fall cleanups

[dmk395]

What is your minimum charge for this...do you have one? If I have to haul anytbing my minimum is $200.......$150 minimum for even smallest of yards if its simply blowing leaves in woods

[darryl gesner]

$100 minimum.

[rvsuper]

$125 min. without hauling leaves $145 min. with hauling leaves

[Boycea]

$75.00 minimum for leaf vac service only
$200.00 Minimum for cleanup, unless elderly

[KLMlawn]

Just started offering curbside/vac service this year due to one of the neighboring towns stopping their free fall pick-up. I have a $100 min. for both vac and clean-up, but honestly, there aren't too many cleanups that only come out to just $100.
BTW, how do those of you that offer curbside/vac service charge ... hourly, by the number of yards in the truck when you are done, or just take a look and give a set price to suck up whatever they have?

[Boycea]

KLMlawn,
I offer leaf vac service and charge by the truck full. I charge $75 a truck full with a one truck minimum. I can usually get them all into one truck, it holds 14.3 cubic yards. When people call and ask me to give them an estimate, I just say on the phone $75 a truck, and that I can probably get it all in one load. I tell them if their are rocks or large sticks in the pile, then they will be charged an additional fee.

[KLMlawn]

Originally posted by Boycea
KLMlawn,
I offer leaf vac service and charge by the truck full. I charge $75 a truck full with a one truck minimum. I can usually get them all into one truck, it holds 14.3 cubic yards. When people call and ask me to give them an estimate, I just say on the phone $75 a truck, and that I can probably get it all in one load. I tell them if their are rocks or large sticks in the pile, then they will be charged an additional fee.

Well around here most compost facilities and landfills get $40 a ton to dump ... at 14 cubic yards, that would be about 1 1/2 tons or a bit more, especially if they are wet.
I have been leaning more to the $25 per yard that I take away, that way I get paid for my time and have a portion included to go towards dumping. Especially with the compression ratio of about 5:1 or even 6:1 of yards of loose leaves in the street as opposed to what is left in the truck after they go thru the loader, the customer is getting a deal. BTW, my truck holds about 10-11 cubic yards ...

[Boycea]

I found a farm that is about 2 miles away from my house that charges nothing to dump leaves and grass becasue they use it for soil. You might want to look around for garden centers and farms that offer free drop off of clean leaves.

[KLMlawn]

Well, I am in a more suburban area, not really rural with many farms close by. Would have to drive at least 30 minutes or more to find a farmer who would possibly take them ... at least the town compost facilty is about 10 minutes away and I don't have to search around. It is a good idea, I will look into it for next Fall though ... especially when they want $60 or so every time I go to dump leaves.

[coonman]

hello DMK,

Do customers actually pay you 150 dollars to bag up 3 or 4 bags on very small lawns? 150 dollars for 20 -30 minutes work. That would be nice

[KLMlawn]

Originally posted by coonman
hello DMK,

Do customers actually pay you 150 dollars to bag up 3 or 4 bags on very small lawns? 150 dollars for 20 -30 minutes work. That would be nice

I think what is meant here is that his minimum to show up at this time of year is $150 ... why would someone go to a one shot cleanup for say $75, wasting the time and gas to drive there, unload, do that 20-30 minutes of work, pack up and go, when he could have done an hour cleanup, still spending the same time to drive, unload and pack up, and made twice the amount. Everyone should have and is entitled to a minimum charge, which is directly related to their operation and overhead expenses.
A company with a brand new F-550 dump, enclosed 8x20 trailer, two of your choice of (walkers, Lazers, Standers, Dixies ... whatever), truck mounted leaf loader, 3 RedMax 7001's, 2 push blowers, etc. and a crew of 3 men or more is not going to have the same minimum charge as a guy working out of a van with a 36" w/b, a duct taped together backpack, a couple of rakes and two boxes of garbage can liners .... understand?

[dmk395]

KLM,
You are right. While my operation isn't as impressive as the hypothetical one you listed, we are on the same page. I haven't found a yard that I could do with a 2 or 3 man crew in 20 minutes, if so I might charge less. Even small residentials take at an hour...I shoot for $50 an hour per man, will take less but with the equipment I have charging 30-35 an hour is a joke.

[coonman]

That is a nice scenario above, but the customer does not care how much your costs are or how much you have to pay a crew. Its obvious that if his overhead is that high he should not even bid on the smaller lawns because not very many people are going to pay 150 dollars to have a postage stamp lawn cleaned up. The original statement was even if it was the smallest of lawns and he did no more than blow the leaves in the woods he would charge 150 dollars. I was simply asking if he had customers pay him for that. We just lost a bid yesterday, the property was 3/4 acre with a thick blanket of leaves. The outfit that will do the job bid 150 to do that one, with a truck loader.

[Mykster]

How much can one expect to pay for a curb vac system?

[KLMlawn]

coonman, although I have in the past myself, and still see others today, use barrels and tarps to load their trucks, in my opinion, using any other method than a leaf loader is a waste of time. I probably wouldn't be interested or be as eager to get leaf jobs if I had to tug, push, or pull a tarp full of leaves into my truck 40-50 times a day or more. Hell, I might not even get out of bed.
In responce to your comment about people not paying, it is all a matter of need .... on both halfs - the customers and the LCO's. If the customer needs the leaves picked up badly enough, but for some unknown reason, cannot do it themselves, then they have to decide what they are willing to pay for someone else to do it for them. And, they have to be able to find someone with a schedule open to fit them in. Now if they can manage to find an LCO to even return their call at this time of season, they are doing great to begin with. Now they have to decide what is it worth to them to pay for having the job done and if any of the estimates fall into that area. If they get someone who doesn't have much work and is willing to work cheap, then they might be able to get someone to do their 20 min. cleanup for say 50-75 dollars. Probably someone who is in the latter class of professionalism that I described above.
As to your particular situation, don't feel bad, I have a new customer from earlier this year, with about a 1/4 acre with at least a dozen 50-75' tall mix of oak, elm, maple. I told him it would be at least 2 hours work, picked up and removed, which would be at least $200. He then told me that he had a company last year have 3 men work about 2 hours, put the leaves into bags and leave tham at the curb for $125. I told him he better call them back quick, before they get booked up ... he then went into some detail about the fact that they didn't bother with the perimeters, getting real good into the beds, etc. Bottom line, if you lost that bid to someone else, he probably isn't going to do as good a job and offer them same level of service.

[coonman]

KLM, I agree with you. People around here for some reason just dont want to pay what its worth to have leaves removed. I think some people expect you to charge around what you charge to mow it. I dont think they realize how much harder it is. We always include gutter cleanout too. We just bid a 1/4 acre today leaves are pretty thick and gutters are full all around the house. We bid 120 on it. He said that was more than he thought but would think it over. I thought it was a decent price. We can bid lawns all day to mow and people almost always like the price but when it comes to leaves its like 50/50 if they will accept the bid or not.

[dmk395]

Coonman, remember in the northeast it costs more to live there, that is possibly why your rates aren't as high.

[TotalLawn]

Coonman,

Being from Tulsa also I completely understand where you are coming from!!! Some days I think why am I doing these clean ups? Then there are some days when I think I am finally making money doing this!!! I have a truck loader and for curb side pickups I charge a $45 minimum. usually takes about 15 - 20 minutes to pick them up (if there is a BIG pile), and I dump for free.