I appreciate your videos. I started out in 2010 with a 2009 Hustler Fastrack, a Stihl trimmer, blower, and shrub trimmer, as well as my personal Troy-Built push mower - and they got me through my first 3 years of mowing. After that I had 30 lawns and began to upgrade and add.
My original setup. Used wooden 8×5 trailer free from a neighbor but spent around 200.00 on new tires , light set up from harbor freight and registration. , 28" snapper riding mower off Craigslist $275.00 , brute 21" front wheel drive off CL 175.00, Ryobi 25cc trimmer $105.00 new and a homelite 150 mph blower about $80 bucks new. so that's $835.00 or so since I already had a truck. All of the equipment purchased made it through the 1st season. so even on one 5th of that cost a business could be had. Nothing flashy that's for sure and probably the laughing stock of the local yard service community. But it had me generating around $400 to $600 per week "after work and on the weekends" within the 1st month of operation and was able to upgrade little by little from there and quit being an employee and start being an employer.
Like your series. One thing to keep in mind in buying equipment is that all machines purchased have a depreciation value based upon the cost and the year of the unit. The other thing to remember is that new units have warranties.Most manufactures have 2 to three year warranties and some dealers offer free loaners if your unit is down. We sell a complete unit with 48 commercial mower, 6.5 x 12 trailer and string equipment, blower, edger and trimmer for 8k.
Sometimes we're in a position where us lowly humans must take a gamble...besides that, if you know what's up you'll know a good deal when you see one. All my stuff is from cr. for now and my only mistake was an old ass chainsaw I paid $40 and it was a vintage unit. I really wanted it to work but it was donzo...lol
6.5 x 12 dove trailer I had before my business. I paid $1,050 and it was a 2017 model. 2014 52" Exmark Turf Tracer with 170hrs $4,000 2016 Exmark Commercial 30 $1,000 it was basically brand new. We carried these on the trucks of the last landscaping company I worked for. Fell in love with it and bought it for my house before starting my business. New Redmax 230ts trimmer was $334 with tax and I got a 6 pack of Redmax oil to go with it. Stihl MS193 T chainsaw was $350 new including tax. These types of saws are EXCELLENT pruning saws imo. I had 3 large crepe myrtles I had to prune and a saw of some sort was required. Have a BR700 blower I paid $450 used for like new condition. My last boss who owns a large company still has many, many blowers, saws, trimmers and mowers laying all over the place that they no longer use due to being small and underpowered. I just figured going ahead and buying top of the line stuff is cheaper in the long run than buying off the shelf items at Lowe's or Home Depot and then buying better stuff on down the road. I use my 4runner as my work truck and really want one of the 4 cylinder Isuzu diesels for my company but that's gonna wait a while until I have more business. I also need to get some hedge trimmers and a good stihl sprayer. It is IMPOSSIBLE to buy these used in my region (Chattanooga). They sell instantly when they're posted online.
Another tip i bought defective cub cadet weed eaters for like $10 bucks for 3 the engines were ok some worked some didnt. But, the heads and attachments fit a rhyobi base ($80). Tractor supply will wheel and deal with you on defective items.
My setup is very similar. 42 Timecutter, Honda 21, 5X8' trailer, FS 70, BG86. Do have backups of everything. And have 3 place Extremes. Still way under 5k all bought used, all paid for. Honda was bought new.
HappyScrappy47 sounds good. You can always upgrade equipment later. I do think when you are able, a commercial grade zero turn mower will help you work faster.
Thanks for advice. I've been working for Kohler engines this year. I been testing there mowers at the airfield. I'm gonna start my own service next February. Thinking of starting off with 2.500 hundred. I have a truck just need the rest. I've watched several of your videos. And got me iching to get started. And the hustlers are awesome we have one at Kohler. We have for a Gravely witch is my favorite with a 72 inch deck. Thanks for sharing
I just hate when guys on here dont encourage people to stay away from debt as much as possible. that 5k you spent on that equipment will easily turn into 30k plus.
This spring getting a zero turn. 5 years on a craftsman. It's time to step up. What your favorite zero turn? But it has to be less than 50in. I do a lot of small yards with trees.
+Gary Swinson I think a 48 inch mower is a very versatile size that would be great. I like Hustler, gravely, exmak, Scag. There's also a big difference between residential models and commercial models
Lawn Care Business I have exactly same mower. Just bought mine for $1850 with 400 hours. It's has a SFS deck ( super flow system). Got it off Craigslist and it came with the house the guy bought. So he had no money into it. I just dropped it off for service and they said it's worth about $3800 to $4000. Does this mower stripe good? If not I'm getting a stripper bar. I have a exmark as well 60 inch zero cuts great. I needed this 44 to get in gates. Look forward to hearing back about the 44. Thx
Hey thanks for the content! I have a question. Ive seen some Toro zero turn mowers for about 3k brand new on the home depot website Are the ones youre buying used better models?
You may have found out yourself by now but this guy buys used commercial grade mowers. That’s just not the same as a 3k mower from Home Depot. He’s buying 3k mowers that were originally 8k plus.
If you don’t know the difference just as an example they are much more heavy duty which is necessary for daily mowing, instead of the once a week homeowner. This could be anything from thicker, forged decks instead of stamped decks, the motor, so on. There truly is a significant cost difference.
What you want to do is get on say John Deere or ex mark official website…. Any brand really. They will spell it out to you what makes the difference between their residential and commercial equipment. With that knowledge and brand new pricing knowledge, that’s how you go find a good used one. Model knowledge is key to determine correct pricing.
I want to do a lawn care and brush cleaning like get a small tractor and bush hog some just start out edging trimming and mowing blowing and mulching some and save up and buy a small tractor and bush hog and a mini excavator too and do lawn care and Property clean up what do you thing and besides doing lawn care I can do property clean up too like bush hogging fields or right a ways and have a nice day bud
I think toro is a good brand. I think the z380 is a residential model so it will not be as powerful as the commercial ones. Perhaps you can use it for a while and one day upgrade to a commercial model if there is a need for that.
Jason, you said you made 485.00 per day mowing lawns by yourself. How much did you charge? I ran some figures for an 8 hr day and that comes to 60.00 per lawn. 1 hour per lawn. Weekends off I presume. That comes to 2425.00 per week. 9700.00 per month. For 6 months that comes to 58,200.00. Did you do this solo? I would like to know what the average time per lawn was. Thanks I enjoy your videos as I looking to start a lawn cutting business next year. Thank You.
I've never used one or seen anyone in my area with one that I can remember. Guess they're not very popular in my area but I don't have an opinion either way on them
Let's say you're only cutting residential homes. Can you get a residential zero-turn instead of a commercial one? I might have a contract coming up that is 2 acres big. Owner wants it mowed twice a month. Could this residential zero-turn work just as well on it? That property is flat and well taken care of as far as mowing is concern. Thinking about getting a 52 inch cut. Thx
Johnny Cortez You can get a residential mower but I think a used commercial would be a better use of money. If I was looking to spend between 3-5k on a mower, then I would get a used commercial mower. If you want a residential model, I would either get a Gravely HD or a Hustler Fastrak
Don Abraham Yep, and today's HP ratings are higher than the actual engine power be careful about that. Today's 20HP engine may only be really 16HP in the real world. My lawn tractor's engine says 24HP, but it has less power than my old one with an 18HP engine. Things bog the new mower down that would never have phased the old one.
Randy Ray I barely passed the test. I don't think I remember any questions about weed identification. I do remember questions about different lawn pests and also lawn fungus. What is mean is how to identify a particular fungus or what pest is in a lawn. I was recommended three books to study and I did study but I probably should have studied a little more. What state are you in?
Hey Jason, do I have to use a commercial grade mower? I am currently at 20 yards and growing. Some are very big and some are very steep. What mower would you recommend?
Lawn Care Life what about ztr mowers on slopes? I live in TN and we have plenty of slopes. I'm using a JDx500 and have for years because I worry about ZTRs on slopes. What do you think?
Jason Mitchell Hagood I have found that Zero Turn Mowers perform quite well on Hills. a commercial grade mower will handle a hill better than a residential
Gibb Johnson So far, I have spent around $12,000 in equipment and $4000 in fertilizer and herbicides. I have made some of that back since I have around 90 customers now but I still need a lot more customers to be making a good profit. I am happy with the progress for the first year and I am very optimistic about the future.
Dicofole I plan to do that but I just haven't gotten around to it. I also don't have as many ideas on what to make videos about. Maybe you have some suggestions.
Sure do. 1- How is the marketing different from lawn mowing ? 2- How are customer different or similar to lawn mowing customers (more needy, more complaints, unreasonable expectations)? What are the advantages disadvantages vs the mowing business (yields, simplicity, weather problems)? 3- What are some sales tips and tricks to close sales ? 4- Are commercial as good or more profitable than residential ? 5- Do you make soil tests for each customers or do you make assumptions about the PH, fertility and whatnot ? 6- Do you use all organic or low impact products or just regular products (organic vs conventional fertilizers, liquid or granular or both, etc) ? Any differences, advantages and disadvantages ? I think you have lots of good topics to talk about... Thank you for asking and for being willing to share your experience and knowledge.
never cheap out on a trailer. if you are serous about the biz get a big heavy duty trailer. my first was a 10 foot. then i went to a 12 foot. now i said the hell with it and got a 16 footer. i should have done that right at the beginning.
Lawn Care Business it holds a lot of stuff. lol mine is HD to. i rent a 1 ton roller. if you really want a lawn biz go big on the trailer. its a tough biz but if you work at it it will grow fast. then get into plowing thats some good income.
I appreciate your videos. I started out in 2010 with a 2009 Hustler Fastrack, a Stihl trimmer, blower, and shrub trimmer, as well as my personal Troy-Built push mower - and they got me through my first 3 years of mowing. After that I had 30 lawns and began to upgrade and add.
My original setup. Used wooden 8×5 trailer free from a neighbor but spent around 200.00 on new tires , light set up from harbor freight and registration. , 28" snapper riding mower off Craigslist $275.00 , brute 21" front wheel drive off CL 175.00, Ryobi 25cc trimmer $105.00 new and a homelite 150 mph blower about $80 bucks new. so that's $835.00 or so since I already had a truck. All of the equipment purchased made it through the 1st season. so even on one 5th of that cost a business could be had. Nothing flashy that's for sure and probably the laughing stock of the local yard service community. But it had me generating around $400 to $600 per week "after work and on the weekends" within the 1st month of operation and was able to upgrade little by little from there and quit being an employee and start being an employer.
steve torres that's cool brotha, sounds similar to my original set up, I'd be interested to hear about your upgrades
This upcoming season will be my first official season im a sophomore in high school ready to start this adventure. This video really helps
Like your series. One thing to keep in mind in buying equipment is that all machines
purchased have a depreciation value based upon the cost and the year of the unit.
The other thing to remember is that new units have warranties.Most manufactures have 2 to three year warranties and some dealers offer free loaners if your unit is down. We sell a complete unit with 48 commercial mower, 6.5 x 12 trailer and string equipment, blower, edger and trimmer for 8k.
+Jim Tilton who is we jim??
Sometimes we're in a position where us lowly humans must take a gamble...besides that, if you know what's up you'll know a good deal when you see one. All my stuff is from cr. for now and my only mistake was an old ass chainsaw I paid $40 and it was a vintage unit. I really wanted it to work but it was donzo...lol
6.5 x 12 dove trailer I had before my business. I paid $1,050 and it was a 2017 model.
2014 52" Exmark Turf Tracer with 170hrs $4,000
2016 Exmark Commercial 30 $1,000 it was basically brand new. We carried these on the trucks of the last landscaping company I worked for. Fell in love with it and bought it for my house before starting my business.
New Redmax 230ts trimmer was $334 with tax and I got a 6 pack of Redmax oil to go with it.
Stihl MS193 T chainsaw was $350 new including tax. These types of saws are EXCELLENT pruning saws imo. I had 3 large crepe myrtles I had to prune and a saw of some sort was required.
Have a BR700 blower I paid $450 used for like new condition.
My last boss who owns a large company still has many, many blowers, saws, trimmers and mowers laying all over the place that they no longer use due to being small and underpowered. I just figured going ahead and buying top of the line stuff is cheaper in the long run than buying off the shelf items at Lowe's or Home Depot and then buying better stuff on down the road.
I use my 4runner as my work truck and really want one of the 4 cylinder Isuzu diesels for my company but that's gonna wait a while until I have more business.
I also need to get some hedge trimmers and a good stihl sprayer. It is IMPOSSIBLE to buy these used in my region (Chattanooga). They sell instantly when they're posted online.
Another tip i bought defective cub cadet weed eaters for like $10 bucks for 3 the engines were ok some worked some didnt. But, the heads and attachments fit a rhyobi base ($80). Tractor supply will wheel and deal with you on defective items.
Great info man, thanks! Bad thing about the trailer is that you must store it in a garage due to rain and ppl stealing the equipment
***** That is one advantage of an enclosed trailer but I prefer the easy access of an open trailer. Advantages and disadvantages of both
Start small and smart, good advice plus hard work will build you a good business.
My setup is very similar. 42 Timecutter, Honda 21, 5X8' trailer, FS 70, BG86. Do have backups of everything. And have 3 place Extremes. Still way under 5k all bought used, all paid for. Honda was bought new.
HappyScrappy47 sounds good. You can always upgrade equipment later. I do think when you are able, a commercial grade zero turn mower will help you work faster.
Totally agree with no financing
Love the off season buys Jason. Good advice as always.
PrimoLandscaping.ca I was pretty happy with the deals I found.
Thanks for advice. I've been working for Kohler engines this year. I been testing there mowers at the airfield. I'm gonna start my own service next February. Thinking of starting off with 2.500 hundred. I have a truck just need the rest. I've watched several of your videos. And got me iching to get started. And the hustlers are awesome we have one at Kohler. We have for a Gravely witch is my favorite with a 72 inch deck. Thanks for sharing
Great info / advice.
Dan's Vlog I
Hey, Dan!! What's up, bruh?!
Thanks Mr. Creel, turns out we actually have lots in common! However I find that I struggle with having balance in my practicalities...lol
Your videos are have some of the best advice on the landscaping channel.
+santos galvan thank you. Glad they are hrlpful
+Lawn Care Life I meant to say helpful
I just hate when guys on here dont encourage people to stay away from debt as much as possible. that 5k you spent on that equipment will easily turn into 30k plus.
great advice thank you sir! time to make $5000 to get going!
This spring getting a zero turn. 5 years on a craftsman. It's time to step up. What your favorite zero turn? But it has to be less than 50in. I do a lot of small yards with trees.
+Gary Swinson I think a 48 inch mower is a very versatile size that would be great. I like Hustler, gravely, exmak, Scag. There's also a big difference between residential models and commercial models
Lawn Care Business I have exactly same mower. Just bought mine for $1850 with 400 hours. It's has a SFS deck ( super flow system). Got it off Craigslist and it came with the house the guy bought. So he had no money into it. I just dropped it off for service and they said it's worth about $3800 to $4000. Does this mower stripe good? If not I'm getting a stripper bar. I have a exmark as well 60 inch zero cuts great. I needed this 44 to get in gates. Look forward to hearing back about the 44. Thx
Great videos keep them coming. And I would always go with a fully welded deck never stamped
I started out with a push mower I got from the nabor and a weedeater I found in the dich my frist rider was a mtd the was 20 years old
Hey thanks for the content! I have a question. Ive seen some Toro zero turn mowers for about 3k brand new on the home depot website Are the ones youre buying used better models?
You may have found out yourself by now but this guy buys used commercial grade mowers. That’s just not the same as a 3k mower from Home Depot. He’s buying 3k mowers that were originally 8k plus.
If you don’t know the difference just as an example they are much more heavy duty which is necessary for daily mowing, instead of the once a week homeowner. This could be anything from thicker, forged decks instead of stamped decks, the motor, so on. There truly is a significant cost difference.
What you want to do is get on say John Deere or ex mark official website…. Any brand really. They will spell it out to you what makes the difference between their residential and commercial equipment. With that knowledge and brand new pricing knowledge, that’s how you go find a good used one. Model knowledge is key to determine correct pricing.
Is that a residential or commerical grade toro?
Jason how and where i go to get license and certified to be able spray and fertilize yards.
I am licensed through the state dept of agriculture. My license is called otps. Check with your state's dept. of ag.
I want to do a lawn care and brush cleaning like get a small tractor and bush hog some just start out edging trimming and mowing blowing and mulching some and save up and buy a small tractor and bush hog and a mini excavator too and do lawn care and Property clean up what do you thing and besides doing lawn care I can do property clean up too like bush hogging fields or right a ways and have a nice day bud
I just bought and completely refinish a toro z380... have you ever try it? how's toro for you?
I think toro is a good brand. I think the z380 is a residential model so it will not be as powerful as the commercial ones. Perhaps you can use it for a while and one day upgrade to a commercial model if there is a need for that.
Jason, you said you made 485.00 per day mowing lawns by yourself. How much did you charge? I ran some figures for an 8 hr day and that comes to 60.00 per lawn. 1 hour per lawn. Weekends off I presume. That comes to 2425.00 per week. 9700.00 per month. For 6 months that comes to 58,200.00. Did you do this solo? I would like to know what the average time per lawn was. Thanks I enjoy your videos as I looking to start a lawn cutting business next year. Thank You.
Yes, at the time of that video, I was working solo. I had a lot of small lawns so I could do 10 lawns per day solo
What's your opinion on Bradley mowers. Looking at a 48 inch stand on zero turn?
I've never used one or seen anyone in my area with one that I can remember. Guess they're not very popular in my area but I don't have an opinion either way on them
Let's say you're only cutting residential homes. Can you get a residential zero-turn instead of a commercial one?
I might have a contract coming up that is 2 acres big. Owner wants it mowed twice a month. Could this residential zero-turn work just as well on it? That property is flat and well taken care of as far as mowing is concern. Thinking about getting a 52 inch cut. Thx
Johnny Cortez You can get a residential mower but I think a used commercial would be a better use of money. If I was looking to spend between 3-5k on a mower, then I would get a used commercial mower. If you want a residential model, I would either get a Gravely HD or a Hustler Fastrak
Great inspiration and words of advice. Thanks!
Sheppard Lawn Services Glad to help. I enjoy making the videos
if i wanted to start a lawn care company would u start with a push mower and go from there, or buy a riding right off the bat?
+sc0l1 if I could afford it, I would get a zero turn mower to start
That’s really good idvise
Could you give me the link to the video you referenced about making $485 a day with this setup?
20hp on a 44in deck is good. The most important thing to know is your motor must be strong enough to support your deck size.
Don Abraham I agree. I have seen 52" mowers with a 19hp which just isn't enough power, but this mower has pretty good power and rarely bogs down
Don Abraham Yep, and today's HP ratings are higher than the actual engine power be careful about that. Today's 20HP engine may only be really 16HP in the real world. My lawn tractor's engine says 24HP, but it has less power than my old one with an 18HP engine. Things bog the new mower down that would never have phased the old one.
Hi Jason Love the videos.. Thanks.. wanted to ask, I'm studying for the OTPS right now, any advise you have would be greatly appreciated..
Randy Ray I barely passed the test. I don't think I remember any questions about weed identification. I do remember questions about different lawn pests and also lawn fungus. What is mean is how to identify a particular fungus or what pest is in a lawn. I was recommended three books to study and I did study but I probably should have studied a little more. What state are you in?
Hey Jason, do I have to use a commercial grade mower? I am currently at 20 yards and growing. Some are very big and some are very steep. What mower would you recommend?
Jason Mitchell Hagood you don't have to use a commercial mower but they I have more power for those hills and large yards. you can upgrade later
Lawn Care Life what about ztr mowers on slopes? I live in TN and we have plenty of slopes. I'm using a JDx500 and have for years because I worry about ZTRs on slopes. What do you think?
Jason Mitchell Hagood I have found that Zero Turn Mowers perform quite well on Hills. a commercial grade mower will handle a hill better than a residential
Jason, how much did you initially spend to get the spraying business up and running?
Gibb Johnson So far, I have spent around $12,000 in equipment and $4000 in fertilizer and herbicides. I have made some of that back since I have around 90 customers now but I still need a lot more customers to be making a good profit. I am happy with the progress for the first year and I am very optimistic about the future.
i got 23 lawns currently and I'm using a john deere riding mower and an old bobcat 48 walk behind
Always good information, thanks for sharing
Hope you'll make more videos on the fertilization weed control biz...
thanks
Dicofole I plan to do that but I just haven't gotten around to it. I also don't have as many ideas on what to make videos about. Maybe you have some suggestions.
Sure do.
1- How is the marketing different from lawn mowing ?
2- How are customer different or similar to lawn mowing customers (more needy, more complaints, unreasonable expectations)? What are the advantages disadvantages vs the mowing business (yields, simplicity, weather problems)?
3- What are some sales tips and tricks to close sales ?
4- Are commercial as good or more profitable than residential ?
5- Do you make soil tests for each customers or do you make assumptions about the PH, fertility and whatnot ?
6- Do you use all organic or low impact products or just regular products (organic vs conventional fertilizers, liquid or granular or both, etc) ? Any differences, advantages and disadvantages ?
I think you have lots of good topics to talk about...
Thank you for asking and for being willing to share your experience and knowledge.
Dicofole great questions. Thanks for the ideas. I hope to get to some of those soon
good point.
What about the price of the diesel truck and the trailer pulling it didn't take that into account
You dont need a diesel to haul that 😂
I like the way you talk.
how do you determine the price? Example: 1/4 acre, cut and edge.
typically based on the time it will take...not so much the size. For weed control, I base price on the square footage
Tim K figure like a dollar a minute.
Did you shoot that in front of green screen; the leaves on the trees aren't moving and there are no bugs flying around.
No green screen. I guess the wind was not blowing on that day
There 42 inch zero turn is 2699 and there 36 inch deck is 2499 chiltons is a scag gravely and stihl dealer if you dont believe me look it up
+Cole Everett they aren't commercial grade mowers though. They won't last more than 2 years without major issues.
Hank hill got out of propane? Who knew.
I'll take that as a compliment
Indeed. 👍. Keep up the great videos.
Lawn care and lawn care accessories
could you fit all that on that trailer?
+hh kk yes it all fits on a 5 by 10 trailer
+Lawn Care Business what are the measurements for the zero turn
Ty
how much is a 5 by 8 utility traler
around $800
Lawn Care Business where the heck have you found a trailer under 1000
Prancing Hades I got my 5 x 8 trailer for 600 brand new from northern tools
never cheap out on a trailer. if you are serous about the biz get a big heavy duty trailer. my first was a 10 foot. then i went to a 12 foot. now i said the hell with it and got a 16 footer. i should have done that right at the beginning.
jim paris I dual axle 16 footer should hold 3 mowers and all the other accessories.
Lawn Care Business
it holds a lot of stuff. lol mine is HD to. i rent a 1 ton roller. if you really want a lawn biz go big on the trailer. its a tough biz but if you work at it it will grow fast. then get into plowing thats some good income.
didnt mean to make anyone mad. im serious though a gravley residential z turn cost less then 3000
or a hustler 42 inch zero turn too
You stated that you might continue to do lawn care, might not. Why are you considering leaving lawn care?
+whitelandwarriors08 I am still in lawn care, just cutting back on mowing and focusing more on weed control and fertilization
You can get a 42 inch hustler for about 3000
Hustler makes many mowers. I prefer a used commercial over a new residential model.
Aren’t you concerned about theft or rain getting into the equipment
You could of bought a brand new 42 inch gravely zero turn for 2699😂😂😂
Cole Everett I like Gravely. What model sells for $2699
Why b careful with Craigslist?
Had any customer gave you a complaint for not using a American brand some people are patriotic it happen to me once.
you smack you limps the hole time like every time you stop talking
Thank you