C0CONUT CREEK, Fla. – Sometimes David Croyle has 60 lawns to get to in one week. The Florida weather means no offseason, no downtime, for him and his one employee at DKC Services, a full-service landscaping company.

He has managed to push through the busy schedule with one mower, a Wright Manufacturing mower. Being a Wright owner, Croyle received an e-mail to enter an online sweepstakes for a new Wright Stander. He thought to himself that he didn’t really need a new one, but, if he entered, what was the worst thing that could happen – he’d win?

Well, it happened. He did win.

“I thought the guy was pulling my leg at first,” Croyle said about his reaction upon first hearing the news. “I thought it was a joke.”

Lawn & Landscape caught up with Croyle the first day he put the 36-inch, 16-hp Stander in service.
“I’m amazed at how fast it is and quiet,” he said. While having a piece of equipment that is fast, shiny and new is great, Croyle said, he has realized just how much the mower will help his business.

Like many landscaping companies, Croyle has seen his share of tough times. He had to cut his crew, but he plans to hire a second employee in the coming months. With only one mower, he’s had to worry about downtime on the machine. He’s had to watch cash flow; he certainly wasn’t entertaining thoughts of making large investments.

But now with a second mower, he says, “I can kind of relax a little.”