Advantages of "disposable" equipment

[BAMARED]

I always wanted to ask this question, so here goes: What's everyone's thoughts regardijng buying cheap, "disposable" equipment that will last only a season or two vs. buying quality, commercial equipment to do the same tasks that will last for many seasons? I'm talking about from a financial perspective.

Example could be:

- Trim mower - $139 @ WalMart that will last you for a season or two vs. $500 - $900 for a commercial unit that will last 10 years.

- Trimmer - $69 @ Home Depot, lasting a season vs. a nice $400 Shindaiwa that will last for many seasons.

You get the idea.

Thanks,

BAMARED

[Kent Lawns]

Disposable equipment has it's place.

I wouldn't:

a.) buy a disposable peice if I were using it all the time, ie a line trimmer. If it's a push mower I need twice a week, then the cheapos makes sense.

b.) buy a peice of equipment that does not allow me to do top-notch work.

c.) put too much confidence in cheap/used/inferior equipment when I am earning a living by operating it.




Would you get your family pictures taken by a guy using a disposable camera?

[scott's turf]

I guess it depends. We have 4 homelite trimmers. They are about 70$ and last for a couple of years and then throw them out. Trimmers get beat up pretty bad and are easy for someone to walk off with. We only do about 5 mins worth of trimming/ yard so they do fine for us. If a commercial trimmer sinificantly reduced my time and saved me money I would get a few. Also, I always have to have at least 3 trimmers on the truck. One for each worker and a spare. Now the $$ is adding up. The system has been working for me.

[Russo]

I was using a Ryobi crooked shaft - $ 60. Finally got a 265 John Deer for $220. Wish I never bought it. Gonna sell it if I can and take the loss. It's slower cause of the head rotation direction, I forgot that these " quality " trimmers force you to walk backwards most of the time which = more time trimming = less profit. Going to get a Homelite streight shaft ASAP and go back to walking forewards and making money.

My .02

[Hawkeye5]

I have a Homelite straight shaft trimmer as a backup, and my son used it when he was younger and was mowing 7 or 8 lawns during the summer by himself, but my primary trimmers are Stihl 85s. The Homelite seems to have held up fairly well, although I have had to do more work on it. I really don't know how long it would last as a primary, however. JD

[bubble boy]

asking the guys to use anything less than commercial grade, 12 hrs a day, in the tough spring growth, would be insane.

even with fs85 there are times more power could be used.

if you are solo, maybe working after work or weekends for extra money, i guess you could get by, if you are patient.

but still , better to be super fast rather than just get by.

[awm]

if im using it i can get 2-3 yrs out of homeowner stuff with echo 50-1 an 90 octane. if im handing it to a helper he gets something that is a little harder to tear up. bottum line is if the trimmer or what ever is going to run hard for several hrs a day ,stay with commercial. homeowner just aint made for that.jmho
stihl, echo man myself.

[Richard Martin]

I find it to be a hassle to have to buy new equipment every couple of years. And I don't think that El Cheapo equpment would last me anywhere near that long.

I think I read somewhere that the expected lifetime of a Homelite backpack blower is around 100 hours. The expected lifetime of a Stihl BR400 is around 400 hours. The Stihl goes for $379.00. The Homelite is $179.00. You would have to buy 4 Homelites for $716.00 to get the hours that you get out of 1 Stihl. Where's the economy in that?

[scott's turf]

I agree with the backpack blower. I just purchased a new sindy 630 because it is a huge huge time saver even over my br400. We spend about 5 to 10 min max trimming per yard. The blower saves me hours of work a trimmer maybe just a couple minutes. Plus it is a very light machine. If we had hours of trimming I know I would get a commercial trimmer. This method just works for my situation not everyone elses.

[smburgess]

Some good replys...

I believe "non-commercial" equipment has it's place, and it depends on usage. I stopped buying toro commercial mowers ($1000.00) a few years ago and started buying the "personal pace" ($369.00) mowers since they were only used a couple of hours a week, and I swear I have LESS trouble with them.

Weed-eaters I think are a different story, daily use is around 8 hours, five days a week, I go with Shindiawa T230's because they make a good machine with power and a low weight. I just bought 2 more off the net at $249.00 each plus $12.00 shipping.

[LAWNS AND MOWER]

I love the Weedeater Featherlite's. Straight shaft and only weigh 7 pds. $79 and last at least one season. Use only for light weedeating. My mechanic refers to them as "Throwaways".

LAWNS AND MOWER

[the point man]

smburgess, boy, am I glad to hear that. I went to my local Toro
dealer the other day and nearly wet myself when I found out
how much a commercial 21" mower was going for. Never, ever,
ever.

[johnhenry]

the ole saying is true you get what you pay for. Plus remember image is everything in this business.There is a place for every mower. But cant see a pro using a murray cutting grass unless he is just starting out. First the quality of cut wont be there and second it like throwing good money out after bad. but we all started somewhere to and if it helps you getting started thats ok but to contunie to used poor quality equipment you move up or you just stand by and watch things pass you buy

[thelawnguy]

Originally posted by BAMARED

- Trim mower - $139 @ WalMart that will last you for a season or two vs. $500 - $900 for a commercial unit that will last 10 years.

- Trimmer - $69 @ Home Depot, lasting a season vs. a nice $400 Shindaiwa that will last for many seasons.


WalMart mower $139 per season, $900 commercial unit $90 per season-which is the better deal and which is a better unit to use all day?

Home Depot trimmer $69 a season vs Shindaiwa 6 seasons @ 65 a season?

[KirbysLawn]

No. It cost more in the long run and cost more time.

[scottb]

Having owned some of the cheap stuff in the past never again.Always broke just when I needed it. In the long run the good stuff saves you money. I have a Echo SRM 1501 straight trimmer that I paid 200.00 dollars for 12 years ago and I wouldnt sell it for less than that now.

[Barkleymut]

If you are considering the cost of equipment then you don't have enough work. I will pay $1000 for a weedeater if it will be twice as productive as another. That said, I still use a Murray push mower. With the bagger it cuts better than the $400 Lawnboy that I threw out. I only use it on 3 lawns. A $1000 push mower may save me 5 minutes a week. Everything is relative.

[maple city]

I agree that you get what you pay for.

We started out with the weedeater brand blower and trimmer. I would say that if you enjoy fighting the equipment every time you start it, take this path. In the long run you spend more time messing with the equipment to keep it running that it's worth. Also there are productivity issues to consider. I can get the walks and drive blown off a lot quicker with a back pack blower than I can with lesser equipment.

[smalltime]

As for buying a $139 push mower at Wal-mart every 2 years, if the price remains constant along with an investment percentage of 7%; you would be nearly $410 ahead at the end of 10 years by not buying commercial.

Your mileage and annual percentage rate may vary.

Steve

[MJB]

I thought I would save money last yr by purchasing 2 Homelite straight shaft trimmers, to replace my old Echo's. Boy what a joke they were. You can't count on them to start when they get hot. After 20 pulls those things were flying, that's right through the air into the garbage. Iwent back and bought to new Echo 2601. Lesson learned. I have never had employees get so upset that they had to throw there trimmer down, in frustration as I did with those homelites. Never in 10 yrs have I seen anyone abuse our Echo's. You get what you pay for.

[proline32]

The thing you also need to think about with those cheaper trimmers are that they are not egonomicly built and from my experience those cheap trimmers tend to vibrate more. In my first year I purchased a homelite and boy it really made my hands numb and my arms were constantly asleep. I went to a doctor and he informed me that I was causing nerve damage to my hands and arms and that I must stop whatever I was doing, I informed him of my ocupation, at that time I also did pressure washing as part of the service. The doctor had deduced that the use of a pressure washer and the trimmers were causing a good deal of vibration and causing blood vessels to burst( my hands were purple at times) and always numb. So I had to take a few weeks off, after that I purchased top quality husky trimmers and I don't have that problem any more, Ocasionally My hands will go numb if I don'y have enough rpms on the trimmer and it vibrates when running at low speed.

[Brickman]

Home owner toys make my back hurt. Any body that has had back problems will know that any thing you can do to stop the pain is GOOD. That being said my Redmax trimmers are only 2 to 3 inches max longer than the Homelite trash I used before. But those few inches makes a big difference, and I am not all that tall.
Maple city said it, if you want to fight with starting the stuff, then KNOCK your self out. You won't find me buying equip that I use daily at Wal Mart. I do however buy string at Wal Mart, I have found that thier string lasts as much as 5 or more times longer than the Oregon grass chain I have been using. It is sad when .080 Wal Mart string last that much longer than .95 Oregon string.

[LAWnENFORCER]

I am with the majority on this one. I have been in biz for five years and three of those years I used the "throw aways". After the first year or so, I wanted better equipment, but could not afford it.

I think dependability is the most important factor. If your cheapo quits one time, then you have down time which causes you to lose money. When a cheapo goes down more than once, you would lose more money than what you originally paid for it.

Now that I have commercial equipment, my down time is almost gone and I can accurately figure my costs to do a job.

KB LAWN SERVICE

Kevin

[Tony Harrell]

I'm using some homowner stuff until I can afford the commercial equipment. Matter of fact, the guy who does my service laughs at me and has a "holier than thou" attitude sometimes. That irritates me and I probably will buy major equipment from a competitor who's 31 miles away because of it. BTW--All break downs of my stuff were my fault and not the quality or design of the equipment. And, I also get the numb hands when I use my pressure washer, mostly when I use the turbo nozzle.

[yardmonkey]

An interesting idea. I have been tempted to try some cheaper stuff. But probably not a good idea. I trashed 2 Sears mowers in my first couple of months before buying a commercial Honda that is going into its 3rd year. It has seen LOTS of abuse. It has fallen off the back of the truck. It starts first time every time. I have 5 weedeaters - Echo 2100, Shindaiwa T230, Honda, and 2 Robin BH2500, all good machines. I use the Robins since they vibrate less. I count on all my stuff to start right up and do the job every time. There may be some "light-duty" work on some days, but you never know when the conditions will be a little rougher and you may need the extra power.

I agree with the posts above that the commerical equipment is usually designed more ergonomically and that cost should not be a huge factor if you are working enough and charging enough.

Rule number 1 in the business - Always buy commercial quaility equipment.

Slade

[TGCummings]

I went a few years in the beginning buying "disposable" equipment and will never do that again. Homeowner stuff is for the homeowner, professionals need commercial equipment.

However...

If you're not using a machine much, I see how it would make sense to buy something less expensive. No need buying a $1000 Toro Proline to sit in your shop or on your trailer 95% of the time. In my case, I'll never buy less than a top quality 21" mower, because I use them all the time.

Now, I probably would've been better off buying a cheaper 36" or 32" mower, since most of the time my $4000 36" Exmark TTHP sits and has very limited use out here... :(

[Russo]

Originally posted by landscraper
I was using a Ryobi crooked shaft - $ 60. Finally got a 265 John Deer for $220. Wish I never bought it. Gonna sell it if I can and take the loss. It's slower cause of the head rotation direction, I forgot that these " quality " trimmers force you to walk backwards most of the time which = more time trimming = less profit. Going to get a Homelite streight shaft ASAP and go back to walking forewards and making money.

My .02

Had to post an update.

Just had to unbury a stone sidewalk covered in turf and found my new trimmer priceless. This weekend I have to weed eat around a racetrack guardrail...3 ft tall. I'm sure I will be greatfull I bought that thing again.

I stand firm on my position regarding the time savings for my " normal " trim work, so I'll simply add to yardmonkey's post.

Rule #2 - The right tool for the right job.

[Phil Egnatz]

say 150 bucks a scag 32 wbehind is 2500 2500 divided by 150 is roughly 16 cheapos so with a scag you can get 10-15 years out of it and can trade it in for money a chepo maybee a trade for 15 bucks i stick with the commercial oh besides if you get the scag you can use it for other yard wheras the chepo sit on your trailer taking up space and money

[Premo Services]

:mad:
The cheaper equiptment(homeowner stuff) just don`t cut the mustard). When I first started, I bought the homeowner equiptment, And that was what I could afford.
I had a riobi trimmer, a black and decker hedge trimmer, and a cheap homelite backpack blower. I couldn't justify the commerecial stuff.
After I started to make some money, I bought comerecial equiptment. Boy what a difference in time the commerecial equiptment did the jobs. The new blower was amazing. I could have kicked myself in the azz for waiting to get the commerecial equiptment. So to me there are no advantages to having non commerecial equiptment when doing what we do all day, every day.

[MOW ED]

I'm with Scotts turf on this one. I cannot see a large commercial trimmer for MY operation. I trim for 5 minutes per property and I will be honest with you, I have a Homelite curve shaft that I have been running for 5 years on Amsoil 100:1 and I can't blow it up. It starts on 2 pulls, the spools are easy to replace and the parts for the head are cheap when you need one. In the last 5 years I bought 1 new and found one used at a garage sale as a backup. The backup is sitting in the attic, didn't need to use it once.

I am not a great advocate of homeowner equipment but my experience shows me that this works for me.

Other that that I guess my Lawnboy 21" trim mower is a homeowner grade too but this also is used for about 20 minutes a week. I won't pay a grand to bounce a commercial grade push mower down the road on the trailer for 20 minutes a week use.

You don't have to try and convince me to come over to the commercial trimmer world. I have been in this discussion before. On the other hand, I am not trying to change your mind either.

[BigJim]

I'm with MOW ED,nothing wrong with Homelite trimmers,there all I use,never had any trouble with them,run 'em on the cheapest 2 cycle oil I can buy,parts are cheap if you need them,love the tap out string feed.Parts here for some of the commercial brand trimmers are so expensive,if you break a clutch for example,the replacement part is over 1/2 the cost of the trimmer.Also remember with the big companies taking over different brands world wide,often the brand you buy is a "throw away" model with a different paint job and a new label stuck on,especially in the cheaper price models of some of the larger commercial brand companies.

[Pro-Cut Lawns]

I started with homeowner equipment to get my feet wet. Soon started upgrading to commercial and the dependability and comfort level of using the equipment can't be beat. I do still use one piece of homeowner equipment and thats my hedge trimmers. I bought a set of Craftsman 22" gas trimmers my first year to do a couple of small shrub jobs. I keep intending to replace them with a good commercial set (probably Stihl) but just never get around to it. They have trimmed hundreds of shrubs and never let me down. Granted they can't cut into anything very heavy, but I havent ran into that problem yet. Im pushing my luck with them I know, but they just keep going.

[MikeLT1Z28]

i just started this year also and i bought all commercial stuff. glad i did too. i once bought a cheap one from HQ that was under the homelite brand, eager beaver i think it was, and it didn't last a full season. this was being used as a residential and it was hardly a half acre with avg trimming. actually, the first one i bought started blowing oil out the exhaust within an hour (mixed it at 32:1) and it didn't look like normal two cycle mix, it was black, like motor oil. fouled the plug and if you turned it on it's side, oil would run out the exhaust. took it back and then got the one that didn't last a full season.

i bought a ryobi for home use a few years ago (2 acres with moderate/heavy trimming) and it runs good for a cheap one. i got a ryan from my grandmother that they have had for years. it hadn't been started in who knows when. i put a tank of fuel in it, primed and choked, and the thing started in 2 pulls!

still love my stihls....

[65hoss]

There are circumstances that make buying cheapo equipment necessary. But for the most part, your equipment is your business. Get the best possible your budget will allow. Doing it right the 1st time pays big dividends in the long run. Don't cheat yourself into thinking short-term cost and longevity are the only differences. Performance is a big difference.

[cos]

I will never buy a commercial push mower ever again!!!!! For the usage that you aregetting from an el cheapo, I think you can get your money's worth out of it. They don't break as often as an el cheapo blower and weed trimmer.

[LAWNS AND MOWER]

I still keep a Homelite Bandit handheld blower in my van that I've had for 12 years. Great for those 15 second blow offs as opposed to strapping on the Stihl BR400!!!!!

LAWNS AND MOWER