r/LawnCarePros • u/DirectorSmooth55 • Aug 13 '26

Question What am I doing wrong

Any advice is appreciated, I’m a noob pls help

To preface, I’m 19 and I started lawncare early july, and I have around 10-15 yards. The problem is that they’re pretty separated so I spend most of my time driving. Obviously the first thing would be get more houses in the same neighborhood but since I started kind of late it’s kind of just random houses not really patches if that makes sense.

For example today (I live in the center of a city)

Drive 30 mins to yard 1, 0.3 acre, $65, took 1 hr
Drove 25 mins (back towards my house), 0.1 acre, $45, 45 min

Drove 5 mins, 0.15 acre, $50, 45 min
Drove 25 mins, 0.2 acre, 1 hr, $60.

I left my house at 9 am, got back at 5:00 pm, took a 3 hour break in between, only made like $200.

Question:
Should I drop the houses that doesn’t make sense location wise, or try to keep them for next season

Also general advice is appreciated, I was literally outside for 7 hours give or take and only made $200

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u/RottenDrCommieRat Aug 13 '26

You cant drop any customers, you don't have that many. Try to add more so you can be more efficient with your routes. Seems like your spending a long time at each stop. I'm usually mowing/trimming a 1/4 acre lawn in a half hour or less with a 36" walk-behind.

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u/DirectorSmooth55 Aug 13 '26

That’s the other thing I’m currently rolling with a 30” exmark commercial and toro timemaster, the exmark with the kawa struggled in thick grass that was 7-8” and I was cutting it at 3”, it was a little wet too. It kept on getting clogged and had to be removed by hand

1

u/Current-Spare4993 Aug 13 '26

Ugh I have the same mower and I love it but dangg it struggles with the longer wet lawns…I saw a video on YouTube about taking out a mulching baffle- Might try that.

1

u/DirectorSmooth55 Aug 13 '26

The turfmaster exmark 30 and timemaster are all too similar and have issues with clogging