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Are You Ready?
This page is about getting your equipment ready.

This is the perfect time to be getting ready for the new season. Learn how to work on your equipment & save that money. Repair shops get as much repairing equipment as you do charging for lawn service. 

On this page are listed good ideas that could be applied for any time of the year. There is no such thing as being over prepared in this business. If you have to make excuses why you can't do the job now, you my friend are not doing your job to the best of your ability.

Snooze you loose. There are plenty of people out there ready to do your job & take it away from you. In most cases you can get more money doing the job on the spot than putting it off till later. It might save your account or help you get one more.

Some of you probably have a lot to do right now, snowplowing, spraying, landscaping, selling firewood & so forth. Others are wishing they had work because either they can't find work or  haven't planed far enough ahead to have work for this slow time in the year. There is plenty that can be done this time of the year.

I hear all the time I don't have much to do right now & it's very slow. I'm just waiting on some work everything including my equipment is ready. I just need some of those bids to come on in & maybe some of my customers will call me for some odd jobs. Lets see if I have forgotten anything? I can't cover everything but I will explain what I always thought was most important.

This is a good time when things are slow to familiarize yourself with your equipment. Its a great time to learn how to work on your equipment & perform your own regular maintenance. Learning how to do this can save you valuable down time & lots of times it could mean the difference between a extra $50 to a $100 dollars in one day. Hey I will opt for the extra money. You might not be able to do that last job of the day & it could cost you that account for life or get you one for life.

Pickup Truck  Its your most important piece of equipment besides your body!

What kind of shape is the mechanical part of it in. Ok say the truck runs fine & everything appears to be OK. I service my truck regularly or I have someone to do this for me. How are the brakes, when is the last time you checked both front & back shoes or pads. Its a lot easier to check the front than it is the back & the back is important too. They are border line but they should make it a little longer. Wrong if you're pulling a trailer, you put a lot of extra wear on the brakes, replace them now. Make sure they pack those front wheel bearings ask them too. You have the time now. you won't later.

Are the tires OK got any doubts replace them with good heavy duty tires while your at it get that front end aligned. Front end alignment is far cheaper than tires & it will make the tires last far longer, they also check your steering components also. Make sure you rotate those tires regular you're putting excessive wear on them pulling a trailer.

What does your truck look like appearance wise? You want it to look as good as new to keep that professional image up. Age doesn't matter its the looks that count. I hope you have signs on it that has your company name & phone # on there. That's the best money you will ever spend on advertising in your life, you can bet on it! 
For more Info Click Here: Trucks and trailers

By the way you do have a good spare tire & jack for your truck?

Equipment Trailer  The next most important piece of equipment!

Same as truck with the tires & brakes. You do have working brakes on your trailer its very important unless you don't care if you run in to somebody. People don't think about how hard it is to stop a truck & trailer pulling equipment. They will pull out in front of you & not think twice about it. That's a fact Jack, I'm sure if you have been pulling one any length of time you have already found this out the hard way. Yep those wheel bearings need to be packed too. What breaks down the most on utility trailers, I think it is in this order- flat tires, lights, wheel bearings & brakes at least it was with me.

What does your trailer look like appearance wise? You want it to look as good as new to keep that professional image up. If the trailer doesn't look like new go ahead & slap a coat of paint on it. Before you paint it check for broken welds, replace or repair the wood or metal in the flooring. Remember you said that you wish you had a eyebolt there to help tie down the equipment now is the time. Straighten or replace any bent or damaged metal. Also don't forget the tail gate or ramp. They take a real beating too.

You by now got the mechanical part in good shape. The wiring & lights hey does your blinkers blink real fast well all you need is a heavy duty flasher & that is taken care of. Replace any broken lenses it will save you a lot of light bulbs & tickets. Check your wire plug in for the lights & see that is OK.

You do have safety chains on your trailer, you do hook them up making a X so if trailer comes off of the ball or ball comes off the bumper or hitch the chains will hold it. I've never lost a trailer but I heard it is a frightening experience.

Check the hitch ball & make sure its tight. Keep the ball greased at all times & make sure when fastened it doesn't have to much play. There is a adjustment on most of the tongues on the bottom side. Make sure you have a good working lock on the ball hitch. It acts as a theft deterrent if you have to disconnect the trailer & leave it while your doing something else.
For more Info Click Here: Trucks and trailers

By the way you do have a good spare tire & jack for your trailer?


Power Equipment:  This is what you need to make the bucks that you dream of!

The mowers need to be gone over very closely if you have any doubts take them to a power equipment dealer. Make sure the decks, wheels-tires, wheel & deck adjusters, axels & handles are in top notch shape. Anything with the mechanical part the transmission & engine. Do what ever it takes to get it right. Don't put off anything because now is the time. If it needs replacing do it while you have the time. A coat if paint can make all the difference in the world. How is that bag on the grass catcher, when mine first started get a hole in I would sneak it inside the house wash (the wife doesn't approve of me washing the bags in her washing machine) it then I would put a iron patch on the inside of  & get a lot more time out of it. These days a bag cost as much as one grass cutting. I prefer to keep the bag 2 to 3 times longer myself. For more info Click Here: Lawn Mowers, Walk Mowers, Riders and Zero Turn Radius Mowers.

 2 Cycles:  They need a little TLC too!

Check your pull rope replace it if any wear & is it long enough one thing I can't stand is a pull rope that is to short. One too short will just cause you to tear up the pulley, spring or housing & make it harder to crank. I do not have time for this do it right the first time.

When is the last time you checked your exhaust port, fuel filter, fuel lines or spark plug. How is the trimmer line feed head on the unit. These are all very important parts of the unit. They all have to be in good shape for you to make you a living. Same goes for all the 2 cycle equipment, check the blower hoses, blades on the hedge trimmer. I mean go over everything its how you make a living.
For more info Click Here: Power trimmers and edgers 
Click Here: Power blowers and hedge clippers

Hand tools:  These are a must have to speed things up & make your life easier.

I can't really say much here. Are they in good working order blades sharp & straight. Is the handles OK no cracks & they are good & tight? 

Do you have what it takes to get the job done. Besides the hand tools do you have 5 gal. buckets, hand sprayers, roll around plastic trash can (these are worth their weight in gold), wheel barrow? Carry your hand tools at all times, always be prepared to do anything second trips can cost you a lot of time & this winds up being lost profit. There is no way to justify a second trip, either be prepared to make money now or let someone else do it & they make the money because you didn't think about it or took the time to load the tools. Carry them every where you go!
For more info Click Here:
Hand Tools

Extra Parts & Tools to fix your Equipment:
Always carry your most frequently used equipment parts at all times.

If you are making enough money to make a living, you can easily carry extra parts. I've seen time after time where someone will have to stop on a job & go buy a spark plug, trimmer line, bottle of oil be it 2 cycle or 4 cycle oil or some other part. Sometimes to borrow a wrench.

Do not let a spark plug, other parts or wrenches stop you. Buy this stuff in quantity unless you are planning on going out of business. You buy spark plugs 10 at the time you should save enough to get 2 for free. Trimmer line buy it by the 5 lb. roll most of the time its like getting 1 lb. free. Buy all that oil by the case & save a lot. Do this with your most commonly used parts. It will save you a bundle of money & time. More than that if you think about it, piece of mind if nothing else.

Tools need to be a must have. I don't mean a $1000 worth of tools but enough to do most minor repairs with. If you buy top of the line like advertised on TV, I'm not going to say who but the most common household name in America with the lifetime warranty on them. 

A $100 to $200 is plenty for what you need. If you buy cheap ones, you will bust knuckles, round off bolts & be replacing them quite often. Tell me this you are charging in most cases $30 or more a man hour & your using tools that if you put very much force on them they will break, crack or ruin the bolts & nuts. I will pay more & have them for life. I will save my hands & my nuts & bolts. I want to make money in the least amount of time possible & I already know it takes money to make money. Now Show me the money.
For more info Click Here: Parts, service and dealership

Wrong this is not the end!  There is plenty more, this is just the beginning.

This didn't cover everything possible but this should give you a good idea of what to look for & help you make the right decisions. You think you are ready now because you got your equipment ready. Well you are wrong, there is plenty more. Click Here: I'm ready No Work, I'm still waiting!

More to come! 

 


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