[Mikes Lawn Landscape]

The lawns I'm picking up all seem to be 1 acre props that havn't been mowed for a month right now I use a 42" LT to mow them.
Last night did a prop that took 1 hour to weed whack and 2 hours to mow give or take.

My theory is to get to about 75% capacity I'm only at 20% right now and get a ZTR.

My question is do I go ahead and get the ZTR first thing next spring or go ahead and wait until I get to the 75% capacity.

And the lawn I did last night had about 20 trees and some flower beds to mow around and had to double cut about 1/2 of it. Assuming the 42" LT took me 2 hours how much time could I shave off the mowing time with a ZTR say a 48"

Any help would be appreciated

 

[GraZZmaZter]

Do a search. There has been PLENTY of talk on this subject.

Personally i am confident in my marketing and selling abilitles and would go ahead and buy the equipment. ( it makes more of a challenge for me )

This is a tough time of year though and you may want to wait til spring if you think you cant pay the new mower note through the witner....

 

[work_it]

I know the initial clean-ups are taking up a lot of your time, but will get better as you become more familiar with the property. I would suggest holding off until spring/early summer. That way you can save enough money so that you can pay cash or be able to pay it off quick. Another thing to consider; how much leaf removal are you going to be doing this year? If you have enough business lined up you could get the mower now and let it pay for itself that way.

 

[Bluesteel]

It’s getting so late in the season that it might be better to wait for a great deal. As far as waiting until you get 75% of your estimated capacity, I wouldn’t wait. The only reason for me to wait on a new mower is saving up the cash, as financing is more risk than I’m willing to take (drought, flaky customers, etc.).

But it seems like work comes to those with the tools. Spending extra time cutting large properties with a small mower will leave you less time (and opportunity) to find the new accounts you’re looking for. Plus you never know what might catch a new customer’s eye and seeing a new mower seems to draw attention. Of course anyone can buy a mower, but having a ZTR at least makes you look serious about your profession.

 

[Bluesteel]

As far as going to a 48” ZTR from a 42” Walk Behind, the ZTR will be at least twice as fast at producing cut grass. Due to larger deck size, ground speed, and reversals.

An example of size increase alone: I have an account that takes 3 solid hours of mowing with my 52” Stander. When I tried it with a 61” Stander, it took just over 2 hours. That’s about 30%-33% faster by increasing the deck size 9” alone. I tested it twice, but wouldn’t have imagined that was possible.

Since you already have a 42”, you might think about a 52” or a 60” ZTR.

 

[John Gamba]

You will be better off with a 52" rider like the man of steel said. You will have better trimming on the left side.
John

 

[Mikes Lawn Landscape]

Thanks guys I will be shopping for my new ZTR this winter for purchase early spring I hope. Bluesteel I like your theory Buy it and they will come. GraZZmaZter you make sense buy the equipment and then get out there and get the business to pay for the beast.

Thanks everyone

 

[crawdad]

Mike, I like your sig line. Similar to mine, same theory. Some people need to be reminded that good reliable work ain't cheap.
Crawdad

 

[Mikes Lawn Landscape]

Crawdad I'm learning real quick the best thing for my business is to walk away from jobs that dont pay. Had a customer call the other night with 3 1/2 acres to do he described it and said it was a little overgrown because his mower was down. I get there and he had not weed whacked all season or mowed in a month. I quoted him $800 he said no thanks,and I smiled as I got in the truck because I knew for him to do it it would take him at least a week and some other poor LCO can have it and tear up their equip.

 

[Navig8r]

Mike..... consider this...... Shop now..... being late in the season, you may find a good deal on a 2003 machine. When I bought my Lazer last August, I got a financing deal with no payments till April, no Intetrest till March. So since I was goin to buy it this year anyway, I took it home last August instead..... was nice to be usin it for the rest of the season, and for leaves, with no payments.
Did I read it correct? Are you using a lawn tractor now?
If so, with your description of the lawn that took 2 hours, I think would be about 45 minutes to 1 hour, TOPS, on my Lazer. Much more manuverable around trees, and seldom need to double cut. Add that to higher ground speeds (I MOW faster than my old Wheel Horse could GO!) and you'll be amazed.

Do you know what you want yet???

Demo a machine and see what it can do for you.... then work the #'s to see if it's feasible.
Good Luck

 

[qualitylandscaping]

Navig8r got the same financing I got on my Lesco equipment..

No down payment. No payments until April 2004, and no interest until March 2004.. Financing rates vary but I would guess somewhere between 8.6% and 17% depending on brand and your credit history.. This financing option is available through Sheffield Finance, so any dealer that uses them should be able to give you that plan, if you qualify...

 

[Mikes Lawn Landscape]

Thanks navig8r i'll consider that I'm not sure how much leaf cleanup I can get. As far as which one I'll probably look at Exmark or Toro. Size will be my hardest decision because of gated props.

 

[Evan528]

Originally posted by Bluesteel
Plus you never know what might catch a new customer’s eye and seeing a new mower seems to draw attention. Of course anyone can buy a mower, but having a ZTR at least makes you look serious about your profession.

I know Ztrs dont catch anyones eye here. everyone of the 20 landscapers I pass on the road or see every day have a ztr or 2.....or 3... on there trailer. I take a second glance now in days if I see a landscaper mowing now with a walkbehind!

 

[mottster]

I would buy the ztr. using it on your current properties will allow you more time to advertise your service = more work in the end.

 

[Envy Lawn Service]

Mike,

Trust me bud...been there, done that! Just like you, up from a 42" lawn tractor.

First of all, you know your finances better than any of us and I trust you can make a wise decision about when you cn afford to make the purchase. Just don't be like me and put it off until the point you are at 100% capacity and can't take jobs because of the lack of equipment.

Next, don't be a tightwad when buying. Reguardless, this is a big investment, rather you save a grand or whatever. This is the tool you will be earning your living with, day in - day out. Be sure you are going to be happy with it.

Now for size....well that's relative. First you mention gated yards, are we talking squeezing through with the 42" LT? If so, here are the questions you need to ask yourself.

#1 - How good of condition is the 42" LT and how long can I depend on it to do the gated stuff?

#2 - How big of a Z can I use productively on the rest?

Now....if you think the 42" will be on it's way to the grave yard before you can afford to replace it, then you have issues. Then you have to take a look at what % of your current business requires that small of a mower and make a decision based on that. Either a new small mower or don't return to the gated stuff next year, depending on how much %.

Now if the 42" has plenty of life left, you'd be crazy not to get as big of a mower as you can productively use. By that I mean DEMO different size cuts and different overall lenght mowers before making a decision. Personally I did start to finish time studies on 48, 52 & 61 inch mowers before settling on a size. For me & my accounts, in the end I was more productive and less fatigued with the 48" Z. But that's not to say that you can't bust out a ton more production with a bigger mower if you have the right accounts. Overall I'd recommend a 60" class mower with a suspension seat or maybe even a Ferris IS 1000Z or IS 3000Z with the suspension if you can use it.

When I have time I'll come back to this thread and give you a little more info about the "truths" of the production differences between LT's and ZTR's.

 

[Envy Lawn Service]

Also as a side note, don't let anyone tell you that no 48" Z's have and trim on the deck. Most don't but a couple do. As far as I know, right here is the most trim you can get on a 48" ZTR.

 

[BSDeality]

check with your dealers, right now i can pick up a Z and not pay anything til April 01 2004.

 

[work_it]

Here's a question for you guys with 60" riders. I'm sure there's some other threads on this question and I'll research those as well, but my question is how much time will I save by going with a rider (looking at the 60" Lazer Z) during leaf clean-ups? I'm also looking at the bagging systems for this reason. Currently I'm running a 48" Bunton and have a grass catcher. Thanks for your input.

 

[mike9497]

get the work first that will pay for the ZTR and then some.this time of year you can get great prices on over stock equipment.since exmark is coming out with an updated lazer Z. the dealers will be pushing out the 2003 units now to make room for the 2004 models

 

[sundance]

I bought a Exmark last month and they had the same deal through a finance company, no payments until April, 2004