Do you have back-up mowers ?

[toby]

It has come to my attention that 97% of members on this board have no back-up mower or more than 1 primary mower in rotation. I am wondering if this is true. Please vote.
I feel having back-ups or rotating primary mowers is necessary to running a successful full-time LCO.

[AK Lawn]

i voted that i do have back ups, cause io have extra mowers, but what is considered a back up mower?

[Jusmowin]

I have a JD stx 38 and a poulan pro with a 5.5 Honda motor as my back ups . They arent very fast but they do well in a pinch.

[dfor]

I have my 6 year old belt drive Scag that pretty much sits. After switching to hydro I hope I never have to use it. I run it on my own lawn once in a while just to keep it going.

[proline32]

Well since I recently downsized my business I have back up mowers as a result, though I will be selling off most of the tools and stuff I wont be using. But I will keep back up tools.

[Mark]

I have a 52"hydro walkbehind for a backup, also carry one on the trailor with my ZTR,im solo so i should be alright. Marks Mowing Service

[65hoss]

I have a 48" encore hydro w/b and 42" cub cadet rider that I kept for a backup in case I needed it for bigger properties.
I guess I have at least 2 of everything:
2 Plugr aerators
2 trimmers
2 blowers
2 trucks
2 tractors


Didn't Noah take things 2 by 2? :cool:

[marc]

I run with two toro's 286e 62 in and have a jd 345 and F725 for backup mowers. I don't know if I will need them though because my toro dealer is giving me a loaner mower if mine has to go into the shop. He said the offer is good as long as I am running toro's, no matter if it is in or out of warranty.

[Randy Scott]

Do I OWN a back-up mower? No.
Do I have an excellent dealer that will drop one off at a jobsite if mine stops? Absolutely.

Although there will be a little down time in getting the mower there, it beats having money invested in a mower that isn't making me any money just sitting there. My dealer is truly a pleasure to work with.

[rodfather]

I would not be able to sleep at night if I did not have a "back up" mower.

As far as I am concerned, downtime is unacceptable unless it is due to unforeseen circumstances. That's something I learned when I worked for Hertz for many years...they have the best PM program there is. And I have used that same philosophy in running my business.

If I need two of something that's real important, I have three. If I need three, I have four even five) of some things. We only have a limited amount of time to do the same amount (or more) of work to do each year.

[Jim Feder]

we run scags so are backups sit and sit and sit and sit and just get moved out of the way.:D

[gogetter]

Originally posted by toby
It has come to my attention that 97% of members on this board have no back-up mower

I'm curious how you came to this conclusion?
Anyway, yes I have back ups of everything (except truck, wish I did).

[toby]

So what you're saying is, if you don't have a back up mower then you're not a professional LCO?

I guess you just cleariffied that 97% of the members hers are not professionals.



Gogetter,
I read it in a different thread.

I don't understand how you can run an LCO without a mower rotation system or at least back-ups.

[thelawnguy]

If you are a solo operator IMO it makes little sense to maintain, pay taxes on, then mothball a machine for backup when you can rent one for $45 a day.

In the past 6 years I have had but one instance where my machine was down longer than a couple hours and I needed a backup.

[carlriv]

If I own it I want it working. No backups, just more jobs. If I cant fix it my dealer will, if they cant they will set me up with a demo.

[Greenstar Services]

We operate with exmark mowers so there is no real need for backup mowers.

[Commander]

If my machines go down I only have to make a call and am able to fill their spots and then some.

[David Haggerty]

So I need to have backups.
I can't count on a dealer to supply back ups for me.
I figure any time I'd need it the "demo" would be busy.

I'm going to leave the back up mower on site, at a distant property.
Then I'll just have to take a trimmer with me once a week to mow there.
It'll save me from trailering a big mower back and forth.

I can just go get it if I need it.

Dave

[Mowingman]

I have to have backup mowers or work would come to a halt. None of the dealers here have loaners and none of them have a really great parts supply,so a backup is really needed.:(

[slplow]

My back up mower is a 52"lesco wb. It mostly get used to do hills that can't mow with the walkers.

[Scraper]

Originally posted by thelawnguy
If you are a solo operator IMO it makes little sense to maintain, pay taxes on, then mothball a machine for backup when you can rent one for $45 a day.

In the past 6 years I have had but one instance where my machine was down longer than a couple hours and I needed a backup.

Same here. I agree with Bill.

[Richard Martin]

I am a solo op. so I really don't think I can justify to the "chairwoman of the board" the need for 2 36" Exmarks and 2 60" DCs. If worse comes to worse then either mower can be subsituted on just about all of my jobs with the other mower. Both mowers are in excellant shape and I have a rather rigorous maintenance routine.

[SLS]

My Exmark dealer promises a loaner ZTR in the event of primary mower failure. So far I haven't needed the loaner. Like Richard, I am a stickler for proper maintanance. Oil changes at 50 hrs, filter changer at 100 hrs, grease all zerks every 2 days.....I'm anal about the longivity and performance of my equipment.

I do carry my 42" tractor on my trailer at all times just in case I do have a problem and that way I can at least finish up the lawn I'm working on (or the rest of the day) if needed.

So far I have not needed it for anything except to pull the Laser out of a ditch a couple of times...I was very glad I had my 'backup' on board those times. :D

My plan is to purchase a 38" or 42" Exmark hydro WB this summer and then I'll have an 'offical' backup...and can start taking on more gated yards too.

[LAWNS AND MOWER]

Should my 7 year old Toro 44 WB gear driven mower have a major meltdown this season, I'll seriously consider getting a new one and keep the old one as a backup. Also, my " let me go the the liquor store and get you a bottle of whiskey while you fix my mower" mechanic will be moving his shop 30 miles out of town this summer. In the past, I've had lco buddies that would loan me a mower if I got in a bind due to waiting for parts or breakdowns on friday afternoons.

LAWNS AND MOWER

[LJ lawn]

i'm a solo op and i have 3 rider mowers and a walk behind.i can handle any size property,bag,side discarge ,collect leaves etc alone. this is why i have this equipment,so i don't have to rely on helpers.and if a machine goes down i don't lose a day on my schedule.if i do get a helper for the day then he can use one of the other machines and we increase productivity.sorry i'd rather own it and use it at my convenience than have to rent a machine.besides all the rental places around here dont carry pro rider equipment.LAWNGUY- who pays taxes on a used machine?

[thelawnguy]

Originally posted by LJ lawn
LAWNGUY- who pays taxes on a used machine?

I pay personal property taxes annually to the town on all business equipment.

[longviewlawncare]

I don't really have a backup. I have a 48" Scag WB that i use for small yards and such. If either one would break down i have the other one. I also can alwasy borrow one from my Cousin who owns a large LCO. He always has one or that are not out.

[gravedigger5]

I have a howard price 48" wb as my primary mower, a D.R. field + brush mower W/46" deck attachment, and a 48" simplicity tractor for my wife or father-in-law to use if and when I can use extra help. so I really don't have a backup but a couple pieces of equipment that can be used for more than just mowing. :cool:
I hope to purchace a 60" ztr within the next year, then the 48" will probably be come my backup.

[Toroguy]

My current Exmark will become my backup if it hits the skids in its life as my reliable mower. Ive only had three days in the last two seasons where I needed a part during a route.

Haggerty had a good point about not counting on the dealer.

Solo operators do not have the luxury of pulling equipment or personnel from another site to lend assistance.

Money is my back up.

[gogetter]

To clarify my earlier post. When I say I have backup mowers, I don't mean that I have extra mowers sitting around waiting to be used in an emergency. I just have smaller mower to backup a larger one.
Last year my main mower was a 36" wb, my backup was 21" (that I also used occasionally for small areas).
This year I bought a 52" wb, my 36" will now be the backup to this mower, but it will also still be used regularly. And the 21" will continue to be a backup to the 36" as well as still be used for very small areas. So they're all used, just not at the same time since I work solo.
Also, my 52" was bought privately so no chance of a loaner from a dealer.

[cantoo]

Yeah, I guess so
Walker 48"GHS, Walker 42"GHS, MTD Pro Z 52", Ransomes 72", Toro 44" wbh, and my wife runs them with me as a back up for her if she breaks down.

[dmk395]

backup equipment, and backup plans are necessary in this business

[lamblawnscaping]

If some of you choose to run your businesses without backup mowers, that is up to you. I am going into my third season and one of the biggest lessons that I have learned is buy the best equipment you can, and then have a backup. Even the best equipment breaks when used day in and day out. If you have to go back to the shop to get another mower, or if you have to try to get yours fixed mid-day you are losing money, not to mention getting behind. It helps me sleep at night knowing that I have backups. My primary mowing crew usually has 2 48"s, 2 36"s, 2 21"s, 2 trimmers, 2 blowers and and 2 edgers.

[JimLewis]

We have at least 1 or 2 backup machines for every kind of equipment we own. From mowers, trimmers, and blowers, all the way down to shovels, rakes and sprayers.

It's just smart. In the long run, it saves you a lot of time and money.

[AGG Lawn Maintenance]

I have two or more of everything except myself. My right hand man is close to being my twin. I even have back up workers(my Friends on the weekends) If people hang around my house too long when its snowing they become back ups. :blush:
Travis

[HBFOXJr]

Back ups are one more seldom used asset to own and maintain. You have to make sure they are always ready to go for no good reason. They are $$$ tied up that could be put to work on something else that earns money regularly.

Most of the time they are decrepit old junk that was retired and kept for just in case I....

We have 36, 48 & 61 mowers and just make do with what we got if it is a big problems. Parts are so available that we can make a repair quickly. The only thing we keep on hand are tubes and belts.

[carlriv]

Did I miss it previously or is HBFOX the first one to mention stocking common parts in house. I did not even think of posting that, but we certainly have a stock of common parts. Filters, fittings, belts, and tubes are the simpilist. We also have had problems with things like the post on the yoke of the GD surfers breaking, so I keep one in the shop. When I use that I go buy another. There are lots of parts like that, that I stock.