When fast isn't fast enough

Features - Operations

Contractors share their best advice for improving efficiency with simple changes to your routine.

October 13, 2020

Photos courtesy of C&T Lawn and Landscape

Seven years ago, Tim Groenewold’s property maintenance company was stuck at a million dollars in revenue. “I just couldn’t seem to make more profit,” says Groenewold, who owns C&T Lawn and Landscape, south of Chicago.

Then, Groenewold had an “a-ha moment” after observing a lawn care company of similar size execute a slick morning regimen. In contrast, it took crews nearly 45 minutes to leave C&T every morning, by the time they chatted, loaded, fueled and fixed their equipment. Groenewold realized that his company couldn’t move forward until he found a way to get crews out the door faster.

When he returned home from the conference, he started to streamline his team’s morning routine – trimming down prep time a few minutes every few months. Now, all 12 of C&T’s crews hit the road within five minutes after clocking in. Last year, they hit this departure goal 86 percent of the time.

Looking for ways to tighten your lawn care company’s morning routine? Try these nine tips to improve efficiency in your yard and get crews on the road faster.

1. Give crews their own space

One of the first changes Groenewold made to improve efficiency was moving to a larger facility five years ago – giving his 10 maintenance crews and two enhancement crews more room to move.

Similarly, Nate Moses takes advantage of the sprawling layout at the rented facility that Precision Landscape Management shares with two other businesses in Greenville, South Carolina. Precision’s central office is separated from equipment storage and parking areas. Moses, Precision’s president and founder, says “construction crews are in one area of our facility and maintenance is in a different area, so they’re not all over each other when they’re trying to load. That way, we don’t have to stagger start times or fight over space.”

2. Give crews dedicated tools

Groenewold also gave each crew its own enclosed trailer, stocked with its own dedicated equipment.

“We had open trailers, so we used to unload everything and put it in the shop at night,” he says. “A lot of times in the morning, I’d hear, ‘That’s my mower!’ But now, the guys have their own equipment so nobody (else) can touch it.”

Moses is also in the process of giving each division at Precision its own equipment. He’s also building up extra reserves to give each division its own backup tools, too. Another key, Moses adds, is repairing and replacing equipment regularly to reduce downtime and keep crews running. Speaking of which…

3. Hire a mechanic

In the past, Groenewold sent broken-down equipment offsite then waited three or four days for repairs. For smaller issues, handy crewmembers on staff helped with equipment maintenance – but they’d do it in the morning, which often held up crews.

Then, Groenewold hired a mechanic. “He works from noon to 8 every day, so when the crews get back at 3, 4, 5 in the afternoon, he’s there to make sure they’re ready for the next day,” he says. “It’s his responsibility to keep the crews running. It saved us a lot of money, because it was more expensive to send stuff off-site (and wait for repairs).”

Top: Clipboards listing tasks for the day greet crew members as they roll in. Bottom: Crews start rollout at 7:30 a.m. and are out by 7:36 a.m.

4. Set an example of urgency

Moses doesn’t like to see managers sitting down before crews leave for the day; he expects them to walk around interacting with crews to make sure they’re ready to go. “It creates accountability, because if they see their managers walking around talking to them, that’s motivation to get out the door,” he says.

Groenewold, above, agrees that it’s important for him and his managers to be in the yard every morning to address any questions. The operations manager carries a clipboard, ready to track what time the last crew clears the yard. “You need to set an example from the top down,” Groenewold says. “You need to create the sense of urgency.”

Another way Groenewold visibly created urgency is by hanging a huge clock on the shop wall at C&T. “Everybody can see it from anywhere in the shop – and even halfway outside the shop,” he says, “so everyone knows it’s important.”

5. Bring fuel on-site

Four years ago, when Moses was still working in the field, he realized how much time his crew wasted at the gas station. “The time it took us to go in and get a snack would put us 15 to 30 minutes behind schedule,” he says.

That’s when he decided to get his own diesel and unleaded fuel delivered on-site, and it’s been well worth the investment. “Maybe I can pay lower prices at the pump,” he says, “but you can’t save enough pennies per gallon to make up for 30 to 60 minutes of downtime.”

6. Prep the night before

Even though Precision has gas on-site, crews are only allowed to fuel up at the end of the day. If they forget to top off their tank until morning, “they would be written up for that, and they would no longer be eligible for bonuses,” Moses says.

At both Precision and C&T, crews have checklists to complete every evening before they head home. For example, crew leaders pull up next to the fuel pump at C&T, then come inside to review the day with the operations manager. Meanwhile, the other guy or two on the crew start fueling, checking and loading equipment for the next day – discussing any necessary repairs with the on-site mechanic. Three days a week, the checklist includes an oil check, and once a week, crews return early to swap out blades for sharpening.

On average, C&T crews spend about 15 minutes at the end of the workday, prepping for the next day – which makes mornings go even faster.

“The only thing they need to do in the morning is go over any last-minute changes to their (schedule), double check the tires and then they’re out of here,” Groenewold says. “It just works so much better doing everything at night because all the crews aren’t here at once. It’s staggered, so there’s more room to move, and it’s safer, because there aren’t 24 guys running around at the same time.”

Be honest. Tim Groenewold shows employees a basic P&L to illustrate how wasted minutes matter.

7. Explain why efficiency matters

Groenewold started adjusting his team’s morning routine at the beginning of a new year, instead of trying to make drastic changes mid-season after crews fell into a groove. Even then, some employees were reluctant to change, so he had to clearly communicate what was in it for them.

“We sat down and explained why we were doing this. We explained, ‘If you can be more efficient, then that will raise your efficiency rating, which will directly affect your raises,’” Groenewold says. “They think you’re taking away this time that they get to talk to their friends on other crews, but you’re not. You’re actually giving them more, but you have to constantly remind them why it’s good for them and why it’s good for the company.”

Moses agrees that communication is critical to making changes to your crews’ routine.

“It’s important that you communicate upfront and give your team reasons why changes have to be made,” Moses says. “It’s one thing to say, ‘You guys are being lazy and taking too long,’ and it’s a totally different thing to say, ‘Hey guys, we’ve been looking at how we can be more efficient as a company and how we can make your lives easier. If we save money in these areas, we can afford more bonuses and buy newer equipment, so you have better tools and more time on-site.’ How you communicate these changes is very important.”

Don’t share. Give crews their own enclosed trailer and stock it with their own equipment to save time for morning rollout.

8. Track your numbers

Groenewold always tracked his team’s time so he knew roughly how much of their day was spent in the shop, in the truck, and actually working in the field. When he returned from the conference with a goal to speed up morning prep, this data gave him a measurable path to improve.

“Know your numbers,” Groenewold says. “Start tracking where you are now, even if it’s just for a week or a month. Then set a realistic goal and work toward it. You can’t improve what you don’t track.”

When Groenewold started this morning transformation, his crews left the yard about 40 minutes after clocking in. He set an initial goal of 15 minutes, and after they consistently met that goal, he shaved off five minutes at a time over the course of a year until they hit the five-minute mark.

9. Open your books

Tracking your numbers doesn’t do much good if you keep all the metrics to yourself. By sharing this data openly with your team, you help “explain the why” and spur crews into action.

“Everyone in my company sees the basic profit & loss on a monthly basis because it hangs in the office,” Groenewold says. “Even if they don’t understand all the numbers, they understand what I’m focused on and they understand how I expect them to improve that.”

This is a visual reminder of how you’re tracking toward your goal of a perfectly efficient morning.

“Guys are like, ‘Ah, a couple minutes here and there (won’t make a difference),’ but if you show them the numbers, it’s a big eye-opener that if everyone stands around for a couple minutes a day, at the end of the year, it costs the company a lot of money,” Groenewold says. “That’s why we’re doing this, because we can all (benefit) if we’re being more efficient.”

The author is a freelance writer based in Ohio.

The how-to and why it matters

Features - Business Focus

Now's a perfect time to update your handbook, which puts all employees on the same page.

October 6, 2020

If creating (or updating) your employee handbook feels more like a chore than an opportunity, you may want to rethink your approach.

“I think a lot of companies think of (writing a handbook) as torture, but they don’t have to be that onerous. They don’t have to be that difficult. And they don’t have to be that time-consuming,” says Christine Soderlund, owner of Soderlund Enterprises, a talent acquisition and strategic sourcing company.

Done correctly, an employee handbook offers a perfect first opportunity for your firm to outline and share a sense of your company culture, values and goals – not to mention providing employees an easily accessible resource that answers common questions about payment procedures, requesting vacation time, workplace protocol and much more.

Here, we offer a few strategies for crafting an employee handbook that’s both user-friendly and engaging, while still including all the necessary information for your current and incoming employees.

Why have a handbook?

There are no laws requiring a business to have an employee handbook, Soderlund says. But, if you don’t, you’re making a misstep.

Think of your employee handbook as an essential pillar in the relationship you’re building with your new employees, says Jason Drent, administration director at DJ’s Landscape Management in Grand Rapids, Michigan. “In conjunction with the job description and offer letter, a handbook helps build a clear, consistent foundation for a productive employer-employee relationship,” he says.

In addition to its role as a relationship-building tool, the handbook can also serve to dispel questions or disputes about workplace policies, often before they happen. As such, it can “protect (both) employees and the business from misperceptions, miscommunications, and the potential for lawsuits,” Soderlund says.

A well-done handbook outlines not just regulations for employees, but also their benefits and protections, from how to request bereavement leave to what to do if they’ve faced workplace harassment. In that way, it offers “not just rules, but also protection to the employee,” says James Hornung Jr., president of Elbers Landscape Service in Buffalo, New York.

Having a professional, engaging handbook that clearly articulates employee benefits, including payment schedules, vacation leave and more can help distinguish your firm from competitors without one. In a tough job market, it can be an important key to luring and retaining skilled employees, Hornung says.

Deciding what to include.

You’ll want to work with experts from your human resources and legal teams when drafting your employee handbook to ensure it includes all the information your firm may be legally required to share. These are based on federal, state and local requirements for businesses of your size and in your location. While no federal guidelines require companies to have an employee handbook, employers may be obligated – depending on applicable statutes – to inform employees in writing about their rights regarding issues such as family medical leave, equal employment, non-discrimination policies, sexual harassment and worker’s compensation, for example.

When working with your team, there’s no need to build your employee handbook from scratch since templates are widely available. Hornung outsources his payroll and human resources management to an HR solutions compan, and therefore receives templates and assistance in crafting his firm’s handbook via their HR experts.

Drent has used templates and employee handbook builders available to members of the Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM). Guidelines are also often available via industry trade associations, says Hornung, who is a member of the Sports Turf Managers Association and the New York State Nursery & Landscape Association, among others.

These templates can be helpful in providing a framework of information that you’ll likely want to include, including sections to address basics such as: definitions of employee types (full-time, part-time, and seasonal); attendance policies; work hours, daily breaks and overtime procedures; workplace safety; and an outline of employee benefits, including vacation, sick time, family-medical leave, jury duty and worker’s compensation.

In addition to these general categories, be sure to also include specific workplace policies of your firm, whatever those may be. DJ’s Landscape Management’s employee handbook has a section on its drug-free and smoke-free policies, which prohibit smoking on client properties or in company vehicles.

Similarly, Elbers includes specific guidelines about use of company cell phones and company vehicles, as well as proper uniform attire and social media usage, including a restriction on posting privileged business information online. “Often, when an employee steps out of line, it’s not malicious. It’s just due to lack of awareness,” Hornung says. “So, we try to offer the handbook during our onboarding process and then review it with our employees seasonally to help with that ongoing education process.”

“Often, when an employee steps out of line, it’s not malicious. It’s just due to lack of awareness.” James Hornung Jr., president, Elbers Landscape Service

Setting the right tone.

Begin your handbook with a welcome letter from your company owner or CEO to share “basics about the core value and mission of the organization,” Hornung says.

Having a mission statement at the front of the handbook is essential, Soderlund says. And while this might sound daunting at first, Soderlund makes the task approachable for her clients by asking them to explain why employees should want to work for them instead of their competitors down the street.

While it’s important to cover all the basics, you want the end product to be “as succinct as possible,” Drent says. “You want no more or less than what’s needed, so that your employees embrace the handbook as a resource.”

Soderlund agrees. “If you’re putting out a long, telephone-book-like document that people will not read or use, that really doesn’t help anyone. You want to make it something that people actually want to read and engage with,” she says.

But how do you make an employee handbook engaging?

Start with what you’re calling it, Soderlund says. “The term ‘employee handbook’ makes you think of a long, boring, hard-to-read set of instructions. Calling your employee handbook something else – like “Team guide” or “How things work at our company” – offers a fresh opportunity to tell your company story, what it is and why others should care,” she says.

Add in sections that highlight the culture of your workplace. Do you offer bonuses when employees receive their CLT or IPM certifications? “Talk about that,” Soderlund says. “Find ways to communicate how a job with your firm is more than just a paycheck.”

Develop a user-friendly document.

Update your employee handbook – or team guide – at least annually and consider making its unveiling a fun event for employees. Soderlund says a staff barbecue or morning coffee and bagel gathering could work.

At the event, add in short Q&A contests with simple prize drawings to see if employees have read and understand new changes to the document. “You could hand out $5 gift cards or new company swag to winners,” Soderlund says. “You don’t have to spend a lot of money, but it’s a way of conveying to your employees, ‘We care about you, and we want you to know this’ in a much more engaging way than having a manager simply say, ‘Read this.’”

At Elbers, new employees are introduced to their handbook in a face-to-face orientation with their manager or foreman, who reviews and draws attention to sections the firm deems most significant. “That gives you the opportunity to highlight the things that are really important with the new team member,” Drent says. “We feel like if we’re treating (the handbook) as a valuable resource and approaching it that way, then the employees are much more likely to treat it the same way.”

You’ll want to make professionally translated Spanish or other non-English versions of your handbook available to staff members for whom English is a second language, so that all employees are on the same page. Similarly, all staff members – whether full-time, part-time, or seasonal/H-2B – should be provided with a copy of the handbook upon hiring.

If you use H-2B employees, add a section covering your firm’s H-2B policy (ensuring that it mirrors U.S. Department of Labor policies), as well as specifics on timing of hiring and rights and benefits provided to temporary, non-agricultural workers, Soderlund says.

If you have additional, specific details to share solely with H-2B employees – such as information about access to housing or transportation – you could include those on a separate document, as Drent does.

And, while you’ll want to include some basic information on safety protocols in your employee handbook, you may want to provide more specific guidelines on workplace safety procedures in a separate, dedicated safety handbook, as Hornung does.

Finally, to help ensure that your handbook becomes a document that your employees actually read and use, give some thought and care to the presentation of the handbook itself. “If it’s presented in a very formal, dry way, it’s not going to be received,” Soderlund says. “Thanks to social media and the ways we communicate now, these documents can be created in a little bit more approachable way than they used to be.”

Guidelines surrounding human resources and employment policies can change from year to year – on both the state and federal level. To help your employee handbook stay in sync with these policy changes, consider subscribing to email alerts from the Department of Labor, your state-specific or industry-specific employment associations, and/or human resources associations like SHRM, Drent says.

“There will be some sifting involved, but it’s a good way to make sure you’re not missing those changes as they come,” he says.

The author is a freelance writer based in Kentucky.

Taking care of business

Features - Lawn Care

Early order programs can give you peace of mind well before the season starts.

October 5, 2020

Jimmy Miller

Early order programs give you a head start on keeping your customers’ lawns looking good.
© white78 | Adobe Stock

When Luke Hawthorne started his company in 2006, he and his wife operated the company out of their spare bedroom. Today, Emerald Lawns in Austin, Texas, employs 130 people and earns roughly $3.3 million annually. With most of the business being predicated on fertilizing and weed control, Hawthorne says he stumbled into a blessing when he discovered early order programs.

At first, Hawthorne says he just pre-purchased weed control he’d use in the spring. But now, he’ll pre-order just about everything – even his holiday lighting materials.

“It’s a pretty lucrative little system we’ve got going on,” Hawthorne says, citing rebates that reach upwards of 11%. “I’m going to use (the materials) anyway, so why wouldn’t I get that 6-11% back?”

Hawthorne acknowledges it’s not always that easy of a choice. Every contractor must evaluate his or her businesses to see if they can afford paying for the materials up front, or if they can make the space for all the inventory. Plus, there are plenty of “what if” hypotheticals that run across contractors’ minds, like what happens if you order pre-emergent in October and a chilly, wet winter pushes the start of the season back several weeks?

Those degrees of uncertainty, coupled with the lingering effects of the COVID-19 pandemic, can lead to questions about whether early order programs are the right choice for contractors this fall.

Hawthorne will be doing much of the same as he always does – he’s trusted EOPs since his first or second year in business and won’t stop now over a decade later.

“One of the reasons I was scared when I started was because I don’t know what the next year is going to hold,” he says. “The longer I’ve stayed in business, the more I’ve realized that (hypothetical) stuff doesn’t happen or it rarely happens.”

Crunching the numbers.

Cory Elmendorf of Total Care Lawn & Landscaping in St. Louis says they implemented early order programs a few years ago because they wanted to get their clients into a solid monthly rotation.

Elmendorf says they do maintenance work for both residential and commercial clients, but the residential clients in particular clamored for improvement in their homes’ curb appeals. By planning around a monthly fee from clients and signing them up for an annual seven-round program, Elmendorf says he’s able to budget accordingly in the fall for the clients who will be back in the spring.

“We use a local supplier here in St. Peters (Missouri), and we get a lot of our seed from them,” Elmendorf says. “We can get chemical from them if need be as well. We also have other outlets, but if we’re getting bulk stuff, we go to our local supplier.”

Elmendorf says he rarely orders so much they have to keep it in stock for too long in the season, and he recommends finding EOPs that will hold on to materials and store them in advance. Some of those same programs also offer online calculating tools to help landscapers budget and estimate along the way.

Not only can the tools help with figuring out how much the material costs, but they could help you determine possible rebates through ordering so far in advance, an advantage that Hawthorne says cannot be overlooked once he starts planning the orders in August and early September.

“The rebates are an obvious pro, and the earlier you get your order program, the better,” he says. “It’s just better to get it off your plate. If you can do it, just do it.”

“(An EOP) makes it much easier when we know what’s coming.” Luke Hawthorne, owner of Emerald Lawns

Knowing your stuff.

Elmendorf says early order programs are easy to figure out, but he stresses that LCOs should make sure their employees are certified to use all the product they’re ordering for the next year. It could be frustrating to be stocked up on products but also needing to teach new employees how to use it on the fly in the spring season, particularly with the chemical products.

“Just get the knowledge first,” he says. “The testing, you’ve got to be certified. If your employees are going to spray, you’ve got to go through the protocols to get the right license.”

Hawthorne says the planning used to be difficult for early order programs, particularly because he didn’t know how much spring products and weed control he’d need. But on the flip side of the coin, it’s a lot easier in the spring to know you have a product than trying to order amidst a busy season.

Paying for the programs is where a company could get in trouble, Hawthorne says, so budgeting requires careful research. He pays for his programs in May or June after ordering during an annual trade show in September. Though the trade show is cancelled this year due to COVID-19 – which makes the early order program planning less fun, Hawthorne jokes – he’s still communicating clearly with his vendor. There’s not a face-to-face meeting like in years past, but Hawthorne says his relationship with the supplier needs to remain strong.

“Be careful how much you order because you’re still going to have to pay the bill,” he says. “Otherwise, you start paying late fees or you’re damaging your relationship with your vendor and you don’t want that.”

Hawthorne admits he’s not sure what’s ahead due to the pandemic. For his own company, the client cancellation rate didn’t decrease this year like he had hoped, but he also has no worries about investing in an early order program. Landscaping remained essential and strong during the quarantine in the spring, so Hawthorne says he doesn’t anticipate that to be different next year.

If an LCO is worried about the ramifications of COVID-19, he recommends a strategy he used when he was first starting early order programs: order half the product than you think you’ll need, and order the rest during the spring season as you go.

But Hawthorne says the peace of mind in an early order program is worth every penny.

“I don’t know how this year is going to play out,” he says. “But beyond the obvious perks, which are the rebates and the cash back, it makes it much easier when we know what’s coming.”

Engine essentials

Engine Report 2020 - Engine Report 2020

Landscapers have a variety of opinions on how to buy, maintain and replace engines.

September 29, 2020

Kim Lux

Photo courtesy of Shoemaker Brothers Landscape

They say the engine is the heart of a machine – and that’s especially true for mowers.

Keeping a mower’s “heart” healthy through proper maintenance is vital to keep it running season after season.

But what happens when a mower’s engine inevitably dies? Four landscaping business owners from across the country discuss purchasing a new engine, whether to replace the mower or the entire machine and how to maintain an engine for the long haul.

Where and what to buy.

Johnathan Roberts, co-owner of Elite Lawn Care in Hartwell, Ga., started the business with his brother just three years ago.

With only three mowers in its fleet, Elite Lawn Care is still growing, and Roberts says deciding what type of mower, and what brand of engine, was a serious selection to make early on.

“It was a hard decision and we talked a long time when we were buying our very first mower,” he says. “We talked to people who had landscape companies and with some dealers.”

Roberts says finding a dealer they could rely on made the purchasing process easier, and he’s kept up that relationship in the meantime.

“We have a really good relationship with our dealer,” he says. “That relationship for us is extremely important. They can get our equipment fixed fast.”

Derek Taussig, owner of Taussig Landscape in Manhattan, Kan., and Stefan Shoemaker, owner of Shoemaker Brothers Landscape, in White Hall, Md., also sing the praises of working with a reputable dealer.

“The main thing for us is dealer support,” Taussig says. “Before brand, it’s whatever dealer will give us the best support.”

Shoemaker adds that building a good relationship with a dealer is beneficial because that person gets to know you and your specific needs.

“We deal with one exclusive dealer,” he says. “The dealer gets to know you. They know what you have in your fleet. They recognize your face and have your cell phone number, so the communication is there. And the dealer we have finances, so that’s really nice.”

Shoemaker says he likes dealing with a real person as opposed to shopping online.

“When your online, you don’t really get recommendations,” he says. “You’ve got reviews, but with a salesman you can tell them your specific need for a specific machine on a specific site and they’ll tell you what will work. You just can’t get that kind of feedback online.”

Shoemaker admits he’s willing to pay more in order to get a dealer’s input.

“There’s a slight premium you pay going to a dealer as opposed to shopping online, but we think there’s a value in it,” he says. “We’ve been buying from the same salesman for three years. He’s great and we like to give him our business.”

But for some landscapers, making a short drive to a dealership, or even a big box hardware store, is no easy task. That’s the case for Jody Madewell, president and owner of Yards by Jody in Overton, Nev.

“Where we live, we don’t have a dealer in our town,” Madewell says. “I have to travel a couple hours away to even look at mowers. We live about 75 miles from Las Vegas. Our little town doesn’t even have a stoplight. It’s very limited what I can get here.”

Madewell purchases his engines, and sometimes even mowers themselves, online.

“I ordered our last mower online and had it shipped to me,” he says. “I knew what I wanted and had a set budget I wanted to spend. It came in right at what I was wanting to spend. I went on eBay and they had the exact same mower I was looking for and some company had purchased it and was selling it where the money went to a charitable organization. So, I felt good about that purchase. My money was going to a good cause.”

Before Madewell makes an online purchase, he does plenty of research and reads the reviews for engines of all brands and sizes.

“Basically, the main thing for me – is it going to last,” he says. “We live in harsh conditions where it gets to 120 or 125 degrees. We look for something that’ll survive these hard conditions and last for a while.”

Madewell says he needs plenty of power. And power means more horsepower.

“I like anything above 22 horses,” he says. “Even though it’s a desert climate here, we do have fields they’ve got to handle. Anything that’s 22 Hp or above seems to work better for us.”

Roberts says his optimal horsepower range is also between 22-24 Hp, while Shoemaker says more can be done with less, too.

“I’d say anywhere from 12 to 15 and up to 24 horsepower is probably what you need,” he says.

Taussig says the size of engine, and horsepower requirements, depend on the size of the mower.

“We utilize a variety of sizes because the size of the engine depends on the size of the mower,” he says.

Taussig notes electronic fuel injection (EFI) is equally important.

“We prefer EFI if it’s available for that machine,” he says “EFIs just seem to be more reliable and more economical with fuel. The EFI problems also seem a lot easier to sort out than the carburetor problems.”

Shoemaker makes sure to buy EFI engines because he says they are more reliable in Maryland’s colder months.

“We noticed better fuel economy and consist power with no adjustments really,” he says. “Carburetion is not really something we want to mess with anymore. We use our mowers from spring to winter with leaf removal in the fall, and on colder days carburetors are harder to start, so fuel-injection just makes sense.”

Roberts doesn’t have any EFI engines in his fleet.

“We know we can depend on the engine to be a good one. We haven’t really considered it yet,” he says.

Madewell adds he’s not ready for the financial commitment just yet.

“It costs a little more, and I always tend to spend a little less because we wear them out,” he says.

Out with the old, in with the new.

When it comes time to replace an engine, Taussig says he purchases the same one so he doesn’t have to worry about any unexpected surprises.

“We do a direct replacement to keep it simple,” he says. “If I have a bad engine, I will just buy a new one. Used ones just tend to cause more down time and more problems. I’ve found it’s more profitable to fix it right the first time.”

But having to replace a mower engine is rare for Taussig.

“Typically, I haven’t had to replace one in years,” he says. “I sell my mowers every two to three years while they’re still under warranty and just get new mowers.”

Taussig says that three years seems to be the useful life for a mower.

“Every time I don’t replace one in three years, then we start having a bunch of problems,” he says. “Once we have a real problematic machine it’s just time to phase it out because it starts costing too much money. Anytime I’ve pushed it beyond that I’ve regretted it.”

Roberts also chooses to replace the entire machine if the engine goes bad.

“When engines start falling apart, we usually just trade it back in and get another mower,” he says. “We’re still a new business, so we haven’t had that happen a lot yet.”

Roberts says one of the dealers who helped him early on led him to that decision.

“The dealer who really taught us about engines had a philosophy that was ‘if you’re at the point where you need to replace an engine, most likely things are about to go out on your frame and other parts as well,’” he says. “It’s usually just better to replace the machine. We’ve really just stuck with that and usually replace the entire unit. And we’ve noticed first-hand that if the engine starts giving us problems, there are usually other problems, too.”

For Roberts, his replacement plan depends on the machine’s hours of use instead of how long they’ve had it.

“Our goal is to not keep any engine that has more than 1,000 hours on it,” he says. “We want to swap it out before then. Because, at that point you can still get a decent trade-in value on it and it’s not falling apart on you.”

Shoemaker says that his decision to replace the engine or buy a new mower depends on the size of the machine in question.

“We tend to replace the machine up to a certain size,” he says. “So, for a zero-turn rider, we’ll replace the motor but for a walk-behind machine, we’d just buy a new one.”

Shoemaker, like Taussig, aims to replace his equipment every three years or so.

“For us, the useful life is about three years,” he says. “That’s maybe on the earlier side but once it’s paid off – that’s usually the time to let it go. We’ve found that it’s better to have a payment on a machine than it is to have a repair bill. It’s easier to budget that way. There’s no surprise breakdowns.”

When one of his engines quits, Madewell tries his best to fix it himself.

“I always do try to fix the old one first if it’s worth saving. We don’t have a dealer or mechanic or anyone here,” he says. “If I can’t fix it, I look at the cost of a new engine compared to a new machine. If the machine is having a problem as well and the belts keep breaking or the pulleys are breaking, then I’d just replace the machine.”

Putting in the work.

It’s no secret that routine maintenance can keep a mower’s engine running smoothly, and having a maintenance schedule is essential.

With no in-house mechanic, Roberts oversees his company’s fleet.

“My brother and I own the company and I do most of the engine maintenance,” he says. “He handles a lot of the customer side of things and I handle a lot of the shop aspects.”

Roberts spent his youth working on cars and motors, but he sought out some more specialized knowledge.

“We’ve actually taken some small engine courses from a different dealer in the next town over. It was an eight-week course that met once a week,” he says. “It was extremely helpful in understanding exactly how these machines work. Learning what mower engines need specifically was very informative.”

Now, Roberts has a maintenance plan he sticks to.

“Every 50 hours, roughly, I change the engine oil and filter,” he says. “And at that same time, I’ll do an air filter check. I’ll check the spark plugs, too, and replace when needed.”

Roberts notes that all his mowers have the same brand of engine, which makes maintenance simpler.

“We like to have all the same engines,” he says. “It just makes it that much easier and more convenient. I can buy one type of filter and one air filter.”

He also makes sure to buy only that brand’s replacement parts.

“I’ve found that sticking with the branded replacement items has been better for proper fit and long-term usage,” he says. “Whenever I use an off-brand product, it doesn’t seem to last as long. It’s a little bit more costly, but it’s worth it.”

Madewell also changes the oil every 50 hours, which he says he hits about every two months.

“I take the air filters out and blow them once a week,” he says. “I replace those every six months. We get a lot of fine dirt here that screws up the filters.”

Because he lives hours away from a mechanic or dealer, Madewell keeps old engines and mowers on-hand in case of any unexpected breakdowns.

“A few years ago, I had a mower go bad. It was on a brand-new machine I bought in March and this was July, and it blew up,” he says. “So, I ripped an engine off an old mower and put it on to continue using the machine.

“I’ll also pick up a $50 mower at a yard sale just to have as a backup,” Madewell adds.

Ensuring he has plenty of supplies on hand is also important for Madewell to maintain his engines.

“Another issue is getting the oil filters,” he says. “I have to really plan my oil changes in advance to make sure I have the filters and everything I need. I can’t just run down to the store and grab something. I always try to keep things on hand.”

Shoemaker says that his company will handle basic maintenance on his machine but sends it to the shop for anything major

“We do our own oil changes, but anything over oil changes and filters we send out,” he says. “We’ll send it to the dealer we buy from and they’ve been pretty good to us.”

At Shoemaker Brothers, they have daily, weekly and monthly maintenance schedules.

“We check the oil and filters each day before we start a machine,” Shoemaker says. “We lubricate bearings, transmissions and things every other week based on our usage. We don’t mow five days a week, so our hours aren’t as much. Monthly, we check tire pressures.”

Taussig says his company performs all maintenance in house and each machine has its own logbook.

“I have a guy who used to be a mechanic and works full-time on my install crew. Then he works nights and weekends doing maintenance for us, and on rainy days when we can’t be in the field,” he says. “Every day when they come back, they grease the machines, they check the fluids, they clean the air filters and they sharpen the blades. We do that daily. And then, at every 100-hour integral on the machine, we do a full service on it. We’ll change the oil and check if it needs new air filters or fuel filters. This happens about every three weeks.”

Taussig also suggests using a better quality oil and not going with the cheapest option on the shelf.

“We use a high-quality, synthetic oil,” he says. “That seems to really pay off. It’s a little more to spend on oil, but it seems to give us good longevity.”

Overall, Taussig says being vigilant about maintenance prevents most major breakdowns.

“Preventative maintenance is much better than having to do expensive repairs,” he says.

Charging up change

Features - Maintenance

As battery-powered equipment continues to advance, more landscapers may be open to making the investment.

September 28, 2020

Kim Lux

Could battery-powered equipment be the future of the industry?

Austin Hall, president of Greenwise in Evanston, Illinois, and Michael Reed, owner of Quiet Lawn in Longs, South Carolina, believe that’s where things are headed.

The primary advantages of the equipment seem to be threefold – better for the environment, better for crews and less noise pollution.

Hall, who admits Greenwise is still using a mix of gas- and battery-powered equipment as they make the transition to fully electric, says making a conscience effort to help the environment was the motivating factor.

“Our company is an organic lawn care company and sustainable landscape maintenance and design business,” he says. “Sort of everything we do is around the idea of sustainability and our tagline is ‘lighten your footprint.’ We use organic fertilizer, all-natural weed control products and have been thinking about ways we can lighten our footprint in respect to our emissions.”

Reed says he chose to use battery-powered equipment to stand out from the competition.

“It was so different than what anybody else was doing,” he says. “That’s what really pushed me in this direction.”

Getting the right gear.

Reed says that as more electric equipment hits the market, Quiet Lawn uses a wide range of it.

“We use a standard, zero-turn commercial mower and handheld electric equipment,” he says. “Pretty much everything we use is electric – from our blowers, edgers, trimmers and chainsaws. It’s rare that we have to use a piece of gas-powered equipment. If we have to rent a piece of heavy equipment, that’d be our only exception.”

Greenwise also continues to add battery-powered equipment.

“We’ve been using battery-powered hand tools, primarily blowers, for the past four or five years,” he says. “We also have two battery-powered mowers. They are 33-inch mowers and we find them very effective. Increasing, over time, we’re going to transition our propane-powered mowers to battery-powered ones. Eventually, we expect to be 100% battery-powered.”

While some doubt the strength of battery-powered equipment, Reed says in his experience it’s been comparable to gas-powered, and appeals to him.

“When I used gas equipment, I’d get headaches from smelling the fumes all day,” he says. “You don’t get that with the electric.”

No noise, no problem.

As Greenwise continues to transition to fully electric, they launched a new route.

“This year, we’ve launched an all-electric maintenance crew, which uses battery-powered mowers, battery-powered line trimmers, hedge trimmers and edgers," Hall says. "Basically, everything that comes out of the trailer is battery-powered for that specific crew.”

Robyn McMurray Hurtig, director of community engagement at Greenwise, says the new service couldn’t have come at a better time.

“People are home trying to have conference calls and working from home and they’re hearing landscapers with these gas-powered blowers and it’s driving people crazy,” she says. “We’ve had a lot of requests for electric and we wanted to honor that and lead the charge in our area.”

McMurray Hurtig adds Greenwise started piloting the new route in the spring, and the response has been overwhelmingly positive.

“It’s been very well received,” she says. “I’ve talked to a few of the customers, and one in particular talked about how she really used to dread the day her landscape service would come because it was so loud. When we came with our all electric crew, she couldn’t even tell when we left.”

Reed says that having no noise pollution is also what leads clients to his company as well.

“Our customers really appreciate it,” he says. “We are a lot less intrusive on their lives. We’re in a big area for retirees. Probably 95% of our customers are retired, so we don’t want to be waking them up at 8 a.m. We try not to disturb them.”

“Three years ago, people would almost laugh at you when they heard you had an electric lawn service. Now, people come up to you like you’re a rock star and are asking about your equipment.” Michael Reed, owner, Quiet Lawn

Change isn’t easy.

While Hall and Reed are certainly happy to sing the praises of battery-powered equipment, they do recognize that it can pose some challenges.

“I think one thing that might prevent certain companies from adopting this technology is just the upfront investment that’s required for mowing equipment,” Hall says. “If you’re going to buy a typical 36-inch walk-behind mower, it may be double the cost.”’

Reed says that while the upfront costs are indeed higher, the equipment tends to pay for itself in the long run with less maintenance costs and not having to purchase fuel.

In addition to price, Reed says that companies could run into problems if they aren’t keeping up with charging.

“You can’t stop at a battery station if you run out of battery. That’s the only thing. You’ve got to have plenty of batteries and a good charging system,” he says.

Hall and Reed also say they’ve had to work hard to get their crews on board with the electric equipment.

“There is a bit of a learning curve because it does feel different then a piece of gas equipment when it’s in your hand. There’s also a different procedure because you’ve got to make sure everything is charging overnight,” Reed says.

Hall says getting his crews to slow down and recognize the benefits of the equipment was difficult at first.

“Culturally, we’ve had to work through with our crews on what it means to use battery-powered equipment because the work gets done, in some cases, a bit more slowly,” he says. “It’s typical in the industry that crews want to use the equipment that has the most power so they can work efficiently, so it’s been a mindset change with our employees.”

Quiet Lawn, in Longs, South Carolina, utilizes a full fleet of electric equipment.
Photo courtesy of Quiet Lawn

Pricing it right.

Both Reed and Hall say that location plays a major role in pricing and determining whether to charge a premium for electric lawn care.

“We’re in a unique geography, in some of the villages, in and around Evanston, we’re actually restricted from using gas-powered blowers for a period of the season,” he says. “So, it’s been the standard for some time. In that case, we don’t price the service higher.”

However, Hall says there is a pricing premium for the new, all-electric service.

“(It’s) not really because of the cost of the equipment … but because we find it takes more time to complete the service,” he says.

Reed chooses not to charge more for electric lawn care and keeps his prices competitive.

“It depends on the area someone is in. In my area, being environmentally friendly isn’t really a hot thing. If I was in an urban area where that’s much more of a big deal, I would definitely market the environmental aspect and try to charge a premium,” he says. “For me, I’m right there with the other good companies around here. We aren’t the lowest and we aren’t the highest.”

Green growth.

According to Reed and Hall, the technology behind electric equipment has come a long way, and they expect it to continue improving.

Hall said that he’s had his crews demoing some of the latest equipment and they’ve been pleased with the results.

“For some time, we thought battery-powered blowers just didn’t have the muscle for spring and fall cleanups,” he says. “Our crews are telling us they could be, and it’s been very encouraging for us.”

Hall suggests anyone considering using the equipment give it a test run first.

“There are a lot of companies out there that are willing to allow landscape contractors to demo equipment,” he says. “It helps you understand the range of options.”

Reed says he goes to trade shows every year and each year he is seeing battery-powered equipment have more of a presence.

“It’s amazing the switch in the industry and how fast the industry is heading toward electric,” he says. “Three years ago, people would almost laugh at you when they heard you had an electric lawn service. Now, people come up to you like you’re a rock star and are asking about your equipment.”

He feels the industry will continue to get behind the technology and says eventually it will become the norm.

“Within 10 years, the majority of the industry will be headed in this direction,” he says. “People who pay attention can read the tea leaves and see that’s where it’s headed. It just makes sense with the price going down and the capacity going up.”