# Start a Reel Lawn Service?



## Cheesetoast (May 1, 2018)

I've been really enjoying reel mowing, spraying, and keeping my lawn looking the way it does. I've been kicking around the idea of starting a lawn service in my area pretty much applying what I have learned here from you fine people, and from my own experience, I am interested in your thoughts about the idea.

Do you think it's worth it?
If you have your own lawn service, what prevents you from offering customers reel mowing cuts vs rotary?
How much would you price to cut a 5000 sqft lawn?


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## ThomasPI (May 18, 2019)

My opinion mind you is going to be the overall condition of someone current lawn. Full of undulations or stones etc etc and level?


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## Mrsamman (Jun 12, 2018)

You would have to cut at least 2 times a week or more with a reel mower. That would add up real fast. Spraying chemicals like PGR or other herbicides would require a business license and an applicators license. I would not want to do that. A greens mower are heavy so you would need a trailer with a ramp, and I don't think hauling one around all day would be good on the mower. And then it takes time to adjust the HOC properly. I have a trailer and have offered to do a mow for someone on the forum if they went out of town and needed a mow in between, and the lived reasonably close.

Scott


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## Durso81 (Apr 10, 2018)

The question is does your area warrant reel cutting do people want to pay a premium for it. And also pay to have there grass cut multiple times a week. I charge $50 a cut for rotary but I only do it part time for extra cash. I know my neighbor was paying $65 a cut before me. I know in my area people barely even want to pay to have there grass mowed once a week. Most only want bi-weekly cuts.


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## Kicker (Apr 5, 2018)

Maybe it's because i've never actually done it..... but I'm a firm non-believer in the saying "if you do what you love, you'll never have to work a day in your life".

I'm passionate about my lawn and attempting to make it as nice as possible. When that passion is infected with the problems i can only assume would come up when dealing with people and their expectations i would no longer get the same enjoyment out of it.

I've had the same thoughts recently and I always try to see the other side of it and I just can't say that the pro's would outweigh the con's for doing something i casually enjoy doing as a side hustle.


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## ram82 (Dec 19, 2018)

I do lawn/landscape part time.there are some yards I like and some I hate.i like the yards that the owners actually care about.i hate the yards where owners are looking for basic maintenance.one of my yards I'm embarrassed to be seen at.i maintain my yard with a natural look and use hand pruners.most customers want their shrubs to look like boxes and circles with hedge trimmers.i cut my yard 3x a week.my landscape is crowded to limit weeds.maybe spend 20 min a month hand weeding.have to spray my customers beds.you will have to separate your yard from your customers wich obviously I cannot do well.on the bright side this is America and if I don't like a customer i get rid of them.


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## BigBadJohn (May 28, 2019)

I had a similar thought but with a pool service. I manage my own pool using only bleach, and occasionally baking soda, muriatic acid, cyanuric acid and borax. My pool is crystal clear and I NEVER need to shock it, but it requires hands on attention every day, or two. I believe committing to reel mowing is analogous.

I came to the conclusion that it just wasn't scalable to do on a mass basis, or at least not at a rate that would make both the client and me happy with multiple visits a week.


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## LawnRat (Mar 22, 2019)

Most good landscape companies have to sharpen their blades at least a few times a week, some do it every day or more. A reel wouldn't need it that often but still much more often than you think $$$. And you can't just easily swap blades mid-day like on a rotary. All it takes is one rock, stump, or....

You'd have to charge big bucks to make it worth it.


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## Brackin4au (Jun 13, 2018)

I've had this same idea @Cheesetoast In theory in sounded great to me too, but the more I thought it over, the more I came up with the same cons the previous posts have. The main issue I see, is the need to cut twice a week at the very least, and for several yards, that would eat up a week quickly. Therefore, you would be limited in the earnings you could make in that regard. Not to mention, I don't see many people paying for 2-3 cuts per week in the first place, unless it's a very nice neighborhood where they have more money than they know what to do with. Also, the maintenance on the blade, like mentioned before, would come around a lot quicker than normal...eating up some profits. All in all.... I just don't see it being profitable enough to enjoy...


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## CorgiTurf (May 27, 2018)

Getting behind on reel mowing is not fun at all. Weather, breakdowns, etc


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## Bermuda_Newbie (Jun 15, 2018)

Doesn't @Greendoc do a reel lawn service? How does he do it?


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## bp2878 (Feb 13, 2019)

People who don't cut their own grass or maintain it don't really care how it looks and definitely wont care about the benefits of mowing with a reel. They just want it done as cheap and least often as possible. Most of them at least. I don't think it would be profitable. You would need multiple reels in case of breakdown, regular mowers so can take care of people who just want front done with reel and don't care about the back. Tons of other equipment because no one wants two lawn guys, they want their one to do everything. At least that was my experience in my 2 years cutting grass on the side where I am. Also, the majority of people have no idea that their bermuda grass should be maintained low. I havent seen one yet that is cut less than 3 inches. They think its supposed to be cut very high because when they take too much off at one time, it turns brown. My neighbor has 419, keeps it cut at 3", and cant figure out why centipede is creeping in from both sides. Im helping him out on one side by switching to bermuda. I told him to cutting it lower and more often would choke out the centipede but he disagrees. :roll:


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## jayhawk (Apr 18, 2017)

I am sure it's being done in DFW. Atlanta it is....one of them had a yuuge collection if gravely/locke. Not in 300k neighborhoods but someone is offering and buying. I would be shocked if it's 2x week ....most are probably not sub 1".

Trucut has the advantage with the ease of loading, HOC agility etc.


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## hsvtoolfool (Jul 23, 2018)

For rich folks who can afford such luxury, perhaps you could sell a "Perfect Lawn" service rather than a typical "I just cut and edge" service. What if you offer a complete, no-options lawn care service which puts you in control of all aspects? You would guarantee a result, not just that you were showing up weekly...

#1) Lawn must be Bermuda or another species that benefits from about 1" HOC.

#2) A one-time "major" lawn leveling is done at start of contract.

#3) Yearly scalp, verticut, core aeration, top-dressing, etc.

#4) My reel totally ignores nutsedge and similar tall weeds. This implies you must be licensed to spray herbicides and apply fertilizers. And if you don't use PGR, reel mowers become a logistics nightmare for a business mowing 20 lawns per week. I'm mowing my small front lawn two or three times a week right now hoping it will fill, but mostly just for exercise. I can't imagine trying to juggle 20 lawns with rain and unexpected problems thrown into the mix.


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## Greendoc (Mar 24, 2018)

hsvtoolfool said:


> For rich folks who can afford such luxury, perhaps you could sell a "Perfect Lawn" service rather than a typical "I just cut and edge" service. What if you offer a complete, no-options lawn care service which puts you in control of all aspects? You would guarantee a result, not just that you were showing up weekly...
> 
> #1) Lawn must be Bermuda or another species that benefits from about 1" HOC.
> 
> ...


Other than the Aeration and Verticutting, you described my terms of service totally. My other requirement is that the lawn is on irrigation. The people that I work for are looking for something different from the rough cut with a rotary mower and string trimmer. I do use a greens mower because the homeowner and landscape grade reel mowers do not hold up against debris gravel, nails, screws, etc. I also control the irrigation and fertilization. Lawns getting 1 lb of N in the form of organic or slow release fertilizer are not mowable due to surge growth. Also such fertilizers are chopped up and no longer slow release when they are cut up by the reel. My height of cut is 1/2 or lower. I do use PGRs on lawns that cannot stay within a 7-10 day mowing interval despite rationing N and water.


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## RayTL (Jun 4, 2018)

I've thought about this too. +1 on @hsvtoolfool idea and @Greendoc 's comments.


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## Bermuda_Newbie (Jun 15, 2018)

I think you'd have to find a warm city where people have small lots and a lot of money. Maybe somewhere like La Jolla (San Diego) or Hollywood, or maybe even the Florida Keys. I'd say somewhere like Malibu but their lots are so large it probably wouldn't be cost effective for a business.


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## Greendoc (Mar 24, 2018)

In Malibu they might have full time gardeners that only take care of that one property. I would not mind being an estate keeper for one customer.


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## Bermuda_Newbie (Jun 15, 2018)

Greendoc said:


> In Malibu they might have full time gardeners that only take care of that one property. I would not mind being an estate keeper for one customer.


They may. That would make sense. It probably wouldn't fit what OP was looking for from the sound of it. Not really a side gig.


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## ctrav (Aug 18, 2018)

BigBadJohn said:


> I had a similar thought but with a pool service. I manage my own pool using only bleach, and occasionally baking soda, muriatic acid, cyanuric acid and borax. My pool is crystal clear and I NEVER need to shock it, but it requires hands on attention every day, or two. I believe committing to reel mowing is analogous.
> 
> I came to the conclusion that it just wasn't scalable to do on a mass basis, or at least not at a rate that would make both the client and me happy with multiple visits a week.


Trouble Free Pool concepts... :thumbup: :thumbup: I do the exact same and just shake my head as my neighbors pony up $175 a month for pool service...


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## Greendoc (Mar 24, 2018)

Unfortunately, most estate keepers I have seen here in Hawaii are as dumb as mud. Only reason they are in their position is that they are willing to work hard at doing things the wrong way and the hard way. No concept of agronomy or turfgrass management.


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## BigBadJohn (May 28, 2019)

@ctrav TFP, exactly! That site is the equivalent of this site, but for pools. The biggest difference is that managing a pool is the same for everyone and doesn't have the variances that lawn management has such as location, grass type... The principals are the same for every pool, even salt water, just the target numbers are a little different.


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## Greendoc (Mar 24, 2018)

If I had to do it all over again, I would get into the pool service business.


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## Mightyquinn (Jan 31, 2017)

I think all the ideas in this thread are great and give a lot of pros and cons. I too have thought about it and I think the only way to be successful at it is to target the very high end neighborhoods where people would be willing to pay. All it would take is to get one or two houses in the neighborhood and more would follow (Everyone would want to keep up with the Jones'). You could probably make about the same amount of money with less houses as you would be charging more and you could be like Greendoc and be picky about who you service(I don't think that is a bad thing Greendoc ) thus making all the properties you service enjoyable.

You would definitely need to have 2 mowers to start. The one advantage to greens mowers is that you can mow when it's wet as they don't create ruts(normally) and mow wet grass just fine


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## ram82 (Dec 19, 2018)

Mightyquinn said:


> I think all the ideas in this thread are great and give a lot of pros and cons. I too have thought about it and I think the only way to be successful at it is to target the very high end neighborhoods where people would be willing to pay. All it would take is to get one or two houses in the neighborhood and more would follow (Everyone would want to keep up with the Jones'). You could probably make about the same amount of money with less houses as you would be charging more and you could be like Greendoc and be picky about who you service(I don't think that is a bad thing Greendoc ) thus making all the properties you service enjoyable.
> 
> You would definitely need to have 2 mowers to start. The one advantage to greens mowers is that you can mow when it's wet as they don't create ruts(normally) and mow wet grass just fine


i used to believe larger properties meant less customers,less stress,more money because of route density.should work in theory,but for me the two one acre properties I maintain have been a pain(I only work part time).rich people are rich for different reasons.most are self made through hard work over the course of many years.something common they seem to share is attention to detail.if you are maintaining their property you must pay attention to detail which takes time.sometimes you can make more money by zooming along doing the basics.i like taking my time and paying attention to detail,but leaving money on the table eats at me also.eventually when I transition to full time I would like medium sized properties and work for people who "enjoy their garden" and not keeping up with the Jones.sometimes keeping up with the Jones means who can hire the cheapest gardener that works hard for cheap.kinda like"my gardener works harder than your gardener and he's cheaper".anyhow I subscribe to a guy on you tube called Moreno landscaping.large properties in Florida.very interesting to watch him sometimes,still waiting for his arms to fall off one day from all the trimming he does.


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## Greendoc (Mar 24, 2018)

ram82 said:


> Mightyquinn said:
> 
> 
> > I think all the ideas in this thread are great and give a lot of pros and cons. I too have thought about it and I think the only way to be successful at it is to target the very high end neighborhoods where people would be willing to pay. All it would take is to get one or two houses in the neighborhood and more would follow (Everyone would want to keep up with the Jones'). You could probably make about the same amount of money with less houses as you would be charging more and you could be like Greendoc and be picky about who you service(I don't think that is a bad thing Greendoc ) thus making all the properties you service enjoyable.
> ...


That mentality is exactly what I am watching out for. Customers with that attitude are kicked to the curb yesterday. I do things a certain way that involves efficiency, intelligence, logic. Someone expecting me to do wasted work like a slave from a third world country had better find such a slave to do their bidding because that person is certainly not me.


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## Wfrobinette (Feb 3, 2019)

BigBadJohn said:


> I had a similar thought but with a pool service. I manage my own pool using only bleach, and occasionally baking soda, muriatic acid, cyanuric acid and borax. My pool is crystal clear and I NEVER need to shock it, but it requires hands on attention every day, or two. I believe committing to reel mowing is analogous.
> 
> I came to the conclusion that it just wasn't scalable to do on a mass basis, or at least not at a rate that would make both the client and me happy with multiple visits a week.


But a salt system and you can cut that down to once a week.


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## BigBadJohn (May 28, 2019)

@Wfrobinette Yes, a salt system is ideal. I've been in my house for 3 years and the pool already had a salt system, but the controller was fried and the previous owner ran it as a regular chlorine pool for an unknown amount of time. I do plan to convert back to salt eventually.


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## Hexadecimal 00FF00 (Sep 20, 2018)

ctrav said:


> Trouble Free Pool...


Same here.


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## Redtwin (Feb 9, 2019)

Wfrobinette said:


> But a salt system and you can cut that down to once a week.


I grew up cleaning a chlorinated pool and now own a salt pool. I hardly have to do any maintenance on the salt compared to chlorine. I just watch the Ph to keep it down. I would think as a pool pro you would save a lot on servicing salt pools just from chemicals.


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## Bermuda_Triangle (Sep 20, 2019)

@Cheesetoast Did you ever start a lawn care company offering reel cuts?


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## Cheesetoast (May 1, 2018)

@Bermuda_Triangle No, I have not. Had a baby boy instead.


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## Redtwin (Feb 9, 2019)

Cheesetoast said:


> @Bermuda_Triangle No, I have not. Had a baby boy instead.


Good choice! Congratulations!!!


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## Ccualumni (Jul 8, 2018)

hsvtoolfool said:


> For rich folks who can afford such luxury, perhaps you could sell a "Perfect Lawn" service rather than a typical "I just cut and edge" service. What if you offer a complete, no-options lawn care service which puts you in control of all aspects? You would guarantee a result, not just that you were showing up weekly...
> 
> #1) Lawn must be Bermuda or another species that benefits from about 1" HOC.
> 
> ...


This was my first thought. I would pay a premium to make my yard look as nice as the ones here. The problem is that it has to be leveled first then well taken care of with 2 cuts per week. The amount you would have to charge would be pretty high.

I would think you could do it as posted above. You would have less customers and my guess is that once neighbors see the best lawn in the neighborhood, others will want it as well.


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## rjw0283 (May 11, 2020)

I've seen some Law offices with some really nice looking yards in front. Even some Dental offices that had some very nice lawn care and well manicured shrubbery. Maybe small offices such as law firms and dental offices are a good target.


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## TNTurf (Mar 20, 2019)

If I did a lawn service with a reel I would run something like a Tru Cut and maintain at a higher level like an inch. I dont thing people can afford to pay me to keep it at 3/8 like I do at home. Not with all the extra work thats required to keep it green and weed free. It could work just like a regular service though, just use a higher cut.

As for the pools, salt pool is a chlorine pool. The salt generates the chlorine. The advantage is it does it around the clock so it always has a small level of chlorine keeping the water clean. A "chlorine" pool gets high dose to hold it for a while and once it burns off gets another high dose. Still, both are kept clean with chlorine but salt is better so long as you never let it get overwhelmed.


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## Greendoc (Mar 24, 2018)

Smart management of nutrients and usage of PGRs is another way to do things. That is how I handle turf types that want to grow 2 inches every 7 days at a HOC of 1/2" On Bermuda, it starts with discarding the notion that you are going to apply 1 lb of N per month of growing season. Try more like 1/4 lb of N per month instead. Some turf types like Zoysia need less than that to not grow rampantly.


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## jayhawk (Apr 18, 2017)

You'd have to be weekly, for the majority ...if not the baseline expectation. It's what I see Atlanta for reel cuts. There was a large operator here who used gravely machines, I think he thru in the towel on that hardware.

Not all lawns need leveling but I think it's an evaluation at bid/quote time, just depends.

If you take control if the fert n squirt ....the better


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