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Hows the Fall Cleanups Going

9K views 62 replies 36 participants last post by  STIHL GUY 
#1 ·
Going not so good here. I think its my area. Maybe some other guys from Oklahoma, Texas, or Missouri can chime in. Of course this is my first year at, but I have seen more then I'd like to experiece thus far. As said many times before, these people only want to pay pennies on the dollar for large quantities of leaves being removed. And it seems $40/hr is too high? WTH. People around here are comfortable with $10-$15 max, rather it takes you 30 minutes or half the day. Im beginning to think its a waste of time, not to mention dusty, dirty, hard to breathe, and itchy. I know some of you guys make some killer profits from fall leaf cleanups, but doesnt seem to be the case here. At least I haven't seen it yet. Maybe I should stick with the grass.:laugh:
 
#3 ·
Welcome to the wonderful world of fall cleanups. I am not a fan of them either. This year, the only cleanups I am doing is showing up and mowing weekly on my regular accounts that have leaves. I will just mulch weekly until they are gone. My customers are fine with this, so far so good. Just charging my regular mowing rate. Usually requires going over the lawn twice, but with no edging or trimming its works out ok.
 
#5 ·
Uhm I haven't had much of a chance to get the blower warmed up yet, my back hasn't felt the pleasure of Santa Claus style tarp loads either, at least not in earnest.

With the lawns I'm also just using the mower and for the most part skip the trimming, just doesn't need it thou I do catch those few high spots the trimmer sees a few minutes of use, then the blowing takes a bit longer at times but all in all I've been charging either the same or 5-10 bucks extra (some of the stuff got deep on me lol) it's not bad, no complaints.
 
#6 ·
Fall cleanups are slow going in the Northeast because of an unusually warm October. From MA to SC leaves are very slow changing and dropping even slower than usual. Last year my company was done competely with Fall Cleanups on the 28th of November...that ain't gonna happen this year, mid December I would estimate right now and hopefully no early snow surprise.

As far as cleanups, I don't negotiate and never plan to. Although I never mention hourly rates, my job estimates are based on them. Simple backback and WB blowers run at $50 - 55 an hour and running the 61" and 72" Z's with clamshells are at $75 an hour minimum.

If people have a problem with that, fine. Then just get someone else is all. One less property to clean up makes it that much sooner I can get all our trucks and plows ready for snow plowing is all.
 
#9 ·
I personally don't want to do fall cleanups because it is a pain in the ass and my blower is a gas guzzler. I sent a letter to all my customers saying I charge $40 and hour.
 
#10 ·
Im in Tulsa and have 24 of my 60 accounts signed up for regular leaf cleanup visits. Two of these are weekly and the others are bi-weekly. All but two of these accounts I am able to mulch up with my Quik Trak. I charge $40 per hour (I am solo) with a $50 minimum.
This is my 5th yr doing leaves and I really have all the work I can (and want) to handle.
It is dirty, dusty..The two accounts that I cannot mulch suck because I have to blow the leaves and then tarp them into my trailer....LABOR INTENSIVE.
Anyway, this keeps me in money until the end of the year. Then in January I have a couple of grotesquely overgrown beds to clean. That should keep me busy until almost February.
 
#11 ·
Ditto the others that said just keep on them weekly/EOW till they are gone. I think it's NUTS to let them pile up till every leaf is off the trees, not to mention the neghibors don't appreicate that too much if they try to keep their property clean!

Basically just charging weekly mowing rates, but some get an extra 10 or 15 bucks tacked on for a week or two because of the amount of blowing out involved.

I'm bagging everything, well, almost. Have a couple large lawns that I can actually get by with mulching the leaves on. Everything else gets one quick pass to mulch them up (if they are pretty thick) and then over again to suck everything up. It's AMAZING how much I can get in the catcher doing it this way, and the bags get heavy as heck. Truck sags pretty good in the rear by the time it's stomped down a few times and heaped up!
 
#12 ·
Why in the hell you even bother getting out of bed in the morning for $40 an hour? Seriously especially for something as crappy as leaf clean-ups. Obviuosly none of you are wearing respirators either. Thats ok though when you a few of you fall out because of mold in your lungs. Hopefully in ourea so there are that many more customers back on the market.











Holy crap!!!!!


I'm sorry but man that is low.

I can make $30 dollars an hour working for at&t as a field technician after abour 3 years there. Plus all that over time at guess what more then you all are charging per hour.

Cheap, cheap, fun,fun!!
 
#13 ·
Leaf clean ups are the best. I love doing them. Except for the rain and wind, but other than that doing clean ups is easy. Tarp loads and wb blowers are a thing of the past with a leaf plow and Redmax 8000's. We still use the wb to keep the pile moving fast. Basically it is always behind the line of 4 bp blowers, its sole purpose is to be the wind behind our backs. When the pile starts moving slow hit it with the leaf plow to the loading location.
As far as the cost goes. The cost not by a hourly rate, but by my estimate of difficulty(shrubs and obsticals) leaf quantity, Ztf leaf plow access. Basically I estimate a set price for a property and do 3 clean ups. My only weak link is a 16hp loader it was good for 2-3person operation, but now with 5ppl and a leaf plow I'm thinking of a 27hp or a municple tow behind loader to keep the pace up...
 
#15 ·
Being i'm only fourteen, i'm pretty cautious about the jobs i take on. I screwed myself last year with a few, and those are lessons i will never forget.

I sent out flyers to everyone on my QuickBook list (anyone i have ever sent an invoice to). I've gotten good response, and have all this weekend and all next week booked with jobs. I bid jobs by the hour, at $60/hour, but i don't share that with the customer.

In a few years, i plan on getting either the two bin, or three bin bagger for my ZTR. I'd get it sooner, but i have to get some other stuff first.

-Mitch-
 
#16 ·
Forgot this in my last post.
In jersey the grass during a normal year stops growing 1st or 2nd week in nov. Our contract for lawn mowing goes every week till the end of Oct. Leaf cleans ups usually start first week of nov. It takes us 2 weeks to get through the route. So everyone is on a bi-weekly schedule. This keeps the leaves from pileing up and killing the grass. And it makes the volume more manageable.
 
#17 ·
I think we will start subbing out our leaf clean-ups to members of lawnsite. Then we can sit back and take the fall off and let the money keep rolling in.
Well, rather than berate us for our low prices, why dont you tell us what you charge? Maybe us low-ballers will learn something from you. Then perhaps we can run our businesses as succesfully as you. At $40 per hour, I am about in the middle of the pack for the Tulsa area. And besides, alot of my jobs only take about 45 minutes...and I have a $50 minimum.
Still, I would really like to hear more of your opinion. I think we have all enjoyed it so far.
 
#18 ·
It's a regional thing. $40/hr may be good for you in Tulsa, but in Boston that's terrible. What I say is $60/hr may be much less to you. Look at housing costs and its a good indicator... A lot of us are from the east coast, New England especially - and we have the highest living costs in the country.
 
#19 ·
I think you are right about that Josh. That is why some prices sound crazy..they work in one part of the country but are not adequate in another.
It is important to me to charge what I can though...I dont want to be the cheapest but I dont want to price myself out of the market either.
 
#20 ·
It's a regional thing. $40/hr may be good for you in Tulsa, but in Boston that's terrible. What I say is $60/hr may be much less to you. Look at housing costs and its a good indicator... A lot of us are from the east coast, New England especially - and we have the highest living costs in the country.
I feel the same way. Josh are you up in Gloucester/Rockport?
Wherever you are in Eastern Ma, I bet your dealing with the same problem I am.. 1/2 the leaves down and Big time Stresss!! :dizzy:
 
#21 ·
I think you are right about that Josh. That is why some prices sound crazy..they work in one part of the country but are not adequate in another.
It is important to me to charge what I can though...I dont want to be the cheapest but I dont want to price myself out of the market either.
Your local LCOs will be much more helpful with this than we can. Try to network with them - they will appreciate it because you will not be low-balling their biz away from them.
 
#25 ·
For those of you who think I'm low I want you to reconsider. I have no employees. I don't haul leaves to the lawnfill. All leaves are left onsite. Most of my jobs take the same amount or less time than cutting their grass. I use a $250 Little Wonder blower and a BR600. On 1 (one) job I mulch the leaves down into the turf. My fuel costs per job are around $1.50, maybe $3.00 worst case. It costs me less money to handle the leaves than it does to cut the grass so where's the harm in charging the way I do? I am making more money on leaves than I do on grass. Oh, and did I mention that I'm on the high end of the scale for rates?
 
#26 ·
For those of you who think I'm low I want you to reconsider. I have no employees. I don't haul leaves to the lawnfill. All leaves are left onsite. Most of my jobs take the same amount or less time than cutting their grass. I use a $250 Little Wonder blower and a BR600. On 1 (one) job I mulch the leaves down into the turf. My fuel costs per job are around $1.50, maybe $3.00 worst case. It costs me less money to handle the leaves than it does to cut the grass so where's the harm in charging the way I do? I am making more money on leaves than I do on grass. Oh, and did I mention that I'm on the high end of the scale for rates?
Wow. Want to come work on Long Island? I'll pay you 40$ and hour, you use your equipment.
 
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