Think you have too much stuff in your garage?
Check out our vehicle and equipment roster at Level Green Landscaping.
We have 92 vehicles; 43 trailers; more than 300 pieces of hand-held equipment; 133 mowers; 5 wide-area mowers; 2 front-end loaders; a mini excavator; a mulch blower; 2 utility tractors; 2 ATVs and a host of snow plows, spreaders, aerators, seeders and tillers.
How do we keep it all running smoothly and looking neat and professional?
We’d love to fill you in — because ultimately, you benefit.
You know the sticker you get that tells you when to get your next oil change? Imagine that — on steroids.
All our vehicles get what we call B level maintenance every 5,000 miles or three months.
What does it include? Our checklist will make you tired.
A road test checks everything from engine performance to steering, brakes, wipers and more.
Cab checks include the brake pedal, gauges, accelerator, dash lights and a host of other details.
Our mechanics go over the electrical system, tire condition, safety equipment, steering, engine, fuel system, transmission, the chassis, lubrication — the list goes on and on.
Once a year our vehicles get C maintenance. We’ll spare you the checklist. It’s massive.
“We go through the vehicles from one end to another with a fine-tooth comb,” says Craig Fugate, Level Green shop manager. (He’d never brag himself, but he can fix anything.)
“We rarely have a major breakdown, because we do such a good job at preventive maintenance,” Fugate says.
Occasionally a transmission might blow during the rigors of snow removal.
“We’re pushing 5,000 pounds of snow,” Fugate points out. “We ask a lot of our vehicles.”
We change the transmission fluid once a year to help with that extra wear and tear.
“If we do our job properly, it prevents breakdowns,” Fugate says, “and we can keep supplying our customers with good service.”
Mowers are the work horses of a landscape maintenance business.
We change all mower oil every 100 hours. The hours are tracked on a meter, so each mower’s oil is changed exactly when needed. Some mowers rack up hours faster than others.
Blades get changed twice a week, and we sharpen all our own blades. We routinely check all the mowers’ spindles, change the oil, filters, and spark plugs.
Each winter we bring mowers in and go over them end to end.
“So in the spring, they’re like new again,” Fugate says.
Before each season, all our other equipment gets a full mechanical check. Oil changes, belt checks, new filters, fresh grease. Any loose bolts? Damaged tines? The whole nine yards.
Anything with a diesel engine gets an oil change every 250 hours.
“Image is important,” Fugate says. “Our vehicles need to look good. If we show up to a property with a junky looking truck, the customer will think, ‘If they can't keep their own trucks looking good, how are they going to keep my property looking good?’”
Once a year all the truck beds and sides get sanded and repainted, “so the trucks look new all the time,” Fugate says. “The average truck costs $70,000 — you don't want it to look like it cost $10,000.”
If there’s any body damage, they’re sent to the body shop for repair.
Level Green just hired a painter full time, so all equipment will get touch-ups as needed.
Level Green crews receive extensive training to keep vehicles safe and looking good. They learn mower maintenance, safety, vehicle training.
They’re taught to use spotters whenever they’re behind the wheel and backing up. Drivers place traffic cones in front of their vehicles as a reminder to walk full circle around the vehicle before driving away — so they don't accidentally hit anything they might have left behind.
Our crews are required to keep their vehicles clean and clutter free. No fast food bags on the floor. No paperwork overflowing the dash area. No clumps of dirt on the upholstery. You could hitch a ride, all dressed up.
Our trucks and trailers get a thorough pressure wash every other week. In the winter, it happens more often — after every snow plow run. And vehicles get an
undercarriage wash to clean off all the salt.
Twice a year, they get waxed.
Yes, we’re picky about our vehicle and equipment care. Not just because we have a lot invested in these trucks and trailers, mowers and plows.
We’re also invested in you. You deserve the best landscaping services, with skilled crews who show up with clean, well-maintained equipment that we — and you — can be proud to have parked out front.
See our top-notch maintenance practices for yourself.
Our service area includes Washington DC, Maryland and parts of Virginia. We focus on commercial property maintenance for offices, retail spaces, mixed-use sites, HOAs/condominiums, distribution centers, municipalities and institutions.
Contact us at 202-544-0968 or by filling out our form online. You can also schedule a free consultation to talk with us about how we can enhance and maintain your commercial landscape.
We’d love to hear from you.