The high cost of cutting grass

[MossRoad]

Time to put a new battery in the 20 year old Sable behind the garage and save the Suburban for towing only.

 

[prs]

Saw my first $3.999 gas sign today. Other stations were $3.899 and some still $3.599. I started a motorcycle ride with gas I purchased last Wednesday for $3.249 and rode about 225 miles, filing up with the $3.599 fuel at day's end.

 

[5030]

I'll be riding my KLR a lot in the coming weeks. 70+ per gallon.

 

[prs]

WOW! That KLR is getting way better than my GL1800; only 43mpg.

 

[Hay Dude]

I guess we can resoundingly agree fertilizer and fuel are now in hyperinflation.
Will the fuel costs alone will put us in a deep recession starting in a few weeks?

 

[CloverKnollFarms]

It just cost me $48 to fill my mower.

 

[hube2]

Nothing I can do about the Gas, gotta buy what I gotta buy. I filled all of my diesel containers a couple weeks ago and with the light winter we've had, if it continues to do the same, I should have enough fuel for my tractor to last until I get ready for next winter.

 

[arto98607]

It was fair bit of work back little over 20 years ago to get organized to be able to safely transport, store & pump off-road Diesel fuel, but looks like it has been well worth the trouble!

The last time when I bought 400 gallons of off-road Diesel fuel was in the spring of 2020 when it was around $1.60 per gallon.

It should be enough fuel for us for mowing and wood chipping etc. for around 8 years or so at the rate we are using it - I realize some of the guys here burn that much in one season, or even in one summer.

If using only 50 gallons of Diesel per year for mowing etc. it's not really that big of a deal whether it costs $1.60 or $4.60 a gallon come to think of it!

 

[BobInSD]

I have 45 acres and one horse. About 30 of it is grassland. My place was choked with weeds when I bought it three years ago. One bout of spraying along with mowing with a bush hog twice a year has kept it in pretty good shape for the hoards of deer we have around here. I sure don't mow it twice a week, nor does it cause me winter chores. I have thought about renting it as pasture, but haven't done it yet for various reasons.

That's about what I do now. Probably only mow once, and spot mow any thistly areas again later in the year, maybe. Spray once (always mean to spray 2x, but typically just once). It just seems wasteful not putting it to better use, but the dogs do enjoy chasing the deer. A friend used to hay if off 1-2 times a year, but he has passed and I've planted enough trees that it's probably not worth the effort for anybody that doesn't really need the hay.

 

[Hay Dude]

Got an interesting email last night from one of my 5 biggest customers. We maintain their housing complex. We do everything from mowing their common areas to farming their 3 farm fields in the homeowners association.

She asked me “what kind of price increase can our HOA expect with the suddenly rising fuel prices?”

Finally someone who gets it, and has the intelligence to realize we cannot internalize the increased fuel costs.

I had sent them a Proposal for services in January. This proposal was based on a current fuel price of $3.50/g. She and I spoke on the phone and she was more than agreeable to a fuel surcharge at each monthly billing cycle.