MAXIMIZING NEW CHASSIS UPFIT

Innovative Lawn & Landscape, LLC Maximizes New Chassis Upfit with Switch-N-Go® Solution

After working in the construction and landscaping industries most of his adult life, James Doyle was ready to make the jump on his own and begin a full-time career owning and operating his own business. At the end of 2016, Innovative Lawn and Landscape, LLC (Innovative) of Torrington, CT was founded as a full landscape and construction company.

For the first couple of years, Doyle had to jump through a lot of hoops trying to create a nice balance between his personal and business life, even having to pick up a part time job on the side. Doyle reinvested a lot of funds back into the business, but with the strong belief that if “you work hard, you get what you put in,” he knew he was making the smart and efficient decisions necessary to make his business successful. He worked hard to develop the Innovative brand by growing their social media presence and investing in truck wraps to have definitive looking trucks people will always recognize. He expanded his services to include property maintenance, seasonal cleanups, material delivery, and snow & ice management.

Doyle, like most business owners, always looks to maximize his investment with every equipment purchase. With equipment costs continuously rising, he knew his next investment needed to be one that would separate Innovative from the other industry heavy hitters, as well as grant his team the resources to operate more efficiently. Rather than working on jobs 4-5 days a week and using the others to fix equipment, he wanted a way to transfer the hours of fixing equipment to servicing more customers. He began his research. A few truck dealers in Connecticut had posted about a truck system on social media and had flyers up at local tradeshows that Doyle had attended. He recognized the system from other landscaping and construction business’s postings when looking through what the key players and veterans in the industry were using to be successful. This system had the ability that the permanent mount systems did not – the ability to interchange between bodies in order to service a broader range of jobs with just one truck. The system allowed users to load and unload at ground level, and operated with the compact maneuverability of a medium duty truck. In January of 2020, Doyle decided it was time to visit his local dealer, Ness Automotive, and he invested in his tenth Ford truck—a new 2019 Ford F550 upfitted with the Switch-N-Go® interchangeable truck body system.

For nearly 20 years, Switch-N-Go® has been providing cable hoist systems and interchangeable bodies to the landscaping industry. The hoist system is designed for class 4-7 chassis cabs and can be installed on a variety of domestic and import vehicles. Switch-N-Go® offers a fleet of work truck bodies including dump, arbor and storage bodies, as well as flatbeds, drop box dumpsters, and WorkReady™ subframes. The Switch-N-Go® solution is an ideal fit for businesses that want to maximize their capital budget and minimize equipment idle time by providing crews with the right tool for every job.

Doyle’s initial purchase included the 11ft electric hoist system and Drop Box. In the next couple of months, Doyle purchased additional Switch-N-Go® bodies, including a Flatbed, Dump Body, and Arbor Body with Barn Doors, giving his business the advantage to easily transition into spring time jobs. His most recent purchase was a Storage Body to allow them to store and lock equipment at a jobsite, rather than leaving them accessible on peoples’ yards. All of Innovative’s bodies act as mobile billboards, making sure their brand is recognized wherever they go.

In the six months since Innovative has operated with Switch-N-Go®, the greatest advantages they have seen, compared to the permanent mount trucks, is the versatility of one truck, ground level loading, and the time efficiency the system offers. This is not only the review of Doyle, but his team, who is very thankful for the truck upgrade and are ready for him to buy another. While on the job, the Innovative team has been able to utilize the Dump Body and Drop Box for debris cleanup, as well as material and equipment hauling and delivery. The Arbor Body has been great for post winter tree cleanup and will be working hard come fall.

Prior to the Switch-N-Go® system, Innovative would have a team member either standing in the bed of the body and shoveling out to unload or pitchforking from the ground up to load materials into the wheelbarrow. The ability to detach the body for ground level loading and unloading helps to save the team time and energy at every job, allowing them to complete more jobs in one day.

Innovative is also taking advantage of the latest Switch-N-Go® innovations – the Gooseneck Adapter and Versa™ Bumper. When asked about the Gooseneck Adapter, Doyle states that it is the “best thing to move equipment, hands down” allowing Innovative to tow both their 28’ or 30’ trailers with excavators, loaders, and other equipment. These accessories allow Innovative to maximize towing visibility and versatility.

“With the use of state-of-the-art equipment and high-quality products and materials, it is no surprise that we continue to exceed our client’s expectations on each and every job.” Switch-N-Go® has been one of the state-of-the-art tools to maximize the efficiency of Innovative’s work-days. With a variety of job-specific truck bodies that can be changed in minutes they can easily stage jobs with materials and tools. The ability to have a truck body at ground level loading makes jobs safer and easier, something that the whole Innovative team enjoys.

Doyle is excited with the growth they have achieved in only five years, but still sees more potential. The versatility of the Switch-N-Go® interchangeable truck body solution allows businesses to offer additional services to their customers and can reduce the stress of cyclical seasonality landscapers often face. With the purchase of the new Switch-N-Go® WorkReady™ subframe, Innovative will be able to strengthen their snow and ice management services.

Even in uncertain times, the future is bright for companies like Innovative Lawn & Landscape, LLC that continue to seek, understand and utilize the latest product innovations from Solution providers such as Switch-N-Go® to bring quality service to landscape industry.