Start A Lawn Care Business

Make money with a lawn care and landscaping business.

Archive for category lawn equipment

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.

Tags: , , , ,

Buy Clearance Commercial Lawn Mowers

Nov 23

Posted by Lawn Care Business in equipment, financing, lawn equipment, lawn mowers, winter | 2 Comments

2009 is dragging to a close and 2010 is barely a month away. 

Wait!!!  WHAT??? 

2010 is just a month away, I can’t believe we’re already at 2010.

Anyway, this year is no different than any other year in that lawn mower dealers are trying to blow out their old models in preparation for next years crop of commercial lawn mowers.

I see this every year.  If you have the storage capacity and can afford to let a new lawn mower sit idle until next mowing season, right now is a great time to get a good deal on a brand new lawn mower.  If you can’t afford to buy a lawn mower and let it sit all winter, dealers will often give you great deals on financing and start payments in the spring of next year.

2009 Lawn Mower Clearance

You can often save 10% to 20% on old model lawn mower.

As the grass growth is slowing down, take some time to visit your local commercial lawn mower dealers.  You may be able to make a deal on a perfectly new (though slightly outdated) commercial lawn mower.

If you find a lawn mower you want to buy, ask the deal to service it before the sale is complete.  Though oil and other fluids haven’t been used much, get the deal to replace all fluids, check all bolts and fasteners, lubricate all lubrication points, and replace the battery with a fresh one.  If your new lawn mower will be sitting for the rest of this winter, have your dealer add a recommended fuel stabilizer.

If you want to learn more about purchasing commercial lawn equipment for your lawn care business, our guidebook has an entire chapter dedicated to buying new and used equipment.

Check our website for complete information: 

Start A Lawn Care Business

Tags: , ,

Your Lawn Care Business and Code Orange Days

Nov 6

Posted by Lawn Care Business in environment, lawn business strategies, lawn care business, lawn equipment, propane | 3 Comments

Air quality issues increasingly impact Lawn Care Business owners.

I am writing this blog post looking through my window on a crystal clear November morning. The sky is colbalt blue and distant Tennessee mountains appear close enough to touch. There is a slight breeze and the frosty morning air is brisk and fresh.

Though crisp November mornings distance me from the thoughts of smoggy Summers days, a billboard I saw this morning forced me to realize the effects air pollution has on our industry.

code_orange

Billboards and other Public Service Announcements have popped up in recent months throughout the southeast. These announcements encourage us to drive less and mow less on Code Orange days.

A Code Orange alert is announced when air pollution is predicted to reach unhealthy levels for sensitive groups. Typically, code orange levels are between 101 and 150 on the air quality index.

Lawn care equipment produce high levels of carbon monoxide, volatile organic compounds, and nitrogen oxides. Two-cycle equipment such as weedeaters and leaf blowers are particularly high polluters. Oil mixed with gasoline causes very high levels of particulates released in exhaust fumes.

As air quality regulations begin to restrict our movements as an industry, opportunities are created which allow us to become an environmentally sensitive industry.

At recent lawn care trade shows, I am continually impressed to see equipment manufacturers furthering their research into low-polluting machines. The largest progress is being made with propane powered string trimmers and lawn mowers.

Propane powered lawn equipment dramatically reduces the air quality lowering effects of traditional commercial lawn mowers and two-cycled weedeaters and leaf blowers. As manufacturers produce higher quality and lower priced propane powered lawn equipment, our jobs of remaining EPA compliant will become easier.

Lawn care companies that begin the process of upgrading their equipment to propane power will find themselves in unique positions of being able to continue to operate their businesses during code orange days.

Next time you see a billboard reminding you not to mow on Code Orange days, think of it not as a restriction to your lawn care business but as an opportunity for you to distance yourself from your competition.

The “Start A Lawn Care Business” guidebooks, estimating software, and training videos will help you run a better lawn care business.
Order your copy at: http://www.StartALawnCareBusiness.com

Tags: , , ,

Ethanol Gasoline in Small Lawn Mower Engines

Nov 3

Posted by Lawn Care Business in lawn equipment, lawn mowers, leaf blowers, maintenance, weedeaters | 2 Comments

Does ethanol damage lawn mower engines?

As lawn care business owners, we strive to provide proper maintenance for our lawn equipment. Equipment engine oil is changed regularly. Air filters are cleaned and/or replaced when they become dirty. Lubrication is performed on schedule as outlined in owners’ manuals.

In addition to routine maintenance, there are many other tips we can follow to help extend lawn equipment life. We cover many tips within the pages of our Lawn Care Business Guidebooks.

One of the simpler actions we can take, on a daily basis, is use of high quality gasoline. High quality does not necessarily mean high octane. High quality, in many people’s opinion, means a lack of impurities.

There is a gas station not far from our business location that charges a few cents per gallon less than competing station. However, the gas station is more than 40 years old and it looks dilapidated. A gas station in such poor condition makes us wonder about the condition of their fuel tanks. If their tanks are corroded and contain residue from years of being underground, could those impurities find their way into our gas tanks?

Though ethanol is not considered an impurity to industry insiders, many small engine mechanics speak up about damage caused by ethanol. According to an MSNBC article on damage to small lawn mower engines caused by ethanol in gasoline ethanol attracts moisture which prevents oil within lawn care equipment from doing its proper job. This moisture reacts with rubber and plastic fittings and hoses. As these parts deteriorate, they may clog openings within the engine and can cause a shellacking on pistons resulting in reduced lubrication. All this is according to small engine experts.

Don’t rely strictly on experts though, read the many comments in this blog from www.TheTruthAboutCars.com dealing with the hazards of using ethanol blended gasoline in many different types of engines.

In the southern states where we live, 10% ethanol has been a fact of life since early 2008. Though we have heard horror stories of damage done by ethanol, we rarely have a choice other than to use an ethanol gasoline blend.

Times are beginning to change, though, and we see signs that gas stations are offering 100% gasoline again. In fact, a brand new gas station with brand new tanks, less than half a mile from the old dilapidated gas station offering 10% ethanol, has just opened. This new gas station does not add ethanol and offers pure gasoline.

noethanol

Ahh…no contamination and no ethanol. Our lawn mowers and two-cycle leaf blowers, weedeaters, and other lawn care equipment will run “clean” once more.

For more information on dealing with commercial lawn mower questions as well as running your own lawn care business, visit our website: www.StartALawnCareBusiness.com

Chain saw time is here.

Oct 23

Posted by Lawn Care Business in lawn business strategies, lawn care work gloves, lawn equipment, Uncategorized | 2 Comments

If you have run a lawn care business for a number of years, you know that early winter is a great time to tune-up the chain saw, sharpen your chains, don your protective gear, cut damaged limbs, and clear fallen trees.

This can be a very profitable time for lawn care business owners with chain saw skills.  Cutting wood is not for everyone.  However, woodcutting knowledge and chain saw competence can lead to lots of additional cash.

Firewood

IMGP4441

Your customers will gladly pay you to chop fallen or unwanted trees.  If the wood is good, you can spilt and season this wood.  Once cold weather is in the forcast, people with fireplaces or wood burning stoves will pay you for the wood.  We’ve even heard stories of Lawn Care Businesses who sell wood to the same customers who paid them to haul off the same tree.  Making double money on the same customer is SWEET BUSINESS!

Chain Sharpening

Time is money and sharp chains mean even more money.  If you do lots of chain sawing, consider purchasing a professional chain sharpener.

You don’t have to spend $300 for a professional chain sharpener if you only need to sharpen the occasional chain. This sharpener is only $35. It does a decent job and can be used in the field from your truck’s battery.

Safety is ALWAYS a strong consideration when you do chain saw work. Here are a few safety items. This list is incomplete but it is a good start to being in full compliance when you are providing tree cutting services for your customers.

Chain Saw Chaps

Chain Saw Safety Helmet

Chain Saw Boots

Chain Saw Gloves

Chain saw work can be a good add-on for your lawn care business. If you want to learn more about starting and running a successful lawn care business, check out our training information at:

Start A Lawn Care Business.com

Tags: , ,

Wash your Lawn Mower

Jul 18

Posted by Lawn Care Business in lawn business strategies, lawn care business, lawn equipment, lawn mowers, maintenance | 5 Comments

Today is Saturday and this is my normal maintenance day for my lawn care equipment.  A big part of my maintenance schedule includes washing my lawn mower and other lawn care equipment.   I have identified 5 reasons why a lawn care business owner should keep his equipment clean.

1)  Maintain a Professional Appearance for your Lawn Care Company

Customers notice when your equipment is clean and well maintained.  They want to be proud of their lawn not only when you are finished working but also while you are working.

New customers or prospective customers you are estimating want to know your company will be reliable and not make them wait for service should you have equipment trouble or breakdowns.  Clean equipment says “professional” to your new clients.

2)  Oil and Grease Drips

After lubricating your lawn mower you will often find drips of oil or blobs of grease hanging from your oil fill tube, oil drain, or the numberous grease nibs on the mower.  These drips can make your maintenance area or trailer slippery which can lead to an accident.  Worse yet, a blob of grease might cling to the underside of your cutting deck just long enough to be deposited on your next customer’s lawn.

Thoroughly washing your lawn mower reduces the chance that oil or grease drips will cause problems.

3)  Remove Grime from Moving Parts

By their very nature, lawn mowers become very dirty during the course of their work.  Washing removes grime and build up of dirt, grass, and leaves from lawn mower’s moving parts.

Springs react better, pullies grip better, and blades spin faster when they are allowed to work unencumbered.

4) Familiarize Yourself with your Lawn Equipment (The Zen of Lawn Mower Repair)

If you are like most professional Lawn Care Business owners you like working with your equipment and you want to know every detail about the machine with which you make your living.  Washing your lawn mower lets you focus on each part of your lawn mower in a relaxed setting.  As you run water over a dirty spring or wipe off a grass-caked bushing you gain an innate understanding how the machine works and how you can work better with the machine.

5)  Check for Defects or Worn Parts

Lawn mower take lots of abuse.  Bolts shear, springs deform, and plastic & rubber parts decay.  Washing your lawn mower allows you to do a visual and hands-on maintenance check of each part of your lawn mower and other equipment.

Replacing a broken part in your shop at your leisure is much less inconvenient than having to perform hurry-up maintenance in the field.

Turn your lawn care business into a PROFESSIONAL LAWN CARE BUSINESS!

If you are struggling with your lawn care business or you just not making the money you know you should be making, WE CAN HELP!

Visit hour home page:   StartALawnCareBusiness.com

The complete lawn care business package is on sale right now.  It will help you operate a more professional lawn care business.  Don’t face another day feeling like you don’t know what you are doing in your business.

StartALawnCareBusiness.com

How to stripe a lawn with your lawn care business.

Apr 21

Posted by Lawn Care Business in customers, lawn business strategies, lawn equipment, lawn striping | No Comments

by:Lawn Care Business

Striping grass gives a professional look to your customer’s lawn.

With the simple addition of a striping kit to your commercial lawn mower (and a little practice), you can turn your customer’s lawn into a visual masterpiece.


A basic "back and forth" striping pattern.
 

After the addition of a striping kit to your lawn mower, striping is attained with directional cutting.  Directional cutting allows the striping kit on your lawn mower to bend each blade of grass in the direction of the cut.  Grass bent toward the viewer appears darker than grass bent away from the viewer.  Stripes are solely dependent on direction of the bend.  Individual stripes have nothing to do with length of cut, different types of grass on each cut, or fertilizer applied in a pattern.  However, length of cut and type of grass will change the intensity of the stripes.   Striping gives a visual appeal to a lawn that is unattainable with concentric perimeter cutting.

Striping lawns as part of a commercial lawn care business makes your lawns look professionally manicured.  Some lawn Care customers have been known to pay as much as an additional 50% to 100% of a basic grass cutting job for a striped lawn depending on the complexity of the striping pattern. Your results will vary but it shouldn’t hurt your company’s reputation to add striping services for those customers who are willing to pay extra for it. Additionally, you should notice more potential clients stopping to ask you for estimates (and advice) when they see the spectacular job you’ve done on their neighbor’s lawns. 

To learn more about how to professionally stripe lawns and increase profits for your lawn care business, visit our website at: 
www.StartALawnCareBusiness.com

 

Tags: , , , , , ,

Sub-contracting (independent contracting) your lawn care work.

Apr 18

Posted by Lawn Care Business in customers, lawn business strategies, lawn equipment | No Comments

Questions about the "Start
A Lawn Care Business" training material.

We recently received an email question concerning the feasibility of starting a lawn care company and hiring out all the work to independent contractors.  The initial email question follows with our response further below.

Hello,

I bought your Lawn Care Business
Program in February and I am trying to start a lawn care business (on the side).  I seek your feedback. I do not intend to do the work, but to be the owner/manager/promotion mgr/dispatcher… I intend to set it up where I pay lawn care workers as Independent Contractors with them using their own yard equipment. Would it work better if I bought some some lawn care equipment and rented a storage unit?

Thank you.
 

Our response is below.

Hi:

Many LCOs transition from lawn care workers to full-time managers. If you intend to manage a lawn care business without first doing the work yourself, don’t underestimate the hands-on efforts needed to keep your business running smoothly. I’m sure you can understand the infinite possibilities of things going wrong if you are not on job sites or in constant communication with your workers and your customers. Poor quality mowing jobs by your crews, equipment break downs through rough handling, payment skimming, and bad treatment of customers and/or their property, will adversely affect your lawn care business. If you are a hands-on manager, you can quickly abate these problems. However, if these problems get ahead of you, they can quickly derail your efforts of running your lawn care company.

Additionally, before you decide to hire your lawn care workers as sub-contractors, please check the laws on what a "sub-contractor" really is. If you control their timeline, their equipment, and how the work is performed, there might be legal accounting rules which disallow the workers from being considered anything other than employees. We are not experts with accounting laws so you will need to check with your CPA.

Thank you and good luck:

Keith
Start A Lawn Care Business


Support after your purchase of
our Lawn Care Business training materials

When you purchase our lawn care business program, you are welcome to ask specific questions which may not be fully covered in our training material. Our team of lawn care professionals will do our best to answer your questions. The Lawn Care Business package is a full series of manuals and software which will most all questions you have about starting your own lawn care business. www.StartALawnCareBusiness.com

Tags: , , , ,

Commercial lawn mower selection

Apr 16

Posted by Lawn Care Business in lawn business strategies, lawn equipment, lawn mowers | 1 Comment

by: Lawn Care Business

Choosing a commercial lawn mower

Your commercial lawn mower is the most important piece of equipment for your grass cutting service business.  Purchasing the wrong equipment can cost you thousands of dollars in lost revenue. 

The lawn care business program available through our website at:
StartALawnCareBusiness.com includes a huge buyers guidebook for lawn equipment purchases.  We recommend you read the entire guidebook before making an important purchasing decision which will affect your business each and every day.

Here are a few quick tips taken from the equipment guidebook:

1)  Engine size:  Purchasing a lawn mower with a small engine size will give you inferior performance from your lawn mower.  A low powered lawn mower will not allow the lawn mower blades to slice quickly through the grass. Sluggish blade movement tears the grass instead of cutting it.  Torn grass turns brown and gives an unprofessional look to the lawn.  We recommend a minimum of 14 hp engine for most any commercial walkbehind lawn mower with a 48" deck size or smaller. 
If you are purchasing a ZTR, zero turn mower, or other mowers that carry the operator, bump up your engine size to a minimum of 17 horse power.

2)  Deck size:  What kind of grass cutting jobs does your company perform?  If your lawns are small and your customers’ back yards are gated, you do not need a 61" mowing deck.  Look for something smaller such as a 36" or 48" mowing deck. 
These decks are easier to maneuver and can often fit through back yard gates.  If you are doing wide area mowing, look for 48" to 72" decks.  Larger decks increase the chance of scalping uneven yards. 

3)  Controls:  There are many types of operator controls in the commercial market today especially for walkbehind lawn mowers.  Some controls require constant attention but they offer great ability in keeping the tracking of your lawnmower straight to give professional straight line patterns to your lawn.  If strength or dexterity is an issue for you, choose controls that are easy to maneuver and will allow you rest your hands during
your work.

These are just three tips of what to look for in a commercial lawn mower.  For a huge lawn mower buyer’s guidebook, purchase our program available from

http://www.StartALawnCareBusiness.com

 

Tags: , , , , ,

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

Tags: , , , , , , , , ,