ANALYZING YOUR EQUIPMENT VALUE

Understanding your equipment's true value is crucial to a successful business. Regardless if you're a Landscape professional or Facilities Manager it is important to understand your machines impact to your bottom line. The best way to approach this is to start with original cost of machine . How long have you owned the unit? Keeping repair records is vital. Most commercial units have an hour meter and for smaller units such as handheld products such as trimmer and blowers keep a "written"log of run time and dates. While some may think that may be excessive management on the smaller units it is imperative to fully understanding how much money this item is making you. Many are too focused on what they pay their workers hourly and yet overlook their equipment. These machines are employees. Quality equipment is the staple of a successful business. This does not mean you have to purchase the most expensive machine on the market but it does mean to steer clear of cheaper quality equipment. If you spend more time with repair bills, down time, and unsupported purchases then you are handicapping your business and wallet. Your estimated run time of your zero turn should be 5 hours a day, 5 days a week...That's an estimate taking into consideration weather, travel , loading and unloading. The approximate mowing in the Northeast is 26 weeks. Now the fun part, take total sale price of machine + repairs + gas + parts+ operators pay + your stipend=and total. Then add up your "billable" hours for these jobs. A 5 hour mowing day should generate 10 billable hours. A new machine should pay for itself in the first year while still covering salary and repairs. To all Connecticut readers I am available free of charge to work with you and your company to help support your ventures. We provide John Deere, Scag, Stihl, and Honda products here and working together with our customers is beneficial for us all. Feel free to call me at work 860-678-7288 x123. Thank you again..Mike Russell