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How to make leaf removals quicker and more profitable?

49K views 153 replies 42 participants last post by  salvagedrover 
#1 ·
Currently my business consists of myself and one employee. We are running a special for leaf removals. $80 for under 1/2 acre. Yes I know once we get close to the 1/2 acre mark its time consuming but blowing the leaves into piles isn't what takes so long. Its the raking leaves onto the tarp and putting them into the bed of my truck and the trips to the dump site that kill time and limit us to two leaf removals a day.

Our process is this.

-Blow leaves into piles
-Rake piles onto a tarp and empty tarp into bed of my truck.
-Once we mash the leaves down and get as many as we can in truck bed we fill the four tarps we have and tie them up full of leaves and put them in my trailer.
-Go dump at dump site.

Equipment for leaf removals

-Redmax EBZ8500RH
-Stihl BR600
-1996 Cummins 12V long bed truck
-4X7 trailer

I have talked to many people who can do at least 5 leaf removals on 1/2 acre lots a day. They have a crew of three but thats only one more guy than I have. So I don't think the extra person would make it faster.

BUT the leaf loader trucks I keep seeing around must really speed things up.

Does anyone have any advice to make the process we have quicker? Also it seems I'm in a lowballer area because people say $80 is way too much because guys do it for $45 for the same size lawn.

Any advice?
 
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#2 ·
You have a fair price, the other businesses won't be able to bring in enough profit to keep afloat. Im not sure what size tarps you use but I use apprx. 10'x15' tarps, if you put a couple bricks or rocks along the edge you can blow the leaves onto the tarp instead of raking. Otherwise invest in a leaf vaccum, that is one of next years investment's for my company.

-Michael
 
#5 ·
I'm solo/part time & tarped leaves for 3 seasons by myself. 5X7 tarp is what I use cuz I seem to over load if I use bigger. Did good this leaf season & invested in used stuff to help next year to go full time. EZ Dumper $1200, Giant Vac Leaf Loader $150 (NO engine), looking at Honda 20hp $600. Savings on back & efficency = priceless.

Watch craigslist for deals!
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#6 ·
The only time I use a rake is when I have a clump of leaves in a small area, its just faster for me to pull them out of their than to sit there with the blower and watch them move little by little.

I can't remember details but if I recall properly another landscaper that I keep in contact with used an old blower in reverse. So it would suck up the leaves and then blow them into the truck and he only spent $300-$400 on it. You just have to make your own brackets and fit the proper size tubing to it on your own.

-Michael
 
#7 ·
I have been looking at used leaf collectors but they're for mowers but I could use just the engine part with the vacuum housing and just route the hose to my truck bed. I can mount the sucker on my trailer to pull behind the truck. I've seen a few for cheap but they're only like 5HP. Would that be nearly enough to suck up leaves and put them into my truck? I know the systems are meant to be used with a mower but just wondering if something like that could get me by until I can spend the big bucks.
 
#8 ·
So a crew of two is making $160/day???????

Have you tried grinding the leaves up with the mower a bit first to reduce the volume and "loose" some of them to the turf? I have a leaf loader but prefer to just bag the leaves with my mower, albeit a zero turn rider with a rear bagger.
 
#10 ·
Try mulching the leaves then bagging with a walker...reduces the leaves to almost nothing, more passes,less to haul off....try it and see
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I plan on buying out another small company that has a really nice walker, I can't wait to use it.

Investing in a walker kills two birds with one stone, you get your ztr mower and your leaf vaccum. The cost is about equal between buying a top model commercial mower and a vaccum vs. buying a walker. Not to mention they have the best cut quality in the industry bar none. (not trying to start an argument). :weightlifter:

-Michael
 
#11 ·
I have been looking at used leaf collectors but they're for mowers.
Do you serch different KEY WORDS? You say leaf collector in this post, do you try others.

I searched with seperate search for each

Leaf loader
Truck loader
Leaf vac
Leaf vacuum

Leaf loader turns up the most results but if someone don't call it leaf loader it won't come up in search
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#12 ·
The few leaf loaders I have found they want way too much for them. I do have a walk behind leaf vac but it doesn't do that well honestly and its the size for a push mower and about two strips fill the bag. I may try mowing them first and try sucking up the rest with my walk behind leaf vacuum.

I still think blowing them to the curb and sucking them up with a leaf loader seems like the fastest method. I mean really we can get usually have the entire lawn blown into piles within 20 minutes or less. But the tarping them into the back of the truck bed and taking a few trips to the dump site is very time consuming.
 
#13 ·
I have tried using a leaf loader and to me it's like moving the mountain to the man rather than the man to the mountain. You have to get all those leaves where you can get your truck, and then it's still work to operate the loader. Maybe on smaller properties it's no big deal, but when you have to move leaves hundreds of feet it can be a problem, so now you're back to tarps, blowing long distances or using a leaf plow, which can compact the piles. I know they have their place, but leaf loaders aren't the answer to everything by any means, and a small one is next to useless on wet leaves.
 
#14 ·
Do you have 4' side boards? If not, for cheap route buy 2X2's & 3/8 plywood. Personaly I don't like plywood look. 4' sides=less trips to the dump. Time = Money.
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#15 · (Edited)
My experience has been with leaves it takes X amount of effort to remove Y amount of leaves and there is really no way around it you just have to get in there and do them, whether you rake them or blow them or tarp them or suck them or chop them up, doesn't matter, the easiest and fastest way to get them done is to get in there and do them.

The reason I say that is because the longer I wait, the harder it gets.
Rain, frost, snow, ice, procrastination, all of that only aggravates things, making the clean ups harder and harder as winter progresses.
So the sooner the better, right now is a very good time, knock them out, get them done, tough as it may sound but that is the easy way.

Not sure how you do things but in my world easy means profit, won't get rich doing it but more customers are willing to
pay less, so the faster it gets done the less they have to pay the easier I can make ends meet, the happier everyone is.

That having been said I like running over mine with the lawnmower once or twice, shreds them down to smaller bits... Still takes about as long to clean up but I find the wind plays less aggravating games with me, the smaller pieces some get lost in the turf meaning less to clean up, and the final pile is MUCH smaller (meaning more customers are likely to allow me to leave them in their yard, and if I have to haul them it takes less loads).

But ultimately it still takes what it takes.
Effort.
 
#16 ·
i'm gonna agree with darryl here and say if you have to remove the leaves, a ztr with a rear mount bagger bagger is probably one of best ways. I also have a leaf loader, and that is the answer for some lawns, but not all. mine is a giant vac 16hp works pretty good and i picked it up for only 1600 with a motor from 2009 on it and new impeller and considering they are 5000+ for new one i think 1600 is a pretty good price considering how much faster you can load a big quantity of leaves, and how much easier it is. The leaf plow is good for pushing piles to the curb if the town is going to take them away, or they are going into the woods.

also 160 a day sounds really really cheap for two guys, I just did a 160 dollar clean up with 2 guys plus myself on the cheetah with a bagger system and literally, I just had my two guys blow out the beds and I cut the lawn and I was done, took about 50 mins and I filled my 8ft bed full over the bed rails of shredded leaves, and pine needles, the crappy part is we have to unload it by hand still and that stuff is packed down good usually. but with 3 people we can unload it in 5 mins so its not too bad.
 
#17 ·
Couple more tips...

Always LEARN which way the wind blows, every yard.
Learn from your mistakes, too.

You may find this hard to believe but chances are the wind will be blowing the SAME way next year.
And if it doesn't so be it but when it does, the second time around will be easier you already know how to go about it.

Profit also lies in doing a lot of the same work repeatedly.
5 or 10 years into it, same yard used to take me 4 hours now takes 2.
Because I learned a few tricks.

That's another one there's just no way around it, you have to get out there and do it.
I can give you hints and tips but what works for me may or may not work for you.
Just have to get out there, tarp and rake, blowers, you name it, do it.
Faster you get to it, sooner it gets done, the more you learn.

Next year will be better.
 
#18 ·
I plan on buying out another small company that has a really nice walker, I can't wait to use it.

Investing in a walker kills two birds with one stone, you get your ztr mower and your leaf vaccum. The cost is about equal between buying a top model commercial mower and a vaccum vs. buying a walker. Not to mention they have the best cut quality in the industry bar none. (not trying to start an argument). :weightlifter:

-Michael
All baggers have extremely good cut quality, I'll bet a side by side test with various dedicated baggers would be hard to tell difference
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#19 ·
Everyone has a different opinion, Walker's have one of, if not the best cuts and they are designed to pick up clippings and leaves. A few other mowers with vacuum baggers can be very close to the quality and the cheaper cost draw most towards "regular" zero turns instead of spending the money on the Walkers.

-Michael
 
#20 ·
Over the years I've heard this mower cuts so much better than that one...never seen much of a difference ...the blade is doing the work,while the deck can somewhat allow for more suction onto the chute ....making grass stand up straighter possibly ....they do cut nice....
I don't like to haul off organic material and dirt....
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#21 ·
80 bucks for a half acre,

My word.

We did a simple town lot, 100 x 40, 5 mature trees, three hours, $150.00

And that's just getting them to the curb, no hauling. Would have probably been two trips with the leaf loader and 6 yard box.

............
 
#22 ·
Everyone has a different opinion, Walker's have one of, if not the best cuts and they are designed to pick up clippings and leaves. A few other mowers with vacuum baggers can be very close to the quality and the cheaper cost draw most towards "regular" zero turns instead of spending the money on the Walkers.

-Michael
how old is the walker you have now?
 
#25 ·
leaves and weeds are the biggest pain the @$$, at least with weeds you have the option to spend money on machinery. All you can do with weeds is pull them and make sure you put down a pre-mergent for next time.

-Michael
 
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