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Do you guys usually leave clippings at house?

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5.9K views 51 replies 22 participants last post by  alpine692003  
A
#1 ·
Do you guys haul away the grass clippings of client's or do you leave it in the back yard for the city to take away?

I usually leave bags of grass clippings in the client's back yard for the city to take away, but I'm beginning to think this is unprofessional!

But if I were to haul it away, I would have to charge them a disposal fee!
 
M
#2 ·
When I pick up clippings, I'm set up to haul clippings off without putting them in bags. That's a time saver. But disposing of the clippings is not. At least 6 days a week I'm not doing the mowing right before the waste disposal truck comes thru the customer's neighborhood. So the clipplings are just going to sit there in the sun from 1 to 5 days and start to really stink. That is the main reason I just get rid of them myself.

I've never had a very good response when I tell someone there will be a disposal fee. Now it's just built into the rate I charge.
 
A
#3 ·
How did you have a built in rate for your service for disposal fee?

Instead of charging $35 you charged $45 for hauling away ?

Hmm.. I'm beginning to think, I should get the mulching kit for my 21" honda commercial mower.

I do not want to be bagging when the spring/summer rolls around because of what you just said, the sun will be shining on the bags of grass clippings and stink.

But if we haul the grass clippings away, we have to charge a disposal fee which the customer wont like!

Argh, Im not sure what to do in this situation!
 
A
#5 ·
the lawns arent that big, it's under 10,000 sq feet of grass.

I plan on buying a mulching kit for my honda, currently I'm using the bagging and I didnt know how much work was involved in this last job I did..

I 6 bags literrally full of grass clippings on a 4,000 sq feet house.

I had to double cut the lawn! Can you believe it?
 
M
#6 ·
Right. If I look at a new lawn and think it will likely work out better to bag than blow or mulch, the price I quote is a little higher. I tell the customer why I am recommending bagging: irrigation, extra healthy Bermuda, whatever. I don't necessarily tell them the price I just quoted is a little higher than it would be if not bagging. We're supposed to be the experts telling them the best way to maintain their lawn, aren't we? So sometimes it's best not to offer a choice.

I might add that sometimes I'm bagging for MY benefit or convenience, too. Like there are small areas where you just don't have any place to direct the clippings without making a heck of a lot more work with a blower after the mower is done.
 
A
#7 ·
Ah I see..

Currently I am bagging, it's extra work and I just leave it at the customer's backyard for city to pickup.. To me, that would seem a bit unprofessional and make the customer not to pleased.

I am currently thinking about going to a mulching kit for my commercial 21" mower. I will see how that goes..

Anyways, when the grass is long and wet do you still mulch? I wouldn't imagine so correct? you would then bag right?
 
A
#9 ·
BigED : I've had calls from customer's already, yes!

I had to cut 1 lawn , err.. DOUBLE CUT because it was so long and tall..

The ground was uneven, grass was long..

I told the customer's son, that in this situation I will be scalping the grass and I have to double cut because the ground surface is uneven! I think this was one of the hardest lawn's I've had to cut and IT HAD A FREAKING SLOPE!

I had to bag this customer's lawn as well, and I just left the 6 bags full of grass clippings in the rear for the city to haul away!

He was very happy with our job, I was like good honda mower :)

But from now on, I will be purchasing a mulching kit on my mower and using the mulcher; it'll be much easier work!

If I get these church bids, you can guarantee I will be using a mulching kit!
 
G
#10 ·
1. if customer inisists on weekly bagging, we wont take that account
2. if things get away from us, and we have to put the bagging system on the machines, I put the plastic bags into the Z hopper. (thanks Hoss). Ez to pull out and tie . If trash pick up is the same day or the next day, we'll put the bags out with the trash. If pick is beyond 24 hours, we take the clippings with us

Its rare that we have to bag but it happens occasionally in spring

We do not charge extra for the bagging since its our choice to do it in the first place and we are the ones who let the grass get too long
 
A
#11 ·
Ya, thats what I would of thought..

I wouldn't want to bag in the summer/spring time if the pick is 48hrs plus, because of the fact that the sun will be shining on the bag and it will smell.

I would much rather using the mulching blades and mulch, rather then using a bagging system!

I think I'll try mulching for now, until otherwise noted!
 
#12 ·
Have you considered upgrading your equipment? A 21" Honda is a good mower but in my case is only a trim mower. I only have one longtime customer that I use a Lawnboy 21" at and that is only about 1000K of lawn. Even then it is never bagged. I am not tryin to tell you how to run your business, just suggesting that if you get more effiecint equipment, it wouldn't be such a pain to do what your customers want. Have you considered a walk behind or a Z? You would definately be quicker and then you may also find that you can mulch or side discharge so that the clippings are virtually invisible.
More HP, deeper decks and mulching blades will be a great investment. If you have to bag, you can add a bigger catcher and empty less which saves time. Its all about time and efficiency. Good Luck.
 
B
#14 ·
i used to think leaving a barrel of grass at the clients home was not proffessional. now, i think carrying around rotton grass in the back of the truck, is unprofessional. not to mention, now that that grass is there, i have to clean the truck first if i need to pick up some mulch or stone. dump fee here=$200 a load for grass, and a long drive and long line to wait in. i'll pass on the bagging. i have a couple clients i bag and take away. clippings are kept in barrels in back of the truck, and disposed of at the end of each day......after dark...
 
D
#17 ·
Alpine 692003;
In this area almost everybody bags clippings. The hightest priced gardner in this town leaves his clippings for the city trash pickup so so we could argue if that is unprofessional or not. I personally bid every lawn with bagging and hauling in mind so if I mulch that is just a bonus. For me it is quicker to bag than mow over clumps or blow the grass that gets stuck to the concrete due to mulching. Dump fees are real cheap herea nd the grass is being composted so I am ok with doing it this way.
Tom
 
W
#18 ·
Alpine,
You may want to contact a local nursery in your area. When I
collect clippings, which is very rarely, I have worked it out with
a local nursery to dump clippings there. The owner composts the
clippings and uses it as fertilizer on his field grown stock. There
are other mowers in the area who are doing the same thing. With
that being said I almost never collect clippings and when I do it
is built into the charge of the mowing because it was my decision to do it for a better looking end product
 
A
#20 ·
I am not the only one cutting grass right now am I? You guys must be cutting grass as well, some of you!

I have been receiving some phone calls already through my newspaper ad..

I was looking at the 42" Walkbehind.. but that's too big, I will get a 36" after I've been busy and get going!

Is there NOBODY out there doing maintenance work right now on their grass? Over here in Vancouver, it's sunny /cloudy and kinda warm ...
 
#21 ·
dump fee here=$200 a load for grass

Wow thatÂ’s insane first thing first how big is that load. When I was paying to dump my grass here it cost me 10 dollars to empty my ram 1500 so were talking 2 yards of grass or 5 dollars a yard. And thatÂ’s nothing since Oct iv get to dump free at the farm next door. But $200 dollars even my 18-yard leaf box if I was paying to dump that would only be $90 it sounds like the Sopranos really do control the waste industry where you live.
 
B
#24 ·
gar, u werent invited? some gathering at hooters . rod went, turfdude went. i wasn't invited. i thought u would go. anyhow, yup you heard me. $200 american dollars. it used to be $5 a yard. then it went up to $20 a yard, then the dumps here were closed down by the e.p.a. now, this guy i know who uses walkers, said he has to go to this place, about 30 min drive, to dump. they charge him $200 plus tax for his 5 yard dump full of grass. p.s, since i started side discharging with mulchers, and doubles, i've noticed that the lawns that used to take a beating in the hot months, hold up much nicer.
 
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