The Life of a Custom Mowing contractor

[Gator6x4]

I could “push it” on them to hay it, but if I upset a few people, could lose all of it.
Sometimes you have to know when to leave well enough alone.

When dealing with a HOA the less said the better.

 

[RayIN]

Some steep stuff I cut Monday. Funny how it doesn’t look steep in the picture, but it was a butt-pucker factor of about 7 on a scale of 1-10. lol

View attachment 3472157

That cedar tree makes it appear the slope is about 35-45°. Not fun_.

 

[Lastkidpicked]

That cedar tree makes it appear the slope is about 35-45°. Not fun_.

Showing my age to say the tree in @Hay Dude 's pic makes a perfect plumb bob.

 

[Hay Dude]

Out of the blue, on Friday I got an interesting call. A current customer of mine that has me haying their property in our little town, has offered me 92 acres about 20 miles from me.
It was row cropped up until 2023, but has been fallow since then. Owner unhappy with amount of chemical application and messy habits of previous farmer.
They want the weeds that have taken over the fields mowed for this spring and summer to get it under control. So at least 2 cuttings. That’ll be good money.

They asked me for suggestions moving forward on how to keep it looking good without intense row crop farming, until they decide what they want to do with the property.

I suggested a mid August burn down, then drill seed with a 50/50 mix of orchard grass/fescue along with a 2nd application of winter wheat for ground cover through the fall/early winter.
Next year it would be baled for grass hay.

The customer is a wealthy developer and knows little about farming, mowing, etc. I expect they’ll be kind of shocked at the cost, so I am only slightly optimistic it’ll happen.

If it does, it’ll yield a lot of hay.

 

[Complete Turf Care]

The customer is a wealthy developer and knows little about farming, mowing, etc. I expect they’ll be kind of shocked at the cost, so I am only slightly optimistic it’ll happen.

So? Does he pay you for mowing? Or do you pay him for the hay?

 

[EddieWalker]

How many hours in the seat does it take to mow 92 acres? My back is hurting just thinking about it.

 

[Hay Dude]

So? Does he pay you for mowing?

On the 92 acres? Yes, they would pay for 2 or 3 mowings from now through mid August. That would be some nice extra money.

Or do you pay him for the hay?

No. I would cut the hay and keep it when it starts growing in Spring of 2026. Typical handshake hay agreement.

 

[Hay Dude]

How many hours in the seat does it take to mow 92 acres? My back is hurting just thinking about it.

I can mow about 5-6 acres per hour, so I figure (2) 8+ hour days.
The comfort of the tractors is pretty good. No back issues, but the legs get kind of stiff after sitting a long time. I usually go for a long healthy brisk walk with my wife in the evenings to work it all out.

 

[Hay Dude]

Been prayin a lot lately. I am maxed out on the work load I have now, but I know I have to keep expanding.
All the Glory to God.

 

[Molalla1]

Been prayin a lot lately. I am maxed out on the work load I have now, but I know I have to keep expanding.
All the Glory to God.

 

[Hay Dude]

The more glory I give the Lord and the more I pray and put him first, the better my life gets.

 

[Lineman North Florida]

The more glory I give the Lord and the more I pray and put him first, the better my life gets.

My 7 year old granddaughter was baptized this morning and I said to myself what more can a man ask for.

 

[pmsmechanic]

Been prayin a lot lately. I am maxed out on the work load I have now, but I know I have to keep expanding.
All the Glory to God.

I'm always thankful for how the amount of time I have and the work coming in seem to match fairly well.

 

[Lastkidpicked]

I usually go for a long healthy brisk walk with my wife in the evenings to work it all out.

Fellas, let's all read that line again.

Seems this could apply to more than stiff legs. Could apply to solving many of life's problems

 

[Hay Dude]

Few Action shots from today. All the while I’m like “dang, I need to start mowing hay”….

This is a 9 hour mowing job. Got underway at 7AM on a nice sunny day.

Easy mowing, light field grass & weeds.

Storm Drainage reservoir

Typical uneven gulley at the bottom of a steep hill.

 

[EddieWalker]

I like were you keep your leaf blower. I've been thinking about doing something like that so I can clean off my deck out in the field, before driving it back to the house.

 

[Hay Dude]

I really need a large tool box mounted to the mower for blower, spare blades, greaser, etc. would be great to have DC wire run side of it to keep dewalt battery charged for greaser & impact.

The "biggest small" improvement that could be made to our tractors is a large storage compartment with an AC/DC inverter so you can go out into the field with some tools, small chain saw, rechargeable tools, etc. for quick repairs.

 

[Lastkidpicked]

The "biggest small" improvement that could be made to our tractors is a large storage compartment with an AC/DC inverter so you can go out into the field with some tools, small chain saw, rechargeable tools, etc. for quick repairs.

This is one place technology is getting much better. Inverters are better and more affordable than ever.

 

[Hay Dude]

I was thinking it could pick up a wire lead out of the 7 pin plug on back of tractor and power a battery charger.
Inverters are great. Have one in the Ram and it’s surprisingly powerful.

 

[Lastkidpicked]

I was thinking it could pick up a wire lead out of the 7 pin plug on back of tractor and power a battery charger.

If you make a pigtail to a 7 pin plug and use the hot lead (and also a ground) then your could use your inverter on any tractor, truck, or SUV that has a 7 pin harness. It would be totally portable.