What do you need to start a landscaping company? If you want to find out, I can guarantee that a landscaping business plan will be a useful tool for writing a business plan. Especially if you have been dreaming about owning your own business from home and aim to get the most from every penny. Here is an example of a good small landscaping business plan.
In this review, a lot of the needed tools for for landscaping will be addressed.
Landscaping Hand Tools
Hand Held (Short Handled & Long Handled)
Not all landscaping tools need sophisticated, high-tech components. Many landscaping hand tools are refreshingly low-tech and simple. You’ll want a robust variety of hand-powered basic landscaping tools, including shovels, rakes, and more.
Before diving into specifics, let’s take a look at some general tips for buying hand tools:
Most hand tools have wooden handles. Wood is strong, durable, and affordable. Look for a close grain to the wood, as that denotes strength.
Avoid painted wood handles. Typically, manufacturers paint a handle when they’re trying to disguise low-quality wood.
Besides wood, you can also find tools for landscape with tubular (hollow) steel or fiberglass handles. They’re at least as strong as wood but last much longer. On the downside, they’re typically more expensive than wood.
The weight of the tool, and how that weight is distributed, impacts how the landscaping tool feels when you use it. Try before you buy whenever possible. Also, look for D-shaped handles as they provide the most comfortable grip.
Here’s a closer look at some more specific tools used in landscaping:
Shovel
Although a shovel is a simple garden tool, you’ll likely use it all the time for digging holes, so you want to get a good one. While wood-handled shovels work fine, most professionals prefer a fiberglass or steel handle for commercial work. A shovel is usually an excellent tool to splurge a bit on for improved quality.
Choose a shovel with a head made from stainless steel. It’s lightweight, strong, and easy to clean. Also, don’t forget to sharpen your shovel a few times each year.
Rakes
You’ll want two types of rakes:
- Steel rake
- Leaf rake
Use a level-headed steel rake for tougher jobs such as moving soil, gravel, compost, or mulch. The lighter leaf rake is used for leaves, twigs, and similar lightweight debris.
Wooden handles will typically work fine for both types of rakes. A fiberglass or steel handle usually isn’t necessary, even when raking soil or gravel.
Pruning Shears
You’ll want a pair of long-handled pruning shears. They’re used to remove branches. Generally, hand-powered pruning shears can cut through branches up to one-inch thick. For anything larger, you’ll want gas or electric-powered shears.
Landscaping Equipment
Powered Lawn Equipment
Not all tools used in landscaping are hand tools. You’ll need some power tools, too. Here are some general tips for buying power landscaping tools:
While you don’t want to bust your budget, it’s usually a good idea to buy high-quality power tools. A well-made tool works more efficiently and is less likely to break down. That said, watch out for accessories you don’t need and won’t use, as they’re a needless expense.
Generally, choose tools from large, well-established brands. It’s easier to find replacement parts if needed.
Power tools are either gas or battery-powered. In a head-to-head comparison from Popular Mechanics, they found:
- Electric tools are quieter
- Gas-powered tools are more powerful
Here’s an in-depth look at some landscaping power tools you’ll want to own:
Lawn Mower
Your mower is likely the biggest and most expensive lawn care tool you’ll buy. Don’t be afraid to devote a significant piece of your budget towards a high-quality lawnmower. A powerful, well-made mower allows you to complete work quickly and accurately. Plus, it helps convey an image of professionalism.
For commercial use, you typically want a blade with a diameter of 30” or more. Anything smaller will impact your ability to mow quickly. Plus, smaller mowers usually break down easier and generally require more maintenance.
Grass Trimmer
Also called a weed whacker, you’ll need a trimmer to tackle weeds and grasses. It’s used to provide a finishing edge against trees, sidewalks, and other lawn features. As with lawnmowers, trimmers are either gas or electric powered.
Leaf Blower
You only want a hand-powered leaf rake for small, touch-up work. Use a leaf blower for the majority of your leaf collecting. It’s the fastest, most efficient lawn care tool to wrangle up a large number of stray leaves.
Although electric models of leaf blowers are available, gas-powered ones are far more popular for commercial use. Leaf blowers require a tremendous amount of power to operate. Gas is usually easier to deal with throughout the workday.
Hedge Trimmer
When selecting a hedge trimmer, you want to focus on comfort and portability. Unlike a mower that you push, you have to hold a hedge trimmer for long periods. It’s fatiguing even if you’re in great shape. A lightweight trimmer with padded, ergonomic handles will help keep you comfortable all day long.
Lawn Aerator
Proper aeration helps keep a lawn healthy and full. Aeration allows water, oxygen, and nutrients to flow through the soil. While hand-powered aerators do exist, you’ll want a gas or electric aerator for commercial purposes.
Premier Pruners
If your landscape includes shrubs and small trees that require constant care, it’s time to invest in comfortable, high-quality hand pruners. Felco makes perhaps the finest on the market. While $50 may seem like a lot to spend, remember that you’re buying a tool that not only lasts a lifetime, but can also be a joy to use. Available on Amazon; $49.20.
Related: Living Fences—11 Boundary-Setting Solutions
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Great Gloves
Atlas gardening gloves are like a second skin compared with typical, bulky gardening gloves. Originally designed for precision assemblers, these puncture-resistant gloves are astonishingly gentle on the hands, making them perfect for garden use. Available on Amazon; $16.95.
Related: Garden in Comfort with These 10 Ergonomic Tools
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Maxi Lopper
The Florian Max Lopper sets itself apart from other similar products by its powerful ratcheting function. The mechanism increases the power of the jaws up to a full 700 percent, allowing you to cut faster and with less strain. Its ease of use makes this the perfect tool for storm cleanup and seasonal maintenance alike. Available on Amazon; $192.21.
Related: How To—Prune a Tree
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No-Nonsense Nozzles
These days, a poor-quality hose attachment doesn’t last long. Not so with the Dramm Fogg-It nozzles. Made of heavy-duty, solid brass, these nozzles are built to withstand normal garden wear and are designed to resist clogs. They’re available in several different spray strengths and patterns, so there’s a nozzle for any manner of outdoor work, from watering tender seedlings to spraying off a wood deck. Available on Amazon; $11.68.
Related: Garden Hose Storage—10 Stylish Solutions
Photo: amazon.com
Back-Saving Broadfork
Establishing a new garden? If you don’t like working with a tiller, try an old-fashioned broadfork. Especially for larger areas, a broadfork can be much more forgiving on your back than other aerating tools, because the broadfork achieves better leverage through the combination of your body weight and its twin long-handled design. Available from Johnny Seeds; $199.
Related: Rejuvenate Your Lawn with 7 Spring Musts
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Champion Chain Saw
Not every homeowner has occasion to actually use, let alone purchase, a chain saw. But if you’re one of the few who really needs the sort of brawny tool that’s capable of ripping through tree trunks, look no further. Pros recognize Stihl chain saws as among the very best in the category. Though the company offers plenty of more powerful models, the best for do-it-yourselfers is the well-regarded 271 model, which features a 20-inch bar, excellent balance, manageable weight, and ample horsepower. Available from Murdoch’s; $419.95
Related: Buyer’s Guide—Chain Saws
Photo: murdochs.com
Fiskars Pruning Stik
If you’re armed with 12 feet of Fiskars Pruning Stik, few trees are too tall for maintenance. With its adjustable-angle head and impressive length, this tool works well for cutting high branches or vines without having to pull out a ladder, and it’s great for maneuvering through dense shrubbery to prune those hard-to-reach spots. Available on Amazon; $100.
Watering WandGive your plants a gentle rain shower with a water-breaking wand. The extended reach is also helpful to get to out-of-the-way containers, hanging plants, or the back edges of borders. Watering wands come in a variety of lengths, from 10 to 48 inches.
Choose an appropriate length for your needs – longer for high hanging baskets, shorter for tighter spaces.
Built-in shut off valves in the handle conserve water and allow you to adjust the flow.Kitchen gardener and cookbook author Jeanne Kelley recommends the Dramm One-Touch Rain Wand. The angled arm allows you to reach under foliage of delicate plants and also reach into hanging baskets. The valve slides easily with just the thumb. Buy the Dramm One-Touch Rain Wand on Amazon.
Watering Can
There are 2 basic types of watering cans, plastic or metal. There are hundreds of styles, colors, sizes and nozzle options.
Plastic cans can be lighter than metal, but won’t last as long.
Metal cans should be galvanized to resist rusting.
Consider the size of the can relative to your strength, a gallon of water weighs just over 8 pounds.
The handle position should allow you to carry a full can and also tip it to pour easily.
Two-handled designs allow for better stability for children or elderly gardeners.
You may need two: a larger one with a sprinkler head for outdoors, and a smaller, long-necked version for houseplants.For outdoor use, our editors recommend the Bloem Deluxe Watering Can with a dual-handle design and removable sprinkle nozzle. It’s BPA free and has a 2.5-gallon capacity. Buy the
Bloem Deluxe Watering Can on Amazon.
Wheelbarrow
If your backyard has extra soil to be moved around, compost or mulch that needs to be added to garden beds, or any other heavy lifting and moving project, a wheelbarrow can help you haul hundreds of pounds!
Traditional dual-handle, single wheel styles can be harder to balance heavy or unevenly distributed loads.
Single-handle two-wheel models are easier to balance, better for those with limited strength or when pulling over uneven terrain.
Single-handled wheelbarrows can be pushed or pulled with one hand.
Store it clean and dry to prevent rust.
Keep the wheels inflated properly for easier wheeling.Our editors recommend the Marathon Dual-Wheel Yard Rover. At just 29 pounds overall, it weighs 25% less than a traditional wheelbarrow, and the single handle makes it easy to push, pull and dump. Buy the Marathon Dual-Wheel Yard Rover on Amazon.
Conclusion
Landscaping tools and equipment can be quite expensive. There are various reasons why you might need professional landscaping tools and equipment. For instance, if you’re an ambitious gardener or a skilled landscaper. But try out these tools, most of them are very cheep.