Steve Bennet took his first close look at a Walker mower in 1987. But in his own words he "had some concerns." At the time the mower was relatively new to the industry and it was getting touch and most of his competitors used walkers. Nate encouraged his father to make the competitive connection back in 1994, and, two years later, the company now operates three Walkers, two 20-hp grasshandling models and a 16-hp model with a side-discharge deck.

Pella, Iowa is not your ordinary midwestern town, not by a long shot. Founded in 1847 by 700 Hollanders, the community still savors its Dutch roots. In early May, tens of thousands of visitors literally jam city streets for the annual Tulip Time festival and anytime throughout the year there are tastes, sites and sounds that echo a strong Dutch tradition.

Arie and Joyce Vink have been maintaining lawns in Pella since 1982. They've mowed and maintained properties with steep hills, newly constructed landscapes, low lying areas and just about anything a mowing contractor can encounter. On any given day their trailer can be seen on commercial accounts in Pella including a restaurant, auto dealer, cemetery, church, motel and apartment complex, or on high-end residential properties, or on the golf course community nearby.

More than a few lawn maintenance professionals and groundskeepers rely on used equipment either as front line workhorses or as dependable backups. When properly maintained and upgraded, used equipment can be nearly as effective as equipment fresh off the assembly line, at much less the cost. The kicker? If not approached with caution and more than a little up front knowledge, buying used equipment can end up costing the new owner more, much more, than he or she anticipated.

In the hustle and bustle of the busy season, it's not unusual to overlook some things or simply put others on a back burner. If safety is one of those things, then you're operating a very risky business, chancing not only the safety of your employees but your customers, as well.

Not every contractor wants to be big. There's a reason. Being big means incurring more overhead in the form of employees, equipment and property. Large contractors invariably assume more risk and higher insurance premiums than small contractors and there's that feeling of loss of control. So why grow?