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takes too long to do lawns

#1

B

boston

We are getting new clients every few days and are trying to keep up but we have one problem. It always takes us so long to do each lawn. Usually our crew is me and 2 others. I see other landscapers complete houses in 10 minutes and it could take us hours. We can't figure out what is holding us back. Maybe equipment, techniques, etc.. We really need some new equipment but it seems like its so much more effort for us to complete a lawn than any other business.


#2

lawn mower fanatic

lawn mower fanatic

How big are the yards and what type of equipment do you use?


#3

Ric

Ric

boston said:
We are getting new clients every few days and are trying to keep up but we have one problem. It always takes us so long to do each lawn. Usually our crew is me and 2 others. I see other landscapers complete houses in 10 minutes and it could take us hours. We can't figure out what is holding us back. Maybe equipment, techniques, etc.. We really need some new equipment but it seems like its so much more effort for us to complete a lawn than any other business.
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Sounds like an organization problem. Are you preforming Lawn-care or are you doing landscaping?


#4

wjjones

wjjones

Technique, and a pre-planned system for each lawn helps. I do it alot I am planning which direction I am going to mow, and what trim path to use on my way to each lawn. You might have to try a few different ways to get your time down to what you need it to be.


#5

B

boston

My trimmers and blowers are new and commercial but for a mowers we just have a craftsman lawn tractor which doesn't mow that well and some smaller self propelled. Right now we are just doing lawn care and big cleanups(trees, spring cleanups and mowing) I posted a pic of my trailer with mowers. That's not all of it but that's what we've been taking to our jobs. Organization is part of the problem but we still take a long time to do houses that we have been doing for years.

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#6

B

boston

Also, weather the lawn is big or small it takes longer than it should to finish the jobs.


#7

HHTLandscaping

HHTLandscaping

Are you comparing your self with other companies that have the same type of equipment as you? Or the ones with zero turns and bigger equipment? Because if you do then for sure you'll get discourage. I'd say a bigger mower and good planing will help. Maybe your employee needs more training or attention? But from what I'm reading seems like your doing not to bad. Sure we work on speed but its not everything. If you offer quality work at a lower speed your customer will keep you forever


#8

Ric

Ric

boston said:
Also, weather the lawn is big or small it takes longer than it should to finish the jobs.
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How do you approach your lawns? What do you and the others do and in what order?


#9

exotion

exotion

Ric said:
How do you approach your lawns? What do you and the others do and in what order?
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Utilizing 3 people can be difficult you need to decide when you get to a job what do you have to do and what will take longest example I get to a job needs the back yard done with tractor small front yard done with push mower entire yard weedwacked perimeter and front has to be edged. The weed eating and lawn tractor takes longest immediatelty get someone on the weed eating and someone else on tractor the third person can (if you have a second weedeater) can weed eat front yard edge front yard push mow and start blowing. Ultimately the goal is for all three of you to get done at same time so all your time is utilized properly and effeciantely divide your time good that's what is important in organization


#10

Ric

Ric

exotion said:
Utilizing 3 people can be difficult you need to decide when you get to a job what do you have to do and what will take longest example I get to a job needs the back yard done with tractor small front yard done with push mower entire yard weedwacked perimeter and front has to be edged. The weed eating and lawn tractor takes longest immediatelty get someone on the weed eating and someone else on tractor the third person can (if you have a second weedeater) can weed eat front yard edge front yard push mow and start blowing. Ultimately the goal is for all three of you to get done at same time so all your time is utilized properly and effeciantely divide your time good that's what is important in organization
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Organization and efficiency starts at the Trailer if you don't have it there you don't have it on your lawns. One follows the other. For me there is NO decisions to be made. If you have to decide when you get to a job what to do and how to do it your wasting time and time is money. When I roll up to a job the everyone knows his or her jobs. One person handles nothing but mowing, another nothing but Trimming, another nothing but Edging and when Trimming and Edging are done those people move to bed work. When the mowing is done everyone grabs a backpack and we all clear the sidewalks, drives, patios, screen porch, front porch, garage doors, eves of the house and windowsills and to the next place or job.


#11

B

boston

Thanks for the feedback everybody. Now I realize our main problem is that we get to a job and it takes us forever to decide what each of us will do. Eventually we will have zero turn mowers, which will speed everything up. Many of the lawns we do have small passages,or gates,leading to the backyard so we usually end up using a push/self propelled on the back and sometimes the tractor on the front.


#12

wjjones

wjjones

boston said:
Thanks for the feedback everybody. Now I realize our main problem is that we get to a job and it takes us forever to decide what each of us will do. Eventually we will have zero turn mowers, which will speed everything up. Many of the lawns we do have small passages,or gates,leading to the backyard so we usually end up using a push/self propelled on the back and sometimes the tractor on the front.
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Yep everyone knowing their task helps speed it up.


#13

Ric

Ric

boston said:
Thanks for the feedback everybody. Now I realize our main problem is that we get to a job and it takes us forever to decide what each of us will do. Eventually we will have zero turn mowers, which will speed everything up. Many of the lawns we do have small passages,or gates,leading to the backyard so we usually end up using a push/self propelled on the back and sometimes the tractor on the front.
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If you run the company you should know who does what the best and you should assign your work load. The thing is if you assign say someone to use the trimmer as his job the longer he uses the trimmer the better he will get at that job, the better he gets the faster he gets and it's the same with every piece of equipment you have and the individual running it. Now I may sound like a SOB but if your going to be successful Remember one simple formula, Organization equals saving time, saving time equals money.


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