Dang james, you carry an entire notebook ? I just carry 2 sheets. I know you've reached celebrity status for lighting, so the demo is not for you. I'm there on Christmas lights, but it will take me a few years on landscape lights. until then, demo, demo, demo !
MY demo kit weighs...
I gotta tell you, I am developing a love/hate relationship with my demo kit. the more I use it, the more jobs I get, which i am thrilled to say i have picked up 3 landscape light jobs in the past week, after doing 6 demo's. after a dead time of a month, I am happy to be doing at least part time lighting work again before the big christmas light work starts September 15.
my love hate thing goes like this- I love having 4 75 ft runs of multi-plug cord, 20 brass mr-16 uplights, 5 deck lights with clamps, 2 600 watt trans, and a few paths and a few extension cords. really everything you need for a decent medium home demo.
my hate thing is weight. I have maxed out 2 very large ice chests on wheels w/ collapsable handles ( like luggage) , and I keep the paths and deck lights in a seperate box. each ice chest easily weighs 65-75 lbs, and I am tired of loading and unloading these things in the back of my truck.
I know that firefly does awesome demo's, and probably easily doubles the weight of mine, but I am also curious about the rest of you guys- what do you bring and how do you lug it around? how much time do you give yourself to setup, bid and load back up a demo? I am taking about 35-45 minutes to setup, 15-20 to write out and bid, and 20-25 minutes to load up and go home. all by myself. some demo's take longer if the customer wants me to move around lights, but a single demo typically takes me from 7:30 pm leave house time to around 9:30-10:30 get back home time at this time of year. February is much easier as you can get there at 4:30 pm and be back home by 6:30 pm. let me know if my experience is normal, or what you guys are doing different.
my love hate thing goes like this- I love having 4 75 ft runs of multi-plug cord, 20 brass mr-16 uplights, 5 deck lights with clamps, 2 600 watt trans, and a few paths and a few extension cords. really everything you need for a decent medium home demo.
my hate thing is weight. I have maxed out 2 very large ice chests on wheels w/ collapsable handles ( like luggage) , and I keep the paths and deck lights in a seperate box. each ice chest easily weighs 65-75 lbs, and I am tired of loading and unloading these things in the back of my truck.
I know that firefly does awesome demo's, and probably easily doubles the weight of mine, but I am also curious about the rest of you guys- what do you bring and how do you lug it around? how much time do you give yourself to setup, bid and load back up a demo? I am taking about 35-45 minutes to setup, 15-20 to write out and bid, and 20-25 minutes to load up and go home. all by myself. some demo's take longer if the customer wants me to move around lights, but a single demo typically takes me from 7:30 pm leave house time to around 9:30-10:30 get back home time at this time of year. February is much easier as you can get there at 4:30 pm and be back home by 6:30 pm. let me know if my experience is normal, or what you guys are doing different.
1 - 4 of 67 Posts
I'd have to agree with the rest of the folks about the victim thing. I refer to my clients as blessed, as anyone else would have done a worse job no matter the cost. If you're so confident about what you say, then change your screen name to your real name and business, then speak as you wish. When folks google me, they can read all my posts. I'm proud of them.
I'm also pretty sure a 20 watt 60 degree ushio in 10 different fixtures gives pretty much the same effect, given the glare shield difference. some fixtures may put it deeper in the fixture, but for the most part, you can't se the difference in the demo. I use brass fittings because they can get scratched up and still look good to the consumer. I'd never use pars in demo's becasue I don't install pars. I've tried a dozen different par bulbs, and they just don't last a year no matter the hour rating or what voltage I feed them.
2-3 hours for a setup? I need work, and man, are those demo's beautiful, but I don't see myself going that far. I felt pretty good setting up 20-25 fixtures.
I'm also pretty sure a 20 watt 60 degree ushio in 10 different fixtures gives pretty much the same effect, given the glare shield difference. some fixtures may put it deeper in the fixture, but for the most part, you can't se the difference in the demo. I use brass fittings because they can get scratched up and still look good to the consumer. I'd never use pars in demo's becasue I don't install pars. I've tried a dozen different par bulbs, and they just don't last a year no matter the hour rating or what voltage I feed them.
2-3 hours for a setup? I need work, and man, are those demo's beautiful, but I don't see myself going that far. I felt pretty good setting up 20-25 fixtures.
I've never run lights on dc, so I would not know, but maybe...?
1 - 4 of 67 Posts
- This is an older thread, you may not receive a response, and could be reviving an old thread. Please consider creating a new thread.
Lawn Care Forum
A forum community dedicated to lawn care and landscaping professionals and enthusiasts. Come join the discussion about performance, modifications, classifieds, troubleshooting, maintenance, and more!
Full Forum Listing
Recommended Communities
