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Bobcat Introduces TL623 Telehandler
Jessica Schwartz
How To Choose The Right Lawn Mower For Your Business
Choosing the right machine is critical for success. Cub Cadet builds machines that are built different to support your business. Content Sponsored By Your business is your equipment, and landscapers need equipment that’s built to meet the demands of business. Selecting the right machine is an important investment, one that’s critical for success. With the 2022 season coming to an end, now is the time to start thinking about your equipment needs for 2023. Like any capital investment, you need to do thorough research before making a commitment. Your local Cub Cadet dealer is a great resource to help by both allowing you to demo the equipment and give you an overview of their parts and service offering. Partnering with the right dealer will make all the difference. Run a search for the dealers in your area and find one that offers demos of their equipment. Word of mouth referrals also can help point you in the right direction. Drive around your area and spot landscapers in the field. If they’re using equipment you’re interested in, stop and ask them what they think and who they’re getting service from. These first-hand accounts can go a long way to better informing your decision. Then take stock of your business needs to pinpoint the mower that will provide the most value. Stand on mowers are great for properties that require a lot of maneuverability while zero-turns are ideal for larger, open properties. If you’re on the fence, ask your local dealer for ...
Evaluating Innovation In The Lawn And Landscape Industry
There’s a big difference between new and better. Innovating for innovation’s sake should never be the end goal. Content Sponsored By Innovation. It’s a term that gets tossed around a lot in our industry. As product developers and manufacturers, the pursuit of the next great idea is what gets us up each morning. But there’s a big difference between new and better, and innovating for innovation’s sake should never be the end goal. A Customer-First Approach While most innovation begins with an idea, great innovation begins with the customer. At the end of the day, the merit of a new product, feature or service is defined by the problems it solves for the individuals it serves. As a result, developers and manufacturers must prioritize a customer-first approach to innovation, especially in today’s lawn and landscaping industry, where every investment counts. At Cub Cadet®, the process begins with the end-user. Instead of sitting behind a computer coming up with ways to innovate, we take the time to listen to landscapers, fleet managers and municipalities to better understand their businesses and, more importantly, their pain points. From there, we set out to develop products and features to help solve their problems. One example of putting this philosophy into practice was our approach to designing Cub Cadet stand-on mowers. Before even building our first prototype, the team engaged more than 100 landscapers about their experiences with stand-ons. We learned about the traits, features and quirks they liked and disliked most, and even their ...
Evaluating Innovation In The Lawn And Landscape Industry
There’s a big difference between new and better. Innovating for innovation’s sake should never be the end goal. Content Sponsored By Innovation. It’s a term that gets tossed around a lot in our industry. As product developers and manufacturers, the pursuit of the next great idea is what gets us up each morning. But there’s a big difference between new and better, and innovating for innovation’s sake should never be the end goal. A Customer-First Approach While most innovation begins with an idea, great innovation begins with the customer. At the end of the day, the merit of a new product, feature or service is defined by the problems it solves for the individuals it serves. As a result, developers and manufacturers must prioritize a customer-first approach to innovation, especially in today’s lawn and landscaping industry, where every investment counts. At Cub Cadet®, the process begins with the end-user. Instead of sitting behind a computer coming up with ways to innovate, we take the time to listen to landscapers, fleet managers and municipalities to better understand their businesses and, more importantly, their pain points. From there, we set out to develop products and features to help solve their problems. One example of putting this philosophy into practice was our approach to designing Cub Cadet stand-on mowers. Before even building our first prototype, the team engaged more than 100 landscapers about their experiences with stand-ons. We learned about the traits, features and quirks they liked and disliked most, and even their ...
The Perfect Landscaping Duo – Surfer™ Pro and Super SF
Big or small they cut it all. Content Sponsored by To grow their businesses, landscapers need tools to tackle mowing projects of every shape and size. Hustler® Turf recently introduced two zero-turn mowers that would make the perfect landscaping duo, the SurferTM Pro and the Super SF (both new editions to the stand-on family of mowers). Let’s look at the difference between these two machines and explain how they can work in tandem to create your professional fleet. Let’s start with the Surfer Pro. It’s All About The Benjamins Let’s not beat around the bush. On top of its overall compact size, the price is what makes this unit attractive to pros. There are several 34” stand-ons out there, but few start at under $5,000* like the Surfer Pro. This unit is not designed to replace your Hustler Super S stand-on, but it does make quick work of the gated properties you would normally walk with a push-mower. Stacked And Sturdy With an overall length of 58.9 inches, the Surfer Pro is smaller than most traditional sit-down zero-turn mowers. Ideal for trimming and navigating tight spaces. But don’t let the size fool you, this machine is tough. The Surfer Pro is built with Hustler’s signature heavy duty steel decking (7 gauge on the 34″ deck, 11 gauge on the 48″). Impact areas are reinforced with 3/8-inch x 1 inch steel. In addition, we added 18” BigBite™ drive tires for stability and traction. Both Surfer Pro models come equipped with Kawasaki ® ...
The Perfect Landscaping Duo – Surfer™ Pro and Super SF
Big or small they cut it all. Content Sponsored by To grow their businesses, landscapers need tools to tackle mowing projects of every shape and size. Hustler® Turf recently introduced two zero-turn mowers that would make the perfect landscaping duo, the SurferTM Pro and the Super SF (both new editions to the stand-on family of mowers). Let’s look at the difference between these two machines and explain how they can work in tandem to create your professional fleet. Let’s start with the Surfer Pro. It’s All About The Benjamins Let’s not beat around the bush. On top of its overall compact size, the price is what makes this unit attractive to pros. There are several 34” stand-ons out there, but few start at under $5,000* like the Surfer Pro. This unit is not designed to replace your Hustler Super S stand-on, but it does make quick work of the gated properties you would normally walk with a push-mower. Stacked And Sturdy With an overall length of 58.9 inches, the Surfer Pro is smaller than most traditional sit-down zero-turn mowers. Ideal for trimming and navigating tight spaces. But don’t let the size fool you, this machine is tough. The Surfer Pro is built with Hustler’s signature heavy duty steel decking (7 gauge on the 34″ deck, 11 gauge on the 48″). Impact areas are reinforced with 3/8-inch x 1 inch steel. In addition, we added 18” BigBite™ drive tires for stability and traction. Both Surfer Pro models come equipped with Kawasaki ® ...
Pre-Season Landscaper Checklist
Landscapers who take the time to proactively address equipment and staffing needs will be the ones best positioned to thrive this year. Content Sponsored By With warmer temperatures around the corner, landscapers across the country are setting their sights on the 2022 spring and summer seasons. And regardless of when spring actually springs in your area, how you prepare in these next few weeks can make all the difference. Here are four things you can (and should) do now to set your landscaping business up for success this year. Evaluate Past Performance Conducting a postmortem of the previous year is an essential step in improving future outcomes. While it may be tempting to leave the past in the past, there are valuable learnings and insights to be gained from what worked and, more importantly, what didn’t. If you haven’t already, take time to sit down and review last year. Identify challenges you encountered and reflect on how you would react differently. Were there common pain points, customer feedback and processes that need to be addressed? Remember to include key members of your team in these conversations. They can offer valuable and alternative perspectives that paint a clearer picture of what happened. Plus, these retrospective exercises give them an opportunity to share their opinions and feel like they’re helping to shape the future of the business. Finally, these conversations aren’t just about working out kinks and gaining insights into your business’s performance. Reviewing key metrics such as past accounts ...
Pre-Season Landscaper Checklist
Landscapers who take the time to proactively address equipment and staffing needs will be the ones best positioned to thrive this year. Content Sponsored By With warmer temperatures around the corner, landscapers across the country are setting their sights on the 2022 spring and summer seasons. And regardless of when spring actually springs in your area, how you prepare in these next few weeks can make all the difference. Here are four things you can (and should) do now to set your landscaping business up for success this year. Evaluate Past Performance Conducting a postmortem of the previous year is an essential step in improving future outcomes. While it may be tempting to leave the past in the past, there are valuable learnings and insights to be gained from what worked and, more importantly, what didn’t. If you haven’t already, take time to sit down and review last year. Identify challenges you encountered and reflect on how you would react differently. Were there common pain points, customer feedback and processes that need to be addressed? Remember to include key members of your team in these conversations. They can offer valuable and alternative perspectives that paint a clearer picture of what happened. Plus, these retrospective exercises give them an opportunity to share their opinions and feel like they’re helping to shape the future of the business. Finally, these conversations aren’t just about working out kinks and gaining insights into your business’s performance. Reviewing key metrics such as past accounts ...
Will Autonomous And Robotic Mowers Benefit Landscapers?
A White Paper From Speculation and rumors of fully autonomous and robotic mowers have long circulated in the lawn and garden space. Ever since robotic vacuums first entered households two decades ago, we have imagined and questioned the potential for this technology to reinvent the way landscaping businesses operate. Fast-forward to today, and many of the same hopes, questions and trepidations remain. The evolution of mower design has largely been defined by incremental changes and improvements. Features are added, materials are upgraded and cosmetic designs are refreshed, but overall innovation in the category has remained relatively stagnant compared to other disrupted industries. The adoption of autonomous and robotic mowers, on the other hand, would represent a paradigm shift in mower design and capabilities. Some are excited by the possibilities while others are less sure. However, regardless of where landscapers fall on this spectrum, taking the time to familiarize themselves with this evolving technology will only serve to help them better assess its current and future value to their landscaping business. Is the Future of Commercial Mowing Hands-Free? When determining the significance and relevance of any emerging technology, the first step is to evaluate its viability in the marketplace. New tools, platforms and products are introduced every day, but many fail to live up to their lofty promises. Whether it’s issues with performance, cost, ease of use or even just bad timing, there’s a graveyard filled with technologies that manifested better as concepts than as real- world products. When the idea ...
Will Autonomous And Robotic Mowers Benefit Landscapers?
A White Paper From Speculation and rumors of fully autonomous and robotic mowers have long circulated in the lawn and garden space. Ever since robotic vacuums first entered households two decades ago, we have imagined and questioned the potential for this technology to reinvent the way landscaping businesses operate. Fast-forward to today, and many of the same hopes, questions and trepidations remain. The evolution of mower design has largely been defined by incremental changes and improvements. Features are added, materials are upgraded and cosmetic designs are refreshed, but overall innovation in the category has remained relatively stagnant compared to other disrupted industries. The adoption of autonomous and robotic mowers, on the other hand, would represent a paradigm shift in mower design and capabilities. Some are excited by the possibilities while others are less sure. However, regardless of where landscapers fall on this spectrum, taking the time to familiarize themselves with this evolving technology will only serve to help them better assess its current and future value to their landscaping business. Is the Future of Commercial Mowing Hands-Free? When determining the significance and relevance of any emerging technology, the first step is to evaluate its viability in the marketplace. New tools, platforms and products are introduced every day, but many fail to live up to their lofty promises. Whether it’s issues with performance, cost, ease of use or even just bad timing, there’s a graveyard filled with technologies that manifested better as concepts than as real- world products. When the idea ...
Assessing The Value Of Autonomous Mowers
Content Sponsored by There is no denying emerging technologies have the potential to disrupt and reinvent the way businesses are run. Innovation, after all, is the key to driving industries forward. But it can be difficult to discern what’s worth the investment – both time and money – when each new tool, platform and product comes with lofty promises and limited proof points. And the landscaping industry is no exception. With autonomous and robotic mowers dominating industry shows and news headlines, it seems like the future will inevitably be a little more hands-free. But do these products drive value now or are they simply shiny concepts behind glass displays? Enter Cub Cadet. Moving beyond concepts and controlled demos, Cub Cadet set out to shift the value proposition of autonomous technology from a future promise to a functional product that landscapers can benefit from today. In September 2021, Cub Cadet introduced a new chapter in true landscaping innovation with the first GPS operated semi-autonomous commercial mowers. The Cub Cadet PRO Series PRO Z 960 S and 972 S SurePath units are outfitted with GPS technology and an exclusive four-wheel steering system that provide a semi-autonomous experience designed to maximize efficiency and productivity while minimizing effort and training. The operator simply needs to set the preliminary cut line, and the SurePath units will perform straight cutting paths with an auto-zero-turn at the end of each row with the touch of a button. “The priority when developing our autonomous roadmap was ...
