Proudly serving the industry for which it was named for more than 50 years, Outdoor Power Equipment provides dealers who sell and service outdoor power equipment with valuable information to succeed in a competitive market.
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FEATURE STORY By Brian Feehan Propane-fueled equipment, propane autogas vehicles can empower OPE dealers Increased sustainability, easy refueling resonate with commercial lawn care companies greenongreen BUSINESS & ENVIRONMENT TM FROM GREEN MEDIA emissions by almost 50 percent compared with gasoline-fueled counterparts, and car- bon monoxide emissions by more than 80 percent. Those low emissions mean work continues during pollution advisory peri- ods when use of gasoline-fueled mowers is limited or prohibited. Plus, propane-fueled mowers meet or exceed all current U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) emissions standards and, if sold in Califor- nia, the more stringent California Air Re- sources Board (CARB) emissions standards. When it comes to propane-fueled mowers, lawn care companies have plenty of options. Models are available from more than a dozen industry-leading manufactur- ers, allowing lawn and landscape company operators to quickly tap into their consid- erable sustainability and operational bene- fits and utilize the propane refueling infrastructure already in place. Operators can also consider propane-fueled handheld equipment such as string trimmers. Propane-fueled commercial lawn care equipment Also known as liquefied propane gas, M eeting customer needs has always been a prime focus for operators of commercial lawn and land- scape companies. In recent years, cus- tomers have shown an increased interest in working with businesses that offer sustain- able solutions. For this reason, operators are looking to equipment dealers for both guidance and products that meet that need. For dealers, the answer may be propane-fueled commercial lawn mowers and equipment. Studies show propane- fueled mowers reduce greenhouse gas AT A GLANCE Propane-fueled equipment basics • Propane-fueled commercial lawn mowers are available from more than a dozen industry-leading manufacturers. • Propane-fueled mowers reduce greenhouse gas emis- sions by almost 50 percent compared with gasoline-fueled counterparts, and carbon monoxide emissions by more than 80 percent. 26 • Availability of on-site refueling and propane cylinder ex- change programs makes refueling easy for commercial lawn and landscape companies. • Propane-fueled string trimmers produce no evaporative emissions or ozone-depleting hydrocarbons. LP-gas, or simply LP, propane is nontoxic, colorless, and virtually odorless; an identi- fying odor is added so the gas can be read- ily detected. Propane cylinders of varying capacities are mounted horizontally on propane-fueled mowers. Most cylinders are for vapor service only, and include a liquid prevention device (LPD) attached to the end of the vapor tube, along with an over- fill prevention device (OPD). These cylin- ders are mower specific, even though they might look similar to propane cylinders used for forklifts. What makes them differ- ent is a left-hand connection and a specific collar that indicates mower use only, help- OUTDOOR POWER EQUIPMENT www.outdoorpowerequipment.com Photo courtesy: Briggs & Stratton Products Group