The mantra of social media marketing is to “engage your follower.” That philosophy of engagement can be equally applied to customer service for e-commerce sites. From the customer’s point of view, the ability to buy items online seems effortless, composed entirely of impersonal clicks of buttons with no human interaction whatsoever. The process is so stream-lined and efficient that a customer is almost hesitant to call in to ask for additional information. But when they do call in, it’s an absolute opportunity to shine. Nothing warms up an online transaction like chit-chatting with a real live human being.

For us here at Equipatron, the selling of engines, pressure washers, generators and other power equipment not only requires technical expertise but a real dialogue with the customer to determine the right piece of equipment for their particular needs. This dialogue works best as a real conversation, a friendly chat that involves inquiries about the weather, the area the customer is calling from, and maybe even a reference to something that happened in the news from the caller’s area. Customers really do appreciate the attention. They also like the fact there doesn’t seem to be a timer running, that the customer service person will spend as much time as necessary to address any and all questions and concerns. There’s no guarantee the sale will be made but the customer hangs up the phone feeling like he or she just had a pleasant conversation and will hopefully call back and even recommend us to friends.

Once the sale has been made, the goal is to get the product to the customer as promised. For the vast majority of customers, that goal is easily attained. Sometimes though, stuff happens – shipping companies can’t find the address, product that appeared to be readily available is suddenly not, product arrives damaged, and a whole host of possible missteps that can bog down the process. The solution – fix it as quickly as possible and keep the customer informed every step along the way. And apologize like you really mean it. An “I’m sorry” goes a long way towards diffusing a frustrating situation. Customers are amazingly understanding when they are kept in the loop about what exactly is going on with their whatchamacallits!

Customer service in one form or another has always been a part of the business world. What’s different now is that e-commerce has moved the human element entirely behind the scenes and sale transactions have become totally impersonal, the equivalent of a series of numbers.  The customer on the phone though, is a real live human being that still relishes an authentic human connection that feels welcoming, friendly and helpful.

So, you had to take your piece of outdoor power equipment to the repair shop. Despite the fact you did everything right – checked and changed the oil regularly, changed the air and oil filters, winterized properly – it just wasn’t working right or not at all. And now, the verdict is in. You need a new engine. Ugh.

If you did everything right, why would this happen? Despite all your best efforts, simple usage over time results in wear and tear. Friction continues to take its toll and tiny bits of engine are still flushed out with each and every oil change. Those little bits of engine add up.  The internal engine parts become a bit misshapen and no longer work as well together when the engine was brand new. This ends up with a rough working engine and eventually engine failure.

The big question now is whether to replace the engine or get rid of the machine and buy a completely new one.  To help you with this dilemma, consider the following factors:

•    Cost of the original piece of equipment. If you’re replacing an engine on say an Ariens Zero Turn Mower with a price tag of almost $5000, it makes sense to explore engine replacement as opposed to buying an entirely new piece of equipment. On the other hand, if you’re thinking about replacing the engine on a $200 push mower, the cost of the engine + labor costs will quickly make it cheaper and easier to just buy a new mower.

•    Age of equipment. Here, the law of diminishing returns applies. If your piece of power equipment is 10+ years old, things are going to start falling apart and when you add a replacement engine into the mix, the money adds up. Throwing good money after bad makes little economic sense and there comes a time when you just might have to bite the bullet and buy a new one.

•    Do-it-yourself.  A significant portion of any repair job is labor costs and if the cost of an engine replacement is limited to parts, it might be worth it to DIY. Bear in mind though that an engine replacement is much easier if the new engine is the same as the old one. If you find the original engine is no longer available and you have to make substitutions, things can get a bit tricky with parts not lining up exactly right.

•    Environmental impact. If you like the idea of lessening your contribution to the refuse stream and using less natural resources, then replacing an engine makes more sense than replacing an entire piece of equipment. While all the old metal should go to the metal recycler, the metal needed to replace just the engine means the iron ore dug from the earth is just a tiny bit less than if you had bought an entirely new piece of equipment. And you know what your mom would say to that – every little bit helps!

The internet has all kinds of websites with tips about small engine maintenance and repairs. One I particularly like is called Notes on the Troubleshooting and Repair of Small Gasoline Engines and Rotary Lawn Mowers at http://www.repairfaq.org/sam/lmfaq.htm. It has a plethora if information about how to maintain your small engine from preventive maintenance all the way to “time to buy a new mower.”

So this spring, when you head out to your garage, ready to mow the grass, clean the fence, or other outdoor task on your list, don’t let that Briggs & Stratton engine, Subaru engine, Honda engine or other engine trouble drag you down.  And give the guys at Equipatron.com a call. They can help guide you in the right direction.

When we make a purchase, no matter what it is, we all know that once we plunk down our cash, we assume a certain amount of responsibility to take care of that product so that it continues to work properly and lasts a long time. For food, proper storage prevents spoilage, for clothes, laundering and mending keep the items and the wearer looking good. For all things mechanical, particularly engines, the most important thing a responsible owner can do is keep the equipment properly oiled. It makes perfect sense on an instinctive level but why is that so on a technical level? The answer is friction.

To be perfectly honest, I had to do some research on friction. I have never taken a physics class and the only source of friction of which I am intimately acquainted is on the familial level. Lo and behold, that family friction is a great example of physical friction – resistance occurring when one surface/body/personality rubs up against another surface/body/personality! If the surfaces are particularly rough, like when we’re all in a bad mood, there’s increased friction. If the surfaces are smooth – when we’re all in a good mood – there’s very little friction. Rough surfaces can be made to have less friction with the addition of a lubricant so in this case, positive words, going out to dinner, or a small gift, serves the same purpose. That is friction at its most elemental.

When it comes to an engine, whether it’s a small engine that powers a lawn mower or a large one that’s under the hood of a car, there are many, many moving parts – pistons, valves, camshafts, crankshafts, connecting rods, timing gears, flywheels, etc. – and they’re all rubbing against each other. While the parts appear to be smooth, microscopically, they’re quite rough, and the resistance/friction is significant. Further, the friction of two objects rubbing together creates heat, think escalating argument, and that heat can actually cause your engine parts to melt. What mitigates the friction and heat is the addition of oil. Oil coats the engine parts to create a smooth surface thereby reducing friction significantly. Oil also cools the engine by carrying the heat away from the moving parts. Without oil, all those moving parts would eventually mash and melt together with the engine grinding to an unfixable halt.

While it’s of the utmost importance to check the oil levels regularly, it’s also important to periodically change the oil completely. According to Tom and Ray Magliozzi, Click and Clack, The Tappet Brothers, these are the things that happen to your engine oil over time:
• Oil undergoes thermal breakdown due to high operating temperatures thereby diminishing its effectiveness as a lubricant.
• Oil has added additives that have the ability to neutralize acids. Once these additives get used up, they stop being effective.
• The oil becomes saturated with water, dust and combustion byproducts. Once that happens, the oil can’t hold anymore thereby allowing the particles to stay in the engine possibly causing corrosion.

And that’s why, the number one item on the preventive maintenance list for any product with an engine, be it small or large, is to add oil regularly and change it periodically. It’s a simple enough task and well worth the minimum amount of time and effort. Consult the owner’s manual for your particular engine for additional preventive maintenance requirements. For further inquiries, give the guys at Equipatron.com a call. They’re more than happy to answer any and all questions.

Up at our cabin we felled a huge, lightning damaged, white pine last winter – dropped it on the frozen lake – and since then have had a readily available supply of wood to burn in the fire pit. The task of splitting this wood was made all the easier with the purchase of an Ariens 34 Ton Log Splitter.  Just thinking about that log splitter brings a smile to my face! But now that the cabin is closed for the winter, all that wood is sitting there and we got to thinking about using that pine in the fireplace at our house. Considering all the “wisdom” we’ve heard through the years, we got to  wondering whether it’s OK and this is what we found.

Seasoned vs. Wet/Green Wood
The most important safety issue when it comes to burning wood in an indoor fireplace is not what type of wood you use but rather, whether the wood has been seasoned. Seasoned wood is wood that has been cut to length and stored long enough that the moisture content has been reduced down to 20-25%. As fresh cut wood can have as much as 45% water content, this drying process takes time –from 6 months to a year. If it’s properly stored with protection from rain but with access to the sun and wind, then 6 months should do – if not, then longer. A good indication of seasoned wood is if it seems lightweight and has dark ends with cracks and splits. But to be sure, a moisture meter is a good investment. For as little as $40 – check out the Sonin Analog Moisture Meter 50211 – this little handheld device will provide you with a fairly accurate reading as to the wood’s readiness to be burned that season or even that day.
Why is seasoned wood so important? Wood that’s wet/green burns at a lower temperature which prevents the complete combustion of the oils in wood. These unburned oils are off-gassed in the smoke as volatiles and as the smoke rises through the chimney it cools and causes water, carbon and the volatiles to condense on the interior surfaces of the chimney flue. This black oily residue is called creosote and it’s the build-up of this residue that causes chimney fires. Depending upon the amount of build-up, a chimney fire can stay within the confines of the chimney without your ever knowing it occurred or it can burn your house down. No matter what type of wood you’ve been burning, it’s a good idea to get your chimney checked out by a qualified chimney sweep. But, if you’ve been regularly burning wet/green wood, getting your chimney checked is imperative. They can determine if there’s creosote build-up and the severity of the situation.

Hard vs. Soft Wood
Hardwoods like oak, ash, maple, pecan, walnut and hickory are great woods for burning in the fireplace particularly if you’re burning to provide heat rather than just ambience. Hardwoods are much denser than softwoods so a cord of hardwood weighs approximately 2 times as much as a similar amount of softwood and thus has twice as much heat potential.  You can use the softwoods – pine, fir, cedar – but it’ll burn up quicker, you’ll have to feed the fire more often, and you’re stock will run out sooner.
There are differing opinions as to whether softwoods produce more creosote. Many believe they do and urge caution when using in a fireplace or stove. Others, such as the Chimney Safety Institute of America (CSIA), believe it’s a matter of seasoning and if it’s properly seasoned, it’s perfectly fine for indoor burning. Because softwoods are less dense, the experts at CSIA suggest using the pines, cedars, etc. for early or late in the season when the heating needs are not as intense as in the dead of winter.
There’s nothing like a warm, crackling fire to ward off winter’s chill. But with all things, safety is of the utmost importance.  Inspect your firewood and make sure it’s ready to be burned or it could end up burning you  – and your family. Brought to you by the folks at Equipatron.com – for all your equipment needs.

Equipatron.com sells lots of different things. Behind all the items we carry is a proud tradition of manufacturing that not only makes the products but through innovation and technology has come up with countless ways to make them more efficiently and environmentally friendly. This is the second in a series of occasional articles exploring the manufacturers that produce the products we carry.

ARIENS Company

For an awful lot of people, manufacturing is pretty boring stuff. Start talking about production, labor, supply chain, etc., to a lay person and just watch the eyes glaze over. We love our stuff but couldn’t give two hoots about how it came to be sitting on the store shelf! But the men and women who created the companies that made our country an industrial giant were just as ambitious, innovative and entrepreneurial in their time as today’s tech industry gurus.

Take the Ariens Company. Henry Ariens and his wife, Christine, settled in Brillion, Wisconsin in 1893. There they proceeded to set up an iron foundry in the garage behind their house where they began to produce small farm equipment. It sounds so achingly mundane that it would be so easy to just pass over that statement and say, yeah, whatever. But if you really think about it, that’s a pretty risky and bold move. Here is this relatively young couple, new to this small, Midwestern town, and whether through sheer desperation, pure pluck or calculated risk, went into business FORMING MOLTEN METAL IN THEIR GARAGE!  That scary, little operation eventually became the Brillion Iron Works and while no longer affiliated with the Ariens family having been sold in 1969, is still in operation today employing upwards of 1000 people.

Companies are formed and dissolved every day. Some last for many years, others are dead within months. But for a family company to be in existence for longer than a single generation is truly a remarkable feat considering the vagaries of the business world. The true test of a company is how it handles these challenging situations. For US manufacturers in the early 20th century, that difficult time was the 1929 Wall Street crash and the Great Depression. For the Ariens family, the Brillion Iron Works went bankrupt. To keep the business going, the family split the company into two entities – the Brillion Iron Works and the Ariens Company. The Ariens Company concentrated on their new invention, a walk behind, engine powered rototiller for farm and commercial use, in addition to its other farm equipment offerings. The Brillion Iron Works focused on recovering and exiting from bankruptcy. In the late 1930’s and 1940’s, both companies supported the war effort and switched to the production of tools and equipment for military use.

After the war, the Ariens Company again saw the need to change the company focus. When the returning troops and their families settled into newly built homes and subdivisions, Ariens recognized a growing consumer demand for lawn and yard care equipment. Gradually they shifted their focus away from agricultural equipment to concentrate on this consumer market. By 1950 they produced their first products marketed to homeowners – the Jet Tiller and the Imperial Riding Mower. Ariens’ popular Sno-Thro, a self-propelled snow thrower, was introduced in 1960 – one of the first snow blowers marketed to homeowners.

Today, Ariens offers  snow blowers and throwers in a range of sizes to meet consumer needs. The same is true for their lawn care equipment which includes walk-behind mowers, riding mowers, zero-turn mowers and other lawn care equipment for both the consumer and commercial markets. Expansion of the product line has been further enhanced through acquisitions such as Gravely and the Stens Corporation.

Henry and Christine Ariens had a vision, back in 1893, to start a company, provide for their family and prosper in an era when anything seemed possible. That legacy of hard work, business savvy and entrepreneurial spirit continues today with the fourth generation that now runs the company. While manufacturing in the US has been pummeled by cheap Chinese imports, labor costs and other issues, it is a testament to the Ariens family that they continue to thrive in the tradition of proud US manufacturer.

Info for this article obtained from http://www.fundinguniverse.com/company-histories/Ariens-Company-Company-History.html.

Brrr. It’s starting to get cold out there! The last of the raking is finished, the lawn has been mowed for the last time and any pressure washing that needed to be completed is now done. Time to get that expensive outdoor power equipment winterized so it’s good to go, on the first pull, in the spring.

While winterizing would seem to imply that it’s limited to more northern climes with snow and below freezing temperatures, any gas powered equipment that is expected to sit idle for more than 30 days needs extra care – lawn mowers, snow blowers, pressure washers, portable generators, etc. It’s not the cold but old gas that’s the problem. Gasoline’s volatile components evaporate over time decreasing its ability to burn effectively in your gas engine. Plus, when hydrocarbons in gas react with oxygen, called oxidation, the chemical composition of the gas changes. This leads to gum and varnish deposits in the fuel system – a time consuming cleaning process best left to the professionals.

There are differing schools of thought about how to deal with the gas in outdoor power equipment at the end of the season. One is to run the machine until the gas is completely used up. If you plan to store the gas-powered equipment in your basement, this is the preferred method as storing any gas in your living space is a bad idea. For unheated garage and shed storage, the problem with this method is that condensation can form in the empty gas tank and the resultant water in the tank could end in poor engine performance and/or rusty lines and tanks which can lead to expensive engine and gas-line failure.

The preferred method, according to Peter Sawchuk of Consumer Reports, is to have a close to full tank of gas and to add a fuel stabilizer like Sta-bil. This will prevent the aforementioned oxidation and lead to a smooth starting engine in the spring. Once you add the stabilizer, run the motor 5-10 minutes to make sure it reaches the carburetor. Next spring, continue to add stabilizer every time you refill to keep that engine running smooth.

The following list rounds out Sawchuk’s recommendations for the minimum amount of tasks required to keep your mower in good shape over the long haul:

- Change the oil.
- Charge the battery and recharge periodically through the down season. Unlike a car battery, a battery that works with a lawn mower or snow blower is not automatically recharged as the machine runs.
- Scrape the lawn mower’s undercarriage.

Fuel stabilizer should also be added to your gas pressure washer engine at the end of the season but additional steps need to be taken to deal with hoses and tanks to insure that any water remaining is removed or properly treated.

A quick method for pressure washers that will be stored in spaces or climates that don’t reach below freezing temperatures is as follows:

- Disconnect all water connections.
- Make sure the pressure hose is not kinked and turn on the machine for a few seconds until any water remaining in the pump is expelled. Turn off immediately.
- When storing, keep machine away from the furnace or other heat source to prevent seals from drying out.

The Preferred Winterizing Procedure for cold climates and unheated storage involves an antifreeze solution:

- Flush pump and chemical injector with fresh water.
- Turn off power supply and squeeze trigger gun to relieve any pressure in the line.
- Disconnect inlet and discharge plumbing.
- Connect a 3-4 foot hose to the inlet of the pump and place the other end of the hose into a bucket with a 50% water, 50% antifreeze mix. Use environmentally friendly antifreeze such as RV antifreeze.
- Start the motor and run unit until antifreeze flows out the discharge.
- Turn off unit, disconnect hoses and store.

To make the winterizing process even easier, products such as Briggs & Stratton’s PumpSaver or Karcher’s Pump Guard for Pressure Washers contain antifreeze and lubricants to protect your equipment all winter long.

As with all engine care, it is highly recommended that the owner’s manual be consulted for additional info and best practices and procedures for your particular piece of equipment.

As you can see, all it takes is a little TLC to keep your outdoor power equipment in top shape – that and a bit of elbow grease. For additional info, the friendly customer service personnel at Equipatron.com are happy to take your call.

Here it is, fall again – my favorite season! Let’s see, there’s Pop Warner football, high school football, college football, professional football, and I’ll even play a game or two of flag football (and have the sore muscles to show for it!). There isn’t much that gets between me and my enjoyment of the game! That’s why, when it comes to fall chores, I’ve streamlined them to do only what is absolutely necessary. The rest can wait until spring.

Leaf Removal
If you like your lawn nice and green and healthy, you must remove the majority of leaves that accumulate in the fall. A heavy layer of leaves is like a blanket that covers your grass and prevents the cool temperatures, essential sunlight, moisture and fertilizer from helping your lawn heal after a long, hot summer. If you don’t have a lot of leaves, a mulching mower may be all you need.  As I have quite a few maples trees, a rake is my weapon of choice. Raking though is a strenuous activity and leaves, especially if they’re wet, can get heavy. If you have any physical limitations that keep you from a vigorous workout but you’d still like to get outside and take care of your yard, then I’d get a blower/sweeper.  Fairly lightweight ones, like those from Worx, can be an electric plug-in or have a battery such as the popular lithium ion. There are also gas powered blowers which can be a bit heavier but many have convenient harnesses that put the weight of the machine on your back with only the hose having to be carried in the hand.

Speaking of leaf removal, pulling out the ladder, or hiring someone, to clean the gutters is a good idea. Clogged gutters can contribute to the formation of ice dams so an hour spent on the ladder can potentially save you hundred of dollars in repair costs for water damage.

Feed and Weed your Lawn
Fall fertilization replaces nutrients that were lost during the summer and encourages root growth for a healthy spring lawn. Weeds are also sucking up those nutrients so a simultaneous application of an herbicide will kill the weeds before they have a chance to reemerge in the spring.  If you aren’t a football fanatic like me, check out http://www.lawncare.org/fall-lawn-care/ for other suggested fall lawn tasks.

Trimming, Edging and Pruning
If you trim your spring flowering bushes, i.e. forsythia, spirea, azalea, etc., in the fall, they will not flower in the spring because you will have cut off all the next season’s blooms. Best time to trim these bushes is right after they’ve finished blooming for the season but no later than Labor Day. Bushes that flower in the summer though, such as roses and hibiscus, can be trimmed in the fall or winter when the plants are dormant so they can wait until at least some football is finished for the season.

Edging your driveway and sidewalks is also a good project to get done in the fall. There are a wide variety of edging and trimming tools available to make the work easier.

Best time to prune trees is in the late fall or winter when leaves are gone. The tree will be dormant and you will have an unobstructed view to see which branches to remove.

Lawn Furniture
Lawn furniture puts up with a lot of abuse from the elements but the harshest of conditions come in winter with the wind, snow, ice and freezing temperatures. To have your outdoor furniture last as long as possible, store it in a garage, shed or basement.  At the very least, stack it in the most out of the way place you’ve got to give it at least some protection from the elements. As far as cleaning is concerned, I’d just wait until spring unless there’s an ugly, oily spot that should be removed pronto.

Garden Hoses
Disconnect your garden hoses from the outside spigot, thoroughly drain and store in the garage, shed or basement. An undrained garden hose that’s left outside or in an unheated space over winter will freeze and rupture. Also, a hose still attached to the spigot over winter can cause your plumbing pipes to rupture as well. Check out the following link for a nice, detailed question and answer regarding just this scenario - http://aces.nmsu.edu/ces/yard/2006/120906.html .

My final outside task will be to clean out the vegetable garden to help keep it disease and bug free. The rest, like window washing, can wait until spring.  One project I don’t want to neglect though is the winterization of my lawn mower and other power equipment but that’s a separate posting all by itself. Until next time, have fun in the yard from all of us here at Equipatron.com!

I have a confession to make. In previous posts, I mentioned that we purchased a generator for our cabin during a time period when there seemed to be a lot of long-lasting power outages. That was something like 9 years ago. Once we unpacked the generator and got it set up, Murphy’s law immediately took effect and we’ve had absolutely no need to fire up the thing, not even once!  I keep thinking we should sell it as it seems like a huge waste of money and it’s just taking up space. Then Hurricane Irene comes along. Let’s face it. New England is not a hurricane prone area – at least not like Florida, the Carolinas and the Gulf States –and so to have such widespread damage and devastation occur from such an unlikely event gives me reason to pause. In light of all the things that have been going on lately – earthquakes on the East Coast, wildfires in Texas, tornadoes ravaging whole towns in Missouri, snowstorms with unprecedented  amounts of accumulation-we should be shaking in our boots but we’re not. And why is that? Because that stuff always happens to the other guy. But you know what?  That other guy could be you, or me, at any time.

Equipatron.com has been inundated with calls from people in areas directly and indirectly affected by Hurricane Irene. They’re ordering generators. They’ve just been through a huge hurricane that left them without power for days and they’ve found that being totally without electricity is not a pleasant experience. The generator they ordered most likely did not arrive in time to help them in their current situation, but by golly, they plan to have one if and when the next disaster occurs. So now I’m rethinking my attitude toward that lowly behemoth sitting in the garage. I’m thinking, maybe we should move it to our prime address, the place we live the majority of the time, rather than have it sit at our part-time place. I’m thinking about other steps we can take to be prepared in case of an extreme emergency such as how to contact family members if all the cell towers have been knocked out or how to ensure continued access to life-saving medical equipment and prescriptions. FEMA has a great website – www.ready.gov – that provides disaster preparedness plans, federal, state and local contacts and state-by-state guidelines for emergencies most likely to happen in your particular neck of the woods. Check it out.

In the end, Mom was right – it’s better to be safe than sorry – and while she was probably talking about your wearing those ugly rain boots or lugging around that umbrella, I think she’d extend that adage to the much bigger picture as well!

Even though we’re at the tail end of lawn mowing season, it’s never too late to remind people about lawn mower safety. Lawnmowers are such a commonplace, everyday tool that most of us give very little thought to what could go wrong. Once or twice a week throughout the growing season, we check the oil, put in some gas/plug it in/what have you, and mind-numbingly walk or ride,  back and forth, back and forth, back and forth to get the chore done. And after a whole season of doing this, it’s almost like we’re on auto-pilot. But it’s at these times, when we’re mowing like zombies and not really paying attention, that things can unexpectedly go wrong.

Just looking at the mower, you see all kinds of potential hazards. Most mowers run on gas. It’s a no-brainer that open flames around gasoline are a no-no. This includes cigarettes, pilot lights, grills and wood stoves. But yet, accidents, like a man spilling gas while refilling his lawn mower and somehow starting his pants on fire, actually happen. Even refueling while the engine is hot has the potential to ignite so wait to refuel when the engine is cool.

A related hazard is the filling of your gas containers on a plastic surface such as a truck liner or the carpeted trunk of a car. Fires can spontaneously ignite due to the buildup of static electricity that is prevented from grounding by the insulating effect of the truck bed liner or carpet. Place the gas container on the ground and away from the vehicle where the static electricity can be safely discharged.

Then there’s the mower blades themselves. Most newer mowers have safety devices that turn the mower off when the handle is released.  That’s a good thing as the incidences of amputated hands, fingers and toes have decreased dramatically since this important safety implementation. But yet, situations occur such as jammed blades, slippery slopes, and non-existent or disconnected safety devices and the next thing you know, you’re missing a couple fingers or toes. It happens. Even jabbing a stick into the undercarriage to dislodge an object is dangerous as the blade can suddenly start moving sending the stick flying in any direction. Mower blades, which can spin at rates of  up to 200mph, can also launch rocks and other unseen debris so keep the kids and pets out of the mowing area. Moral of the story – mower blades very dangerous. Approach with extreme caution and wear close-toed shoes!

Speaking of kids, they represent a sizable percentage of lawnmower-related injuries considering most mowing is done by adults! Little Johnnie or Susie runs outside while Mom or Dad are mowing – a non-threatening activity they see their parents do at least once a week-  the parent doesn’t see them, can’t hear them over the mower noise, and the next thing you know, they’re being run over, hit by debris, or tripping and falling to get out of the way!  To the parent, be vigilant at all times and educate your kids about keeping out of an area where mowing is going on. When kids are old enough to mow – the American Academy of Pediatrics recommends age 12 for push mowers and age 16 for riding – educate them as to all the potential hazards and safety issues.

Finally, riding lawn mowers have their own set of safety issues. First, riding lawn mowers are serious pieces of equipment. They are meant for one rider and one rider only so children should not be taken along as passengers. One bump over rough terrain could send the child flying into the dirt or worse. Second, learn the proper way to mow particularly on slopes. There is a tip-over risk while mowing back and forth horizontally if the slope is too steep. On the other hand, there is a risk of losing traction and sliding down backwards or toppling over while trying to mow up and down vertically on a too steep grade. Consult your owner’s manual for best practices.

As with all power equipment, read your owner’s manual thoroughly. Not only does it give you a complete rundown of all safety issues, it provides maintenance guidelines to keep your machine running in tiptop shape. Consult with the experts at Equipatron.com for any and all questions about push mowers, riding tractors and zero-turn mowers.  Happy Mowing!

For most of us, a push mower is all we need to cut the grass. Why? Because we have small yards and using a riding lawn mower to cut the grass would just be silly! But, if you have a large yard and you’re using a push mower, well, that means either currently it’s not in your budget or you’re a very energetic, young dude or dudette and love the exercise. Good for you! There may come a time though when your finances have improved or the sheer drudgery of the job has set in and you just want to get it over with as quickly as possible. That’s when you start looking at riding lawn mowers and one model that should definitely be on the table is a zero turn mower.

Zero turn mowers are not new. They’ve been around for years, indispensable pieces of equipment for landscape professionals, parks departments, golf courses, etc. What has changed is the affordability factor. Due to changes in technology, prices have dropped bringing these mowers within reach of the average homeowner. It used to be that the only affordable option available for consumers with large yards was a lawn tractor. These are perfectly fine especially if the idea that you and your little tractor are filling some deep-seated need to be one with your agrarian ancestors. But if you want efficiency, speed and maneuverability with your lawn cutting, then a zero turn mower can’t be beat.

What exactly is a zero-turn mower? I call the following the dots vs donuts explanation. A lawn tractor has a 15-18″ turning radius so if you turned the wheels as far as they go and did a complete circle, there would be an uncut patch of grass in the middle – a donut. If you attempted to do a circle with a zero-turn radius mower, you would end up with a dot – no uncut grass in the middle as a zero-turn mower can do a complete 360 degree turn within its own footprint. How does this translate into more efficient grass cutting? With a lawn tractor, when you turn at the end of the mowing row, you have to do a little bit of time-consuming back and forth maneuvering to cut the uncut patch. No maneuvering for the zero-turn and more time sitting on the patio, drink in hand!

What other advantages are there to owning a zero turn mower? It cuts faster than a lawn tractor. Top speeds of a lawn tractor are 3-4 mph while a zero-turn mowers run at speeds of 5-8 mph. That’s a huge difference when you’re cutting an acre or two. Maneuverability is another plus. Watch the workers mow the grass at the park. They literally do circles around trees, shrubs, flower beds, what have you. No backing up, no cutting in, just constant motion and very little trimming afterwards. If you prefer to stand rather than sit, zero turn stand-on models are also available. Finally, many zero turn mowers, like the Ariens complete line, now offer attachments such as aerators, rollers, dump trucks and dethatchers offering you versatility and a complete, DIY, professional landscaping job.

Check out the zero turn mowers available at Equipatron.com. The customer service people are there to assist you with any and all questions about this remarkable technology.