Mow like a pro
1 May, 2006 By: Stephanie Ricca Landscape ManagementApply basic business efficiency tips to the field and you'll reap the benefits.
Every seasoned landscape pro has a formula for achieving maximum mower productivity. It's a combination of having the right people doing the right jobs at the right time. Easy, right? We asked some company principles to share their wisdom. Turns out that a good formula for productive mowing operations takes basic business considerations into mind: Pick the right people and establish good systems.
People first
"Having people that can make intelligent decisions, troubleshoot and be trusted in the field is crucial to having an efficient operation," says Steve Rak II, vice president of Southwest Landscape Management in Columbia Station, OH.
Good people are the first step, but training them with efficiency and productivity in mind is essential, says Wayne Volz, owner of Wayne's Lawn Service in Louisville, KY. "We often place too much emphasis on the ground speed of equipment versus overlap training," he says, referring to the amount of the cutting deck riding over pre-cut turf. "Excessive overlap can kill your profit margin if your employees have not been trained to understand overlap. The difference between a four-inch overlap and a six-inch can be costing your company $100 per day or more in lost production."
It's not only how your people are doing their job, but also how many of them are doing it at one property. "Use one-man mowing crews when you have the ideal person," advises Bob Smart, president of Olmsted Falls, OH's Yard Smart. "This is the most efficient crew, followed by a two-man crew."
Systems work
But mowing is more than just the person pushing the mower. Efficiency in the field profits from time spent establishing good systems back in the office, says Highland Outdoor chairman and founder Jason Cupp. His company recently switched all mowing crews to the same equipment brand based on some internal process checks. "We track the true direct cost versus revenue daily by route and weekly by crew," he says. "This allows us to determine if the right equipment is on the truck, the right people are on the crew and the right route is being used."
Smart echoes the idea of using common equipment for availability and efficiency. "Use 36- and 52-inch walk-behinds instead of 48-inch walk-behinds," he says. "This keeps the blades common on both machines."
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