The Ultimate Mowing Machine: Eye On Equipment

But while the machine of contractors’ dreams may still be a long way off, most are quick to credit manufacturers with introducing new features and capabilities to their mowers that have made the contractor’s job easier and, at times, more profitable.

By the same token, manufacturers don’t hesitate to assure contractors of the time and money being spent annually in research and development to continue to move these machines toward that vision in their mind.

THE WISH LIST. Productivity is paramount for contractors, and their collective buying habits have proven this. According to one manufacturer, the sale of hydrostatic transmission systems industry-wide increased 16.4 percent from 1996 to 1997 while sales of gear-drive units were down 19.4 percent. Contractors still purchase considerably more gear-drive units than hydrostatic models – by better than a two-to-one margin in 1997 – but that may not be true for much longer.

“The hydrostatic drives are wonderful with the riding mowers,” asserted Michael Snyder, president, M. Snyder Landscape, Clackamas, Ore. “They offer a smooth ride at whatever speed the operator wants to mow.”

Snyder was quick to point out, however, that maximizing mowing speed isn’t necessarily the most important thing to him. “To me, I’m more interested in the rpm levels than mowing speed. The more power that can be added to a rotary mower, the better the quality of cut, which is the most important thing,” he stated. “You can really only get a certain type of cut with a rotary mower. No matter how sharp the blades are, it’s still a whack-type cut, where reel mowers provide a slice cut.

“My dream mower, then, would provide a reel mower-type cut with self-sharpening blades while collecting grass clippings in some type of vacuum,” Snyder concluded.

For Ed Hargis, superintendent, AAA Landscape, Phoenix, Ariz., improving mower performance means improving mower durability, something he said manufacturers been successful doing lately.

“We’re not finding as many mechanical breakdowns now as we had with older models,” Hargis noted. “Vacuum units used to be a real problem, and the decks seem to be much better built, as well.”

In particular, Hargis was frustrated by decks that would bend slightly and lead to dropping spindles, thereby yielding mowers with blades at different mowing heights.

Dependability is also the key for Reno Green/Lawn Magic Landscaping, Reno, Nev., where Danny Pettipas, maintenance manager, looks to purchase mowers he can count on for years to come. “We prefer hydrostatic drives. The only drawback to them is that on colder days we don’t always get continual flow to the pumps,” he explained. “But we make our purchasing decision based on which mower has the most dependable motor in terms of starting all of the time and its longevity.”

And, as manufacturers are aware, the first company to develop a successful mulching mower will gain a tremendous market advantage.

“We can get away with mulching bermudagrass in the summer, but we have too many problems when we switch to a winter rye,” noted Hargis.

Snyder, too, would like to mulch clippings, but the results generally aren’t satisfactory to his primarily residential client base. “We collect all of the clippings on our jobs, so we tend to stay away from the mid-size walk-behind mowers because their collection systems are all on the side of the mowers,” he commented. “Instead, we use riding units with collection systems.”

A big improvement in these riding units has taken place at the ground level – the wheels. “Some manufacturers have increased the width of the wheel, which reduces the compaction by spreading the pounds per square inch out over a greater area of the turf,” Snyder noted. “I wish someone would do this for 21-inch push mowers as well.”

FROM THE OTHER SIDE. Manufacturers emphasize two things for contractors to keep in mind regarding mower improvement: contractors’ expectations must be realistic, and contractors must communicate what they want from a mower to the manufacturers.

When it comes to maintaining realistic expectations, this is particularly important as it relates to the price-value relationship. “To be able to design all of the features desired in a given machine at the desired price is the ultimate challenge for manufacturers,” note Dane Scag, president, Great Dane Power Equipment, Elm Grove, Wis.

“We could build a perfect mower made of gold for $50,000, but no one would buy it,” added Rick Curlett, Exmark Manufacturing, Beatrice, Neb. “So the value the contractor will place on a mower is one of our most important planning platforms in development. From there, we have to figure out what are the best components and value we can build into that product for that price.”

Manufacturers also like to point out that contractors often overestimate the importance of a mower’s price. “A lot of people worry about a $500 difference in a machine’s cost, but if you divide that out over 5,000 hours of use, that’s only an extra 10 cents an hour,” noted Bob Walker, president, Walker Manufacturing, Fort Collins, Colo. “The bigger concern ought to be the operation of the equipment and its maintenance costs.”

The other demand from contractors that manufacturers are hesitant to yield to is the call for increased mower speed.

“Contractors would love a machine to go as fast as possible, and we could build one that would go 25 miles per hour,” acknowledged Walker. “But the real issues from a manufacturer’s standpoint are speed vs. maneuverability and maintaining the quality of cut. Doubling a machine’s speed won’t necessarily cut production time in half or improve the quality of cut.”

“Blade tip speed is regulated to 19,000 feet per second by ANSI standards, so mowers can go too fast for the blades to cut properly,” explained William Lowe, product manager, Snapper, Atlanta, Ga.

And there are demands from contractors that manufacturers struggle to satisfy. “This whole issue of mulching is obviously important to our customers, and we all hope someone will come up with a mulching mower that operates across a wider range of conditions than what is available right now,” admitted Walker.

To some extent, however, manufacturers find themselves limited by the products produced by their suppliers.

“A lot of our direction as manufacturers is tied to the evolution of the engine manufacturers with new horsepower capabilities, emission controls, etc.,” explained Curlett.

“The sinful part of rotary mowers is that 80 percent of the engine’s power is required to spin the blades before you cut even a single blade of grass,” related Scag. “Five percent of the horsepower is used to move the vehicle and the remaining 15 percent is used to cut the grass. The challenge is what can we do to use the horsepower more effectively.

“A reel mower will do in two to four horsepower what it takes a rotary mower 10 to 15 horsepower to accomplish,” Scag continued. “I think the answer for the future lies somewhere between the reel mower and the rotary mower. It’s just a question of which manufacturer can develop that answer first.”