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will you give us some mowers?

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promower

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Discussion starter · #1 ·
I had a a nonprofit hit me up on donating some lawn equipment so they could take care of there property. I asked what they were looking for so they sent me a list of stuff they needed.

(2) commercial WB
(1) commercial rider
(4) commercial trimmers
(1) commercial blower
(1) commercial edger

Sounds like kind of a lot to ask for I thought. I was willing to part with a few rakes, shovels and maybe a push mower but they are asking for some high ticket items. I know it would be a write off for me, but it would also be a write off for them to buy some used equipment or hire out. So now instead of companies taking the lowest bid I guess we should donate our equipment so they can do it them selves.:rolleyes: I suppose big companies can give stuff like this away, unfortunately for them my equipment is what pays the bills.
 
#2 ·
Forward that kind of thing to the big operators like Brickman and Valley Crest. An operation that's much smaller at all simply cannot afford that kind of donation unless the equipment is pretty banged up, in which case it's not much help to the party receiving the equipment.
 
#3 ·
Not to say there aren't legitimate causes worthy of donating to. . .but be aware. . .

Don't let the "nonprofit" status smoke-cloud confuse you into a "charity" sort of thinking. Most "nonprofits" are actually "not-for-profits" (which may intentionally say they are "nonprofit" either because they don't know the difference or, more frequently, because it plays to their advantage to act like they don't know the difference due to perks like this in which they may get some free equipment from someone) which merely means they have a tax-exempt status. It does NOT mean they don't earn a profit. If they don't earn a profit they go out of business. Otherwise they would not be legally called a not-for-profit "business". The difference is they must not pay those profits to shareholders - rather they must help the community with the profits.

In other words, by donating equipment to them, it simply makes them more profitable if they can save money by having a full-time maintenance person do the job you should be contracted to do; and with your equipment while the officers laugh at you all the way to the bank.payup
 
#4 ·
sounds like a former or wanna be LCO wrote that wish list. you would think if they are asking for something for nothin' they would ask for cheaper items like a lawn tractor, or donated service.

i mow for the local American Red Cross for nothing. about an acre of grass, i don't ask for a penny, but if they would ask for equipment, not from me, i would rather keep mowing for free.
 
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#5 ·
Asking for some small donations...okay.

Asking for my 6-12k mowers...get lost.

Give me a break, I can see asking for a mower...but to say "Commercial" Rider. What the heck do they need "Commerical" mowers for if it is just for there establishment????:dizzy:
 
#6 ·
LB1234 said:
Asking for some small donations...okay.

Asking for my 6-12k mowers...get lost.

Give me a break, I can see asking for a mower...but to say "Commercial" Rider. What the heck do they need "Commerical" mowers for if it is just for there establishment????:dizzy:
Click to expand...
exactly !!!!! you cant tell me that if and when they get that eqp. that they wont get some volunteers to start a mowing bus. for them . they have alterior motives ..beleive it...
 
#7 ·
LB1234 said:
Give me a break, I can see asking for a mower...but to say "Commercial" Rider. What the heck do they need "Commerical" mowers for if it is just for there establishment????:dizzy:
Click to expand...
exactly.

maybe once they get that equipment they'll start their own mowing crew...haha
 
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#9 ·
A little story I was told a few years back by one of the larger companies around,,,,
Once upon a time a small not for profit company did that here. They received many 21" and hand held items(trimmers, hedgers, hand tools and other misc.) Now about 13 years later they are the second largest LCO here. They use all handicapped people for work and make it hard to put in light commercial bids. They pull down the price for small commercial work by about 30% of what it should be. Beware.
 
#11 ·
funny.....we have a national 'non-profit' mob here I lost a very big commercial job to.....they come in with their gear, most likely donated and work for donations, so when groups start playing this game, they can go bite their asses!

Not all 'non-profit' groups do this obviously, but the ones that do are running a scam, they want your tools to compete against you! stinks!

Funnier even is how the place looks crap, and now they found a mower guy even cheaper!! yep, cheaper than a non profit group!

And people ask me why I'm so sick of this cheap assed industry here lol.
 
Discussion starter · #12 ·
Yeah I couldnt believe they actually specified "commercial" A lot of people outside the mowing industry dont even know what a WB mower is. I had the same gut feeling that any donations they recieved werent going to be only used for maintaining there grounds but rather to compete against the very contractor "helping them out" Next call I get will probably be asking for donations for marketing the new lawn biz the're starting up in the spring.
 
#13 ·
This post reminded me of one of my competitors running business out of donated equipment. He at first used donated tools and mowers to take care of two churches (high school kid helping churches out) but a year later, he got the hang and moved on to mow besides churches by getting into church-goers market and now he has good income and is doing real commercial full-time and still with a few of donated equipment and of course new rider!
 
#15 ·
You know damn well that there will be somebody there that will want to take it home to do their yard, and before you know it their cutting the whole neighborhood. Investagate what they do and see if they would rather have you do it for a reasonable price. If you don't like what they do or the don't like the idea of paying to have it done, then tell them to take off!!:cool:
 
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