Expected increase in productivity?

[Wayne Offiler]

I work alone (kind
of like it that way). I now do 8 -10 jobs per day, in the 8000 - 18000 sq ft range; and can't seem to get past $25 per hour with my 48" belt drive W/B.
I am getting a 52" mid-mount ZTR for next spring...... Realistically, what increase in productivity can I expect?

[Eric ELM]

Once you get used to it, you should double the mowing prodction. What's nice is on a hot day, you will not get so darn wore out as you would with a W/B mower.

[Toroguy]

Wayne,

You may be charging to little?

[MOW ED]

I can't believe it - Eric whats going on over there.

If you get a midmount you will increase production, what Eric didn't tell you is to get a Chopper and you will quickly increase production and the reason you stay cool on a Chopper is that it goes so fast you feel a wind chill even when its 90 degrees out:)

Seriously, I did a test between my 44 Toro hydro W/B vs my Walker 26EFI GHS discharging out the back and on the same set of properties the Toro tool about 3 1/2 hours. The Walker 2 3/4. Then I had to go and do lots of trimming with the Toro. Test all mowers before you buy. Good Luck.

[Five Star Lawn Care LLC]

i agree with toroguy, u might be charging to little for your accounts. like eric said u should cut half of your mowing time off, but remeber u still have to trim, edge and blow. so instead of doing 8-10 lawns a day u might do 13-15. it wont double the amount of lawns u can cut

[tlcgrounds]

Dear friend; why buy a 52". When I started out I had a 36 then I bought a 48 w/b. Then next season I bought a 52" z and in justa month I ralized I could take a 60 and sometimes a 72 on most of my properties. I sold the 52 and bought a 60 then 4 months later bought a second 60". Listen to this advice. Say it takes you 60 minutes to mow a property with a 48 w/b. Now compare it with a 52 like you wanto to and I bet in most cases you'll increase by 40-50% productivity. Your trimming will always be about the same. Now think about this. Out of all the properties you have. how many can you use a 60" on. Now how many might you have to use a walkbehind in some small spaces. I bet you could do more properties in less time with a 60"z and a w/b then with a 52"z. A 60" and even a 52"z will make you more productive and open yourself up tp much bigger and much more profitable mowing. I made 35-40 dollars per hour with a w/b. I was tired at eh end of the day. Now I can do 3 times as much mowing by myself and I have a spring in my step when I trim and blow. My clients think I'm more energetic and much more effeicent.

[Smooth Operator]

Wayne, I agree with tlc ,I was considering a 52" ztr due to obstacles and tight areas but after reading posts on the topic I went with a 60" and have found I can get into places I never thought I could. Almost never use the 21" anymore just the trimmer and the 60". Also the 60" has more offset for trimability and with the wider track is more stable on slopes.

[bob]

I agree with the others, why get a 52" if a 60" is available? I went from a 48" JD geardrive to a 60" Grasshopper. The bigger the better!

[Stinger]

We use to run Toro 44 walk behinds on all our properties. Once we got a 60" Grasshopper all I needed was one man to mow instead of two or three. Plus we got more jobs done in one days time. Less employees and more productivity = more $$$ !

[John DiMartino]

If the 60" will fit,it will be much more stable than a 52".Most 60" have a 6-8" wider stance than the 52",you wont believe how much more stable this makes it until you have driven both,especially on mid-mount Z's.

[Wayne Offiler]

Thanks to all for info and encouragement.
BUT..... I thought of jumping up to a 60" ZTR, but my concern has been scalping. I do average size properties (8000 - 18000 SF); little slopes and humps are not uncommon. Can a 60" actually maneuver tightly and do a good looking job on my types of lawns?

[Stinger]

Contact your dealer and set up a demo on your machine of choice. That should subside any additional fears or questions.