Guides
Should a lawn care business buy new or used equipment
New versus used lawn care equipment compared on cost per stop across a season, with the downtime term that decides most of it and an inspection sequence.
What to take away
- Compare machines on cost per stop across a season, not on purchase price.
- The deciding term is downtime, because a failure costs stops as well as a repair.
- Used is strongest where the item is cheap to fix and easy to replace at short notice, such as an Echo SRM-225 trimmer.
- New is strongest where a failure ends a whole day of work, such as the Scag Tiger Cat II that leads a full route.
- Inspect used equipment against a written sequence, and walk away when the seller will not let you run it.
A used Exmark Lazer Z with 2,400 hours and a new one with none can both make money. The argument over new or used lawn care equipment is usually settled by feel.
It can be settled by arithmetic instead, provided the arithmetic includes what most buyers leave out: what a stopped machine costs a route in missed stops. This article gives that model, a named new-versus-used comparison, and the inspection sequence that goes with it. The wider setup reasoning is in the equipment and setup guide.
The comparison model
For each candidate machine, define:
Cost per stop formula
- Aacquisition cost
- Rvresale value
- Mtmaintenance and wear
- Dn × Sd × Vdowntime cost
Cost per stop equals the sum of A minus Rv, plus Mt, plus Dn multiplied by Sd multiplied by V, all divided by St.
The third term in the numerator decides most real comparisons. It turns reliability from an opinion into a quantity.
A used Scag Tiger Cat II usually asks $6,000 to $9,500 against $13,000 to $17,000 new. Say the crew runs 30 stops a day at $55 a stop. Two extra downtime days across a season cost $3,300, and four cost $6,600, which is most of the price gap.
Where the model lands, in practice
Run it and the pattern usually looks like this.
New vs used by situation
Situation
- Handheld item
- Used, with spare
- Main mower
- New or nearly new
- Second machine
- Used
- Trailer and transport
- Condition first
- Season-block tools
- Used or rented
- No local service
- Whichever can be serviced
Model points to
- Handheld item
- Main mower
- Second machine
- Trailer and transport
- Season-block tools
- No local service
Prices below are typical dealer list prices in most US markets as of 2026. Used figures are typical asking prices, and condition moves them more than the hour meter does.
| Machine | Typical new price | Typical used asking price | What decides it |
|---|---|---|---|
| Echo SRM-225 trimmer, 21.2 cc | $230 to $270 | $90 to $150 | A spare on the trailer covers a failure |
| Stihl FS 91 R trimmer, 28.4 cc | $400 to $470 | $180 to $280 | Parts are stocked almost everywhere |
| Stihl BR 600 backpack blower, 56.5 cc | $550 to $620 | $280 to $380 | Few season hours, easy to swap |
| Honda HRX217VKA walk-behind, 21-inch cut | $1,050 to $1,150 | $450 to $700 | Honda said in 2023 it would stop building mowers for the US, so new stock is finite |
| Toro Z Master 2000, 48-inch deck | $10,000 to $13,000 | $5,500 to $8,500 | Backup mower, so a down day is cheap |
| Scag Tiger Cat II, 52-inch deck | $13,000 to $17,000 | $6,000 to $9,500 | Leads a route, so a down day is expensive |
| Exmark Lazer Z E-Series, 60-inch deck | $13,000 to $18,000 | $5,000 to $8,000 | Same math, wider dealer network |
| 6x12 single-axle utility trailer | $1,800 to $3,500 | $900 to $1,800 | Failure halts every crew at once |
Ask what commercial warranty still applies before you sign anything. Engine coverage and mower coverage differ, and a used unit often has none left.
Which way the model tends to point
- Echo SRM-225 trimmer, cheap and quick to replace locally
- Used, with a spare
- Scag Tiger Cat II on a full route with no slack
- New or nearly new
- Toro Z Master 2000 bought as a second machine
- Used
- Trailer and transport, such as a 6x12 utility trailer
- Condition first, age second
- Stihl BR 600 blower used a few weeks a year
- Used, or rented
- Any machine with no local service
- Whichever can be serviced
Why
- Echo SRM-225 trimmer, cheap and quick to replace locally
- Dn is near zero because the spare covers it
- Scag Tiger Cat II on a full route with no slack
- Dn multiplies against a full day of stops
- Toro Z Master 2000 bought as a second machine
- St is low, so the acquisition term dominates and reliability matters less
- Trailer and transport, such as a 6x12 utility trailer
- Failure halts everything, and inspection is straightforward
- Stihl BR 600 blower used a few weeks a year
- Low St makes any new purchase expensive per stop
- Any machine with no local service
- Dn is set by parts availability, not by age
The last row overrides the others. A machine nobody local can fix has an unbounded downtime term whatever its condition.
The terms people get wrong
- Rv is guessed optimistically for new equipment and pessimistically for used. Check what comparable machines actually sell for locally, on dealer lots and auction listings, before you write either number.
- Mt for used equipment is often estimated from the first service rather than from a season of them. Budget a full season of wear parts: blades, belts, filters, hydro oil.
- Dn is left out entirely, which is what makes used equipment look unambiguously cheaper.
- St is inflated by counting stops the machine will not actually serve, such as properties it is unsuited to, or a 48-inch deck booked against acre lots.
An inspection sequence for used equipment
Run it in this order and stop at the first hard failure.
Used equipment inspection order
- Ask to start it cold
- Run at working load, not idle
- Check deck or head for cracks and welds
- Inspect belts, cables, and drive for wear
- Look at fasteners for rounded heads
- Ask for service history
- Check parts availability with a local dealer
- Confirm guards, shields, ownership, and receipt
- Ask to start it cold. A Kawasaki FX or Honda GCV engine should catch on choke and settle within a couple of minutes. A seller who has warmed the machine before you arrive has told you something.
- Run it at working load, not at idle. Idle hides most of what matters, including tired hydro transmissions.
- Check the deck or head for cracks, welds, and previous repairs. A fabricated steel deck with clean welds beats a stamped deck with creases.
- Inspect belts, cables, and the drive for wear that suggests neglect rather than use. On a zero-turn, read the transmission label: Hydro-Gear ZT-3400 and above have serviceable filters, while ZT-2800 and ZT-3100 units are sealed and get replaced whole.
- Look at the fasteners. Rounded heads mean it has been apart, often more than once.
- Ask for the service history, and take its absence as information rather than as a formality.
- Check parts availability for the model before you agree anything, by calling a local dealer, whether that is a Kawasaki engine shop or an Echo dealer.
- Confirm guards and shields are present and undamaged. A missing guard is both a safety problem and a sign of how the machine was run.
- Confirm ownership and get a written receipt with the serial number on it.
Walking away is a normal outcome of this sequence. Most used machines fail one of the first four steps.
The Honda row shows how the parts question works over time. Honda announced in 2023 that it would stop building mowers for the US market, so the installed base stays large while new units dry up.
Safety does not have a used tier
A used machine meets the same standard as a new one. Guards, shields, and safe fuel handling are not features to trade away for a lower price.
The case for finding and fixing hazards before an injury or inspection is in OSHA guidance on safety management. Practical checks are in the equipment checklists.
Applying the same principle to people: a used machine with unfamiliar controls needs the same instruction as a new one, which is a training cost and belongs in Mt. The training approach is set out in the hiring and training guide, and the staffing side in the article on hiring reliable crew.
Records, either way
Both routes generate paperwork you will need.
- Purchase documents with serial numbers, which support the asset record described in the IRS guidance on business records.
Records to keep
- Purchase documents with serial numbers
- Maintenance log opened at purchase
- Downtime log
- Keep the model with receipts
Keep the model itself with the receipts. Next season you will want to know what you assumed.
One category where the question does not apply
Equipment for applying products is a compliance decision before a cost decision. Federal expectations for certified applicators are in the EPA certification standards, and certification is administered by state, tribal, and territorial programs.
Ask your state department of agriculture what applies to the work and to the equipment before comparing prices. Whether a route can support that capability at all is a density question, covered in the expansion and market guide.
Common questions
Is used equipment a false economy?
Not as a category. It is a false economy specifically where downtime costs a full day of stops and local service is slow. Elsewhere it is often the better answer.
How many hours is too many?
Hours alone do not answer it. A well-serviced high-hour machine with parts available beats a low-hour machine nobody can fix. Judge on service history, parts availability, and condition under load.
Should I rent instead?
For anything used a few weeks a year, run the rental cost through the same model. Rental yards typically quote $250 to $400 a day for a 60-inch zero-turn, with a week near the three-day rate. Low St is exactly the situation where renting wins.
What about buying a package deal from someone leaving the trade?
Inspect each item separately and value them separately. Package deals bundle two good machines with four you would not have chosen, and the ones you would not have chosen still take up trailer space.
