Landscaping tools and equipment: 12 essentials for your business. Lawn care equipment packages

Landscaping tools and equipment: 12 essentials for your business

Lawn care and landscaping can be a lucrative business. However, it takes more than a lawn mower to get your business off the ground. You’ll need to make a sizable investment in lawn care equipment and tools to grow and effectively market your landscaping company.

Fortunately, investing in high-quality equipment when you start a landscaping business will help you deliver first-rate service for years to come. Review this lawn care equipment list to discover what you’ll need and how much you can expect to pay for it.

Lawn mower

The lawn mower is an essential piece of landscaping equipment for any lawn care business. It’s also likely to be the most expensive tool you’ll buy. The number of commercial lawn mowers on the market may surprise you, and many have numerous attachments from aerators and spreaders to mulchers and dump carts.

A commercial walk-behind push mower can cost 3,000 to 6,000 or more, while a zero-turn riding mower runs between 3,000 and 16,000.

Odds are you’ll spend countless hours in the blazing sun mowing lawns, so you won’t want to skimp on this purchase.

Trimmers

A string trimmer can reach grass in places a mower can’t, like along a fence line, under decks, or around flower beds and mailbox posts. Also called a weed whacker, it gives lawns the finishing touch to look manicured.

Husqvarna offers an excellent selection of gas or electric string trimmers, ranging from 300 to over 500.

Hedge trimmer

Hedge trimmers can trim and shape hedges and shrubs quickly and easily. Like string trimmers, hedge trimmers come in cordless electric or gas-powered varieties. At a cost of around 500, it’s an investment that can save you considerable time.

When shopping for a hedge trimmer, remember you’ll be holding it in your hands for long periods. Therefore, it’s best to FOCUS on comfort and portability.

Edger

You might think a string trimmer can do the job of an edger, and you’d be partially correct. A string trimmer can help maintain an edge. But to create a distinct border or break through thick grass and roots, an edger is more efficient and will do a better job.

Handheld edgers range from 300 to 600. For more robust projects, a walk-behind model could cost up to 1,000.

Blowers

So-called “leaf blowers” are for more than cleaning up leaves. They’re also a quick way to clean up sidewalks and entrances for high-end homeowners and commercial businesses.

You can pick up a commercial handheld blower for about 300 or 400, while a backpack-style blower is around 700.

Which is right for your landscaping business? Handhelds can be more efficient for smaller, residential jobs or if you’ll be starting and stopping frequently. Otherwise, invest in a more powerful backpack blower.

Spreader

Fertilizer and weed and insect controls are crucial to providing excellent lawn care services. A spreader can help business owners save money by not wasting product during application.

This lawn care tool comes in a walk-behind or tow behind option that can attach to your lawn tractor. Both types cost about the same price, depending on the features you’re looking for. You can expect to pay between 100 and 400.

Sprayer

A sprayer can help you apply fertilizer, insecticides, and pesticides. Sprayers are best for large areas around a home or in a yard. However, it can also offer a more precise application compared to a spreader.

You can choose between handheld, backpack, wheeled, or tow-behind sprayers. How much you pay depends on the type. For instance, a handheld sprayer might only cost 15. But a tow-behind trailer sprayer could cost between 200 and 1,200.

Vehicles

You don’t need a fleet of trucks to launch your lawn care business. If you’re just starting, you may get by with a single truck. You could spend a lot (60,000) or a little (10,000) on a vehicle for your company.

Remember that getting equipment in and out of the truck will cause dings and dents, often in the first week. So, it might not make sense to invest tens of thousands of dollars initially.

Equipment trailer

You could probably run your lawn care business without a trailer. However, an equipment trailer can give you more space and is ideal if you do tree work or run a 2-person crew.

How much you spend depends on the services you offer. For example, you could buy a smaller trailer for around 1,000. But to haul more equipment and supplies, a larger trailer could cost 4,000 or more.

Buckets and lawn bags

Buckets and lawn bags might be some of the least expensive items on this landscaping equipment list, but they’re essential. You might only pay 4 for a bucket or 25 for a pack of 50 lawn and leaf bags.

Choose heavy-duty plastic buckets over metal buckets since plastic won’t rust or corrode from long-term exposure to water or moisture. And lawn bags are vital for hauling off grass clippings after lawn mowing.

Hand tools

The lawn care equipment list wouldn’t be complete without hand tools. Shovels, rakes, pruners, and other low-tech garden tools are a simple but necessary part of a lawn care business. You might choose those with wooden handles, although steel and fiberglass handles are also an option.

A shovel is around 25, garden and leaf rakes range from 10 to 40, and a pair of hedge shears or pruners can cost about 30. And don’t forget a wheelbarrow—the convenience of having one is worth the 60 to 150 you’ll spend.

Safety equipment

Business owners must think beyond power tools for landscaping equipment. Eye and ear protection, gloves, long-sleeved shirts, steel-toed work boots, and other safety equipment are also essential.

You could spend as little or as much as you wanted—from 10 to a few hundred or more—on gear to protect you and your landscapers.

How much will my landscaping tools and equipment cost me in total?

You might pay less up front if you buy residential or lower-quality commercial versions of the items on this lawn care equipment list. But it could cost more in the long run. Investing in high-quality lawn mowing and landscaping tools helps you deliver quick and efficient services that your clients will love.

Depending on the services you want to offer right out of the gate, you could fork over a significant amount of cash. Somewhere in the ballpark of 25,000 to 40,000 is a reasonable start-up estimate.

But remember: Lawn care is an excellent investment in your clients’ home improvement projects, whether you mow, mulch, prune, or offer complete lawn care or landscaping packages.

And once you get your landscaping business license, don’t forget landscaping business insurance to protect you, your lawn care business employees, and your customers.

Huckleberry makes it affordable and straightforward to get the insurance protection you need. Seriously—try it. It takes only minutes to get a small business insurance quote and the entire process, from quote to completion, is online.

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Riding Lawn Mower Storage

Riding Mowers, Lawn Tractors, Zero Turns, Large Riding Equipment.

Basic Storage

Equipment must run and be in good working condition at time of drop off to honor spring 2023 start guarantee. Payment due at time of receiving equipment. All rates are for a block of 7 months storage starting Nov 1st – May 31st, 2023. No pro-rating. After May 31st, monthly storage increases to 40/mo. and will be due at the beginning of the month, starting June 1st, 2023. Additional late payment charges apply. Abandoned property will become property of Matt’s Small Engine Repair following city and state guidelines.

No Free Pick Up And Delivery For Storage Offer. Normal Pick Up and Delivery Fees Apply. See below.

Attachments (Baggers, plows, trailers, etc.) are an additional fee of 25 per attachment.

Tune Up Storage

Equipment must run and be in good working condition at time of drop off to honor spring 2023 start guarantee. Payment due at time of receiving equipment. All rates are for a block of 7 months storage starting Nov 1st – May 31st, 2023. No pro-rating. After May 31st, monthly storage increases to 40/mo. and will be due at the beginning of the month, starting June 1st, 2023. Additional late payment charges apply. Abandoned property will become property of Matt’s Small Engine Repair following city and state guidelines.

No Free Pick Up And Delivery For Storage Offer. Normal Pick Up and Delivery fees apply. See below.

Attachments (Baggers, plows, trailers, etc.) are an additional fee of 25 per attachment.

Save more space by storing all your summer equipment.

get 30% Off!

On your second, third, seventh,… piece of equipment.

(Must be of equal or lesser value of first piece of equipment.)

Need Pick Up and Delivery?

No problem! Matt offers round trip pick up and delivery at a fair price!

95 Round Trip Pick Up and Delivery up to 15 driving miles from the shop. 10 per 5 mile increment after that.

(Sorry, no free radius pick up and delivery for storage)

Not running or Need Service or Repair?

No problem! Matt can add additional services and repair during storage time too! Just let Matt know.

Starting a Lawn Care Business: Equipment Needed

We all know the kid who spent his or her summers going from neighbor to neighbor with a push mower and rake to make some extra cash. This scenario is surprisingly not too far from the reality for many people starting out as a lawn care professional.

Although you don’t need to begin with expensive and advanced tools, you’ll need to adapt to the increase of jobs and new services you’ll offer as you start a lawn care business.

From the right mower to a quality laptop, in this article, we’ll break down the equipment you’ll need to manage your business, different tools for different jobs you might encounter, and the importance of caring for them properly.

It may seem like you need a wealth of expensive tools to operate your lawn care business, but in reality, a push mower and rake are all you need to begin.

As you gain more clients and expand your services, you can begin reinvesting that money into more equipment, including:

Equipment Needed for Lawn Care and Landscaping

The type of tool you need to start a lawn care business depends on your budget and the services you offer. When you first start out, a push mower and weed eater can keep your neighbor’s lawn green and healthy, but what if they need aeration or want to add new mulch?

As you gain a more extensive customer base or take on different jobs like hedge or tree trimming, the tools you need will change.

Some of the equipment you need as you start on your lawn care journey include:

• Leaf Blower
• Edger
• Weed Eater
• String Trimmer
• Hedge Trimmer
• Snow Shovel
• Rake
• Bags for Leaves
• Leaf Blower
• Aerator
• Spade
• Hand Pruner
• Spreader
• Lawn Mower
• Oil for Gas Engines
• Garden Hose
• Fertilizer Sprayers
• Mulcher
• Diggers
• Markers
• Measuring Line
• Storage Space

Some lawn care companies also decide to offer winter maintenance services as their business grows to keep the money flowing in the lawn care off-season. Common winter services offered by lawn care companies include snow removal, pressure washing, tree pruning, and holiday light installation. You’ll need different equipment for each of these jobs, as well.

With the amount of equipment listed here, you may be thinking, ”I’m going to need a bigger shed.”

Thankfully, you don’t need to get all of these tools right away, and you can take your time learning how each tool works and what style works best for you.

Check out our pricing guides on all types of lawn care equipment like leaf blowers or mowers, so you can make the best decision on what equipment you need without breaking the bank.

Pro Tip: Always make sure your mower blades are sharp, check the oil in your gas engines before starting, and store your equipment securely when it’s not in use.

Care and Maintenance of Your Equipment

The equipment listed in this article needs to be cared for to avoid damage to yourself, your customers, or the yard you’re working in. For example, you don’t want a string trimmer’s faulty line to whip a blade of grass into your eye.

Lawn mowers, string trimmers, edgers, leaf blowers, and other lawn care equipment needs to be maintained properly, and that includes winterizing your lawn mower.

Caring for your equipment also means cleaning underneath your mowers and stinger trimmers at the end of a job or making sure your mower batteries are charged and your mower blades are sharp.

Truck and Trailer

Having reliable transportation is essential to any successful lawn care business, and you’ve probably seen the classic white lawn care van or the nice truck with detailing on the side and a mower in the bed.

From getting to each appointment on time to storing equipment, having a truck with a large bed or a trailer for all your tools can make your job much easier.

Note that if you’re hauling your lawn care equipment in a trailer you’ll use more fuel and have trouble squeezing into tight driveways.

Pro Tip: Check GasBuddy for the lowest gas in your area and hit that station on the way to or from a job.

Safety Gear

Having safety equipment in your truck, van, or trailer is just as essential for every lawn care professional as measuring tape and a hammer. From thick gloves to shielf your hands from poison ivy to sunscreen to avoid a classic farmer’s tan, you should be as protected as possible while mowing, trimming, and edging a yard.

Some examples of safety equipment you should have on hand include:

• Goggles
• Gloves
• Ear Protection
• Face Masks
• First Aid Kit (Check our guide detailing what you should include in your Lawn Care First Aid Kit)
• Boots
• Sunscreen

Lawn Care Software and Laptop

Lawn care is a business, so you’ll need more than the tools of the trade to get started. You’ll need to make some technological investments as well.

Some tools that can keep your business organized and running smoothly include:

• Laptop
• Lawn Care Software (check out our comparison/review of your 10 Best Lawn Care Software options)
• Accounting Software (if that’s not included in your lawn care software suite)
• Printer
• Business Cards
• LawnStarter Pro App

Why do you need a printer, lawn care software, and a laptop? You can print flyers promoting your business. lawn care software is essential to make sure you don’t have issues around tax season, and a good laptop can help you do it all.

How LawnStarter Can Help: The LawnStarter Pro App uses geographical information to show mowing, weeding, and other outdoor jobs near you, so you can build your customer base faster within your community and grow your business more quickly.

What’s Next to Start Your Lawn Care Business

Having the right lawn care tools doesn’t mean you’ll make six figures with your business. Far from it starting out Check out our articles on the Pros and Cons of Starting a Lawn Care Business, How to Stand Out as a Lawn Care Business, and How to Start a Lawn Care Business to help get a better picture of what you need to be successful.

LawnStarter can help take some of the stress of running a lawn care business. Check out our lawn care pro FAQ and some testimonies from current pros to see if we’re the right fit for you.

Main Photo Credit: Jeff Herman / LawnStarter

Leanna Doolittle

Leanna Doolittle is a freelance writer and photographer with a bachelor’s degree from the University of South Florida-Saint Petersburg. She enjoys spending time with her cat Oscar and tending to her many indoor plants and succulents.

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The Lawn Care Business Purchasing Guide

Make Smart decisions when purchasing equipment for your Lawn Care Business. Learn about the equipment you will need, typical costs, and where are the best places to buy it.

Required Equipment and Materials

Most lawn care owners will need the following equipment to get started:

You should plan to budget approximately 30,000. 40,000 for initial purchasing.

Sample List of Purchases

A typical person looking to purchase equipment for a lawn care service might make the following purchases:

Grand Total: 42,833

Key Decisions

When starting a lawn care business, it is important to purchase the correct equipment. Since your business will use this equipment every day, it is vital to ensure quality and durability. Lawn care equipment can be purchased both online or in various home improvement stores, and you may be able to get a good deal on second-hand products. Just make sure the equipment is in good working condition before making a purchase.

The following are some of the most important buying decisions that your lawn care business will have to make. We outline the key considerations you’ll need to keep in mind when making these purchases and provide some popular options.

Truck

In order to pull a trailer full of lawn care equipment, you will need a powerful truck. Obviously there are hundreds of truck options, but we recommend buying one used to save some money. This is especially helpful if you have a limited startup budget.

When buying your truck, make sure to pay attention to the model, miles per gallon, and engine strength.

Truck fluctuate based on geographical region and model, so here are a few useful websites to get you started:

Equipment Trailer

An equipment trailer is necessary for a lawn care business. It must be large enough to fit and support all of your equipment. Plus, there must be a ramp to drive your mowers up onto the trailer. Trailers come in many shapes and sizes, so look around a bit until you find the one that works best for your needs.

Riding Mower

There are a variety of brands and styles to choose from. When purchasing your riding mower consider these key variables:

• How many acres on average will you mow?
• What type of terrain will you be mowing?
• Are there a lot of obstacles in the lawns?
• Do you want to be able to add attachments to your mower?

Once you have answered these questions, you can purchase the right riding mowers, either used or new.

Lawn Tractor

This mower is traditional and operates with a steering wheel. They are ideal for ½. 2 acre lawns and are compatible with various attachments.

Garden Tractor

This mower has a similar design to lawn tractors and the ability to use attachments. However, they have more powerful engines and transmissions. This mower is better for mowing several acres.

Zero-Turn-Radius (ZTR) Lawn Mower

ZTR mowers are great for lawns with multiple obstacles. Although it is not as versatile as the tractors described above, it is faster and more efficient around flower beds, trees, landscaping, and other obstacles. This is the most common lawn mower used for lawn care businesses.

Push Mower

A push mower is necessary for smaller lawns and regions of the yard you cannot access with a riding mower. Like a riding mower, there are a variety of brands and styles. However, in order to save time and energy, most lawn care businesses use durable, self-propelling push mowers. A used or push mower will be sufficient for your business.