Small Field Mowing Business?

[Ford tractor]

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.

I really had to chuckle at your comment. It's so very true, yet so very few of us want to admit it (even to ourselves!).

Unlike some, I do nearly all of my own repairs including hydraulics, engines, transmissions, etc. It's been far more economically advantageous to do that even with buying expensive tools, than taking it to a dealer or having one come out. Plus after 35 years of doing it, the shop has a lot of tools and there are few things that I can't repair cheaply by spending a bit of time. It's good too as these days there seems to be far more time than money...

 

[trook]

crashz,

Some have some good advise here and some seem a little bitter. I do exactly what you are talking about with a 4x4 JD 4320 48/40hp with FEL and a mx6 cutter. This is not done to put food on the table, but rather to make enough to pay my note, have some attachments and help with my tax situation. Besides, I enjoy the seat time. It would be very difficult to depend on this to make a living. This is my take on the situation:

1. Definitely buy liability insurance. Failure to do so in today's environment is completely ridiculous...and dumb.

2. You WILL find the occasional piece of property that has partially burried chunks of concrete, rebar, steel, fence posts, rolls of barbed wire, or the engine block the property owner forgot was there. Oh yeah, don't forget about the holes that your entire front end can fall into... Therefore, you must have medium to heavy duty equipment if you expect it to last. You will be disappointed if you try to get by with cheap equipment (been there, done that). Further, you MUST be prepared to deal with some repairs, no matter how good your equipment is. Keeping this in mind, sometimes, you have to pass on some jobs. They just aren't worth the risk.

3. I keep it small. Most of my work is brush cutting property less than 5 acres. I look for small pieces of commercial property that have to abide by the city landscape ordinance and keep their property within reasonable standards. I look for property/conditions that the local landscaping companies either don't have the tractor equipment to deal with or don't want to bother with. Conversly, I look for property too small for the large equipment operators to bother with. I realize this is a small niche, and therefore, I am not swamped with work....but I don't want to be... I have a "regular" job and a family.

4. I don't try to compete with the lowballers or those who don't follow the law. If you want me to maintain your property, you are gonna have to pay. I evaluate the property and give a total price for the work the owner wants performed. My minimum is $100. I don't care if you want me to bush hog 1/4 acre. I will not show up for less than $100. My goal, when determining a price, is to figure $100 for the 1st hour/acre and $65 for every acre/hour after that. I'm not gonna waste my time for $40 (about $10 profit) per hour when I have to pay for fuel, maintenance, insurance, taxes, etc. I have a "real" job that takes care of my families primary needs.

5. I follow the laws of the state of Mississippi and actually pay taxes on all my income!! I know this may be a little unusual, but I feel it is the right thing to do. However, there are some substantial tax benefits for MY situation. So far, for the last 3 years, when counting all expenses and depreciation, this part-time tractor business has had a fairly significant positive impact on my overall tax situation.

If any of this makes since to you, and you are selective as I am, you may find this type of work enjoyable. However, please beware and considerate of the many pitfalls that can take something enjoyable and turn it into a nightmare.

 

[jenkinsph]

crashz,

Some have some good advise here and some seem a little bitter. I do exactly what you are talking about with a 4x4 JD 4320 48/40hp with FEL and a mx6 cutter. This is not done to put food on the table, but rather to make enough to pay my note, have some attachments and help with my tax situation. Besides, I enjoy the seat time. It would be very difficult to depend on this to make a living. This is my take on the situation:

1. Definitely buy liability insurance. Failure to do so in today's environment is completely ridiculous...and dumb.

2. You WILL find the occasional piece of property that has partially burried chunks of concrete, rebar, steel, fence posts, rolls of barbed wire, or the engine block the property owner forgot was there. Oh yeah, don't forget about the holes that your entire front end can fall into... Therefore, you must have medium to heavy duty equipment if you expect it to last. You will be disappointed if you try to get by with cheap equipment (been there, done that). Further, you MUST be prepared to deal with some repairs, no matter how good your equipment is. Keeping this in mind, sometimes, you have to pass on some jobs. They just aren't worth the risk.

3. I keep it small. Most of my work is brush cutting property less than 5 acres. I look for small pieces of commercial property that have to abide by the city landscape ordinance and keep their property within reasonable standards. I look for property/conditions that the local landscaping companies either don't have the tractor equipment to deal with or don't want to bother with. Conversly, I look for property too small for the large equipment operators to bother with. I realize this is a small niche, and therefore, I am not swamped with work....but I don't want to be... I have a "regular" job and a family.

4. I don't try to compete with the lowballers or those who don't follow the law. If you want me to maintain your property, you are gonna have to pay. I evaluate the property and give a total price for the work the owner wants performed. My minimum is $100. I don't care if you want me to bush hog 1/4 acre. I will not show up for less than $100. My goal, when determining a price, is to figure $100 for the 1st hour/acre and $65 for every acre/hour after that. I'm not gonna waste my time for $40 (about $10 profit) per hour when I have to pay for fuel, maintenance, insurance, taxes, etc. I have a "real" job that takes care of my families primary needs.

5. I follow the laws of the state of Mississippi and actually pay taxes on all my income!! I know this may be a little unusual, but I feel it is the right thing to do. However, there are some substantial tax benefits for MY situation. So far, for the last 3 years, when counting all expenses and depreciation, this part-time tractor business has had a fairly significant positive impact on my overall tax situation.

If any of this makes since to you, and you are selective as I am, you may find this type of work enjoyable. However, please beware and considerate of the many pitfalls that can take something enjoyable and turn it into a nightmare.

I think that is a good way to look at it, good post.

 

[8404]

Trook your are doing things exactly the same way i do in that i work a full time job and cut feilds on the side. I get 100.00 the first hour or just to show up on the job and 55.00 hour after that. and ive never run out of work. I mow people all the time who have a 100 hp tractor in the barn but is to big for the areas they want mowed. around here its all small feilds with large drain ditches and ponds or sometimes they just dont want to ride their own equipment. and thats great for me i need the work. I have never advertised just being out mowing brings the business to me.

 

[JJZ 109]

crashz,


4. I don't try to compete with the lowballers or those who don't follow the law. If you want me to maintain your property, you are gonna have to pay. I evaluate the property and give a total price for the work the owner wants performed. My minimum is $100. I don't care if you want me to bush hog 1/4 acre. I will not show up for less than $100. My goal, when determining a price, is to figure $100 for the 1st hour/acre and $65 for every acre/hour after that. I'm not gonna waste my time for $40 (about $10 profit) per hour when I have to pay for fuel, maintenance, insurance, taxes, etc. I have a "real" job that takes care of my families primary needs.

Good point. I know what I have to have to make a decent profit. And with the price of diesel today, I have to roll that into some jobs that are further from home.
I've got a lot of money invested in a bucket truck, gutter machine, trailer and various other tools and equipment and it isn't worth it to roll out of the yard for minimal profit.
I'm closing in on retirement, but in the meantime my wife and I both have full time jobs so I can afford to be a little choosy. In my opinion and from what I've seen, if the customer wants low ball price, they often get low ball product.

 

[jenkinsph]

I don't worry about lowballers, they can't compete with the rest of us who are fully insured with better equipment. Most of these lowballers can barely make it through one season as it takes money for staying power.

My focus is not volume but cultivating good customers that are willing to pay appropriately for good service. I used to try to run every service call that came in, wore my self out and the equipment too. For the last seven years or so I have concentrated on building a better customer base. Fewer customers but happier customers, I have more time to do things at home and more money to accomplish my goals. The equipment tools trucks last longer too, and I am happier.

 

[RDrancher]

I don't worry about lowballers, they can't compete with the rest of us who are fully insured with better equipment. Most of these lowballers can barely make it through one season as it takes money for staying power.

My focus is not volume but cultivating good customers that are willing to pay appropriately for good service. I used to try to run every service call that came in, wore my self out and the equipment too. For the last seven years or so I have concentrated on building a better customer base. Fewer customers but happier customers, I have more time to do things at home and more money to accomplish my goals. The equipment tools trucks last longer too, and I am happier.

Good points. That's exactly where I'm at with my business. Let the lowballers have the "shop for the lowest price" customers. Those types of jobs are just busy work. I'm busy enough with good customers myself.

 

[knightrider955]

I don't worry about lowballers, they can't compete with the rest of us who are fully insured with better equipment. Most of these lowballers can barely make it through one season as it takes money for staying power.

My focus is not volume but cultivating good customers that are willing to pay appropriately for good service. I used to try to run every service call that came in, wore my self out and the equipment too. For the last seven years or so I have concentrated on building a better customer base. Fewer customers but happier customers, I have more time to do things at home and more money to accomplish my goals. The equipment tools trucks last longer too, and I am happier.

Cultivating good customers??? You mean finding suckers that are willing to pay crazy money for a good service that I can provide for less. Im a Lowballer with a older Tractor that stays busy all the time. I have a good group of returning customers that I work for that pay me good. But less than you charge, Ive been layed off from my job for a year and feed my kids just fine being a "Lowballer" and provide quality work at a great price.

 

[jenkinsph]

Cultivating good customers??? You mean finding suckers that are willing to pay crazy money for a good service that I can provide for less. Im a Lowballer with a older Tractor that stays busy all the time. I have a good group of returning customers that I work for that pay me good. But less than you charge, Ive been layed off from my job for a year and feed my kids just fine being a "Lowballer" and provide quality work at a great price.

Hope you can continue to feed your family as that is the important thing. Times have been tough the last few years.

You shouldn't make assumptions about other people such as myself, doesn't help your cause. All of my customers are business people who have succeeded and understand what it costs to be in a business. They are happy, I am happy what is your problem?

 

[knightrider955]

Hope you can continue to feed your family as that is the important thing. Times have been tough the last few years.

You shouldn't make assumptions about other people such as myself, doesn't help your cause. All of my customers are business people who have succeeded and understand what it costs to be in a business. They are happy, I am happy what is your problem?

Well why are you making assumptions about us small time guys saying we cant compete?? Im not a bad guy because I can under bid you and my tractor doesnt shine as nice as yours. So far all Ive done in repairs is a water pump. Ive plowed, disked and planted 5 acres with no issues. New equipment and a higher fee doesnt mean better quality. Not around here anyways. Believe me if I had a choice between doing this or having a regular job with benefits, the tractor would be in the barn. But its all good.