Ryan Parker, 34, has been cutting grass since high school. He enjoyed it so much that, in 2008 – at the age of 18, he started Oasis LawnCare and Landscaping near St. Louis, Missouri, where 75 percent of his work is mowing lawns.
Finding Comfort in the Wheel Kaddy
Serving the Oakville, Mehlville, Sunset Hills, Arnold and Fenton areas, the Oasis crew spends a big chunk of their time focusing on single family residential properties. One of Oasis’ biggest client properties, however, is a church where Ryan and his team stripe a big hill.
“I’ve tried stand on and zero turn mowers, and they just don’t work for this application (hills),” Ryan said.
He did, however, find that walk behind mowers worked very well for the hills… He just didn’t enjoy walking behind them.
That’s where mower sulkies entered the picture.
Ryan began using Velkes on his walk behind mowers to eliminate the need for all of that walking. However, by 2017, he was already feeling the effects of constant jarring on his hips and his knees.
“Everything you hit out there (bumps and dips) you’re getting beat up,” Ryan said. “It sends a shock through your body every time.”
Those health effects, combined with constant grease issues and bearings going out on the Velke, sent Ryan searching for a better option.
After doing a web search for sulkies with suspension, he came across the KAGE Wheel Kaddy and decided to give the 360 series a try in August of 2017.
“It’s actually been a life saver,” Ryan said. “The first couple months, I could already tell the difference just getting out bed.”
Since then, he’s gone on to put over 2,200 hours on his first Wheel Kaddy 360, added another Wheel Kaddy 2-3 years later, and recently ordered a third 360 to add to his fleet.
“They’re less maintenance and better on your body,” Ryan said. “A little pricey, but with the health benefit and maintenance benefit, we’ve been happy with them.”
Ryan runs the Wheel Kaddies with universal mounts on Ferris FW35 and FW45 mowers with 52” decks.
Aside from taking advantage of the warranty in 2019 to upgrade the pivot on his original Wheel Kaddy, it still has all its original parts, including the wheels and bearings.
His second Wheel Kaddy has more than 700 hours on it without needing any repairs or replacements.
“I can’t complain about anything,” Ryan said. “Warranty information. Customer service. Email help. They stepped up.”
Learn more about Oasis Lawn Care and Landscaping at https://oasislawnstl.com/ and Wheel Kaddy mower sulkies at https://kageinnovation.com/walk-behind-mower-sulky/.
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