Being a business owner isn't always easy, but if you have the proper lawn equipment, your new lawn service is off to a great start. You'll need the basic items, like a lawn mower and a string trimmer, and if you want to offer full-service lawn maintenance, you'll need a few other things as well.

Of course you have startup expenses to worry about, but if you choose your turf management equipment wisely, it'll pay for itself in no time. Think about what services you'd like to offer and consider the following before you contact suppliers of turf management equipment:

1. Pick up the pace by using zero-turn riding lawnmowers. You can get smaller lawns done in as little as five minutes with one of these models.

2. Find a lawn equipment provider that supplies the best brands of the power equipment you need. You can find reputable distributors online or visit local dealers.

3. Consider expanding your services further by buying curb-making landscape management equipment. This custom curbing is used to keep mulch in plant beds while keeping grass runners and weeds out.

Action Steps
The best contacts and resources to help you get it done

Do quality jobs quickly with a zero-turn riding lawnmower

Zero-turn mowers are nice because you don't have to pause and reposition the mower to turn and do the next strip of grass. These riding mowers are powerful and can reach high speeds, which is nice for when you have long straightaways to mow. Not surprisingly, riding mowers are the most commonly purchased used turf equipment.

I recommend: Select from a range of riders with 34- to 60-inch cutting decks at Ariens. Buy a zero-turn riding mower from Scag Power Equipment, one of the industry leaders.

Make sure you have the other lawn management equipment you'll need

Lawn care doesn't stop at just mowing lawns. Customers will want their yards trimmed and edged and their drives and walks blown off, at the very least. You can greatly increase your revenue by offering services such as tree trimming, hedge clipping and debris removal, in addition to the standard services.

I recommend: Get all the power equipment you need from Stihl, which has everything from chain saws to pole pruners to trimmers to blowers. DR Power Equipment offers a lawn vacuum you can pull behind your riding mower to clean up and shred leaves and other lawn debris.

Purchase the newest landscape equipment for custom curbing

When the word 'landscaping' is used, a few things come to mind, including plant beds and decorative lawn products. One of the newest innovations in the landscaping industry is a portable concrete extruding machine used for custom-making landscape curbing. This is a better alternative to simple edging products that tend to look cheap. By installing curbing around plant beds, you're not only adding a decorative detail to your customers' yards, you're keeping grass and weeds from spreading into their plant beds.

I recommend: Check out the curbing machines available from TYGAR Manufacturing. Consider buying one of the affordable packages from Curb King.

Tips & Tactics

Helpful advice for making the most of this Guide

• •  Buying used turf management equipment can save you quite a bit of money. You may want to buy trimmers, edgers and blowers new, but since lawn mowers are very expensive, you might want to consider buying a used one instead of a brand new one. Most lawn equipment providers offer used mowers.