Why I Charge What I Charge

A look at what it actually takes to keep a lawn care business running

A lot of people think taking care of a lawn just means mowing and keeping it short. If you're not familiar with it, you might not realize the costs that come with it. For our customers, the upside is they don't have to stress about it. We show up every week, make sure it looks great, and help avoid problems with bugs, pests, watering, or turf stress.

To get this right, break it down into categories: gear, upkeep, fuel, insurance, materials, and how many visits we plan to make each year. That's where the numbers come from.

I’m not a fan of guessing. Many lawn services rely on it, and I understand why. Typically, it’s a well-informed guess. They’re familiar with their daily operations: their income, expenses, and the remaining balance. However, this approach leads to inconsistencies. One customer could receive an excellent deal, while another might be overcharged. More often, the company needs to take on additional lawns to compensate for the shortfall. This is how the mow-and-go crews come about.

The difference is in how I calculate

I don’t have cheap equipment. I will not lie to you or exaggerate, but that’s why I show up every week, and that’s why the lawns look the way they do. It's important to think long term with lawn and landscape because that is how nature works. These days, if someone asks me for a price, I pull out a calculator. Because it’s a formula. That way, you’re not getting overcharged, and I’m not losing money trying to keep up.

Let me show you what I mean.

I run two main mower setups:

The first is a Walker B18, a dedicated mulching mower. It’s a high-end machine built for clean, even cuts with a tidy finish. Cast-iron drive shafts and gear-driven blades mulch everything directly into the turf. That mulch breaks down and fertilizes the soil, helping thicken up the lawn and promote growth in thin areas. That’s why some of my customers have seen their lawns fill in and become more established over time.

That Walker setup which including mower, trailer, fuel, insurance, and wear and tear runs about $90 per hour to operate.

The second is a Hustler Super S with a 60-inch VX deck, converted for mulching. It’s a five-foot-wide deck that’s great for wide-open lots and bigger properties. The vacuum system gives an extremely even cut and it doesn’t miss a blade. That rig runs $99 per hour to operate.

On some properties, we use both mowers for various cases. Using the Walker for the front and the Hustler for the back, or vice versa if you have gate size requirements. The walker is very capable on sharp inclines which makes it our go to choice for banks and hills. In those cases, we average the cost at $94.50 ($95) per hour to keep it balanced and fair.

A Real-World Example

Let’s say your property takes about 35 minutes per visit using the Walker setup.

• 35 minutes = 0.58 hours

• 0.58 x $90 = $52.20 per visit

• 39 cuts per year = $2,035.80 per year

• Divide by 12 = ~$170/month

That’s your average monthly rate for a mid-sized residential yard with standard access, turf, and layout under our standard plan which includes hedge trimming and weed control year round.

Now compare that to a small commercial property using the Hustler Super S. If that job takes 1 hour and 15 minutes per visit and it is a Standard Plan:

• 1.25 hours x $99 = $123.75 per visit

• 39 cuts = $4,826.25/year

• Divide by 12 = ~$402/month

This is why we don’t guess. The math tells the truth.

Why We Don’t Do Per-Cut Billing

We charge a flat monthly fee instead of billing for each cut. It makes things simple and steady for everyone all year long. If we were to charge per cut, the overall cost would likely be higher. This is because, during the winter months, fewer cuts are needed, which would lead to increased pricing during the busier seasons when more frequent maintenance is required.

You’re not just paying for the cut itself. You’re paying for consistency, oversight, and care of the entire outdoor space. Monthly billing allows us to maintain route stability, forecast equipment usage and maintenance, and respond faster to unexpected issues that will arise like storm debris, sudden turf fungus, or irrigation problems.

Paying per cut can be a gamble for both customers and businesses. It leads to ups and downs, unpredictable income, and inconsistent care. When that happens, lawns don't get the attention they need.

Final Thought

At the end of the day, this isn’t about overexplaining. It’s just about being real.

I’ve got the same fuel receipts, parts bills, and rain delays as any other guy in this business, I just track it all down to the hour. That’s how I build my prices, and that’s how I show up every week knowing I’m doing it in a way that"s sustainable.