Small Field Mowing Business?

[Jamming]

If your a illegal immigrant you can run your business free in Washington state and under bid every job and make 200k a year.

If you have a green card and hire only illegal employees it's tax free and insurance free. Really great place to mow lawns with 80" of precip a year.

Offer cash only discounts and keep your yearly income low enough you can get federal assistance and free housing. American Dream.

 

[bucktaker]

FWJ
Please dont assume any and all small operators are operating illegally. As you said its a matter of scale and i see nothing wrong with guy picking up a few odd jobs with his equipment. I do claim income and expenses of tractor related work to help justify to the tax collectors why I have the equipment I do. Not all of us are blessed to live and work on a farm...some have to pretend....have a good one..

 

[Farmwithjunk]

FWJ
Please dont assume any and all small operators are operating illegally. As you said its a matter of scale and i see nothing wrong with guy picking up a few odd jobs with his equipment. I do claim income and expenses of tractor related work to help justify to the tax collectors why I have the equipment I do. Not all of us are blessed to live and work on a farm...some have to pretend....have a good one..

Don't worry about that....I'm not assuming anything. But I do know personally, TWO "legal" smaller operators in this area, and more than 20 who mow "off the books" "under the table" and haul with passenger tags on their tow vehicles. It's far more common that not for smaller operators to be skirting legal requirements as a matter of economics.

One I know who WAS operating illegally is having his equipment and much of his personal property auctioned off week after next to satisfy a judgement against him for a relatively minor accident while towing to a job.

Ask him it it's worth it.....

 

[crashz]

FWJ - I'll be directly competing with you! Watch out, cause here comes 24 raging horse power and the biggest mower it will pull (60 inch brush hog)!

In all seriousness, I'm going for the exact opposite market. The stuff that you would not bother with. The heart of the beer money market. With a twist. I will operate and advertise as a legal company.

I fully intend to operate the business legally, carry liability insurance and pay my taxes. I have every reason to do so, because of a few factors:

- The first is that I am a professional civil engineer. I am licensed in the state of MA, and therefore I cannot risk losing my license due to unethical dealings. It also requires me to have an umbrella policy. I've had a seperate landscaping policy in the past for snow work, but I'm going to work with my insurance agent to come up with the appropriate policies to cover us.

- While all of my trucks are able to registered as "personal" vehicles legally, my dumptruck is a big target. The personal tags just look odd, and it痴 not really worth an argument with a LEO on the side of the road. I'm best off registering it commercially, as the overall cost is not much more. I have taken it off the road for now (its under repair at the moment also) and will register under the company once I have a business license.

- As I stated before, I really need to speak to an accountant about the tax thing. My wife and I both have good paying jobs. We qualify for virtually no tax benefits. I hate to say this, but a small business in the red may help us.

I'm looking for a way to use the equipment that I have (most of it sits around too much), have some fun, get a tax break, and not spend more money than I make. I will be sure to charge enough to cover all my costs, pay myself and maybe make a small profit. I guess I expect to make some money and maybe save some through tax credits, but I don't expect to become a millionaire mowing weeds.

 

[bigtiller]

FWJ - I'll be directly competing with you! Watch out, cause here comes 24 raging horse power and the biggest mower it will pull (60 inch brush hog)!

In all seriousness, I'm going for the exact opposite market. The stuff that you would not bother with. The heart of the beer money market. With a twist. I will operate and advertise as a legal company.

I fully intend to operate the business legally, carry liability insurance and pay my taxes. I have every reason to do so, because of a few factors:

- The first is that I am a professional civil engineer. I am licensed in the state of MA, and therefore I cannot risk losing my license due to unethical dealings. It also requires me to have an umbrella policy. I've had a seperate landscaping policy in the past for snow work, but I'm going to work with my insurance agent to come up with the appropriate policies to cover us.

- While all of my trucks are able to registered as "personal" vehicles legally, my dumptruck is a big target. The personal tags just look odd, and it痴 not really worth an argument with a LEO on the side of the road. I'm best off registering it commercially, as the overall cost is not much more. I have taken it off the road for now (its under repair at the moment also) and will register under the company once I have a business license.

- As I stated before, I really need to speak to an accountant about the tax thing. My wife and I both have good paying jobs. We qualify for virtually no tax benefits. I hate to say this, but a small business in the red may help us.

I'm looking for a way to use the equipment that I have (most of it sits around too much), have some fun, get a tax break, and not spend more money than I make. I will be sure to charge enough to cover all my costs, pay myself and maybe make a small profit. I guess I expect to make some money and maybe save some through tax credits, but I don't expect to become a millionaire mowing weeds.

I am one of those guys that would probably hire you. I have a waterway in my field that is 6 tenths of an acre and in CRP that I am required to mow once a year after the crops are out. The first year the neighbor just happened by and he did it for me just to be neighborly. Last year I did it with the lawn mower but that was a lot of work for it.

IF I was under 10 miles from you, how much would you charge me?

 

[crashz]

I saw this yesterday and had to think about my response. I would need to see the property first. 6/10ths of an acre, assummed to be flat without to many obstacles, should be done in less than an hour. I haven't accurately timed myself, but I'm assuming in flat open fields, long grass, about 1 acre per hour. Thats on my To Do list this spring.

I'm thinking that I will charge a minimum of one hour of service (which from the calc's above) equal $45/hr. A mobilization/demob fee of 1 hour will be charged as well. Travel time greater than 1/2 hr away will be charged at the same rate. So it looks like my minimum fee to show up with my equipment would be $90.

So my response to you BT would most likely be $90, depending on what I saw on your property. Seems high though, doesn't?

Of course this doesn't include the TBN discount!

 

[bigtiller]

I saw this yesterday and had to think about my response. I would need to see the property first. 6/10ths of an acre, assummed to be flat without to many obstacles, should be done in less than an hour. I haven't accurately timed myself, but I'm assuming in flat open fields, long grass, about 1 acre per hour. Thats on my To Do list this spring.

I'm thinking that I will charge a minimum of one hour of service (which from the calc's above) equal $45/hr. A mobilization/demob fee of 1 hour will be charged as well. Travel time greater than 1/2 hr away will be charged at the same rate. So it looks like my minimum fee to show up with my equipment would be $90.

So my response to you BT would most likely be $90, depending on what I saw on your property. Seems high though, doesn't?

Of course this doesn't include the TBN discount!

I would most likely give you the $90, but if you had all John Deere equipment I would give you a hundred dollar bill just to keep the counting easy.

 

[jltii]

I do this and have for over ten years now in Oregon operating as Oregon Field & Brush Mowing. It is enjoyable work, but you need to earn $20-30/hour at least before you can be fair to yourself and cover costs and make money. If you are not willing to be fair to yourself as well as fair to your customers, it will not sustain you. Many of my competitors charge $50 and hour and up. They find work.I am dealing with properties mostly under 10 acres and urge you to not grow too quickly. 3-6 new customers a year without advertising is for me a sustainable rate as properties turn over and I have 38 customers. I find that serving the 30mile radius around Portland is plenty to keep me busy without too much travel time. I have found people are price sensitive, yet loyal if you are reliable and do good work. Code service for keeping down vegetation will serve as your friend as will fire risk abatement. Help other, help yourself, have fun doing it but only do it as long as you enjoy it. Most people find that after their 50's that bumping around on a tractor is not so much fun anymore. Hire your friends neighbors and family. Pay them well and good luck!

 

[wcampbell47]

Of all the things I do with the tractor mowing requires more fuel and seems to be the hardest on the tractor as the engine is running at 2000 rpm's or more. With that said there are a lot of folks that think mowing should not cost much - yet they are unwilling to get out there and do it or their equipment is not up to the task.

I'll soon be 65 and I enjoy my seat time!

 

[jenkinsph]

Of all the things I do with the tractor mowing requires more fuel and seems to be the hardest on the tractor as the engine is running at 2000 rpm's or more. With that said there are a lot of folks that think mowing should not cost much - yet they are unwilling to get out there and do it or their equipment is not up to the task.

I'll soon be 65 and I enjoy my seat time!

Having been in the service business for about thirty years I have found it is more desirable to sell people what they wan't to buy and that is not necessarily what they need. As an example most guys here may want a new tractor and are willing to buy it, but very few want to pay the dealer for ongoing repairs and maintenance. Same with landscapes, customers get excited to see their new landscape job but dread to pay for lawnmowing and trimming.