Landscape maintenance contractors are constantly looking for the best, most efficient methods and equipment for getting customers’ turf manicured and looking professional. And more often, contractors are seeing riding equipment as the answer to maximizing productivity.
Manufacturers have tried to answer the demand from the commercial market for more riding mower options by making a variety of new machines available, especially in the mid-size category. Better, more reliable technology and produc-tivity advantages have given contractors more reason to look at spending the extra dollars on riding mowers.
“It tends to go in cycles for what types of mowers are in and out,” noted Rodney Bailey, president of Evergreen Services Corp., Bellevue, Wash. “It used to be that the largest machines were considered the best. Then, eight or 10 years ago, the industry moved to walk-behinds.
“In our area,” he continued, “the landscapes we service are smaller, and we only really use riders for our largest sites. Now, we’re moving again toward using more riders. With the advancements in hydrostatic transmission and zero-turn radius, they are more maneuverable and productive than they used to be.”
BUYER’S CHOICE. Contractors are most interest-ed in the maneuverability and speed of cut that zero-turn, out-front mowers provide, according to Bruce Cantrell, general manager of Cantrell Turf Equipment, a Huntington Beach, Calif. distributor of commercial equipment. The ability to catch grass is also a major consideration for California landscapers, despite legislation that is keeping organic waste out of landfills.
“Mulching is gaining in popularity, but not even 50 percent of the units we sell are discharging units,” said Cantrell. “You just can’t throw the clippings off to the side. It’s not acceptable to the customers.”
He noted that mid-mount riders are picking up sales steam, but added that their use is “about 10 years behind the East Coast.”
In general, the mid-size units are getting the most attention. “The market needs quality mid-size units, and today users get the size they need with more quality built in, rather than having to buy a unit that is too big and learning to deal with it,” explained Cantrell.
Speed is also an important issue, but Cantrell said it’s not something he uses to sell the units. “There’s only so fast you can mow to maintain a high quality cut — maneuverability and visibility around obstacles are the critical issues,” noted Cantrell.
Despite Cantrell’s comments, Bill Stantial, sales manager of consumer and turf products with EDM Distributors, Agawam, Mass., a distributor of commercial equipment, said the trend toward mid-size riders is just now starting to take off.
“The manufacturers have told us that the bulk of the walk-behind sales are in the Northeast, while the riders are predominant in the Midwest and South,” said Stantial. “We are starting to see now that there’s tremendous growth potential for our company in the riding lawn mower market.
“Our dealers would not have considered putting riding mowers in their showrooms a few years ago, but their attitudes are starting to change,” explained Stantial. “We had two rider lines out last year and the sales numbers were very good.”
Like Cantrell, Stantial said that the units they sell must catch grass. Contractors are telling his dealers that higher productivity and overall labor savings are driving the increased interest in riders.
Deck Dilemma |
Scott Schick, project engineer with Shivvers Manufacturing, Corydon, Iowa, maker of both types of mowers, said that both designs have their ups and downs. “With out-front mowers, a lot of people have the perception that the deck positions allows for better visibility of what is being cut,” Schick explained. “Some users also feel that it’s easier to trim under objects such as fences because the deck extends forward.” Schick also noted that people tend to perceive the out-front deck as a more commercial “looking” machine, although it’s not really true. Front-mounts that allow the deck to be lifted can be easier to maintain when changing blades, but this feature is not available on every front-mount design, said Schick. As far as mid-mounts, Schick said there is a greater perception of stability for many operators, because the operator is seated in the center of the unit. “Either type of unit can be designed for good handling. It’s just a matter of how the unit is built around the design.” A real advantage of the mid-mount is inherent compactness that can allow more units to be transported on trailers than front-mount units. Mark Meagher, advertising manager with Dixie Chopper, Coatsville, Ind., also noted that the mid-mount turns more compactly, allowing for mowing in tighter places. Of course, the best way to determine what’s best for your company is to get your operators using demo models in the field and compare your needs to each unit’s specifications. |
FROM THE FIELD. Clearly, the biggest advantage that contractors see in the riding mower option is in the labor savings. First, the productivity of the riding mower reduces the number of crew members needed to complete a job. Second, labor costs are always the highest in the long run in the landscape maintenance business.
“Labor costs are the highest costs,” agreed Dennis Dautel, chief executive officer with Clean Cut Inc., Austin, Texas. “Anytime you can afford to buy equipment, you should buy it.”
“Usually, a piece of equipment is the least expensive thing on a job,” concurred Ron Kujawa, president of Kujawa Enterprises, Cudahy, Wis. “When you amortize it over a three- or four-year period and compare the hourly cost to human labor, you’re going to be way ahead. Even if the difference between the rider and the walk-behind is $2,000, if you make it up by having an extra person at $8 an hour, that’s not a lot of hours before it equals out.”
Dautel also pointed out that riders are an employee benefit. “Any time we can get employees off their feet, we get an employee that will stay with us longer,” he said. “With a walk-behind, you could end up walking 10 miles a day, and that can be stressful.”
“Over a period of time, the fatigue factor becomes a issue,” agreed Kujawa. “You start to drain the productivity of a person. With a rider, you are able to maintain that level of productivity.”
Dautel looked at the possibility of using a walk-behind with a sulky, but he felt difficulty in maneuvering around obstacles in office parks made this option less attractive.
Clean Cut crews carry one mid-size front-mount rider with two decks, usually a 36- inch deck and a 60- or 70-inch deck for certain properties. This is teamed with a pair of 36-inch walk-behinds. Customers demand a high quality look, so each unit has the ability to bag.
Kurt Kluznik, president of Yardmaster Inc., Painesville, Ohio, is adding more riding units to his crew’s fleet, specifically the zero-turn variety. “About half of our crews have one riding machine, and we are evolving toward using more riders,” noted Kluznik. “We are finding more and more that zero-turns are versatile machines. We used them on and off for years since they were introduced, but for the last two years we’ve been looking at them again.”
“Primarily, it’s the speed and productivity issues,” he added. “The zero-turn has outperformed the walk-behinds in time studies we have done.”
Kluznik said that his analysis of equipment related structure, turf and landscape damage showed that workers were less likely to cause damage when riding on the zero-turn units. They have also proven to be more durable than earlier mid-size units, he noted.
Groundmasters Inc., Cincinnati, Ohio, maintains a wide variety of properties, although about three-fourths of the company’s business is in office parks and industrial sites. On each property, president Mike Rorie looks to use the largest possible mowing machine that makes sense. Presently, Groundmasters’ mowing mix includes 12 tractors varying from a 72-inch to a 10-foot cut, 24 trim mowers and 12 walk-behinds. Rorie now wants to convert some walk-behind units to riders to add productivity.
“One benefit is less fatigue for the worker and more enjoyment in what they are doing,” explained Rorie. “But the other benefit, especially on the bigger properties, is the reduction in labor compensation. I’d rather owe the bank for new equipment than the payroll every Friday.
“The objectives with purchasing riders,” he continued, “are operator comfort, safety and speed. When we demo equipment, we look closely at safety and comfort, then how fast the task can be completed. The operator needs to be physically comfortable and safe.”
Rorie is most strongly interested in small to mid-size units. “Unfortunately, we’re coming at this from a reactive rather than a pro-active stance. But we’ve seen the units at trade shows, and there are some slick models available. If the units do a high quality job and the operators are more productive, it’s cheap money for us to spend. We always keep our checkbooks open for these opportunities.”
Dan Standley, president of Dan’s Landscape and Lawn Care, Terrytown, La., has relied mainly on mid-mount riders because of speed and operator productivity. His crews usually carry one 50- to 60-inch rider, a 36-inch walk-behind and one or two smaller push models.
“We’ll use the walk-behinds and push mowers to get through gates and other tight areas,” Standley explained. “About 90 percent of our business is commercial shopping centers, apartment buildings and office complexes, and this is the mix of mowers that works best for us.
“If I could, I would use all zero-turn rid-ers, because they eliminate most of the trimming and do a good job in open fields as well,” he continued. “The walk-behinds get to tight areas, and they can be used in areas where the turf is very wet and a larger mower could cause damage.”
The fatigue consideration is especially important to Standley because of the structure of his work week. “Our employees work four days a week, 10 hours a day,” he explained. “Ten hours is a long time to be out, especially in the heat down here in Louisiana. Our employees can get a lot more work done with much less fatigue.”
Finally, the labor savings have been a big benefit for Standley’s company. A timing test he did eight years ago revealed that one man on a zero-turn rider could complete a test task about three times faster than two men using walk-behinds. Not only does that add to the bottom line, but it gives the company a competitive edge when bidding for work, Standley noted.
The author is Managing Editor of Lawn & Landscape magazine.
![February 1997](/FileUploads/Image/1997-02.gif)
Explore the February 1997 Issue
Check out more from this issue and find your next story to read.
Latest from Lawn & Landscape
- LOVING to host tour during NALP ELEVATE 2024
- RedMax launches new backpack blowers
- LandCare’s LEAF scholarship program announces 18 recipients
- What you might've missed this week
- Discover the Future: Sunseeker's Latest Innovations at Equip EXPO, Oct.15-18
- Man in the mirror
- AMGUARD promotes Clark
- Intel from the capital