Landscape Management, April 2018

profit centers Mowing Landscape Maintenance LANDSCAPEMANAGEMENT NET April 2018 20 Photo zePPas landscaPing service Zeppas crews The company started using them about six years ago after seeing them in use by other contractors Zeppa says velkes save his crews at least five hours per week because his operators are able to mow much faster An operator can walk behind the mower at speed four but once they put a velke on he can go up to speed five and its no problem Zeppa says For contractors looking to invest in aftermarket mower products Zeppa says not to nitpick on price Many of these products such as the chute blockers which cost around 300 can make a huge difference to operators who are in the field day in and day out It doesnt seem like a big deal to you as the owner of the company but to the guys in the field it makes a massive difference Zeppa says They appreciate it more than anyone AdApting to chAnge Walker Rose owner of Local Lawn in Louisville Ky also uses several aftermarket mower products to increase efficiency and make life easier for his crews When the company began serving commercial properties last year Roses crews started encountering a lot more trash and debris that needed to be picked up His guys would put as much trash as they could in their pockets and then toss it into the back of the truck when they were finished with the job But Rose says the debris tended to fly out of the truck which is not the appearance he wants his company to have Rose discovered the Groundskeeper a small mesh bag with two clips that attaches to the mowers handle and costs around 20 and he purchased one for each of his mowers Local Lawn is a 250000 company that provides 80 percent maintenance and 20 percent design build services to a 75 percent residential 25 percent commercial clientele Prior to last year we didnt have any commercial properties but with these new clients comes trash Rose says The trash bags dont necessarily save us a ton of time but the guys are more likely to pick up the trash they see and it makes our clients happier Like Zeppa Rose also uses chute blockers to save time and manpower Rose began using them about four years ago and has one on each of his three mowers He estimates that the products save his crews at least five minutes per yard or about an hour a day The discharge chutes by and large save us a ton of time cleaning up grass clippings and blowing out beds Rose says These are our biggest time saver especially for how little they cost Rose first saw the products on You Tube and has since tried out different types and brands to find the best most durable product He started with an electric version but found he was replacing the motors several times a year Rose is now using a manually operated chute which he says has been the best bet so far in terms of durability For contractors looking to invest in aftermarket mower products Rose suggests seeking advice from a reputable dealer to make sure they are making a sound investment A good dealer will give good advice on what to use and what not to use Rose says That can save you from buying a product trying it out and realizing its not really that great Being creAtive Jonathan Pensak owner of TLK Landscaping in Baltimore tried out the JRCO Leaf Blade Plow for the first time last season in hopes that it would help move large leaf piles more efficiently Pensak knows other contractors who have used similar plows and he also researched the product online before purchasing one TLK Landscaping a 250000 company provides 80 percent maintenance and 20 percent design build services to a 90 percent residential 10 percent commercial clientele We used to use a walk behind mower to move the leaf piles and depending on the weather the mower would push the pile and then start to drive over it Pensak says If we have big piles we need to move the plow comes in handy and allows us to use the power of the machine Pensak has found the plow is not a perfect solution his operators have to get off the machine to put the plow down get off the machine again to drop the pile and then get off one more time to lift the plow back in place Its not something they will use on every property and its most helpful only when leaves are falling But for less than 500 Pensak says it was a worthwhile investment that he will continue to use and experiment with Though he was initially hesitant to invest in new equipment Pensak says contractors should be open to how different products can help them improve operations He suggests they identify their primary tasks and figure out how to do them as efficiently as possible There are lots of cool gadgets and equipment out there that depending on the services youre providing can help with efficiency and make life easier Pensak says Look at whats out there and try to be creative Schappacher is a freelance writer based in Cleveland Continued from page 18 Jonathan pensak walker Rose added Speed the velke attachment converts walk behind mowers into stand on mowers allowing the operator to increase his speed