Mowing for reality company's ?

[sweettractors]

Much more money in selling a new landscape package to a motivated buyer than a realtor trying to simply move a property.

I have a friend that now owns a sod farm and greenhouse operation with all sorts of plants, trees and landscape gravel options. He was owner of a Farm Equipment business most of his life. I was at his facility recently and asked him if selling his current product was about like selling the farm equipment. He said it a H--- of a lot easier to sell something the customer wanted than to sell them something (equipment) they needed. He said the equipment buyers would haggle price for days, weeks or months and in his current business, the customer usually did not even ask the price. Just load the truck. Ken Sweet

 

[whistlepig]

I have done more than a few. The agency has no trouble telling you to mow it, but when it comes time to get paid, they want you to take it up with the property owner. I have done a couple for free. Not by choice.

I did this for ten years. I never once was not paid. This wouldn't happen in our area. The demand is greater than those doing the service around here. And all us mowers knew each other and stuck together. We would share work when the demand was too high. One non-payment to any mower pretty well meant the realtor was going to have weed eat his lot the rest of his life.

 

[deepNdirt]

I did this for ten years. I never once was not paid. This wouldn't happen in our area. The demand is greater than those doing the service around here. And all us mowers knew each other and stuck together. We would share work when the demand was too high.

same here, although back last year there was one person who run an ad stating he had a "real tractor" and could do "real tractor work" and get the job done 1/2 the time than all the others implying to those of us who had cut tractors were not as efficient as he was with his larger 60 hp tractor, as I stated before many folks had rather use smaller tractors on their residential properties for less risk in taking down a corner of a building or skinning up the bark of a tree,
I can get up close enough to a structure with my old cut Kubota and 4 ft cutter that all would be left to do is trim with a string weed trimer,:thumbsup:
most of the times I would have to cut high and then come back and re-cut lower, I could average 1 acre each hour 1/2 in 2nd high this is with the grass 2 1/2 -3 ft tall, I also have folks that would like to have the undergrowth from in their woods thin out, something that the larger tractors cannot do, some folks are particular about the small dogwoods and like to not have them cut down,...... every tractors has its purpose, Larger tractors are meant for the open Fields and are not as versatile and cannot be maneuvered as the smaller ones, but yet the smaller tractors cannot do heavy task as the larger tractors can....

 

[whistlepig]

Most of my lots where one to three acres. Anything bigger than than a 60" brush hog made the job more difficult. I used a MF135 diesel with AG tires. Many times I spent more time hauling than mowing. The minimum I charged just to haul was $40.00 ten years ago. And I never made one trip and came home. I stacked the trips. Again, this a nightmare on equipment. A two acre lot surrounded by a subdivision usually has all the back yards backed up against this vacant lot. The homeowners use these vacant lots for a dump. Heaven forbid if you fling some of the homeowners own garbage through his back patio doors. It's stressful mowing and one has to have good insurance. But there is good money to be made here. I'll not rule it out in my future.

 

[CurlyDave]

The homeowners use these vacant lots for a dump.

You have just opened my eyes to something I would never have thought of, but which is obviously true...

 

[LoneCowboy]

How long does it take the average guy to mow a acre with a 72" mower?

Or how much can a guy mow in a hour?

about an acre an hour with a 5-6' mower
m/l
6' slightly more, not a ton.

 

[SPYDERLK]

about an acre an hour with a 5-6' mower
m/l
6' slightly more, not a ton.

Must be going pretty slow. 5 to 6 mph oughta get you above 2acres/hr even considering moderate obstacles.
larry

 

[jenkinsph]

Must be going pretty slow. 5 to 6 mph oughta get you above 2acres/hr even considering moderate obstacles.
larry

On known ground that is free of holes and stumps should be over 2 acres/hour, but mowing someone else lot that is overgrown in town an acre/hour would be reasonable.