Essential Tools for Lawn Care

Lawn Care Tools

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There are many tools associated with running a lawn care business. These include mowers and weed eaters, as well as rakes and leaf blowers. In this post I will outline all the tools needed to take care of a lawn year round.

Mower

A mower is necessary for cutting grass in the spring and summer. There are three kinds of mowers: gas, electric, and reel. Most people use gas mowers, and it is what is generally expected. However, you could offer electric or reel mowing as a special service.

Gas and electric mowers can have extra features, such as bagging or mulching. Bagging is when the blade shoots the grass into a bag attached to the back of the mower. Mulching is when the blade chops up the grass into the smaller pieces than regular cutting would. Mulching is helpful for mowers that spray the grass out to the side, because it reduces clumping and allows the nutrients in the cut grass to return to the ground.

Mowers also come in different sizes, which I discuss in this post.

Weed Eater

A weed eater is needed for almost all lawns to cut the grass in places the mower can't get to. A weed eater can also be used to edge the grass, although edgers, which I will discuss later, give a cleaner cut. There are two types of weed eaters: gas and electric. Electric weed eaters need to be plugged in, so if you use an electric one, make sure your customers have outdoor electrical outlets. Learn more about gas and electric weed eaters here.

Edger

I do not have much experience with edgers, seeing as my buddy just edges with his weed eater. However, Kelly Burke does. According to her website:

A power edger is like a string trimmer except with metal blades and a vertical cutting head, while a hand edger uses a stepping motion and a sharp half circle cutting edge. Edgers create dramatic cut lines where the lawn meets walkways and beds. Not an essential piece of equipment but some warm-season grasses tend to creep into adjacent areas if not frequently edged.

If you have the level of business and the money to invest, an edger could really improve the look of your customers' lawns. However, until then, I would stick with the weed eater.

Lawn Aerator

A lawn aerator is necessary for keeping grass healthy. It is basically a long metal tube that has a hole-making device at the end. This device is pushed into the lawn all over, making holes in the ground. The holes aerate the yard. My dad used to do this to our yard, but then it became too much of a pain and he stopped doing it. Our grass is still fine. However, I'm sure you could make some extra cash by offering it as a service to your customers.

Push-Type Spreader

Push-type spreaders are used to spread things like grass seeds and fertilizers on a lawn. Grass should be planted every other year or so, depending on the lawn. I've never tried doing this for my customers, but again, you could probably get some money for it.

Leaf Rake

Leaf rakes are useful tools for leaf removal from yards in the fall. I have found that a large plastic rake can be more efficient than a small electric blower. However, leaf rakes aren't just limited to leaves, but can be used to sweep up almost any other type of debris.

There are different types of rakes for different types of jobs. I prefer a large, plastic one for sweeping leaves off of a lawn. However, smaller, metal leaf rakes can be used effectively for getting leaves off the top of and from underneath bushes.

Blower

Blowers are useful for moving things like leaves and grass clippings. Small, electric weed eaters are usually more trouble than they're worth, but if you have an opportunity to obtain a gas backpack blower, get it. Although I've never used one myself, from what I've seen they make the job a good deal easier. When it comes to getting grass clippings off the sidewalk, I've found that running your lawn mower over the sidewalk to blow the clippings into the yard works pretty well.

Learn more about lawn care during the fall season here.

Wheel Barrow

When mulching a person's yard, a wheel barrow is a necessity. First, fill it with mulch using a shovel or a pitchfork. Then, push it to the place you want to cover with mulch. After that, lean the barrow over until all of the mulch is out. Then, it's time for the bow rake.

Bow Rake

A bow rake is the other necessary tool for mulching a customer's lawn. After you have placed the mulch in the place you want to spread it, push the mulch back and forth with the bow rake in the areas you want to be covered.

Conclusion

When performing lawn care, make sure you are prepared with the tools for the job. Be it mulching, mowing, or leaf raking, always know what you will need to accomplish your task.

Labels: Equipment