L AW N C A R E & O R N A M E N TA L S
ADDING SPREADER-SPRAYERS to your Business
A look at what lawn care operators should consider before adding a spreader-sprayer unit to their business. @ Nick Beer .tock.adobe.com
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or years, lawn care operators (LCOs) depended on simple, reliable spreaders and sprayers to help them serve customers. These spreaders and sprayers—including handheld or backpack-sized units up to more complex, selfpropelled machines—spread seed and granular products or sprayed liquid products depending on what the customer needed. As good as these single-purpose machines were, LCOs knew that they could be improved. One day, somebody decided to make a good thing better. They combined a spreader with a sprayer, and the spreader-sprayer as we know it today was born. Spreader-sprayers are becoming more common and come in a variety of sizes with different capabilities. Because they are so versatile, LCOs owe it to themselves to examine how spreader-sprayers can benefit their businesses. If you aren’t yet using spreaders-sprayers, you can assume that your competition probably is. Even with the obvious advantages, there are a few considerations contractors should take into account before choosing to add these units to their businesses.
Versatility Contractors can instantly offer multiple services to customers
with just one machine: seed and fertilize lawns, spray pesticides and herbicides and apply almost any granular or liquid product on customers’ lawns and landscapes. Some of the larger spreader-sprayers allow the operator to easily adjust the width of the spray area and the broadcast range of the spreader, as well as the amount and rate of the product used. Some can accept separate auxiliary tanks to increase both the amount and types of products carried onboard. Spreader-sprayers with large tanks allow operators to mix products for simultaneous application, but operators should always research products to make sure it’s both effective and safe to mix specific products together.
Efficiency Spreader-sprayers are more efficient because one machine performs two operations—both spreading solids and spraying liquids. Some models can both spread and spray at the same time, giving one-pass ability depending on the products used. Not only do spreader-sprayers combine two functions into one machine, but they also allow one worker to perform what used to be two separate jobs and help reduce labor
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