Issue link: https://read.dmtmag.com/i/422004
ATV Polaris, Hisun join traditional lawn and garden companies at show BY DAVID CROCKER CONTRIBUTING WRITER The Green Industry & Equipment (GIE) Expo, held in Louisville, Ky., in October, has traditionally been a showcase for the lawn and garden industry's vast lineup of mower products, hand-held equipment and other accessories, along with the accompanying component suppliers such as engines, trans- missions, tires, seats, etc. In more recent years, powersports OEMs, mostly from China and Taiwan, have exhibited their ATVs and UTVs at the show. This last year GIE organizers announced early on that they planned to attract more exhibitors featuring UTVs. Since these machines have multipurpose applications on traditional farms and hobby farms, as well as among homeowners, in both utility and recreation, it seems a natural fit that outdoor power equipment (OPE) dealers also offer UTVs in their portfolios. There were several surprises featuring UTVs at this year's GIE+Expo. POLARIS One thing that drew attention to the Polaris booth was the display of the Kohler 1028cc IDI diesel engine rated at 40 hp that meets all EPA Tier 4 final, CARB and EURO emissions. The engine is technically an Italian Lombardini engine that Kohler acquired back in 2007. Polaris has discontinued its sourcing of the Yanmar 904cc IDI diesel engine rated at 24 hp for the 2015 Ranger Diesel and Crew Diesel and opted to instead offer the beefed-up alternative from Kohler. However, it appears the Yanmar engine is still being sourced in the Brutus. GRAVELY Gravely is the commercial arm of the Ariens/ Gravely OEM primarily known for its lineup of mower products, tillers, snow blowers and log splitters. In December 2013, it was announced that Polaris and Ariens would "share technol- ogy and R&D," including developing a new work vehicle for the Gravely line. Two such vehicles were on full display in the Ariens/Gravely booth — the three-pas- senger and six-passenger Atlas JSV (Job Site Vehicle) 3000 and 6000 models. They are available with either Polaris' ProStar 570cc gas or the Kohler 1028cc diesel engine with CVT transmissions. Ariens tried to develop and market its own UTV some years back when the company acquired the Treker vehicle from Landpride, but even after rede- signing the vehicle, it failed to sell well through the Gravely network and was dis- continued. The Atlas JSV product line has r e a l p o t e n t i a l f o r Gravely dealers, and indeed one of the reps at the Gravely booth remarked that orders have been pouring in, with retail sales expected in Novem- ber and December. TORO AND EXMARK Another surprise that surfaced came in the form of new 500cc and 700cc utility vehicles offered by Toro and to be sold next year through Toro distributors and subsidiary Exmark dealers. Toro and Exmark are the largest volume producers of zero-turn mowers ahead of MTD (Cub Cadet, Sears Craftsman and Troy Bilt), Hustler/Big Dog, Briggs (Snapper, Snapper Pro, Simplicity and Ferris), John Deere and Husqvarna. Toro's Workman UTV product line caters to commercial applications, mostly to golf course accounts. Sales have been stagnant due to the decline in golf over the last decade. It would seem that a recreational-type UTV would be a natural fit for Toro, given that half of its customer base is made up of consumers purchasing mower, snow blower and other hand-held OPE products. GIE+Expo expands UTV presence 22 • December 1, 2014 • Powersports Business www.PowersportsBusiness.com The Green Industry & Equipment (GIE) Expo, also known as GIE+Expo, has been drawing more UTV OEMs over the past few years.