Garry Busboom, Exmark‘s Chief Development Engineer, said alternative-power mowers are something many customers – primarily those in the lawn care business or farmers with large areas to mow – have been asking for.
“There have been a number of our customers over the past years that have been looking for products that have a lower carbon footprint and are more green, and propane fits that bill,” he said. “Some of those customers were actually requesting those propane units. They can be more green, and save money on daily operational costs.”
A total of five model variations will be available with the Kohler propane-powered engines. Production numbers from now until August are expected to be around 300.
Cost of a propane engine will add roughly $2,500 to a 60-inch Lazer series mower, for a total cost of around $13,999 with a 60-inch deck.
According to an Exmark press release, the Propane Education and Research Council offers an incentive program allowing contractors to receive up to $1,000 in rebate for each new propane-fueled commercial mower purchased.
Busboom said for mowing businesses, the cost savings of running on propane will outweigh initial costs in the long run.
“Certainly over the last nine months the interest has increased significantly from two different perspectives,” Busboom said. “That is from the green perspective and also for the economics because propane prices are significantly lower than gasoline prices.
“Tests suggest operators could save up to 50 percent in fuel cost versus a carbureted engine of equal power running on gas.”
While gasoline prices tend to rise in the summer months as travel season peaks, he said propane prices operate in the opposite way, raising in the winter due to demand prompted by the use of propane heat, while during summer mowing season, propane prices fall.
Nichole Allen, Exmark Marketing Associate, said an added benefit of propane-powered mowers is that the cleaner burning fuel results in less maintenance.
“Propane burns cleaner too, so the abuse to the equipment reduces the amount of maintenance required to the equipment,” she said. “It’s another cost efficiency aside from the cost of gas.”
The company has been selling propane mowers that were converted from traditional gasoline models since 2009, but the first Electronic Fuel Injection (EFI) models for public sale were produced this year, and should be hitting showrooms in coming weeks.
The Delphi injection system equipped on the EFI mowers using many of the same components found on Harley Davidson motorcycles.
Compared to the converted systems, the EFI propane engine uses an oxygen sensor to track temperature and air-fuel ratios, resulting in increased efficiency and performance.
“This is a closed loop EFI system,” Busboom said. “It’s got an oxygen sensor that senses the exhaust gases and it knows whether the fuel mixture is too rich or too lean for that condition. It sends back a signal to the ECU, telling if it needs to make an adjustment. It’s constantly measuring.”
The propane conversion system previously used had roughly a 4.5 hour running time. The new EFI model Lazer-Z S-Series mower is expected to exceed seven hours.
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