Cutting Lawns For Permission

atomicbrh · Jun 27, 2021

Anybody here cut grass for free in trade for permission to hunt?
There are many overgrown properties in our area that we would like to detect.
Even if we started hunting without permission, they are so overgrown that you cannot swing a coil.
If you created a written form that detailed the agreement, what specifics would you put in the agreement? As in how many hours or days of detecting would you want for one grass cutting and cleanup?
For that kind of work, I would want a lot of access but how much is reasonable?
Also, for that kind of work, I would want to keep every find.
I kept the commercial equipment from a part time grass cutting business that I worked in addition to my regular job. So no expense except for fuel and labor.
What are your suggestions or thoughts about this plan?
(Edit: We know about the plywood with rope technique but the grass in question is too tall for that. The grass cannot be mashed down enough to get the coil close enough to the ground.)

amc rulz · Jun 27, 2021

Not really sure, I was shot down on comments for offering $5 at a garage sale to hunt the lawn. I figure mowing is worth a minimum of $20 for gas and labor.

Edit: depends on lawn size. Usually not worth it in finds, but it’s all about the thrill of the hunt, right?

atomicbrh · Jun 27, 2021

amc rulz said:
Not really sure, I was shot down on comments for offering $5 at a garage sale to hunt the lawn. I figure mowing is worth a minimum of $20 for gas and labor.

Edit: depends on lawn size. Usually not worth it in finds, but it’s all about the thrill of the hunt, right?

Nowadays if I was still working, a small yard as out of control as these would be $80 or more. There is one for sale abandoned medical clinic that we want to hit because of the sidewalks. To get that place right, I would charge $300. To detect it, I would just run over it with the mower enough to swing a coil.

Gaspipe · Jun 27, 2021

I wouldn’t pay a nickel for any permission rights . Then they’ll be wanting to cherry pick your finds . No way in my opinion makes you look desperate and anybody will recognize it .

Tom_in_CA · Jun 27, 2021

atomicbrh said:
....
If you created a written form that detailed the agreement, what specifics would you put in the agreement? ...

The fastest way to get a "no", is to put a contract in front of a total stranger for them to sign. That just conjurs up images of hassles and legal cr*p.

A verbal is just fine.

atomicbrh · Jun 27, 2021

Tom_in_CA said:
The fastest way to get a "no", is to put a contract in front of a total stranger for them to sign. That just conjurs up images of hassles and legal cr*p.

A verbal is just fine.

Most of the contacts would be through social media. Social media where some research can be done on the property owner and the property owner can research me. It would not be door knocking. There are many videos of lawn services cutting a out of control yard for free occasionally as a community service. We have a mens group at church that periodically volunteers to help elderly members clean up their yards. It does not take long when 20 people show up to work. I detect one property with a local historian who actually has a written contract to collect artifacts from that property. We hunted that property for years before I knew he had written contracts with land owners. I was shocked that he would go to that trouble when these places are so isolated and overgrown. These are the factors that are giving me the idea for this approach. I am trying to find the unusual places that nobody will detect because they require too much work. Tom, if I show up knocking at a property owner's front door with paper in hand without any prior contact, you are right about instant rejection. The contract on my part is so that when I finish cutting the yard, the owner cannot so easily change their mind about permission to detect. If I were working the lawn service today, I would have to be paid in advance before unloading because of all the deadbeats that will not pay up when I am done. If there is preliminary communication from some other method, I think it could work. Now when I say yard equipment, I am talking about commercial diesel zero turns on a trailer not a push mower. So it will be fast.

stetam · Jun 28, 2021

LOL never would I do that.

mh9162013 · Jun 28, 2021

atomicbrh said:
Most of the contacts would be through social media. Social media where some research can be done on the property owner and the property owner can research me. It would not be door knocking. There are many videos of lawn services cutting a out of control yard for free occasionally as a community service. We have a mens group at church that periodically volunteers to help elderly members clean up their yards. It does not take long when 20 people show up to work. I detect one property with a local historian who actually has a written contract to collect artifacts from that property. We hunted that property for years before I knew he had written contracts with land owners. I was shocked that he would go to that trouble when these places are so isolated and overgrown. These are the factors that are giving me the idea for this approach. I am trying to find the unusual places that nobody will detect because they require too much work. Tom, if I show up knocking at a property owner's front door with paper in hand without any prior contact, you are right about instant rejection. The contract on my part is so that when I finish cutting the yard, the owner cannot so easily change their mind about permission to detect. If I were working the lawn service today, I would have to be paid in advance before unloading because of all the deadbeats that will not pay up when I am done. If there is preliminary communication from some other method, I think it could work. Now when I say yard equipment, I am talking about commercial diesel zero turns on a trailer not a push mower. So it will be fast.

Then the problem becomes you're wishing to detect a property when the owner doesn't want you to. But because you have a contract they hesitate to tell you to scram.

Remember, there's the law and there's what people do. Having the goodwill and blessing of a property owner is FAR MORE VALUABLE than a legally enforceable contract.

If you want to offer to mow someone's lawn to get a permission, fine, go for it. But don't put it into writing.

It's like going on a date. After a while, most people understand that after a few dates over the course of a few days, weeks or months, they'll probably have sex with each other. But if you try putting that in writing? Good luck with that...

GKL · Jun 28, 2021

amc rulz said:
Not really sure, I was shot down on comments for offering $5 at a garage sale to hunt the lawn. I figure mowing is worth a minimum of $20 for gas and labor.

Edit: depends on lawn size.
Usually not worth it in finds,
but it’s all about the thrill of the hunt, right?

It's an idea that I think crossed my mind in the past, but due to times when there are rainy weeks and also my schedule where I have projects and chores to get done, my detecting time is valuable and I'd prefer to spend it detecting and not mowing :lol:

The rare exception I "might" make is if it is a property that has a reasonable chance of having some good finds, maybe a home built in the 1800's or earlier.

I think since your time and effort (and gas) might likely be worth much more than any good finds you "might" dig, I would consider simply offering a discount for having permission to detect afterwards, maybe tell them, normally for a property your size and condition I would charge $100 but if I am allowed permission to detect afterwards I will only charge $85 (just an example) that way if all you find is trash and some Zincolns you'll at least feel like you earned some profit from mowing to go towards any detecting equipment you might want to get later :lol:

Hey, I have enough of a challenge keeping up with my own 1 1/2 acres of property :lol:

, much of which is rough work being next to woods with wild overgrowth and small trees popping up along the edges of much of my property.

Just an idea ! :hmmm:

kweis · Jun 28, 2021

I've done that a couple times. Residential properties from the 1880's that were for sale and were over grown. Contacted the realtor or owner/developer and they said sure. Same thing, needed mowing or otherwise not swingable. They were happy to have it mowed to make it more presentable for sale. Couldn't care less about the finds. I have commercial mowing equipment so no big deal for me. The agreement was verbal, no contract. Just my experience.

Cfmct · Jun 29, 2021

atomicbrh said:
Anybody here cut grass for free in trade for permission to hunt?
There are many overgrown properties in our area that we would like to detect.
Even if we started hunting without permission, they are so overgrown that you cannot swing a coil.
If you created a written form that detailed the agreement, what specifics would you put in the agreement? As in how many hours or days of detecting would you want for one grass cutting and cleanup?
For that kind of work, I would want a lot of access but how much is reasonable?
Also, for that kind of work, I would want to keep every find.
I kept the commercial equipment from a part time grass cutting business that I worked in addition to my regular job. So no expense except for fuel and labor.
What are your suggestions or thoughts about this plan?
(Edit: We know about the plywood with rope technique but the grass in question is too tall for that. The grass cannot be mashed down enough to get the coil close enough to the ground.)

Don't listen to the naysayers... I do it all the time being a landscaper and I get very good permissions this way... I'll offer a cutting or a snowplowing with a big zero turn mower I make quick work out of it... :yes:

GKL · Jun 29, 2021

Cfmct said:
Don't listen to the naysayers... I do it all the time being a landscaper and I get very good permissions this way... I'll offer a cutting or a snowplowing with a big zero turn mower I make quick work out of it...

Very good point that if you have the right equipment to do the job fast and have a way to get it there then it might not be too bad at all !

.....but those of us who have no way to transport our riding mower and would need to take a small push mower it could end up being as much as 3 or 4 hours of mowing hoping you might find more than Zincolns and clad :lol:

I don't mind hard work, I do enough of it keeping my own property in shape :lol:

, but I could only transport a small push mower to another location and unless it was a really really old property, it might not be worth 3 or 4 hours of push mowing for one permission :lol:

Cfmct · Jun 29, 2021

GKL said:
Very good point that if you have the right equipment to do the job fast and have a way to get it there then it might not be too bad at all !

.....but those of us who have no way to transport our riding mower and would need to take a small push mower it could end up being as much as 3 or 4 hours of mowing hoping you might find more than Zincolns and clad

I don't mind hard work, I do enough of it keeping my own property in shape , but I could only transport a small push mower to another location and unless it was a really really old property, it might not be worth 3 or 4 hours of push mowing for one permission

Maybe you need to get yourself a trailer and you are all set then you can make some money on the side as well :lol:

GKL · Jun 29, 2021

Cfmct said:
Maybe you need to get yourself a trailer and you are all set then you can make some money on the side as well

I thought about getting a trailer in the past, would have to have a hitch attached too, but thinking about how very infrequently I'd likely use it I figured it wasn't worth the expense.
(besides, there already seems to be plenty of competition with all the fancy mowers I've seen being hauled around town :lol:

)

I just have a very basic lawn tractor meant to keep up with my 1 1/2 acres, it likely might not hold up well if I tried using it as frequently as a commercial mower would be used :lol:

I seem to have my plate full with just keeping my own 1 1/2 acres under control (especially since being next to woods there's a lot of brush overgrowth and small trees to keep cut back along the borders) not to mention enough other projects and chores keeping me busy, but hey, at least it's good exercise and helping me stay in shape :lol:

mh9162013 · Jun 29, 2021

Cfmct said:
Don't listen to the naysayers... I do it all the time being a landscaper and I get very good permissions this way... I'll offer a cutting or a snowplowing with a big zero turn mower I make quick work out of it...

But do you make the property owners sign a contract? That's the real rub most of us "naysayers" are taking issue with.

Cfmct · Jun 29, 2021

mh9162013 said:
But do you make the property owners sign a contract? That's the real rub most of us "naysayers" are taking issue with.

What is a contract? I have a verbal permission that is it... I don't even do contracts with my landscaping business.. I do offer a cut or a plowing I won't do a clean up that is ridiculous to give away that much time...

Cfmct · Jun 29, 2021

GKL said:
I thought about getting a trailer in the past, would have to have a hitch attached too, but thinking about how very infrequently I'd likely use it I figured it wasn't worth the expense.
(besides, there already seems to be plenty of competition with all the fancy mowers I've seen being hauled around town )

I just have a very basic lawn tractor meant to keep up with my 1 1/2 acres, it likely might not hold up well if I tried using it as frequently as a commercial mower would be used

I seem to have my plate full with just keeping my own 1 1/2 acres under control (especially since being next to woods there's a lot of brush overgrowth and small trees to keep cut back along the borders) not to mention enough other projects and chores keeping me busy, but hey, at least it's good exercise and helping me stay in shape

I don't do homeowner equipment.... its all about getting the job done fast...so do you have a umbrella and drink holder for your leisurely mowing job? :lol:

GKL · Jun 29, 2021

Cfmct said:
I don't do homeowner equipment.... its all about getting the job done fast...so do you have a umbrella and drink holder for your leisurely mowing job?

......funny you should mention that :laughing:

(IF I did mowing as a business I'd have a different mower, but my Husqvarna YTH22V46 has been great just for at home use)
(we do have a push mower also to get in areas the lawn tractor won't fit)
(can't really tell from this pic of the yard but some areas are hilly)

These are older pics, but I used PVC to make an umbrella holder for a large UV rated umbrella, it already had a drink holder for my bottled water :lol:

It's painted now to closer match the color of the lawn tractor, and I can attach the wagon when needed even with the umbrella on.

Cfmct · Jun 29, 2021

GKL said:
......funny you should mention that

(IF I did mowing as a business I'd have a different mower, but my Husqvarna YTH22V46 has been great just for at home use)
(we do have a push mower also to get in areas the lawn tractor won't fit)
(can't really tell from this pic of the yard but some areas are hilly)

These are older pics, but I used PVC to make an umbrella holder for a large UV rated umbrella, it already had a drink holder for my bottled water

It's painted now to closer match the color of the lawn tractor, and I can attach the wagon when needed even with the umbrella on.

I have a small trim mower for 1 account takes me about 6 minutes to cut, trim and blow it $45 its a small commercial account... the entire lawn is 5 feet by 12 feet... I could use a weed wacker but it would take too much time and its messy then I would have to charge more :lol:

GKL · Jun 29, 2021

Cfmct said:
I have a small trim mower for 1 account takes me about 6 minutes to cut, trim and blow it $45 its a small commercial account... the entire lawn is 5 feet by 12 feet... I could use a weed wacker but it would take too much time and its messy then I would have to charge more

Wow, 5 feet by 12 feet and they pay to have it done ? :shock:

.....hey, if they are willing to pay you $45 for 6 minutes of work you'll take it ! :yes:

(if you had 10 accounts like that you'd make $450 for an hour's work :lol:

)

Cutting Lawns For Permission

atomicbrh

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amc rulz

atomicbrh

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Gaspipe

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Cfmct

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GKL

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