Essential Landscaping Equipment For Your Business

Are you the owner of a landscaping business that’s new to the field? First off, congratulations! You probably have a lot on your plate right now with the ins and outs of launching a new business. But one of the most important things you’ll need to do is ensure that you have the right landscaping equipment for the work you need to do. Otherwise, you won’t be able to satisfy your clients’ lawn-care needs!

Johnson Fleet and Farm, with locations in Yulee and Fernandina Beach, FL, and Homerville, GA, is your local landscaping equipment dealer. Here are some of the hand tools and power equipment that we consider to be essential to any landscaping business.

Hand Tools

Certainly, much of your work is likely done with power equipment, but you’ll also need some hand tools for detail work that you just can’t do with a big, bulky machine. Some hand tools you’ll want to invest in may include a hand cultivator, a Japanese gardening knife, a hand rake, a few pairs of secateurs and a trowel. Select hand tools with long, wooden or coated-metal handles that are D-shaped to ease wrist pain. Seamless construction is best. 

When holding a hand tool at the store to see if it’s the right one for you, try doing the motions of the job you’d do with it (digging with a trowel, for example) to determine whether the tool feels natural and not too heavy.

Long-Handled Tools

You’ll also need a selection of tools with long handles for digging holes, raking leaves and transplanting flowers. To that end, you’ll want to buy a good-quality shovel, a rake, a dutch hoe, pruners, lawn shears, a garden fork and a transplant spade. Select tools that feel natural in your hands. Opt for higher-quality materials that will last longer, like fiberglass or high-quality wood handles and stainless-steel spades and forks. Sharpening your tools, applying oil to them and keeping them clean and free of debris between uses will help to prolong your tools’ lifespan.

Power Tools

Now it’s time to look into power tools! This is the exciting part. These machines may not get as much use as your hand tools, but they will certainly save you effort and time when you do put them to work. Power tools should not be a place where you skimp on cost; you want high-quality machines that will last a long time and give you the professional results that you and your client are after.

Avoid buying power tools that have a lot of accessories that you won’t use; this just drives up the cost and makes the tool heavier and harder to maintain. Stick to what you really need. Try to go with a nationally established brand that lets you readily source parts when you need to make replacements. If you opt for electric tools, find models that use the same type of battery so you can reduce the amount of extra batteries you need to carry. And finally, make sure you fully understand what the price of the whole machine is and what’s included in that price so you can stick to your budget.

The landscaping power tools you’ll need for your business are a lawn mower, a grass trimmer, a leaf blower, a tiller, an aerator, a chainsaw, an edger and a hedge trimmer. Choose machines that are easy to hold over a long period of time without getting tired. 

Accessories

Finally, there are a few accessories you’ll want to purchase for yourself and your crew of workers to keep them safe while using all of the equipment mentioned above. 

• Sturdy gardening gloves (synthetic for general maintenance, latex-coated for wet soil work and leather for heavy-duty tasks) that fit well are needed for everyone. 
• Several buckets will come in handy for hauling water, debris and loose materials around.
• Step ladders and full-sized ladders will help you do work up on tall trees; you can get a set of Japanese tripod ladders that are made from a light aluminum that won’t damage grass.
• A wheelbarrow with a single wheel at the front and a lightweight but durable plastic bucket will help you haul dirt around the site.
• Eye and ear protection is needed to keep you and your workers safe; N-95 masks are recommended for use when doing work that involves a lot of particulates, like sawing wood.
• A garden hose with crush-resistant brass couplings and a mesh layer to avoid kinking will let you water plants and lawns. Go for a length of 100 feet for best results.

We hope this guide helps you to get your landscaping business underway! Need to look at some tools? Browse our website to view our wide selection of new and used landscaping equipment for sale. Johnson Fleet and Farm proudly serves the cities of Jacksonville and St. Augustine, FL.