Landscape and Irrigation is read by decision makers throughout the landscape and irrigation markets — including contractors, landscape architects, professional grounds managers, and irrigation and water mgmt companies and reaches the entire spetrum.
Issue link: https://read.dmtmag.com/i/38198
Special Feature Photo courtesy of TurfEx Photo courtesy of Caterpillar Inc. Photo courtesy of Morbark, Inc. When contractors look at their fleet Photo courtesy of Terex Construction Americas Photo courtesy of Pro-Tech Manufacturing and Distribution Equipment Trends 2011 L andscape and Irrigation magazine recently asked a wide range of equipment manufacturers and suppliers to share their insights about the equipment market, and how the trends they are seeing will impact your equipment decisions. The observations of the respondents are as follows: What trends are you seeing in terms of equipment sales to the landscape and irrigation markets? We are seeing an increase in equipment inquiries, which is most likely being driven by the lack of used equipment in the mar- ketplace. — Chris Osswald, president, Innovative Equipment Snow contractors are continually being asked to raise the bar in service and per- formance while running efficient opera- tions. Our new products present new approaches to specific job or lot applica- 10 Landscape and Irrigation July/August 2011 tions that make snow removal more effi- cient and effective than the standard plow approach. — Mike Holihan, director of marketing for Pro-Tech Manufacturing and Distribution More than ever, landscape and irrigation professionals are interested in making the most of their existing equipment. Rather than buying dedicated pieces of equipment to spread, dethatch or do other tasks, they’re looking for attachments that can be used on the mowers and utility vehicles they already own. — Bruce Carmichael, national sales manager for TurfEx We see contractors looking for products that will help them increase their gross sales. That means they may either have to expand what jobs they can do, or just try to be more efficient and the best in their field. — John A. Bentley, general manager, Earth & Turf Products, LLC today, they commonly look at the equip- ment in their yard and try to find ways for it to generate new revenue. The best way to increase machine utilization and gain a sig- nificant competitive advantage is to put an attachment on the end of a machine. If they can find an attachment that sets them apart from all of their competitors, they will get the work. Also, many rental companies are offering special rental purchasing agreements that provide contractors with another purchasing option. Because the volume of work is low, contractors are hesitant to buy equipment of any kind, including attachments. They may want to consider talking with their rental dealer to develop an agreement that lets fu- ture jobs pay for the attachment instead of it coming directly from their capital all at once. Smaller host machines are being used more frequently: Many contractors are turn- ing to smaller skid steers, mini-excavators and compact loaders in place of larger host machines. — Doug Amerman, director of marketing and business development for Paladin Construction Group Contractors require high horsepower and high lift capacity loaders to handle the demanding tasks they face. Landscapers and irrigation contractors are attracted to large- frame vertical lift units to meet their partic- www.landscapeirrigation.com