BREAKTHROUGH SERIES: Well-Oiled Machines

Every year lawn care equipment manufacturers introduce high-performing products that are designed to reduce labor costs for landscape contractors. Many contractors are making these upgrades to save money in the long run and to remain competitive, despite the up-front costs involved.

And while new equipment cannot replace quality labor, it can improve efficiency by reducing time spent on certain jobs and freeing up workers to take on other tasks.

Landscape contractors have unique ways of utilizing equipment to ensure optimum usage. That does not mean these landscape professionals are buying the fastest, slickest machines they can find. Sometimes simply switching to smaller mowers or lighter excavating tools can help overcome certain obstacles when in the field. Other contractors have realized that proper machine training and renting instead of buying have helped cut expenses.

Whatever strategy contractors take, it’s becoming more evident that their equipment-related decisions can significantly impact a day’s work.

MACHINE MANAGEMENT. Riding mowers may seem like the logical choice for reducing mowing time. The Brickman Group’s Schenectady, N.Y. branch had primarily been using riding mowers until several years ago when a company consultant convinced the management team that walk-behind mowers would be more efficient, says Branch Superintendent Rob Panarese. At the time, the Schenectady group was fairly successful but thought it could do better, Panarese says.

So the branch managers invited the company’s in-house consultants over to evaluate how effectively their employees were using equipment. The consultants spent two days observing the group and three days working along side the employees to assess how they work with equipment, Panarese says. These production specialists, who are also superintendents and branch managers within the company, determined that the Schenectady group could save time by using walk-behind mowers instead of riders on properties with tighter-to-reach areas.

“The rider is good for wide-open mowing,” Panarese says. “It’s known for speed and being able to mow a lot of grass quickly. Larger walk-behinds are similar, but they’re easier to maneuver in tighter spaces and hills are easier to deal with. You’re getting the job done quicker vs. with a rider where you’re turning more, so you’re losing time.”

The walk-behind mowers have reduced the amount of time employees spend trimming and edging because now they can reach many of those areas with the walk-behind mowers, Panarese says, adding that the group has saved an estimated half hour at each job by making the switch.

The branch’s employees eventually bought into the equipment change, but it took some time. Employees questioned management on why they wouldn’t want to use bigger, faster mowers, Panarese says. “There was a little confusion, but once they understood why, they grasped it and went with it and started changing where mowers went to see if they could use them differently,” he explains.

And employees should have faith in the equipment they’re using and be comfortable with the machines if contractors want the best returns on their investments. That’s what Tom Heaviland, owner of Vista, Calif.-based Heaviland Enterprises had in mind when two years ago he switched from belt-driven mowers to all hydraulic mowers. The new machines mean less physical exertion for Heaviland’s crews, resulting in more productivity, he says. The hydraulic mowers cost the company an additional $500 per unit, but the up-front costs pale in comparison to the 30 minutes or more per day that Heaviland estimates he’s saved in man-hours.
 
“With the belt-driven mowers there’s a lot more muscling that has to go on,” Heaviland says. “With the hydraulic mowers they pretty much motor themselves. When these guys are walking for six or seven hours behind a walk-behind, it can tire them out. But when you don’t have to do a lot of the work, it’s certainly going to save us and make us more efficient.”

Sometimes the little things can make all the difference when trying to optimize efficiency. Heaviland’s crews have saved time by adding mulching attachments to their mowers. “We try to mulch as much as we can when we cut grass, so we use a mulching attachment at every opportunity,” he says. “It’s a time saver because we’re not having to empty bags of grass, and it saves us on dump fees, as well.”

Heaviland estimates that the mulching attachments, which cost about $100 a piece, save about 20 percent in grass-cutting time. Another potential labor saver that Heaviland is considering for 2005 is an auger to dig holes for shrubs. Rather than resorting to the old-fashioned labor-intensive process of digging holes with a shovel, an auger can quickly prepare holes and backfill for shrubs with less physical strain on the laborer, Heaviland says, adding that he plans to purchase two augers after recently testing one. The machines cost between $600 and $800, according to Heaviland.

Lawn maintenance has been a staple of landscape work, but many companies are now branching into construction and installation work and purchasing larger equipment for those applications, according to Bill Harley, president, Outdoor Power Equipment Institute, Old Town Alexandria, Va. “Contractors are using some of the light construction equipment to not only do some jobs that will save them on labor but because their businesses are diversifying a little bit,” he says. “For some of the light construction applications they’re using skid-steers and trenchers.”
 
Heads Up Landscape Contractors, Albuquerque, N.M. used to have only five skid-steers for 10 crews but as the company has grown it’s added skid-steers and now has one for every crew, says company Vice President Dave Daniell. The company spends about $28,000 for each skid-steer and has purchased two or three per year during the last three to four years. And the additions have significantly reduced labor time, according to Daniell, who estimates that the skid-steers have earned him a $6 to $7 per man-hour savings. 

“You can certainly do a lot more grading and you can install a lot more gravel and mulch per man hour using a skid-steer than you can by hand, and the labor rates by hand are typically one man-hour to one and a half man-hours per cubic yard,” Daniell says. “With a skid-steer, you get 3 or 4 yards per man-hour.”

TEST DRIVE. Many landscape laborers aren’t shy about letting supervisors know their opinions on equipment. Their feedback can help steer contractors in the right direction when making equipment choices. Unfortunately, contractors often hear complaints after they’ve already purchased that new mower or skid-steer. Contractors can avoid getting stuck with unwanted equipment by renting or demonstrating equipment prior to purchasing.
 
“We’ll rent something for however long is necessary to evaluate it,” says Jim Gorsline, maintenance manager, Scott Byron & Co., Lake Bluff, Ill. “Renting is an excellent way to try something out. One of the things we all do is use equipment in places we probably shouldn’t. That’s why we do a lot of rentals to start with to either get through a short crunch or to just try something.”

Heads Up Landscape Contractors will sometimes rent skid-steers for several months and then buy out the balance of the machines, says Daniell, who estimates the company pays about $2,400 a month to rent a skid-steer. Rentals provide an opportunity to not only try out the equipment but to use machines only when they are needed.

“By renting, we don’t have to buy the thing if we really don’t want to or if we don’t think our work load in the future requires us to buy it, but it always has,” Daniell says. “I guess the biggest advantage we have by renting is that we can use it for three months, and then we can apply that to the purchase price, and we know that we have equipment that is good.”

Blanchford cautions that contractors should carefully plan where they are renting equipment from because it can become costly. “You can eat up a lot of money just driving back and forth to dealers,” he says.

If renting isn’t an option, some dealers will allow contractors to try out equipment for a day or two at no charge before purchasing. When Heaviland is shopping for mowers, he always has his employees demonstrate the equipment before making a purchase. “I think the best thing you can do is allow the people who are using your equipment to make the choices for you vs. you selecting the equipment. Certainly you have to take cost into consideration, but you want the people in the field to have some voice in the purchase.”

For mowers, the company will demonstrate several different models for two or three days before making a decision, Heaviland says. Management will then ask employees questions about the products’ ease of operation or any difficulties they noticed while operating the equipment, according to Heaviland.

Industry trade shows can also present opportunities to try out equipment. The Brickman Group’s Schenectady branch will sometimes take advantage of product field days during trade shows to test products, Panarese says.

BREAKING POINT. One reality of purchasing any type of equipment is that they are bound to have maintenance issues at some point.  And while well-trained employees might be experts in operating the machines, many aren’t skilled in repairing or maintaining them. R.M. Landscape, Hilton, N.Y., has its own in-house maintenance division to deal with repair issues, says company Foreman Eric Purdy. “It’s got to be cheaper than paying a mechanic $15 to $16 an hour,” he says.

But Panarese says he doesn’t need an in-house mechanic because the company buys equipment with two-year warranties and purchases new machines when the warranties expire. Panarese’s branch used to staff in-house mechanics, who were paid an estimated $36,000 annually, until the company realized that it cost more to fix the machines than to buy new ones.

“Originally, when we had mechanics and the machines would get to be 2 and 3 years old, they would require a lot of work and then there was the cost of paying the mechanics, the mechanics’ burden and the mechanics driving here and there,” Panarese says. “That’s why we went to this two-year lease program and, with that, we lose that mechanic’s wage and mechanic’s burden, which is 20 to 30 percent of their salary.”

Panarese estimates that his branch is saving $150,000 annually by purchasing new mowers instead of repairing them in house. The company outsources repairs for larger equipment, Panarese says. The company also tries to stick with one brand of equipment to make repairs easier. “You learn the mower and equipment by sticking with one brand, and in the event that something does happen to it, you kind of know a quick way to fix it if you have to in the field,” he says. “Using the same brand also helps your relationship with the dealer and the manufacturer.”

Even if companies don’t have their own maintenance department, they can take their own steps to improve equipment longevity. Scott Byron & Co. implemented a preventive maintenance program in which the company evaluates equipment based on hours by turning the machines over when they reach a certain usage limit, Gorsline says. R.M. Landscape asks employees to note in a logbook when they notice problems to prevent larger repair issues.

If employees are hesitant about reporting maintenance issues, it might be because they’re causing some of the problems. Contractors can reduce the number of operator-related malfunctions through proper training. In the past, Blanchford’s employees were not allowed to operate heavier equipment until they received basic training on all aspects of the machine, including how to check for oil and fuel the machine and basic operations procedures. But the company did not have a formal training program to ensure all employees were proficient in equipment use, and the company was experiencing higher-than-expected machine breakdowns, according to Blanchford.
 
To that end, Blanchford is now in the process of setting up a formal training program in which supervisors will thoroughly evaluate an employee’s skills on a particular machine before they’re allowed to operate the equipment. “Basically, people were not using the equipment effectively and were breaking it, so we weren’t getting the productivity we were paying for in the equipment, and we weren’t getting the job done,” he explains.

The company will likely train and evaluate employees on approximately 20 pieces of equipment and then issue certification to each worker who successfully completes the program, Blanchford says. Employees will spend a minimum of 100 hours with a supervisor reviewing the different equipment before they’re allowed to operate the machines on their own. Blanchford estimates that developing the program will cost about $2,500, and the actual training will cost approximately $2,000 per employee.

Other contractors also say they observe employees on equipment before sending them on their own. During the winter or early spring when business is slow, Panarese has his employees try all pieces of equipment even if it’s not relevant to their primary jobs. “You always have to give everybody an opportunity to try everything because otherwise they won’t grow,” he says. “So we give them the basics on how to move and turn the equipment and get a feel for it because you never know when an operator is going to get sick and you’ll need a replacement. As a company, we like to cross-train everybody to do everything, so that equipment will always be running regardless of whether that main operator is there or not.”
 
Cross-training employees can reduce downtime when other operators are out, but some contractors say it’s still preferable to have machine specialists. Erik Dailey, operations manager at Kalispell, Mont.-based TLC Landscaping & Irrigation, says employees often tell him they’re experienced at tasks, such as grading, but can’t do the job the way he wants. Dailey says he gets best results on such tasks by having one operator whose primary responsibility is operating a skid-steer. Gorsline agrees with Dailey, saying he has specific crews that do grading. “Even if you pay him a little more it’s worth it,” he says. “It’s operated by someone who knows how to do it efficiently.”

Having this type of equipment knowledge can reduce breakdowns and downtime from injuries, Harley adds. “Contractors need to really understand and take the time with dealers and manufacturers to understand the full capabilities of equipment and the appropriate use of attachments,” he says. “If you’re using a piece of equipment for a use that it’s not intended for, your machine can go down and there goes your labor savings.”