Driving Force: Riding Mowers

When it comes to machinery, Wayne Snyder knows exactly what he’s looking for. For his predominantly commercial landscape company, Early Bird Landscape Maintenance, Kutztown, Penn., using the best equipment is the only way to stay ahead of the game.

“I stick with one type of mower that has proven efficient for the work that I do,” Snyder maintained, pointing to zero-turn riding machines, diesel engines and front-mounted, rear-discharge decks as his favorite features.

Every landscape contractor has a type of mower he or she favors over another. Most of the time the decision is based on the machine’s productivity on the type of landscapes the company maintains.

As manufacturers continue to improve upon riding mowers by making them more compact, more maneuverable and faster, shipments of riding mowers continue to increase at a faster rate than their walk-behind counterparts regardless of their higher price tags, according to the Outdoor Power Equipment Institute. OPEI’s November 1998 figures show that shipments of commercial riding units increased by 24 percent from 1997 (52,400 units to 65,100 units), compared to shipments of commercial walk-behind units, which increased by only 7 percent from 1997 (91,140 units to 97,400 units).

“If you go back to 1984, the intermediate walk-behind was the mainstay of the commercial mower industry and riding mowers were primarily used for big open-space mowing,” said Bob Walker, president, Walker Manufacturing, Ft. Collins, Colo. “Manufacturers helped this market shift from walk-behinds to riding mowers with compact zero-turn radius riding mowers. Even though riding units cost more up-front, their productivity pays for the purchase. Productivity has become the name of the game when it comes to purchasing a mower. Those who aren’t using these units or seeing the productivity benefits will be left behind.”

SHRINKING IN SIZE. As the riding mower becomes more and more compact, it also becomes more versatile for the contractor, Walker said.

“Compact riders can now fit in the same areas only walk-behinds used to be able to squeeze into,” Walker said. “A riding mower can now do the big work and the small work, but a small machine can only do the small work.”

While 61 inches is still one of the most popular deck sizes, more landscape contractors are looking for more maneuverability and similar productivity in a smaller package, said Rick Cuddihe, vice president of sales, Great Dane Power Equipment, Elm Grove, Wis., noting that smaller deck sizes, such as 48 and 52 inches, are selling quickly.

“It is similar to the differences between driving a boat and driving a sports car,” Cuddihe explained. “These big three-wheel riders with the seat over the back wheels are longer machines, and contractors can’t fit as many of them on a trailer.

“But compact riders take care of that problem without sacrificing productivity,” Cuddihe added.

However, for contractors like Snyder who only use large, front-mount mowers, manufacturers have added features such as tilt-up decks to save space and ease maintenance, Walker pointed out. Tilt-up decks enable the operator to lift the front cutting assembly to a vertical position because it is hinged at the back.

“This feature gives the operator the opportunity to clean the mower deck on the job, especially in the springtime when a lot of wet clippings build up under the deck,” Walker said. “It also helps compact the machine for storage or transport. Contractors can fit three machines on a trailer instead of two because of the extra space the tilt-up deck provides.”

Compact riders have only decreased in size to 40- to 42-inch decks, said Ken Raney, advertising manager, Excel Industries, a manufacturer of Hustler Turf Equipment, Hesston, Kan. Although that is significant and addresses contractors’ needs, Raney said in some situations, it is still not small enough, especially for landscape businesses that have primarily residential clients.

“A typical back yard gate is 36-inches wide,” Raney stressed. “That’s why there will always be walk-behinds and that’s why a contractor should know his business inside and out before coming in to purchase a mower. If I was a contractor and all of my business was residential, I would want a zero-turn radius mid-mount because they are shorter and can get in and around tighter areas. If I had a commercial business, I would want a larger, front-mount unit because it’s more productive than a mid-mount in wide open areas, but it won’t squeeze into tight areas or under low branches.”

Besides size differences, front-mount and mid-mount mowers also have weight differences that influence contractors’ decisions on which one to use, said Dick Tegtmeier, president and CEO, Encore Manufacturing, Beatrice, Neb.

“The weight on a front-mount is split between the drive wheels and rear wheels, therefore, weights need to be added over the drive wheels to climb hills and have the proper pounds per square inch for good traction,” Tegtmeier explained. “A mid-mount already has most of its weight resting over the drive wheels so weights do not need to be added.”

As riding mowers become more compact, they are also being built to move at faster speeds, Cuddihe observed.

“Rather than the typical 6 miles per hour, mowers are now going at speeds of 7 to 10 miles per hour,” he noted. “Generally speaking, this can provide a better cut depending on the conditions and the depth of grass. In lush, green Florida, it’s better to move slow while mowing, but on Georgia’s thin grass, contractors want to move faster.”

Another key development for riding mower compaction and maneuverability is the stand-up riding mower, which has become popular with contractors in the past couple of years, according to Raney.

“They save space and they give operators some added visibility,” Raney explained.

MULCHING VS. CATCHING. One area that most contractors and manufacturers would like to see improvement on is riding mowers’ mulching features.

“There’s still a lot of room for improvement in mulching,” Raney said. “I don’t know if it’s physically possible, but the need is there. In the spring, a lot of places have lush, thick grass, and it costs contractors money to haul off the clippings. If someone would come out with a better mulching system, it would help this problem. Right now, there’s so much grass that a mulcher can’t keep up.”

Over the last 25 years, Tegtmeier said he has noticed a cycle going back and forth between mulching and catching.

“Several years ago, there was a big push to get the grass clippings out of the landfills because they made up approximately 40 percent of the landfills, so everyone started mulching,” Tegtmeier remarked. “Now, contractors are catching more. You just can’t hide a couple of inches of grass on a well-groomed looking lawn.”

Scott Evans, president, Scott and Company, Bay City, Texas, noted that another solution could be for manufacturers to offer larger catchers.

“In the fall, I purchased a catcher that carries up to nine bushels of leaves and grass,” Evans said. “It reduced my leaf raking by approximately 90 percent. I’d like to see more manufacturers increase the capacity of their catcher.”