How to buy the best commercial mower for your needs

As a professional landscaper, chances are you’re accustomed to hearing sales pitches for different brands of commercial mower. At Husqvarna, we want to move beyond the sales pitch to help you choose the absolute best mower for your needs. We want you to be prepared for the real-world scenarios you might encounter in the field.

Whether you’re a one-person operation or you manage multiple crews, the mowers you select will have a big impact on your day-to-day productivity, overhead, client satisfaction and more. Why spend your hard-earned money on a lawn mower that doesn’t work for you or your business?

Before investing in a new mower, here are some important factors to consider:

Think about your current clients

When determining which mower to buy, it makes sense to first think about the clients you currently have and the spaces you regularly cut. After all, your shiny new mower won’t do much good if it’s not suited to the actual properties of your clients. For example:

• Are your customers demanding? Do they want the look of a freshly mowed lawn 24/7? Automower® robotic lawn mowers for professionals keep lawns looking perfect 24/7.
  
  
• Do your customers prefer quiet surroundings? Automower® commercial robot lawn mowers are virtually silent. They can even work at night!
  
  
• Are a majority of your contracts private residences with small yards? Don’t risk damaging property with a mower that’s simply too large for most backyards. As an alternative, choose a stand-on mower for improved visibility while you cut.
  
  
• Do you mow large rural properties or public areas? Save time and manpower with a larger zero-turn, perhaps with a deck as wide as 60 or 72 inches.
  
  

If you’re falling behind on your cutting schedule, or failing to grow your business as you’d hoped, it may be time to try something new. Switch from a zero-turn to a stand-on mower – or vice versa – to give your business some new momentum. Or offer your customers a quiet, eco-friendly alternative with a Automower® robotic lawn mower.

Consider the future of your business

Would you like to win a contract with a subdivision? Are you hoping for more high-end residential work? Look ahead to the future of your business, and plan out your mower purchases accordingly.

If you’ve had success with a particular piece of mowing equipment, you may be tempted to double-up on it. But remember: a varied trailer is a versatile trailer! By combining multiple mower types – for instance, a zero-turn and a stand-on, or a stand-on and a battery walk mower– you’ll have the flexibility to take on a wider range of clients.

You may also wish to experiment with a new type of lawn maintenance to set yourself apart from the competition and grab the attention of new and different types of customers. Homeowners and property managers alike are increasingly curious about the 24/7 results and quiet, emissions-free performance of commercial robotic lawn mowers.

Evaluate your crew's experience

Finally, one frequently overlooked consideration is the competency and skill level of your crew members. You may be a landscaping veteran with years of experience operating different types of mowers – but what about your current and future employees?

For this reason, it’s important to consider factors such as:

• Time. Want to free up your crew to work on more profitable tasks? Commercial robotic lawn mowers let your team get straight to hedge trimming and bed cleanups.


• Ease-of-use. A particular mower may be your preferred style, but are the controls simple enough for a novice to operate, too? Zero-turn mowers tend to be very intuitive.
  
  
• Precision. Professional-level mowing demands a high level of precision. Choose a high-quality mower that helps your employees perform their best mowing and striping work.
  
  
• Visibility. New employees will benefit from the improved visibility offered by certain mowers, such as stand-on mowers.

Assess your own satisfaction

Landscaping is a demanding profession, one defined by hard work and dedication. However, don’t undervalue your own enjoyment in your equipment. Positive morale is important for any line of work.

When you look at your current mowing equipment, ask yourself:

• Is it comfortable and easy to use? Ergonomics is more than a fancy word – it’s everything that affects your comfort level while on a mower. Be sure to choose a zero-turn with a premium, comfortable seat.
  
  
• Does it save you time for more profitable tasks? Lawn maintenance is only part of the landscaping equation. Commercial robotic lawn mowers allow you to focus on more profit-boosting tasks.
  
  
• Does it make you excited to start working in the morning? Ultimately, a mower isn’t the right choice if you’re not excited to use it day-in and day-out. Stand-on mowers provide a unique and exciting mowing experience that continues to grow in popularity, season after season. 

Don’t let the wrong equipment hold you back from all you can achieve. Making a change from one mower type to another could make all the difference in your job satisfaction.

Make sure you've got reliable dealer support

As you know, landscaping is an industry in which just about anything can happen during your day. No matter how much you plan ahead, you'll never know all the challenges you'll face day to day when you're out in the field.

That's why trustworthy and reliable dealer support is critical to success when you're buying a new commercial mower. Before making your purchase, take some time to think about:

• Service. Even if you're comfortable performing your own oil changes, eventually you'll run into a mower repair or maintenance task for which you need the help of an experienced professional. It's wise to buy your mower from an official service shop where you can order parts, maintain a service record, make firmware updates to robotic mowers, and file warranty claims as needed.
  
  
• Financing. Your local dealer may offer convenient financing options that make your new mower more affordable..
  
  
• Fleet discounts. Your local dealer may also offer discounts on bundled professional purchases. 

Husqvarna has a wide nationwide network of sales and servicing dealers. Click here to find the one nearest to you.