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how much would you bid to mow 33 acres?

31K views 40 replies 27 participants last post by  JCLawn and more 
#1 ·
A local college is accepting bids for mowing 2 large flat areas of lawn. One is approx 10 acres, the other 23. its all flat, smooth ground, they aerate and roll it every year. There is no weed eating, and very few objects to mow around. When it was bid out a few years ago, most the bids were around $17-18 per acre, but a lowballer got it for around $11 per acre! I have 2 26hp walker mowers with 74 in decks and a 60in exmark. I'm not really sure I want the job, cause it will take most they day for 2 guys. All my equipment is paid for. And I pay insurance and taxes and workmans comp. I'm curious what you all would bid on a job like this??
 
#6 ·
a lowballer got it for around $11 per acre!

I'm not really sure I want the job, cause it will take most they day for 2 guys. All my equipment is paid for. I pay insurance and taxes and workmans comp.
Why are you worried about what the bid went for a couple of years ago? Are you in business to just 'get the work', or to make money? $11 x 33 acres divided by 2 man days equals $22.68 per hour - net. Will you make money at that price?

Decide if you want to compete against a two year old price, or do you want to make money?

Bid the job to make money for your company and yourself. You already have a price in mind for what you want to bid. It's not going to take a lot more of your time to put it on paper and submit the price. If you don't get the job, move on and make money other places.

Mick
 
#7 ·
Figure your costs, overhead, and desired profit margin and turn it in. Worse case is you don't get it. Best case you get it at your desired price.
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#12 ·
well the guy that had been doing had his family working for him so i'm pretty sure he didn't have workmens comp and probably didn't pay them much. He had cancer and died rather suddenly last year, and i'm not sure if they're keeping on the mowing biz or not. There's absolutely no way I would mow it for 11 an acre! to fireguy i'm definitely in it to make money, not just to work. I do know at this point there are no other bids and the bid needs turned in by march. I was thinking 20-25 an acre and figure it will take 2 guys 4.5-5hrs
 
#13 ·
Here in SE Iowa, I bid a 41 acre area at $700 and it was high. I think around here, 25-35/acre depending on obstacles works up to around the 5 acre size, but as the size increases, the $/acre bid needs to go down a bit, and in reality it should. One unload - mowers are running 100% of the time. I could have done quite alright on the 41 acre bid (Two of my mowers would have taken about 6 hrs.), but maybe the person that is now doing it does ok. This is a free market system. I have a nice clientel and am doing fine. Some day that 41 acre place may run out of bids lower than $700 and we will be doing it.
 
#14 ·
It should take you about 3hrs give or take half an hr if you are doing it on a weekly-every other week basis. I think $15per acre is good.....$500 bucks, comes out to about $50 per man hr. Now if the job is only once per month or something I wouldnt even bid on it.
 
#16 ·
We would bid this at $400 if it was on our route but we have a 16 ft Jacobsen and would be there for 1.5 hours max for 1 man. You figure this machine does three to four times the work of a 60" mower. My personal opinion is leave these big properties to the companies with the bigger equipment. I am a little biased in that opinion but you will end up creating more head ache for yourself. We used to do a 55 acre school district and was out bid by 60 percent. It took us 5 hours total with 3 and the new company bid it and it takes 3 of them 2 full days. Its up to you but they can be more head ache than good.
GOOD LUCK!
 
#17 ·
I do have 2 mowers with 74" deck but It will take 2 guys close to half day as best I can estimate. I'm not sure what other jobs i'll get yet this year, if I didn't get many I could take it on, but if i can get a bunch of smaller ones it would pay better. I'm definetly not bidding it cheap!
 
#18 ·
Wow. If I got prices like u guys are quoting I Defitley would not be in this business.

33 acres?! 3 hours?! 500?! Seriously?

I think that's gonna take 3 guys a long time to mow. My price would be well over a thousand bucks.

I wouldn't get the job and I think I would be fine with that.
 
#19 ·
Not trying to knock on you gqnine but it really doesn't take long to mow acreage like that, it's a whole different ball game than
Mowing residential acreage. Its easy to knock out 10 acres per hr with three 60" zero turns at 60% efficiency
As long as you are mowing on weekly intervals. That job would profit me $200 dollars in under 4 hrs after labor and overhead
costs when priced at 500
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#20 ·
it may be paid for but it want last forever .. you are going to have to make the money to buy more mowers somewhere .. i get more than 300 for 17 acres . you do have so much a hr to put back for equipment ,fuel and what ever else may break through the year ..i put more than 11. a hr up for my equipment yea mine is paid for but when i have to go buy four new mowers i want them to be paid for to ..but you know its all up to you ,you are the one doing the work if you feel that your work is not worth no more than that go for it
 
#21 ·
see its people like that , that will take 11 dollars a hr to mow commercial property that is making it so hard for the guys that are going to make it . but we don't have to worry about them long usually they can't buy gas next summer or when it goes to 5.00 a gallon this summer .. i don't sees how they can have insurance and gas money for 11 a hr i pay my men 10.00 to 15.00 then put 12 a hr up for equipment i figure up the cost of each piece of equipment break in all the way down to the life time hours to get how much a hour to charge for it .
 
#22 ·
Not trying to knock on you gqnine but it really doesn't take long to mow acreage like that, it's a whole different ball game than
Mowing residential acreage. Its easy to knock out 10 acres per hr with three 60" zero turns at 60% efficiency
As long as you are mowing on weekly intervals. That job would profit me $200 dollars in under 4 hrs after labor and overhead
costs when priced at 500
Posted via Mobile Device
U r right . My experience with huge acreage is somewhat limited. We do mow a property about 15 acres and it takes two guys most of a day but we do usually have to mow it twice because it is not cut weekly. For 33 acres I would still want at least 1200. A Jacobsen is the way to go.
 
#23 ·
Just because the Jacobsen can do it faster doesn't mean you can do it for dirt cheap.

That jacosbsen has a much higher initial investment. You are dealing with dozens of hydraulic lines, etc... which are susceptible to leaks and the like. More fuel. Expensive repairs. Hard to find a backup in case of major failure.

Then factor in this is the only property you have to use it on, what if you lose the bid?

I've been tossing around the idea of buying one, but I just can't justify it unless I went after a whack of work requiring it. Those machines just are not worth owning unless it's running most of the week.
 
#25 ·
Full day with 3 guys??? Are you using 32" walkbehinds lol?
I really dont want to create an argument here since I am new to the forum and I respect and appreciate everyones input here but I am just a little baffled by the fact you guys think it will take such a long time to mow an area that size. I have mowed open acreage this size many times before and if you have a good crew its not a big deal.
Here is what the productivity should be based on my experience......
I dont have experience with walkers but I assume they are just as productive as other ZTRs
Mower #1 Exmark 60"
Mower #2 Walker 72"
Mower #3 Walker 72"

Total width of 17ft so lets say 15ft to cover for overlap.

Average Mowing Speed in Wide open weekly cut Lawn 5mph(actual) Based on ZTR rated at 9mph once you factor in turning and cutting speed comes to around 5mph

5 (mph) X 5280ft(1mi)= 26400ft linear distance covered per hr

26400ft X 15ft (cutting width)= 396000 Sq ft covered per hr

396000 divided by 43500(approx 1 acre) = 9.1 acres per hr

That comes to about 3.5 hrs to do the job. So lets say 4 hrs

500/4 = $125 per hr per crew

$500
-200 Wages
-105 Mower and Mower Fuel Operating Cost
- 15 Truck and Fuel ( Assuming Half Day Truck Use and Fuel on Route to Other Jobs)
- 20 Misc Office and Other Expenses
__________
$160 Profit before Taxes send out the guys to do it. I agree its not great but its not bad either to add around another 4k profit to the year. If you had a full schedule of jobs like that at that profit rate you would add another 50k a year to your profit before your personal or corperate tax based on an 8 month growing season. Now tell me if you think Im still wrong.
 
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