JUNE 2021

MECHANICSVILLE, Virginia – The folks at the two-location Ace Hardware & Equipment in the area surrounding Richmond, Virginia identify themselves as a hardware store with an independent power equipment dealership inside. Success as an Elite dealer for Stihl and Cub Cadet products through the years at Ace’s longtime Ashland location, acquired in 2000, prompted serious inquiries about if they could replicate their model at a new location.

Robert Traweek, 59, owner and general manager, and his son, Mike Traweek, 32, store manager, shopped the area for over two years seeking the identical size and floor plan to suit their needs before finding the perfect fit 16 miles south of their Ashland location, in Mechanicsville, and jumped on it immediately.

“You can duplicate an Ace store,” Robert says. “But can you duplicate an Ace store with a substantial power equipment niche to it? We needed a building that was a certain size and that became possible in Mechanicsville.”

Article by Patrick Dunning, Associate Editor, Power Equipment Trade

EDITOR’S NOTE: Chain Saw Age’s technical editor Donn Lawty often editorialized on the departmental pages he maintained, such as “Shoptalk,” and “Racer’s Edge.” However, the article in the June 2021 issue, published in December 1985, was one of two columns he penned for “Off The Kerf,” CSA’s formal editorial page. It reflects Lawty’s appreciation for the past and his philosophy that we should always mix a little fun with the work. Finding it topical even now, it is reprinted as part of our homage to him.

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Lawty, who served as Chain Saw Age’s (CSA) technical editor from 1981 to 1988, generated a steady steam of technical content that helped give CSA its “must read” status among equipment dealers during the 1980s.

Article by Ken Morrison, who was editor/production manager at Chain Saw Age from 1979 to 1990. He also served as senior editor and technical contributor at Power Equipment Trade from 1991 to 2008.

EDITOR’S NOTE: Information for PET’s Chain Saw Spec Charts has been furnished by appropriate manufacturers and suppliers.

EDITOR’S NOTE: The following manufacturers supplied information for PET's June 2021 Chain Saw Annual.

Archer

Aspen

Cannon Bar

Echo

Husqvarna

KNK Power

Rotary

Stihl

Sunbelt Outdoor Products

VP Racing Fuels

You might think of Google as just a search engine that displays the top 10 results. But is your dealership wants to drive local search traffic to an offline local business, you should take a closer look at what Google has to offer.

Article by Jacqlyn Kirkland, Online Content & Marketing Manager, Hatton-Brown Publishers

From CSA to PET: 70 Years Strong in 2022

Well, we’ve somehow gotten through spring, and now we’re thinking ahead to chain saw weather. But before we get there, we’ve got a summer to try to capitalize on. Is everyone optimistic about this summer? Many of us power equipment dealers have had relatively strong sales so far this season, which is great! Will that continue through the summer?

Article by Sam Stearns, owner and operator, Mr. Mowerman, Scottsburg, IN