Landscape and Irrigation is read by decision makers throughout the landscape and irrigation markets — including contractors, landscape architects, professional grounds managers, and irrigation and water mgmt companies and reaches the entire spetrum.
Issue link: http://read.dmtmag.com/i/351389
www.landscapeirrigation.com August 2014 Landscape and Irrigation 9 to a full line of application equipment. — Barry Truan, VP marketing & development for SnowEx, TurfEx and SweepEx products In some markets, the stand-up trend continues as contrac- tors look to pack more units on trailers and increase the size of the crew to accomplish more work. Also, a trend toward simple, clean mower designs that offer easy service and fewer parts. For the beginner, they have trended toward lower-price entry-level zero-turns or high-end residential units that they will use commercially; while the mature landscape contractor is going for productivity and performance buying the right tool for the job — a fast powerful "Z" with a great warranty, something that will last and be reliable for several seasons. Mature landscapers have been around the horn — been there done that — they are not afraid to spend the money for the right piece of equipment. — Frank Nuss, product specialist, Excel Industries / Hustler Turf Equipment Landscapers continue to become more educated on the total cost of their mowing equipment throughout the duration its usable life. Cost of acquisition is only part of the equation; how much that mower will cost in maintenance, downtime, labor, replacement parts, convenience, etc., contributes as much to the overall cost of equipment as the initial cost of acquisition. Grasshopper manufactures mowers that save contractors time and money, not only in the field with superior performance but in the shop with simpler maintenance procedures and longer service intervals. And nobody wants to go home exhausted at the end of the day, so improving standard comfort features is also a key focus area for new equipment. Landscape contractors who use Grasshopper mowers say that our integrated comfort systems and multi-point suspensions — iso-mounted seats, footrests and operator platforms, as well as ergonomically designed controls and instrument consoles — keep their crews fresh throughout the day. So, they can do their best work on every property — whether the first job in the morning or the last job in the evening — and still have energy left at the end of the day. — Mike Simmon, communications specialist, Grasshopper Sales among commercial lawn cutters continue to be very strong. — Hal White, vice-president of sales and marketing, Wright Mfg. The increasingly stringent emission restrictions (both noise and pollution) are really forcing the industry to seek out gas-free and quiet alternatives. Landscape professionals are becoming more receptive and accepting toward "GasLess" products. We are also seeing professional crews seeking products that require minimal maintenance, as well as ones that are efficient, both performance and cost wise. — Lincoln Jore, president of CORE Outdoor Power Landscapers are very concerned about fuel; therefore I see manufactures responding with more advanced lighter materi- als, integrated transmissions lowering horsepower, right-sized engines for the application, and manufacturers working closely with engine suppliers on lowering fuel consumption via right- size machines, EFI, LP and biodiesel. With that said, landscapers continue to purchase larger decks and engines to run them. In addition, more contractors are seeing the productivity increases and additional benefits from the stand-on mower. Finally, the trend is also to consolidate vendors to find one source in order to take advantage of pricing and knowledge of maintenance, train- ing and operation. — Bill Engler, director of commercial sales, landscape contractor for Ariens Company Propane is continuing to trend in popularity with landscape contractors, and will only become stronger with the traditional fuel cost continuing to rise. I'm seeing a trend for companies to try and control their costs by doing their own mechanic work and not partnering with their local dealer. Many contractors are trying to adopt the trade-in mentality before a unit becomes mechanically unsound. This, however, will entail a great service plan to keep the machine in "like new" condition or will require a higher internal cost to depreciate the costs faster. — Bill Collester, commercial business development manager, southeast, Ariens Company LP is becoming prevalent and stand-up units are displacing commercial walk-behind mowers. — Craig Hatfield, commercial business development, western region, Ariens Company The most significant market trend is the adoption of the stand- on mower. Customers in the Northeast still respond to bagger performance and ease of use. At the same time, landscape contrac- tors are looking for ways to cut costs related to grass removal. — Jon Gamelin, northeast sales manager, Crandall-Hicks Company We are seeing that more and more customers are deciding to go "green" and convert their fleet to 100-percent electric vehicles. With an increasing number of features and options, zero-emission electric vehicles can pack all the power needed to meet the demands of lawn care professionals, and do so quietly, efficiently and cost effectively. — Dan Chumbler, director of sales – small vehicles, Polaris Key trends I see continuing are EFI / fuel efficiency and productivity. Toro has an extensive EFI offering on Z Masters and GrandStand models (and Horizon on select models) deliver- ing fuel efficiency beyond a typical carbureted engine. Toro's TurfMaster 30-inch walk-behind mower, offering a wider cut- ting path, directly addresses the need for enhanced productivity on the job site. — Chris Hannan, Toro marketing manager