Deciding what to buy

Johnathan Roberts, co-owner of Elite Lawn Care in Hartwell, Ga., started the business with his brother just three years ago.

With only three mowers in its fleet, Elite Lawn Care is still growing, and Roberts says deciding what type of mower, and what brand of engine, was a serious selection to make early on.

“It was a hard decision and we talked a long time when we were buying our very first mower,” he says. “We talked to people who had landscape companies and with some dealers.”

Roberts says finding a dealer they could rely on made the purchasing process easier, and he’s kept up that relationship in the meantime.

“We have a really good relationship with our dealer,” he says. “That relationship for us is extremely important. They can get our equipment fixed fast.”

Derek Taussig, owner of Taussig Landscape in Manhattan, Kan., and Stefan Shoemaker, owner of Shoemaker Brothers Landscape, in White Hall, Md., also sing the praises of working with a reputable dealer.

“The main thing for us is dealer support,” Taussig says. “Before brand, it’s whatever dealer will give us the best support.”

Shoemaker adds that building a good relationship with a dealer is beneficial because that person gets to know you and your specific needs.

“We deal with one exclusive dealer,” he says. “The dealer gets to know you. They know what you have in your fleet. They recognize your face and have your cell phone number, so the communication is there. And the dealer we have finances, so that’s really nice.”

Shoemaker says he likes dealing with a real person as opposed to shopping online.

“When your online, you don’t really get recommendations,” he says. “You’ve got reviews, but with a salesman you can tell them your specific need for a specific machine on a specific site and they’ll tell you what will work. You just can’t get that kind of feedback online.”

Shoemaker admits he’s willing to pay more in order to get a dealer’s input.

“There’s a slight premium you pay going to a dealer as opposed to shopping online, but we think there’s a value in it,” he says. “We’ve been buying from the same salesman for three years. He’s great and we like to give him our business.”

But for some landscapers, making a short drive to a dealership, or even a big box hardware store, is no easy task. That’s the case for Jody Madewell, president and owner of Yards by Jody in Overton, Nev.

“Where we live, we don’t have a dealer in our town,” Madewell says. “I have to travel a couple hours away to even look at mowers. We live about 75 miles from Las Vegas. Our little town doesn’t even have a stoplight. It’s very limited what I can get here.”

Madewell purchases his engines, and sometimes even mowers themselves, online.

“I ordered our last mower online and had it shipped to me,” he says. “I knew what I wanted and had a set budget I wanted to spend. It came in right at what I was wanting to spend. I went on eBay and they had the exact same mower I was looking for and some company had purchased it and was selling it where the money went to a charitable organization. So, I felt good about that purchase. My money was going to a good cause.”

Before Madewell makes an online purchase, he does plenty of research and reads the reviews for engines of all brands and sizes.

“Basically, the main thing for me – is it going to last,” he says. “We live in harsh conditions where it gets to 120 or 125 degrees. We look for something that’ll survive these hard conditions and last for a while.”

Madewell says he needs plenty of power. And power means more horsepower.

“I like anything above 22 horses,” he says. “Even though it’s a desert climate here, we do have fields they’ve got to handle. Anything that’s 22 Hp or above seems to work better for us.”

Roberts says his optimal horsepower range is also between 22-24 Hp, while Shoemaker says more can be done with less, too.

“I’d say anywhere from 12 to 15 and up to 24 horsepower is probably what you need,” he says.

Taussig says the size of engine, and horsepower requirements, depend on the size of the mower.

“We utilize a variety of sizes because the size of the engine depends on the size of the mower,” he says.

Taussig notes electronic fuel injection (EFI) is equally important.

“We prefer EFI if it’s available for that machine,” he says “EFIs just seem to be more reliable and more economical with fuel. The EFI problems also seem a lot easier to sort out than the carburetor problems.”

Shoemaker makes sure to buy EFI engines because he says they are more reliable in Maryland’s colder months.

“We noticed better fuel economy and consist power with no adjustments really,” he says. “Carburetion is not really something we want to mess with anymore. We use our mowers from spring to winter with leaf removal in the fall, and on colder days carburetors are harder to start, so fuel-injection just makes sense.”

Roberts doesn’t have any EFI engines in his fleet.

“We know we can depend on the engine to be a good one. We haven’t really considered it yet,” he says.

Madewell adds he’s not ready for the financial commitment just yet.

“It costs a little more, and I always tend to spend a little less because we wear them out,” he says.