When you’re a green-industry pro, reliable equipment keeps your business running. When something breaks down or you run out of supplies, it can stop work and result in costly delays and downtime.
You can maximize uptime with preventative maintenance. Still, even the best preventative maintenance schedule can’t prevent every potential issue.Sometimes, you need to have certain parts and supplies on hand, either at your shop or on fleet trucks, so your crew can finish their routes efficiently and resupply later. Here is a list of common supplies every lawn and landscape pro should consider having on hand for last-minute needs.
Mower Parts and Repairs
- Extra Mower Blades – keeping a pre-sharpened set on hand helps ensure clean cuts all day. It also minimizes downtime if the mower hits an obstacle in the yard that damages the blades.
- Blade Bolts & Hardware – these can strip or go missing during sharpening or replacement of the blades. Having extra hardware available prevents delays.
- Drive Belts (Deck and Hydrostatic Belts) – belts can slip, stretch, or snap under heavy commercial use. Even a belt that looked good during a weekly maintenance check can fail mid-job. Having the correct belt sizes for each mower in your fleet reduces downtime.
- Air Filters – air filters can clog quickly, particularly in dusty conditions. A clogged filter reduces power and fuel efficiency. If you have spares on hand, it’s a fast and easy on-site replacement if your crew notices the filter needs to be changed or cleaned.
- Fuel Filters – can be a common point of failure on older or high-hour equipment. Keep some on hand for maintenance.
- Spark Plugs – if this breaks, your mower won’t work at all. Keeping extras of this inexpensive part helps with mid-season or mid-day no-start issues.
Handheld Equipment Parts (Trimmers, Blowers, Edgers, Chainsaws)
- Trimmer Line (Multiple Sizes) – crews can go through trimmer line fast, especially when working on large properties or when servicing long routes. Have pre-wound spools on the truck to save time.
- Trimmer Head Replacement Parts – keep bump knobs, springs, eyelets, or full replacement heads on hand to minimize downtime if these components break.
- Edger Blades – these blades can wear out quickly, especially on commercial sidewalks and concrete edges. Keeping sharp spare blades in the truck or equipment trailer helps you ensure clean edges on every client’s property.
- Chainsaw chains – if your crews work with chainsaws, having spare chains on hand that are pre-sharpened can save a lot of time in the field.
- Bar nuts – for chainsaws, keep spare bar nuts on hand just in case you need them. Some crews might find it useful to carry spare guide bars as well.
- Carburetor Diaphragms / Gaskets (for 2-cycle handhelds) – ethanol fuel can degrade diaphragms, leading to poor performance. Some crews keep small repair kits for common models.
- Spark plugs – just like with mowers, a broken spark plug will stop handheld equipment immediately. Keeping spares on hand for all your gasoline-powered equipment is an inexpensive way to maximize uptime.
- Air filters – keeping air filters clean is important for both battery-powered and gasoline-powered equipment. Keep some on hand for all your different equipment to help keep things running smoothly.
General Maintenance Tools and Emergency Repair Items
- 4-cycle Engine Oil and Hydrostatic Fluid – essential for topping off low fluid levels detected when working with riding mowers and lawn tractors in the field. Keeping the fuel levels from getting too low prevents engine or hydro damage that can be caused by running “dry.”
- 2-cycle Engine Oil and Gasoline – either pre-mixed or ready to mix for refueling hand-held equipment and smaller mowers with 2-cycle engines.
- Spare Batteries and Portable Battery Chargers – if you’ve started using battery-powered equipment in your commercial fleet, keeping charged batteries in the truck and traveling with a portable charger helps minimize downtime.
- Grease and Grease Gun – useful for greasing spindles, casters, and pivot points on commercial mowers. Regular greasing significantly extends equipment life.
- Fuses and Electrical Connectors – small electrical failures can stop mowers and other power equipment unexpectedly. If your crews carry spares, they can replace simple blown fuses without returning to the shop.
- Blade Sharpening Tools – it saves time and minimizes mid-day issues to carry spare pre-sharpened mower blades, edger blades, and chainsaw chains during the workday, but you’ll still need sharpening tools at the shop.
- Impact Gun or Wrenches (with a Socket Set) – needed for belt changes, blade changes, and most field repairs. An impact gun makes these tasks safer and more efficient, but a wrench can do in a pinch.
- Spare Tires and Tire Repair Kit – flat mower tires are common on job sites with thorns, nails, and debris. Sealant or plug kits help crews handle punctures without downtime. Some crews travel with a whole spare caster tire. You’ll also want a tire pump, repair kit, and spare tires for your trucks and trailers.
- Battery Jump Pack and Jumper Cables – a jump pack saves time when a mower battery dies on a job site. And if your truck battery dies, jumper cables are always good to have on hand.
- Assorted Tools – you never know when you might need some hand tools. Keep a basic tool kit on hand with a variety of screwdrivers, wrenches, and hammers. Lawn care tools like shovels, rakes, hand pruners, and loppers are also helpful. In addition, many professionals carry tow straps, a sturdy rope, and ratchet straps.
- Safety Gear – keep a fire extinguisher and first aid kit in every vehicle, in addition to your standard PPE equipment.
Depending on the focus of your business, you might not need all of these, or you might find something else you’d add to the list. For the parts that you decide you do need to keep on hand, come over to Richardson Saw & Lawnmower. We have the largest parts inventory in North Texas to ensure we have the parts on hand to repair your equipment as quickly as possible. Whether you’re stocking up on spare parts for in-house repairs or you bring your equipment here for service, our large parts inventory means less downtime for you.
