Boy, was I IMPRESSED!

[thelawnguy]

I was sitting in the park yeaterday eating lunch, and watching a crew pull up to a home across from where I was parked. One guy jumped out grabbed the backpack blower and started blowing out the beds, the other guy jumps on a walker with a tine dethatcher on the front and proceeded to zip around the yard. <p>Let me tell you, I was AMAZED!!! These guys spent less than a half hour at this home, maybe 1/3 acre from what I could see, foundation plantings around the house but little else in the way of obstacles, and they did perhaps the nicest job on that lawn that I have ever seen without a broom. I was amazed at the crap the dethatcher picked up, and the mower just sucked up everything even the pile of leaves the other guy blew into the lawn.<p>I would seriously consider a setup similar to this for my next purchase. Any other machines that can pick up as well as the walker? Let me know, I havent seen any around here yet this year.<p>Bill

 

[nlminc]

Bill, I bought a Walker 2 years ago and love it. Saves time and the guys are not worn out by the end of the day. Makes clean ups a breeze. I would charge more for the clean up though because of equipment cost. Customers that appreciate you will pay for it because most see the difference in the quality of work and equipment.<p>Chris

 

[lawrence stone]

I just got back from surburbia where I employ the same techneque. (sorry for the spelling I don't have time all day to play<br>on my computer thus I am uneducated).<p>I have been doing the same thing for years<br>w/ a 52&quot; toro with hi lifts and a jumbo<br>metal bagger and a tine rake.<p>I just add one more step. I tine rake and side discharge then I tine rake in the<br>opposite direction if possible and then use a<br>metal bagger.<p>Why do you think I drove 200 miles in a <br>snowstorm to buy that 52&quot; toro that was for<br>sale in your area? <p>Instead of spending 10K for a new walker I<br>paid $700 for a 52&quot; toro with less than 600<br>hours usage with a standard toro sit down sulky.

 

[Toroguy]

I wondered if the tine attachments worked...they also attach to exmarks. Now that Im almost done with spring clean-ups. I will invest in one for future use however.

 

[nlminc]

Stone, You can't compare. Does your catcher hold 9.7 bushels? That toro,does it put out the power that the 20hp does? What about the vacuum system on that Toro, shred those leaves as well as the vacum built into the Walker? Your about 17' long with that sulky aren't ya! Must be a real kicker watching you get in and out of corners and around trees. When you get thru pickin up the pieces to your 62&quot; Toro after one good clean-up, I'll be finishing up on my 3rd or 4th. I payed for my Walker in 16 clean-ups. Buy the Millcreek aerator attachment and you can pay for a Walker with 50 to 60 aeration jobs that will take you half the time of someone using a conventional aerator. Toro makes nice equipment, don't get me wrong. But Mr. Stone, that Toro 62&quot;is no Walker GHS. <p>Chris<p>P.S Is that Toro electric start? If not, you must be doing the John Travolta Stayin Alive dance in every clients front yard trying to get the tired little beast started. Oh ya, that is after it slipped off the homemade ramps and landed in the annuals. <br> <p>

 

[scottlawns]

me and the guy i work with use a walker for just clean ups,and danes for most of the cutting,the walker makes the yards look so nice,there are alot of mowers that can pick stuff up,but nothing compares to the job the walker does.<p>scott

 

[lawrence stone]

Chris if you &quot;read&quot; my message it states<br>52&quot; toros not 62&quot;. I have a matched pair that have 16 HP 28 ft lbs of torque ( a 20 hp kohler v-twin has 32 ft lbs of torque)electric start kohler magnums with a pair of older (made of diamond plate steel) two wheel stand on turf rider sulkies. They have more than enough power to even handle a 62&quot; deck.<p>I can put both of the 52&quot;s on a 12 ft trailer.<p>The 52's can pick of everything small rocks<br>bits of deadwood etc into a 3.5 bushel metal bagger.<p>I only use the bagger on my first visit in the spring (if needed). The rest of the season I just<br>side discharge with mulching blades.<p>As for me being able to get around trees the<br>52&quot; toro decks are offset 14&quot; on the left<br>side. How much offset does a 42&quot; ghs deck have?<p>IMHO only fools collect and dispose of lawn clippings on a regular basis.

 

[EarthWorks]

Ihave a '96 Walker 42&quot; GHS with 16 hp. It only has 500 hrs on it. Does anyone know what it is worth? Getting out of the lawn care business.

 

[MOW ED]

I've been using a Walker GHS 25hp to dethatch, mow and pick up leaves. I am a solo operator and I will ALWAYS own a Walker. The customer support is great and the machine is unbelievable. I have had some problems with Kohler but as I learned I have a &quot;special&quot; engine.<br> It is hard to make a lawn look bad with a Walker. The spring tine dethatcher is priceless. It costs about 200 bucks and you can make that in 1 job. I have people stop and give me their address for more work. The only limiting thing for profit is when the grass starts growing. Walker is a first class mower and even though it costs 10 grand you can make many times that over the course of the mowers life. I know I'm doing it.

 

[cantoo]

Hi my name is cantoo and I'm a fool.<br> I have two Walkers and would never be without one. I also have a Toro wb that I have never even used, I just bought a Yazoo too and have mounted a aerator onto the front of it. I collect the clippings whenever I want to which is most of the time on highly visible areas. I can never figure out why you guys who make so much money are obsessed with how much the Walkers cost. I know they are expensive but in this case you get what you pay for, they do everything that Walker says they will do. There are machines that will cut much better than the Walker and are much cheaper but ask anyone who owns one and they will say it is worth every penny. In the future I may buy another brand of mower but I will always have a Walker type around too.