A 1986 Walker GHS started it all. My entire youth I’d been obsessed with all activities involving a motor, but receiving my grandpas Walker at age 11 was my first dive into fixing and rebuilding equipment. At 15 I decided to start making a business out of it, which fashioned into Shadow Green Lawn and Land. Shadow Green was licensed and legitimized in 2012 as I graduated from high school. After high school I attended technical school and received an Associates degree in landscape and horticulture as well as golf grounds technician management. Shadow Green is based out of Andover, MN and services the Northern Suburbs of the Twin Cites. We do a wide range of landscaping as well as general property maintenance.
Prior to our new build we were running two 3-quarter ton pick ups, one with an enclosed trailer and one with an open-faced landscape trailer. This set up worked well for us for the better part of 6 years, but with this set up comes extra maintenance in the form of wheels, breaks, etc. along with DOT restrictions, low fuel economy, less maneuverability, more liability concerns and so on. I had seen a few ideas online for single truck sets ups and decided it was time to really give it a go.
I reached out to my local friends at Northwoods Welding and we started to hatch out a plan for it. In regards to the design, the most important aspects were going to be:
1. Be able to fit a walker mower as well as a traditional stander
2. Be durable and able to withstand 10+years of use
3. Be extremely user friendly – removable, no fastenings or bolts added to truck
4. Be able to incorporate all of our hand equipment such as an edger, a string trimmer, SureCans, a line spool trimmer rack, etc.
5. Be eye catching and give us a unique image on the road
We wanted to be cost effective and did everything in house. Northwood’s Welding and I worked out the design together, bought the metal from a local supplier, cut all of the materials, welded it together piece by piece, and painted it all in my Shop.
We incorporated a Dove Tail into the design to allow for a shorter gate without the loss of a smooth transition in and out. Another key aspect of the design is how the rack attaches to the truck. We have two turnbuckles in the front, a custom hitch receiver, as well as 4 vertical stops in the bed pockets. This allows for the rack to be secure, allows the trucks integrity to remain in tact, as well as makes the process of transitioning to a traditional trailer when needed extremely easy.
We take pride in using Walker mowers primarily. We currently have 3 GHS models and 3 MB models. We do also run a Toro grandstand as well as a Toro dingo. All of our equipment has been able to go in and out of the rack smoothly and fits well. We will still be pulling our enclosed trailer with our 2012 F250, but will now be primarily using our new build, behind our 2001 F250.
In addition to fitting 2 mowers, we also fitted our new insert with all green touch racks. It can hold our Echo PB 8010T leaf blower, Echo SRM – 230 string trimmer, a STIHL FS90 with edgit pro attachment, string trimmer rack, and of course all of our SureCans. We also love to use Dry Wraps to cover our equipment, Strap Caddies for all of our loose straps, and The Perfect Bungees for anything that’s not already attached to the green touch racks.
We have a total of 9 SureCans that we use to feed all of our machines from our fleet, our other landscape equipment, and our power sports. We place two of the SureCans into our new build, while the rest reside in the enclosed trailer. Not only do we love supporting a United States based company, but also we really believe in the product. SureCans are extremely high quality and the most durable in the industry. The spill proof technology and ease of use make it a company we take pride in representing.
To learn more about Shadow Green Land & Lawn follow them on Instagram at @ShadowGreenLawncare
We would love to hear your story about how the SureCan has helped make your life a little bit easier. Each month we will feature a new My SureCan Story, please submit yours by emailing us at Social@SureCanUSA.com and don't forget to include pictures!
Comments