Painting all my equipment to match

[cold-beer]

So, I am lucky enough to have dealer support for Stihl, Husqvarna, Echo, Shindaiwa, Honda, and Maruyama all withing a couple miles of each other. As a result, I use what I feel is best. This has resulted in Husky trimmers, Shindaiwa multi tools, echo blowers, Maruyama brush cutters etc.

Anyways, I want my equipment to match, and by marking my equipment in a unique color, it makes it is easier to identify in the field, in a pawn shop, or on craigslist. The average idiot that steals this stuff doesn't know that none of the major commercial brands come in hi-viz green. I feel like this is ultimately more effective than stickers with my business name and number on them.


Anyways, this my first paint job. Husky 525L with hi-viz green epoxy

 

[Hawkshot99]

I wouldnt do it to a mower, but 2 strokes are way less parts to disassemble, and I dont care about resale as I will run it into the ground.

 

[cold-beer]

I wouldnt do it to a mower, but 2 strokes are way less parts to disassemble, and I dont care about resale as I will run it into the ground.

Yeah, I wouldn't do it to a mower as well. The biggest reason is that, mowers are very low risk for theft. Handhelds are what get stolen around here. The locks i use will stop bolt cutters, but someone going to town with a cordless cut off wheel while you're in a back yard mowing is pretty hard to stop.

 

[rclawn]

Lawn jockey moonlighting as an artist! Looks great. Is theft really that much of an issue or is this also to promote your brand? Some stickers may look nice depending on your logo. If it’s a fancy/ complicated logo may look cheesy but a simple one would look nice.

 

[Derwood]

The locks i use will stop bolt cutters, but someone going to town with a cordless cut off wheel while you're in a back yard mowing is pretty hard to stop.

What are you using for locks, if you don't mind sharing?

 

[cold-beer]

What are you using for locks, if you don't mind sharing?

Level 9 masterlocks
They're four digit combo locks with the octogon shaped loops made of some type of alloy.

Master Lock 1178 All Weather Combination Padlock

We stock Master Lock model 1178 in our warehouse. Most orders ship in 24 hours! 2-1/4" economical die-cast body 3/8" diameter, boron-carbide octagonal shackle for maximum cut resistance 4-dial resettable combination with 10,000 possible combinations no combination reset tool required large...

allpadlocks.com

I'm sure you could cut one with a pair of 3' bolt cutters if you had te right leverage, but I've tried to cut one with the 18" bolt cutters that most thieves carry in their backpacks, and I could not even come close to cutting one. I'm a really strong guy that's competed in power lifting too. There's no way Jonny Crackhead is snipping one of those at the angle you would have to cut them at with a pair of bolt cutters.

The only time I've had somebody get past one was with some type of cutting tool. I would assume a Cut off wheel or a reciprocating saw with a metal blade because you can see the shavings on the ground and on my trailer where it was cut. Someone got into one of my boxes. Luckily it was the one I put my chemicals in and not the one I keep tools in, so I got lucky.

 

[domguise]

Wow that’s a real nice paint job!!! Looks real nice.

 

[cold-beer]

Lawn jockey moonlighting as an artist! Looks great. Is theft really that much of an issue or is this also to promote your brand? Some stickers may look nice depending on your logo. If it’s a fancy/ complicated logo may look cheesy but a simple one would look nice.

I'm a solo, so I don't really bother with promotion. I have more work than I can do. I got into this business to have a stress free life, not to build a large business. I'm actually planning on downsizing and going to only 3 days a week, as I'm starting another business building custom outdoor furniture.

Yes, theft is insane around here. I live in The Pacific Northwest. There's basically armies of homeless people everywhere you go in the urban areas like the the one I live in. I experience some form of theft about once a month. Sometimes it's a broken window (twice this season). Sometimes it's a stolen gas can (I had to buy locks for them). Sometimes it's stupid stuff like a push broom or anything with a wood handle that they can use for firewood in the homeless camps.

 

[Derwood]

Thanks for the info on the locks

In terms of the thievery, I can't imagine working under those conditions. That's crappy. I

 

[Mowing monkey.]

I’d grind off the logo and replace it with a yard man or some equivalent junk. That should help reduce theft.