If you were a one man show, doing only Residential work. Cut, trim, edge and blow (with a 36" WB). How many lawns accounts would you want to have (or could handle). Most lawns around here are 1/4 to 3/4 acre lots. How many days a week would you work to get that number of lawn done?
How many lawns could you handle
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First of all I wouldn't be doing that many residential lawns of 1/4 to 3/4 acres with a 36". LOL. A 52" or so would be so much more productive.
Sticking with your 1/2 acre average, I would say 40 a week is a good number. If they are pretty close you could do them in 4 to 4 1/2 days and that would leave time to do other services like hedges. That would also leave you time to catch up after rains. That would be with a 52 inch mower or so. And if they are scattered out, you really need to think about narrowing your territory.
Sticking with your 1/2 acre average, I would say 40 a week is a good number. If they are pretty close you could do them in 4 to 4 1/2 days and that would leave time to do other services like hedges. That would also leave you time to catch up after rains. That would be with a 52 inch mower or so. And if they are scattered out, you really need to think about narrowing your territory.
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I do 30 a week and they are in the size range that you describe. I work 7 to 8 hrs. a day, 5 days a week. Since this was an especially difficult year to cut grass due to the persistant rains my 50" didn't come off the trailer very often and my 36" cut probably 80% of the grass. Last year because of the drought my 50" cut probably 80% of the grass and I spent about 6 to 7 hrs. a day, 4 days a week cutting grass. It varies from year to year and in 6 years of doing this I have seen no 2 years that were alike.
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Are you solo....30- 40 week depending on number of days
two-man.........40- 70 week depending on number of days
3-man...........70- 100 week depending on number of days.
two-man.........40- 70 week depending on number of days
3-man...........70- 100 week depending on number of days.
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Solo with only a 36 walk? Try to find another larger 52+ walk. FAR more productive.
10 per day tops
I had my rider go down my second year, had to do 65 in 5 long days with a 36 belt drive...no fun!
10 per day tops
I had my rider go down my second year, had to do 65 in 5 long days with a 36 belt drive...no fun!
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OK, my lots range from 1/4 ac to 1 1/2 ac. the majority are 1/3, with a 52 in TT hydro I do 59 lawns solo in 4 days, cut trim edge blow and go, maybe 30 hours/week, 50 during the spring rush, including travel time and load/unload time. Your time may vary depending on inseam, fitness, desire to pay bills, etc.
Thanks all .... I know the 36" is not the best thing to have. I needed something to start with and the 36" would fit thru the fence gates. I will get a large rider when I can. As of now, I cut part time after my day job. I just wanted a good idea of what it would take to go full time. Thanks again.
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I used to do 70 a week with my 21", but I always skipped lunch and worked overtime daily and on Saturday. Now I cut 45-50 a week with my 36 and have time to spare on side work, lunch, business errands, etc.
Leaving yourself time to catch up from rain is very important, too. In my 70 lawns/week days, a day and a half of rain would mean leaving 22 or more customers through the weekend. Imagine getting that many calls on a Saturday night...
-TGC
Leaving yourself time to catch up from rain is very important, too. In my 70 lawns/week days, a day and a half of rain would mean leaving 22 or more customers through the weekend. Imagine getting that many calls on a Saturday night...
-TGC
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Get yards without fences.
When I bought my first walkbehind I was also going to buy a 36" thinking that was perfect. Well, I found a deal on a used 54" Bobcat that I couldn't pass up. I wouldn't have been happy with the 36". For the few fenced in back yards I could have gotten into, I would have been wasting time at 90% of my accounts.
I went against my own belief a few years ago, however. My Grasshopper broke and I thought I had better go get a walk behind to use while it was broken. So I decided a 36" was the way to go. I would use it for a short time while the Grasshopper was down and then I would have a 36" to get in fenced areas. Guess what, the Grasshopper was broken longer than expected. Now I did save around 1 1/2 hours a week or so cutting lawns with the 36" that I would have cut with a 21", but I wasted 15 + hours cutting with a 36" what could have ben cut with a 52".
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Did I say 30? I meant 300... and then I go to work at my full time DAY job. Puh-leaze.
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103 a week solo???? 5 days a week???? Are you superman????
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Could be done. I have 5 adjacent postage stamp lawns which take under an hour to do @22 each. I believe travel and load time is what really eats into productivity.
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under an hour ok lets say 45 min. for 21 lawns a day...that would be 15 hrs 45 min...(not including travel time) ..is there enough light in the day...????
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I meant under an hour for all 5 total. If he has his route filled with this type, takes an hour per 5, allow 15 min for load/travel and he can maybe do 25 per 6 1/2 hour day.
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I understand that someone could just cut grass at that rate..but there is other variables that need to be taken care of...estimates, billing..that take up time...landscaping...trimming hedges/shrubs...I still think thats pretty fast. He must be rolling in the dough...
[Edited by LoneStarLawn on 10-13-2000 at 02:57 AM]
[Edited by LoneStarLawn on 10-13-2000 at 02:57 AM]
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I think that any further claims to mowing production should include: size and type of mowers used, conditions of lawn (are they usually wet?, type of grass, how infested with weeds are they? etc.), size of lawns, amount of trimming per lawn, amount of edging per lawn, amount of blowing needed, height of cut, how much grass you're cutting off, amount of money you make per cut, distance traveled between cuts, type of cut (are you roundy rounding, stripeing square, stripeing on an angle?) and (and this is an important one) quality of cut when finished. Are your lines straight? Did you leave sprigs of grass sticking up everywhere?
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One better, in an older thread I had started Stone said he and a partner mow 40 a day, he never said how many days a week he does this.
http://www.lawnsite.com/showthread.php?threadid=177
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