You're not my supervisor. I'll do it on overgrown lawns so that the tall stuff that just falls over from the trimmer gets chopped up with the mower instead of leaving it on the ground after mowing.

 

Ditto! Who wants to rake/blow chit you can just mow over!
Honestly only an Idiot would do this job assbackwards then tell people its the correct way.. Amazing!

 

Theres a guy who mows my neighbors yard who does this and I never understood why, except maybe because he's cuttin' in the morning and wants to give some extra time for the morning dew to burn off.

 

What's dumb is for someone to come on here and act like an expert on everything and tell everyone else how it should be done.

Everyone has their own method. What's it matter to you? I prefer to trim first for the reason mentioned above and for a few others as well. The only thing in your OP that is right is that it ain't rocket science.

 

I agree

 

Its all about perspective. As long as it looks good when you leave a job, doesn't matter how one mow's a lawn. Sometimes, trimming tall grass and edging can create quite a mess, and you must mow afterwards to mulch the clippings up. I If I mow first then trim last, it could leave a mess behind that requires more time getting the mower out again. Sometimes, depending on the shape of the yard and obstacles , trimming first can make the job easier. If I am tired, I will trim first so I can mow, blow and leave, trimming is the hottest part of the job. If I am doing a spiffy job, I will trim and edge first, then blow all the clippings into the lawn, then, mow, then blow again! Super duper Spiffy!

 

If you have to mow first, then trim so you can see how much to take off. You haven't mowed enough!

 

We always trim before mowing.

 

I just this year have switched to mow first. It has encouraged me to get a little closer with the mower, so there's less trimming afterward.

I'm torn 50/50. I like doing the harder part first, then sitting & resting on the mower after.

But I also like mowing first, and then having the option to skip trimming various areas where it isn't needed- especially as things slow down when it's dry.

 

good points

in terms of 'mowing is easier than trimming' though, either way it all has to get done.

I trim, then blow everything onto the lawn including what was trimmed of course, street leaves or debris like oak catkin, then mulch mow it, and then follow up with a quick blow and it looks clean.

If you mow every 5 days or something and thus the grass clippings from trimming are small it doesn't really matter though, and if there's no oak catkin or leaves etc in the street gutter etc.

I actually sort of enjoy trimming and hate blowing.

 

I typically blow, mow, then trim!

 

What's this triming and blowing part I hear about?

 

We run Walker GHS mowers. We trim first, edge, blow off walks, then mow with the vacuum mowers. (For those not familiar with a GHS Walker.) Sometimes if the grass is heavy I will blow the walks a second time, but not always. We do it in that order so the mower can vac up all the grass and debris on the yard for perfect finish. If we mowed then trimmed, there would be dead grass lying around everything. We found the same thing when we blew the walks off last.

Gotta find what works best. Personally I prefer to trim first even when using a discharge mower. I think it looks better.

 

Trim, mow, blow. Always and forever. Get the worst step out of the way first. Works for me. Whats next, you gonna tell me how I should wipe my ass

 

yes wipe from front to back !!! Lol

 

I know, it's horribly shocking to see that but I don't care, if they do it wrong that's just more customers who will call me!

 

I'm sorry for my ignorance. Can you tell me why this is factually wrong, and why a customer would care?

I've only been doing this for a bit, but I always trim first and then cut. Most of mine are regulars who I've cut quite a few times. Seems like it cleans up trim clippings by mowing afterwards, rather than leaving clippings on a fresh-cut lawn.

It seems to me like either way is really okay as long as you know what needs to be trimmed and what doesn't.

If it's a new lawn that you don't know, then walking around with a trimmer lets you see anything in the yard that you might not want to run over with a mower.

My client's are all happy with my work, so I really don't give a damn about your opinion. But if you have actual empirical evidence, I'm really eager to learn.

 

I do it both ways it depends on the lawn that is getting cut. I have a few side by side lawns so being a solo go knocking out the trimming first helps with my fatigue.

 

Holy crap. When I first came on this forum, all the "pros" were talking down to anyone who dared to trim AFTER mowing because a "pro" knows exactly where is mower can and can not reach, and he trims FIRST, so the clippings get mowed over. LOL

I do it when the grass is tall, but otherwise, I trim afterwards.
I don't really give a crap what anyone else thinks I should do, I just do what's best for the task at hand.

I love this place. "Pros"... always good for a laugh.

 

Been trimming first since day 1. Main reason is I do not like footprints in the lawn after it's mowed. If I am going through the effort to stripe and double cut to disperse clippings, lawn will look top notch when I leave. No footprints!

 

 

Your goal should be eliminating as much trimming as possible with your mowers. Trimming first does not encourage this.

 

Why should that be my goal? And how does trimming first not encourage good mowing?

Enlighten me.....

 

also run walkers and trim first here. I edge last (hard surfaces). IMO- I love when you don’t see rolled or folded edges so this keeps things extra crispy. First edge of the season I will do before mowing but yes- keep all that dead grass off my lawns please.
Also, trimming first generally requires one person to essentially walk the property first- good habit.

 

@DMT29 I never thought about the foot prints!! Ah!

 

Yeah not saying there is a right or wrong way, however you want to manage your properties is cool. Some outfits here that do great work, striping through obstacles, etc. Then is see 3 guys walking all over it trimming. Ugh!!

 

Seeing as you have idle time to tell us how to operate maybe you should update your location to Canada instead of NY?

 

I always trim new accounts first so I can see all the variables. On my familiar accounts I change it up. Many of my accounts are a touch easier to mow when I’m NOT trying to get closer with my mower, where a trimmer can make quick and easy work if something.

 

I find it faster if I don’t trim, no trim may

 

Ill never forget seeing a guy deck rub a 200’ run on chain link

 

I was taught back in the day to trim after mowing, so that is what I do. But I can see how it could give a cleaner look if the grass is tall to trim beforehand so that the mower can go over the debris.

 

If your solo you could trim first or last. We run crew's of 2 to 3 people. So it all gets done at the same time. Some area's the trimmers will get there first, other areas the mowers get there first.
It don't matter!!!.
@DMT29 there is lots of truth in your leaving no footprints.
And for OP to say everyone needs to mow first ? Unless a person really doesn't know were a mower can and cannot fit, that's pretty sad

 

Unless a person really doesn't know were a mower can and cannot fit, that's pretty sad

If you've mowed for any length of time, you should be able to judge where you can and can't get with your mower and only trim that.

Absolutely!! Can walk a new lawn, and within seconds know what needs to be trimmed. And a current 15+ year customer that has been mowed close to 400 times, I hope I would know by then.

 

What this really boils down to is maximum grass cutting efficiency vs maximum aesthetics. Mowing first more maximum grass cutting efficiency. Trim first for maximum aesthetics.

On regularly maintained lawns the differences can be negligible however.

Another variable is what quality level is expected in any given setting. One must adapt for this as well.

 

I sometimes trim and mow at the same time!! That has taken me many years to prefect!! Then I will walk backwards with the mower to use it as a blower!! It’s all about being fast when your a solo mow guy with 100 lawn a week!!

 

Nothing wrong with trimming first but you might end up trimming a little more than needed. No sin in that though. It's what I routinely do on new accounts and overgrown ones. I wish I'd thought to trim first yesterday on an account that was at 3 weeks because I had to skip it due to other contractors working there. And when I had help my trimmer guy would often trim areas before I got to them with the mower. They learn where you can get the mower and where you can't. I think the end result is better when trimmed first because, as others have mentioned, the trimmings get mulched up. It's not always about being as fast as possible. Some put quality first...