What Will Be Left?: Hand-held Power Equipment

Every year, manufacturers look to add new and improved hand-held products to their lines. Increased fuel efficiency, lighter engines, better attachments and new accessories have all been to the forefront of product development.

However, as government agencies focus on air quality and emissions control, hand-held power equipment manufacturers have had to address new issues in their research and development – how to comply with ever-evolving emissions restrictions.

Basically, this means that no matter how many bells and whistles are on the machine, it will not be legal unless it does not pollute.

For most manufacturers, advancements in their equipment have been government influenced. California Air Resource Board Tier II emission standards for small engines are to take effect on Jan. 1, 2000, intending to reduce hydrocarbons and nitrogen oxide emissions 44 percent over CARB Tier I regulations that were implemented in January 1995.

But CARB regulations are not the only regulations manufacturers must pay attention to. Arizona is adopting similar standards, and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency is proposing regulations that will limit emissions severely as well.

The bottom line is that five years from now outdoor power equipment will be radically different than it was five years ago.

And, as manufacturers update their equipment to meet the evolving regulations, landscape contractors will be facing many new choices concerning their equipment purchases. Some product lines will go away, while others will be radically different. And service requirements will differ as well.

OPTIMISTIC ENGINEERING. So what does the future hold? Some manufacturers are tight-lipped, trying not to tip their hands before final regulations are issued. Others swear by their products, saying their technology is the technology that will survive.

"We think two-stroke technology is here to stay," said Mark Woodling, marketing administrator, Tanaka Power Equipment, Kent, Wash. "And we developed our technology accordingly."

Woodling said the company’s engines are simply a redesigned two-cycle engine with one new component – a catalytic muffler. "We were able to cut emissions by 70 percent and increase our fuel efficiency with the redesign, so it worked out rather well," he added.

Tanaka’s engines were among the first to receive CARB Tier II certification, along with those from RedMax, Norcross, Ga.

Tanaka’s two-cycle engines are currently available in grass trimmers, pole hedge trimmers, portable edgers and pole saws. Woodling said the company is planning on implementing the engine into its entire lineup of equipment. "The next products will be hedge trimmers, sometime in December. Then we will look at other product groups."

RedMax has also cut emissions on its two-cycle engines by redesigning technology. RedMax meets CARB Tier II standards without the catalytic muffler. Its engine evolved from technology used several years ago in the motorcycle industry, according to Dave Vick, national sales manager at RedMax.

"With this engine we are injecting fresh air between the burned gasses and the incoming fresh charge of fuel, which separates the two. Therefore, no unburned gasses can escape," said Vick.

These RedMax engines reduce hydrocarbon emissions by about 73 percent, according to Vick, and use 30 percent less fuel than comparable existing units. "We felt that by working to improve the fuel efficiency we could save contractors money," he noted.

"I really don’t think the contractor cares about the emissions. State agencies, however, do care," Vick added. "The contractor wants performance at the best price with the best service. We have to make a compliant engine to satisfy the agencies, while remembering the product must perform at the level contractors expect."

Vick said shipments of products using RedMax’s new engines will begin in November. "We will switch over 100 percent of our product line, even though this starts with just California and Arizona. We want to be ready for the entire nation," he added.

TWO VS. FOUR. Not everyone is sold on the long-term future of two-cycle engines, however.

Frank Coots, of Ryobi said, "We still believe that the four-cycle equipment is the most cost effective and convenient technology to meet the new standards.

"There are just so many advantages of the four-cycle over the two-cycle engine that they cannot be ignored," Coots added. "Most obvious? You don’t have to mix the gas and oil. That alone is a big advantage.

"Plus, performance-wise, a four cycle is effective in the lower RPMs. With most two-cycle work, you have to go full throttle on it to be successful."

Ryobi, which introduced the first hand-held, four-cycle engine five years ago, introduced a line of four-cycle engines that meet CARB Tier II standards. "Ryobi made a decision in the early 1990s to embark on this four-cycle development program," said Coots. "We saw that as the answer to the coming regulations."

"We have been focusing the past few years on getting our equipment down to similarly powered two-cycle engines," said Coots. "We don’t have to beat them on weight, just get them down to the same weight. And we are at that level now."

But Robin Pendergast, spokespersonfor Echo, Lake Zurich, Ill., disagreed.

"Four-cycle engines are heavier than two-cycle engines and their internal complexity lends itself to performance problems due to carbon buildup," he said. "Four-cycle engines also need extensive maintenance, including a frequent changing of the oil."

"This is an evolutionary process," said Dennis Stauch, product development manager, Shindaiwa, Tualatin, Ore. "All manufacturers are working on various engines to meet the regulations. We’ve had the Phase one and the Tier I regulations – now we must work to meet the second stages.

"These regulations will change the face of our market," Stauch added.

Stauch said that some manufacturers will opt out of the California market for a brief period while they are developing technologies to meet the requirements. "That can help them buy some time to get ready for the EPA Phase 2 requirements," he said.

Stauch said that for manufacturers, timing is critical. "This is a mature market and it is very competitive. There is a lot of market share at stake. The restrictions placed upon equipment between the CARB and the EPA regulations will help change the contractors’ decisions between company A and company B," he added.

"There seems to be a level of one-upsmanship in the industry," said Pendergast. "But the bottom line is manufacturers have to have products that meet performance standards while following the regulations.

"The EPA will have further regulations down the road, and we have to be prepared for them," Pendergrast added. "Some people will do this by making products specifically for California. Some will avoid California altogether. We will have to look at the market and determine our best strategy from that.

"Obviously, if we have 80 percent of the market in California, that would influence our decisions," Pendergast continued. "But, at the same time, you don’t want to have your entire marketing strategy dictated by one state, regardless if it is the 12th largest economy in the world."

California does drive the technology, agreed Woodling. "The California regulatory commissions are the primary movers when it comes to new technologies," he said. "They make the rules and we try and engineer for them.

"And they are not through," he added. "We have CARB Tier I and CARB Tier II. We foresee CARB Tier III down the road, and we are working to make sure we are ready for that when it happens.

"But," Woodling cautioned, "the problem in the industry, both for manufacturers and contractors, is that the big players, the Echos, the Stihls and the Shindaiwas, have not announced what they are going to do. Their marketing strategies will have a big say in how this industry shakes out over the next few years."

"All manufacturers are working on their answers to these regulations, but doing so quietly," agreed Stauch. "The small companies want to become bigger. The big companies want to become large. And the large companies want to dominate."

"We have to be prepared for whatever the regulators throw at us," said Pendergast. "Some people will create separate lines for California. Some will pull out of that market. And some will rush products to market. But we have to study the market, the regulations and make the best decisions for us and our customers.

"The EPA and CARB have forced manufacturers to invest money in technology to improve their emissions," said Nick Jiannes, product manager, power tools, Stihl, Virginia Beach, Va. "And what has happened in almost all cases is that the manufacturer has developed a much better product. Sure, it is more expensive, but it is a better product.

"Our products are running leaner and a lot hotter with higher RPMs," Jiannes added. "When an engine does that, it has to have higher tolerances. It has becomes more of a high tech engine."

But, he cautioned, with that higher technology comes a need for better maintenance. "Even though these are better products, they cannot be neglected," Jiannes commented. "Since the products are cleaner burning and more efficient, mechanics cannot just ‘adjust out’ problems. They have to diagnose them just as a car mechanic would.

IMMEDIATE REALITY. So what does all this mean to contractors? Many things.

First of all, there will be a plethora of new technologies available in the next few years. RedMax, Tanaka, and Ryobi have already introduced new engines for some of their products. Echo, Stihl and Shindaiwa are in the process of introducing products. Entire product lines will change, almost overnight, with engines designed to be more fuel efficient, and less harmful to the environment. Contractors must be ready to study the new alternatives.

In addition to the variety of products available, there will be a simple choice of two- vs. four-cycle engines. While each has advantages and disadvantages, different manufacturers swear by different engines. And some are not sold on either one as of yet, taking a wait-and-see approach. Contractors must be ready to make a choice, and live with that choice, as the regulations continue to unfold.

Third, maintenance will become increasingly important. The technology is moving so fast that simple tune-ups might not be so simple anymore. "Mechanics must be able to diagnose the problems. They can’t just look at a machine, believe it is running too fast and turn the RPMs down," Jiannes said. "They have to go in, find the problem and be able to remedy it. They must be up to speed on the latest service innovations."

Likewise, contractors must pay attention to what they put into the machine. "The days of using last year’s gas, adjusting the burps out of the machine and attacking some weeds are gone," Jiannes said.

"There will be a lot of new technologies that enter the market in the next few years, and many of them might be great short-term solutions," Stauch added. "But there are a lot of long-term questions. The changes that are out there will continue, and no one knows exactly what will happen as the next few years unfold.

"The landscape industry will see many new choices, and it will see a lot of marketing buildup. The landscape contractor must be informed about the technology, and the regulations. We will see some dramatic changes in the next five years and everyone must be prepared."

The author is a freelance writer based in Westerville, Ohio.

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