New here. Just bought a Ferris Walk Behind!

[aalawncare1]

Hello. I am an 18 year old high school senior from Rochester, NY. Last year, I started a lawn mowing business with my friend out of a mutual agreement that we want to have fun while we are working and not be bored out of our minds as a cashier or something. We had a 20 year old Quinstar zero-turn mower. It did the job alright, but it had a not-so-good-looking cut and it broke several times (springs, belts, etc). This year, I am taking over the business side of things and am in the process of buying a gently used Ferris 48" dual hydro walk behind (spending about $1300).

The purpose of my post is, first of all, just to introduce myself to the forum and explain my situation. I hope to have a great future of helpful advice from here.

Also, if anybody out there has any tips about getting a mowing business going (advertising, pricing, etc) I would be glad to hear your input. I have a pretty good idea of what I'm doing, but I will consider new ideas. I would love some advice about advertising; I need free or cheap ways to attract customers. I have four or five returning from last year, and I am looking to 15 (as a goal). So far, I have posted a craigslist ad and am in the process of making flyers to hand out in mailboxes or maybe door-to-door.

Thanks in advance for any friendly advice you can offer me.

 

[wjjones]

Welcome to the Forum!.. I think you will get plenty of advice here.

 

[lawn mower fanatic]

Welcome to LawnMowerForum! I would suggest looking at some other threads on advertising....there are a lot of good tips, but I will tell you what I use. I hand out flyers, have a yard sign for my yard that is always out, and of course word-of-mouth is the best! :thumbsup:

 

[wjjones]

Welcome to LawnMowerForum! I would suggest looking at some other threads on advertising....there are a lot of good tips, but I will tell you what I use. I hand out flyers, have a yard sign for my yard that is always out, and of course word-of-mouth is the best! :thumbsup:

Yep once you get a few customers that are happy with your work they will tell others.

 

[Bomba]

What percentage of forum members do it for a living? I'm wondering.... There is a lot of knowledge on here, and not just about mowers.

 

[djdicetn]

What percentage of forum members do it for a living? I'm wondering.... There is a lot of knowledge on here, and not just about mowers.

Bomba,
Don't know whether there are any "statistics', but a lot of forum participants are like me......just a regular residential mowing guy(maybe with a wannabee lawn care professional lurking in my sub-concious:0)
But you're right...a lot of savvy users on this forum and if I had come here before I bought my last lawn tractor(a 2006 Craftsman YS4500 54"....made by Husqvarna), I most likely would have been using a Zero Turn since 2006. I learned a lot here that helped me know what I was getting into with a several thousand dollar purchase of a Commercial ZTR and what to look for(they are light years ahead, technology-wise, from a lawn tractor). So to "pay it forward" I still hang out here and share my experiences thus far with other users(and learn more about my ZTR investment and caring for my home's lawn & landscaping). Everyone I've conversed with here have been genuine in their effort to assit me in any way. I think you'll have that same experience. Congrats on that new Ferris!! Post a picture of it when you can. Oooops....you're not the OP and don't have a Ferris:0) So, congrats to user aalawncare1!!

 

[Bomba]

Bomba,
Don't know whether there are any "statistics', but a lot of forum participants are like me......just a regular residential mowing guy(maybe with a wannabee lawn care professional lurking in my sub-concious:0)
But you're right...a lot of savvy users on this forum and if I had come here before I bought my last lawn tractor(a 2006 Craftsman YS4500 54"....made by Husqvarna), I most likely would have been using a Zero Turn since 2006. I learned a lot here that helped me know what I was getting into with a several thousand dollar purchase of a Commercial ZTR and what to look for(they are light years ahead, technology-wise, from a lawn tractor). So to "pay it forward" I still hang out here and share my experiences thus far with other users(and learn more about my ZTR investment and caring for my home's lawn & landscaping). Everyone I've conversed with here have been genuine in their effort to assit me in any way. I think you'll have that same experience. Congrats on that new Ferris!! Post a picture of it when you can. Oooops....you're not the OP and don't have a Ferris:0) So, congrats to user aalawncare1!!

Yes DJ, I agree with all you have said. I went on here before I bought my exmark last year . I learned the importance of a local and trustworthy dealer before I purchased. and not just that, I also bought my Stihl BR 600 and Stihl chainsaw because of the advise I got on this forum. I've also made a few buddys along the way. We all care about what we do.

 

[djdicetn]

Yes DJ, I agree with all you have said. I went on here before I bought my exmark last year . I learned the importance of a local and trustworthy dealer before I purchased. and not just that, I also bought my Stihl BR 600 and Stihl chainsaw because of the advise I got on this forum. I've also made a few buddys along the way. We all care about what we do.

Bomba,
How many hours have you got on that Exmark Pioneer and has it served you well??? When I started looking at ZTR's and looked at some Hustlers, the dealer also carried Exmark. The salesman pretty well convinced me that the Exmarks(and the Snapper Commercials that he carried) were out of my budget. But the Pioneers aren't REAL expensive....right? All I know is here in Middle Tennessee, 75% of the lawn care trailers you see on the road have Exmarks on them. That, along with all the good things that are said about them on the forum, you know they've gotta be good machines. I'm just curious as to why they are so much more expensive than rival brands that seem to be just as well made.

 

[lawn mower fanatic]

What percentage of forum members do it for a living? I'm wondering.... There is a lot of knowledge on here, and not just about mowers.

I know this is not the most accurate way to do this, but it is the only way I know. I did an Advanced Member Search and when I searched for just users that their profile says "Lawncare Professional" there were 1,229 results. When I searched for just users that their profile says "Landscape Professional" there were 385 results.

 

[Ric]

What percentage of forum members do it for a living? I'm wondering.... There is a lot of knowledge on here, and not just about mowers.

I know this is not the most accurate way to do this, but it is the only way I know. I did an Advanced Member Search and when I searched for just users that their profile says "Lawncare Professional" there were 1,229 results. When I searched for just users that their profile says "Landscape Professional" there were 385 results.

There are a lot more forum members who think they are professionals than are professionals. In reality the percentage of true Lawncare Professionals that actually do the job for a living on the forum is probably very few in numbers.