to keep from going homicidal now. :hammerhead:

[bladesnshades]

Yeah I am thinking about wrapping my truck soon because I drive in to tulsa everyday for work and I am hoping I can get a few accounts that wouldn't be too far out of my way. The only thing is I am not busy enough to quit my job now and would hate to spend a lot of money on that when I could buy better equipment
Posted via Mobile Device

Know a co. in Tulsa that does good work and very reasonable if you decide to can give you his info.

[lawnprosteveo]

Anybody running Deere mowers here in NE OK? Just curious which Deere dealer you like best. P&K seems to be buying up everyone around here. Id like to know how they are to do business with.

[cowchaser]

I don't know much about PK's mower side of the business, but have dealt with them a lot on farming equipment. Everytime we have taken them a tractor or some other type of implement to work on they have been very efficient and knew what they were doing. Granted this is the one in Kingfisher County, but I would assume they should all be about the same. There is one here i Bartlesville and I did go look at their mowers. I was just looking at a residential for my yard so I can't tell you much. I thought their prices were a little on the high side. Of course anything I have ever used that was a John Deere was expensive including the parts. If I was to buy a commercial mower tomorrow I would not buy a JD simply because of the cost. There is also a guy here in town that sells Bad Boyz mowers. I think that is what they are called. Mowers looked nice, but I don't think I would deal with the guy. He actually runs a Pawn Shop and sells them out of there. Just my 2 cents and they probably aren't worth the price either. All is my opinion only.

[lawnprosteveo]

Thanks cowchaser. I agree...most everything that has Deere green on it is pricey.

[sodfather24D]

Hey everyone, our office is in bixby. This snow has been nuts this year! Made some nice xtra on snow removal. Steveo I have use pk equipment there okay I like to deal with the stillwater office a little better they seem more knowledgeable and inept to give you what you need instead of just an expensive one, also jd has some good used deals.

[lawnprosteveo]

Hey everyone, our office is in bixby. This snow has been nuts this year! Made some nice xtra on snow removal. Steveo I have use pk equipment there okay I like to deal with the stillwater office a little better they seem more knowledgeable and inept to give you what you need instead of just an expensive one, also jd has some good used deals.Thanks Sodfather...

[sodfather24D]

Anything, anytime :)

[Jlawnmow]

I love doing business with p and k in Owasso. I'm getting anouther John Deer Z920 tomorro. If i ever have to service the mower they have it done in less than a week. Personaly i've never had a mower there more than 3 days!! There has been times they fix it right there on the spot. Really good about getting you done and on your way.

Lawnprosteveo... remember me??? I bought your 52" toro. Don't have it any more all i run now is John Deer.

[lawnprosteveo]

I love doing business with p and k in Owasso. I'm getting anouther John Deer Z920 tomorro. If i ever have to service the mower they have it done in less than a week. Personaly i've never had a mower there more than 3 days!! There has been times they fix it right there on the spot. Really good about getting you done and on your way.

Lawnprosteveo... remember me??? I bought your 52" toro. Don't have it any more all i run now is John Deer.Hey...yeah! I remember you. Glad to hear its going well. What got you to switch to Deere? I run a 36" Grandstand. Great for my small brookside lawns.

[Jlawnmow]

I heard a lot of great things about them. Mainly for the service, they know that if I like the service I get from fixing my mowers that the next time I need a mower I’ll buy it from them. It’s true I’ve bought 3 new ZTRs from them. The mower might cost more than the rest, but not having a mower when I need it, is a must. So you still doing the fire fighter thing? If so have you been able to grow your business much?

[lawnprosteveo]

I heard a lot of great things about them. Mainly for the service, they know that if I like the service I get from fixing my mowers that the next time I need a mower I’ll buy it from them. It’s true I’ve bought 3 new ZTRs from them. The mower might cost more than the rest, but not having a mower when I need it, is a must. So you still doing the fire fighter thing? If so have you been able to grow your business much?
Still a firefighter. Over the last couple of years Ive culled down to just under 30 accounts. I do stuff pretty much year round for them. This past leaf season was the best Ive had in 8 yrs. So Im staying about as busy as I want. Getting too old to be too busy!