# Recuts around Town.



## NetServe (Dec 3, 2012)

Help guys!!! I got a work order to do 3 recuts today. How you deal with recuts that only wants to pay $35.00 dollars per cut and every cut is 25 miles apart. I dont Know How to keep my client happy. moving around the whole town for $110 dollars a day, is not making sense or money. Help please.:sad::sad::sad:


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## BRADSConst (Oct 2, 2012)

NetServe said:


> Help guys!!! I got a work order to do 3 recuts today. How you deal with recuts that only wants to pay $35.00 dollars per cut and every cut is 25 miles apart. I dont Know How to keep my client happy. moving around the whole town for $110 dollars a day, is not making sense or money. Help please.:sad::sad::sad:


Welcome to the Biz. You need more clients or a smaller coverage area. You will be expected to log 400 miles in a day for 5 recuts IF you allow them to do it to you.


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## STARBABY (Apr 12, 2012)

NetServe said:


> Help guys!!! I got a work order to do 3 recuts today. How you deal with recuts that only wants to pay $35.00 dollars per cut and every cut is 25 miles apart. I dont Know How to keep my client happy. moving around the whole town for $110 dollars a day, is not making sense or money. Help please.:sad::sad::sad:


 
Sound like Cyprexx! If it is I shot them price on each property(go high to have room to come down).They started this the middle of the summer with us. I only keep my lawns in two counties. I will nit do even this a the start of lawn season(found I wasn`t making money)


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## JDRM (Apr 16, 2012)

You go do them and break even if your lucky! It sounds your new to the game, you will need to show them you can do what is needed, when needed. Then request more work. ex. if you had 20 you would be in great shape!:thumbsup: We all break even some days, its part of being a business owner! Its the days you loose money you want to avoid!


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## JDRM (Apr 16, 2012)

Oh yeah : You may want to do them yourself ( no helper) ...... :whistling2::whistling2::whistling2:


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## BPWY (Apr 12, 2012)

Recuts in Dec???


You might want to send them a calendar. I'd decline them straight up as dormant.


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## mtmtnman (May 1, 2012)

BPWY said:


> Recuts in Dec???
> 
> 
> You might want to send them a calendar. I'd decline them straight up as dormant.




Hell my old man lives in central Florida and hasn't cut grass since Halloween...........


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## JDRM (Apr 16, 2012)

LIMITED GROWTH!!!!!! You should not have cut it, client did not pay, SORRY!! YOU DON'T GET PAID! :huh::huh::huh:


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## thanohano44 (Aug 5, 2012)

BPWY said:


> Recuts in Dec???
> 
> 
> You might want to send them a calendar. I'd decline them straight up as dormant.


Grass grows faster here during winters.


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## BPWY (Apr 12, 2012)

thanohano44 said:


> Grass grows faster here during winters.





Most of us don't live in obama land.
Lol


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## JDRM (Apr 16, 2012)

NetServe said:


> Help guys!!! I got a work order to do 3 recuts today. How you deal with recuts that only wants to pay $35.00 dollars per cut and every cut is 25 miles apart. I dont Know How to keep my client happy. moving around the whole town for $110 dollars a day, is not making sense or money. Help please.:sad::sad::sad:


Well??? How did it work out for you?


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## Gypsos (Apr 30, 2012)

I had the same problem when I started. Over time I shrank my coverage area to stop this. 

I am fortunate that there is a lot of work close to me so I do not have to cover a large area to get enough work.


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## NetServe (Dec 3, 2012)

*Thanks*

Thanks to every body that comment on my questions. I decide to decline by saying i had work lined up and could not take it . Might be a wrong moved . But, no money, no mowing. sorry.:sad::sad::sad:


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## NetServe (Dec 3, 2012)

*answer*



JDRM said:


> Well??? How did it work out for you?


 thanks for your certain comments. apreciated a lot.


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## NetServe (Dec 3, 2012)

*questins*



NetServe said:


> thanks for your certain comments. apreciated a lot.


 No money,No mowing. sorry.declined job.may be a wrong move. sorry. New at PP business.


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## NetServe (Dec 3, 2012)

*declined*



JDRM said:


> Well??? How did it work out for you?


 declined,no money,no mowing .new at PP business.
:blink::blink::blink:


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## JDRM (Apr 16, 2012)

NetServe said:


> declined,no money,no mowing .new at PP business.
> :blink::blink::blink:


I know im gonna get grilled for this, but, $35 a cut is decent nowadays, try and tighten up that coverage area.:thumbsup:


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## NetServe (Dec 3, 2012)

*southernman*



BPWY said:


> Recuts in Dec???
> 
> 
> You might want to send them a calendar. I'd decline them straight up as dormant.


 Yes! recuts on december , unfortunally at the southern border we do not see snow as you might do up north. winter is just 2 months and again to the heat. (southernman).


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## JDRM (Apr 16, 2012)

NetServe said:


> Yes! recuts on december , unfortunally at the southern border we do not see snow as you might do up north. winter is just 2 months and again to the heat. (southernman).


Where are you located?


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## GTX63 (Apr 12, 2012)

The truth is usually the best response. "We are unable to accept these grass cut orders due to the distance between properties, the rate of pay and volume. Thanks."


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## nurumkin (Sep 28, 2012)

*re*



JDRM said:


> I know im gonna get grilled for this, but, $35 a cut is decent nowadays, try and tighten up that coverage area.:thumbsup:


$35 is just fine if they are rural towns where you can go 65mph between them. At 25 miles between I can almost get 2 done per hour with the right equipment, factor in about $12/hr for fuel and your still making almost $50/hr after discount, not great but it will pay the bills if you keep an eye on your overhead.


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## BPWY (Apr 12, 2012)

"Almost $50 an hr after discount and fuel"??????????????????????????
$70 gross and a 20% discount minus $12 for fuel is $44 an hr, not "almost $50". 
There is no way you are maintaining a 2 per hour run all day when you figure drive time of 25 miles between.


I get $35 for yards IN TOWN and don't have $12 an hr for fuel. I also have no discounts, or waiting up to 120 days to get paid.
When you figure in your vehicle wear and tear your expenses are a whole lot higher than you think.



There were times this past summer thanks to my apartment complexes I would spend more $$$$ for lawn mower gas than I did for diesel fuel in the pickup in a week.
Diesel runs .80 to a buck more per gallon. Thanks to having large apartment complexes where I'm not driving all over H and gone my weekly fuel bill was lower.


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## nurumkin (Sep 28, 2012)

*re*



BPWY said:


> "Almost $50 an hr after discount and fuel"??????????????????????????
> $70 gross and a 20% discount minus $12 for fuel is $44 an hr, not "almost $50".
> There is no way you are maintaining a 2 per hour run all day when you figure drive time of 25 miles between.


I was assuming 15% discount I don't think we work with anyone to takes 20%, and I was also assuming that not EVERY one would be 25 miles apart, I average about 2 an hour and some of mine are 50 miles apart but some are less. Either way for a small operation $40+ is enough to put OK money in your pocket if its consistent, I always consider that my base pay and then I clean up on the "goodies" that always seem to present themselves when I do these runs (extra bid work)


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## capcity (Dec 12, 2012)

In the words of First Lady Nancy Reagan, "Just Say No!" Its alright to say no. If fact, it is probably your responsibility to say no...if you are in business to make money.


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## GTX63 (Apr 12, 2012)

Guys that have decent equipment and drive 25 miles between jobs for $35 before discount may have a little money in their pocket at the end of the week (or 60 days). The following spring when they are getting equipment ready and/or upgrading, they find that the money that was in their pocket wasn't enough to make it into the bank.


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## nurumkin (Sep 28, 2012)

*re*



GTX63 said:


> Guys that have decent equipment and drive 25 miles between jobs for $35 before discount may have a little money in their pocket at the end of the week (or 60 days). The following spring when they are getting equipment ready and/or upgrading, they find that the money that was in their pocket wasn't enough to make it into the bank.


I'm not sure if I buy that, lets say you work a 12 hour day and do 20 cuts. That means you spent $120 on fuel (29.4 gal for 500 miles @17mpg) and grossed $700 - 15% = 595=120=475 now while its not great if you do that 5 days week for 5 months (475*5*20= $47,500) seems to me like that is more then enough to cover some new equpment (and take the winter off up in these parts)


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## RichR (Sep 22, 2012)

nurumkin said:


> I'm not sure if I buy that, lets say you work a 12 hour day and do 20 cuts. That means you spent $120 on fuel (29.4 gal for 500 miles @17mpg) and grossed $700 - 15% = 595=120=475 now while its not great if you do that 5 days week for 5 months (475*5*20= $47,500) seems to me like that is more then enough to cover some new equpment (and take the winter off up in these parts)


 
Your joking, Right?
$47500 a year minus taxes, minus insurance, minus misc. overhead, minus break downs, minus bogus charge backs? I wish I could live off of 15k a year. My god no wonder prices have plummeted.:wallbash:


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## JDRM (Apr 16, 2012)

HERE WE GO AGAIN WITH NUMBERS.......:whistling2::whistling2::whistling2:

:wallbash::wallbash::wallbash::wallbash::wallbash:


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## MNP&P (Nov 26, 2012)

One grass route I regularly ran this past season involved four properties and a 300 mile round trip for about $925 gross no discount. Only a handful of photos and minimal upload time. 
In my area I would go broke in no time doing $35 recuts.


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## GTX63 (Apr 12, 2012)

If you saw an ad that said "Wanted, people to mow grass. Job sites, hours, and work load are at our discretion. Pay is $100 flat per day." you might think they were nuts. How did you run your business last summer?


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## BPWY (Apr 12, 2012)

MNP&P said:


> One grass route I regularly ran this past season involved four properties and a 300 mile round trip for about $925 gross no discount. Only a handful of photos and minimal upload time.
> In my area I would go broke in no time doing $35 recuts.







Do your best to nail down local customers. 

You can gross that much and drive 1/5th as many miles.
Profit goes way up because the fuel bill for the week is the same as the above scenario is in one day.


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## nurumkin (Sep 28, 2012)

*re*



RichR said:


> Your joking, Right?
> $47500 a year minus taxes, minus insurance, minus misc. overhead, minus break downs, minus bogus charge backs? I wish I could live off of 15k a year. My god no wonder prices have plummeted.:wallbash:


Well if your driving that many miles you don't really pay any taxes, and if your paying that much for insurance and overhead then your doing something wrong (I own all my equipment as well as my shops). I don't really get that many chargebacks on lawns, maybe a few a year. (maybe they can't find anyone else to do these rural lawns because no one thinks there is money in them). Either way I know exactly what I made on lawns last year and it was lot and that was with mostly $35 recuts.


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## mtmtnman (May 1, 2012)

nurumkin said:


> Well if your driving that many miles you don't really pay any taxes, and if your paying that much for insurance and overhead then your doing something wrong (I own all my equipment as well as my shops). I don't really get that many chargebacks on lawns, maybe a few a year. (maybe they can't find anyone else to do these rural lawns because no one thinks there is money in them). Either way I know exactly what I made on lawns last year and it was lot and that was with mostly $35 recuts.



Don't know what your using but professional equipment costs $$$$ I bought a new 60" zero turn last spring. It was just under $16,000 The trade in given on my 8 yr old one in the same configuration was $7,500 That's $1,000 per year in depreciation. I can mow & bag an acre in under 1/2 hour BY MYSELF and the mower burns around 1/2 gallon of diesel an hour. I started out with cheap equipment but the jobs never looked that great. Now they look great and it gets me work OUTSIDE of bank work. Try this with a home depot mower......


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## STARBABY (Apr 12, 2012)

mtmtnman said:


> Don't know what your using but professional equipment costs $$$$ I bought a new 60" zero turn last spring. It was just under $16,000 The trade in given on my 8 yr old one in the same configuration was $7,500 That's $1,000 per year in depreciation. I can mow & bag an acre in under 1/2 hour BY MYSELF and the mower burns around 1/2 gallon of diesel an hour. I started out with cheap equipment but the jobs never looked that great. Now they look great and it gets me work OUTSIDE of bank work. Try this with a home depot mower......


 
Do u ever have problem with it clogging up? I have a ex mark and had to take catcher off because of clogging. was stedding so much time cleaning.

I mow yard 2 to 3 times with mulching blades with my 2 757`s and yard look great after!


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## mtmtnman (May 1, 2012)

STARBABY said:


> Do u ever have problem with it clogging up? I have a ex mark and had to take catcher off because of clogging. was stedding so much time cleaning.
> 
> I mow yard 2 to 3 times with mulching blades with my 2 757`s and yard look great after!



Every great once in a while if its really wet but for the most part no. It has a high speed powered blower on it and will blow grass 30' across the pasture at my house........


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## nurumkin (Sep 28, 2012)

*re*



mtmtnman said:


> Don't know what your using but professional equipment costs $$$$ I bought a new 60" zero turn last spring. It was just under $16,000 The trade in given on my 8 yr old one in the same configuration was $7,500 That's $1,000 per year in depreciation. I can mow & bag an acre in under 1/2 hour BY MYSELF and the mower burns around 1/2 gallon of diesel an hour. I started out with cheap equipment but the jobs never looked that great. Now they look great and it gets me work OUTSIDE of bank work. Try this with a home depot mower......


I also started out cheap with a simplicity I got for $700 (I beat the tar out of it and the guy I gave it to still uses it on his yard) now days I tend to go with Deere because you cant throw a rock without hitting a dealership around here (especially in rural areas). I don't like the 60" sit down's because they feel too big to maneuver around the city lots, the 54 stander seems to work a lot better. Plus its easier to load without having to do all sorts of climbing around. I've never felt the need to spend 16k on one though, my deere was about 9k new and I got it 3 years old for under 4. It will do 3.5 acres per hour, but realistically its more like 2-2.5 when you factor in going around stuff. 

But back to the original point if you make even 40k doing cheap lawn cuts a season $1000 in depreciation is not a lot, hell even if you factor in buying a new (used) truck every 5 years (lets say a nice diesel for 10-12k) thats still not very much in equipment cost. There is still a lot of room for profit if you watch your other costs.


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## david (Apr 11, 2012)

*hi*

Just say no how can you be makin any money at 35 a yard driving that


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## mtmtnman (May 1, 2012)

nurumkin said:


> I also started out cheap with a simplicity I got for $700 (I beat the tar out of it and the guy I gave it to still uses it on his yard) now days I tend to go with Deere because you cant throw a rock without hitting a dealership around here (especially in rural areas). I don't like the 60" sit down's because they feel too big to maneuver around the city lots, the 54 stander seems to work a lot better. Plus its easier to load without having to do all sorts of climbing around. I've never felt the need to spend 16k on one though, my deere was about 9k new and I got it 3 years old for under 4. It will do 3.5 acres per hour, but realistically its more like 2-2.5 when you factor in going around stuff.
> 
> But back to the original point if you make even 40k doing cheap lawn cuts a season $1000 in depreciation is not a lot, hell even if you factor in buying a new (used) truck every 5 years (lets say a nice diesel for 10-12k) thats still not very much in equipment cost. There is still a lot of room for profit if you watch your other costs.


Much of my extra cost is the liquid cooled diesel engine. I get that extra cost back at trade in/resale and fuel savings as well as torque. I'm running a 25HP. To get the same power in a gas engine you will need to be around 28HP. The diesel burns around a half gallon an hour. A 28HP gas will burn over a gallon an hour. Figuring the fuel prices this past summer over 250 hours, the diesel saved me nearly $500 over a comparable gas so after 8 years of service i will be $4,000 ahead in fuel alone so it was a good investment in the end. *Being i can bag in 1 pass i don't have to double or triple cut tall grass either.......*


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## mtmtnman (May 1, 2012)

david said:


> Just say no how can you be makin any money at 35 a yard driving that



I don't do $35 cuts. Most of my grass cuts are full HUD less discount or REO's at $75 a pop..........


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## nurumkin (Sep 28, 2012)

*re*



david said:


> Just say no how can you be makin any money at 35 a yard driving that


On a good day I will profit $800 doing $35 cuts, now to be fair all of them arent $35 some are more some are less but I figure average about $35

@mtmtnman 
" Much of my extra cost is the liquid cooled diesel engine. I get that extra cost back at trade in/resale and fuel savings as well as torque. I'm running a 25HP. To get the same power in a gas engine you will need to be around 28HP. The diesel burns around a half gallon an hour. A 28HP gas will burn over a gallon an hour. Figuring the fuel prices this past summer over 250 hours, the diesel saved me nearly $500 over a comparable gas so after 8 years of service i will be $4,000 ahead in fuel alone so it was a good investment in the end. Being i can bag in 1 pass i don't have to double or triple cut tall grass either......."

I have always shied away from diesel mowers (which is funny because I don't own a single gasoline car/truck) because I've been told many times that diesel mower engines are great they last 20 years, but the bodies only last 10, which is the same problem I have with my vw TDI's the engine is barely broken in but the body is falling apart. I do mostly city lots when I do cuts and I get the brush mower out for bigger approvals so I don't really need the power.


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## BPWY (Apr 12, 2012)

mtmtnman said:


> The diesel burns around a half gallon an hour. A 28HP gas will burn over a gallon an hour.






Must be briggs motors then.


My 26 EFI Kohlers and 27 carb Kawi don't burn north of a gallon an hr.


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## nurumkin (Sep 28, 2012)

*re*



BPWY said:


> Must be briggs motors then.
> 
> 
> My 26 EFI Kohlers and 27 carb Kawi don't burn north of a gallon an hr.


I thought that sounded high as well, but honestly I've never paid attention when I fill up, when you put $130 for diesel in it's easy to not even notice the $9.50 in gas for the mower.


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## mtmtnman (May 1, 2012)

BPWY said:


> Must be briggs motors then.
> 
> 
> My 26 EFI Kohlers and 27 carb Kawi don't burn north of a gallon an hr.



I think a lot has to do with how heavy the growth is. In early spring when the grass is heavy i burn more fuel than late summer when it thins out. Hell my 17 Kawi burns north of 3/4 gallon pulling a 48" deck. Walker claims 1.35 Gal per HR on the 23HP and 1 gal per HR on the 31HP liquid cooled. http://www.emmettdist.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/03/31HP-flyer.pdf Scag has a calculator on their sitewith Kawi and Kohler motors. Check it out. Their 27HP (carb)Kohler Command is rated at 1.2 GPH and the 29 Kawi (fuel injected) at 1 GPH. http://www.scag.com/fuelconsumption.html


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## mtmtnman (May 1, 2012)

nurumkin said:


> I thought that sounded high as well, but honestly I've never paid attention when I fill up, when you put $130 for diesel in it's easy to not even notice the $9.50 in gas for the mower.



You said you run standups right?

17 hp Kaw KIA on 36" Stander: about 0.75 gph
17 hp Kaw KIA on 52" Stander: about 0.85 gph
25 hp Kohler on 52" Stander: a bit over 1 gph
25 hp Kaw on 61" Stander: a bit over 1 gph
13 hp Honda GX390 on 36" belt drive: about 0.5 gph
22 hp Koher on 48" Lazer Z hp: a little under 1 gph

http://images.lawnsite.com/showthread.php?p=4036385


Apples to apples though i am doing EXTREMELY well mowing with a 61" 2000# mower. Put my engine in one of your rigs and it would run on fumes as the standers are less than 1/2 the weight!


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## nurumkin (Sep 28, 2012)

*re*

looks like your right, I suppose it only seems like I don't use much because my mower is only running for like 3 or 4 hours a day (most of these lots take less then 5 minutes of actual mower time. I had one that was literally down and back on each side and I was done. 

a large diesel would be nice if I did a lot of large overgrown lawns like you seem to do, but I still prefer a small manueverable stander. Plus I am getting motivated to finish my diesel minivan* and I don't think it would pull a 2000# mower but my 1000# it should do just fine. 

funny sidenote, I got motivated because the linkage in my passat went out 120miles from my shop so I had to drive through the cities with only 5th gear. Figured if I'm going to do anything mechanically to it I'm just going to scrap the body.


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## BPWY (Apr 12, 2012)

mtmtnman said:


> I think a lot has to do with how heavy the growth is. In early spring when the grass is heavy i burn more fuel than late summer when it thins out. Hell my 17 Kawi burns north of 3/4 gallon pulling a 48" deck. Walker claims 1.35 Gal per HR on the 23HP and 1 gal per HR on the 31HP liquid cooled. http://www.emmettdist.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/03/31HP-flyer.pdf Scag has a calculator on their sitewith Kawi and Kohler motors. Check it out. Their 27HP (carb)Kohler Command is rated at 1.2 GPH and the 29 Kawi (fuel injected) at 1 GPH. http://www.scag.com/fuelconsumption.html





I don't give a dang what its rated at........ I'm telling you personal experience.


Sure any motor when the governor is opened up mowing heavy is gonna burn more. 
When mowing super high (like head high) weeds in a detention pond it probably burns that 1.2 gpm, maybe even 1.5, but manicured lawn mowing I am not over a gallon on my 27 hp Kawi.

And have never been over a gallon on the EFIs.


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## NetServe (Dec 3, 2012)

Thanks to all people that had participated and continue exposing the thru about cutting grass for pennies in this industry.


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## NetServe (Dec 3, 2012)

*thanks to every participant in this forum*



mtmtnman said:


> Don't know what your using but professional equipment costs $$$$ I bought a new 60" zero turn last spring. It was just under $16,000 The trade in given on my 8 yr old one in the same configuration was $7,500 That's $1,000 per year in depreciation. I can mow & bag an acre in under 1/2 hour BY MYSELF and the mower burns around 1/2 gallon of diesel an hour. I started out with cheap equipment but the jobs never looked that great. Now they look great and it gets me work OUTSIDE of bank work. Try this with a home depot mower......


 
Never thought that one question will generate this much useful comments from all the experienced [email protected] people at this forum.Thanks guys from Corpus Christi,TX. thank you very much. New at the industry


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## STARBABY (Apr 12, 2012)

mtmtnman said:


> Every great once in a while if its really wet but for the most part no. It has a high speed powered blower on it and will blow grass 30' across the pasture at my house........


my ex mark has a blower too, but diidn`t have anyluck with it and removed it.


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## mtmtnman (May 1, 2012)

STARBABY said:


> my ex mark has a blower too, but diidn`t have anyluck with it and removed it.



Exmark's where not designed for Bagging. Grasshoppers deck design does a great job. The biggest advantage is the deck is 6" deep so it can handle a lot of volume.....


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