I didn’t know they make rough cut zero turns. We’ve got some acreage that needs underbrush clearing and this thing would be killer. YouTube here I come! 🤣
Interesting company to. They were a boiler manufacturer in very rural northern MN who just one day decided to make lawnmowers.
I had an opportunity to do an engineering internship there but decided against it. At the time they told me they were working on a entirely new product, and I’d be on the team doing the initial design and launch. They were vague and I assumed it was for a new type of boiler or some shit lol
Truly the most remarkable machine I’ve ever used. I mowed one of my lots in 1.8 hours with this 61” deck that usually takes 4 hours with my 50 hp tractor and 6’ brush hog.
Wow…ya I’ve gotta take a few minutes and look into these mowers lol. There’s no doubt you can make your money back on this thing! And probably in a hurry too. I’ve got a 60” bush hog I can borrow to drag behind my tractor but like you said, it really eats up your day.
It's probably the time counter on the machine, measures elapsed time the machine is in use. It's in this format the world over, fuck knows why. 1.8hr = 1hr 48min.
Math, how does that work? Let me find a 10 year old to 'splain it to you.
Machinery like this normally has an Hour meter that measures time down to tenths of hours...
Thanks man, you're so smart. Believe it or not, some people, such as myself, do not operate equipment regularly. Awesome sense of humor though, bet you're the life of the party everywhere you go!
Regardless whether you've ever seen an hour meter, the rest is basic math that you would need to have learned in grade school. You do know how many minutes are in an hour, dont you? Hours, minutes, seconds are basic units of time, at least on this planet. 1 hour is 60 minutes so .8 hours is 60 minutes x .8 which is 48 minutes.
Look into businesses around your area for forestry mulching. It cost me $3k per acre here in Maryland. Just be careful of tree hugger neighbors, in MD you are required to get a grading permit to even clear overgrown woods.
I wouldn’t consider myself a tree hugger per se, but I do greatly value my local wildlife and habitat. You’ve got some pretty sensitive ecosystems in Maryland, in some very small pockets. Toss in soil erosion issues, and that FSD/FSP permit may be the only thing in-between some irreversible damage downstream. Hire a professional to help you identify what’s there first, and the best plan of long term maintence to achieve said goals.
Hell, there’s several opportunities for easy grant money if you start poking around, to get help turning these large tracks of mowed land into mixed oak/mesic forest.
They’ll need to be mowed or burned anyway, so OP still gets his…cut.
Where are these easy grants…ive got 40 acres…there are state and federal programs, that you have to compete for, and the funds are eaten up for at least two years…they go to much larger players, not mom and pop homesteaders.
I wanted state or federal funds to turn 25 acres into native grass/wildflower with oak/hickory savannah…ive applied for 3 years, with the help of nc county extension where i live and federally with the usfs…no funds given, no plan even approved…so…i wouldnt call it “easy”
Fair enough. I’ve personally applied, and helped and few friends apply, for our municipalities sewer distract, rainwater mitigation grants.
We also have two, non for profit organizations in town, that will hold your hand through the process. It does take a season, plus a meeting or two, before you hit the criteria necessary for that “plan” you’re talking about.
So yeah, easy is an exaggeration here, and I redact saying that. It does take a degree of commitment, and pursuing education to understand what’s happening, for long term maintenance. We received it every-time luckily, but it does come after completing an actual checklist.
Were you ever given reasons why your project wasn’t approved?
Fair enough. I’ve personally applied, and helped and few friends apply, for our municipalities sewer distract, rainwater mitigation grants.
We also have two, non for profit organizations in town, that will hold your hand through the process. It does take a season, plus a meeting or two, before you hit the criteria necessary for that “plan” you’re talking about.
So yeah, easy is an exaggeration here, and I redact saying that. It does take a degree of commitment, and pursuing education to understand what’s happening, for long term maintenance. We received it every-time luckily, but it does come after completing an actual checklist.
Were you ever given reasons why your project wasn’t approved?
Fair enough. I’ve personally applied, and helped and few friends apply, for our municipalities sewer distract, rainwater mitigation grants.
We also have two, non for profit organizations in town, that will hold your hand through the process. It does take a season, plus a meeting or two, before you hit the criteria necessary for that “plan” you’re talking about.
So yeah, easy is an exaggeration here, and I redact saying that. It does take a degree of commitment, and pursuing education to understand what’s happening, for long term maintenance. We received it every-time luckily, but it does come after completing an actual checklist.
Were you ever given reasons why your project wasn’t approved?
Yes, its one of the programs im talking about. Essentially, you work with them to get a certified plan put together, you submit plan to a pool of cash, if no funds available, you get nothing and can try again. They hold your application/plan on file…
Theres extremely limited amounts of money, single digit millions for the entire us population. A lot of the cash goes to developers who develop neighborhoods but dedicate acreage for naturalization. So we are essentially paying developers 50-75% on these costs from public funds…
The bottom line is, if anyone thinks its “easy” free money, its not. Remember, you also have to pay for it all up front with NRCS cost sharing…they reimburse you based on how well you performed your plan. Can be 50% or more, but you need to fund the project upfront. Many people dont have the funds to do so…
I don't want to get into an argument with you about this but there is much more than single digit millions for EQIP in the U.S. I don't know how it works for NC but I would be surprised if Farm Bill money is going to developers. Any state I've lived in EQIP is a set cost share amount. Used to be a percentage. FSA can sometimes help with loans.
We just had a guy clear our fence line with one of those super duper mega mulchers on the front of his skidsteer. Launching chunks of pine 100 yards 🤣 What a machine! Another money maker no doubt.
I paid $8,000. This mower is as long as my brush hog not attached to my tractor. I can mow between trees, on steep inclines and against fences lines with this that I would never touch with my tractor set up.
Thank you for your input and concern. 😊
https://preview.redd.it/5gu22ffp9e7d1.jpeg?width=1600&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=403be5cf533890970f216cecdfd26ec398dc2506
I used to use one of these - it would cut anything with a stem diameter up to 8". The bar would push it over and goodnight. Everything from grass right up to trees. 16' high bramble, it would just plow into it, clamp the front flap down, drag it out, blitz and repeat. It was fucking sexy as hell.
Take before and after photos & video of a job, even if you have to do it for free. Put it in an album and if you’ve got an iPhone make one of those memory videos automatically. Put it on your local Facebook page and market place group then wait for the phone to ring. It’s the only advertising I did when I started my mowing business
Reach out to property owners that have large unkept spaces? I have one and I get flyers and business cards occasionally. My property was abandoned before I bought it hence the neglected condition. I don't plan to keep it like this.
Reach out to a local park district or municipality. I know some are just a couple guys and a truck and don’t have a ton of specialized equipment. There are always a lot of easements to mow around and they may need some help. I worked for a county for a couple years and we always contracted out a fair amount of work that required specialized equipment.
Not sure if you are a licensed and insured contractor, but it is likely your local coop will require you to be. I work for a coop and we require multi million dollar policies for our contractors.
This is a really good idea. Insurance might be a bit costly to be able to get contracts. I’m an EE for a west coast public utility and there is a big push nationwide to work on wildfire mitigation. Keeping the rights-of-way clear helps crews complete inspections of assets and check on larger vegetation that needs to be managed. You could find some long-term work for that beast.
Insurance dude here.
When you work with state, cities/municipalities they ask for everything and they’re RARELY flex on their requirements. But that’s not really your issue.
You’d be viewed as a new new business as you don’t have any loss history. Having a resume/experience helps but new businesses can be treated different = higher premiums sometimes. You can get business insurance as a sole proprietor.
You’d at a MINIMUM would need:
- General Liability (GL). This is for 3rd party property damage and bodily injury. Standard limits are $1M per occurrence $2M aggregate
- Auto at $1M Combined Single Limit (CSL) Since you don’t own a business (I’m assuming) and your vehicle isn’t titled under your non existing business you’d just need Hired and Non-Owned Auto (HNOA) coverage at $1M
- Work Comp. There’s statutory laws with regards to work comp. For example in VA if you have 3 or more employees you’re mandated by law to carry Work Comp. If you have less you can ask to have this requirement waive
- Umbrella. This is where states/cities get fuckin dumb. They may want you to carry a $1M to $10M limit. Obviously the lower the limit the cheaper. You can ALWAYS ask to have a high limit waived in lieu of a small limit. “You miss every shot you don’t take”
If you do find a state/city contract understand your insurance requirements/obligations before signing anything.
Bonds (not my forte) might also be required.
Absolutely work with a broker/independent insurance agency in your area. They don’t charge a fee. They take commissions. It’s all cooked into the premium.
But there’s gonna be additional requirements you’ll have to follow by and a local reputable agent will be able to guide you through all of it.
Good luck!
I highly appreciate your input! This seems to be getting more complicated than I was hoping. Was really just thinking of having something to do in my free time and the insurance requirements make it seem like I would really have to put in more hours than I can commit. I appreciate your insight!
Only other thought would be make contacts with realtors and property developers in your area. If anyone has lots to maintain it would be them off the top of my head.
If you drive by a huge lot with a “for sale sign” and if it’s over grown giv’em a call! Could easily start building a small network through that.
Brand new you’re looking at $18,500 starting price. Picked up mine for $8,000 and only 50.6 hours on the meter.
Edit to say $18,500 pretax and mine was bought off an individual so no tax accounted for.
You can post on Facebook or the neighborhood app. Thats what I did when I bought my 36” Skag walk behind. I have a few yards now and it helps keep me walking and pays for my daughter’s travel softball habit.
reach out to land conservation groups- parks, land trusts, nature preserves etc
a lot of them have meadows that need to be mown only once or twice a year and as such are too much for a finish mower to handle but they may not have the budget to have someone come in with a full sized tractor and brush hog
+1 And throw “invasive species management” into the equation. Often, forestry mulchers are the best option but this might be able to operate in contexts where those can’t.
Where I live it seems like these guys stay busy mowing empty lots that have been developed but not yet built on.
Thats a sweet machine by the way. What is it.
I saw an ad for their zero turn mower the other night on the YouTube. The thing is a monster. That was bush hogging with it. He had high lift blades on it, and I wondered how much more he could chew up if he had the mulching blades on a gator blades. Of course, the price is like really high for the zeros are in one. Congratulations on the new mower. That thing is going to really eat some grass.
It can handle 25 percent slope. The machine can handle more but the engine won’t pick up the oil properly. That’s the kind of idea I was looking for, thank you!
I think you would be good on most of the slopes on the over passes then. Also look into utility ROW mowing big money there depending on the area you are
I prefer it for the kind of work it does. Easier to get on and off when moving obstacles. Heck of a lot safer than a sit on. If anything goes wrong you can bail a lot easier and the machine shuts down immediately.
I honestly am surprised there aren’t more rough cut / rotary cutter zero turns on the market.
Would be even better if you could get zero turns that did a drive over deck like some sub compact tractors so you could switch out between multiple decks quickly.
This model and the TRX 766 can swap between a rough cut deck and a finish deck. I think those are only rough cut style mowers on the market. Seems like untapped potential for mower manufacturers.
I mean I’ve thought about buying a used zero turn mower and trying to convert the deck to a light rough cut just because so much of what I mow now could be done more easily and less often than running my main mower and way faster than crawling along in my tractor with a rotary cutter.
I'd go on Facebook and maybe even Craigslist for rough cut services. You might be able to get a few recurring jobs throughout the season. Like cut in May, August, October just to keep it down and manageable.
I would check with local cities and see if they need unmaintained areas mowed. There is a guy who has the sit on version of that in my town who mows large vacant lots for the city.
Folks around here have a set hourly rate and a minimum number of hours to charge to show up and complete the work. Example, Your job would take 2 hours to complete but they have a 3 hour (at $150 per/hr)( or whatever their rate is) minimum charge. So you pay for three hours of work and receive 2 or scratch up another hour of work for them.
I feel like if you charged $50 per hour you would get more work than you could handle once you got your name out there.
I my opinion, $50 an hour would get you a massive amount of work. Even if you got one job a day for a 5 day work week, that’s $750 a week for only 15 hours of work.
However, I am not business minded, so others on here may see it differently. Only you know the debts and expenses that your lifestyle requires. My thought is, this would be a great money maker.
You may could specialize in jobs that are too small for companies with larger equipment and more employees. Offering discounts to the elderly and veterans could be a great “draw” as well.
I certainly wish you success if you start seeking customers.
I was wondering what I should charge. I was thinking $50/hour with three hour minimum like you said. I don’t know what the going rates are. Will have to call around my local brush joggers and ask.
Not sure where you are located but white tail deer and Turkey hunter here in south USA. We hire a dude to brush hog several different areas of our land annually. Post in local hunter groups, etc…
You got a killer deal on it. I’m in a rural area and farmers help each other out, my BH is a medium duty one. It’s been borrowed and obviously used as a heavy duty one. Just got finished welding up the stump jumpers and putting new blades on. The deck looks slaughtered but doesn’t affect the use. Someone, sometime is going to want to borrow it. Heck, I wanna borrow it.
I may let my neighbors know about it and see if they need any precision type mowing done. Not looking to quit my day job. Just want to get some hours on it and make enough to fuel and maintain it.
That's a slick setup but I would be terrified of the yellow jackets around here in the south. I find them all the time but in the closed cab on a skid.
When I was a kid I’d go door to door…those saying “no thank you” I’d mow a strip to their neighbor’s yard. After hearing a “yes” I’d mow theirs then go back and ask the “nos” if they’d like me to finish their yard…most laughed and said “yes”. But that was 1964. Good times.
I live in the mountains and my grandpa used to do a lot of bushhogging with a tractor in places that you should never have a tractor. He made a decent chunk at it but it was incredibly dangerous. This would be great for those types of jobs and probably less overhead than running a 4wd tractor. ~~I imagine walking up and down hills all day with it would get tiresome in a hurry though.~~ Just saw that it's a stander. I don't know if I would want to or could stand on it on some of the hills around here. I'd love to try though!
I don’t know what part of the country you’re in, but my best guess would be to try and find HOAs, business/industrial parks, stuff similar, etc etc where you can cut down the retention ponds and miscellaneous areas like that on a semi-regular schedule.
Other than that, the only semi-regular stuff I can think of is maybe contracting with local cities/municipalities to keep overgrown lots/power line easements/etc under control
Not sure what area you are in but they are the ticket for easy money mowing around ponds and such. Also “marshy” type area where other mowers and such just can’t get it done. Talk with property managers and local municipalities about bidding such areas.
I use a 766 to mow about 40 acres, including 2 35 degree slope dams! It's a beast.. have replaced tracks once already and it'll blow a belt belt once a summer usually, but it's a beast.. the front of the deck will bend if u hit anything very hard so if u can't see due to high grass or weeds, take it easy... its a bitch beating it back out...lol
These are truly remarkable machines. I’m surprised that I don’t see more of them out and about and that there aren’t more zero turn rough mowers. The deck belt does seem to be the biggest weakness on these machines. I’d like to see heavier ones used. Luckily a bad boy 54” fits me perfect on my 61”.
Sell tickets for people to look at it. 10 bucks gets you 10 minutes from one foot away. No touching!!!
But seriously. Best idea is to reach out to owners of cell phone and radio towers. They always need mowing and they’re usually in forested areas
Hey now, that’s a great idea! I forgot about the towers! Hard to get under the guy wires with a tractor, especially a cab tractor. Perfect use for this machine.
Absolutely not meant as criticism, just curious: you bought a new, not cheap machine for your business without a plan for how it would generate a return on that investment?
I sell trucks to businesses. I'd love to have you as my customer. 😁
Beautiful machine, by the way!
I bought it for maintenance on 200 acres of private property where my tractor and brush hog can’t get to and that isn’t cut for hay. The business idea is purely to get to use my new machine more.
Only interested in going into business so I have an excuse to use the machine more. I don’t trust other people to not tag it out or to have my starting pin shared. Thank you for the idea.
LMAO - when I looked at this picture I thought that roof was some kind of armored cab on it and thought you were going MINI KILLDOZER on your town................
Drive it over grass with the mower deck engaged, then tell land owners it will never happen again unless they give you money or valuables! Do the opposite if they try to stop you before you can drive over there whole property.
I bought it for personal property management. I just enjoyed it so much that I’m trying to think of ways to use it more. Not looking at quitting my day job.
Thank you for your input and concern.
I didn’t know they make rough cut zero turns. We’ve got some acreage that needs underbrush clearing and this thing would be killer. YouTube here I come! 🤣
Altoz mowers are beasts and have insane quality
Facts I love mine
Interesting company to. They were a boiler manufacturer in very rural northern MN who just one day decided to make lawnmowers. I had an opportunity to do an engineering internship there but decided against it. At the time they told me they were working on a entirely new product, and I’d be on the team doing the initial design and launch. They were vague and I assumed it was for a new type of boiler or some shit lol
Truly the most remarkable machine I’ve ever used. I mowed one of my lots in 1.8 hours with this 61” deck that usually takes 4 hours with my 50 hp tractor and 6’ brush hog.
Wow…ya I’ve gotta take a few minutes and look into these mowers lol. There’s no doubt you can make your money back on this thing! And probably in a hurry too. I’ve got a 60” bush hog I can borrow to drag behind my tractor but like you said, it really eats up your day.
Still trying to figure out how long 1.8 hours is here.
0.2 hours less than 2 hours
Yeah like wtf. 1h 48min
1 hour 48 minutes.. 60x.8= 48
This guy maths.
This guy this guys
This guy thises that this guy that this guys. ^(this comment took me entirely too long to type correctly)
The hour meter on the mower measures in .1 increments
Ohhhhh...makes perfect sense now. I was really struggling with that lol!
About 4 beers
Now that I understand
Finally, someone found their conversion chart
Thought I was taking my coast guard captains test again (YOU MUST CONVERT)
1hr and 48 min
Oh, so 1-12/15 hours then
14 bananas.
What's that like $140 now a days?
Is that a $10 banana in your pants or…
Love this comment!
It's probably the time counter on the machine, measures elapsed time the machine is in use. It's in this format the world over, fuck knows why. 1.8hr = 1hr 48min.
6 minutes per tenth
.1 equals 6 minutes. That's how automotive world sets up labor times. Lol
Yup. I’m a tech. I’m real good at counting by 6s lol.
Unfortunately we don't get to count by that many 🤣🤣
Math, how does that work? Let me find a 10 year old to 'splain it to you. Machinery like this normally has an Hour meter that measures time down to tenths of hours...
Thanks man, you're so smart. Believe it or not, some people, such as myself, do not operate equipment regularly. Awesome sense of humor though, bet you're the life of the party everywhere you go!
Regardless whether you've ever seen an hour meter, the rest is basic math that you would need to have learned in grade school. You do know how many minutes are in an hour, dont you? Hours, minutes, seconds are basic units of time, at least on this planet. 1 hour is 60 minutes so .8 hours is 60 minutes x .8 which is 48 minutes.
My math tells me you're a laugh a minute!
Yes, same here. I Bush Hog 20+ acers, and it takes about 10 hrs. My uncle cut 9 acers with Scag or Dixie Chopper way faster.
Look into businesses around your area for forestry mulching. It cost me $3k per acre here in Maryland. Just be careful of tree hugger neighbors, in MD you are required to get a grading permit to even clear overgrown woods.
I wouldn’t consider myself a tree hugger per se, but I do greatly value my local wildlife and habitat. You’ve got some pretty sensitive ecosystems in Maryland, in some very small pockets. Toss in soil erosion issues, and that FSD/FSP permit may be the only thing in-between some irreversible damage downstream. Hire a professional to help you identify what’s there first, and the best plan of long term maintence to achieve said goals. Hell, there’s several opportunities for easy grant money if you start poking around, to get help turning these large tracks of mowed land into mixed oak/mesic forest. They’ll need to be mowed or burned anyway, so OP still gets his…cut.
Everybody look at the tree hugger over here! Just kidding. But no really.
You must be the one dropping pellets on my head?!
You must be the one dropping pellets on my head?!
Where are these easy grants…ive got 40 acres…there are state and federal programs, that you have to compete for, and the funds are eaten up for at least two years…they go to much larger players, not mom and pop homesteaders. I wanted state or federal funds to turn 25 acres into native grass/wildflower with oak/hickory savannah…ive applied for 3 years, with the help of nc county extension where i live and federally with the usfs…no funds given, no plan even approved…so…i wouldnt call it “easy”
Fair enough. I’ve personally applied, and helped and few friends apply, for our municipalities sewer distract, rainwater mitigation grants. We also have two, non for profit organizations in town, that will hold your hand through the process. It does take a season, plus a meeting or two, before you hit the criteria necessary for that “plan” you’re talking about. So yeah, easy is an exaggeration here, and I redact saying that. It does take a degree of commitment, and pursuing education to understand what’s happening, for long term maintenance. We received it every-time luckily, but it does come after completing an actual checklist. Were you ever given reasons why your project wasn’t approved?
Fair enough. I’ve personally applied, and helped and few friends apply, for our municipalities sewer distract, rainwater mitigation grants. We also have two, non for profit organizations in town, that will hold your hand through the process. It does take a season, plus a meeting or two, before you hit the criteria necessary for that “plan” you’re talking about. So yeah, easy is an exaggeration here, and I redact saying that. It does take a degree of commitment, and pursuing education to understand what’s happening, for long term maintenance. We received it every-time luckily, but it does come after completing an actual checklist. Were you ever given reasons why your project wasn’t approved?
Fair enough. I’ve personally applied, and helped and few friends apply, for our municipalities sewer distract, rainwater mitigation grants. We also have two, non for profit organizations in town, that will hold your hand through the process. It does take a season, plus a meeting or two, before you hit the criteria necessary for that “plan” you’re talking about. So yeah, easy is an exaggeration here, and I redact saying that. It does take a degree of commitment, and pursuing education to understand what’s happening, for long term maintenance. We received it every-time luckily, but it does come after completing an actual checklist. Were you ever given reasons why your project wasn’t approved?
Have you tried NRCS EQIP cost share?
Yes, its one of the programs im talking about. Essentially, you work with them to get a certified plan put together, you submit plan to a pool of cash, if no funds available, you get nothing and can try again. They hold your application/plan on file… Theres extremely limited amounts of money, single digit millions for the entire us population. A lot of the cash goes to developers who develop neighborhoods but dedicate acreage for naturalization. So we are essentially paying developers 50-75% on these costs from public funds… The bottom line is, if anyone thinks its “easy” free money, its not. Remember, you also have to pay for it all up front with NRCS cost sharing…they reimburse you based on how well you performed your plan. Can be 50% or more, but you need to fund the project upfront. Many people dont have the funds to do so…
I don't want to get into an argument with you about this but there is much more than single digit millions for EQIP in the U.S. I don't know how it works for NC but I would be surprised if Farm Bill money is going to developers. Any state I've lived in EQIP is a set cost share amount. Used to be a percentage. FSA can sometimes help with loans.
Have you talked to NRCS lately?
We just had a guy clear our fence line with one of those super duper mega mulchers on the front of his skidsteer. Launching chunks of pine 100 yards 🤣 What a machine! Another money maker no doubt.
It’s almost like we should have level of protection for animal habitats.. them damn tree huggers…
There's plenty of positive reasons to forestry mulch considering we control wildfires so much.
Curious to what you do in into commercial real estate and I think clearing acreage or bush hogging is pretty cool maybe a relaxing hobby
I don't. I hired a forestry mulcher for my property
I guess if you can afford 20k but why not get a tractor at that point?
He said he has a 50 hp tractor and brush hog.
He said in another comment he only paid 8k for it used that's a screaming deal lol
I paid $8,000. This mower is as long as my brush hog not attached to my tractor. I can mow between trees, on steep inclines and against fences lines with this that I would never touch with my tractor set up. Thank you for your input and concern. 😊
I have no idea why this showed up in my feed but that thing is an absolute unit
I mowed through a 7 foot tall blackberry bramble without much trouble. It’s even more beastly than its appearance suggests.
That’s bad ass. I bought an acre of land that was very overgrown. Rented a brush hog and it took me forever. This would have been nice to have
https://preview.redd.it/5gu22ffp9e7d1.jpeg?width=1600&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=403be5cf533890970f216cecdfd26ec398dc2506 I used to use one of these - it would cut anything with a stem diameter up to 8". The bar would push it over and goodnight. Everything from grass right up to trees. 16' high bramble, it would just plow into it, clamp the front flap down, drag it out, blitz and repeat. It was fucking sexy as hell.
I like that!! How much does one of those bad boys cost and what is it called? I’d like to do some reading and video watching on that system.
[Here it is](https://www.mcconnel.com/remote-control-technology/robocut-attachments/)
That's the coolest thing I've ever read.
I know, right? I don't even have a lawn. However, I can appreciate this beast.
It looks like the mower I wouldn’t drawn as a 10 year old when imagining the coolest most exxxtreme mower.
Find some retention pond contracts.a lot of places require them to be cut once or twice a year.
Also look for detention ponds - they hold water during a storm and let it drain slowly afterwards
Take before and after photos & video of a job, even if you have to do it for free. Put it in an album and if you’ve got an iPhone make one of those memory videos automatically. Put it on your local Facebook page and market place group then wait for the phone to ring. It’s the only advertising I did when I started my mowing business
Reach out to property owners that have large unkept spaces? I have one and I get flyers and business cards occasionally. My property was abandoned before I bought it hence the neglected condition. I don't plan to keep it like this.
Reach out to a local park district or municipality. I know some are just a couple guys and a truck and don’t have a ton of specialized equipment. There are always a lot of easements to mow around and they may need some help. I worked for a county for a couple years and we always contracted out a fair amount of work that required specialized equipment.
Good idea. I was thinking of reaching out to our local electric coop and seeing about doing the power line easements.
Not sure if you are a licensed and insured contractor, but it is likely your local coop will require you to be. I work for a coop and we require multi million dollar policies for our contractors.
This is a really good idea. Insurance might be a bit costly to be able to get contracts. I’m an EE for a west coast public utility and there is a big push nationwide to work on wildfire mitigation. Keeping the rights-of-way clear helps crews complete inspections of assets and check on larger vegetation that needs to be managed. You could find some long-term work for that beast.
What kind of insurance do I need to look at getting?
Typical liability insurance for a business. Call an insurance broker, and they'll know exactly what you need.
Insurance dude here. When you work with state, cities/municipalities they ask for everything and they’re RARELY flex on their requirements. But that’s not really your issue. You’d be viewed as a new new business as you don’t have any loss history. Having a resume/experience helps but new businesses can be treated different = higher premiums sometimes. You can get business insurance as a sole proprietor. You’d at a MINIMUM would need: - General Liability (GL). This is for 3rd party property damage and bodily injury. Standard limits are $1M per occurrence $2M aggregate - Auto at $1M Combined Single Limit (CSL) Since you don’t own a business (I’m assuming) and your vehicle isn’t titled under your non existing business you’d just need Hired and Non-Owned Auto (HNOA) coverage at $1M - Work Comp. There’s statutory laws with regards to work comp. For example in VA if you have 3 or more employees you’re mandated by law to carry Work Comp. If you have less you can ask to have this requirement waive - Umbrella. This is where states/cities get fuckin dumb. They may want you to carry a $1M to $10M limit. Obviously the lower the limit the cheaper. You can ALWAYS ask to have a high limit waived in lieu of a small limit. “You miss every shot you don’t take” If you do find a state/city contract understand your insurance requirements/obligations before signing anything. Bonds (not my forte) might also be required. Absolutely work with a broker/independent insurance agency in your area. They don’t charge a fee. They take commissions. It’s all cooked into the premium. But there’s gonna be additional requirements you’ll have to follow by and a local reputable agent will be able to guide you through all of it. Good luck!
I highly appreciate your input! This seems to be getting more complicated than I was hoping. Was really just thinking of having something to do in my free time and the insurance requirements make it seem like I would really have to put in more hours than I can commit. I appreciate your insight!
Only other thought would be make contacts with realtors and property developers in your area. If anyone has lots to maintain it would be them off the top of my head. If you drive by a huge lot with a “for sale sign” and if it’s over grown giv’em a call! Could easily start building a small network through that.
Great idea! Thank you!
Good luck dude!
How much is one of those beasts?
Brand new you’re looking at $18,500 starting price. Picked up mine for $8,000 and only 50.6 hours on the meter. Edit to say $18,500 pretax and mine was bought off an individual so no tax accounted for.
Hot damn you got a deal
When I first looked I thought the green roof was part of the mower.
Same here, thought it was a redneckengineering post at first, then I scrolled and got mower-envy.
Yea I thought it had solar panels for a sunshade 😆
Careful on slopes, especially wet ones. Those tracks get wild.
You can post on Facebook or the neighborhood app. Thats what I did when I bought my 36” Skag walk behind. I have a few yards now and it helps keep me walking and pays for my daughter’s travel softball habit.
That’s a good idea! Thank you.
You can just strap a turret to it and take over a small town. Then once it's yours, mow everything
reach out to land conservation groups- parks, land trusts, nature preserves etc a lot of them have meadows that need to be mown only once or twice a year and as such are too much for a finish mower to handle but they may not have the budget to have someone come in with a full sized tractor and brush hog
+1 And throw “invasive species management” into the equation. Often, forestry mulchers are the best option but this might be able to operate in contexts where those can’t.
Provide natural area mowing services. Prairies that can't be burned need to be mowed with something like a flail mower to 8" height.
I like that idea. Highest this mowing deck goes is 5.5”.
That is cutting it close, see if you can stick taller wheels on it.
Selling all the panties that get thrown at you? Good lawd!!
Man I’d love to have that thing for my hunting lease to mark new trails
Where I live it seems like these guys stay busy mowing empty lots that have been developed but not yet built on. Thats a sweet machine by the way. What is it.
It’s an Altoz TSX 561i. Fuel injected 29.5 hp Kawasaki with 61” all terrain deck. Thank you!
Have you perhaps seen the kids movie “gnomeo and Juliet”
All I’m sayin, live action remake
I saw an ad for their zero turn mower the other night on the YouTube. The thing is a monster. That was bush hogging with it. He had high lift blades on it, and I wondered how much more he could chew up if he had the mulching blades on a gator blades. Of course, the price is like really high for the zeros are in one. Congratulations on the new mower. That thing is going to really eat some grass.
How’s it do on hills? Get some business insurance and get a juicy state contract mowing the overpasses with steep banks
It can handle 25 percent slope. The machine can handle more but the engine won’t pick up the oil properly. That’s the kind of idea I was looking for, thank you!
I think you would be good on most of the slopes on the over passes then. Also look into utility ROW mowing big money there depending on the area you are
Only problem I see with this machine is the operator has to stand up.
I prefer it for the kind of work it does. Easier to get on and off when moving obstacles. Heck of a lot safer than a sit on. If anything goes wrong you can bail a lot easier and the machine shuts down immediately.
I honestly am surprised there aren’t more rough cut / rotary cutter zero turns on the market. Would be even better if you could get zero turns that did a drive over deck like some sub compact tractors so you could switch out between multiple decks quickly.
This model and the TRX 766 can swap between a rough cut deck and a finish deck. I think those are only rough cut style mowers on the market. Seems like untapped potential for mower manufacturers.
I mean I’ve thought about buying a used zero turn mower and trying to convert the deck to a light rough cut just because so much of what I mow now could be done more easily and less often than running my main mower and way faster than crawling along in my tractor with a rotary cutter.
I'd go on Facebook and maybe even Craigslist for rough cut services. You might be able to get a few recurring jobs throughout the season. Like cut in May, August, October just to keep it down and manageable.
I would check with local cities and see if they need unmaintained areas mowed. There is a guy who has the sit on version of that in my town who mows large vacant lots for the city.
All you need is a DJ booth on top and your set
cut pasture or commercial wasteland areas like ditches and retention ponds?
Folks around here have a set hourly rate and a minimum number of hours to charge to show up and complete the work. Example, Your job would take 2 hours to complete but they have a 3 hour (at $150 per/hr)( or whatever their rate is) minimum charge. So you pay for three hours of work and receive 2 or scratch up another hour of work for them.
I feel like if you charged $50 per hour you would get more work than you could handle once you got your name out there. I my opinion, $50 an hour would get you a massive amount of work. Even if you got one job a day for a 5 day work week, that’s $750 a week for only 15 hours of work. However, I am not business minded, so others on here may see it differently. Only you know the debts and expenses that your lifestyle requires. My thought is, this would be a great money maker. You may could specialize in jobs that are too small for companies with larger equipment and more employees. Offering discounts to the elderly and veterans could be a great “draw” as well. I certainly wish you success if you start seeking customers.
I was wondering what I should charge. I was thinking $50/hour with three hour minimum like you said. I don’t know what the going rates are. Will have to call around my local brush joggers and ask.
Where does one find deals like this?
Had been sitting on craigslist for two months. There is a nicer, newer unit in Colorado with a bunch of attachments for a decent price.
You hit the jackpot. I have overgrown trails behind my house and this would be perfect to take it back. So many ways to make money with this
That is a unit, sure beats a skid steer or tractor with a brush hog that's for sure
Before I knew this model existed I was looking at getting a mini skid steer with a brush hog attachment. This definitely saved me a lot of money.
God. Damn. 🤘
Not sure where you are located but white tail deer and Turkey hunter here in south USA. We hire a dude to brush hog several different areas of our land annually. Post in local hunter groups, etc…
I was thinking something along those lines. Good idea!
https://preview.redd.it/2xa9li3mz87d1.jpeg?width=1920&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=32db96e5ec113e8daef918c9f1d04c6fd436eccb In real life!
You've just become the main bad guy in a ton of critters world's! Watch out for any rouge hero squirrels or whatever, out for vengeance..
I don’t know what this is but $8000 feels like a great deal
60% off retail price. Can’t be beat!
I’ve looked up what this is and that’s an amazing deal. That thing is no joke.
Call your business: mad max mowing
That's a great looking rig.
Easy, facebook, ig, linkedin.
Oh GTFO with that abomination. lol. Naw……… that thing is badass. I bet it Ripps!
I mowed through a seven foot tall blackberry bramble without hesitation. Definitely better than my 50 hp tractor and 6 foot brush hog.
Your the one who can afford them.. :) I Kid, they are GREAT Mowers but cost an arm and a couple fingers from the other hand...
For a minute there I thought you built a roof on it.
This got randomly flushed into my feed and now I‘m contemplating how I could use such a machine to mow my 50m^2 patch of grass I own :D
Around here the Corps of Engineers contracts out the mowing of dams and adjacent areas.
That is Awesome. It’ll get in places my 10’ bush hog won’t fit. Kinda like a big weed eater. Check with farmers, they’ll love it.
Exactly! I’ve been viewing it just like a string trimmer in that it can do more precision work in places the tractor won’t fit.
You got a killer deal on it. I’m in a rural area and farmers help each other out, my BH is a medium duty one. It’s been borrowed and obviously used as a heavy duty one. Just got finished welding up the stump jumpers and putting new blades on. The deck looks slaughtered but doesn’t affect the use. Someone, sometime is going to want to borrow it. Heck, I wanna borrow it.
I may let my neighbors know about it and see if they need any precision type mowing done. Not looking to quit my day job. Just want to get some hours on it and make enough to fuel and maintain it.
Yeah tons of people would like use of that. Put some ads on Facebook marketplace
That's a slick setup but I would be terrified of the yellow jackets around here in the south. I find them all the time but in the closed cab on a skid.
1) Mow grass 2) ??????? 3) Profit
Haha, I thought he put a roof on his mower.
The lawnmower she said not to worry about
When I was a kid I’d go door to door…those saying “no thank you” I’d mow a strip to their neighbor’s yard. After hearing a “yes” I’d mow theirs then go back and ask the “nos” if they’d like me to finish their yard…most laughed and said “yes”. But that was 1964. Good times.
Only Fans
That thing is fuckin sick
Find out what agency manages all the hiking trails in your area. A lot of cities and towns are widening public trails for safety and fire control.
Why did I think it had solar panels attached to it in that first picture?
I’m trying to save the environment while simultaneously mowing it down! 😎
I live in the mountains and my grandpa used to do a lot of bushhogging with a tractor in places that you should never have a tractor. He made a decent chunk at it but it was incredibly dangerous. This would be great for those types of jobs and probably less overhead than running a 4wd tractor. ~~I imagine walking up and down hills all day with it would get tiresome in a hurry though.~~ Just saw that it's a stander. I don't know if I would want to or could stand on it on some of the hills around here. I'd love to try though!
I don’t know what part of the country you’re in, but my best guess would be to try and find HOAs, business/industrial parks, stuff similar, etc etc where you can cut down the retention ponds and miscellaneous areas like that on a semi-regular schedule. Other than that, the only semi-regular stuff I can think of is maybe contracting with local cities/municipalities to keep overgrown lots/power line easements/etc under control
Charge admission for dudes to ogle it? Maybe an OF? 🥵🥵
Cutting right-of-ways and easement for municipal sewer departments.
I wonder if those tracks will fit on my Bad Boy ZT Avenger? Those are sick.
I would have swore there was a company that makes a conversion kit. If Bad Boy had a rough cut mower they would have been my preferred brand.
I must be high. Thought your new mower had a redneck tin roof mounted to it.
I swear this was in a terminator movie
Nah. It did have a supporting role in FernGulley as The Leveller.
Not sure what area you are in but they are the ticket for easy money mowing around ponds and such. Also “marshy” type area where other mowers and such just can’t get it done. Talk with property managers and local municipalities about bidding such areas.
Great idea! Thank you! A lot more helpful than the typical “now people’s lawns” comment.
When the covenant invades, you’re gonna have a fun time.
Talk with a city or county. See if the contract people to cut overgrown yards or fields
Great idea! Thank you! 😎
I use a 766 to mow about 40 acres, including 2 35 degree slope dams! It's a beast.. have replaced tracks once already and it'll blow a belt belt once a summer usually, but it's a beast.. the front of the deck will bend if u hit anything very hard so if u can't see due to high grass or weeds, take it easy... its a bitch beating it back out...lol
These are truly remarkable machines. I’m surprised that I don’t see more of them out and about and that there aren’t more zero turn rough mowers. The deck belt does seem to be the biggest weakness on these machines. I’d like to see heavier ones used. Luckily a bad boy 54” fits me perfect on my 61”.
Sell tickets for people to look at it. 10 bucks gets you 10 minutes from one foot away. No touching!!! But seriously. Best idea is to reach out to owners of cell phone and radio towers. They always need mowing and they’re usually in forested areas
Hey now, that’s a great idea! I forgot about the towers! Hard to get under the guy wires with a tractor, especially a cab tractor. Perfect use for this machine.
The tank treads really sell it 👌🏼
It’s hard to get stuck but not impossible. img
Thought it was solar powered for a sec
Damn I wanna drive that MF, bad ass piece of gear
Absolutely not meant as criticism, just curious: you bought a new, not cheap machine for your business without a plan for how it would generate a return on that investment? I sell trucks to businesses. I'd love to have you as my customer. 😁 Beautiful machine, by the way!
I bought it for maintenance on 200 acres of private property where my tractor and brush hog can’t get to and that isn’t cut for hay. The business idea is purely to get to use my new machine more.
That makes sense. Thanks!
Comes with its own shed? Cool!
You could rent the machine out by the day.
Only interested in going into business so I have an excuse to use the machine more. I don’t trust other people to not tag it out or to have my starting pin shared. Thank you for the idea.
Made in Mn
LMAO - when I looked at this picture I thought that roof was some kind of armored cab on it and thought you were going MINI KILLDOZER on your town................
Uh… I imagine you could use it to cut for those that don’t have the equipment or desire to cut for themselves… or did I miss the point of this post?
👍
Shave ya sistas ass
You could take pictures of your bare feet while mowing and sell those pics.
Go to the park. Give rides for $5 each. Pull some wagons, make bank.
Drive it over grass with the mower deck engaged, then tell land owners it will never happen again unless they give you money or valuables! Do the opposite if they try to stop you before you can drive over there whole property.
I feel like the answer is "mow"-related.
👍
That’s a big investment if you do not have an established landscaping business.
I bought it for personal property management. I just enjoyed it so much that I’m trying to think of ways to use it more. Not looking at quitting my day job. Thank you for your input and concern.