28 Acres...no clue where to start!

[BPS##]

Originally Posted by HPI_Savage25

I'm trying to figure out a good price to charge that is also fair. But being told "its too big for you" isnt helping. I am willing to give a shot at anything. I can always hire more guys and I can always use the mower around the house so it wouldn't be non usable.

You could always call some of competitors and get them to bid it. Tell them you have a solid inside connection and would sub it to them.

You'll have an idea what market is that way.
You'd just have to hope they don't read LS too.


Seriously I'd bid it for what you think it'll take you and not look back.
A year ago I was requested to bid a large complex. I won it.
They told two of their friend managers at other complexes and next thing I knew I was the proud new contract holder on three places. I felt a whole lot over whelmed. After the first three mowings and we got a pattern down they didn't seem nearly so big.
The same thing will happen for you if you get this one.

And lucky for my company............. we are the proud contract holders for 2012/2013 too.

[JCLawn and more]

Originally Posted by BPS##

Your diesel is under $3 per gallon?????????????? Yeah right.


Also very very very few properties can be mowed wide open all the time every time.

I made a $2.20 mistake, give me a break. Its still better than drinking 2+ gallons a hour with a gas mower.
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[BPS##]

Originally Posted by JCLawn and more

I made a $2.20 mistake, give me a break. Its still better than drinking 2+ gallons a hour with a gas mower.
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Better get rid of it if thats the case. wow

My 27 hp Kawi don't. My 26 EFI Kohlers don't either.

All are under a gallon an hour consumption.
The kawi will get a little thirsty if cutting real heavy, 1.2 gph then.

[JCLawn and more]

Originally Posted by BPS##

Better get rid of it.

My 27 hp Kawi don't. My 26 EFI Kohler don't either.

Both are under a gallon an hour consumption.
The kawi will get a little thirsty if cutting real heavy, 1.2 gph then.

You must be using some magic gas there because somehow my 5hp push mower, chain saw, tiller, my old 42inch 16hp ztr, and 10hp garden tractor use as much or more than gas than your massive ztrs lol. You would need a 32+ hp engine to keep with the torque of a 26hp diesel anyways. Your comaring to about a 21hp diesel or less that gets 1/2 to 3/4 gallon a hour.
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[jrs.landscaping]

Originally Posted by JCLawn and more

Um a 60inch mower at 10.5 mph is about 6 acres a hour on the money. Times that by 2.5 is 15 acres on the money. It takes my guy about 1.5 hrs to do the trimming and then gets on the other mower for about a hour and that mow can do about 4.5 acres a hour. So we could potentially mow 19 acres but its chopped up in different section, hills, and obstacles. Not my faul you mow at grandma speeds on your tractor lol The one is a 26hp diesel kubora ztr and the other is a 21hp diesel grasshopper. We use oh about a total of 4 gallons of diesel there so I can mow it for about $11 in diesel
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With 2 72" 31hp diesels, one Walker 48" and one guy trimming/running Walker it takes us 6 hours to mow 17 acres. LOTS of trimming and obstacles. Oh the Walkers are diesel as well. I don't know how that translates to speed but you seem to think it does. You can only mow as fast as the turf allows you to. Guys need to realize just because a Manufacturer says the mower can mow at 10.5, doesn't mean you can do it on all properties.

[JCLawn and more]

Originally Posted by jrs.landscaping

With 2 72" 31hp diesels, one Walker 48" and one guy trimming/running Walker it takes us 6 hours to mow 17 acres. LOTS of trimming and obstacles. Oh the Walkers are diesel as well. I don't know how that translates to speed but you seem to think it does. You can only mow as fast as the turf allows you to. Guys need to realize just because a Manufacturer says the mower can mow at 10.5, doesn't mean you can do it on all properties.

That means your mowing only your mowers are only mowing less that 1.4 acres per hour with the 72's............ That would mean they are mowing at less than 1.5 mph. I think your guys must be doing something else of the job because walking speed is about 3mph. Yes you can go faster with a diesel because you have more torque. I rarly need to go slower than top speed except for turning around. Actualy based off what you said it takes 18 man hours. I could pretty much mow most of that if not all of that with a push mower in 18 hrs.
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[BPS##]

Originally Posted by JCLawn and more

You must be using some magic gas there because somehow my 5hp push mower, chain saw, tiller, my old 42inch 16hp ztr, and 10hp garden tractor use as much or more than gas than your massive ztrs lol. You would need a 32+ hp engine to keep with the torque of a 26hp diesel anyways. Your comaring to about a 21hp diesel or less that gets 1/2 to 3/4 gallon a hour.
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Dunno what to tell you, but 2 gph in my gassers is not happening. I've run the math plenty of times.

[BPS##]

Originally Posted by JCLawn and more

I rarly need to go slower than top speed except for turning around.
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Lucky you, reality in the rest of the mowing world is that that rarely happens.

Sure I can do it with my walkers, top speed on them is 4.5 to 5. 10+ with the mid mount????????
very very rarely is it smooth enough or minor growth enough to do WO mowing.

[JCLawn and more]

Originally Posted by BPS##

Lucky you, reality in the rest of the mowing world is that that rarely happens.

Sure I can do it with my walkers, top speed on them is 4.5 to 5. 10+ with the mid mount????????
very very rarely is it smooth enough or minor growth enough to do WO mowing.

The slowest I ever have to go is about 8mph and thats cutting off 6inch of growth and lots of thatch and extremly thick. I never care about a rough ride but having non riged front forks helps a ton. Mine isolate left and right.
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[Mickhippy]

Have a look on Streetview in Maps.

The lawns in front of the large house are pretty much dead flat. The lawns have just been mowed in the images. Going off the images, they are areas that could be mowed full stick.
The trees visible from the road dont require trimming.
No real ditch along the road, turf is thin and rubbishy unless its been repaired.
The "horse" paddocks look unkept and there are what looks like mild slopes. Only the OP knows what those yards look like now and how much trimming etc is really involved.