PRODUCT SHOWCASE: April 2013

If spring ever gets here, your customers are going to need landscaping equipment. Check out these rugged products.

Honda-powered hole digger
www.generalequip.com
General Equipment has announced that it will use Honda GX35 all-position, four-stroke engines on its 240H Hole Diggers. The GX35 is an air-cooled, 35.8-cubic-centimetre-displacement engine that provides 1.3 net horsepower, and produces a maximum drilling torque of 50 foot-pounds. The all-position feature of the engine allows the 240H to be operated and stored in any position without causing service issues. Additionally, the four-stroke design provides higher performance and fuel economy than two-stroke alternatives, while eliminating the hassle of mixing fuel and oil. The 240H is a one-man, hand-held unit that is intended for digging holes up to eight inches in diameter in a wide variety of unconsolidated soil classifications. Standard auger digging depth is 30 inches. The available 15-inch-long, plain-tube extension can be used to extend digging depth when required. Furthermore, the 240H features the unique Comfort Zone handle configuration that is designed to maximize operator strength while minimizing any kickback experienced during the hole digging process.

Suitable for rough terrain
www.billygoat.com
Billy Goat has extended the popular Outback Brushcutter line with the BC2600 series. The BC26 comes standard with Tuff Torq hydro transmissions featuring enhanced traction control and pivoting deck with return to neutral. The hydrostatic transaxle with ETC is fully automatic, sensing when the rear wheel starts to spin, locking the wheel, giving it positive forward traction.

The BC26 offers superior traction in wet or uneven conditions. Engineered to glide over uneven terrain, the pivoting brush deck hugs the ground for a better cut. This minimizes scalping and improves traction by keeping the weight of machine on its drive wheels. Ergonomically angled control handles with padded grips offer comfort and protection. Never take your hands off the machine to shift gears. Feather forward and reverse directly from the operator controls.

Rental-ready aerator
www.toro.com
The Toro Company now offers a full line of turf renovation equipment. Toro aerators, slit seeders, and the power rake are an ideal addition to any rental equipment fleet because they help deliver maximum productivity and reliability. From the unibody frames to the high-carbon, heat-treated spring steel blades, every product in Toro’s turf renovation equipment line is built tough for heavy rental use. “Toro continues to focus on developing new and innovative products for the rental industry,” says Anna Foster, rental product marketing manager for Toro. “Our integration of aerators, slit seeders and the power rake gives customers more productivity-improving options from the Toro brand.” The Toro 30-in Dual Hydro Stand-On Aerator boasts a powerful Kawasaki FS481 V-Twin engine with integrated hydraulics that follow the contours of the ground to pull even plugs over hills and soft ground without tearing up the turf. It applies up to 1,200 pounds of down pressure on the tines to pull up to five-inch cores, and operators can finely tune the system to pull any length of plug on the fly. Electronic controls allow operator to raise and lower the tines instantly for quick zero-turn manoeuvres without taking their hands off the controls. In addition, the lengthened floating operator platform isolates the operator from vibrations for an exceptionally smooth ride. With a travel speed up to 7.5 miles per hour and an aerating width of 28 inches, this model can aerate 2.1 acres per hour.

Saves headset cords
www.earbudyoyo.com
A clever gadget on the market helps landscapers wielding weed whackers who are prone to messing up and snipping their iPod headset cords. The Earbud Yo-Yo keeps the cord from getting cut. By locking down flying earbuds, keeping the wires from casual flailing around, this simple device also protects the long iPod wires from the tangles, knots and twists that happen. The Earbud Yo-Yo customizes cord lengths and is small so it fits anywhere, storing wires easily and safely. It saves time by preventing knots and even winds up earbuds with microphones. The device locks right onto the cord so it never gets lost. Available in 16 interesting skins and solid colours, the Earbud Yo-Yo starts under $10.

Household trencher
www.littlebeaver.com
Little Beaver’s Kwik-Trench mini-trencher is offered in two models, the KT200B and KT2400B, both able to trench up to 30 feet per minute. Able to tackle landscape edging, root pruning, installations of plumbing and drainage lines, low-voltage wiring, silt fences and sprinkler systems, the Kwik-Trench can also cut through compacted clay, road fill, asphalt and tree roots up to 10 inches thick. It achieves rotation speeds up to 800 rpm. The KT200B has a 5.5-horsepower engine capable of achieving depths up to eight inches and produces trenches from one to three inches wide. The KT2400B unleashes eight horsepower, achieves depths up to 12 inches and produces trenches from one to four inches wide. An optional trailer is available to make transporting the Kwik-Trench a snap.

Designed for greens mowing
www.subarupower.com
Subaru’s new EX13 Greens Mower Engine is a specially designed version of the popular overhead cam EX13 engine, intended exclusively for use on greens mowers. Custom-designed for the Toro Greensmaster Flex mower line, the rotation direction of the crankshaft has been altered to allow a slower operation speed for greater precision on delicate, expensive greens.

The EX13 features all the power, starting and low-noise hallmarks of Subaru’s EX engine line.

The 4.3-horsepower EX13 Greens Mower Engine also incorporates a unique design to suit the needs of golf course superintendents. Designed for optimum engine performance, the intake and exhaust valves are ideally positioned to offer lower resistance for the air/fuel mixture flow. Combined with a highly efficient pent-roof type combustion chamber, the engine uses a high compression ratio producing higher power and torque while limiting exhaust emissions and fuel consumption.

Automatic flow gate
www.trynexfactory.com
TurfEx offers a line of commercial-duty spreader attachments. Designed to mount on a multitude of service vehicles, such as utility tractors, riding mowers and ATVs, the new spreaders provide consistent, even distribution of anything from seed to fertilizer. They can also spread ice melt for winter maintenance applications. The TurfEx mountable spreader line consists of four models. They are available as either electric or PTO driven with capacities of three, seven or 12 cubic feet of material. Weather-resistant variable speed controllers are available on electric-powered models. Additionally, all models use cable-operated flow gates with the exception of the model TS300EG, which offers an electric-powered flow gate control. With a simple flip of a switch, the TS300EG’s opens and closes to the desired setting. TurfEx spreaders are constructed of lightweight, corrosion-resistant polyethylene. The electric-powered, three-cubic-foot spreaders come standard with a two-inch receiver hitch and offer a spread width up to 20 feet. The PTO-driven, seven- and 12-cubic-foot units are equipped with a three-point mount and can spread up to 30 feet wide. Other standard equipment for all models includes clear, fitted hopper covers. Optional equipment includes a drop mount (TS300 only), three-point mount (TS300 and TS300EG), utility mount (TS300 and TS300EG) and a trailer mount (TS300 and TS300EG). All units are covered by a one-year limited warranty.

Twin-engine mower
www.dixiechopper.com
The XCaliber Twin features two Generac 27-horsepower engines for a combined 54 horsepower. By having two engines, the operator can use only one engine for small jobs or both engines for extreme cutting conditions. Double the power, double the mower. The XCaliber Twin features Dixie Chopper’s patented Turf Boss tires on every model. The high floatation Turf Boss tires have a reversed ATV-style tread pattern to maximize traction without damaging turf. The XCaliber Twin X2 Cutting System features the “Wind Tunnel” design that produces an unmatched quality cut. With high vacuum, discharge, high blade tip speeds and an industry leading two-inch blade overlap, this deck is suitable for all jobs. The XCaliber Twin features Dixie Chopper’s heavy-duty deck spindles on every model. The deck hubs feature a deep groove pulley with machined holes and a cooling fan. The pulley and fan help keep the spindle and belt cool while keeping the deck clean.

Light weight, commercial power
www.bobcatturf.com
The FastCat Pro packs the commercial power, durability and performance of bigger machines in a smaller, lighter weight package. The line, which currently offers models with 36-, 42- and 48-inch decks, has expanded to include two new larger deck models. The new FastCat Pro 52 sports a 52-inch side discharge deck and Kawasaki FX691V engine. The new FastCat Pro 61 uses a 61-inch side discharge deck and a Kawasaki FX730V engine. Both new models employ canister air filtration and feature Bob-Cat’s DuraDeck with extreme discharge system, the new patent pending double wave baffle system, an extra wide discharge opening and a molded rubber chute. Dual Hydro-Gear ZT-3400 hydrostatic transaxle independent drives with 12 cubic centimetre pumps deliver smooth maneuverability. Coupled with 23-inch drive wheels and 13-inch caster wheels, users can cruise at speeds up to 10 miles per hour. Large, nine-gallon capacity duel fuel tanks keep operators mowing with less downtime in refueling.

Precision turf aerator
Ryan has introduced the Lawnaire IV. This drum-style, self-propelled, high-speed precision turf aerator combines performance, durability and ease of use.

Commercial grade components like a solid steel axle and austemper-hardened steel coring tines ensure years of reliable performance in even the most rigorous environments. User-friendly features like the easy-to-operate, handle-mounted throttle and vibration-reducing grips make operation easy and comfortable. Thirty tines spread over a 19-inch swath offer a productive aeration rate of 29,000 square feet per hour. Convenient transportation features such as a fold-down handle and removable weights for easier lifting cap off the long list of efficiency-building features you’ll find in this versatile machine. The Lawnaire IV uses a belt-tightener style clutch with a 4L-section V-belt primary drive. The tine and drum drives run off a single #40 nickel-plated chain. The tines are 0.75-inch diameter coring type formed from 0.08-inch hollow, austemper-hardened alloy steel with 30 tines per aerator.

Walk-behind brush cutting
www.brownproducts.com
The Brown Brush Ox is a robust single spindle, walk behind brush cutter. It is designed to cut up to three-inch diameter trees and saplings thanks to its superior Quadro Cut blade system.

The Quadro Cut blade system is comprised of two perpendicularly mounted blades. The blades are sharpened on both sides and each end for interchangeability and long life. With the Quadro Cut blade system a ½-inch chip is removed from the tree with every two blade strikes at a rate of 129 blade strikes per second. The Brush Ox features a Honda GX 390 13-horsepower engine available with electric or recoil start. The Quadro Cut blade assembly with stump jumper capability delivers a 26-inch width of cut with an adjustable cutting height down to two inches. Blade tip speed is 150 miles per hour, producing 129 blade strikes per second. The Brush Ox has a one-inch diameter blade spindle and sealed, industrial grade bearings.