equipment ideas

[mrha18017]

what type of equipment will i need to have a successful grasscutting buisness.

[Eric ELM]

Get the best commercial equipment you can afford. Get a good used mower instead of a new Home Owner type if you can't afford a new Commercial unit. Same with trimmers, get the best you can, but commercial.

If you go to the Lawnsite Links on my Website, you can just click on all these different brands to find thousands of replys on this same topic of equipment.

Click this or down below on any post I've done. www.elmlawnsite.com

[odin]

I AGREE with eric always get commercial ,the homeowner type of machine just dont hold up like commercial.Ive lerned this the hard way.As far a brands go dixie chopper ,exmark and gravely and scagg are good brands although ive been down on the scagg turf tiger . shindawa sthil and tanaka are excellant two cycle blowers trimmers and sthil makes great chain saws
I hope everything does great in your business venture

[LAWNGODFATHER]

Commercial grade equipment. The home owner 2 cycle stuff does not have piston rings nor bearings on the crank. Bent shaft weed eater tend to not last as long as the strait shaft, and also spin in the oposite direction.

There are many brand of 2 cycle stuff than mentioned on this thread. Get what you can afford that are made for commercial aplacations. Also keep in mind when you go buy it that you want to get one with enough power to handle the jobs. If you don't the lower powered ones could cost you money in the long run.

Mowers: don't waiste you $ or time on home owner stuff. They can not handle or endure the riggours of commercial use. There are other brands than mensioned on this thread. Also you will want to get one with enough power to handle the jobs. Time is money in the line of work.

Truck: heavy duty. Diesel will pay for it self in the long haul.

Trailer: buy one big enough to handle any growth in the LCO. EG: a 5X8 can hold most size mowers but that's it, one mower.

If you have figured out that this industry might require you to get heavy duty equipment. Start looking and pricing, then go figure what you will need. Get accounts. get finances. get the correct equipment the first time. Find your over head. find your costs. then your set.

Don't forget to pay taxes and get Insurance.

[Runner]

Welcome to Lawnsite. In the first place, not to sound too harsh or anything, but if you're looking to get into the "grass cuttin' business", then all you need is a pushmower that has all four wheels, a good broom,(optional) and a decent stationwagon. Or, if you want to do it right, perhaps even a pickup truck. (A little jap model will do, because that's all them thar "grass cutters" really need.)

Now, if you are interested in entering the green industry, and going into professional grounds maintenance, then come talk to me. I'll be happy to answer any and all questions you have.

[awm]

just curious . most folks who decide to get in this buisiness
allready have the basic equipment,and have been working
side jobs mowing. not meaning to get in your buisiness but
was wondering what made u decide to become an lco.
later now

[1MajorTom]

This is my advice.

Although I totally agree with everyone on buying the commercial grade equipment, I personally do not recommend to you to go out and spend $20,000+ or more on equipment plus truck right away.

My first question would be to you: How long have you thought this out? Are you sure you are capable of working in the heat, long hours, physical work every day, etc. ? How serious are you about this?
If you have never done this type of work before besides mow your parents lawn or your neighbors, believe me it is not the same.

As Eric mentioned, I would consider buying used commercial grade equipment so you can get your feet wet first in the business, before you sink a ton of money into something that you may not really enjoy.

[mrha18017]

a buddy and myself just thought of the idea not to long ago.a fella i work worth says u can make some big bucks. i've done the groundskeeping before for an apartment complex for about a year . i also framed houses for a little while so i can do the physical work.

[cos]

Build your arsenal slow. Start with a piece of equipment you are going to use most of the time. Don't buy a 61" walk behind, if you are not going to cut lawns that are large enough to stripe. I would buy used first too.


Good luck.

[mrha18017]

what size mower would you suggest??????

[Esby]

To start off I would get a used 36" or 48" used belt drive. The Exmark Metros are some great mowers to start out with and won't cost you a bundle. Of course there are going to be the guys that say "get a hydro drive" and you can if you want to, but they are alot of extra money. I started out with a 48 Exmark Metro HP, but just recently I bought a Lazer Z. What a difference, but then again the price tag came with it. I rarely ever use the walkbehind any more, but it still has its small place in my business. Its all about how much money you are willing to spend on equipment. The used walkbehind is going to run between $1,000 and $2,000. A trailer for that mower would be around $300-$500. Its almost necessary to have a 21" push mower, and you can spend anywhere from $200-$700 on one. Airens makes a nice one for about $500. A commercial trimmer is $250-$300, and your commercial handheld blower is about $100, of course you could spend $400-$500 on a backpack(I did and will never pick up the handheld again), but again, its all about how much money you want to spend to get started. You will find that once you start, there are always things that you need to buy to keep the business going: gas, tools, oil, trimmer line, blades, sharpener, and many other things that you wouldn't even think of right now. Its all part of this business. Good luck with your decision and let me know if I can help again.

[Indiana]

"a buddy and myself just thought of the idea not to long ago.a fella i work worth says u can make some big bucks. i've done the groundskeeping before for an apartment complex for about a year . "

This is the attitude I cannot anymore of.

If your looking to make big bucks, kiss it good-bye. You'll spend more than you make for at least three years trying to get your equipment lined up.

Is this why lawnsite is here?

Generating more and more part timers?