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.
Issue link: https://read.dmtmag.com/i/98625
Feature Story By Steve Noe GIE+EXPO 2012 RECAP F ollowing is an in-depth look at many of the major happenings at the 2012 Green Industry & Equipment Expo (GIE+EXPO), which took place at Louisville's Kentucky Exposition Center Oct. 24-26. Ariens Company unveils several new products The Ariens Company, which will be celebrating its 80-year anniversary in 2013, introduced several products under its Ariens and Gravely brands. For the upcoming winter, the Brillion, Wis.-based company unveiled two new snow throwers: the Hydro Pro Sno-Thro and Compact Track 24 Sno-Thro. The Hydro Pro Sno-Thro represents the company's first snow thrower with a hydrostatic transmission for infinitely variable speed; the hydrostatic transmission was engineered in partnership with Hydro-Gear. The Compact Track 24 is ideal for homeowners with rough terrain or hard-packed snow to clear. It features a 208-cc Ariens Polar Force engine by Briggs & Stratton, a 24-inch clearing width and 5.5-inch track width. For commercial cutters, Ariens Company introduced the Pro-Turn Series of mowers for those landscape contractors looking for a fully commercial mower at an opening price point. It also expanded its Gravely Pro-Turn 400 Series of commercial mowers from two fuel choices (gasoline and diesel) to three with the introduction of the 460 and 472 LP propane models.The Pro-Turn 400 LP models have a Kawasaki FX850V EnviroGard-converted engine, specifically designed for propane. Based on feedback from landscape contractors, Ariens also made some enhancements to its Pro-Stance stand-on mower, which was introduced in the spring, so that it can now be used as a walkbehind mower as well. Gravely also announced improvements to its commercial X-Factor deck, such as improved spindles, a new chute profile, an enlarged discharge opening and standard baffles. Ariens Hydro Pro Sno-Thro 36 For residential cutters, Ariens Company also introduced two 21-inch residential walk-behind mowers — the Ariens Razor and Gravely XD3 — with several user-friendly features, including a Rite Hite handle bar single-point height adjustment. Operators can adjust the height of the Rite Hite handle bar quickly and easily while standing in the operating position, and they can fold the handle bar down or into an upright position for easier, more compact storage. B3C Fuel Solutions introduces its two most innovative products B3C Fuel Solutions expanded its environmentally friendly family of products and solutions for ethanol- and bio-dieselblended fuel (bio-fuel) related problems with the introduction of its two most innovative products: 1) Gasoline Tank Snake, and 2) Ethanol Shield with Combustion Cool Technology. The Gasoline Tank Snake represents a radical new way to stabilize gasoline and ethanol-blended fuel while removing bound and unbound water naturally attracted by ethanol-blended fuels. The Gasoline Tank Snake is designed with antioxidants to preserve the fuel and includes a proprietary blend of spaceage polymers and microporous material that absorbs and breaks the water-ethanol bond at the molecular level. This virtually eliminates phase separation from occurring while reducing the corrosive effects of ethanol-blended fuels. The non-toxic Gasoline Tank Snake has a builtin indicator that lets the user know when it is time to be replaced. The entire Snake starts turning light blue as it absorbs water. When saturated with water, the Snake turns dark blue, indicating it is time to replace the Snake with a new one. The Snake may be placed in all gas cans to provide stabilized/water-free fuel to outdoor power equipment. It may also be placed in the gas tank of outdoor power equipment during storage via a braided multiline high molecular weight polyethylene tether. This prevents moisture from condensation due to temperature fluctuations and water that the ethanol-blended fuel attracts through normal fuel system venting. The Ethanol Shield with Combustion Cool Technology (CCT) is an advanced multi-purpose fuel stabilizer. Ethanol Shield now has a triple-antioxidant fuel-preservative package along with CCT. This new formulation also contains a thermal stabilizer that protects the fuel from heat that radiates from the engine and sunlight. The formulation change began Oct. 15, 2012, with B3C's Professional-strength Ethanol Shield Gallons. By spring 2013, all Ethanol Shield products will include CCT. CCT reduces heat in the engine by reducing the parasitic load at the top of the combustion chamber during combustion. Utilizing a heat imaging camera, B3C has documented up to a 39-degree Fahrenheit reduction in temperature when using CCT. Today's ethanol-blended fuel naturally increases engine temperatures. This excessive heat causes 2- and 4-cycle engines to wear out prematurely. Many operators see performance loss, especially under heavy load and when air temperatures are above 90 degrees F. During B3C's initial field-testing, it has received reports of immediate and dramatic improvement in power under load and when hot. With Ethanol Shield CCT, machines now hold peak power all day, idle smoother, have better throttle response, and no longer have hot restart issues. Billy Goat offers new products, pumpkin chunkin' and more Billy Goat Industries showcased its complete lineup of renovation and cleanup equipment, including four new products, as well as introduced one solution. The new products were the Z Force Blower, QuietVac, Outback Brushcutter, and a 35-hp. truck loader. The solution was the integration of a video monitor for its merchandiser. The Z Force Blower quickly attaches to any major zero-turn mower via standard heavyduty JRCO mounting bracket. The blower has a 360-degree rotational discharge, allowing air to be diverted in any direction with the tap of a foot on the magnetically mounted pedal for rapid leaf and grass cleanup. Video monitor OUTDOOR POWER EQUIPMENT DECEMBER 2012 15