Briggs & Stratton came down to Louisville, Ky., ready to show off some of its newest innovations. Take a look at the three big ones: an equipment management solution, a debris loader and a new mower.
Infohub
Launching at the GIE+EXPO, InfoHub for Commercial Turf is Briggs & Stratton’s answer to resource management problems.
The integrated system is designed to help landscape owners and managers schedule jobs, prepare bids, and deploy crews and equipment efficiently by tracking where equipment is and how it is being used.
For clarification, this new offering is not a fleet management system. It doesn’t just track your trailer—it will track your individual pieces of equipment, regardless of brand. According to the company, the new solution will give users a clear picture of where crews are spending their time, how often machines are running and what the actual square footage of a property is.
The data is fed from a cloud-based platform to the InfoHub portal and monitors where equipment is and if it is in use. You can also see what type of pattern crews are mowing when on a job site.
“Many of the products on the market are only giving commercial lawn cutters half of the answer,” said Carissa Gingras, director of marketing, global support at Briggs & Stratton. “They may monitor equipment maintenance needs or they may track crews, but the majority of software programs can’t track an entire fleet. Because InfoHub can be installed on any gas-powered engine with a spark plug and battery, commercial cutters can now track their entire fleet regardless of engine or mower brand.”
As part of the InfoHub development process, Briggs & Stratton worked with more than two dozen professionals in 2016 and 2017 to test InfoHub and validate features and benefits. The top two benefits pilot users found with InfoHub was its ability to track their crew and equipment, and the ability to understand profitability and productivity by crews and jobs.
InfoHub also offers route optimization based on crew location, efficiency and availability. This feature allows professionals to add customers and routes, as well as adjust to weather changes.
The system runs through Google maps, so users can get a more accurate square footage of a property.
Also represented at this year’s event were new additions from Briggs & Stratton companies, Billy Goat and Ferris.
Billy Goat
Billy Goat, which Briggs & Stratton acquired in 2015, unveiled its new 37 gross hp “EFI” powered debris loader. The DL3700V is driven by a Vanguard closed loop EFI Big Block engine, offering no choke, automotive-style starting, reduced emissions and improved cold weather starting.
The unit features Billy Goat’s dual shredding system with Piranha blade and 5,050 CFM of suction power.
A 20-inch impeller with 18 cutting points provides debris reduction up to 12:1. The unit also features a replaceable poly liner in the housing. Additional features include a clear poly helical hose, a built-in rake holder and a no tool, no thread 360-degree rotational exhaust that is hand adjustable. Optional features include a flexible metallic hose kit to extend forward discharge by 10 feet, an exhaust deflector kit to deflect debris and a highway class trailer kit prewired for easy towing and storage.
Ferris
Additionally, Briggs & Stratton expanded its commercial mower offerings with the new Ferris SRS Z3X.
The new Soft Ride Stand-on (SRS) Z3X mower is built to handle high mowing speeds in wide open areas on extreme terrain. The new Z3X’s lightweight design ensures faster starting and stopping, and has a centralized weight for quicker turning around tight corners, the company said.
“The Z3X is a high-performance mower commercial landscapers have come to expect from Ferris, and hits on all cylinders: power, productivity and durability,” said Dan Roche, marketing director for commercial products. “Operators will achieve a higher quality of cut because the mower deck is tied to a pivoting front axle and four radius rods, ensuring the mower deck follows ground contours.”
The SRS mower includes a standard-locking, four-position speed control. The Ferris SRS Z3X is available with either a 37-gross hp/992cc Vanguard Big Block EFI engine with oil guard or a 29.5-gross hp / 852cc Kawasaki FX850 EFI engine.
Additional features on the new SRS Z3X include a pivoting front axle, anti-scalp wheels, five adjustable positions—which can be tuned in the field—and 24-inch rear-drive wheels.
The new Ferris SRS Z3X is backed by a four-year limited warranty or 500-hour warranty, whichever comes first, the company added.
