Product Showcase: Turf times

Welcome to our review of some of the lawn and garden equipment that you can offer to your customers as we finally awaken from the long, cold night of winter. Items listed here will be useful to professional landscapers, weekend gardeners and everyone in between. What are you waiting for? Start digging, and before you know it your hard work will bear fruit.

Inclusion in this section does not constitute an endorsement of any kind by Canadian Rental Service magazine or its staff. Please take care and exercise due diligence before making any purchases.

MDL Mechanical Earth Drills

Little Beaver
www.littlebeaver.com

Little Beaver’s line of MDL Mechanical Earth Drills offers a solution for one-man hole digging applications. Featuring a 360-RPM operating speed, Little Beaver says the drills are faster and produce cleaner holes than similar competitive units, while the compact design allows access to areas unreachable by skid steer-mounted augers. The MDL line is built to be reliable, powerful and lightweight.

Four models are available in the line, each featuring a powerful overhead valve gas engine. The MDL-5B and MDL-5H are available with a Briggs & Stratton or Honda 5.5-horsepower engine, and are mounted on eight-inch semi-pneumatic tires. Offering the choice of an 8-horsepower Briggs & Stratton or Honda engine, the MDL-8B and MDL-8H come mounted on 10-inch pneumatic tires. The entire unit offers a smaller footprint for easy access in any area, and can be used on lawns, golf course greens and other delicate surfaces without causing damage.

The MDL drills feature a steel torque tube, allowing operators the ability to use large diameter augers without fear of dangerous kickback. In addition to increasing operator safety, the torque tube provides easier drilling, reducing operator effort and fatigue.

The MDL drills are designed with high-quality features for reduced maintenance and extended life. The heavy-duty transmission, built by Little Beaver, includes cooling fins for quick heat dissipation and improved longevity. Furthermore, all steel features are powder-coated for enhanced strength and durability.

US250 sprayer

TurfEx
www.turfexproducts.com

The new US250 sprayer from TurfEx features a universal mount that allows it to attach to the front of most available zero-turn mowers. This unique mounting system stays within the mower’s footprint. The US250 is completely electric powered, meaning there are no engines or hydraulics to maintain.

Driven by a 12-volt electric motor, the sprayer draws its power from the mower’s battery. The pump is rated at two gallons per minute at 60 psi, and the corrosion-resistant polyethylene tank holds up to 25 gallons. To apply liquid, the US250 features an adjustable spray wand, which is attached to 25 feet of hose.

For extended versatility, the US250 is available with an optional 48-inch, front-mounted boom for spraying directly to the ground. Also available is the boomless spray head, which uses a single nozzle to spray liquid up to a 15-foot-wide pattern.

TurfEx also offers spreader, sweeper, dethatcher and leaf pusher attachments for zero-turn mowers. The company says that each one utilizes an innovative mount system for quick attachment.

240 hole digger

General Equipment Company

www.generalequip.com

According to the company, the 240 hole digger from General Equipment Company features the industry’s first use of four-stroke engine technology on a single-operator, handheld hole-digging product. The 240 is just one model in General Equipment’s line of portable hole digging equipment designed for use in lawn and garden, homeowner and light construction digging projects.

A 1.6-horsepower Subaru EH035 four-stroke gasoline engine supplies the power to the 240 hole digger. The engine’s four-stroke technology is far more fuel efficient than a two-stroke system, and it complies with all applicable emission control regulations. The four-stroke engine also eliminates the need for premixed fuel and oil solutions, which the company says effectively removes any worries of engine damage caused by improper mixing techniques.

A Magura twist grip throttle controls the engine speed for optimal power output. This same throttle has been utilized and field proven for 20 years on General Equipment two-man diggers. Using a highly efficient spur gear transmission, the 240 produces a maximum drilling torque of 55 foot-pounds for improved digging performance.

The 240’s all-metal centrifugal clutch slips upon overload or when the auger makes direct contact with a buried obstruction.

The industry standard one-inch-diameter driveshaft connection accommodates the use of earth augers ranging from two to eight inches in diameter. The standard digging depth is 30 inches, which can be increased with an available 15-inch, non-flighted extension.

100 SP Self-Propelled Topdresser

Earth & Turf Products

www.earthandturf.com

The 100 SP Self-Propelled Topdresser from Earth & Turf Products features a 10-cubic-foot struck-level capacity, 18-9.5-8 drive tires that are easy on turf, and 13-6.5-6 steering tires for sure-footed control.

A hydrostatic drive offers positive traction and excellent flexibility. The engine is a 10.5-horsepower (7.8-kilowatt) Briggs & Stratton.

The 100 SP Self-Propelled Topdresser also features a 30-inch brush expeller for even spread distribution. The unit can even access very narrow paths, due to its 35.5-inch overall width.

Model 42 spreader

Gandy Products

www.gandy.net

With an approximate 225-pound capacity, Gandy says the Model 42 spreaders accurately sow seed, apply fertilizer, herbicides and insecticides, and using interchangeable fixed-rate bottoms with optional spread plate shut-off, overseed and spread dry top dressing and dry lime. Model 42 spreaders can also be used in the colder months, to spread sand or salt to make walkways, parking lots and driveways safer.

Other features include positive shut-off, a standard spreadplate, optional jigglers to insert inside the hopper to reduce bridging, optional calibration pan for catching and calibrating material, and the choice of either 16-inch pneumatic tires or 20- and 26-inch wheels with semi-pneumatic tires.

When it comes time to clean, Model 42 spreaders disassemble without tools. Wing nuts release retainers holding bearing and rotors adjustable stainless steel bottoms resist corrosion and snap off for easy cleaning. The Model 42 can be used with utility and lawn tractors, and it is also available with a push handle.

Lawn Revitalizer

G.C. Duke

www.gcduke.com

According to G.C. Duke, the Lawn Revitalizers, available in nine horsepower and 13.5 horsepower, are quickly becoming the units of choice for the rental and landscape industries. These solid-built overseeding units feature hydrostatic drive system and two speed forward and reverse. The company says the units offer both the homeowner and landscape professional single hand ease of operation at speeds of 3 and 4 m.p.h.

The seed hoppers are constructed of steel and are available in both 40 and 50-pound sizes. They are easily adjusted to dispense seed at the operator’s preferred rate.

EA190V Engine

Subaru

www.marind.ca

Featuring a vertical shaft configuration, Subaru’s new EA190V Engine is the first to offer chain-driven overhead cam (OHC) technology to the small, air-cooled, vertical shaft engine market. The 189cc displacement engine is designed to be lightweight, yet durable and rugged enough for a variety of lawn and garden equipment including pressure washers, walk-behind string trimmers, aerators and lawn vacs.

Subaru says that by incorporating industry-leading OHC technology, the EA190V offers easier starts, quieter operation and more power than same-class competitive engines. OHC engines have fewer moving parts, and, as a result, produce less mechanical noise than competitive technologies. Additionally, the EA190V features a low-tone muffler to further reduce noise levels. This combination makes the engine a full 3 dBA quieter in exhaust tone than other same-class engines.

In addition, the EA190V is built with high-quality materials and designed to further extend engine life. Heavy-duty piston rings and a cast-iron cylinder liner reduce engine wear, while a patent-pending oil delivery system increases longevity.

The engine is available with an optional primer bulb or auto choke to enhance starting in cold weather. Primarily for use with wheeled string trimmers, a throttle cable connection is offered to allow the operator to choke, change the speed of and stop the engine with one lever.

Model ENLS20HC Logsplitter
Uniquip

www.uniquip.ca

The Model ENLS20HC Logsplitter from Uniquip features heavy-duty tubular frame construction for rugged applications, and the units are powered by Honda GX series engines for tough performance.

Ball-hitch and safety chains included for added security in transport, and the road-worthy design allows woodsplitter to be towed on highways to move from site to site. Uniquip says that a high-quality hydraulic system delivers forceful woodsplitting capabilities, and the unit converts easily from horizontal to vertical positions to split wood in either position.

The unit features a 5.5-horsepower Honda GX160 OHV engine, and offers 20 tons of splitting power.

Power Dog

Con X Equipment

www.conxequipment.com

The Power Dog is a hydraulic powered tiller offered in two versions, the 209 and the 213. Both feature tandem, variable displacement pumps and a six-month warrantee. The Power Dog 213 utilizes a Honda GX 390 OHV, while the Power Dog 209 is available with either a Honda GX 270 engine or a Subaru EX 27 engine.

Both models feature dual rotating tines, the ability to quickly adjust tilling depth, easy to adapt controls and variable speed on the go with the twist of a wrist.

At 400 pounds, the 209 is the larger of the two and offers a tilling width of 24 inches. The 213 weighs in at 315 pounds and offers a tilling width of 18 inches. Both models have an eight-inch tilling depth.

LAIV Plus aerator

G.C. Duke

www.gcduke.com

The LAIV Plus aerator from G.C. Duke is a high-speed, coring, roll-type unit built for the rental industry, as well as commercial users with smaller aeration jobs. According to G.C. Duke, the unit is now even more rugged and versatile than before.

A fold-down handle and protected lift grabs allow for safer, easier transportation. New ergonomic features include a more comfortable handle, handle-mounted throttle and rubber grips allowing for easier operation.  For increased reliability, the solid steel axle is mounted on construction grade ball bearings and is driven by a single O-ring sealed chain. The company says that easy-attach dual weights give excellent results in harder soils by increasing ground pressure by more than 25 per cent, as well as balancing the unit on uneven terrain. With the water drum filled, the tines will penetrate down to 2.75 inches.