Mowing Hired a landscaper!

[stlbill]

Hello all,

After 10 years mowing and trimming 3 steep acres with my subcompact tractor and trimmer, I've decided to hire a landscaper and sell the tractor to cover the cost for a while. I'm 47 and have been spending 6-8 hours a week cutting grass on top of a salary IT job. If you are not aware most IT jobs require spending at least an hour a week doing continuing education on "your own time" to stay current in your field.

I'm hoping to invest the time saved with my two young kids who have been missing out because my Wife and I are always mowing or so it seems.

Anyone want to discuss owning/operating your own subcompact tractor, push mower, trimmer, backpack blower and other items against hiring it out?

 

[Aquamoose]

Like guys with high end jobs who restore & flip classic cars as a hobby, they do it for the love & therapy when doing such tasks and never for the $.

Do what makes YOU happy and it’s the right decision regardless of what others say except as a commitment you need to make for your family. You can always come back to it later.

 

[jaxs]

IMO,it come's down to whether one injoys the work. If not,the question is if landscaper cost's less than you would earn in the alloted time it requires. I hear what you are saying about robbing kids of time,that's reason enough to hire it out regardless of ecconomic considerations. I'm 76,can afford hiring things out but continue to do it myself because I injoy it. I don't neccessarly injoy mowing and trimming. What I do injoy is such things as skipping a patch when ground nesting birds call home or leaving a decaying tree for critters to live in. I've actually constructed places to attract owls. I love their nighttime calls and finding rodent skulls in balls beneath their roost. I have been known to let go if fish are biting or the notion just strike's me.

 

[coobie]

If they show up to do the work thats great.From my experience to get anyone to show up now days is a chore.

 

[bdog]

It must be some challenging mowing for it to take 6-8 hours for 3 acres. I mow about 8 acres in around three hours and I only mow it every 2-3 weeks. I too considered hiring it out but I enjoy mowing. My other problem is I am picky. I have hired my place mowed twice and neither time I was satisfied with the job.

 

[shooterdon]

I am nearly 70 and retired and would not spend 6-8 hours a week mowing and trimming. What a waste of time...but I do not enjoy mowing and hate trimming. Others are wired differently.

I would look at the cost of hiring out, compared to the investment in the right equipment to do the job in 3 hours. I would also evaluate if I really "need" that much grass mowed.

I have 1.5-2 acres and cut it in just under 2 hours with a cheap 48" Husqvarna rider. I am planning to get a ZT and cutting the time in about half. You must have a mess to deal with if it takes 6-8 hours to do 3 acres.

 

[mini14]

You owned a very slow tractor.

 

[kthompson]

You have asked a question this granddaddy can talk on for hours with you. Only you have the ability to make this decision. For me and my wife it is a great teaching opportunity with our two oldest grandchildren. Both take pride in their ability to operate the ztr or tractor. They are both proud when the are finished and looking at the yard ask how do you think it looks? We are probably prouder than they are. Then when they miss a place as will happen and we laugh together at that for we all miss a spot here and there even me, it is still a learning that all of life is not perfect...
As has been said if lawn care is not for you that is fine. But remember that when one of your children tell you really cleaning up my room is not something I enjoy, or cooking or what ever. Not trying to make you feel bad for seriously some people are miserable in a yard and I have IT son in law who is one of them. I agree with each post above mine. You must decide for yourself and your family. If you stopped with the lawn how would you invest your time with the family? Would it be better invested there? If so do it. A possible thought for your lawn and no idea how well they work but one of the robot lawn mowers. Even if you enjoy lawn work you should be always looking for how to do it better or safer and depending on how steep your yard is may not work. Just don't know. For my wife and myself we find cutting grass a relief compared to our jobs we both enjoy.
OH, my oldest grandson worked for the city last summer and this summer. Good for him. They do things like paint fire hydrants, cut with string trimmers around them, assist in other such work. His experience this year with us using our tractors and ztr mower allowed him to stand out with his crew this summer. He was only one of who knew how to and boy did he brag on that. What is most important is for you to invest your time in your family and children and have those experiences you are able to share and hold onto.

 

[dodge man]

I can’t say I always enjoy doing things myself. I kind of look at it the money I save I spend elsewhere. I rarely pay for oil changes, brakes and other mechanical work but hire out a lot of carpenter work even though I could do it myself. Spend your time and money the way it makes you happy. If your yard work feels like it’s making you a slave to it, paying to get it done is money well spent.

 

[cqaigy2]

Sounds like a good choice for you. :thumbsup:

I hear you on the IT, i spend about an hour a night doing research on IT job related stuff, especially remote access, since this covid stuff.

Do you need to keep all 3 acres manicured? I probably keep around an acre of my place in somewhat passable condition, and that's counting the two garden patches, and about every other year, or so, i'll mow down a path to the more remote corners just to make sure it's still there.

 

[Gary Fowler]

Around me, lawnmowers are a premium priced job. For a minimum investment of mower and weedeater, truck and trailer, they are in business. MY brother in law has COPD and can no longer mow so he hires it out. For a little over 1.5 acres, he is charged $250 per mowing each week. I mowed it for a long time and it only took me about 35 minutes but I didnt do weedeating. This guy has a commercial grade mower but runs it at slow walking speed so it takes him about 4 hours. I do my 6 acres in 2 hours with my Ferris (no weedeating) and get to watch him for two more hours poking along. My other neighbor used him for a while to mow and it was $300 to do her less than an acre. He claims he is giving my brother in law a better price so I suppose he is.
Even if I didnt like mowing, I would have to do it rather than pay someone to mow. Based on what he charges other folks, my 6 acres would cost me $900 per week to mow. Four months of that would buy a very nice mower.

 

[chim]

We should all do what we like, and as difficult as it may be - accept that not everyone might enjoy doing things the same as we do.

I'm 71 and mow 3-1/2 acres weekly. I could wrap it up in under 1-1/2 hours, but usually take my time. It's kind of fun to mow in different patterns. Our place needs about 10 minutes of the string trimmer every other week. A few hours of real effort are required about four times per season to do the creek banks. After reading about it here I'm about to try some flame weed eating along the creek to see how it works.

Maybe twice a year I walk along the fence row and under the trees with a battery-powered hedge clipper to clear low branches. Any seat time is fun but I especially like being in the tractor for mowing and snow removal.

 

[/pine]

What I don't get are the peeps that hire out any and all manual labor work maintaining their lawns and gardens and then pay a gym etc. and spend their off work time exercising at said gym...

 

[RalphVa]

I think if you're mowing more than 1/2 acre, you're mowing too much unless you have kids coming over all the time doing baseball or some such. Only mow what you can do with a walk behind mower. Make trails through the rest and just bushhog every year or two to control bad stuff. Make landscaped areas of no mow.

Ralph

 

[sixdogs]

When I worked and was pressed for time doing a big yard and farm, I used the money saved by not hiring it out and got to buy the equipment for "free" to maintain at a faster pace. I also sprayed difficult areas with glyphosate and cut trimming to near zero. Difficult obstacles got removed and it all worked with almost no handwork. These days I have the time but mow 2 1/2 to 3 acres in an hour with a 7' mower. If I fly I can do a quick job in 50 minutes.

Also, the money you pay to have work done is sort of debatable because you pay it with after tax income and at your top tax bracket. You might have to earn $100 to pay out $50 after all taxes and deductions. Plus, some yard work can be great cardio and if you eat right can add years to your life.

 

[Takman]

What I don't get are the peeps that hire out any and all manual labor work maintaining their lawns and gardens and then pay a gym etc. and spend their off work time exercising at said gym...

I've done framing, farming, auto repair, landscaping, most household stuff etc. I don't care how hard you go at it, it's not the same as running 5 miles or a long bicycle ride. Both make you stronger but in different ways....

 

[/pine]

I've done framing, farming, auto repair, landscaping, most household stuff etc. I don't care how hard you go at it, it's not the same as running 5 miles or a long bicycle ride. Both make you stronger but in different ways....

People that do manual labor for a living do not generally need any additional exercise unless they pursue specific physical endeavors (like mountain climbing etc. )

My point was about folks that sit behind a desk or computer all day...that can't be bothered to push a mower around their yard and pay someone else to... but spend money to do a hamster dance on a treadmill that they pay to use...!

 

[Tomtint]

I mow my own property..Probably spend about 4 hrs a week doing so and a few hours a month on maintenance. Sometimes I want to just hire someone..and others I enjoy doing it just the way I want. Also don't like waiting on someone to do things.

 

[Richard]

I agree with the logic that you have to find your own answer.

I don't have a manual job but, put a lot of time/energy into it. When I get home, part of my R&R is to jump on the tractor and go mow a field. I have something like 100 acres across several fields to mow and frankly, if it were up to ME, I'd keep it all looking more like a lawn. I might cut one field in one setting, another field on another day rather than to race & beat myself up to get it all done over a weekend.

Put my Ipod in my pocket, buds in my ears, over-ear protection over that and just go have my fun.

 

[stlbill]

You owned a very slow tractor.

Yes, I just never realized it!

The landscaper has mowed twice and is getting faster each time. Last time it took two guys 1 hour, 15 minutes. One starts trimming while the other uses a ride-on Exmark 60" zero turn (something I did not think was possible on my up to 40 degree hillsides). The Exmark operator then grabs a second trimmer or blower to finish it out.

AND his Exmark Laser cut quality is better than my Deere 2305 with 62C deck. It stripes... something I could only achieve by towing a cumbersome lawn roller.