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[stslawncare]

Hi, I would like to introduce myself and tell you a little about myself. I am 14, and live in wilmington DE, my name is scottie. I live on a tiny property with my mom and sister. my grandparents own a farm in lincoln university, PA, and have about 13 acres, thats my favorite place to be. Now since i am just starting and dont have a truck i dont make that much but i must say i think i am doing pretty good, last year i made about $400, during this winter i made about $100. now for my equipment, i have a craftsman 6.5hp 22&quot; self propelled mower, a residentual curved shaft craftsman weedwacker, and a residentual craftsman blower, i also have a 21 year old craftsman 16hp tractor with a blade, 44&quot; mower, and a 10cubic foot wagon, plus i have all the hand tools and shovels possible. Now one of my questions is what equipment should i keep and what equipment should i get rid of. I know my weedwacker needs to go (i hate it) i am not a craftsman fan by any means, the weedwacker and blower were a gift, the tractor i got for $200 ( i think its worth $500) and the mower i did choose (and love it), all equipment except for the tractor is less then 3 years old. mower runs great, and the tractor is doing darn good for its age. Now some of you might be guessing that im just some teen looking to make some money, well yes i am looking to make money but, something i feel you should know is that i am excellent with money, i have a job at a garden center in which i am learning about plants and everything related, i am very mature for my age, and i wish to become a full time landscaper after college, i am very interested in horticulture and agriculture, and machinery involved in both fields. questions are, what equipment do i keep, what do i need, and so on. Till i am 16 and have a truck i do wish to keep it down, but what i have been planning on is this year and next is gather all the equipment i need, and learn all i need to do. Also do any lawn care projects for family and friends needed, this year since i moved i am not doing any advertising and am not planning on making much, just side projects. I hope you guys dont mind having a teen around, but once i do get fully set up i hope to be doing as good as you. Thanks a lot,<br>Sincerely<br>Scottie<p>----------<br>Scottie Schmidt<br>STS Lawn Care

 

[columbiaplower]

Scottie- i started in this biz when i was 12. i had a few lawns and i did ok. Now i am 18 and own one of the most suggsesful companys in my area. i have 68 accounts. and have 4 large commercial mowers. If u work hard u can make it in this biz. Next year i want to attend University of Maryland a get a degree in landscape disign. Dont worry there other teens in here.<br>-Nick

 

[Bobby]

Hey Scottie, Welcome to Lawnsite. You have a great attitude. I'm sure your parents are proud of you.Study this forum. You'll learn a lot. <p>----------<br>Bobby <br>Ft Lauderdale

 

[bill phagan]

Hi Scottie,<p>There's always room for a professional like you in our industry. Please advise if I can help you.<p>Bill Phagan gibiz@aol.com

 

[ant]

hi scottie welcome. most of us started out like you i could remember towing my 21&quot;mower with my bike.keep what you got. be relieable,fair,honest.<br>anthonygrelli

 

[stslawncare]

WOW you guys are so kind! WHat a wonderful welcome. Ok in repsonse to the last message here ill keep what stuff i have but what should i add? right now with all the money im making at the garden center i would like to spend it on equipment instead of cds. <p>----------<br>Scottie Schmidt<br>STS Lawn Care

 

[fdew]

Scottie You want a bigger better mower and that makes sense. But you have more time and less money then most of these guys (Because you cant use a truck) I would make it known to everyone at the garden center that you are looking for a used commercial walk behind. Find a cheep one and fix it up until you can depend on it. You will save money, learn a lot, and be on your way. Hint, I would jump at a machine with a blown engine. You can get new engines quite cheep on ebay. <p>Good Luck<p>Frank

 

[pottstim]

Scottie,<br>Hey my name is Tim, and i'm 23. I just got done reading your post, and i'm trying to get started just like you are. <br>I'm buying equipment a little at a time, and hope to be started by the beginning of the 2001 mowing season. Tuesday, I bought a 92 Murray 12hp that i am fixing up. I'll be using this one as a secondary rider, and I plan on buying a new Lawn Tractor after the first of the year. I also need to pick up a weed eater, blower, and i've got my eye on this used trailer that a friend of mine has.<br>I'll be doing this part time, because I work a full time job. So my primary job won't allow me to go full time with my mowing business. Who knows, maybe if I am successful enough, I may be able to go full time in the Lawn Care Business someday.<br>Let me know how you progress, and I wish you the best of luck in the future!<p>Tim

 

[yardsmith]

Hello to all the new guys out there.<br>When I first got started years ago, I had an Ariens rear engine rider- 10 hp & 30&quot; cut (Forrest Gump style mower), then lucked out the next year; a 1987 Exmark 48&quot; walk behind with an 11hp Honda motor (great!) AT AN AUCTION for $400! Best move I ever made. <br>It used to take 2.5 hrs. to do the yard with the Ariens tractor & my wife on a 32&quot; Bolens tractor (actually more like 4-5 man hours). When I got the belt drive WB I did it myself in an hour & 45 min.! Commercial equip is where it's at. Shoot, the 11 hp Honda was worth half of what I paid for the whole thing.<br>Little by little I worked my way up to where I am now years later. That old Exmark WB seems like a dinosaur now, but it was miles ahead of any homeowner crap-watch your auctions!<p>----------<br>Smitty ô¿ô<br>

 

[MOW ED]

Scottie,<br>You sound like you are on the right track and this forum is a VERY VALUEABLE tool. If you have questions you can use the search function at the top. There is a lot of archived info. <br>My advise to you is to move towards commercial equipment. Do it slow, but do it. Even if you replace your tractor with a larger walkbehind your productivity will increase. Commercial units are easier to maintain (changing blades) as well as being much faster. Mowing is your priority so check out different mowers. <br>I started out with craftsman stuff also and it was o.k. for a while and I still have some of it as backup equipment but the rigors of commercial use is tough on it. You will find out, when you begin to drive, that the tractors dont do well bouncing down the road on a trailer. They are built for the homeowner.<br>Sorry to ramble but use this forum as another tool and learn all you can about everything that interests you. There are many opinions out here. Good Luck.