Landscaping equipment is almost as important as your personnel. Winter is obviously a good time to upgrade equipment if it is in the business plan. Just like the search for new employees, this process usually starts well in advance of your pre-season.
Landscaping Equipment and 4 Off Season Ideas
- An end of year review that assesses each piece of landscaping equipment’s service history will determine if replacement, a major overhaul or just routine preventive maintenance is necessary. If something needs to be replaced, it should be placed on a list for upgrades. Major purchases made in early spring
could be advantageous with various suppliers that may be offering rebates and financing. - End of year landscaping equipment audits are also a good idea. Schedule basic end of year maintenance like draining gas out of equipment, clean up, and wear assessment. When final maintenance is complete, leaving a little gas mixed with stabilizer will allow your landscaping equipment to be in a ready to go state come spring. Checking things over one more time at the start of the season is important and having a mechanic or an equipment foreman on staff is also a must. It should be this individual’s responsibility to stay on top of maintenance needs and to be sure the owner’s manuals are accessible.
- When it comes to trucks and vans, depending on the company size, it might be advantageous to have a vendor partner. Having an auto shop to handle the service needs makes it easier to track expenses. Many use software programs that track entire fleets and often have an online computer dashboard to access current & upcoming needs. Automatic maintenance notification could be part of the package. This could also include construction equipment.
- Developing relationships with vendors is important. No matter how much preparation, something will eventually go down. Relationships with dealers often have benefits, for example if one of our larger pieces goes down, our vendor will drop off another one that we can use until ours is fixed. These relationships need to be nurtured, and the winter months are a great time to focus on that.
Keeping your landscaping equipment in tip top shape will set an example for your employees and clients. It will let everyone know you care about the quality of your work and business, and will help to spread the word of your organization.