Tools and equipment for setting up a new lawn care business.

Grass cutting equipment.

Rotary mower.

Walk behind self driven, with roller at back to give a stripe finish. This also helps control moss and thatch. An all wheeled version may also be required eventually if rougher work is required. A ride on will only be required if cutting much bigger areas.

Depending on budget, in order of preference and durability, Hayter 56, Honda HRX 426, Masport, Cobra. All available new, also on E bay and Amazon. You can find these when directed from the lawnsforyou. com website.

Check their own websites, facebook page Turfies, plus Mowers direct, machinery4golf, Amazon, or e bay.

Strimmer.

Do not get a cheap version, they don`t last. There are many good quality professional strimmers available that will last several years. The cowhandle operation is my preference, but many prefer the front handle verion. Ensure there is both a string and a blade attachment that comes with it. There are also some versions that come with various attachments such as hedge cutter, and chain saw, that are worth looking at. Electric options are now available, which do a great job if not working them too hard as that will deplete the battery very quickly. Well worth looking at though.

Other powered equipment.

Hedge cutter.

You will always be asked to do other jobs. Tree, hedge and shrub pruning the most common after weeding borders, so a hedge cutter is essential. There are plenty of choices, make sure it is a good quality petrol unit, certainly not electric. A long reach may be required eventually as well, so worth taking into account the strimmer options as above.

Flymo.

If there are any severe slopes on the lawns then a flymo is essential to give a good finish, without the danger of controlling a wheeled or roller driven mower. There are a number of options, but again professional standard petrol driven is essential. Four stroke is preferred as long as not used on very steep slopes for a prolonged period.

Scarifier with thatch removal and thatch control reels.

This needs to be a heavy duty professional quality unit as most lawns will require a lot of moss and thatch removal and control. The essential requirements are to ensure it is petrol, self drive, and powerful. Sisis rotorake is the number one make, with plenty available second hand on E bay and Machinery4golf. There are a lot more available, so as this will be probably the biggest expenditure, apart from transport, it is worth a lot of consideration.

Aeration machine.

Most lawns are too big to aerate by hand, so a machine is essential. The sisis autoturfman is recommended as it is very durable, and there are plenty available second hand. Both chisel tines and hollow core tines are required. There are very few others available, but worth a look on the same websites as above. See further down for hand options.

Turf cutter and rotovator.

These are expensive items that are far better to hire when needed, which is not very often for a small business.

Spraying.

You will be carrying out a lot of spraying, between fertiliser, weed killing, and iron applications. A good knapsack sprayer, with an optional three nozzle boom attachment, will be sufficient for most jobs. There are a large number on the market, but professional quality is essential. The 20 ltr Cooper Pegler is recognised as one of the best on the market, but have a good look at other availability. Different nozzles are available for spraying varying materials.

If using any total weed killer at any time, it is very much recommended that a second sprayer be used solely for that. A cheaper version can be used as it will not be used heavily.

If carrying out work on larger lawns it is worth looking at a walk behind battery powered sprayer. These have a three nozzle boom, and a hand lance as well. The Vitax Evenspray would be a recommended buy for this.

Hand tools.

A Paul fork for aeration by hand is essential. Steelmaster have these for under £50, very good value. Get both solid and hollow coring tines with it. A garden fork is also very useful for aerating, and cultivating.

A rotary fertiliser spreader is a requirement to give a good even coverage. Evenspread, Agrifab, and Earthway, are only three of the very wide market. For lawn use you should not need to spend more than £100 or so. Try Amazon through the lawnsforyou web site for a big selection at good prices.

Other hand tools.

Shovel, straight edge spade, edging iron, landscaper rake, garden rake, land level (TACIT or BMS), turf iron for lifting turf, edging shears, long measuring tape, scales, spring tine leaf rake, measuring jug, wheelbarrow, red and green fuel cans (red for two stroke mix), cultivator, branch loppers, pruning and anvil cut secateurs, and a long heavy duty serrated knife to cut turf when laying new lawns.

Van with tow bar and trailer.

A medium sized van will be ideal for most small lawn care businesses.  A small trailer for transporting materials, sand in particular, as delivery increases costs by large margins, may be required as you get busier.