The average homeowner is faced with a wide variety of lawn debris challenges throughout the year that can be handled much more efficiently and cost effectively when the resources of a well-equipped rental store are put to use.

A good way to increase rental revenues while also ensuring the customer has the right equipment to do the job is to package rental items by the project. Here are three lawn debris projects that the typical homeowner might face. In each case, the project can be packaged as one complete rental.

1. Fall leaf collection. When the weather starts to cool down, the first frost of the season transforms tree-filled lawns into colorful autumn foliage scenes. Unfortunately, it isn't long before all those beautiful leaves fall off and accumulate in piles on the ground. While this annual event presents a lot of work for homeowners and landscape contractors, it also means a great rental opportunity for your store.

The two most common solutions for disposing of leaves are bagging the leaves for pickup by the city or county or shredding the leaves for use as mulch or compost. Burning is a solution, but it is becoming less and less popular as most areas have imposed burning bans.

But whether your customer plans to bag, mulch or burn they still have to first collect the leaves. The best rental performers for the fall season are leaf blowers, vacuums and shredders. Here are some items available:

• Leaf Blowers. There are two basic types of leaf blowers - walk-behind and backpack blowers. The most powerful blowers are the walk-behind models. They are usually available in 5-, 8- and 11-hp versions with outputs that range from 1,500 cfm at 150 mph to 2,750 cfm at 215 mph. During the fall season, wet, matted leaves are very common. The more powerful blowers work best to get the leaves into a condensed pile or windrow for easy collecting. The operator simply walks the blower in a row, up and down the yard, until the leaves are windrowed or piled.

Most walk-behind blowers are equipped with a front and side discharge, making them useful in less accessible areas. These blowers generate power by using an impeller system to pull air into the housing. They then use a number of fans to increase the velocity and force the air through the discharge. When purchasing a leaf blower, consider output, the impeller, strength of the frame and housing, and the wheel assemblies. Output generally is increased by the volume of the housing. It also is important to consider the overall design for size, vibration and noise level.

Another popular type of blower is the backpack blower. This unit is carried on the operator's back and air is discharged through a hand-held hose and snout. These machines are powered by two-cycle engines with much smaller impellers. The two-cycle engine runs at a much higher rpm. The wind speed is high, up to 250 mph, but the volume is lower, generally in the 600 cfm range. The backpack system allows for tighter access and more versatility in smaller areas, and is useful for clearing walkways and entrances.

• Vacuums - the walk-behind vacuum is a great tool for clearing large areas. It will suck leaves, sticks and other debris off lawns, sidewalks and driveways and into its attached bag. Some models have chipping options for small branches and twigs, and vacuum hose attachment options for getting into tough, hard-to-reach areas. Most units are powered by either a 5- or 8-hp engine and can be either a push-type or self-propelled. While these units are great for clearing large areas, they do lack some efficiency when dealing with wet or matted leaves. When looking at a vacuum, consider the basic frame strength, durability and the wheel configuration. Also look at the bag design. Be sure it is durable and easy to empty.
• Shredders - Regardless of whether your customer has used a blower or a vacuum to gather fall lawn debris, unless those leaves are going into a compost pile they will need to be reduced for mulch or for bagging. The shredder is the perfect tool. The best shredders have a hammer mill system that uses a series of flail hammers to chop and reduce the leaves. The leaves are loaded into the shredder's hopper and are pulverized by the rotating hammers. For rental use, the 8- to 16-hp versions are the most popular and are commonly available with a chipper. The hammer mill and flywheel system are the key ingredients on a chipper. Look at them thoroughly - note strength and performance.

2. Spring cleanup and storm damage. A large amount of debris accumulates naturally during a normal winter season. It also can be deposited all at once as a result of a storm. Chipper/shredders, chain saws and pruners, and smaller homeowner stump cutters can help with this cleanup of leaves, sticks, bark, small and large branches and downed trees.

General yard cleanup is one of the first projects that needs to be tackled each spring. After a tough winter or a nasty storm, there will likely be a number of loose, broken or downed branches, and possibly even some broken or toppled trees. Your customer can turn this wooden refuse into usable mulch with a chipper/shredder. Mulch will decompose over time, building the soil as it breaks down. Flower beds and vegetable gardens will benefit from a layer of mulch that is 2 to 3 inches deep. Shrubs and trees should have a mulch layer 3 to 4 inches thick. Extra mulch should be stockpiled for the hot summer months ahead - it works great to retain moisture for those trees, shrubs and garden plants.

Chipper/shredders for homeowner use are generally powered by engines in the 8- to 16-hp range. They can chip branches from 1 to 6 inches in diameter and can shred leaves and branches up to 112 inches. The key to successful chipping and shredding is the ability to maintain rpm throughout the chipping process. As the operator continues to feed the machine, it is necessary to maintain a constant, high rpm level. There are two factors that enable a machine to do this: horsepower and centrifugal force created by the flywheel. Generally, the heavier and better balanced the flywheel, the greater the centrifugal force. Since smaller homeowner-type units have less horsepower, this becomes extremely important. The advantage of a chipper/shredder is that it not only has a heavy flywheel, but it also has, turning in unison, the hammer mill with 24 to 48 free-swinging hammers. These hammers greatly increase inertia and force to maintain a steady rpm level.

If your customer suffered any fallen or broken trees over the winter or during a storm, it may be necessary to use a stump grinder. There are several stump grinders on the market, but only a few that most homeowners would be comfortable using. It's important to consider a machine that is both user-friendly and less intimidating. Being able to transport the machine easily is important for homeowners as well as commercial users.

Bigger is not always better. Smaller stump cutters are handier to maneuver in tight areas as well as easier to transport through gates and into yards. It is important that the stump cutter be able to remove the stump to at least 6 inches below the surface. The customer should be careful to remove debris and rocks away from the cutting area. Any foreign objects can be dangerous if hit and thrown, and they will dull the cutter's teeth. Look for a stump cutter with teeth that are easy to sharpen and quick to replace. Find out what type of wood the customer is cutting - it is recommended that cuts not exceed a depth of 1 inch in hard wood.

In a yard that has incurred severe winter or storm damage and tree loss, it may be necessary to completely till an area before reseeding or replanting. This also will be necessary for a particularly compacted area such as a construction site or work area. For areas up to 5,000 square feet, a front- or mid-tine tiller may be used. For larger jobs, a rear-tine tiller is best. After the ground has been sufficiently tilled, dead grass or weeds should be removed from the soil. A front- or mid-tine tiller with finger tines is great for this. The ground should then be rolled or raked to smooth out the area.

3. Clearing high weeds and overgrowth. Summertime can present some unique problems for landowners with hilly or wooded properties. Weeds and wild saplings can quickly get out-of-control once hot weather starts, and some weeds can grow to the size of small trees. Brush cutters and heavy-duty mowers and trimmers can service these property owners' needs.

Brush cutters are available in walk-behind as well as riding models. Look for solid, heavy-duty frame construction and powerful engine options - these machines will have to meet the challenge of mowing through some extremely tough conditions. Unlike the typical residential lawn mower, brush cutters can cut through saplings and small trees as well as high weeds.

Maintaining a successful lawn and garden department is more difficult than other rental categories because you are traditionally dealing with a shorter rental season. Because of this, it is extremely important that you capture every rental possible. Plan your maintenance schedule so that you never lose a rental because of downed equipment. Weekends are critical, especially if you have a couple of rainy ones in the beginning of the season. Be creative and make use of hourly and overnight rental periods to serve as many customers as possible during the shortest rental period. Renting by the project is a great way to increase rental revenues by introducing customers to equipment they may not have considered. By making sure each customer has the right equipment for the job, you are ensuring that these lawn debris projects will be completed successfully - and that customer will be back.

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