Design A Crew

[MASTERMOWER]

Maybe this could be interesting...I dunno.

Design the most efficient 2-man mow crews' setup.....truck, equipment, everything.....to service your average residential lot (approx 5k-15k SF) Before you get thinking - keep it simple - keep it cost effective. Assume this crew is responsible for servicing 80-100 lawns/week - with daily routes mapped out for minimal windshield time.

Key points to tackle: Ease of equipment use, speed of load/unload, best fuel economy, lowest possible equipping cost, and other important factors I'm forgetting.

Kay....get crankin.

(Please....no Just Mowing rigs....lets be creative.)

[njnewbie]

Bad question. There is no right answer at this level. You can't just say "your average residential lot." What is that supposed to mean?

I can name five towns in my area with residential lawns averaging 5k-15k sq ft. Each has a very different ideal mowing rig:

Town A) 72" Z man and weedwacker/edge/blow man...throw in a 36" to trim mow if needed and knock out the curb grass (no fences anywhere, no hills anywhere, very little landscaping)
Town B) 36" and 21" walks, two weedwackers, two blowers (many gated yards, hilly, much complex landscaping)
Town C) 48" and 36/32" walks, same handhelds (moderate landscaping with standard gates; somewhat hilly; probably the most "average" residential lots)
Town D) Two 21" mowers (chain-link fenced front and back yards with narrow gates), same handhelds
Town E) 48" walk and 21" mower, "" (small but flat and open fronts with narrow-gated backs)

Fence situations, soil grade, customer preference of mower (in some towns, many to most people will not tolerate ZTR's), landscaping situation, tree roots sticking out everywhere...there are countless factors that decide the perfect mower. Maybe if you live in a cookie-cutter development region there is one perfect mower, but that's not the case in my area. One thing's sure, it's hard to go wrong on any level (not just cutting efficiency) with the 21" mower, on any type of 5-15k lot.

Universal: All trailers must be rear and side-gated for instant access to either mower. Jack D's 21" mower box prototype would be a valuable addition to any trailer (small box for 21" with short drop down gate that sits on trailer tongue) All walks must be hydro and have Pro-Slide or Exmark StandOn (both can flip up instantly to switch from ride to walk). Must have the best trimmer racks (t-trap) with three trimmers (two active, one backup), and at least two Redmax 8001 blowers.

Be more specific.

[Ihateweeds]

(80 -100 lawns) what's the average price per lawn? Income would/should regulate all equipment purchases..

[MASTERMOWER]

The lots: Consider some will have fenced in back yards. Some others might be all open. Some might be flat while others are situated on inclines. Maybe a few have lots of trees and/or damn concrete statuary? Take that for what it's worth. Not all are the same, so the equipment should be versatile with the capacity to handle a variety of situations.

Do you need a trailer? I didn't specify???? YOU design what equipment is needed.

Let's say the average lawn is 10k SF and is mown for about $30-35, depending on the lawns circumstances. Before I receive $hi+ from members saying this is too low, lets assume this dude prices according to his market. IE: Everyone charges about this much in his area.

SO, your job is to design a crew which will propel his company past his competition with the lowest operating cost possible. This guy has aspirations to take on a few more 2-man crews within time - so this should be taken in account as well.

BTW: there are no winners for this....just something everyone can learn from.

[jdaddy]

I'll spend extra on equipment for the sake of versatility.

2 x 21" Walks
2 x 36" Walks (probably Q36)
2 x Line Trimmer
2 x Back pack blower
2 x Stick Edger

6 x 10 trailer with side gate or long bed, single cab pickup with landscape (dove tail ramp) bed.

It's versatile and not too expensive. It is also easy to add a 3rd person to this setup with out paying some one to sit on their ass for lack of equipment to use.

*** With a little bigger budget I would replace one 36" with a 48" or larger mower if there were allot of flat front yards in these routs.

[nols]

Ideal crews

An ideal crew should never be 2 men. The number to remember is 3. Before going and buying more equipment, truck, etc. Run a 3 man crew for a while and then build from there. If you have 2 guys. 1 mows and blows, 1 edges and line trims. 3 man crew 1 mows, 1 edges, 1 line trims and the edger and line trimmer both grab blowers and finish off the property.
In any situation, with more than 3 guys, they will be bumping into each other. The other factor to remember is trimming. Do you have a seperate crew for that? Nonsence. The mower is normally the crew leader, he trims while the others rake it out. Most of my customers don't mind me mowing over the debri, which in effect will save time. Time being the most important key here. I ran a crew for a while with 8 men, including me and we were knocking out 150 lawns a day, with trimming, weed spraying, etc. Now of course I will never again have an 8 man crew, nor would I racomend it. But it works. Try what ever you like. Good Luck.

[Seascape]

Design the most efficient 2-man mow crews' setup.....truck, equipment, everything......)

They didnt cover this when you got your BA in landscape design?

[KyleN20]

older f-150-6cyl-long bed
6x10 trailer
used 48" hydro WB
Q36 w/ sulky
honda 21"
2 redmax trimmers
1 WB edger
2 blowers, (1 redmax, one backup echo or somthing)
2 men

[njnewbie]

The only thing used should be the truck. Buying a new truck is pointless: if a $5k one will last you 3-4 seasons, you spent $15k to stay in business for ten or twelve years...chump change. Beats spending $35k on a truck that may or may not last that long. And it's not like the new truck is looking so professional after seven or eight years. If this guy has long-term aspirations he should be buying all brand new equipment. When equipment becomes less reliable with age it can be used as backup.

Used (under $5k) compact truck: Toyota long-bed or Ranger
Three Shin T-260 trimmers w/ non-defective Speed Feed (app 1200)
Three Redmax 8001's (1600)
Exmark 48" TTHP mulcher w/stand-on or pro-slide (5800)
Exmark 36" TTHP mulcher w/ "" (4800)
Exmark Viking 32" (3500?)
Toro Pro-Line 21" Honda (1100)

Considering this crew will probably be grossing $80-100k in its first season, the $23k price-tag is nothing. Labor saved alone would make it extremely worthwhile.

Mowers should be configurated with 36 and 48 on back of trailer accessible by rear gate, and 32 and 21 accessible by side gate. If you can't get a 7-foot wide trailer in your area then switch the 36 and 32.

Floating decks for hills, great maneuverability, unbeatable efficiency. Can't go wrong on any type of small residential lot. Even annoying narrow gate situations would be dealt with in a hurry with the 32 and 21 working together. If this crew takes longer than 15 minutes on any 5-15k lot, they suck.

There is only one way to manage each man's tasks and it's the simplest way: Both guys mow, then both guys trim and edge (dont both have to edge, one guy can edge while one trims), then both guys blow. That way there is absolutely no wasted time standing around, or dallying by one of the guys to avoid blowing, etc. And there is no way that three-man crews and better than two-man crews. The more guys you have in a crew, the more laziness and inefficiency you'll get. Sometimes a one-man crew is the most efficient and most practical choice. The eight man crew thing is ridiculous. I don't think I believe the 150 lawns stat. Even if you were dropping guys off all over the place and doing like ten lawns an hour, it still isn't happening with one truck and one trailer. 19 lawns an hour in an eight-hour workday? I don't think so. Unless they were 150 townhouses that were mostly neighbors, then I might believe it.

[Scaper-S2k]

njnewbie, is that for 3 guys?

[l&r]

1- 48" W/B hydro
1- 36 w/b hydro
2- commercial trimmers
2 commercial back pack blowers
1 little wonder or Mclane walk behind edger

This is for a 2 man crew, I think 3 man crew is too much for residentials, I use three man crew or more on my apartments and condos and large commercial sites only.
A 21" mower is not needed if you run a 36" for gated yards

[GrassMaster]

Off Topic: What kind of word is...

Mowers should be configurated with 36 and 48 on back of trailer accessible by rear gate, and 32 and 21 accessible by side gate. If you can't get a 7-foot wide trailer in your area then switch the 36 and 32.

configurated This word must be like ain't or Y'all?

http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/configurated

Configurated must be a word because must ain't don't sound right?

[njnewbie]

No, it's for two guys. You have to have a 32 in my opinion for it to be the ultimate rig. There are a lot of gates that a 36 won't fit through (not only backyards, but also gated pools), but the yard is too big to be mowed quickly by a 21 alone. Many yards in my area have narrow-gated chain-link around the front and back yards. Mowing with a 32 and 21 together would be efficient on these lots. The 48 and 36 would be the primary mowers hence placement at rear gate.

Grass: configurated is definitely a word. If configurate and configuration are words, configurated is. For some reason they're not listing the past tense. If you something configurates at some point in the past, how else would you describe it? And to nip it in the bud, configure and configurate mean different things, so configured is not the past of configurate.

[CLS Lawns]

No, it's for two guys. You have to have a 32 in my opinion for it to be the ultimate rig. There are a lot of gates that a 36 won't fit through (not only backyards, but also gated pools), but the yard is too big to be mowed quickly by a 21 alone. Many yards in my area have narrow-gated chain-link around the front and back yards. Mowing with a 32 and 21 together would be efficient on these lots. The 48 and 36 would be the primary mowers hence placement at rear gate.

Grass: configurated is definitely a word. If configurate and configuration are words, configurated is. For some reason they're not listing the past tense. If you something configurates at some point in the past, how else would you describe it? And to nip it in the bud, configure and configurate mean different things, so configured is not the past of configurate.

I think it's funny that you have self elected yourself the "grammar police".

What did you do with your signature??????????

Remember?

Were number one????????????