Part 4 of 5 in the Modernizing Your Lawn Care Business series. Updated October 2026.
Part 3 of this series looked at how hard field crews are to keep and what changes when the operator rides. This part hands the floor to PermaGreen customers. Every quote below comes from PermaGreen's transcripts of its customer videos, unchanged except for one bracketed word, and each speaker is named the way PermaGreen lists them: first name, role, company and town. You can watch the videos in the customer section of the PermaGreen home page. A number in a quote is that owner's own account, not a figure PermaGreen has measured.
What changed for an owner-operator?
India, owner of MVP Lawn Care in Northpoint, NC, was asked in a PermaGreen customer video what India had been doing that fall. India's answer: "And it is a labor-saver. A lot more done. Done a lot quicker. Not as tired. Instead of doing five, you can do 10 or 15. More money for you."
India did not give a unit or a time period for those numbers.
How fast does a new operator learn the machine?
Larry, co-owner of Coastal Weed and Fertilization in Toms River, NJ, described a new hire in a PermaGreen customer video: "We have a new guy who's learning it and he's been on it for a couple days and he's like this thing's amazing." Larry said the new operator was nervous on the first day, then called at lunchtime: "He's like it's just you told me it's like riding a bicycle or a quad." In the same video, Larry said the new operator is "banging out 35-40 [lawns] a day."
PermaGreen describes the controls of the current Triumph the same way. It steers and brakes like a bicycle or motorbike with an automatic transmission, and to stop, the operator lets off the throttle and pulls the brake levers. The spray rate is regulated by ground speed, so a new operator does not have to hold a walking pace to keep the rate right. PermaGreen says most operators are comfortable with basic operation within a few hours. For tight spaces, the handlebars drop for walk-behind operation, so a new operator can walk behind until confident riding.
Can one machine cover big and small properties?
Mike, the other co-owner of Coastal Weed and Fertilization, spoke about versatility in the same video: "the other day we did nine baseball fields, big baseball fields. Then we went to our other route which is third acre properties in New Jersey so we can be productive. We can be big or small."
On small properties, gate width matters. At 35.5 inches wide, the Triumph fits through standard 36-inch gates.
What did one owner see in crew size and injuries?
Andy, listed in PermaGreen's customer videos as owner of Terrace Finance in Henderson, NV, was asked why PermaGreen. Andy's answer: "So I ran a landscape firm a long time, we put fertilizer down the traditional way with the hand spreaders and as labor became harder and then more importantly the workers started demanding easier life, easier than this. We wanted a product that could do it, so we bought one of these machines, was able to take three technicians and turn it into one, never had an injury in the five years I've had the product and the product still looks almost brand new five years later."
Andy also pointed to parts access: "When it breaks down we had easy access to parts, so that's the package that puts it together." The crew-size and injury figures are one owner's account of one business, not figures PermaGreen has measured.
What does PermaGreen publish about productivity?
PermaGreen's published figures for the Triumph are about 4 acres per hour, or one acre in 15 minutes, and that most operators treat 10 or more additional lawns per day compared with walk-behind equipment. The 150-lb hopper and the 12-gallon liquid system each treat up to an acre per fill. How many more lawns you finish depends on route density, property size and product mix.
How do you check the results on your own routes?
Before you change a whole crew, run one machine on one route for a full application round and compare it with the way you work now. Track properties finished per day, trips back to the truck, callbacks, and what the operator says at the end of the day.
The Triumph carries a 60-day buy-back guarantee: if you are not completely satisfied within the first 60 days, PermaGreen buys it back for a full refund and covers the return shipping.
What comes next in the series?
Part 5 looks at industry trends and the steps for planning a move to modern equipment. For the machine itself, see the full specifications on the Triumph specs page, or configure one and see today's factory-direct price on the build page. To talk it through, call PermaGreen at (866) 883-3456.
