How was your day?

[MikeLT1Z28]

Since there seems to be a great deal of hostility around here lately, from brand preference to non-professionals, just thought I'd ask, How was YOUR day?

rained here... got a lot done yesterday. went out and spotted some severe weather for the national weather service here today (ham radio operator and trained storm spotter).

hopefully it'll dry out in the morning and stay that way.

[Scag48]

Well, since I went to school today, I'll share about my last mow day. Showed up at the first job with the big Toro (44" rider) and was gonna mow the 1 3/4 acre lawn. I got started mowing and everything was going pretty well. I had all my blades sharp, deck was spotless, new main belt, everything was set. I thought that it was going to be a good day. WRONG. Well, turns out that the belt that powers my blower had worn out and was slipping and the tensioner on the main drive belt got loose so that belt wasn't running at full tilt. Okay, no problem dad says. We'll just adjust the blower belt because at this time that's all we thought the problem was. So we got it too tight. That was BAD. Fried it, hit the clutch and the belt started smoking. That pissed me off because I was only half done and my mower was out of commision. Luckily the homeowner has 2 garden tractors that I can use at my discretion. Not like I wanted to used either of them, but I didn't have a choice. So I picked the John Deere over the Crapsman (good choice, huh?!). Went out and did one pass tried to turn and the freaking tire comes right off the rim. Okay, now I get to fix that and mow with the Crapsman. What a great day. HA! So I get the Crapsman out and start mowing. The thing couldn't even cut the grass without leaving clumps (supposed to be a mulcher). So I had to tow the "Lawn Sweep" behind it. Boy, that was fun. I finally get done, in like 3 1/2 hours, which usually takes me like 2 with my mower. This job is totally fun (HA) because there is like 50 trees and whoever designed it was on something because the entire sprinkler system is above ground with 3 foot risers. Not easy to get close to even when you've trimmed, you still gotta go around them. Off to the next job. The next one I didn't need the big mower so I used the 21" and it went fine. Nothing EVER goes wrong with it. Got done there and then headed out to do some de-thatching. I didn't really know what I was getting into. I tried to suck up the thatch with a 21". That didn't work. So we ended up raking it into piles and putting it into the truck. I got everything done an made a fair amount of money. I guess we just need to vent sometimes but I'm better now. LOL. The best part is that I got paid. Let's hear it guys. I'm sure we can get a pretty good thread going.

[Bob Minney]

Went pretty good today except for a neighbor that had water running down the sidewalk of an overgrown edging I needed to take care of.

As for bad days - a guy south of me in Black Forest (near Colorado Springs) overheated his ztr mowing some dry overgrowth. He was trying to clear around his house to protect from forest fires-ended up burning his mower & 60+ acres. Showed the mower on the news-wish the paper had one I could post.

[SLS]

Wet.

Must be a Tennessee thing this month. :D

[perfection lawn care]

Just got done printing out inviocies for april, and I had a good month, will be even better when the checks start rolling in.

If the rain in this god foresacking state would go away I might be able to get something done. Have 10 yards to do today so lets hope for the best, then will decide how my day went!!$$$$$

[jeffex]

Had to give away 8 lawns today. My helper who went to work on a charter boat for 2wks during rock fish season hasn't returned in 3wks. I got rid of some very long time customers . I had to make the tough decision on who to get rid of based on profit. I dropped the small push mower lawns first and then the complainers next. I have to get rid of 2 more to be able to cover all the pressure washing jobs I have booked. The good news is my travel time is down and my route is very compact. I had another lco try to give me some lawns last week when he called me to pressure wash his house. Business is JUMPIN'

[SIG]

I hate accusing people of being scrubs, but it just hit me after reading this thread that the difference between pro's and scrubs isn't being part-time or full-time its having the resources to be able to walk to the trailer and grab another mower, your mower, not your customers! I, am in fact, part-time at this business. Of course I do as much as some of the "full-time" guys on here do. I also have (2) 60" Lazers, (1) 52" toro walkbehind and have 2 Trucks in case one of them is down. That is how you run a business. Of course my costs of doing business are going to be higher, but I am also very reliable and don't miss cuts, don't have to double and triple cut, and don't have to whine because my piece of **** mower breaks down every 10 minutes. YOU GET WHAT YOU PAY FOR AND SO DO OUR CUSTOMERS. I am sorry for being aggrevated, but it irkes me when I hear about people using their customers mower to cut their grass. They should pay you 5 bucks an hour for that!

[bruces]

Finalized a deal for a new customer that will be $150 per week and an additional $100 biweekly on an area around his lake.

Felt good to lock up a substantial account. Will be cutting it for the first time Friday.

[parkwest]

SIG,

Did you think this was a "COMMERCIAL" lawn care forum? Most of the posters on here are teenagers who include allowances from their parents as part of their gross revenue.

After a while you will reconize them by name and then just skip over their post.

I hope this helps.

[SIG]

Well, I guess they are doing something productive, that's a positive at least. They are just not fun to compete with when you are trying a legit. business i.e. taxes, insurance etc.

[parkwest]

SIG,

The kids can't compete with you. The difference is like day and night. It would be like a group of kids borrow their dads hammers and saws and think they can compete with a modern framing crew. They can't.

You can't believe what happens when we target a new subdivision. The people see their neighbors yards being cut on time on schedule by professionals in clean uniforms and at a price the kid with his 21" can't touch and they are almost begging for us to do theirs also. I had to listen to a new customer last week who called just to tell me how beautiful his yard looked after just one service. He had never had it edged with a power edger before. His previous "lawnboy" didn't own one.

Just do what you agreed to do and the customers will come looking for you.

[SIG]

You are correct- I really think in my area, the only thing you have to do to be successful is be reliable and return phone calls. On a side note, I helped a buddy of mine from another part of town start his own business, and sadly he is a SCRUB. I saw his "main man" trimming the other day with shorts and open toe sandals. Called him and told him what I saw - his reply, at least the grass is cut. 2 days later his crew got pulled over for not wearing seatbelts- not one valid drivers license in the bunch, what a joke, and not a very funny one at that!

[TOSLC]

I agree, it pays to be professional!

One more thing (positive), I've had a great season so far. All this rain. . . and I'm still keeping up. I don't know how, but I'm still on a regular schedule! O-yeah, we just sent out bills (accounts receivable) the other night too!

[Toroguy]

Good topic Mike,

Things have slowed down here. The cold snap and snow has slowed the grass growth down alot. I skipped most today and knocked out the ones I skipped last week. Similar to a drought route.

I used the bonus time to get blades sharpened for next week.

Yesterday my starter rope broke on the Metro, and being unprepared I needed to drive back to the shop. I have now prepared for the next three rope breaks.

[TGCummings]

I've had a really good week, despite slower-than-expected returns so far on our marketing efforts. Economy, lack of rain this year, and "competition" from the illegal operations are causing us no end of grief.

It's been a great week, however, because I've finally come to terms with all this. Instead of pushing, worrying, stressing, whining, ad nauseum, I've decided just to hang in there through the rough times, laugh a whole hell of a lot, hug my wife, and wait for our inevitable run of good fortune.

That, and I've obviously gone crazy from the heat... ;)

[Esby]

Things are going well. All spring clean ups, thatching, and areating are done, and we should start cutting end of next week. This Minnesota spring has slowed things down unbelievably.:blob2: But everything is starting to really take off.

[SLS]

Still wet...and getting wetter every day.

[Brickman]

SIG I would be careful calling every body that only has ONE mower, or ONE truck a scrub. Not all of us can afford such luxury. I have more than one mower, but not more than one rider. As for a truck, I have ONE ride, and that is for personal and biz. And I am the farthest thing from a scrub. You would not be able to find some body in town that does a better mowing job than I do. They might be just as good, but not better.

I totally agree with not using customers equip for mowing. I have never done that in my mowing history, (this is year 7). That is not professional.

[David Haggerty]

When I came home from mowing my wife told me how much she'd billed.
The bills are all in their envelopes, in the basket ready to mail.
And I can't quit smiling.

Thank you for asking because:
Mayday 2002 is one of the best days of my whole life.
It looks like the beginning of that run of good fortune that TGCummings was talking about.

It's really satisfying when a business that you have busted your hump over finally starts to pay off.

Dave

[Runner]

Originally posted by David Haggerty
When I came home from mowing my wife told me how much she'd billed.
The bills are all in their envelopes, in the basket ready to mail.
And I can't quit smiling.
Thank you for asking because:
Mayday 2002 is one of the best days of my whole life.
Dave
If you don't mind me saying so...
ANY day that you can come home to a wife, especially one that that can take interest in the business, and can take care of the billing like that, is the best day of your whole life. Cherish each and every one of these days.;)

[GreenQuest Lawn]

The grass is so slow here right now it makes me laugh. I love it, but it does not seem right. We have had such cold weather here in Mi (exept for one week in April) that some of the trees have just barely begun to bud. I could have taken the whole week off if I wanted to. I am cutting 1/4-1/2 inch at most on 7-10 days since last mow.

Now I will enjoy it while it lasts cause in a month I will be screaming with all the growth.:D

I started at 9:30 and was done by 2:30.

Early day on Friday as well I think.

[David Haggerty]

It was nice of you to say that.

[MikeLT1Z28]

hope this wasn't directed at me..

parkwest SIG,

Did you think this was a "COMMERCIAL" lawn care forum? Most of the posters on here are teenagers who include allowances from their parents as part of their gross revenue.

After a while you will reconize them by name and then just skip over their post.

I hope this helps.

anyway, got half of yesterdays done today due to drying time and they are calling for more here thurs and friday.

[CHAN]

Went to check on new 60,000.00 a year bid for three years and maybe to sign contract but found something disliking. When we made the bid in april we were told that the lco that had been doing it was not bidding for he was not a lic.app. and had had trouble with the state last year app. pest. onsite and they would not alow anyone without a lic to bid. He still is not lic.app. They said that he had been subbing out part of the cutting and they didn't like that either. He was not edging the 18,000 ft. of curbs or trimming all. I have been watching it for the past two months and he was cutting about every 10-14 days with crapsman and his contract called for weekly. So we bidd what i thought was a great bid for us and them which was about 8,000 higher than they had been paying. the other bid was at 110,000.00 nearly double ours. we were told last week that we were the low bidder but it had to be voted on by the board first which was yesterday. I went to meeting with the dir. of plant oper. and he said that the board had decided to just renew the contract with the LCO that they had now. The DPO said he didn't like it but then it was not up ot him. There are weeds growing along the walk only 30 ft. from entrance that has been there for 30 days or longer they were there when i turned the bid in and before. well i guess that made my day. Also another bid i bid i was second on it and it required apply roundup around buildings. I was the only lic.app. of all six bidders. 1,000.00 lost to 900.00 weekly. no lic.app. what can we do. They must not care. Maybe tomorrow will be better. April was realy great. You Northern guys need to send us some rain down here in the south.
Later , Have a nice Year.
Chan

[MikeLT1Z28]

18,000 ft of curbs?? that's over 13 miles of edging!!! :eek:

what exactly is this property?

[CHAN]

Its a large office complex and its Only about 3.6 miles. alot of islands about a quarter long and about 20 feet wide in the parking lots. three streets .5 miles long.

[MikeLT1Z28]

oops. you are correct, damn drag racer in me, i divided by 1320 (1/4 mile). oops! my bad. :D