• A beautifully landscaped area requires planning and the right equipment.Landscape image by Tony Walker from Fotolia.com
  
  Commercial landscaping can take many forms; from planting and maintaining trees, shrubs, and lawns; to shaping and grading the land for future concrete and gardening endeavors. The right tools for the job depend on the scope of the project and what exactly you are working to accomplish. Certain landscaping tools can be reasonably economical, while specialized equipment, particularly heavy equipment such as dozers and graters, can be very expensive.
  
  

Large Scale Landscaping Equipment

• For actually shaping and contouring the ground, before laying concrete and planting trees and shrubs, there are a variety of earth-moving tools available to the commercial landscaper. These machines range from earth graders, bulldozers, and back hoes, to smaller tractors and skid loaders. Bulldozers and backhoes are used to move and excavate large amounts of soil and rock; while graders are used to create level surfaces. Modern skid loaders are an excellent option for small to medium sized ground contouring jobs. These relatively affordable machines can be fitted with a variety of attachments including: posthole diggers, backhoe attachments, cutters, spreaders, tillers, and trenchers. Their smaller size also makes this machine convenient for working in tighter areas where a traditional bulldozer or backhoe could not be safely maneuvered.
  
  

Smaller Scale Landscaping Equipment

• Once the ground is contoured then it is time to plant your shrubs and trees. For these operations you can use the smaller skid loader fitted with a posthole digger; but for smaller operations a pair of posthole diggers will serve the same purpose. Rakes and shovels can be used to move soil around and dig trenches for sprinkler systems and drains. A rotary tiller is useful for loosening garden soil and mixing in soil supplements. A chainsaw is a very useful tool for clearing brush and chopping down unwanted trees and shrubs.
  
  

Equipment for Maintaining Existing Landscapes

• Once the ground is contoured and the trees, shrubs, and lawn have been planted, then it is time to regularly maintain the yard. Lawn mowers and edgers are available for all scales of lawn care jobs. These machines range from push mowers to riding lawn mowers to multi-blade units capable of mowing contoured lawns, like you would encounter on a golf course, without "scalping" the lawn, or causing patches of the underlying soil to be exposed during mowing.
  
  Chainsaws, loppers, and pruners are all useful for removing brush and pruning shrubs. A leaf blower or a rake can be used to collect loose yard waste. Finally an extremely useful tool is a string trimmer. These machines use a nylon string, in place of a metal blade, to remove light brush and grass. The string trimmer has widely taken the place of the traditional bladed lawn edger.