newbee questions ??

[qball]

i got some questions, im starting fresh out of the gate,, and wanted to get into the business,, i have the funds to back the company from the start, ( i currently work) question 1 equipment: what should i start with, been told a wb hydro, exmark,scag? also been told to come out of the gate with a rider?? i have the money to back it, but i dont want to buy something that wont be touched for 1-2 yrs. also would like to go LLC dose any one have a general idea how that works, i know how to get a dba, but im not going to start dumping money into something unless its professional,, i think LLC looks better better responce,, just need a run down what looks good and what works and what dosent ( been told you need about 10,000 to get started dont want to spend the money just to look at all my stuff) any feed back would be great !!!!!!!!!!!!!

[hseeder]

I personally like the exmarks. I owned Scag and toro years ago, the scag was a nightmare, and the toro back then the deck absolutely sucked, would have been better if it were made out of paper, twisted in a heart beat with the machine being brand new that day, and 1 hour out of the dealer.

I am getting back in the maintenance end this year, I have bought a used toro hydro wb (note post above) from the dealer I used years ago for 1200.00 with bagger, and am probably going with an open trailer to start with then move to enclosed. I personally like the stihl hand tools, blowers trimmers hedge trimmers etc, have had nothing but great luck with them ,and obviously a sthl chainsaw. A buddy of mine runs all echo equipment and his guys, man what a group beat the hell out of everything.

There is no need to run right out and buy a ztr rider though you will find you will use it more than you expect, it definitely makes life easier, the standers are much cheaper, but don;t seem to be able to find one that will host a spindle bagging system, but I am intrigued by the meg-mo system and that seems to eliminate the need for bagger until fall clean ups arrive, also a bagger and jrco dethatcher are a team not to be dismissed. THe only other suggestion I have off the top of my head with less than 1 cup of coffe down is a dump insert for your truck. Gives you the ability to haul away your debris and haul mulch in at the same time.

There is also the need for hand tools, rakes, shovels, spades, etc.

[mowerbrad]

Being from Michigan you already know how many leaves come in the fall. A ztr makes leaf clean-ups a whole lot easier than using a walk-behind. Don't get me wrong, you can do it with a wb but it takes longer. You don't necessarily have to buy a 60" ztr to start, you could just buy a 48". The equipment that you buy is all about the accounts that you are targeting. If you have larger accounts then get a larger ztr, mid sized accounts smaller ztr or wb, and small accounts smaller wb.

hseeder above said that you should also get a dethatcher and a dump insert. Those two things are nice to have but definately not needed for quite a while.

[STIHL GUY]

a 36-52'' WB will be fine to start. if you have the funds and demand for a ZTR go for it

[CoupesCuts]

Start with a 48" WB. It's a mower you won't have to ever get rid of until it dies. When you get the demand go for a ZTR. You don't want to dump all of your money into the business from the get go.