Like many Americans, you may be planning to throw off the shackles of the 9-to-5 workday and start your own landscaping business. Landscaping can be a lucrative business, with the demand for professional landscaping services experiencing steady and continuing growth in revenue and demand.
Running a landscaping business is also an excellent way to spend your days in the great outdoors instead of being confined to an office space. However, like with any self-employment, you need to ensure that your landscaping business can successfully compete with other landscaping businesses in your area.
One of the keys to success is having the right equipment. Along with the pieces of standard landscaping equipment such as a lawnmower, spade, and rake, you’ll need other specialist pieces of motorized equipment. Having the right equipment means you can provide your clients with a wider range of services and will also be able to complete your work faster, more efficiently, and with superior results.
Here are four essential pieces of professional motorized landscaping equipment you’ll require.
1. A Trimmer
A trimmer is a hand-held piece of equipment that is used for cutting back grass, weeds, and overhanging vegetation from trees and shrubs. A trimmer uses a set of nylon strings that rotate at high speed to slice through vegetation. The nylon string comes in a variety of thicknesses, and it’s a good idea to have several thicknesses on hand so that you can tackle any task.
Trimmers are ideal for use on small areas of lawn and prevent the need for unloading and using a cumbersome lawnmower for only a few minutes work. Trimmers are also the ideal tool for use in hard-to-reach areas such as underneath trees, in tiered garden beds, and on lawns that are very steep or uneven.
2. A Brush Cutter
Brush cutters are very similar to trimmers. The main difference is that they use metal strings or metal blades to slice through foliage instead of nylon. Brush cutters are also generally more robust than trimmers. Brush cutters are vital for cutting back thick vegetative growth that a trimmer can’t handle, such as dense ground cover, saplings, and woody, thick-stemmed weeds.
Most amateur gardeners and even many landscapers forgo purchasing a brush cutter, opting to replace the nylon strings on their trimmer with metal strings for the more heavy-duty jobs. However, replacing strings and blades is a time-consuming task, so having a dedicated brush cutter will speed up your productivity and increase your overall hourly income.
3. A Lawn Edger
A lawn edger is a specialized piece of equipment that will allow you to create immaculate edges for your clients’ lawns and garden beds. It uses a wheel-guided blade to rapidly and cleanly trim the desired area. The initial financial outlay for an edger will be quickly mitigated with the time you’ll save on edging when this time is compared to that you’d spend using a non-motorized edger or hand tool.
Many landscapers use their trimmer for this job. However, an edger is more precise, won’t displace soil in garden beds, and won’t gouge out a channel that is too deep. A lawn edger will help to provide a superior end result, which will help to set you apart from your competitors.
4. A Backpack Blower
A backpack blower is indisputably a landscaper’s best friend. It will allow you to make short work of fallen leaves without having to pick up a rake. A backpack blower is also perfect for clearing away grass clippings and scattered foliage after you’ve mowed or trimmed a client’s garden.
It’s possible to get a smaller hand-held blower, but for ease of use and comfort, a backpack blower is the better choice. Make sure you choose the most heavy-duty and high-powered model your budget will allow. Also, opt for a model that has tubes with a large diameter that will help you to rapidly clear large areas of garden debris.
As the saying goes, a tradesman is only as good as his tools. When it comes to professional landscaping, this is certainly true. Having the right motorized equipment will help you provide faster and more professional services for your clients. It will also allow you to provide a wider range of services, with no job too big or small.
As well as having the right pieces of equipment, it’s equally important to purchase equipment that stands up to the rigors of everyday use. This means buying equipment that is built for professional use instead of the standard models sold in hardware stores. Standard models are designed for infrequent use by home gardeners, and they simply don’t have the durability or power to perform in a professional capacity.
Ben’s Cleaner Sales Inc. can provide you with a wide range of heavy-duty motorized garden equipment, including trimmers, brush cutters, lawn edgers, and backpack blowers. We can also service and repair your motorized equipment on a regular basis to ensure that it runs smoothly and efficiently for many years to come. Come check out the professional quality outdoor power equipment line we carry by Maruyama, which includes a 5 year commercial warranty.