Landscaping is not simply planning where flowers and trees go on a property, planting them there, and hoping they do well. The modern landscaper now needs to move earth and boulders, add water features and lighting and install hardscaping as well as make sure that trees, shrubs, lawn and flowers are in good shape. Here are a few of the tools they need to do their job well.
Brush Cutter
Also called a brush mower, this is an especially powerful mower that can take down high grass that has grown up on neglected areas of the property as well as tough weeds, saplings and shrubs whose trunks are between 1 and 2 inches in diameter. Brush cutters can do this because they have wider decks than the decks of regular lawn mowers. Some brush cutters can have decks that are 27 1/2 inches wide. Their engines have more horsepower, and their blades are thicker and tougher.
Forklift
A forklift is a small truck with a forked platform connected to the front. This platform can be raised or lowered and can carry heavy items such as pallets bearing bags of gardening soil. A forklift is made up of the truck frame, a counterweight in the back of the truck that balances the cargo the forked platform is lifting and the platform itself. Sometimes a forklift hire is exactly what you need to get the job done. Forklifts are often powered by gasoline, diesel, natural gas, or electricity.
Chainsaws
These are power saws that can quickly and easily remove heavy limbs of trees or entire trees. It is portable and made of teeth attached to a moving chain that runs along a guide bar. There are not only chainsaws that cut trees but chainsaws that cut through ice and concrete. They can be powered by gasoline or electricity.
Stump Grinders
Few things are more unsightly than an otherwise manicured lawn that’s full of the stumps of trees that have been cut down. Landscapers use stump grinders to take these stumps out of the ground. A stump grinder has a round, rotating blade that grinds away the wood of the stump until it becomes small, removable chips. They can be the size of a lawn mower or very large to reduce the stumps of large, old trees. Some are attached to excavators and can tear out tree roots quickly.
These are only a few of the many types of equipment used by landscapers. You can rent these tools from a gardening center or a big box store, but you need to wear protective equipment such as safety goggles, protective clothing and even ear plugs.