Customer Video: Stellar® Hooklift Versatility Ensures Year-Round Work for RJ Lawn and Landscape

10.17.24

For many landscaping companies, working throughout four seasons means investing in multiple trucks for different needs. But RJ Lawn and Landscape of Des Moines, Iowa, gets more from their investment by utilizing a year-round workhorse: their Stellar Shuttle Hooklift.

“We use the Stellar hooklift in a variety of ways,” says owner Ryan McCarthy. “On larger jobs, we can drop a can and allow crews to load directly into it. So we use it quite a bit for brush, brush cleanup and demolition on jobs. They’ll also deliver equipment to sites that way. For winter, it comes in super handy when we’re mobilizing for our snow season. We have to transport pushers and equipment, and our operator will deliver upwards of 30 pieces of equipment to different sites. So, the flexibility of having the flatbed on there and to be able to take more than one unit at a time is critical.”

Stellar Hooklifts Improve Efficiency

McCarthy appreciates how having a Stellar Hooklift in the fleet allows his crew to get right to work rather than spend their mornings loading and unloading equipment. “With the Stellar Hooklift, I only need one driver that is CDL licensed who can set up and max out the truck. My crews can load up the minor materials they need for the day in their trucks and be on the road, then our delivery guy brings everything to them at the site. So, efficiencies make a huge difference. I don’t need that crew taking the time to load trailers and all that in the morning. We can have one delivery guy that can deliver to multiple sites.”

Along with the daily efficiencies, Chief Operating Officer Annette McCarthy appreciates how their Stellar Hooklift reduces equipment costs and issues. “If we didn’t have a hooklift, we would probably have six more trailers going on the road every day. That’s a lot more tires and axles and people and risk.”

User-Friendly Design

Travis Snider, the Head Truck Driver for RJ Lawn and Landscape, likes how simple the Stellar Hooklift is to operate. “The controls are all in the cab. It’s easy to maneuver. It’s easy to see out of. The cans load very simply. There are no chains, no binders, no moving parts.”

“The Stellar Hooklift has been outstanding for ease of use,” adds Ryan McCarthy. “For what we’re doing with it, which is sometimes moving and dropping large loads of aggregate, it’s really easy to use for the operator. It’s all within the cab. The maintenance is very simple on it, too. There aren’t a lot of moving parts. The construction is heavy-duty, but it’s easy to use and easy to maintain.”

Backed By Quality Support

When parts are needed for maintenance, Snider appreciates the service Stellar provides. “As far as customer service and their parts department, Stellar does things the way things should be done. There aren’t many parts that have to be replaced, but there are a few. They’ve talked me through the whole process. Stellar makes it easy.”

Ryan McCarthy also appreciates Stellar quality. “Buying the Stellar Hooklift was one of the best business decisions we made. It made our day-to-day life much easier by having that system in place and having the right driver behind the wheel to make sure that we’re effectively using the truck.”

“What we found very quickly is that we utilize it all the time,” notes Annette McCarthy. “It’s never not busy. There’s always a use for it.”

To raise productivity for your business, talk with our team or your distributor about Stellar Hooklifts as well as other solutions for Landscaping.