Landscapers can save money when buying common replacement parts for their equipment by shopping aftermarket. Built to manufacturers specification, these parts keep your machine running and will save money. We will take a will take a closer look at the the most common items: mower blades, air filters, and trimmer line.
Oregon lawnmower blades are built to meet manufacturer’s specifications and provide users with high quality, safe, and affordable product. Oregon is an industry leading aftermarket supplier because they constantly refine their products to exceed requirements.
We sell tons of Gator Mulcher G6 mower blades. It’s affordable and reliable. The G6 provides a super high-lift for better bagging performance and improved side discharge. The blade is fused with tungsten carbide so the cutting edge remains ultra-hard, increasing time between sharpening.
Our Oregon air filters ship out as fast as we can restock! Why? They are built with premium paper to prevent particle ingestion. A higher pleat count extends the filters life and most importantly your engine. Last, the filters carry a 12 month warranty against defective materials, exceeding the industry standard by four times. When our customers need filters, we don’t think twice before suggesting Oregon.
Gatorline is another ProParts Direct favorite. The Magnum Gator Trimmer line is built around a high strength inner core – highly resistant to abrasion and breakage. Magnum Gatorline comes in three different shapes: round, square, and our favorite, SuperTwist. Supertwist trimmer line reduces noise level, engine drag, and vibration. Looking for the best? Step up to the Platinum Gatorline!
We could provide plenty of great examples where Oregon is our top choice, but it’s safe to assume that our point is made. No matter where you look, Oregon wins on both quality and price. Have you put Oregon to the test?
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On the heels of a new iPhone release, there is a good chance that you or someone in your home owns one. Even if it’s not an iPhone, digital cameras are affordable and a HUGE time saver when it comes to maintaining your equipment.
Here are the 3 iPhone Tips for the landscaper, snowblower operator, and homeowner. We sat down with our own parts wiz Pat to build our list. As a factory trained specialist, Pat is a resource for landscapers and homeowners who contact ProParts Direct.
A picture is worth a thousand words. If your machine goes down and the broken part is obvious, snap a photo and email us! Don’t waste valuable time trying to look up part numbers, remember part names, or even worse, ordering the wrong part all together. Even if you don’t order online with us, you will have an image to show your local dealer.
Before, during, and after you complete repairs – take pictures! *ProTip* Set a white sheet on the ground near your work station. As you remove items from the unit, place each part on the sheet, starting at the top left. Continue placing everything from screws to filters left to right. At the end of each row, snap a photo. Once the repair is complete, reverse the process working from bottom right to top left. This method prevents parts from being lost or forgotten. Most important, snap a photo when finished and send to us! @propartsdirect
Photograph and document your equipment while it is clean and accessible. Breaking a critical snowblower part during a storm can be a pain, but crawling in the snow to locate model/serial number makes the project much, much worse. What if one of your crews has a machine go down on a remote job? They call your shop but can’t locate a model/serial so the parts order is delayed.
Once you create a photo inventory, email the photos to yourself to save the record. Tracking your inventory with photographs will also help you in the event of theft or loss.
With a bit of foresight, your camera phone can be the biggest time saving piece of equipment you own.
Do you use your camera phone to document your work or equipment? Share your tips with us on Facebook
Spend time preparing for the upcoming season and avoid the headaches and trouble in-season.
As a landscaper, you really need to look at your efforts through the eyes of a small business owner. Taking advantage of pre-season buying programs keeps items on the shelf for quick repairs and manages consumables. A little bit of attention spent is the difference between turning a profit on the year, growing your business, and standing out among competition.
Here is an example of the immediate financial impact of not having backup parts:
- Cost of new part and overnight shipping.
- Lost time spent diagnosing and physically repairing the issue.
- Lost revenue due to lost time. Your landscape crew is not cutting and earning; they are waiting.
True Cost of Downtime
- Customers who pay for a professional expect great work, no excuses. Landscaper says: “I broke a belt, I’ll return in 2 days.” Customer hears: “Call someone else who can get the job done right.”
- $6000 buys a nice enclosed trailer and huge billboard… that nobody sees when it is parked at the shop waiting for a repair.
- Failing to prepare says a lot about your business. Not having pride in your work is reflected through your employees and ultimately customers. If you don’t take your work, seriously neither will your customers. Eventually the phone stops ringing and you will never know how many sales you are missing. A reputation is the hardest thing to repair.
Take some time…
Look at what you spend on consumable items. Trimmer line, two-cycle fuel, air filters, oil filters, and blades are replaced based on hourly use so you can estimate your seasonal parts budget. If you only order as parts break, calculate your shipping cost and lost income during the down time. You will find that it costs more to order only when you need parts vs having the consumable parts on hand.
Once you know what you spend each season, take 20% of what you spend to place a bulk order next spring. Companies like ours, ProParts Direct, have the best buying programs in January and February to help jump start the season. You can also save by combining several smaller orders into one large order. Shipping charges on individual packages adds up quickly.
Knowing what you need makes it possible to take advantage of pre-season sales and bulk discounts. It’s the little steps that will help increase your bottom line and help your company grow.
For Parts visit our website www.propartsdirect.net
After an extended spring season that featured long periods of rainy weather, the summer is continuing the “all or nothing” trend. It’s been hot and dry in the northeast and green lawns are starting to turn brown under the stress. Here are a few suggestions on how to help keep your lawn looking its best.
Irrigation – Getting water on your lawn nourishes and cools the grass. It’s the first line of defense against hot, dry spells. The best time to water is early in the morning from 3-8am. This allows the soil to soak up water needed and excess water will evaporate when the sun comes up. When a saturated lawn remains in contact with excess water, it creates a breeding ground for disease. This is why watering in the evening can do more harm than good! Finally, watering during the hottest part of the day is bad news…water is evaporating and your lawn won’t appreciate the tease!
PRO TIP: Avoid watering by hand. Use sprinklers to evenly water and connect timers for consistency. There are even smart-phone apps that can operate irrigation controls! Generally speaking, most lawns want between 1”-2” of water per week. This can vary based on soil and grass types, location, and time of growing season.
Let it Grow…Let it Grow! Set your mower deck at 3” or greater. Taller grass can absorb water better and creates its own shade too. Cutting too short not only stresses the plant, it prevents it from growing deep roots that could further protect from dry conditions.
PRO TIP: Get a mulching blade and don’t bag the clippings. A mulching blade cuts the grass a few times before dropping it back into the lawn. The dry, starved lawn will appreciate the mulched clippings for food and shade.
Keep Fertilizer in the Bag. Unless you have an irrigation plan in place, don’t fertilize the lawn when the hot, dry conditions take hold. Fertilizers provide nutrients for growth, but, without water you’re asking the lawn to do the impossible. Plus, fertilizers need to be watered in to be effective. If the product sits on the lawn for days only to be washed away in a thunderstorm/downpour, you might consider yourself lucky. The alternative would be fertilizer washed into lower areas in super concentrated for that kills the grass in a hurry.
PRO TIP: Use the money you saved on fertilizer and take your spouse to dinner. A night out beats watching grass grow any day of the week…
With lawn care, you can’t beat the heat - Mother Nature always has the upper hand. If drought and heat threaten your lawn each year, you might consider a new yard design. Trees can be added to create shade, planting a drought tolerant type of grass, and even reducing the lawn size are all long term solutions to consider.