Tools of the Trade: Powered to Please

Watching the economy freefall into recession, some might think green industry entrepreneurs are desperately searching for business.

Not Tom Rankin.

With 450 customers, the owner of Hartville, Ohio-based Rankin Lawn Care already has a solid client base. Today, he’s simply concerned with finding value.

“Financially, I got my butt kicked this past year,” Rankin says. “Fertilizer prices tripled, which hurt us pretty bad. And the year before that it was gas prices.”

With help from only a handful of workers, Rankin, who has owned and operated his Hartville Lawn Care service for 18 years, still pulls in more than $600,000 annual revenue. But to maintain a large customer base and high degree of success, Rankin needs all the cost-effective, reliable help he can get. 

That’s why, since 1997, Rankin says he has been purchasing C&S spreaders.

“Before I had the C&S Turf Tracker, I was pushing a spreader with old-fashioned elbow grease,” Rankin explains. “Then I saw the guys from TruGreen Lawn Care using a Turf Tracker and thought, ‘Man, I have to get one of those.’ It is a fertilizer hopper that you can just drive around the yard.”

After his initial Turf Tracker purchase, Rankin, like other C&S equipment owners, quickly found his Turf Tracker saved him some 20 percent of valuable work time. The spreader traveled effortlessly across lawns, fertilizing at consistent, riding mower speeds. And although he says the Turf Tracker was a challenge on hills and could be difficult to maneuver through gates, Rankin says the machine’s reliability won him over.

“It was bulletproof,” he says.

With such positive C&S Turf Tracker experiences, Rankin again dialed the local North Canton-based spreader manufacturer when it came time to update his fertilizing fleet. He recently ordered four of C&S’s new Time Machine fertilizer spreaders – each capable of covering more than 4,200 square feet pet minute – and has continued performing regular lawn maintenance work.

However, Rankin is finding the Time Machine models aren’t performing exactly like his old Turf Tracker spreaders.

“The new equipment has the same spread width, but it’s superior on hills,” says Rankin, who is no longer forced to fertilize troublesome grades by hand. “It can fit through gates and it’s more user-friendly.”

Still, whereas old Turf Tracker engines were “bulletproof,” Rankin has found Time Machine engines aren’t holding up as well. He says some of the powerplants on his Time Machine spreaders are beginning to show signs of corrosion, and he’s had problems keeping the units tuned.

“I started using a brand new one in July and already had difficulty getting it started,” Rankin explains. “So to make sure we prolong the life of these Time Machines, we’re not going to use them on properties that are less than 50,000 square feet.”

Rankin also warns that both older and newer spreader models can tear up smaller lawns that have limited turning areas. However, he says most turf damage can be prevented by putting the machine in the hands of a professional – particularly one that has no problems leaving the spreader parked.

“Those machines can make people lazy,” Rankin laughs. “There’s no reason a 20-year-old kid can’t fertilize a one-acre lawn by hand. Overall though, the operating experience is excellent. Just for the sake of saving time and fatigue, the Time Machines are worth having around.”