The blower I have utilized has traveled the country starting in the Rocky Mountains, traveling west to the Klamath Mountains of Northern California, and finally coming to rest in the Cascade Mountains of Oregon. What is unique about this piece of equipment is that it is older than most of the folks currently working for our organization. Built in 1959 this blower has blown straw on literally 1000’s of acres of land ravaged by fire, flood, and development, and it hasn’t missed a beat. I have used this particular blower for over 25 years.

Steve Linkinogger, owner of Grademaker, Inc. laughed as he stated that the business is located “in the middle of nowhere” but their niche in the market has made for an extremely good and profitable business, with 4-5 man crews working 6 days a week, and pretty much all year-round. He joked saying that his crew “doesn’t even have time for hunting.” Grademaker is working their B70 and B260 Straw Blowers, and T170 and T330 HydroSeeders on jobs spanning 50 miles out from home base.

Steve couldn’t be happier for the success of Grademaker. He mentioned, “We wouldn’t have the business we have without the Finn machines. They are top of the line. I watched all the brands and Finn held up the best.” Steve started in the industry doing various reclamation projects in West Virginia and Maryland dating back to the 1980’s. He had always been around and familiar with Finn machines, so when he moved from Maryland to Arkansas and decided to start doing some straw blowing work, Steve knew just the machines he needed for the job. He started to pick up some hydroseeding work as well, and recently purchased his fourth Finn machine.

Steve is a true believer not only in the Finn machines, but in the Hydroseeding Consumable Products as well. He mentioned that he wasn’t satisfied with other brands, so once he discovered the Finn products he started stockpiling them in bulk. He even noted that he may be building a place to store them soon. Steve also mentioned that the Finn Parts Department was “very helpful. (He) has no complaints.”

Steve foresees Grademaker’s business and Finn purchases growing in the future. His words of wisdom, to others thinking about getting into the industry or purchasing Finn equipment, is to stick with the Finn name because “they have more experience and started the business. The copycats just don’t fill in all the holes.” Although Steve mentioned that he personally has never owned a competitive machine, he has seen them work. He simply believes that “Finn outperforms everything on the market.” His philosophy is to let everyone else make the mistakes, but he is sticking with the leader.

I must say that I am extremely impressed with the performance. It is the simplest thing to operate with virtually no problems at all. Thanks for making a great quality machine. I also would like to congratulate you again on winning that Marine Corps contract. I know that when you work privately with the Marine Corps you have to pass a pretty good test in order to get them to use you. So again, Congratulations on the contract and thanks for making my business possible. Keep up the good work!"

In September 2006, I was approached by a client interested in hydroseeding. I had no clue about hydroseeding, so I took to the internet for a little research. I emailed a couple dealers and Jeremy was the first person to respond as soon as he got to work on Monday (it took the next guy a couple of weeks to contact me). I did not have the resources or feel secure enough to jump into hydroseeding at that point in time. I knew I would have to have jobs lined up for me to be able to take that kind of jump.

Well, a couple days later, Jeremy called me back asking if I wanted to bid on a job, and next thing I knew, it was October 5th and I was sitting at a job site as Jeremy pulled up with my brand new Finn T75. After many conversations with Jeremy trying to figure things out, Mona loading our cattle trailer with supplies and keeping track of me, and many deliveries by the faithful and dependable Rick, we at Pollock Landscaping found ourselves coming to our one-year anniversary of hydroseeding. On October 4th 2007, we finished day 365 by completing property number 126 with our total square feet hydroseeded at 1,954,346.1 sq ft.

One month later we completed our 2007 season on November 1st on property number 145 with our total since our start date at 2,868,866.1 sq ft.

These numbers have now found us purchasing another Finn Hydroseeder in hopes that we can increase those numbers this next year. As long as you stand behind us like you have, I feel as though we will not have a problem. Thank you so much for all you have done for us and we look forward to what the future brings.

So why did we buy a C-170 Easy Lawn ? At first we were sold on the price, and the hydraulic controls and the (color of green). We bought the unit in '05 and to date we have about 300 hours on the unit. It has been back to the manufacturer twice and now it caught on fire due to a fuse that was not installed. And on the color of green, well the paint wore off in less then a year and they had to repaint it. So that little bit of saving that we had in the beginning, well lets just say they used all that savings and then some. I have wrote you this letter because sometimes when something sounds to good to be true it normally is. From now on it's a Finn or nothing.

With the market growing for hydroseeding, the money we spent on the T120 was well worth it. On windy days like today, we are so happy the slurry remains intact versus seed/straw which would have blown into the next lot by now. We have a growing relationship with FINN and predict buying more in the future!

There is no maintenance due on it. It was a fairly inexpensive purchase for me and I appreciate its value to me whenever I use it. I just wanted to let you know what a wonderful piece of equipment this is and I intend to use it for many more years. I am a land developer and this machine has made my job so much easier."

Batten attests that “FINN Straw Blowers have made it possible to achieve a 30 to 40 percent material savings and an incredible saving in labor of 80 percent over hand mulching and 30 to 40 percent verses competitive machines. I bought a competitive unit in the past and sold it within 3 weeks because its performance and capabilities did not compare to the FINN. The competitive machine would bog down while trying to chop the straw and its blowing capacity fell short of the FINN’s ability to distribute a nice, even coat of straw at unbelievable distances.” Batten claims that he couldn't be in business without the FINN Straw Blowers because he wouldn't be able to price competitively due to outrageous labor costs affiliated with hand mulching and competitive machines. FINN‘s durability is second to none!

Carpenter states “FINN Straw Blowers and Hydroseeders have made it possible to seed, mulch and tack 10 acres per day while remaining competitive in the industry. FINN equipment provides the most productive, cost efficient way to apply straw for erosion control and seeding projects. FINN manufacturers the best engineered and most serviceable equipment on the market.”

The application rate of FINN ADC is only ¼ inch verses the traditional 6 inches of dirt, resulting in 24 times less space than dirt. This is a significant space-saver. “After years of wasting resources and constantly hauling a CAT 6215 dirt pan machine from 7am-4pm to cover the mandatory six inches, “ Steve says, “ we now have the FINN LF120 to apply the ADC to effectively cover that same size area in about 45 minutes at the end of the day.” Steve also added that they only find it necessary to haul dirt for intermediate cover now.

According to Steve, having the FINN LF120 has allowed Hardeman County Landfill “to reduce the workforce by one person, continue landfill operations without being weather-dependant, increase airspace, and save money on fuel costs because they currently only burn ¼ of the fuel they used to with the CAT.” He also noted that landfills are generally harsh on heavy equipment, but the FINN LF120 manages very well. Overall, due to the ADC application in conjunction with the FINN LF120 the landfill just “looks better, litter control is more manageable, and the man hours are more manageable.”

Since employing the FINN Landfill Solutions approach, Steve points out that “buzzards are not a problem anymore.” Going forward he mentioned that Hardeman County plans to use the LF120 to establish vegetation for cell closure and to prevent erosion of the soil by rainfall and wind all around the landfill site. He also mentioned they are going to try FINN BioStreme odor control agents once the weather triggers noxious odors. Steve reported the state inspectors have made some regular visits to the landfill and have been very pleased with the outcome of operations.

Even though operating a landfill can be a hefty load, Hardeman County Landfill sees the benefits of their partnership with FINN Landfill Solutions and they are simple:

1. FINN has helped save space and increase revenue
2. FINN has helped save expenses on fuel, manpower, and equipment
3. FINN has a versatile HydroSeeder™ that has helped them apply ADC, control erosion, wash trucks, and fight any fires that could potentially develop.

Hydroseeding is a major part of All Season’s business, and Michael knows the payback of owning and operating FINN hydroseeding equipment.

All Season’s Landscaping has been working FINN’s large Hydroseeder™ line including the T330 and T120 HydroSeeders for the past 8-10 years, and considers these additions to his inventory one of the company’s best investments. According to Michael, when All Season’s Landscaping decided to get involved in the hydroseeding business, they went shopping for equipment like any other consumer. “As an educated consumer, we did research on hydroseeders and when all things were taken into consideration, FINN was superior.”

He stated that the FINN equipment is very well kept and maintains a top quality, successful operation. All Season’s Landscaping has had minimal problems with the equipment and the FINN service is excellent. When All Season’s needs parts from the FINN factory, they are expedited within 1-2 days of placing the call.

Michael stated, “He is able to have a very profitable business because of FINN. He has made the right hydroseeder choice after becoming educated about the equipment, and he can see more FINN equipment in the future. He is a loyal FINN consumer. When he is working the FINN Hydroseeders, the money is made.“

Our trucks and especially are seeders run flawlessly through the year. Having a seeder go down in October or November is extremely detrimental to our business and that is why we will continue to use only FINN Seeders.