If an industry-wide landscaping labor shortage wasn’t enough of a problem, add on the cost and difficulty of recruiting seasonal employees. These are the primary reasons why many landscapers are turning to equipment solutions to get the job done. As you prepare for the projects the new year will bring, we wanted to take the opportunity to lay out some important considerations to make when purchasing or renting equipment for your business in this month’s On The Level blog.

User-Friendly Equipment Is Key

As you probably already know, recruiting landscape laborers who are not only dependable, but also able to operate your equipment, is quite the challenge. Therefore, it is especially important to consider the user-friendliness of the machines you plan to rent or purchase while preparing for next year’s busy season. So, what constitutes “user-friendly” landscaping machines? Here are a few checklist items to evaluate:

• Machine safety – Above everything, the safety of you and your crew is critical. Some of today’s machines, such as advanced compact track loaders, are factory-built with back-up cameras, so the operator can remain aware of his/her 360 degree surroundings without having to turn around in the cab.


• User interface – Machine operation should be intuitive, with easy-to-use display systems, so even the most novice operators will be able to quickly learn the controls within the cab. Look for landscaping machines with graphic display systems that allow operators to customize their preferred operation and language settings.


• Ease of maintenance – Daily maintenance checks are essential to maintaining the health and performance of your machines. Therefore, the easier it is for your equipment operators to complete these checks, the better. Look for a machine that allows operators ground-level access to all daily service points (e.g., fluid levels, filters, gauges).


• Operator comfort – When you find hard-working employees, you certainly want to keep them on board. This is where machine ergonomics and comfort come into play. A machine with a fully pressurized, air-conditioned cab, as well as adjustable armrests and joystick controls, will enhance operator comfort. This work environment will also help reduce their fatigue at the end of a long work day.