Contractors use equipment primarily to save labor. Some contractors are knowledgeable about equipment and have strong opinions about what equipment is right for which situation. Other contractors are more focused on sales and rely on their field managers and employees to recommend and select equipment. Whatever perspective you have, there are some driving principles around equipment selection decisions you should keep in mind:
- There is no single equipment piece that is right for all situations.
- Everything being equal, select the best piece of equipment for the specific job.
- Price is a consideration, but consider life cycle, cost of the equipment plus labor savings value, too—not just the initial purchase price.
- Base your buying decision on fact, not emotion. Opinions and hearsay are just that.
- Get an on-site demo.
- Make sure you have good dealer and manufacturer support.
- Don’t be among the first buyers of a new model of any sizable piece of equipment. Too many products are rushed to market in this industry. First-buyers test and help refine the manufacturer’s product at their expense and frustration.
- In making a buying decision among comparable units, give extra weight to the product that has features that make it easier to maintain.
There’s value in sticking with fewer manufacturers’ products—you will have some interchangeable parts and you will have more leverage with the supplier as a better customer. Also, training employees and mechanics is easier.
When buying a specific piece of equipment with the purpose of saving labor, be sure that you actually realize the labor savings. Quantify the production gain in man-hours and make sure to express to the field operations team that they’re responsible for achieving the savings.
Too often in this industry, contractors buy bigger mowers to save hours and end up not realizing the savings because those saved hours manage to get spent on other things. If you calculate that you should save 20 hours per week with a particular piece of equipment, make sure that your operation actually saves 20 hours per week.
