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Replies

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  ben ranyard September 3, 2009 at 3:21pm

  I've been rained off too....usually I just don waterproofs and get on with it...but when earth starts to stick to my tools and I feel I'm making a mess...I bail out (excuse the pun). Last yr in east anglia I only took 2 days off...here in Edinburgh it's very different. Wondering if I made a mistake moving up here to be brutally honest...much shorter season...
  Yours. Wet, cold, skint and rather pi**ed off!!!
  Ben ;)
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  Classic Gardens September 3, 2009 at 3:49pm

  I have a day off!!
  
  I try not to feel guilty about it when i pass another gardener working.
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  James September 3, 2009 at 5:09pm

  I managed 2 hrs work first thing before the borders started gathering standing water and I seemed to be doing more harm than good.
  
  Been pushing paper around the desk most of the afternoon watching it bounce off the windows.
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  Steven Whitaker September 3, 2009 at 6:36pm

  I think you are superman! (or you have staff to help) - and you obviously have superb equipment...I hope in a few years I will be able to do that too, but my mower will not pick up in the rain and I have often slipped off ladders or wet surfaces and nearly cut a finger off! I also think that walking on wet soil does more harm than good so if you're planting or weeding you just end up making a mess and sliding around with 3" of mud stuck to your boots. I admire you, but you've obviously been in the business a few years and have all the kit!
  
  Pro Gard said:

  I work, some jobs ill ree scedule if the ground is too wet to work but usually there is something I can fit in eg hedge cutting etc.
  
  I always cut grass regardless even in heavy rain, the etesia picks up perfectly. My customers understand that I run to a schedule.
  
  This time of year even in heavy rain its not cold so no excuse not to work.
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  GORDON September 3, 2009 at 7:17pm

  I agree with Pro Gard you just can not afford to stop because of rain. If I was to miss a lawn cut due to rain then the next time I would see that lawn would be another 2 weeks. That means a months worth of grass to cut for the same price. And what would you do if it happened to be raining ( as it has most of this year) when you next get there. I started with a Hayter and if I still had to use it over the past 2 years ( raining all the time) then I would have packed it all in and gone sailing around the world in my fathers yacht. Ok, the wife has just told me my Dads got a dinghy not a yacht. Scrap that idea then.
  
  I can not speak about the Etesia mower but from all the reports, if you are happy with a 4 wheeled mower then its the dogs. My customers demand a new set of stripes after each lawn cut so I use a Kaaz ( Sarp) roller mower. It is not without its problems but it is really excellent at collecting wet grass
  Unless you have tried a mower which has been designed to collect wet grass then you just can not appreciate how much better they are.
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  Ben Candlin September 3, 2009 at 7:47pm

  I agree that its important not to miss a days work due to the weather if possible. I can't imagine staying in business for long if I cancelled to often due to the rain.
  
  I'm going to look into the Etesia mowers as cutting long grass, even when it's damp, let alone wet, is one of the biggest headaches I face. The cost is an issue for me though, although I guess you get what you pay for. In fact, now that I think about it, all the problem jobs I've had have been due to wet grass....
  
  Can the masses recommend any other mowers that perform well in the wet?
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  Neil Petrie BSc Landscape Mgt September 3, 2009 at 10:22pm

  I'm still harping on about the JD JX90CB because it's a fraction of the price of the etesia. My local shop can sell me them for £1399 each. I'm going to try get a trial in the wet before I buy them though (I need 2). I think I'm correct in saying the one Paul has (pro54k(...?)) is in region of £2300.
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  Donny Bryan September 5, 2009 at 4:50pm

  I work in all weathers but will move between jobs depending upon what I'm doing at the time to take account of the weather. For example, clearly I cannot point paving or brickwork in the pouring rain. We live in the North. If I stopped working everytime it bucketed down I'd hardly ever work!