CHARGED UP FOR NEW MACHINERY
The way ahead
by TurfPro Editor, Laurence Gale MSC, MBPR
 
Laurence Gale MSC, MBPR

The development of new machinery continues apace. 


With the threat of climate change and the need to reduce emissions, curtailing the use of petrol and diesel powered vehicles, machinery and hand tools in the near future is a priority for both legislators and manufacturers. The advancement of battery powered goods is therefore escalating at speed.


Many of the main turf industry machinery manufacturers are now gearing themselves up and investing heavily in battery powered / electric / hybrid vehicles. It will be fascinating to see how it all this develops in the coming years.

 


In recent weeks, I have been product testing a number of battery-powered hedge trimmers from two suppliers, STIHL and EGO. I must say they have both produced a reliable, professional set of tools to make the job of hedge cutting more efficient, clean, easy and safe to use. A full report on the performance of these products will featured in upcoming editions of TurfPro.

 

 

Cordless hand tools such as strimmers, blowers, chainsaws and pruners are becoming cheaper and more assessable. In the last few years, we have also seen great strides taken by all of the major mower manufacturers to develop battery / hybrid driven mowers. 


One such company leaving no stone unturned is Dennis Mowers who have spent over three years working with carefully selected partners to develop a range of quality battery-powered equipment. Managing Director Ian Howard said, “Reliable and long-lasting solutions are a must have for our customers and in this rapidly developing technology field we have chosen our partners very carefully. For us it was important to create no compromise alternatives to our petrol mowers, which would not need constantly re-charging or swapping batteries – it was imperative that they last the distance.


“The hard work has paid off and now we can unveil our first market ready equipment befitting of the Dennis badge.” 

 


The Dennis E-Series range currently consists of three products:

  • the ES-860, 34” battery powered turf management system
  • the ES-34R rotary mower with twin contra rotating blades
  • and finally based on the Dennis Premier, the ES-36 provides another choice of mower.

In recent years we have also seen the development of the battery-powered Club Cadet Infinicut precision battery powered mowers which have become very popular with football, golf and cricket facilities. Not to mention all the other leading well known manufacturers who supply gardening and mowing equipment, including the likes of STIHL, Mountfield, Stiga,  Husqvarna, ECHO, Countax, John Deere, Ransomes, Allett, Toro, Hayter to name a few. The list keeps on growing with an ever more extensive range of products becoming available.


However, having said all this, the current cost of these battery products is still quite high compared to existing petrol / diesel powered equipment - even taking into account the lower over the course of ownership costs of fuel and servicing. One suspects these expenses will come down substantially in the next few years as the cost of materials reduces and battery technologies become more inclusive.


It will certainly also be interesting to see how long it will be before we see a range of battery powered scarifiers, aerators and rotovators added to the list of battery powered tools we have today.


To date, I have not read any information about cut off dates for petrol engines, so it seems we will have a few years left before have to get rid of our old machinery from all the thousands of sheds up and down the country. However, I suspect it will not be far behind the government’s announcement of the date for a ban on new petrol and diesel cars that has been moved forward to 2030, following a lengthy consultation. There are some exceptions to the ban, with some plug-in hybrids (PHEVs) and some full hybrids still able to be sold up until 2035. 


So interesting times ahead for many who make a living from the use, sale and maintenance of petrol / diesel powered machinery and equipment.

In this issue
EDITOR'S BLOG
CHARGED UP FOR NEW MACHINERY
NEWS
HAYTER LTD CHANGE NAME
SAGE SHOW PLEDGES TO RETURN NEXT YEAR
GMA LAUNCH SECTOR-WIDE SURVEY
WOMEN & GIRLS GOLF WEEK CHAT TO TAKE PLACE
GTC RELEASES REVISED LEARNING MATERIALS
ALL-ELECTRIC DEALER PLUGS INTO FARMTRAC
DEALER HELPS DUDSBURY GC STAY IN TRIM
OPENING KEYNOTE FOR GIE+EXPO ANNOUNCED
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