Chris Shipp, owner of Shipp Shape Lawn Service in Sylvester, Ga., has been using Grasshopper mowers exclusively for more than 25 years. He points to three reasons why:
Prior to officially starting his lawn maintenance business in 1999, Chris Shipp worked in a lawn mower repair shop. He fixed all kinds of mowers.
“I was always impressed by how well built the Grasshoppers were and how easy it was to perform routine maintenance,” Shipp recalls. “It was easy to get belts and blades, and to change wear items like bearings. Unless it was something electrical, you didn’t need a lot of fancy tools or mechanical skills to maintain these mowers. I remembered that when I started mowing lawns because I wanted to be able to do my own maintenance to help save downtime and money.”
As a small engine mechanic, Shipp understood the importance of preventive maintenance with respect to machine longevity.
“I remember this one guy who brought a Grasshopper into the mower shop I was working at,” Shipp says. “He wanted to get a new engine because the mower had several thousand hours on it. But the mower itself was in really good shape. That showed me that these mowers will last a really long time, especially if you take good care of them.”
Even though he’s always felt comfortable in “running his Grasshoppers forever,” Shipp likes to “trade up” his gas mowers every 1,500 to 2,500 hours. He’ll typically keep his diesels for much longer. “We’re still running one diesel mower that has around 6,000 hours on it,” Shipp points out. “When we do trade up, it’s not because the mower is no good anymore. I just like to keep our fleet updated with the latest models.”
Grasshopper mowers have also held good resale value for Shipp, which further encourages his philosophy of “trading up” on a regular basis.
“People know Grasshopper is a great mower,” Shipp says. “People also know we don’t abuse our mowers because we keep up with the maintenance. That helps the machine hold value which helps lower our total cost of ownership.”
Shipp bought his first Grasshoppers more than 25 years ago when he was still only mowing on a part-time basis. Those mowers were a couple of FrontMount™ machines with 44-inch decks. As his business grew and he began adding larger commercial properties to his portfolio, he began buying bigger mowers. “I bet I’ve bought 25 Grasshoppers over the past 25 years,” Shipp says.
Today, Shipp operates a fleet of roughly a dozen Grasshoppers, a mix of FrontMount and MidMount™ models with side-discharge, rear-discharge and collection decks ranging from 52-72 inches. He also purchased an OutStander® Stand-On with a 61-inch deck a few years ago.
Shipp has developed a tendency to opt for a diesel engine. It’s a preference he’d developed way back in 2000 when he bought a 61-inch FrontMount to tackle a large industrial property.
“I couldn’t believe it,” Shipp says. “I got twice as much mowing out of a gallon of diesel. As we transitioned to servicing more large commercial properties, diesel became almost standard for us. It’s still that way today. Only two of our mowers run on gas, the Stand-On and a 72-inch FrontMount.”
Grasshopper attachments have also become a big part of Shipp Shape Lawn Services. Shipp says he’s always used the PowerVac™ Collection System to bag clippings in the spring and leaves in the fall. Then he began using the Edge-EZE™ Edger and CleanSweep™ Rotary Broom when he landed a municipal contract that required his crew to edge six miles of sidewalk.
“That edger and broom have helped us save a ton of manhours,” Shipp says. “It’s much more productive than having
The next attachment Shipp began using was the AERA-vator™ Coreless Aerator. He says it allowed him to efficiently aerate sports fields that were also part of that municipal contract. “Then when I got my pesticide license, I invested in the Shielded Sprayer that we initially used on our 72-inch gas-powered FrontMount,” Shipp adds. “I still use that sprayer on our 700 and 900 Series FrontMounts for maximum productivity.”
Shipp says attachments have added a lot of versatility to his mowers. He also says Grasshopper mowers are very versatile simply when it comes to mowing grass. In addition to several deck styles and sizes, Shipp also uses a variety of Grasshopper GrassMax™ blades to help ensure the best cut in different situations.
“Bahia grass started coming on strong down here years ago,” Shipp tells, adding that it isn’t the easiest grass type to cut cleanly. “Grasshopper’s unique angled deck really helps with airflow. Then we like to use either the High-Lift Notched Blades or Contour Blades. This makes it possible to cut our Bahia lawns cleanly on the first pass. Customers have always remarked at how amazed they are that their lawns are striped out and almost look like a golf course.”
Shipp’s relationship with Grasshopper dates back to the mid-1990s before he was even mowing lawns full time. He stopped by the Grasshopper booth while attending an ag equipment expo in southern Georgia. Shipp was taken aback by how friendly and laid-back the Grasshopper personnel were. They weren’t pushy and overly anxious to sell him a mower like some of the other exhibitors were.
“Those two guys were so easy to talk to–and were really confident in their equipment,” Shipp recalls. “That gave me
confidence. My instincts told me this had to be a really good mower, and I had to trust my instincts.
“My loyalty to Grasshopper has really been built on the relationships I’ve developed with my sales reps over the years,” Shipp continues, adding that he’s only had two reps in over 25 years. That consistency has helped foster a strong working relationship.
“One thing I’ve never forgotten is how this company really took care of me in the early days when I was still trying to grow my company,” Shipp says. “They’ve always taken the time to answer my questions, help me troubleshoot problems, and help me figure out which equipment would be best for the types of properties I was maintaining. They’ve offered bid assistance-type programs. They’ve also been willing to support my efforts to help my community, like with event sponsorships and things of that nature.”
Chris Shipp is a proud business owner who comes from a lineage of entrepreneurs. He’s never looked for a handout from anyone, but says he’s benefited from the opportunities Grasshopper has provided him over the years. That’s how you build a relationship based on trust and mutual respect that can span decades.