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: https://read.dmtmag.com/i/29135
Fleet Management By Brian Feehan Building a Propane-fueled Mower Fleet Easy refueling — along with an emphasis on appropriate training and safety measures — is building ongoing success S hifting to propane-fueled lawn mowers is making sense for a growing number of commercial lawn and landscape companies, for a variety of reasons. Propane-fueled mowers reduce greenhouse gas emissions by nearly 50 percent (compared with gasoline-pow- ered models), and carbon monoxide emis- sions by more than 80 percent. That allows lawn and landscape companies to operate during pollution advisory periods when usage of mowers running on traditional fuels like gasoline is limited or prohibited. With propane-fueled mower models available from more than a dozen industry-leading brands, many options are available for commercial lawn and land- scape companies wishing to introduce them to their fleets. As with all mower makes and models, effective fleet manage- ment enhances propane-fueled mowers’ ability to continue running and increase sustainability. For example, a key compo- nent of fleet management is lowering op- erating costs while observing manufacturer product warranties. When it comes to propane-fueled mowers, refueling is another part of effec- tive fleet management for commercial lawn and landscape companies. This en- compasses ongoing fuel delivery from a trusted propane provider, along with ex- changing empty mower propane cylinders for full replacements. Understanding and planning in both areas, with an emphasis on appropriate training and safety meas- ures, will help ensure successful ongoing operation. Propane cylinders are always installed horizontally on a mower, and are either located in the mower’s rear, or on the sides, as shown here. — Photos provided by the Propane Education & Research Council Refueling infrastructure Offering quality service and fuel con- tract options to commercial lawn and landscape companies is a key growth strat- egy for the thousands of propane providers in the United States. A close look at the mature propane-fueled forklift industry shows these companies have perfected ease of refueling for customers. There are more than 600,000 propane-fueled forklifts in operation every day in U.S. warehouses, distribution centers and manufacturing plants. Propane providers supply those fa- cilities to meet just-in-time inventory as often as needed, either through propane cylinder exchange programs or on-site re- fueling. This same approach is currently being applied to the propane-fueled mower market refueling infrastructure. In a propane cylinder exchange program, a propane provider typically installs a secure At a Glance Refueling facts to consider for effec- tive propane-fueled commercial mower fleet management: * Two options exist for refueling a propane-fueled commercial lawn mower: Propane cylinder exchange and on-site refueling via a no-spill dis- penser. * Refueling should only be com- pleted by personnel who have under- gone appropriate training and are well-versed in applicable safety meas- ures. * In a propane cylinder exchange program, a propane provider typically installs a secure cage in a convenient area, and subsequently replaces empty cylinders will full ones during regularly scheduled deliveries 14 Landscape and Irrigation April 2011 www.landscapeirrigation.com