How do you make money using a 21"?

[FrankenScagMachines]

Ok what I mean is, say you have a lawn that is 7,000 s.f. and the front can be cut with 52" mower but the back has a gate that may not allow a 32" in much less a 36". So you use a 21" on it if thats the only size you have other than 52" right? I know what I can make per hour using the 52" but I can't get no where near that using a 21" my prices would be double what anyone else would charge.

I can make for instance $50 an hour with the 52". I want to make just as much with the 21" because 1) i have to walk 2) "why settle for less than your best"? I mean if you can make more then why not? I know the 52" has more overhead, but not THAT much.

I did a bunch of fliers yesterday in a nice neighborhood with small gates. I don't know for sure but they looked like a 36" wouldn't fit through maybe not even a 32". If I got a few of these I'd make due with a 21" for this year but next year I'd get or make a 26 or 28", one built like a 32" commercial mower that can pull a sulky.

My question is has anyone found a way around this? Or do you use a 26", 28", 32" etc whatever fits? I know even a 26" would not cut down your time enough from 21" though.

[tiedeman]

this is how I would figure it out...if a 52" is $50 an hour I would charge the 21" at $123 an hour. 52 divided by 21 is 2.47 times the $50 an hour again gets you the answer.

But i guess the question is, what is the average size of the back lawns?

[Sean Adams]

Just read an article about a company in California...maintenance company set to do over $4 million in sales this year.... 88 employees.....

I think they have one (just 1) 48" mower and a few 36" mowers and all the rest are 21" mowers.....

[joed]

Sean,
What publication did you read that article in?

[HOMER]

Gee.........I wonder if that's the guy that was gonna hire all the college kids and give them 21' mowers and mow 24-7?

His plan may have worked!

[FrankenScagMachines]

Well, the backyards are big enough that the 52" would be perfect on lets put it that way.... what's with these evil little gates anyway? :dizzy:

[tiedeman]

I know those evil gates...I actually once had to tip my 21" on its side and then walk down about 15 steps to get into a back yard. I only did the lawn twice and then I handed it over to another LCO. It just took to much time to do and it was too much of a hassle.

[dmk395]

Replacement cost is much less. Also there is alot less operator skill involved in using one.....I am sure that has alot to do with it.

[grassdaddy]

I have 3 push mow yards,all for same person.mow,trim,blow.1 takes 12mins.the other 2 about 20mins each.Don't even take trailer,just truck.12min-25.00 the other 2 -30.00.I love the 21" yards,but I pick and choose now,I ain't mowing just anything.:)

[LawnMowerMan2003]

I don't think people will pay $100 an hour for lawn service, but that's just my opinion. If they will, I sure don't charge enough!

You might consider using 2 21" mowers at the same time. I haven't tried this yet, but I don't see why it couldn't be done if the mowers were self-propelled. There is supposed to be a video clip of a guy doing that on this site, but I couldn't find it.

[FrankenScagMachines]

Well just seem so ineffecient when you know you could be using something 3x as fast if it wasn't for the gate! I don't mind using a 21" when I have to, I think the cut looks nice but just so slow....

[LawnMowerMan2003]

GrassDaddy

How can you mow a lawn with a 21" in 12 minutes? How long does it take you to trim and edge?

[FrankenScagMachines]

Oh yea I saw that video once... I have a Lawn Boy push and Toro s/p so that wouldn't work. I was thinking if I had a helper to run the 21" in the backyard while I mow front with Scag, trim, edge and blow. if he gets done first he could blow instead.

[LawnMowerMan2003]

If you can get a good helper, that might be the best solution. I've done that before, when I get busy, cause I've never had anything larger than 21". I'm really hoping to change that this year though. I'll probably only be able to get get a 36" though, cause 90% of the lawns here seem to have gates about that size.

[tiedeman]

...

[FrankenScagMachines]

Check out the thread about the 32" Metro (exmark) some guys said the 32" is better than a 36" because 36" won't fit through some gates because it's 4" wider. Just a thought.

[FrankenScagMachines]

Originally posted by tiedeman
regarding the $123 an hour. 25 mins with the 21 inch mower is $30.75. I don't think a customer would complain about that.

Yes but that is $1.23 a minute x 60 minutes an hour = $90.77 an hour, but that doesn't account for travel time. These lawns I bet would take 5 minutes for front, 25 for back, 15 to trim and 5 to blow, +/-. That's 50 minutes on one property (larger back yards) could you charge $50? I doubt it.. You'd have to charge about $30-35 to get these accounts and that's working for peanuts considering you have to walk it all. If it was with my Scag I'd say 35 minutes or so and at $30 or $35 I'd be fine with that. But I can't charge that much with a 21" mower or I'd be making $30 an hour you see?

[LawnMowerMan2003]

I might get a 32" if I can put a flex deck on it. I'm leaning towards some sort of folding deck solution, so I can be more efficent in a larger back yard.

[TLS]

Make SURE the customer NEVER knows your hourly price. ;)

Visually estimate the yard for what YOU think time wise.

Then add a PITA factor.

You can make just as much $/hr with a 21" mower as you can a 72" mower.

All you gotta do is charge them!

Think of the whole yard as a whole, don't break it up.

Suggest that the customer install a larger gate (54" in your case). You never know.

Shoot them a real high dollar figure for a price, and then quote them on if they had that 54" gate back down to normal. They'll get the idea.

[brucec32]

You can make money using 21" mowers on the right size lawns. I prefer to avoid those types of lawns, since I'm the one doing the hoofing, not an employee.

You can also make money with them illegally hiring $6/hour day laborers you just picked up that morning. But I see it done. Makes me nauseous

[LWNMWR1]

hey bushey,
lift the scag up and chew through the fence:D some people have sections that are removeable or can be adapted to open. is it totally fenced in no other openings?? i would try to remove a section you can hardware to hang thesection for easy on easy off. these people might be agreeable?? i hve some customers who are cool with this.

[Jason Rose]

There is a LCO in my town that uses nothing but 21" snappers, he has like 6 on his trailer, if one quits they grab another. He uses around 3 helpers and gets more business than he can handle. Most homeowners Prefer them, i've seen him get lawns from guys using walkers, and doing a beautiful job! He does carry a zipper ( i think) for weedy back yards, but everything else is 21's.
Personally, i think that this guy is crazy, i can ride most all of mine, and i think the cut is usually just as good. But like i said homeowners are fickle, and they know (or think) that big tires cause compaction and rutting. though i know differently. i have areas my 50" ztr will float through, but push a skinny wheeled 21" in there and it sinks to the deck!

[Tvov]

Charge the $100 per hour, or don't do lawns like that. If a 21" has to be pulled off one of our trailers for more than 5 minutes (more than just a little trim mowing), the price goes up exponentially.

Think of it as kind of a "replacement cost"; if you weren't spending the time to use the 21", and instead could be mowing lawns with your big equipment, how much would you be making? Charge at least that much.

[grassdaddy]

Originally posted by LawnMowerMan2003
GrassDaddy

How can you mow a lawn with a 21" in 12 minutes? How long does it take you to trim and edge?


It's a business in town,thats counting trimmin and blowin.It's pretty small.Thats my fastest time,ave is about 15min.:)

[Tom023]

I have heard of guys doing what LWNMWR1 suggested. Let them know they have 2 options: Pay the higher figure if you have to use the 21'' through the fence, or the lower figure if they would allow you to remove a section of their fence for an hour each week. Most of those aluminum fences can be easily removed and replaced. ??