New guy question...

[mustang mike 93]

Hey guys. I have been a member for awhile and finally have a legit question to ask...
I mow part time usually Fridays. I work Mon-Thurs. Anyhow I have 15 yards I mow and now I have hooked up w/ a rental company that manages 200 properties and would like me to mow the vacant ones on a 2 weeks basis. They have 30 vacant right now. That would give me roughly 45 yards. I am running an Ariens 1844 Zoom ZTR which has done suprisingly well but I don't think it will hold up now. I have had it for 2 seasons(300 hrs). Anyhow to make a long story short (too late i know) Should I buy a new mower? I am looking at a DC which I like but the dealer is 25 miles away. I am also looking at a Gravley for the same price and the dealer is 3 miles away. What do I do? Should I try to make the Ariens work or bite the bullet and go big? Suggestions would be greatly appreciated. You guys know you s##t and I would greatly appreciate it.
Also, I am in Ga and I mow easily into Nov-Dec.

[mustang mike 93]

Thought you guys would be a little more helpful than this!

[Marty]

Thought you guys would be a little more helpful than this!

OH.......you really want an answer?

We all thought you were just kidding with that question.

[heavenlydeere]

first can you afford to go bigger????? if so i would say that the mowers you have listed are good machines and i always tell people to buy according to these variables 1.cost 2. dealer service 3.size 4.after demoing as many as you can , the one that fits you and feels the most comfortable under you, and cuts the best!

[GeeVee]

Sorry eh? I figured someone else would.....

I do not what your current machine is about, but I am guessing it is a homeowners ZTR? And you feel is is not durable enough.

Fine.

Choices?

Test the water and see what yours might fetch to sell and buy something more durable.

Buy something more durable before the current machine is worn out to make it a back-up.

Run the snot out of the current machine and start banking the dough to purchase the more durable replacement. This is called ROI. by paying cash fo the new machine, the old one has paid for the new one and you still make your overhead and burden.

Even though you are parttiming right now, you need that business plan to be profitable. Just wingin it along because you have cash in your pocket doesn't cut it when you have X dollars caught up in your equipment and X amount of obligations to keep.

To triple your workload in a weeks time, you need to know where the money goes and why, before you jump off.

[GrassMaster]

If you are...

Happy with your machine now & it's paid for.

I would keep running it since you're happy with it, I'm assuming it's paid for.

I would save my money (Cash) by me another Bigger Better Mower, a Killer, let the Killer set as a backup only that you can trust & run the old one hard, when it quits, break out your new backup & only run it until you fix your older one.

When you wear out the first one or find someone to give you enough money for your first one that you can put money with it & then buy another new one, let it (The New one) sit on the trailer & run your almost new back up, saving again your new one.

To many times guys will buy a piece of equipment because their old one is breaking down a lot, then they let the old one sit & then in 6 months to a year or so they have 2 piles of junk & are forced to buy another new one & run it ragged. It doesn't make sense? To me?

[RatherbeBassin']

Well put. I use the lil' Snapper as much as possible. I figure I can learn the properties (as most of mine are new accounts) w/Snapper. Find the roots, rocks, ruts and weird trash that would destroy a blade like the old dog chain in the yard, the coffee can over the ??? pipe in the yard, the over-filled septic swamp w/mutated 3' tall grass covering it (3' grass is DEAD giveaway to leaking septic!)

Other crap too. I made mistake of attacking a 3 acre farm 2 weeks ago w/Ferris. Stuck it deeper than hell in a small "pond" where old pump had been running for ??? Owner now knows why electric bill has never dropped since winter "... grandchildren were out there playing and..." Had to hook her up to the Chevy and wade back out to the Ferris, get the wheels spinning forward and have owner tug me out. EMBARRASSING as HELL. Dude was cool 'bout it though. Luckily only stuck front wheels. Took $5 @ car wash to clean her up. Lesson learned. It took me 5 hours to mow/bag (dumped on burn pile @ job-site) 3 1/2 acre new account this week on Snapper. WAY ovegrown and full of leaves. BUT, I would have been pissed to have subjected my new Ferris to this lawn before learning where the hazards are. Owner of this chose to go weekly too. (Lil' Snapper flat CLEANS the nasties!) Now I can see the hazards and the Ferris will whip this out in no time. I explained that I would no longer be bagging. She understood that I ONLY bagged it THIS time and agreed on my bid then explained; "My husband thinks we need it weekly until it gets hot, you are $15 cheaper than last years guy and your work is nice so every week." They live 23 blocks away in same lil' village I live in.

Long post, embarrassing rookie mistakes, I AM an idiot that has to learn the hard way. I agree w/ the 'Master... Use the old trusty 'til she dies, get a nice mower for back-up and 2nd or 3rd mow and so on on new properties AFTER you learn their characteristics.