Landscape Management, December 2015

They give the customers on the residential side a level of workmanship that you cant get from the zero turns he says Using walk behind mowers streamlined transportation Garrett says because the company can ft more mowers on each truck Plus many of the companys clients have lawns with hilly terrain and the walkbehind mowers help prevent sliding Some customers particularly those in retirement communities who are often home during the day appreciate seeing Commonwealths crews on their properties for an average of 40 minutes on each property compared to fve to 10 minutes with a zero turn mower Garrett also notes the health benefts of operating a walk behind each season We have had some employees come to management by midseason telling us how they have lost weight have more stamina and feel much better he says Erbert and Garrett agree their exclusive use of walk behind mowers is a selling point for their residential customers and say theyve gained clients who didnt like the larger mowers on their properties because they damaged the turf and the landscape Both companies market their use of walk behinds on their websites and other company collateral and view it as a differentiating factor that sets them apart from the competition Its part of our sales estimating tool when doing residential sales Garrett says adding that the company boasts a 99 percent annual customer retention rate People call us because theyve heard that we use small mowers It differentiates us from everyone else We taught our clients to want a small mower Buying walk Behind mowers When it comes to purchasing his walkbehind mowers Erbert says he first looks for a manufacturer that supports the contractor Next he looks for a trustworthy dealer Erbert who opts for Toro mowers replaces his machines yearly so he relies heavily on frst year warranties and requires a dealer who quickly fulflls his needs At the end of each season he sells his mowers back to the dealer receiving credit for his next purchase or to contractors looking for used equipment Your dealer is an integral piece of your business Its almost like an employee that works for you Erbert says I would pay more and drive farther for a better dealer Commonwealth uses each of its John Deere walk behind mowers for an average of three years so Garrett considers a mowers expected lifespan before purchasing With an in house maintenance department he looks for mowers that are user friendly and easy to maintain Garrett also looks for lightweight mowers with even weight distribution Many of our customers have irrigation systems and often have wet lawns he says You want a lighter walk behind so you dont cause as much turf damage Weight distribution was a big problem for us but most mower companies have fxed that issue Mower manufacturers are always looking for ways to improve their products and make life easier for the landscape contractor experts say For example Erbert observes mowers today have fewer parts that are easier to access and maintain which keeps them out of the shop and in the feld Knowing that time is definitely money for these business owners Honda places durability reliability and low cost of ownership at the top of the list for new design attributes says Alex Torre Honda Power Equipment manager of marketing and market research Kubota Tractor Corp recently introduced three commercial walk behind mowers with fabricated welded steel decks an electric PTO clutch and maintenance free spindles These features are a response to contractor requests for products that are durable and reliable says Tom Vachal Kubota senior product manager for turf equipment If our new walk behinds are versatile enough to professionally cut different grasses in various terrains and exceed the quality standards that the turf professional expects then were doing our job as a manufacturer Vachal says Additionally restrictions on disposing lawn debris have increased the demand for mowers that can mulch and shred More disposal restrictions have led to more demand for mulching mowers says Torre Commercial operators expect these restrictions to become even more stringent during the coming years so demand should continue to increase Erbert agrees Technology has come a long way in getting grass to mulch he says It just blows my mind how some of these mowers handle the volume Schappacher is a freelance writer based in Charlotte N C profit centers Mowing Landscape Maintenance PHOTO KubOTa TracTOr cOrP Continued from page 34 LANDSCAPEMANAGEMENT NET December 2015 36 alex torre Mike garrett Selling Point companies that use walk behind mowers exclusively include this message in their marketing campaigns to attract residential customers