Choosing and Buying a Good Lawn Mower

Bad lawn mowers - Mowers that could not make the cut

My first lawn mower was a home owner's model Craftsman push mower. It faired pretty well, but not being self-propelled, and needing to cut several lawns in one day, it was not the best choice for a business.

Business was picking up and so we purchased a pair of Commercial Kubota mowers, they had multiple problems and only lasted about a year. Unless they have improved drastically, I would not recommend them.

Choosing a riding mower

We now had several large lawns to care for and a riding mower was our next step up. After researching the many different brands, the Exmark seemed the best choice. One of my deciding factors was that it had two sturdy formed-plastic grass catchers, which were removable. Most of the other riding mowers had cloth like removable bags and that didn't impress me, cloth or fibrous material wears out and these bins are, to this day, still in fine shape. The plastic bins can also be fitted or lined with large black garbage bags if you want to bag the grass and not simply dump it into the bed of your truck or trailer. I bought that mower in 1992 and it is still running today!

Choosing a small self-propelled mower

A large mower is not capable of getting in those tight spaces or gated back yards, so a small mower is still necessary. After the experience with the Kubota's, I was a bit hesitant when it came to buying another small mower.

The Honda line of commercial mowers had such great reviews, I decided to try one. Purchased the Honda HRC, a self propelled commercial model. Great mower, absolutely zero problems and ran great, so we got a second one a few years later, same model.

Over the next several years, both Honda's ran well, but one of them did end up croaking; the person using it didn't check the oil and it blew a rod. Actually, I blame myself for this, even though I gave the task of maintaining the equipment to others, I should have checked it myself. So my advice would be, even if you trust others with certain tasks, regularly check up on them!

Now we were down to one Honda mower, the newer of the two. This mower had only one problem, we used it for several weeks and noticed the front tires were separating from their rims. The distributor admonished us for getting too close to sidewalks, but the mower was still under warranty and he replaced the tires. A week later, the same thing was happening with the new tires, they seemed to be made of some plastic like material and not rubber like the first mower had. The distributor refused to warranty them the second time, so we took the old tires off the first Honda and even though they weren't pretty, they never fell apart again. The tire incident is the only problem we have had with this mower and it has mowed hundreds of lawns for almost 20 years.  I would highly recommend Honda!

Tips and suggestions

Always use premium grade gas in your mowers and all your gas powered equipment, they will run so much better and have fewer gas related problems. My first Craftsman mower actually refused to run on regular!

Another tip, you don't need to buy or rent de-thatching equipment, just buy a de-thatching blade for your small mower, put it on and run the mower over your dormant lawn, then replace the regular blade on the mower and suck up the thatch!

As I mentioned in my previous post, Starting a Landscape Maintenance Business, this is going to be an ongoing series of landscape related subjects, so please check back often.

By the way, I am not getting paid to endorse any of the above mentioned equipment.

Weedeaters, Weed Wackers and String Trimmers - Choosing and Repairing

Tools needed to start a business

My first string trimmer/weed wacker was an electric Weedeater brand, with a curved shaft. I used a 100 foot cord and flipped it all over the yard, over bushes and plants and eventually got the lawns trimmed. The curved shaft meant lots of bending over and of course the electric cord was not fun at all. For a homeowner with a small yard, these two handicaps probably wouldn't be such an issue.

After making enough money to warrant purchasing a gas powered string trimmer, I chose a handlebar style, straight shaft, Homelite. It was a great machine, had tons of power and although a bit heavy, I really liked it and so did my employees. Great machine, lasted several years.

After the Homelite, we bought two Echos, gas powered straight shafts, they were really pretty light compared to the Homelite. Over the years, we pretty much stuck to the Echo brand in not only string trimmers, but also with our back-pack and hand-held blowers. The Echo is a good brand and it holds up fairly well, but we found that with heavy use they would only last a year or two before needing a ring job. Our gas/oil mix was always a bit rich, so that wasn't a factor. I really think we just used them too many hours.

Had always heard about the quality of Stihl products and my Dad has always had Stihl chain-saws, so we purchased a Stihl string trimmer. The Stihl has been excellent, a bit heavier than the Echo, but in my opinion a heartier, more heavy duty machine and it has been running well for several years now. We also have a Stihl hand-held blower, Stihl hedger and a Stihl chain-saw; they have also been wonderful machines.

Repair work - What to do when your trimmer stops working or won't start

If you have a new string trimmer that doesn't seem to have the power it used to when you bought it or if it has refused to run or even start, don't just take it to the local power store, you can easily fix it yourself.

There is a small metal screen in or before the exhaust manifold that clogs with carbon. All you need to do is remove the exhaust manifold, usually two long bolts, and clean the screen, what I would do was to throw it away, no more clogging. Put it back together, now try starting it, I bet it runs like brand new and you just saved $70.00 or more!

I am not sure if the equipment repair centers replace the screen or also throw it away, if they replace it, that sure would be easy money, when it clogs again after a few more uses. Some states, like California, probably require the screen to be on there, it is a spark arrestor.  So check with your local repair shop prior to tossing it.

Another money saving tip, let's say your trimmer is a bit older and you know the screen is not clogged, but it still has no power. Remove the exhaust manifold and look into the exhaust port, you should see, or barely see, the piston. If you slowly pull on the start cord, you should see the piston go up and down. Pull the cord and make the piston go completely up into the cylinder, you should not be able to see the ring, only the side of the piston. Now comes the delicate part, you will need a small flat sharp object, I use a flat blade screwdriver.  Carefully chip away at the carbon build-up in the port, being very careful not to scratch the piston, that would be very bad.

You are opening up the port, so the exhaust can flow freely. Using carburetor cleaner will help to loosen the carbon and then spray away the debris until the port is open and clean. I can't stress enough, not to scratch the piston, chip the carbon build-up away CAREFULLY. Re-attach the exhaust manifold and WOW, it runs like new and you probably saved even more money this time!

What string/line to use?

We really like the multi edge cutting line, it cuts cleaner and lasts longer than the regular round line.

Please check out my other posts on the subject of landscaping.

Starting Your Own Landscape Maintenance Business

Starting a business


Starting your own landscape maintenance business is really very easy, and start up costs can be very low. I ran a landscape maintenance business for 23 years and when I started the business, all I had, that was mine, was a small pickup truck. I borrowed my Mom's electric string trimmer and a friends' mower for my first job. Bought my own trimmer the next day and my own mower the next week. You can do that too!

There are a few things you need to know before starting a business. Think of a professional name for your business. You will need a business license, available at your City Clerk's office and you must register with the Department of Taxation and Revenue, for a tax identification number. Both of these tasks are easy, so don't let the thought of paperwork scare you into not doing things legally. If you think you might want to hire some help, you will also need a Federal Id Number, also easy to apply for at your local IRS office.

Business equipment and tools

The next piece of equipment you need is a vehicle to carry your tools and the yard debris, a small pickup would be nice, but almost any vehicle will do with a little imagination and you can work up to something more suitable later. If you are using a vehicle that needs to stay really clean, put the leaves and debris in large garbage bags.

Let's say you already own a pickup, you are off to a running start, the next largest piece of equipment will be a lawn mower and then a string trimmer. If you can't afford an outright purchase right now, borrow them from a relative, friend or neighbor for just a day or two. The money you make in one day can buy a trimmer and a few more days an inexpensive or used mower. Used mowers can be found at many yard sales, along with other equipment and tools.

You will also need an extra spool of trimmer line, a broom (move up to a gas powered blower later), two gas cans (one for regular gas and the other for gas-oil mix), a leaf rake, shovel, a large garbage can and bags, pair of hand pruners, lopping shears and hedge shears (move up to a gas powered hedger later), a few hand tools for repairs.

Customer service

Now that you have the necessary equipment, it is time to go find some customers. Drive around town and be on the lookout for yards and businesses that look unkept, maybe they have not been mowed for more than a week, have weeds everywhere and generally need some maintenance work. Also, try calling some realtors and ask if they have any yards that need a good clean-up before they can be listed.

It would be nice if you had some business cards, they aren't very expensive and they make you look so much more professional. You can make your own if necessary.

Don't be shy, go up to the home, ask for the man or woman of the house and ask if they have anyone taking care of their yard. If they do have a lawn care company, point out what you noticed about their yard that didn't look so hot and describe how you could do a better job. But, don't just blurt out that their yard looks awful, they may be trying to do it themselves, in that case, maybe you can help them out. Even if they don't seem too interested in what you can do for them, don't give up, go back every few weeks to check again, keep trying. One of the larger apartment complexes we maintained, took almost a full year to procure. The manager was under contract with a company that wasn't doing a good job, I went back every so often and just chatted with her, asked how things were going and so on, and when their contract was up, she hired our company. That is why I say, "If you want something bad enough, keep trying, don't give up".

Giving estimates

What to charge, that is definitely the hardest part to figure out. If you are giving an estimate to someone who has someone working for them now or has had in the past, just go ahead and ask, "Do you mind if I ask what they are charging you?" That may sound a bit forward, but I can tell you most of the time it works.

Also, it is a good idea to do a bit of research before getting out there pounding the pavement. Ask your neighbors and any other friends or business acquaintances, what they are being charged, then you will have a better idea of what to charge. The worst thing you can do is to undercharge, if you do you will never make enough money to grow your business, you will get disenchanted and probably quit. Also, do not charge a customer by the hour and at the rate your last boss paid you, you have a business now and overhead to think of, charge by the job and be competitive price wise, but better than the rest when it comes to service. You can even be more expensive than the rest, if you are the best in town.

If you are not that experienced, get out there and practice, get familiar with your equipment. The hardest thing for my new workers to perfect was the art of grass trimming, to get a smooth flat surface with a string trimmer, you need to practice holding it level. The best way I could describe to them what the finished area should look like was to "try and make the grass look like the mower did it in that small area, smooth and flat".  One huge piece of advice, be careful with the trimmer around shrubs and trees, if you "girdle" the plant, that is, scrape the outer bark layer off, it will die.  

So you don't know much about plants, grass and trees, do some research, learn as much as you can. The more you know, the more your customer's will respect your opinion and your recommendations. If you live in the Southwest, my suggestion for a good book on plants: The Sunset Western Garden Book, a reliable source of information, growth patterns, diseases and deficiencies and the best shrubs and trees for your climate.

Future posts

There are tricks I have learned over the years that I will share in upcoming posts, subjects include:

• landscaping - how to
• maintenance - how to
• irrigation - installation, repair and maintenance
• contractors irrigation license
• using and repairing your equipment yourself
• equipment brands we found to be the best
• fertilizer - what to use and application techniques
• pruning shrubs and trees
• planting techniques
• choosing plants for certain areas
• weed control
• annuals and perennials
• problems and answers
• employees
• customer relations
• and many many more subjects

Please check back soon for more tips. If you would like to have a certain topic covered, please leave a comment to that effect.

Good work ethic

If you will be persistent in looking for jobs and work hard once you get them, you will have lots of customers and make a nice income. You will be working for yourself, be your own boss and have the freedoms that come with that position. The best advice I can give you is, give your customers great service and treat your employees well and you will go far!

Weedeaters and String Trimmers - Choosing and Repairing