As a landscaper, your project’s quality depends not only on your skill but also on the quality and effectiveness of the tools you use. This is why you need to be very knowledgeable about landscaping tools and their different uses.
Landscaping tools can be classified by their weight. There are heavy landscaping tools and lightweight landscaping tools.
The lightweight landscaping tools are:
- Shovels
- Rakes
- Shears
- Buckets
- Gloves
The heavy landscaping tools are:
- Mulchers
- Lawn mowers
- Grass trimmers
- Snow blowers
- Lawn aerators
Shovels
A shovel is a landscaping tool for digging, lifting, and moving soil, gravel, debris, snow, and sand. A shovel is needed for both large and small landscaping projects. Using a shovel while landscaping will prevent you from causing cuts and injuries to your hands from carrying materials and soil while working.
A short shovel is called a spade, used while cultivating or working at a very close range.
Here are some ways to care for your shovel:
- Clean with a wire brush after every use.
- Rinse thoroughly
- Wipe with a clean cloth.
- Wipe with motor oil to prevent rusting.
Tip: For shovels with wooden handles, you can occasionally sandpaper to reduce your chances of having splinters while working, and apply wood sealers for a tasteful finish.
Rakes
In landscaping, a rake is used to gather grass, mulch, and leaves or smoothen loose gravel or soil. Also, the fine-aligned toothed crossbar of rakes can be used in grading and sculpting land for planting. Rakes are made in different shapes and sizes, which determine their uses. Some of the different types of rakes used in landscaping are:
Gardening Rake
A gardening rake often has a metal handle and a widely shaped metallic crossbar with rigid tines. It is used to level down dirt or sand and break up soil for a garden bed.
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Hand Rake
A hand rake is used when working at a close range to the soil or a surface. It is used for adequately gathering or cleaning around plants while preventing you from destroying them. It is also a handy tool for weeding landscapes and lawns. A hand rake has fewer tines than other rakes.
Concrete Rake
This tool is made with two sides. One side is used for smoothening and spreading wet concrete, while the other is used for scooping wet concrete. The concrete rake does not have any tines. Instead, it has a flat shovel-like surface since it is primarily used for wet concrete.
Lake Rake
A lake rake is made with a very long handle. It gathers floating weeds, algae, and dirt from wet or water-filled landscapes.
Tip: To maintain your landscaping rakes, you must clean them regularly and use them for precisely what they are made for. For example, you should not use your concrete rake to level dirt or sand. You can also polish them with motor oil to prevent rust.
Shears
This landscaping tool is shaped like scissors to help you trim hedges and grasses. They are used to cut away parts of plants and trees that we consider useless to our landscapes. They are also used to cut plants and trees for ornamental purposes. There are three types of shears used for landscaping.
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Pruning Shears
Pruning shears are also called secateurs. They have short handles and can cut out branches as thick as 2cm.
Lawn Shears
This type of shear is used to cut the flat surface of a lawn. Lawn shears provide a better finish after trimming with a lawn mower.
Edging Shears
Edge shears are used to cut along the edges of the lawn or landscape. Like the lawn shears, the edging shears provide a better finish along the edges.
Buckets
Buckets are one of your most valuable tools as a landscaper. Whether transporting tools or plants from one side of the landscape to another or packing up dirt for disposal, your bucket will serve you well as a landscaper.
Buckets can be either plastic or metal, but the buckets you use must be able to serve their purpose and be durable. Metal buckets are strong. However, metal buckets can rust quickly if not properly taken care of. Plastic buckets are light and easily breakable, but they stay in excellent condition even during humid seasons. However, there are heavy-duty plastic buckets that last long and are multi-seasonal.
To care for your buckets, do not use them to carry too heavy loads; clean and store properly after use.
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Gloves
Gloves are hand protection tools for landscapers. They can be made of rubber, cotton, or leather. These different types of gloves are made for specific uses explained below:
Rubber gloves
Rubber gloves are used primarily for cleaning and hard gripping surfaces such as metal or wood. For example, you can use rubber gloves while raking, shoveling, or digging to prevent splinters and blisters.
Leather gloves
Leather gloves can help to prevent injuries that can scrape or prick your hands. In addition, leather gloves will give you a better grip while working with wet tools. They also help reduce heat’s impact while working with heat-producing equipment.
Cotton gloves
Cotton gloves are used when you need the flexibility of your hands. Although they may not have high protection like the other glove types, cotton gloves will help you keep your hands moderately clean while digging and cleaning dirt.
Tip: To care for your gloves, you must wash them regularly and use them for the purposes they were made for. For example, using a rubber glove near equipment that produces heat will cause it to melt or thin out. In this case, a leather or cotton glove will be ideal.
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Mulchers
Mulchers are heavy landscaping tools that cut grass, trees, and other organic materials and grind them into mulch, using them as compost or fertilizer to enrich plants, trees, and flowers.
As a landscaper, you must have adequate knowledge of a mulcher to use it. Misuse of a mulcher will cause damage to landscapes and the destruction of plants. Also, if not correctly cared for, your mulcher can serve as a hiding place for pests, distributing pests all over your landscape when in use.
You can care for your mulcher by:
- Cleaning after use.
- Lubricating all parts.
- Replacing worn-out parts
- Store in a dry area
- Letting only professionals operate it.
Lawn Mowers
If you are a new landscaper, a lawn mower is the first heavy equipment you should own. Lawnmowers are needed for both large and small landscaping projects.
Lawnmowers cut and trim grasses, fields, and lawns. Lawnmowers also leave an aesthetic effect on lawns and landscapes. These are some ways to care for your lawn mower.
- Clean the deck after every use.
- Clean the air filter and replace it when damaged.
- Change the mower oil regularly.
- Keep the blades clean, dry, and polished.
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Grass Trimmers
Grass trimmers are also known as weed whackers or line trimmers. They are used to give a lower cut to the lawn. Grass trimmers perform the same functions as lawnmowers but without a blade.
Grass trimmers are made with a nylon line that spins very fast with the aid of the propulsion system. Here are some tips for caring for your grass trimmer:
- Brush out grass and dirt after use with warm, soapy water.
- Ensure that the air filter is always clean.
- Replace the damaged spark plug before use.
- Keep in a clean and dry environment.
Snow Blowers
As the name implies, snow blowers are used for landscaping during the winter. It removes excess snow from lawns, plants, trees, and landscapes to prevent damage. As a landscaper, you will experience a drop in patronage during the winter. However, having a snowblower can help you stay relevant to your clients.
Some ways to care for your snow blower are:
- Using it for the proper purpose.
- Ensuring that you use it at a low-medium speed to avoid burnout.
- Drying and lubricating correctly after use.
Lawn Aerator
For your landscapes to remain beautiful and last long, you will need a lawn aerator to channel water, oxygen, and nutrients to the soil. In addition, aerating the soil will facilitate the growth of grass and trees. However, only a soil and plant management professional with knowledge of how to use the lawn aerator should be allowed to use this tool.
The lawn aerator has spikes to create holes in the soil to pass the needed oxygen and nutrients.
Here are some ways to maintain your lawn aerator:
- Clean and dry blades and spikes after use.
- Follow the instructions for use in the manufacturer’s manual.
- Oil regularly.
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Frequently Asked Question
Is it better to rent or purchase my landscaping tools?
Purchasing your landscaping tools should depend on your landscaping business level. If you have not started working on many large landscaping projects, you should stick to owning just the basic landscaping tools. However, you can rent tools when needed until your business begins frequently receiving large contracts.
You must also ensure that you have ample space to store the heavy landscaping tools before purchasing them.
In addition, if you want to rent tools for a project, you must ensure that you take appropriate care of the tools to prevent damage or extra repair charges.
Do I need to be skilled to use landscaping tools?
Not all landscaping tools require high skill to be used. However, you must know the basics of landscaping to use any landscaping tool. If you do not know how to use a landscaping tool, you should seek the help of a professional to prevent severe injuries to yourself and damage to the tool.
To learn more on how you can start your own landscaping business, check out my startup documents here.
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Meet Shawn Chun: Entrepreneur and Landscape Business Fan.
I’m a happy individual who happens to be an entrepreneur. I have owned several types of businesses in my life from a coffee shop to an import and export business to an online review business plus a few more and now I create online resources for those interested in starting new ventures. It’s demanding work but I love it. I do it for those passionate about their business and their goals. That’s why when I meet a landscape business owner at a job site, driving down the road or anywhere else I see myself. I know how hard the struggle is to retain clients, find good employees and keep the business growing all while trying to stay competitive.
That’s why I created Landscaping Business Boss: I want to help landscape business owners like you build a thriving business that brings you endless joy and supports your ideal lifestyle.