Barry, another option could be to ask neighbors if you could do their lawn care using their equipment. Obviously, they'll need to trust you, and not everyone will like that idea, but it would allow you to get started and earn some money (and see if you like it) before investing a lot of money into it. This also allows you to see if there is a market for you to sell your services to.
When I was in ministry school, a close friend and mentor was training for a half Ironman triathlon. He was very excited about it and convinced myself and a few others to go for it as well, so I bought a road bike (the ones with the skinny tires that are really uncomfortable to ride). Keep in mind, I had little money, working part-time while being in school, so spending $450 on a bike was pretty stupid. I rode it a few times before I got a flat tire on the rear wheel (which is harder to fix) and I basically stopped riding at that point. I eventually got the tire fixed and sold the bike for around $200 later that year. Waste of money and waste of time. I should have tried someone else's bike a few times before considering getting my own.
Good luck!
