|
|
Zero-Turn Guide: Zero's still a hero
1 Mar, 2006 By: Heather Gooch Landscape ManagementFuel efficiency, horsepower, productivity and safety mean these trendsetters keep clearing new paths.
Zero-turn mowers continue to be popular among professional landscapers, but increasingly, homeowners are seeing the value of this type of equipment as well. That trend is a bit of a double-edged sword for manufacturers, because while it ensures the future of zero-turns and aids in the research and development of ever-evolving safety features, fuel efficiencies and other factors, it also means there are more model choices on the market — many of which are smaller and less expensive than the typical professional-grade model.
Landscape Management spoke with three leading manufacturers recently to get their views on the state of zero-turns. Randy Harris, senior marketing manager of The Toro Co., for example, believes there are four major trends in this market: fuel efficiency, higher horsepower, improved productivity and safety. All of the four, he notes, are relatable. Improved productivity is a byproduct of doing more mowing tasks quickly and safely. And both fuel efficiency and horsepower muscle is attained by Toro's new diesel engine model, the Z Master Z593-D.
Increased efficiency
"Fuel efficiency was the No. 1 concern among operators in a recent survey," Harris says. "And while the diesel engine has a lower horsepower than gas-powered models, it has the power when you need it — which on average is only 15 to 20 percent of the day. Why pay more for a higher-horsepower, less-fuel-efficient mower?"
Kevin Lund, product manager, commercial mowing for John Deere Co., also sees a trend toward diesel and other alternative fuels. While his company is researching this aspect heavily, and does have the 31-hp 997 Diesel Z-Trak on the market already, he notes that alternative fuel models "have to be able to demonstrate clear advantages in productivity for our customers."
"There are currently many types of machines that can demonstrate reduced fuel costs per acre mowed, such as fuel-injected engines, or, even better, diesel engines," he says. "Those technologies are not new, but they are expanding in the zero-turn mower market, and they offer customers some visible advantages in terms of their input costs. At the same time, we're also seeing proliferation in air-cooled, gas engines up to 1,000 cc with horsepower ratings in the mid-30s. While these engines don't offer fuel savings over smaller displacement engines per hour, they do offer the professional ways to reduce the time they spend cutting grass — and an opportunity to reduce their overall dollars spent per acre mowed."
Erik Memmo, general sales manager of Ferris Industries, notes that his company has been at the research forefront of another fuel alternative: liquid propane.
"Our relationships with Envirogaurd and Briggs and Stratton Corp. have put us in an excellent position to be a leader in this industry segment," he says. "Our field work and market research have been fueled by President Bush's [State of the Union] speech referencing our need as a country to be independent of fossil fuels, plus other local and regional alternative fuel trends."
Memmo also sees enhanced integrated suspension systems as a continuing trend for 2006, particularly because of their contributions to higher productivity.
"Since introducing our early versions nine years ago, we have continued to refine the ride," he says. "Unlike suspension seats that only offer limited benefits, a true IS suspension delivers productivity, performance and comfort for the operator and the machine. Suspension continues to be 'discovered' by commercial cutters and has undoubtedly set a high bar as the technological development of mowers."
Productivity is the name of the game for John Deere too.
"We've concentrated on innovative solutions that improve the productivity of our customers, like our Mulch-onDemand deck, and our next-generation 7-Iron II deck," Lund explains. The Mulch-on-Demand feature allows operators to change from side discharge to mulching with the throw of a lever. This not only reduces the risk of thrown objects when mowing around public areas, but also reduces the amount of material that needs to be cleaned up at the end of the job.
1 2
Please send any technical comments or questions to our webmaster.