# Which mower is best



## Bronc351 (Nov 14, 2021)

I'm going to start into my lawn care and maintenance this year. I'm in the process of purchasing some basic equipment needed; Weed eaters, Backpack blowers, push Mower. As of now I'm a bit confused on just exactly which stander mower size to get. I am looking into Ferris or wright standers. I'm in a suburban area with a chance of getting some rural accounts. Would a 32 or 36" stander suffice with gated residential bak yards? Thank you for the help.


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## AllisonN (Jul 4, 2020)

I would go with a 48". You can always turn down a back yard if needed or can grow to have another mower for back yards. Unfortunately there isn't a one and only size if you are trying to get in back yards plus cut bigger open areas. Time is money. I run 60" 52" and 32". Use the 52" more than anything. Mostly all 1 acre lots.


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## paulwrunge (Dec 13, 2021)

That "time is money" comment is 100% spot on. Once you get rolling, uptime and efficiency are all that matters when it comes to commercial mowing equipment. You'll find over time, the upfront cost isn't as much of a consideration as keeping that equipment running all day and maximizing efficiency are the keys to your profitability. You don't make money having more stripes or driving between jobs. And if that machine is broke, you're definitely not making money. The dealer you buy from is also important, especially if you don't work on your own equipment. Will they prioritize you for service? Do they have parts on the shelf?

When starting out, you're going to have to take on all the work you can get, but maximizing efficiency is having accounts close together that all use the same type of equipment. I started making more money when switching to zero-turns from less operator fatigue than the walk behinds.

My best advise is start tracking your time in and out on every job from day 1. You'll find out quick, some accounts aren't worth having.


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## MasterMech (Sep 24, 2017)

If you are focusing on an area with lots of gated back yards, then go as big as you can get through the gate, usually.

At this early stage, here's a question to consider. If you buy a 32"/36" stander to get into gated properties, are they the bulk of the potential work in your planned service area? If no, is the average lot size in the area appropriate for that size machine or would you save significant amounts of time with a 48"+? You can always run a "cheap" 21"/30" walk on a handful of gated areas, and it may be even more efficient and low-impact than a small stander if those gated areas are not fairly open once through the gate. You can always pick up a smaller/larger machine once your workload justifies the additional efficiency. Renting a machine for a week is a great way to run a first-hand test on it's impact to your operating efficiency.

+1 on tracking your time in/out and continuously watching your billing efficiency. Often overlooked when the biz is just a one-man show.

+10 on where you buy equipment. The color, stickers and initial price tag on it doesn't matter if it isn't running. As someone who made good money prioritizing commercial cutters, I helped more than one guy running semi-pro and/or very tired equipment grow into jaw-dropping businesses just by keeping their junk ( I mean that in the best of ways :thumbsup running. You're probably not going to find someone to swap engines for you overnight, as much fun as that was :bd:, but you do need a dealer focused on support. Even doing the wrenching yourself, you want a dealer that will overnight parts in for you (can't stock everything!) on a phone call. Keep in mind on a (hopefully rare) critical failure, that machine is down for a minimum of two days, even with parts arriving overnight. Possibly three if you typically work after normal business hours. That can be disastrous for guys that only roll on the weekends. This is also a best case scenario. First-come, first-served sounds fair, until you realize that means that EVERY machine is subject to the full shop backlog. :? You want a dealer service dept that knows the value of running triage on incoming work. Good things to look for are detailed post-diagnostic estimates within 24hrs of dropping the machine, overnighting non-stocked parts (even if you pay the expedited freight charges, as warranty seldom covers this), full inventory of consumables and critical common replacement items, and at least a couple technicians that have worked there for 5+ years. Even better if one or more of them is dedicated to moving commercial equipment through the shop as efficiently as possible.


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