Curiosity is killing me. What is so special about a walker?

[Jimslawncareservice]

Originally Posted by nickslawnltd

What I think is funny is that walker mowers always bring up heated debates on here. Seems more so than any other mower. The people that hate them always seem to have to speak out on it for some reason and the people that love them always seem to have to as well. Can't we all just get along? it's kinda like a GM, Ford, Dodge etc truck argument.

If we all had the same opinions and ways of doing things we wouldn't really need this forum. It would be a pretty boring world
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[Ridin' Green]

Originally Posted by nickslawnltd

What I think is funny is that walker mowers always bring up heated debates on here. Seems more so than any other mower. The people that hate them always seem to have to speak out on it for some reason and the people that love them always seem to have to as well. Can't we all just get along? it's kinda like a GM, Ford, Dodge etc truck argument.

I'm not a Walker hater, but I get sick of the superiority attitude of those who own them. They were at one time, at the top of the game for QOC, but that simply isn't true anymore. They have their place, and excell at what they do best- bagging, but they leave the ugliest stripes on the market, and they are SLOW (with the exception of the SB model).


I agree with Jim above too.

[LGL]

Lots of Walkers here in Jax, great for the winter months, very pricy, cant hang in the summer. Too specific of a mower for around here.

[johnsonslawnmanagement]

it's all about niche. I see a lot of ppl talk about walkbehinds and standers on here: useless to me. Push mowers: dont own one. But as for my perspective on walkers: necessity. All machines have issues, flaws, fans, as well as haters. In my area you are cutting junk yards and fighting with the cut throats if youre not bagging or running walker mowers. Every good company has one or several. I use walkers on every account. My accounts are all high maintenance accts that require bagging. 48" max width, some soggy areas ztr's would rut, and many specify "walker mowers only". I would be one of these cheap jack wagons mowing for peanuts at lightening speed without them. And about speed: quality cut is hard to attain with a fast pace. But anyways: Walkers have risen me to a total maintenance, high end, 100% contract company. I do own 2 ferris 3100's for larger properties but walker the most visible of higher maintained sections. Good mower, quality cut for me, no maintenance issues. Love them or hate them: they have a vital niche here
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[precision8m]

Originally Posted by johnsonslawnmanagement

it's all about niche. I see a lot of ppl talk about walkbehinds and standers on here: useless to me. Push mowers: dont own one. But as for my perspective on walkers: necessity. All machines have issues, flaws, fans, as well as haters. In my area you are cutting junk yards and fighting with the cut throats if youre not bagging or running walker mowers. Every good company has one or several. I use walkers on every account. My accounts are all high maintenance accts that require bagging. 48" max width, some soggy areas ztr's would rut, and many specify "walker mowers only". I would be one of these cheap jack wagons mowing for peanuts at lightening speed without them. And about speed: quality cut is hard to attain with a fast pace. But anyways: Walkers have risen me to a total maintenance, high end, 100% contract company. I do own 2 ferris 3100's for larger properties but walker the most visible of higher maintained sections. Good mower, quality cut for me, no maintenance issues. Love them or hate them: they have a vital niche here
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Thank you! I am relatively new to this forum and it became apparent to me that many of the ops on here are your mow, blow, and go companies, instead of being concerned with entire landscape appearance and turf quality. Speed is not at all a factor for me; my clients want detail and they get it (and I get paid for it). Walkers are a must for me.
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[DEPENDABLE LANDSCAPING]

Originally Posted by precision8m

Thank you! I am relatively new to this forum and it became apparent to me that many of the ops on here are your mow, blow, and go companies, instead of being concerned with entire landscape appearance and turf quality. Speed is not at all a factor for me; my clients want detail and they get it (and I get paid for it). Walkers are a must for me.
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Be careful with generalizations. It certainly does not take an $18000 mower to leave a nice cut
ora to be concerned withif the total landscape of a clients property.
good luck to all.
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[precision8m]

I'm not sure where you would find a mower for 18k! I can get a brand new Walker for 11. I bought both of mine gently used and saved a lot of money that way.

Anyway, we all have to start somewhere and do what you gotta do to make money, but if you're going to get on here and rip on these mowers its probably because you have not owned one or don't live in an area where the need is there.

[DEPENDABLE LANDSCAPING]

Adjustable deck, suspension seat, and high dump $18000.00 if your going tout them know the products they offer. And yes we own three of them. All im saying as i stated earlier in the thread is that in my opinion all different types of mowers have theyre place and use in oiur industry.
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[johnsonslawnmanagement]

Precision8m:
Detail is key in this industry. 90% of the accounts I get from other companies is due to lack of detail work or small details That were missed that most find insignificant. Your average mow,blow,go guys don't understand the need for a slower Walker mower because they are only concerned with speed. The ability to trim with both sides of the deck, fold up deck design, maneuverability, bagging capacity, and quality of cut: these are all things a high maintenance, super detailed account require. You can charge a premium price for this type of account, you can take your time, and you can provide superior quality to your customer with these machines. Most ppl don't understand what they are charging for while mowing a yard: it's not $75 to mow, it's "x" amount of dollars per minute/hour... We sell TIME. I see so many on here that focus on the quantity of yards they have, not the quality. I use to run through 150+ yards a week until I started going for quality. I now have 35 contract accounts now and make twice as much money. So walkers suck, are slow, and unnecessary?... I say keep on mowing your self to death. I'll creep along on my slow machine, sucking up the cash.
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[Groomer]

I can't remember the last time I saw a walker in my area, don't know who, if anyone around sells them, tells me its a regional thing. But if your making money with one and the client is happy, thats all that matters.