equipment?

[ajlandscaping]

what kind of equipment would you need to start up in this biz?

i know the basic stuff needed like shovels and parts for the install

[Dirty Water]

PVC Cutters, PVC saw, various sized channel locks, a full toolset (grab a combo one from costco), pipe bevels, an assortement of teflon, glue and silicon.

Thats all just stuff that sits in my toolbox.

As for as heavy equipment, Look at my signature. Theres over $35k in equipment down there :)

[ajlandscaping]

so about how much money do you think you need to get started in this area?

[Ground Master]

$1.98 oughta get ya goin'

[AceSprinkleRx]

$1.98 oughta get ya goin'

What about the 6 pack?

~

[bicmudpuppy]

so about how much money do you think you need to get started in this area?
Without seeming like I'm picking on you, it's hard to answer. Your profile says 16 w/ 5years experience. I have seen 4 different outfits go belly up in my market area that were bankrolled with over $250,000. I know guys besides me who have ventured forth on their own after years of experience who are scraping by and feeding families with very little investment. A happy medium in there would be 6 months of operating costs and an alternate form of income for the next three years. The learning curve in irrigation is not very forgiving. Do you want to install? or repair? or both? IF you intend to do repair work, then a working knowledge of the equipment is necessary. If you have little or no competition, you may be allowed to learn as you go. If you are in market that requires competence, then you are in an uphill struggle. This post seems very negative. Please don't take it that way. If this is a direction you seriously wish to pursue, I encourage you to do so. Irrigation technicians are a dying breed. It is almost harder to find a full service service station than it is to find a competent irrigation technician. That rare individual who understands hydraulics, has a passable understanding of the necessary low voltage components and how they work, a working knowledge of how the equipment operates, etc.

The good news? The parts houses are full of gadgets and gizzmo's so you don't have to be a technician any more. We've got valve "clickers" or "chatterers" to find valves. We have testors with multi-color and coded LED's instead of understanding a multi-meter. And we have the net and sites like this one to go to for advice when we are over our heads in something

Good luck
Bryan

[ajlandscaping]

well my goal in the future is to be able to do lawn maintanence and landscaping and doing sprinkler repairs and installs whether doing all these things together is a good idea or not i feel at the time it could work out and just need to learn stuff the 5 years of experience i put down in profile is just about how long i have ben mowing for others not as a business.

but thx for the help any ways

[Instant Rain]

find a reputable irrigation company in your area if you are really interested in this industry. get a job working with them on your summer vacations. make sure they understand that you want to learn more than just digging ditches. Are you willing to learn new things. learn everything you can then after a few years of you will have the knowledge to go into this business your self. Don't listen to people who say you are too young. I'm only 24 years old and I'm finishing an installation for a soccer field this week. just make sure that this is something you will really enjoy doing. This industry is one of the least respected, mostly because most people don't consider landscape irrigation a necessity like plumbing or electricity. But it can be very rewarding for some people.

[dozerboy]

You can start off with very little and still do a quality install. The more money you have to spend the easier and faster it is.(faster = more money). Don't sweat the big stuff when you are first starting out. Plows and trenchers can be rented and the price can be passed on to the customer. Good luck!