Gate width, pets and slopes on a mowing quote.
Two quarter-acre lots on the same street can take very different time to mow if one has an open 48-inch gate and flat ground while the other has a 34-inch gate, a steep drainage ditch, a dog in the yard, and a trampoline. Sharing those lot conditions upfront prevents surprise adjustments after the first visit.
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Three lot conditions every mowing contractor checks
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1. Back gate inside clearance
Commercial stand-on and zero-turn mowers usually have 36-inch, 48-inch, or 52-inch decks, plus a discharge chute overhang. A gate opening under 40 inches inside post-to-post means the crew has to unload a 21-inch walk-behind push mower for the back yard.
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2. Steep slopes, ditches & soft ground
Heavy riding mowers can slide on wet embankments or scalp the crown of a roadside ditch. Steep banks and narrow swales often have to be cut with a walk-behind mower or string-trimmed by hand, which takes longer per visit.
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3. Pets, latches & yard obstacles
Crews need a clear rule for mow day: text before arrival so dogs come inside, double-check the gate latch on exit, and know whether pet waste is picked up before the crew arrives. Play sets, trampolines, and garden hoses also add trimming time.
Items to note on your scoping sheet
- Measured gate opening
- Measure the narrowest clear space between the latch post and the open gate frame with a tape measure, not the nominal width of the gate panel.
- Sprinkler heads & valve boxes
- Flag any pop-up sprinkler heads that stick up above soil level or sit flush against curb edges where a metal edger blade runs.
- Surface tree roots
- Exposed pine, oak, or maple roots require raising the mower deck or string-trimming around the root flare to avoid nicking the bark and bending mower spindles.
- Related lawn mowing guides
- Read Weekly vs Biweekly Lawn Mowing Schedule Guide, Mowing, Edging, Trimming & Blowing Scope Checklist, or return to the Full Mowing Checklist.