First large fert. job

I about to sign my first acreage fert. account and I was wondering if I could get some opions on how I should bid this thing out. It's 13 acres with about a 2 acre pond, a putting green and a place for the guy to tee off from. Mind you all the golf surfaces are real and the customer cuts them himself. What I really need to know is how to bid it and what would be some good equipment to do it. I was thinking of getting a Kawasaki Mule and mounting it up with a 12 volt spreader and a spray rig.

 

Before you buy anything did this guy prepay for the year. If not I would entice him to prepay by giving him a 10% discount.

1. You could then buy all the fertilizer you need this year. Fertilizer prices will be going up next year.

2. The prepaid money could be used to help buy the equipment you will need to purchase.

3. If he is not prepaid and you buy all the equipment you need for this large job what will you do if he decides to cancel after 1 application.

Do have a ztr now? You can mount a spray/fertilizer setup on it.

 

Trugreen is probably going to come in at $60-75 an acre. Don't try to compete with them on price. $100 is fair, 90 is great. 5-7% prepay MAX! I use a Z-spray on a 12 acre driving range/practice area. Takes about 3 hours.

Don't include the greens and don't hit the greens!! They require a greens grade fertilizer, spoon fed more often than you will be there. You can sell that if you want to, but keep that seperate.

Also look into Anderson's 22-0-22 with 70% SCU. That is assuming you are doing 4 apps.

 

On buying the mule and setting it up to fert and spray. I did look into that and with the cost of everything and the need to hold a constant speed and turn sometimes in tight corners I wouldn't't go that route. If you have other good size properties I would look at getting a Z-Spray. My biggest property is about 15 acres in one place and it takes less than three hours to fert only and about 4 to do fert and spray at the same time. If they dont care about what you are putting down then that tells you they will probably go with lowest bid. Good luck on getting the bid.
Travis

 

$100 an acre? (Turfscape)

 

After materials and such, $200.00 per hr is good. But on a property that size I would'nt go below $125.00 per acre, and they wouldn't get my high end products either. I would be shooting for $300.00 per hr. I don't care what Tru-green charges. I see their prices all over the board sometimes they are %30 more than me, and other times they are %50 less. Hugh???
As far as the z-spray, yea its awesome. The mule Idea may sound cool, but not at all practical. As mentioned you need a contract for this job. That way you don't get burned.
Can't help you on the greens. speak with your fert rep. they should have whatever you may need.

 

If you can get more, great. You start talking about a property over 10 acres and you had better be in that range. $400 worth of product, 3 hours work, $1200 check. Works for me. I know my margins though.

 

I'm not saying that I would have any problem with that either, I have a z-max also. I have'nt used it and made less than $200.00 hr yet.

 

Me either. Great machines. I still chuckle when somebody says," Should I get a PG?" or "Is the extra cost really worth it?"

 

This will show my inexperience in this field. Other than the putting green and the t-box are the other 13 acres a field or does he keep all 13 acres cut like a fairway? Would some farm co-op be able to spread the field? Bulf fertlizer from a co-op is alot cheaper than individual bags and with a spreader truck much faster also. That way you wouldnt need to purchase alot of equipment for 1 job. That way you could purchase smaller equipment for the putting green and t-box that could be used on residential also. That would be my suggestion for a 13 acre field and a way to get started with out alot of cash up front