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they winning contracts because of them, they also were seeing cost savings, like a 20- to 30-percent reduction in fuel costs; reduced maintenance, since there is little to no carburetor work needed; and rebates and other incentives. We started working with Clean Scapes on propane-fueled mowers in 2008, be- cause one of their contracts required that contractors use alternative fuels. Q: What is involved in converting conventionally fueled mowers to propane, including dealer cost? A: Dealers that perform propane-fu- eled mower conversions in Texas must be licensed, which is granted by the Railroad Commission of Texas. The manufacturers of the mower and engine models we sell want qualified technicians handling the conversions, and we have sent technicians to their headquarters for training. In all, it has cost us about $500 for the licensing and a few thousand dollars to purchase the conversion equipment, including a five-gas analyzer to verify emission reductions. It takes about three hours for us to con- vert one mower, and we use Environmen- tal Protection Agency-certified kits from Onyx Environmental Solutions, which is the patent holder. We've converted approx- imately 50 mowers to propane fuel and sold 30 new propane-fueled mowers. Q: How has offering propane- fueled mowers affected your com- mercial business? A:We have been able to provide propane cylinder exchanges for smaller contractors through our partnership with Ferrellgas. While larger contractors like Clean Scapes have established their own refueling approaches, the smaller contrac- tors that only use a few cylinders a week will come to refill empty cylinders. Q: Have your customers seen cost savings from converting to propane- fueled mowers? A: Our customers save money on fuel and through reduced maintenance. With most big mowers, technicians generally work on the carburetor at least twice per year at about $400 each time. When a mower is sitting in the shop getting its oil changed or having a carburetor replaced instead of out on a job site, it is costing the contractor money. Q: Do you have any delivery trucks running on propane autogas, and what savings have you seen? A:We have a 2008 Chevrolet 1500 truck with a 5.3-liter engine that is a dual- fuel truck, and I love it because I can put 60 gallons of propane autogas in it and drive it for two weeks. The same staff member — my son, Jimmy — who is cer- tified for mower conversions also is certi- fied to convert on-road vehicles. We have a 1,000-gallon propane tank at both of our locations to refuel propane cylinders for customers, as well as our truck. To refuel, we just attach a dispenser and go. We are hoping that more contrac- tors follow suit and convert their vehicles as well. Q: What advice do you have for dealers considering new or converted propane-fueled mowers? A: Build trust with customers. When we went through our sales pitch with Clean Scapes, we said, "It will take a year or so to realize, but you'll start seeing your fuel bills change, you'll see the service side start to change, and you'll find out that there is really no reason for everything not to run on propane." Clean Scapes is at that point now, and it works the way we said it would. IVAN GIRALDO, PRESIDENT CLEAN SCAPES AUSTIN, TEXAS Q: What should lawn and land- scape contractors consider when transitioning to a propane-fueled mower fleet? A:You have to think of the financial impact. When we first started talking with McCoy's Lawn Equipment about the ad- vantages of propane-fueled mowers, we asked a lot of questions about cost efficien- cies. We were able to pay for conversion of some mowers with available rebates from the Texas Propane Gas Association. An- other consideration was that converting to propane-fueled mowers was a good thing for the environment. Q: How does a lawn and landscape contractor select a propane provider? A:We were very fortunate that we had a representative from Encore Propane come to our headquarters to discuss what we were doing, and it was simple to set up a credit account and a propane cylinder exchange program. He is very familiar with our needs, and all it takes is an e-mail or phone call. For instance, if we set up a new work site where we have on-site McCoy's Lawn Equipment offers on-site dispensing at both of its locations in Austin, Texas, to refuel propane cylinders for customers, as well as its truck fueled by propane autogas. Pictured is the loca- tion on Austin's north side. (Photo courtesy: McCoy's Lawn Equipment) OUTDOOR POWER EQUIPMENT OCTOBER 2011 17