Casey Bliss This is Me

 Web References

1. 1. Making the Most of Your Mower

   grounds-mag.com/mag/grounds_ma - [Cached]

   Published on: 9/1/2005   Last Visited: 10/1/2005

   "Almost all of the mowers we sell go out the door with either a mulch kit or a collection system," says Casey Bliss, owner of Bliss Power and Lawn Equipment in Sacramento, Calif. "We've seen an incredible increase in the number of contractors installing mulch kits over the past five years. It's increased to the point that we sell nine mulch kits for every one collection system we sell. Mulching has grown to be much more prevalent than bagging in our market."
   
   Bliss says that virtually all of the mulch kits and collection systems he sells are offered by the mower manufacturer, and are specific to the brand's products. Many manufacturers also offer mulching-specific blade sets, which can significantly improve mulching results, especially in locations with tough cutting conditions such as frequent heavy, damp grass.
   
   Despite the trend towards mulching, manufacturers have pushed the development of collection systems, especially for riding mowers. A growing number of manufacturers have introduced "quick dump" collection systems for their zero-turn mowers, which allow the operator to dump clippings without moving from the seat of the machine. While some contractors appreciate this convenience, Bliss says that many of his customers don't opt for the quick dump setups, as most often catcher capacity is a sacrifice that's made for the convenience of easy unloading. For his customers, who primarily use collection systems for fall leaf collection, capacity takes priority over convenience.
   ...
   For Bliss' customers in central California, the mowing season lasts all year long, so he says that there isn't a huge demand for mowers that can multi-task among his customers. The most common non-mowing attachments his customers purchase are spreaders and sprayers. In fact, he says that his company often custom-builds sprayer units for customers, as opposed to ordering a sprayer kit from an aftermarket manufacturer.
   
   "Since many of the companies manufacturing sprayer kits for commercial mowers are located in the Midwest, the cost of shipping a heavy product half-way across the country makes it tough for us to profitably sell them," he said.