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Archive for category lawn care videos

Lawn Care Equipment Security Camera

Sep 21

Posted by Lawn Care Business in equipment, lawn care innovation, lawn care videos, lawn equipment | No Comments

Are you worried about someone stealing equipment from the back of your lawn care pickup truck or trailer?

A motion detection camera might help deter would-be theives.  And if someone is stupid enough to steal your stuff, your camera can provide you with photographic evidence.  The Canon (CHDK) script turns your Canon point-n-shoot camera into a motion detection security camrea.  Stick it in the back of your pickup truck to catch people trying to steal your lawn equipment while you are servicing your customers.

http://www.CHDKCameras.com
http://chdk.wikia.com/wiki/CHDK

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25% Off Landscaping and Lawn Care Safety Supplies

Apr 8

Posted by Lawn Care Business in equipment, lawn care safety, lawn care videos, lawn equipment, work boots | 1 Comment

Amazon.com contacted us this morning to let us know they are offering 25% off lawn care and landscaping safety supplies. We want to share the link they sent us. This is a great opportunity to buy all your safety equipment at a great sale price. Hearing protection, eye protection, gloves, safety boots, high-vis protective clothing, safety boots, and more are important protection in your lawn care business.

We hope you will make your own safety, as well as the safety of your employees, a top priority this year. I was speaking with someone just the other day who doesn’t believe in wearing protective footware when mowing the grass. “I’ve mowed for years in nothing but shorts and sneakers and nothing’s happened to me yet.” Our thoughts on this is that millions of people mow in shorts and tennis shoes each year without incident. However, it only takes on slip-up for a lawn mower blade to sever a foot or a weedeater line to cause a nasty gash in your shin.

Since you will be mowing hundreds or thousands of lawns this year, your chance of a slip-up increases over that of a typical homeowner. Please wear proper safety equipment during your lawn care work.

If you need safety supplies this year, please use the link above.

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Bidding on Government Lawn Mowing Contracts

Mar 17

Posted by Lawn Care Business in bidding lawn care, contracts, lawn care videos, start a lawn care business | 4 Comments

March is already half over and if you are thinking about bidding on Government lawn mowing contracts you may have already missed the majority of the contracts that have been let for bid for the upcoming mowing season. Don’t fret because there are likely several contracts that have been delayed or are being rebid for one reason or another.

Before you bid on a Government lawn mowing contract you should be aware that Government contracts follow a different code of conduct than many other requests for proposals. I’ve made a short video for you highlighting a few finer points of an example Code-of-Conduct manual. Understanding and agreeing to this manual is the first step in getting your lawn care company on a Government’s bidding list.

Proposal Forms: I want to highlight a few finer points of this contract bidding instruction booklet. The first point is the Proposal Forms. Most bidding packets come with a series of bidding forms. You must complete the bidding forms that come with the bidding packet. Do not fill in your own forms or simply write your prices on a sheet of paper. Your bids may be rejected if you fill them out on anything but the bidding forms that come with your bidding packet.

Late Bids: Make sure you get your bids in on time. If you are late on a bid, the purchasing agent will, most likely, reject your bid. I have seen lawn care companies attempt to turn their bid packets in 2 minutes after the bid-closing times and the purchasing agents have rejected those bids. 9:00AM means 9:00AM and not 1 minute after 9:00. Acceptance of a bid is a violation of the request for proposal and could cause the job to be rebid. I like to submit time sensitive bids a couple days in advance. Rushing to get your bid in at the last minute will cause you to make mistakes. Taking your time with bid preparation allows you to calculate your prices with a clear head.

Submittal of Bids: Bids must be presented in a special bidding envelope that comes with your bidding packet. The envelope will be time stamped by the Purchasing Agent as proof that your submittal was within time cut off of bid acceptance.

Competency of Bidder: Purchasing agents can reject bids from lawn care companies that are deemed incompetent to complete the work. A company that does not posses proper equipment, skills sets, or manpower can be rejected from the bidding process if they are unable to demonstrate their ability to complete the job. Likewise, if a company does not have proper insurance or if they have defaulted on a previous contract, they might be deemed incompetent and their bid rejected even if they are the low bidder.

Performance Bond: A performance bond is a financial instrument stating that you will complete the work as stated in the contract. If you do not complete the work, you may lose your performance bond. A performance bond is designed to keep lawn care companies from bidding jobs that they do not have intention or capability of completing. Take a performance bond seriously. Also, a performance bond will cost you some money or it will tie up some of your financial resources. So, take the additional cost into consideration and work that into your contract.

Collusive Bidding: Bidders of many government contracts are not allowed to discuss their pricing or estimating strategies with other bidders of the same contract. Price setting is highly frowned upon by purchasing agents. Collusion can cause all bids to be rejected by the purchasing agent. Worse than having your bid rejected; collusion can have you banned from the bidding list and can bring even harsher penalties upon the collusive bidders.

This is just a brief overview of a Code-Of-Conduct example to get your companies name onto a bidding list. It can be nerve-wracking attempting to navigate the bidding process. If you are interested in bidding government contracts, we include an in-depth discussion of the bidding process in our lawn care business guidebooks. We have lots of experience bidding these type jobs and our bidding tutorial as well as our estimating calculators will help you give the best bids for these larger-scale contracts. Take a look at our website for more information on the Start A Lawn Care Business program

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RedMax Leaf Blower Video Review

Jan 6

Posted by Lawn Care Business in lawn care videos, lawn equipment, leaf blowers | No Comments

Hi Everyone:

This is Keith from www.StartALawnCareBusiness.com. Today, I am reviewing the RedMax EBZ8001 Commercial backpack blower.

My brand new 8001 arrived well boxed in sturdy corrugated packaging. Apart from the blower tubes, the unit itself was fully assembled. A standard wrench, a hex wrench, and a sparkplug wrench were included for quick assembly of the blower tubes and standard maintenance.

With my order, the folks at RedMax were kind enough to include 6 bottles of 50:1 2 cycle oil.

The first thing I noticed about the RedMax was its considerable heavy duty construction. Its size over normal consumer model backpack blowers is impressive.

The RedMax 8001 is powered by an air cooled 2-cycle engine. The engine size is a massive 71.9cc’s capable of moving 915 cubic feet per minute at over 200 mph. It has a digital ignition for easy start and uninterrupted operation.

I was very impressed with the construction of the air filter chamber. Poor air filter design shortens the life of many consumer model blowers. The RedMax 8001 relies on a 2 stage air filter. The first stage is a foam filter. This is a dry filter and RedMax does not recommend oiling the foam stage before use. The second stage is a paper filter. This filter system is vital to long life of engines subject to dusty environments. Access to the filter chamber is made easy by two red oversized tightening knobs at the top of the unit. After mixing 1 bottle of 2 cycle oil with 1 gallon of gasoline, I was ready to fuel my blower. RedMax recommends the use of non-ethonal enhanced fuels as Gasohol can cause deterioration of rubber and/or plastic parts. This made finding gasoline difficult since all gas stations in my area sell E-10 fuel. With a fuel tank capacity of 77.7 fluid ounces and a fuel consumption rate of 64.3 fluid ounces per hour, the RedMax 8001 should be able to operate for well over one hour of continuous use between refuelings.

Engine throttle is adjusted during use by the operator via a control arm. The control arm swivels into position for easy access during use. A red stop button on the control arm allows the operator to switch the engine off when work is completed.

Airflow is directed by use of a swivel tube, a flex tube, and extended blower tubes. A grip assembly allows the operator to direct airflow to the desired area.

Starting procedure is the same as most two cycle lawn equipment engines. Throttle is set and a primer bulb is depressed approximately 6 times. The engine cranks with a pull rope. My engine normally cranks by the 1st or 2nd pull.

With a 200 mph stream of air, the Redmax makes quick work of heavy leaf cover. Moving 915 CFM of air, leaves that would otherwise be able to hide around the corners of this picnic table are quickly done away with.

When my work was complete, I decided to have some fun while learning more about the Redmax. Stepping on a scale with the throttle on low, my weight was 194 lbs. Opening the throttle all the way and pointing the blower tube straight down, the Redmax provided 7 lbs of thrust reducing my weight to 187 lbs.

Next, I did the brick test. Placing a standard brick on a concrete patio surface, the redmax was able to blow the brick over 63 inches.

Lastly, I put the Redmax’s 7 lbs of thrust to use on a blower powered lawn cart. I don’t recommend you try this as I almost fell out of the cart.

Warning: Follow all safety precautions included in your blower’s instruction manual.

I would like to thank Redmax as well as lawn and garden webvision.

Please visit our website at: www.StartALawnCareBusiness.com for more product reviews and help in starting and operating your lawn care business.

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Canon Rebel T1i DSLR Camera for Your Lawn Care Business.

Jan 5

Posted by Lawn Care Business in landscaping photography, Lawn Care Advertising, lawn care business, lawn care videos | No Comments

The more I think about advertising and marketing for your lawn care business, the more I realize that you must make extra effort to stand above the crowd and bring attention to your business.

As websites and online marketing take precedence over newspaper and other print advertising, the visual quality of your marketing campaign becomes ever more important.

Digital cameras are priced to the point where everyone who wants a digital camera now has one. I’ve recommended for years that lawn care business operators keep a digital camera in their work vehicles for “before and after” documentation of special jobs and for pictures of special circumstances that may arise. For example, if a homeowner isn’t home when you finish a leaf raking job, you can take a picture to prove all leaves were removed from the lawn at the completion of your work. If leaves are on the lawn after the homeowner arrives home, those leaves fell after your leaf raking was complete.

As higher quality digital cameras become more affordable, professional quality photography becomes available even to small lawn care operators. Professional photography equipment can turn an otherwise ordinary looking picture of an outstanding lawn care job into a vibrant masterpiece that screams for the view to call your number and hire you to do their lawn care work during the upcoming season.

If you are looking for a high quality semi-professional digital SLR camera, Amazon.com has one of the best-priced affordable cameras we have seen in a long time.

The Canon D-500 (T1i) features 15 megapixel, liveview mode, and full HD video (use the 720 for best performance).

While I don’t recommend throwing this camera in your work truck, buy this camera to keep in your office and only take it out when you want professional quality shots of your best lawns. If you want marketing shots of your landscaping designs or your lawn striping, this camera will give you amazingly vibrant shots at an affordable price.

The link below will allow you to purchase from Amazon.com at their recently reduced price:

For for information on starting your own lawn care business, visit our website: www.StartALawnCareBusiness.com

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Digital camera for your landscaping business.

May 17

Posted by Lawn Care Business in customers, landscaping photography, lawn business strategies, lawn care videos | No Comments

Digital cameras help document your lawn care and landscaping jobs.

If you have read our materials on starting and operating your own lawn care and landscaping business you already understand the importance of keeping a digital camera ready to document your work.

Digital cameras are handy for adding projects you are particularly proud of to your photo portfolio.  They also allow for photographic documentation.  Quick before shots and after shots of your work stand in your benefit should disputes arise with your customers. 

Don’t forget to synchronize your camera’s clock with your GPS clock so you have proper ‘when and where’ documentation.  On-photo time stamping is not necessary since most cameras record time information into their exif data table.  This information can be pulled out at a later time without ruining your photograph.

All that aside, the purpose of this post is to let you know about one of the best compact point and shoot cameras on the market today.  It is one we have recently acquired and are well pleased with during initial tests.

Panasonic Lumix TZ5

The Panasonic Lumix TZ5 has recently been replaced by the Lumix TZ7.  Therefore, since the feature set of the TZ7 is marginal above the TZ5, the TZ5’s recently lowered price makes it a very attractive bargain.

Wide angle 28mm 10x Leica lens

The TZ5 features a 9.1 megapixel CCD and an incredible optical 10X Leica lens.  Completely zoomed out, you are given 28mm (equivalent) wide angle coverage.  Wide angle allows photographs of large landscaping and lawn care projects without having to step backward in order to frame your scenes.

High Def (HD) Video at 1280x720p

An amazing feature of Lumix’s TZ5 is its ability to film HD video.  While, as a landscaper, you will get more benefit from still photos, there are occasions when video gives better representation of your work.  Video quality is not up to quality received from a multi-CCD 1920x1080i dedicated video camera though our initial tests show great quality video from this camera.  Low-light graininess and washout are issues compared with higher-end dedicated camcorders.  If your landscaping has lots of colors, use sunshine creatively to brighten your project.

Price of the TZ5

As mentioned earlier, TZ7 is the latest offering from Panasonic’s Lumix line.  TZ5’s price has dropped significantly in light of this latest release.  Order via Amazon.com using the links provided below.  This is how we ordered our TZ5 and we have been uniformly well pleased with our purchase.

We plan to shoot several landscaping shots this week.  Check back this week for new blog postings including pictures from our TZ5.

Order your Panasonic Lumix TZ5:

Black
 

Blue
 

Silver
 

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Propane powered lawn equipment: grass trimmer (weed eater).

Apr 6

Posted by Lawn Care Business in environment, lawn business strategies, lawn care videos, lawn equipment, propane, weedeaters | 7 Comments

by:
Start A Lawn Care Business

Propane Powered String Trimmer (weedeater) Review

Purchase the new Lehr Propane Powered Line Trimmer here:

Hi Everyone. This is Keith with StartALawnCareBusiness.com. We are in the beautiful Tennessee Valley at Falling Water Falls. We are surrounded by nature and today we are reviewing an eco-friendly product. It’s the Lehr 4 cycle, propane powered, string trimmer. 
Read more below the video window.


Environmentally Friendly

Propane power offers lawn care companies greater flexibility. During code red air pollution days in some areas lawn care companies are(voluntarily in some areas) disallowed from using 2 cycle gasoline powered string trimmers. However, they are allowed to use propane power since the pollutants released from the trimmers are less than using 2 cycle gas-oil mixtures.

Propane Canisters

The Lehr model uses 16.4 oz. propane canisters. You can purchase these at most any department store or retail store. They are most commonly found in the camping section. They cost about $3.00 per bottle and Lehr says you can operate the string trimmer for about 2 hours from a full bottle of propane.

No choke. No primer bulb. No mixing of gas and oil.

Refilling the unit is simple. Take a new bottle of propane. Slip it into the housing twist on the coupling. Slide the bottle so the end is flush with the housing then secure the latch.  That’s all there is to it. There is no mixture of oil and gasoline. You do not have to worry about a choke and you do not have to worry with a primer bulb to prime the fuel system.

Once the system is charged with propane one or two pulls of the starter rope starts it right up. The Lehr propane string trimmer starts very quickly and easily. The string trimmer seems to idle quieter than other trimmers. Don’t let the low decibels fool you. The trimmer torques very quickly when you press the throttle.

Lawn Care Safety Equipment

Before using any lawn equipment take proper safety precautions. Ear and eye protection are necessary.

If you need to make an environmental statement with your lawn care company, I highly recommend the Lehr propane powered string trimmer. It is high quality. It is responsive. Your customers will love you for it.

Weedeater is a brand name of the Poulan Company but lawn care enthusiasts often refer to string trimmers as weedeaters.

For more information and proper assembly instructions, visit the manufacturer’s website at: www.GoLehr.com
Purchase it from Amazon.com by using this link:

For more information on operating a professional lawn care company, visit us at:
www.StartALawnCareBusiness.com

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Pruning for your Landscape Business

Apr 4

Posted by Lawn Care Business in landscaping, lawn business strategies, lawn care videos, lawn equipment, pruning | 1 Comment

by:
Lawn Care Business

How to properly
prune a limb off a tree.

Small pruning jobs can bring extra money into your lawn care / landscaping business. In today’s example, we have a branch that
has been damaged. The bark is peeling away from the subwood. The entire limb is
dead and needs to be pruned off to maintain the health of the tree.  Read
the directions below the video window.

 

 


This tree limb is joined at a collared union

This limb is joined at a collared union. 
The bark of the tree poofs out as the limb come out of the tree. The poofed out
part is the collar. All cuts at a collared union should be on the branch side of
the collar. You should never cut into the collar of a tree. Cutting into a
collar can do severe damage to the tree.

If this branch were smaller, we could use a pair of anvil loppers to prune away
the branch. Since it is so large, our anvils will not produce a correct cut. For
this branch we are going to use a bow saw. A pruning saw will work too.


Proper pruning: Three Cut Method

The proper method of cutting a branch with
a saw is to use the three-cut method of pruning. If you just use the saw and cut
it at the collar, the weight of the branch will pull down and you risk tearing
the collar damaging the tree. We are going to use the three-cut method.

The first cut is made on the underside of the branch about 5 inches away from
the collar. Cut the branch about 1/4 way through.


Underside Pruning Cut

The second cut is made about 2 inches
further away from the collar than the underside cut. As you can see in the
video, while making the top cut the branch fell downward before the cut was
complete. This action tore the underside of the branch to the underside cut. If
we had not made the underside cut, the tear may have proceeded to the collar and
damaged the health wood inside. The underside cut protected the collar.

After the main branch is cut away, you can make a third cut just outside of the
collar to cut away the remaining stub to finish your pruning job.

Pruning Sealant

On some pruning cuts, you may need to use
an arborists’ sealer to protect against insects and disease. However, since we
made this pruning cut during the cold season, we are not going to seal the cut.

Lawn Care / Landscaping Pricing Guidance

For more information on how to start a lawn
care and landscaping business, check out our lawn care business program found
at:
http://www.StartALawnCareBusiness.com 

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Start A Lawn Care Business Package March 2009

Mar 10

Posted by Lawn Care Business in lawn care videos | No Comments

Thank you for visiting StartALawnCareBusiness.com

Do you want to start a lawn care business or expand an existing business? Right now is the perfect time to start. Our lawn care business package gives you:
Lawn Care Business Manuals
Bidding Tutorials
Estimating Calculators
Pricing Guidance
Advertising and Marketing Guidance
and Video Training Guides.

March is the perfect time to get started with your lawn care business.
Right now is the perfect time to get:
New Residential Mowing Customers
New Business Clients
Apartment Complexes
and Government Mowing Contracts.

Are you perplexed how much to charge your customers?
Our bidding and estimating calculators will help you develop a pricing strategy.

Choosing your equipment is very important. We give you up-to-date information on the latest lawn care equipment.

The complete Start A Lawn Care Business package is on sale right now for only $34.95 + $5.00 S&H. This is a link below where you can order immediately or read our complete website for everything that is included with this package.

This is Keith with StartALawnCareBusiness.com


Order the Lawn Care Business Program

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