MOWERS Get the Most out of Mowing

Brian Elliot picked a good time to start his landscape business, Elliot’s Lawn Service, as walk-behind mowers were hot new items on the market. “Walk-behind mowers were much more productive than the standard garden tractor – we thought we were in heaven,” Elliot says.
 
As his Warsaw, Ind.-based business started to pick up and many residents in Elliot’s high-end neighborhood began utilizing his services, the company decided to try out a riding mower and were pleasantly surprised at how much more efficient the machine made his crew. “We realized we could mow two to three times as many properties,” he explains. 

Mowing lawns has long been the backbone of the landscape industry, but as the times have changed the equipment has changed, and there is currently a variety of machinery to choose from to make mowing lawns more efficient than ever before. Elliot’s business currently has five zero-turn, four riding, one walk-behind and four or five push mowers, and insists a contractor needs all types of mowers for maximum productivity. In fact, most landscape contractors agree that, no matter how efficient riding mowers become, walk-behinds will always be necessary for businesses to be as productive as possible.
 
“It’s the age-old dilemma of productivity vs. quality,” Elliot says. “You have to use the machine that will give the best performance based on what your client wants.”

RIDING MOWERS. The riding mower is an advancement that has made mowing lawns easier, faster and more productive for virtually every landscape company that invests in one. According to Lawn & Landscape research, 30.5 percent of contractors purchased a riding mower in 2006, spending an average of $9,976, and 26 percent plan to purchase one this year. Mowing is offered by 68 percent of landscape companies, and revenue generated from lawn maintenance services increased by 15 percent last year.
 
However, the landscape industry was not always blessed with the efficiency of the riding mower, and many contractors who now can’t imagine working without these machines remember what life was like before them. According to Kevin Greene, owner of Liberty Landscape, Paoli, Pa., one of the main advantages of the riding mower is that it boosts productivity by drastically decreasing operator fatigue.
 
“It’s the difference between standing and sitting all day – you can obviously get more done,” he explains. “With a riding mower, we can mow two lawns in less time than it took us to mow one lawn with a walk-behind mower, using the same amount of people.”
 
Manufacturers continue to tweak the features of riding mowers each year, offering contractors more comfortable machines that operate even more efficiently.
 
According to Tim Cromley, marketing manager for Walker Manufacturing Co., Fort Collins, Colo., recent advancements have focused on engines, particularly the introduction of electronic fuel injection into compact engines. “Engine improvements have allowed for more power and speed, and also better fuel efficiency,” he explains. This is an important and timely improvement, as contractors think increased fuel prices will have the largest effect on their businesses in 2007, according to Lawn & Landscape research.
 
Recent improvements in ergonomics have aimed to significantly improve operator comfort, which allows crews to work longer without feeling the effects. Frame-suspension seats with adjustable armrests allow operators to sit comfortably for longer periods of time, and the general layout of the machine has simplified, placing operational features within easy reach and making monitoring displays self-explanatory. “Comfort and ergonomics go hand in hand,” says Tamara Youdbulis, turf product manager for Kubota Tractor Corp., Torrance, Calif. “Operator controls need to be easily accessible from the operator’s seat, and the seat must be comfortable and include suspension for a more comfortable ride.”
 
Sturdier tires are being added to riding mowers to make for a smoother ride, and the machines are being made heavier to act as a shock absorber when used on rough terrain. “We try not to make it a workout for the operator,” says Jeff Haltom, vice president and general manager of Dixie Chopper, Coatesville, Ind. “Guys can be on these machines sometimes eight to 10 hours a day and we don’t want them to feel like they’ve been in a train wreck.”
 
Perhaps one of the most productive advancements in riding mowers is the creation of the zero-turn mower. Zero-turn mowers are run by hydrostatic drives, which run on hydraulic fluid, and are driven by two separate handles that control each tire motor independently, allowing the machine to turn on the spot. “Zero-turn mowers provide greater speed and maneuverability than typical riding mowers,” Youdbulis says.
 
Purchasing a zero-turn mower was a decision that ultimately allowed Jim Thorpe’s company, The “J” Boys Lawn Maintenance & Landscaping, Carneys Point, N.J., to stay in business. “By utilizing the new advancements in riding mowers, particularly the zero-turn mower, we’ve been able to increase our efficiency to a point that allows our customers to afford us,” he explains. “Using the old, standard steering-wheel machines, we would have to increase our prices by at least 40 percent to make the same amount of money per hour that we make now.”
 
Thorpe would charge, on average, $70 per lawn using a standard riding mower, and he can now charge $25 per lawn using a zero-turn. “Using out dated equipment, it’s hard to compete price-wise,” he says. “In terms of productivity, riding mowers, specifically zero-turn, are the way to go – there’s just no way around it.”

WALK-BEHINDS. Most contractors find walk-behinds to be ideal for cutting hard-to-reach areas, like around trees and under swing sets, and can also easily fit through gates in the average backyard. According to Lawn & Landscape research, 31 percent of contractors purchased a walk-behind mower in 2006, spending an average of $4,549. This year, 23 percent of contractors plan to purchase a walk-behind mower.
 
A step-up from push mowers, landscape crews can be more productive with walk-behinds because of their power and speed. “Walk-behinds perform functions similar to that of push mowers, but with commercial ability,” Greene says. “Walk-behinds are twice as wide as push mowers, they’re self-propelled and can cut taller grass.”
 
Greene’s company maintains multiple condominium properties and prefers to use its 36- and 52-inch walk-behinds for these particular jobs.
 
Elliot also finds his walk-behinds to be more productive on properties with a lot of curbs or obstacles, as they can be easier to maneuver. “Many times, ramps are necessary for riding mowers to get up and over things like curbs,” he explains. “This is not necessary for walk-behinds.”
 
From a quality standpoint, walk-behinds can cause less wear and tear to turf over time because of their lighter weight. “Riding mowers can offer more of a challenge because they are heavier and can cause more turf damage, even for experienced mowers,” Elliot explains. “Walk-behinds are much lighter, making it easier to maintain the quality of the turf.”
 
In fact, some of Elliot’s clients specifically request their lawns to be mowed with walk-behinds or push mowers because he feels they see more value in it. “We have four or five customers who won’t let us use anything but walk-behinds or push mowers on their properties,” he explains. “Even though we’re getting the same job done, I feel it’s a perception people have that if they get their lawn push-mowed they care more about what their lawn looks like. It costs the customer a bit more, but I think it’s becoming a sign of status.”
 
Like riding mowers, walk-behinds are also being made better over the years with advancements and improvements. According to Thomas Beeson, marketing product specialist for Massey Ferguson Commercial Equipment, Duluth, Ga., some of the technology from zero-turn mowers, such as hydrostatic engines, is going into walk-behinds, making the machines more powerful and fuel efficient.
 
Another improvement to the productivity of walk-behinds is attachable ride-behind devices, or sulkies. These help eliminate operator fatigue while still giving the performance of a walk-behind mower. “Walk-behinds are currently being made better to last longer, but we believe the machines are only as productive as the guy walking behind it,” Dixie Chopper’s Haltom says.

THE MAN BEHIND THE MACHINE. Haltom makes a good point, as no matter how efficient a landscape business’ equipment is, a reliable crew is necessary to get the jobs done and to get them done well. Most contractors conduct their businesses in such a way that downtime of both their machines and their men is limited.
 
Thorpe employs two-man crews, which he says are most efficient for his business. During his years in the business, he has found that a three-man crew can make $80 an hour on a good day, while a two-man crew can consistently make $70-plus.
 “I have found that the productivity of a two-man crew stays at peak level,” he says. “Adding a third person really causes the productivity to decrease – the staff seems to stall more and there is less teamwork. A two-man crew just works better.”
 
While on the road, each of Thorpe’s crews covers a 30- to 35-mile radius. However, instead of completing an entire area all in one day, Thorpe will stagger jobs to leave opportunities to service unexpected or emergency calls.
 
“By staggering areas, we have been able to get to customers who call unexpectedly or call because of some special occasion, like a wedding or a party,” he explains. “If they call from an area we were in two days ago, it’s not such an inconvenience because the crew will most likely be near that area at some time during the day.”
 
Greene has one two-man crew that handles mowing, trimming and other lawn maintenance, as well as property management. To make sure his guys get where they’re going in the most efficient way possible, Greene tells them what route to take instead of letting them plan their own route. Under the supervision of a crew leader who reports to Greene, the men establish a routine doing the same routes with the same machinery each week. “Once a crew gets into a routine, it becomes second nature to them,” he explains. “By mid-season, you can throw in an extra yard or two when necessary, and the men can easily find a way to fit it into their daily schedule because they are so efficient at what they’re doing.”
 
Greene’s employees are salaried, meaning they make the same amount of money no matter how long it takes them to get the job done. This is incentive for them to be as efficient as possible, because when the work is done, they can send themselves home. “By having salaried employees, they make their own incentive to be efficient,” Greene says.
 
According to Lawn & Landscape research, mower operators earn an average of $17,000 to $22,500 a year depending on experience, and foremen earn an average of $31,077 a year.
 
Elliot runs his business in a similar way, and trusts that his men will get the job done well without having to be micromanaged. His crews tend to 220 properties by keeping tight routes maintaining large clusters of lawns. Elliot’s employees know what they are responsible for completing and has a flexible schedule to get it done.
 
“We have an environment where everyone knows what they need to get done,” Elliot says. “The guys communicate with each other if someone is going to be late or if there’s a problem – they employ a ‘you scratch my back, I’ll scratch yours’ mentality. It’s a trust system that my guys won’t take advantage of.”

DECREASE DOWNTIME. Another way landscape contractors aim to decrease downtime and increase productivity is by keeping their trucks loaded with equipment at all times to avoid having to load and unload it each day. Thorpe houses his company’s loaded trucks in garages, and Greene uses enclosed trailers to haul his equipment, which also protects it from the elements. Elliot’s company drives what he calls a “vanscaper,” a truck large enough to haul three riding mowers, tool boxes and handheld equipment like air compressors and trimmers all at one time.
 
“Our vanscaper is probably the most important thing we’ve ever purchased in terms of productivity because we always have everything we need when we need it,” Elliot says. 
 
Performing routine maintenance is another important component of a productive company. According to Dick Tegtmeier, owner and chairman of the board for Encore Power Equipment, Beatrice, Neb., contractors should make sure to keep their mowers’ engines clean, oil and air filters changed and blades sharp. Doing this regularly makes these expensive pieces of equipment last longer and perform better.
 
According to Tegtmeier, the average mower engine is meant to last 2,000 to 2,500 hours. Without regular maintenance that time can be cut in half. “I’ve seen engines meant to last 2,000 hours fail earlier than 1,000 hours if not properly maintained,” he explains. “As these mowers get more and more expensive, it behooves contractors to pay close attention to regular maintenance, particularly on the engine. Those who do it often will see a tremendous difference in the machine’s productivity as well as its appearance.”
 
Efficient machinery and reliable crews are both important aspects of a productive landscape business, but a combination of the two is vital for the business to be as productive as possible. As Tegtmeier says, “A 48-inch deck will mow 48 inches and the rest is up to the operator.”