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