i try to wait until the ground is dried up a bit and not soft and muddy otherwise it will make ruts. if the grass is wet it doesn't matter. it's the soggy ground that causes problems.

most yards usually 75% of it the ground will be pretty hard and dried up but there will be a few low spots where it's still wet and soft or there will even be puddles in the yard you have to mow around.

heck i mowed a yard saturday and there was a big puddle maybe 20ftx50ft but the ground is still hard under it and i can just mow right over it with no issues through the water.

it's all about knowing the yards and where you can mow and where you can't. ditches can be the worst places.

i remember a few years ago i probably got stuck in ditches 5-6 times and had to pull the mower out with the truck and a tow strap.....but i lived and learned. i never get stuck anymore. i know what to avoid and when i can mow over something and when i can't. it's just something you learn with time. most likely you learn the hard way by getting stuck or by making a huge rut through the yard.

i guess if you mow in perfect yard neighborhoods you don't have to worry about this kind of thing since they drain off pretty well. the average yard however can take days to fully dry out after a rain.


it also has alot to do with what mower you use. if you use 21" small mower on small yards you can pretty much mow without problems unless it's really wet then the deck will clog up easily.

a 1400lb ztr mowing is a different story. the ground has to be drier before you can get out there and mow or you will make serious ruts all in the yard.

this week is a true test. it rained all day today. i'm hoping i can work some tomorrow. they are saying rain every day this week. all i can do is get to it when i can. if it rains solid all week nothing i can do but skip the whole week and start fresh on monday. :laugh:

you'd be surprised how much you can get in though. i'm sure i'll have to work saturday and maybe even sunday afternoon but i'll get it all in.

 

Thanks for that because I see some cutting wet grass and it is fine. I just didn't know what the clients will say. Some say if you cut it wet then the sun comes out HOT it tends to burn it. Didn't want an angry client.

 

Like Weeze said, you just have to know where you can and can't get away with mowing after rain depending on soil type and how much water they hold. As far as wet grass, if your mower doesn't clog up you should be fine, wet grass actually cuts better as the more water plant cells have the stiffer they are and the straighter the grass stands up.

 

I cut wet grass all the time and wet spots or clumping is the only issues. I normally just bag smaller properties if things are wet. Big ones double cut it.
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i've never heard that about the sun coming out and burning it. i think that is a myth.

cutting it when wet doesn't hurt anything even if the sun comes out hot right after. the yard actually will look the best if you mow it right after a rain or when the grass is still a bit wet if you can avoid damaging the soil with ruts and so forth. the main problem about mowing in the rain is the soil being too soft or the deck clogging up with clippings.

usually if mowing in wet conditions it's good to find a puddle and run the mower deck over it and it will clean the deck out for you.

even if you do make ruts in the yard they will go away. nothing you do is permanent and it can always be fixed later when the yard dries up. even ruts can be flattened out just by driving the ztr tires over them and smoothing them out when the yard is mostly dried out and the ground is still soft enough to move around a bit.

any divots made in the grass will go away too. the grass will grow back over them.

some people just don't understand the way things are. some think you can just come mow their yard once it's all dry again. they don't understand you have 20-40 other yards to worry about mowing too.

you can't fit them all into a 4hr window when it's raining all week long so you just have to do the best you can do.

you'll see all kinds of things out there. i see city workers and other companies mowing in the rain sometimes and they are just out there making a mess of things.

that doesn't mean you should do the same thing. you gotta just make your own decisions about when it's ok to mow and when it isn't. it's a learning process.

some big companies mow no matter what and never stop because they just have so much going on they can't afford to not work a day.

it all goes back to when you are booking your yards don't book yourself full 100% because then you have no room to work with. don't make it where you mow 12hrs a day on a regular week because then if it rains 3 days in a row you are screwed.

 

Well idk where you are in AR but I'm from north LA and it's going to be raining for the next 4 days. I need to be out he mowing with an umbrella cause I'm fixing to be way behind. I tried to mow this morning but the ground was still to soft from the rain Sunday. It's a mess the ones I did get mowed which was 2 out of 4 attempts were clumpy as heck and the mower kept choking up, if you mow a lot of thick wet grass you better have an extra belt or 2. Cause it puts a strain on it.

 

If its not pouring rain,we cut,but only lawns that are not in the best shape,thats why our schedules keep rotating days
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Some yards get mushy and some don't. You want trouble then mow the mushy ones. Some customers flip out when you mow in the rain and some don't care. So the answer is it depends on the condition of the ground and/or the customers likes and dislikes. I don't think it hurts the grass as long as you keep sharp blades

 

Depends on how much it is raining or has rained. If it is a light rain we will keep mowing. If it is raining for 2 or 3 days strait there isn't much you can do. The cutting isn't affected, the grass will clump up and you have to be careful of mud. You also have to be careful and not spray a house or car because wet grass is super sticky.

 

Grass is 80% water so it's always wet.

Had a elderly lady flip out on me last year for cutting in the rain. I showed her the 10 day forcast which was 100% chance of rain for the next 10 days. Asked her what day she recommends I come back? She replied "I don't care what day - as long as it isn't raining". 15 days later it stopped raining and I came back. She was absolutely furious with me.

You see you can't please some people. The best you can do is explain upfront that you will be mowing in the rain and know which lawns can be cut in them. You might have to switch to 21" mowers when things get soggy but that's better than sitting home. Clipping management and rutting are the reasons it's difficult to mow in the rain. Once you learn how to not rut and handle clippings in the rain - life becomes easy.

 

Its really going to be tough on me this week... Lots of rain, Part time mowing operation, Almost a packed schedule... I am about to send out a mass email to all customers and let them know that their scheduled mowings could be delayed as much as 1 week... I have a lot of yards that have drainage issues and hold water 3-4 days after a heavy rain. If they give me the green light to mow after they are aware of the effects of mowing soggy ground, blades will be a spinning!!!!

 

I mowed today in a mist the whole time, after it rained yesterday was only able to mow 4 yards and what normally takes me 30 mins a stop I did in a hour a piece. but with 3 days of rain coming I opted to try it. it was mushy, looked bad and clumped horribly and at one stop I also thought I left me enough room by weedeating most of a ditch but the mower slid down anyway and wouldnt come back up had to be pulled out with the truck. do any of yall run walk behinds? ive never needed one but im thinking about buying a used one just for wet conditions, I don't see how they would track as bad as a zero turn when wet, and definitely be easier to get unstuck? ive got 10 yds so far behind for this week that will have to be mowed atleast Monday. and that doesn't count whats still scheduled for this week. I think I could have mowed most of them today with a walk behind but idk.

 

I mowed today in a mist the whole time, after it rained yesterday was only able to mow 4 yards and what normally takes me 30 mins a stop I did in a hour a piece. but with 3 days of rain coming I opted to try it. it was mushy, looked bad and clumped horribly and at one stop I also thought I left me enough room by weedeating most of a ditch but the mower slid down anyway and wouldnt come back up had to be pulled out with the truck. do any of yall run walk behinds? ive never needed one but im thinking about buying a used one just for wet conditions, I don't see how they would track as bad as a zero turn when wet, and definitely be easier to get unstuck? ive got 10 yds so far behind for this week that will have to be mowed atleast Monday. and that doesn't count whats still scheduled for this week. I think I could have mowed most of them today with a walk behind but idk.

The walkbehinds aren't as heavy but they still get stuck. Maybe not as bad because you can lift up on the mower a little easier. I've had to hookup mowers to other mowers several times to pull it out. The walkbehinds wont tear up the yards as much but you still have to be careful.

 

The walkbehinds aren't as heavy but they still get stuck. Maybe not as bad because you can lift up on the mower a little easier. I've had to hookup mowers to other mowers several times to pull it out. The walkbehinds wont tear up the yards as much but you still have to be careful.

That's what I was thinking, I almost bought one last year at the end of the season and passed I believe I'll get one when I run across a good deal on one.

 

I mowed in the rain two days last week and most of the day today. We have had rain it seems like at some point everyday this month. The grass is growing like crazy and I only have a couple days each week that I can get my mowing done so I have to make it happen rain or shine.

 

I try let the grass dry out before I cut it
Like today I mowed 2 that was still wet but I was mowing them and doing lawn treat afterwards

I prefer dry grass cuts better and looks better

 

mowed mon and tues yards today. no rain today but was still a little wet. the yards i mowed were ok but one i was mowing through puddles and left a few tire marks but whatever it's raining the next 3 days and it will wash all the marks away. :laugh:

gonna mow wed, thurs, fri yards on saturday and sunday. i don't have any other choice.

might do a few here or there if the rain lets up enough.

 

In oregon we mow every account in the Rain, Does not matter. It rains like 9 months of the year so if we didn't we wouldn't be a business. The northwest is some of the wettest climate in the world.
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In oregon we mow every account in the Rain, Does not matter. It rains like 9 months of the year so if we didn't we wouldn't be a business. The northwest is some of the wettest climate in the world.
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Yep. Put on your rain gear and get er done.

 

I cut wet grass all the time

X2

If I didn't, nothing would ever get done.
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Yeah but I rain we have had here is impossible to cut in. .ground is just to wet haven't cut a thing all week
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yeah there's a difference in mowing when it's sprinkling a little and mowing when it's been pouring for 3 days straight. :laugh:

 

Rained all night and most of today. At 2 I figured being slow and wet was better than working Saturday.
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yeah there's a difference in mowing when it's sprinkling a little and mowing when it's been pouring for 3 days straight. :laugh:

No we mow when it's been pouring for 10 days straight. The only time I don't mow is when it's frozen.
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Yall must have some special floater tires or push mowing cause I think we all are on a different page on wet conditions. It didn't rain today or last night and sprinkles yesterday for about an hour. but 8 out of 10 yds I went to today I was boggin up to my ankles just walking acros the yard. The only ones I was able to mow where 2 I have side by side that are on a slight hill of real sandy soil so they drains good.