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Overloaded ????maybe


MPH

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Had to take the 4040 over to a friends house to rake out his yard. I tried 3 or 4 years ago to get him a lawn but his priorities changed when my B-112 almost had it done. I mowed off 2 foot high foxtail and aspen trees last Aug. but, got it re-raked with the 4040, came home and got the Landlord and drop seeder and got it limed, fertilized, seeded with barley and drug down with chainlink fence, in an increasely hard drizzle. Any of you guys who do a lawn bussiness use a per sq foot price for mowing or other related lawn work? think I need a bigger trailer for the 4040 though, this one looked about OD'ed

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General manual labor rate is $25/hr, machine rate $35/hr. for residential customers. Those go up to $30/40 respectively for commercial customers. I base the price on the first mowing and as I get faster from learning the best mowing pattern, etc I finish faster but the price stays the same. A lawn that took about 90-100 minutes last year is now about 70-80 minutes now that I know the best way to get around while mowing. I still get $60 for it though, same price as last year so they are happy... Though a lot more work, maybe the rake should go in the truck bed next time??
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I don't base my prices per hour. Try not to think like an hourly worker. You have a lot of costs to cover. I don't use sq ft method. I have an old lady small yard price. a dink (double income no kids price)and a few others. All of them are infuenced by how hard the lawn is. I do keep an hourly rate in the back of my head. Sometimes I double or triple it. Sometimes I make no money.
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quote:
Originally posted by lndscpr you need a bigger trailer and a smaller mower
SMALLER MOWER That is heresy!! You better hope they don't ban you for that one:D
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Marty, You know when you have overloaded the trailer when a trailer that is not designed to tilt does when you are loading the trailer. (In other words bend the tongue of the trailer.) Been there, done that! Rick.........
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HEY, Who IS this guy???? Smaller mower.... THE Nerve! No Worries Marty! LOL Yeah, I'd at least get bigger tires for the trailer (?). JP (LOL)
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My friend's motto; "I don't get out of bed for less than $75 dollars". Now the challenge, find enough work and make that happen. I guess if you do it for less, your "a nice guy".... or a friend.
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quote:
Originally posted by lndscpr One of these will do the job faster.:)
I have watched guys on these and you're right. But there is just something about sitting on a tractor that you resurrected from a graveyard, completely disassembled, sanded, sanded, sanded, sanded, primed, painted, repaired, and reassembled. Especially when your neighbor, who owns one of those new box tractors painted green from HD, says "that's a nice tractor you got there":D:D:D
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quote:
Originally posted by lndscpr [br One of these will do the job faster.[:)]
Is it more fun, though? That's what really counts, as long as the job's done. :)
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What do you think that weighs Marty? 2000#?? That sure is a nice rake, Hows it work on on the Arctic Beast. I,m thinking of getting one for mine, Ken
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I like cutting my own lawn on my 7114h with a cold beverage. When I do it for money I use the 48" Exmark walk behind.
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I thought John was talking about his trailer, not the machine in it. One of those wouldn't have doe what I was doing, gotta get to turn green first. Hopefully he'll buy his wife a mower by then. He's got a fishing boat in Valdez and bluntly addmits he don't do lawns on weekends, he fishes. His boat purchase was the loss of interest in planting it 4 years ago. Kirk, not sure there's enough of me to put that rake in the back of the truck.
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quote:
Originally posted by Allis_B12
quote:
Originally posted by lndscpr [br One of these will do the job faster.[:)]
Is it more fun, though? That's what really counts, as long as the job's done. :)
I don't know about more fun, but my dad who is 62 now bought two of these mowers and uses them to mow his 3 acre yard. I restored his 712 Allis he bought new in 74' a couple of years ago and I don't think he has ever used it again since getting these at about the same time. Must be fun I guess.
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MArty, All ya need to do is trade some work for a tandem axle trailer someone has laying arouond......
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Marty, If tandem axle trailers are truly that expensive up there, you may want to consider driving down to the Lower 48 and pulling some back. They'll give you a good deal on them, in that quantity, stack them 5 or 6 high, and you could likely make enough money to pay for one of them for yourself.... Here's an example: http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&category=1269&item=3813924671 I've heard of people here in New England doing that, driving them back from the factories in either Texas or Missouri (where most of them seem to be made)....
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If you sit down and figure what it actually cost to run a tractor per hour you would be surprised. Even just for guys like us you have ,investment, maint., fuel, then divide by the expected life of the equip. (1,000- maybe 2,000 hours). Then if you are doing it commercialy, you have taxes, insurance, labor, maybe office help or accountant. Equipment needed to transport, cost and maint of these items, time involved in transport, cost of your shop and tools. That's all before you even think about profit. Along with other insidental items I have not even mentioned. And the customer thinks "Man all he is doing is buying gas." It's pretty tough to break down by either area or hourly. From friends in the business It looks like it is another one of those operations it is getting hard to do part time. That's why I shut down my glass business a couple of years ago. I could no longer operate on the scale I wanted to. Enough of that stuff!! Nice looking rig Martin. But that trailer has erned a rest.
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You can buy new 16' tandems around here for $800-$1000 depending on where you go.
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Last time I checked on rail trailers being brought up here with 3500lb axles they were 2000 to 2500. Got one on my dream list, but actual need hasn't brought it real close to the top yet. There likely are deals around to snag if one has a pocket full of cash at the proper monemnt.
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I got a well used 5 foot by ten foot trailer from a neighbor that had used it for a race car. It was overloaded as a race car trailer, but works great for a couch or tractor. I drove 155 miles to buy my sunstar... but driving it home at 85 mph ++ and having it just roll along was a nice test for a great trailer. I recovered the trailer with 3/4 inch treated plywood last year. That stuff is so heavy that I could not even load it onto the home depot cart without help. It makes the trailer ride well even empty.
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I have an 11 foot trailer that needs some work that I will give away. It is located here in Hanson, Ma. Is a converted boat trailer set up for landscaping complete with ramp. Will need some parts and paint and work. John
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