Pennsylvania Firearm Owners Association
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  1. #421
    Join Date
    Nov 2006
    Location
    Finleyville, Pennsylvania
    (Washington County)
    Posts
    178
    Rep Power
    344806

    Default Re: Maybe We Can Help Each Other... Affordable Lawn Care / Handyman Services

    Glad to see this gs are taking off for you! I was here when you first started and I'm glad to see it grow. I started a small lawn care biz 2 years ago down here in Norther Washington county and I am amazed at how much work there is. I just dropped 6 customers this week as I am over booked and constantly playing catch-up with no one to hire to help lessen the load. Plus my lawns are bigger and bigger so I bought a bigger mower too.

    That being said, I am toying with the idea of selling my 48" exmark walk behind, hydro, with a bagged and sulky. Has 55hrs on it. Let me know if your interested. Just tossing it around, haven't made a decision yet...

  2. #422
    Join Date
    Jan 2007
    Location
    Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
    (Allegheny County)
    Posts
    33,571
    Rep Power
    21474887

    Default Re: Maybe We Can Help Each Other... Affordable Lawn Care / Handyman Services

    Quote Originally Posted by PGHxdguy View Post
    Glad to see this gs are taking off for you! I was here when you first started and I'm glad to see it grow. I started a small lawn care biz 2 years ago down here in Norther Washington county and I am amazed at how much work there is. I just dropped 6 customers this week as I am over booked and constantly playing catch-up with no one to hire to help lessen the load. Plus my lawns are bigger and bigger so I bought a bigger mower too.

    That being said, I am toying with the idea of selling my 48" exmark walk behind, hydro, with a bagged and sulky. Has 55hrs on it. Let me know if your interested. Just tossing it around, haven't made a decision yet...
    Hey thanks!
    You're likely sitting on a gold mine with your location. I hope it works out well for you! If you're doing OK now, it can only get better.

    A 48" walk behind would be exactly what I'd buy if I were doing this over again. I went with the 36" initially to allow for access through gates, but with the advent of the 30" "push" mower, I've found that I use the 36" even less because the 30" cuts nearly as fast and is actually more versatile in that I can switch from bagging, to mulching, and side discharge in seconds - whatever the particular lawn/conditions dictates. I can't do that with the walk behind - I have a mulch kit on it and that's all I can do.

    There isn't enough of a difference in 30" vs 36" to justify having one of each, but as I said, I had the 36" before anyone offered a 30" mower, otherwise, I'd have a larger walk behind.
    If I didn't have other bills to pay off, I'd be interested in what you have, but for now I'll plug away with what I have.
    I called to check my ZIP CODE!....DY-NO-MITE!!!

  3. #423
    Join Date
    Nov 2006
    Location
    Finleyville, Pennsylvania
    (Washington County)
    Posts
    178
    Rep Power
    344806

    Default Re: Maybe We Can Help Each Other... Affordable Lawn Care / Handyman Services

    I completely understand. I started with the 48 and a 21 push. I kept larger lawns and of just wasn't as profitable to do 1 acre lawns with a 48 pulling a sulky. I demoed and bought a 61" gravely prostance....wow. the difference in productivity and comfort is amazing, but so is the price tag.... I just dropped all but one account that requires the 48 since I had to thin it out anyway. The one that still.needs the 48 is going to install a larger gate at my request so I can get the 61" in the back. Then I'm gonna sell the 48. In fact I just realized yesterday that I only have one lawn that requires the 21 now. But I don't think I can get myself to sell it. LOL.

    With this area being built up at a staggering pace, there is no shortage of work or people willing to pay for work. Lucky for me, I'm literally "across the tracks" from the high priced living that is Peters/Venetia/McMurrary.

  4. #424
    Join Date
    May 2010
    Location
    Scenery Hill, Pennsylvania
    (Washington County)
    Posts
    3,262
    Rep Power
    21474853

    Default Re: Maybe We Can Help Each Other... Affordable Lawn Care / Handyman Services

    Can you professional grass hackers point me to a resource to learn the different ways to efficiently cut grass in varying directions or school me on? I'm cutting two acres shaped like a long rectangle with a 1956 Farmall 100 and a 59" Woods finish belly mower and predictably I'm getting tracks and grass just pushing over because I cut it the same back and forth way every time. I tried cutting in diagonals but without a zero turn mower I couldn't figure out how to do it without wasting a ton of time driving over areas already cut. Got any pro tips?
    In America arms are free merchandise such that anyone who has the capital may make their houses into armories and their gardens into parks of artillery. - Ira Allen, 1796

  5. #425
    Join Date
    Apr 2007
    Location
    Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
    (Allegheny County)
    Posts
    5,440
    Rep Power
    16969192

    Default Re: Maybe We Can Help Each Other... Affordable Lawn Care / Handyman Services

    Quote Originally Posted by CollegeSheepDog View Post
    Can you professional grass hackers point me to a resource to learn the different ways to efficiently cut grass in varying directions or school me on? I'm cutting two acres shaped like a long rectangle with a 1956 Farmall 100 and a 59" Woods finish belly mower and predictably I'm getting tracks and grass just pushing over because I cut it the same back and forth way every time. I tried cutting in diagonals but without a zero turn mower I couldn't figure out how to do it without wasting a ton of time driving over areas already cut. Got any pro tips?


    I learned these two tips a few years ago:

    Change the mowing pattern each time you mow. Grass develops a grain based on your cutting direction, tending to lean towards the direction you mow. Alternating the pattern causes more upright growth and helps avoid producing ruts in the lawn.

    Stick to the 1/3 rule — never remove more than 1/3 of the grass blade length at any one time. A healthy lawn can survive an occasional close cut. Repeated close mowing produces a brown lawn and has several harmful side effects. Keep grass mowed to 2" in early spring, gradually raise the height to 3-4" by summer, then gradually reduce to 2" by late fall.
    Last edited by Hawk; August 20th, 2014 at 01:14 PM.
    Toujours pręt

  6. #426
    Join Date
    Nov 2006
    Location
    Finleyville, Pennsylvania
    (Washington County)
    Posts
    178
    Rep Power
    344806

    Default Re: Maybe We Can Help Each Other... Affordable Lawn Care / Handyman Services

    Cut at the right height like mentioned above, alternate mowing patterns. Typically I mow opposite diagonals every other cut. When I used my Deere 318 at my house to cut, I would lay down some nice stripes but it required 3 point turns at the end of each line. Took a while, but it looked good. Finally make sure the deck is scraped clean amd the blades are sharp. Moreso, if the mower is leaving grass aying down and not cutting it, look into a set of high lift blades or Oregon G5 blades. These blades will have a higner fin behind the cutting edge that wil, move more air through the deck and actually stand the grass up so it can be cut.

    Finally, look here...http://www.simplicitymfg.com/us/en/s...-lawn-striping

  7. #427
    Join Date
    Jan 2007
    Location
    Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
    (Allegheny County)
    Posts
    33,571
    Rep Power
    21474887

    Default Re: Maybe We Can Help Each Other... Affordable Lawn Care / Handyman Services

    Yes, I would suspect the grass "laying down" has more to do with the deck (poor design or partly caked with grass reducing the area underneath for grass to be "circulated" for a good cut) than with the direction mowed.

    I have a few properties with strips that are shaped such that alternating patterns is all but impossible, yet the grass isn't being forced to "lay" in a particular direction. Alternating cut direction is more important for preventing ruts than anything in my opinion.

    Funny. I had a neighbor who would cut his lawn 3-4 different directions EVERY TIME he mowed - you know... because you're supposed to "alternate directions". HAHA! No - that isn't what they mean by "alternate".


    Anyway, as mentioned by PGHxdguy, the deck and the blades are the biggest factors in a good cut.
    I called to check my ZIP CODE!....DY-NO-MITE!!!

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