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View Full Version : Lawnmowing equiptment needed to start a business



big_ed92
27-05-2009, 07:28 PM
hi all im soon thinking of starting my own landscape mowing business and just wondering what gear i need to get started with this is what i allready have:

-1986 toyota landcruiser wagon
-8x5 trailor with cage
-4 inch petrol mulcher
-oleo mac chainsaw
-bluebird lawn dethatcher
-4 stroke 20 inch rally 3.5hp B&S engine
-old victa 18 inch 2 stroke slasher
-honda umk425 brushcutter
-spades rakes wheelbarow ect

is there anything else that i would need???


thanks ed

Abeni Gardens
27-05-2009, 07:35 PM
definitely need a blower.

Stripes
27-05-2009, 07:37 PM
hi all im soon thinking of starting my own landscape mowing business and just wondering what gear i need to get started with this is what i allready have:

-1986 toyota landcruiser wagon
-8x5 trailor with cage
-4 inch petrol mulcher
-oleo mac chainsaw
-bluebird lawn dethatcher
-4 stroke 20 inch rally 3.5hp B&S engine
-old victa 18 inch 2 stroke slasher
-honda umk425 brushcutter
-spades rakes wheelbarow ect

is there anything else that i would need???


thanks ed

You would need a blower as well. The best are Echo for around $450 or so. Apart from the blower you should be able to get started with the equipment you have. You can upgrade and add more equipment as you go along.

Good luck with it.

big_ed92
27-05-2009, 07:39 PM
ok would it be better to buy a blower vac or just a blower i have herd that vacs arnt to good because they take too long to suck up leaves and block often what are your ideas on this

Abeni Gardens
27-05-2009, 07:43 PM
Blower vacs are hopeless.. I've found echo blowers the best, loudest but best. I have a victor vacuum that cost about $1250 works well but it too is extremely loud.

Stripes
27-05-2009, 07:44 PM
ok would it be better to buy a blower vac or just a blower i have herd that vacs arnt to good because they take too long to suck up leaves and block often what are your ideas on this

I don't rate the vacs. I bought one and used it maybe three times before discarding it. In certain situations like little courtyards with nowhere to blow things they may be handy, but you won't use it many times. If you can afford it, buy a backpack blower. They cost more, but will save you stacks of time and pay for themselves quickly, especially if you have to do carparks or other large areas like Tennis courts etc.

DavidS
27-05-2009, 07:49 PM
If you intend to do lots of hedging, then I recommend you get a blower vac as it just makes life so much easier, especially if you get places with gravel mulches. Echo PB2155 with vac kit from the Indy shop

big_ed92
27-05-2009, 07:53 PM
thank you so much for your advice also one more thing i was thinking of buying a newer lawnmower to add to my business aswell, something a little newer with better fetures like ball bearing wheels ohv valve i had a look round bunnings and took a look at some mowers and saw that there isnt realy a lot of diffrence between them specialy under the $500 mark but i found one that caught my eye one of the cheapest and had the best fetures for that price $300 in bunning but i can get it for $220 in my local mower shop it is the scott bonnar sx400 have you got any advice on mowers ect

heres the link to it

http://www.oztion.com.au/vshops/item.aspx?itemid=5792230&tid=

Abeni Gardens
27-05-2009, 08:00 PM
No offense, but that is just a toy. Prob wouldn't last more than a few weeks in the field full time. Must spend a bit more $$ to get something reliable eg Honda. If you intend going semi full/full time that is.

big_ed92
27-05-2009, 08:02 PM
no offence taken thats why im asking what other people opinion of it is who work day in day out in the industy

ian
27-05-2009, 08:11 PM
for starting out i would go for either the honda 196d or 197d the d is for dual and comes with 4 blades and the mulching plug the 196 has the heavier duty and longer lasting motor but weights and costs slightly than the 197 do not touch the honda 19r as the r is for residential

big_ed92
27-05-2009, 08:38 PM
also any links or advice on how to charge the right amont for services done i would call some contractors and ask them to quote my yard but i dont feel good asking the for quotes wasteing there time comeing over haveing a look even though i am not going to hire them so any advice on how much i should charge i metro melb??

Fred's mowing
27-05-2009, 08:48 PM
Re the blowers, we dont usually go for the cheap stuff but.......... try the pope blower from Big W, its a copy of the shindawa & we are very happy with the performance & longevity, at the moment it has proved a winner for us. We experiment from time to time with the cheaper stuff when we are frustrated with the mower shops who tell us our brand name products are not worth repairing :dean: .
When the mowing shop wants to charge you $100 for a pull start & you can buy the whole chinese copy for less than that :dean: ;dealers; :dean: , but thats a whole new thread.
Sorry for the hijack.
Cheers Dean.
Ps the pope blower costs $98 :)

big_ed92
27-05-2009, 08:50 PM
might pop down to big w tomorow morning and have a look :)

Fred's mowing
27-05-2009, 08:55 PM
Pps, the backpack blowers r a great piece of kit but only if your doing alot of blowing in one hit. The hand held ones r more covienient for smaller jobs & 2 hand held ones will give u the power of a backpack with more versatility, if u can handle them ;) .
Cheers Dean.

tree beard
27-05-2009, 10:38 PM
big ed

Hi

Id suggest that you have a read of the bush ranger thread. It not as expensive as the Honda's or other commercial models is as tough as nails has a big engine and 4 blades. great starting point. the cheaper models from bunnings will break your heat at the worst possible time with the most work on...its a false economy

Blowers are a must and any of the top brands should serve you well until you develop an irrational brand loyalty.

With the Vac most of the small ones and attachment are rubbish. you really need to send about 2500 to get a decent one, lot of money but no going back if you can stretch that far.

big_ed92
28-05-2009, 01:49 PM
Re the blowers, we dont usually go for the cheap stuff but.......... try the pope blower from Big W, its a copy of the shindawa & we are very happy with the performance & longevity, at the moment it has proved a winner for us. We experiment from time to time with the cheaper stuff when we are frustrated with the mower shops who tell us our brand name products are not worth repairing :dean: .
When the mowing shop wants to charge you $100 for a pull start & you can buy the whole chinese copy for less than that :dean: ;dealers; :dean: , but thats a whole new thread.
Sorry for the hijack.
Cheers Dean.
Ps the pope blower costs $98 :)

had a look today at it and im going to buy it looks good as you said its a copy very similar i would say there the same just under different names the shop didnt have one in a box so im going to go down the road and by it from the other big w later this arvo

danz
28-05-2009, 04:20 PM
Welcome newcomer you'll find i tend to get abit carried away and blab on abit :ebony: lol, anyway if ya starting out i wouldnt worry about about a vac blower as there ****, unless you spend a fortune on a very good top quality one which i dont believe you'd need yet,, mower um i'd listen to fellas above about maybe a honda 196d 197d or a bushranger, i use a honda but havent used a bushy yet but ive heard good things, Remember you dont really want something with mini like catcher as it will start to piss you off emptying it every five mins and you really want the option to mulch in my opinion, but if you cant afford stuff yet just start out with what you have and take pride in your work and be neat, i have a whipper snipper like yours and its great, i do have the bigger model but that really only comes out in clean up or really long stuff, anyway good luck and remember we all have to start out somewhere, god i started out with a Mtd multi cutter and mtd self propelled mower and broom ,rake shovel, hand headge trimmers, thats about it, the mtd stuff i were always kindve fixing myself to get buy cause the multi cutter was very reliable and the mower diff went like four times in a year lol, so think wisely as its your money knowone elses, cheers

Stu3095
28-05-2009, 07:47 PM
no offence taken thats why im asking what other people opinion of it is who work day in day out in the industy
I agree, the Honda blowers are fantastic, well worth the money. Also if you are thinking about getting a mower the Honda 197D is a good unit.

big_ed92
28-05-2009, 08:13 PM
i think i might take some time to find the right mower for me some of the hondas handels are a little bit low there not that bad but i would prefer the handels a little bit higher for me as im 195cm tall 6'5 in the old so im still keeping an eye out just for the right one

DavidS
28-05-2009, 08:37 PM
Have a look at the Rover 560, it has a long handle and adjustable tilt

danz
28-05-2009, 09:27 PM
geez 6'5 bud you should be playing basketball, im 6'1 and the hondas i had a feel of in shops felt abit low anyway i got one later on and yeah get used of used of and dont even notice,, maybe if you have a word to a honda dealer they can work something out with a handle,

Glenofcarwoola
29-05-2009, 11:10 PM
Don't know where you want your business to be heading but I found that a decent petrol hedge trimmer can make you many friends. When I first started out I was surprised at how shocked/pleased customers were when I could shape their hedges before they could set up the power cord and electric hedge trimmer they were used to. I only use a Husky pole hedge trimmer and after 2 years doing peoples gardens I keep telling myself that I need to buy a regular sized one, but find I can do most hedging/shaping jobs with the Husky (I do carry a cheap electric one for diosma as it seems to give a better cut).

The other piece of equipment that you will find invaluable is a good ladder, I carry around a 2.4M double sided baileys that I find to be very stable and a 6.5M extendable ladder for the tall stuff.

I do agree that a blower is essential, but IMHO buy a cheap one if funds are tight until you can afford a decent one.

Can I ask what type of mulcher you have as 4" is quite large and I am interested what you use it for and how effective it is?

m287j
30-05-2009, 12:56 PM
Re the blowers, we dont usually go for the cheap stuff but.......... try the pope blower from Big W, its a copy of the shindawa & we are very happy with the performance & longevity, at the moment it has proved a winner for us. We experiment from time to time with the cheaper stuff when we are frustrated with the mower shops who tell us our brand name products are not worth repairing :dean: .
When the mowing shop wants to charge you $100 for a pull start & you can buy the whole chinese copy for less than that :dean: ;dealers; :dean: , but thats a whole new thread.
Sorry for the hijack.
Cheers Dean.
Ps the pope blower costs $98 :)


I was speaking to the guys at my local GYC shop on Thursday as i also own a Pope blower as a back-up. More to the point i did, it died after 6 months as a back-up blower.

Anyway, according to the guys at GYC Pope is actually a cheaper company owned by Toro, similar to Sabre and John Deere, the cheap version of them. According to him Pope blowers have nothing to do with Shindy or parts from them.

administrator
30-05-2009, 02:16 PM
Just a tip the pope blower filter fits the shindy blower

m287j
30-05-2009, 09:56 PM
Just a tip the pope blower filter fits the shindy blower

Yeah i know, so do several others like Sanli and other Chinese imports. Apparantly Sanli is owned by Tanaka according to the same guy, another cheaper version product range.

big_ed92
30-05-2009, 10:40 PM
Don't know where you want your business to be heading but I found that a decent petrol hedge trimmer can make you many friends. When I first started out I was surprised at how shocked/pleased customers were when I could shape their hedges before they could set up the power cord and electric hedge trimmer they were used to. I only use a Husky pole hedge trimmer and after 2 years doing peoples gardens I keep telling myself that I need to buy a regular sized one, but find I can do most hedging/shaping jobs with the Husky (I do carry a cheap electric one for diosma as it seems to give a better cut).

The other piece of equipment that you will find invaluable is a good ladder, I carry around a 2.4M double sided baileys that I find to be very stable and a 6.5M extendable ladder for the tall stuff.

I do agree that a blower is essential, but IMHO buy a cheap one if funds are tight until you can afford a decent one.

Can I ask what type of mulcher you have as 4" is quite large and I am interested what you use it for and how effective it is?

its quite a good mulcher eats everything i through in it!!!
its a copy of the hansa mulchers its 13hp and ahs 2 blades and it works realy well i will get some photos up tomorow for all you guys to see