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POWERlines
A Hatton-Brown Publication www.poweret.com
We Are Our Health SAM STEARNS
H
ealth is the emphasis of this column. Not the health of your business, but physical health. Power Equipment Trade’s Dealer Surveys show that dealers as a group are an aging bunch, with 63% over the age of 60. And with age comes health issues, no matter how well you take care of yourself. Throw in the fact that most dealers are preoccupied with the health of their businesses instead of their own, and you have a group likely needs a health checkup. Longtime PET contributing writer Dale Stotts, who sadly died in May 2021 after operating his family’s business from 1970 almost to the day he died, gave a glimpse into his health issues in a 2015 column about a stress test that revealed he needed triple bypass surgery and a heart valve repair. The lesson he said he learned is to pay attention to what your body is saying and not ignore its warning signs. You may remember that several months ago I mentioned my wife’s diagnosis of thyroid cancer, and that we are going to a place in Indianapolis where she is receiving treatments to become more healthy and overcome the cancer. That process is still ongoing and her prognosis is brighter than it was 10 months ago. Please keep her in your prayers! My aim in bringing it up again is that when my wife made her first appointment to see this doctor, I started researching him by listening to past episodes of his weekly podcast about various health topics. Several months later, I still regularly listen to these podcasts. One of the most shocking things I learned is that even though the U.S. spends more on healthcare than any other country in the world, we are the unhealthiest of all industrialized nations. How is that possible? In a nutshell, our healthcare system, while possessing the most advanced medical interventions in the world, does a very poor job of making people truly healthy. Medications and procedures treat symptoms, but don’t necessarily get to the root cause of people’s health problems. This practice in Indianapolis specializes in finding and addressing those root causes. I decided to become a patient myself, even though I wasn’t aware of anything particularly wrong with me. I wanted to be thoroughly tested so that I could ward off disease, function at a high level, and feel my best—for a long time! A hair analysis and extensive blood tests showed I am low in almost all my minerals and have several toxic elements in my body: lead, arsenic, aluminum, uranium, and most notably, cadmium, which was off the chart. I’m currently undergoing treatments and taking supplements that will help me eliminate it and the other toxic elements from my body. One note about cadmium toxicity: It’s airborne and usually associated with smokers. Since I’ve never smoked, my best guess is that years of grinding mower blades and breathing the dust may have contributed. The tests also showed my cholesterol needs work, and I’m starting to do things to lower my bad cholesterol and raise the good stuff. Not surprisingly, getting my body fat down from 36% to 25% will be helpful for both of these things, as well as for other subpar results in my blood work, so that’s what I’m starting to work on. Even though I’m not currently experiencing symptoms of a disease, I still have issues that definitely will lead to disease if I don’t change course. At 39 years old, I need to take my health more seriously than before, and this is where I begin. Now I know what specific steps I need to take so that, Lord willing, I can be around a long time for my wife, who is 10 years my junior. Do you know what steps you need to take? In my opinion, it’s more difficult for Americans to be healthy today than ever before, for a variety of reasons. But help is out PET there, if you know where to find it!
Contact Sam Stearns; e-mail: mr.mowerman@hotmail.com
Hatton-Brown Publishers, Inc. Street Address: 225 Hanrick Street Montgomery, AL 36104-3317 Mailing Address P.O. Box 2268 Montgomery, AL 36102-2268 Tel: (334) 834-1170 Fax: (334) 834-4525 Publisher/Adv. Sales Manager David H. Ramsey Chief Operating Officer Dianne C. Sullivan Editor-in-Chief n Rich Donnell Managing Editor n Jessica Johnson Senior Editor n Dan Shell Senior. Editor n David Abbott Contributing Writers Greg German, Sam Stearns Publisher/Editor Emeritus David (DK) Knight Art Director n Cindy Segrest Ad Prod. Coordinator n Patti Campbell Circulation Director n Rhonda Thomas Marketing/Media n Jacqlyn Kirkland Advertising Sales Southern U.S. Randy Reagor Tel: (904) 393-7968 Fax: (334) 834-4525 E-mail: randy@hattonbrown.com Midwest U.S., Eastern Canada John Simmons Tel: (905) 666-0258 Fax: (905) 666-0778 E-mail: jsimmons@idirect.com Western U.S. & Canada Susan Windham Tel: (334) 834-1170 Fax: (334) 834-4525 Email: windham.susan4@gmail.com Europe & Scandinavia Murray Brett Tel: +34 96 640 4165 +34 96 640 4048 Email: murray.brett@abasol.net Distributor Library Kathy Sternenberg Tel: (251) 928-4962 ksternenberg@bellsouth.net Classified Advertising Bridget DeVane Tel: (334) 699-7837 (800) 669-5613 bdevane7@hotmail.com Reprint Sales Patti Campbell Tel: (800) 669-5613 patti@hattonbrown.com
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Volume 71
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Our 751st Consecutive Issue
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Founded in 1952
Renew or subscribe on the web: www.poweret.com
FEATUREstories
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STATELINE GETS A MAKEOVER
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DUST & RUST
Gets New Paint, Attitude
2023 LAWN MOWER ANNUAL New Products, Service Aids
A Walk Down Memory Lane
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VALUEadded Power Suppliers __________________________ 6 Shop PETs ______________________________ 15 Distributor Library ________________________ 25 Power Works ____________________________ 29 PETcetera/Ad Index ______________________ 30
COVERphoto After feeling restless in the automotive industry, a young Alabama couple takes over a lawn and garden dealership and sees opportunity in quality parts, service and machines, beginning on Page 12. (Cover photo by Dan Shell, design by Shelley Smith)
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Member Verified Audit Circulation Power Equipment Trade (ISSN 1063-0414) is published 6 times annually (February, April, June, August, October and December) by Hatton-Brown Publishers, Inc., 225 Hanrick St., Montgomery, AL 36104. Subscription Information—PET is sent free to qualifying industry professionals in the U.S. All non-qualified U.S. subscriptions are $55 annually; $65 in Canada; $95 (Airmail) in all other countries (U.S. funds). Single copies, $5 each; special issues, $20 (U.S. funds). Subscription Inquiries—TOLL-FREE 800-669-5613; Fax 888-611-4525. Go to www.poweret.com and click on the subscribe button to subscribe/renew via the web. All advertisements for Power Equipment Trade magazine are accepted and published by Hatton-Brown Publishers, Inc. with the understanding that the advertiser and/or advertising agency are authorized to publish the entire contents and subject matter thereof. The advertiser and/or advertising agency will defend, indemnify and hold Hatton-Brown Publishers, Inc. harmless from and against any loss, expenses, or other liability resulting from any claims or lawsuits for libel violations or right of privacy or publicity, plagiarism, copyright or trademark infringement and any other claims or lawsuits that may arise out of publication of such advertisement. Hatton-Brown Publishers, Inc. neither endorses nor makes any representation or guarantee as to the quality of goods and services advertised in Power Equipment Trade. Hatton-Brown Publishers, Inc. reserves the right to reject any advertisement which it deems inappropriate. Copyright ® 2022 All rights reserved. Reproduction in whole or in part without written permission is prohibited. Periodicals postage paid at Montgomery, Ala. and additional mailing offices. Printed in USA. Postmaster: Please send address changes to Power Equipment Trade, P.O. Box 2419, Montgomery, Alabama 36102-2419. Other Hatton-Brown Publications: Timber Harvesting n Southern Loggin’ Times n Timber Processing n Panel World n Wood Bioenergy
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POWERsuppliers
75 Years Of Making The Cut: How Oregon Tool Revolutionized The Logging Industry BY JASON LANDMARK
W
hen Oregon Tool’s founder, Joseph Buford Cox, first invented the Cox Chipper Chain in his basement, he didn’t envision what the company would become 75 years later. Today, Oregon Tool manufactures “The World’s #1 Saw Chain,” and products are sold in 110 countries. While we’re now an industry leader, our origins are humble. As a young man, Joe set out from his hometown in Oklahoma to find work. He worked as a machinist in Colorado, a construction worker in California and a welder Joseph Buford Cox
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in Arizona and Texas before he made his way to Oregon. This was during the Great Depression, and work was scarce. Luckily, Joe found a job in logging. He learned every job in the business, felling trees using an ax or a twoman crosscut. Eventually, he was handed a new type of power saw. While the saw was powerful, it simply didn’t work as efficiently as felling trees with a handsaw. At the time, power saws used scratcher chains, with tooth configurations like that of a handsaw. They took significant effort to operate and had to be sharpened frequently. Tapping into his indus-
trial background, Joe knew there had to be a way to improve the power saw.
Inspired By Nature Joe did figure out a solution, and he found the inspiration in an unlikely place. While searching for salvage timber after a forest fire, Joe noticed tiny tunnels carved into a stump by the larvae of the timber beetle. Timber beetles lay their eggs under bark. When the eggs hatch, the larvae bore through the timber with voracious precision. With their two serrated jaws, they chew through solid wood, leaving nothing but sawdust in their wake. Joe took some larvae back to his Portland, Oregon, home and studied them under a microscope. It seemed the larvae were cutting the wood in all directions, not just back and forth like a common handsaw or the scratcher chain
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POWERsuppliers of a power saw. Turning his basement into a workshop, Joe designed a chain that would mimic the jaws of the timber beetle—it not only changed his life, but also revolutionized the industry. Joe’s invention became known as the Cox Chipper Chain, and it was faster and more efficient than a scratcher chain and didn’t have to be resharpened as often. He patented his chain and in 1947 established the Oregon Saw Chain Corp., which would later become Oregon Tool. The company sold $300,000 worth of saw chain the first year, and sales reached $7 million in 1955. By 1980, the company was manufacturing products in 17 plants across five countries, employing over 4,000 people and reaching over $250 million in sales.
Value-Led Success While we’ve been celebrating our 75th anniversary, we’ve also been reflecting on Oregon Tool’s success. We know that a big part of why we’ve lasted—and thrived—for so long is because of the core values that Joe instilled in our company.
Oregon’s Disaster Response Team is always ready to lend a hand.
Through training, recovery, environment and education efforts, we positively impact people, communities and landscapes around the world through our global cause program, the t.r.e.e. initiative. In honor of our 75th anniversary, we’re committing to planting 75,000 trees through our partnership with Tree-Nation as a way to support global reforestation and offset carbon emissions. Our Disaster Response Team, which brings trailers of tools and product specialists to areas affected by natural disasters, has sharpened, repaired and re-
placed thousands of saw chains to help relief crews do their jobs. In 2020, the team sharpened over 2,700 chains and repaired almost 500 more as it assisted in Louisiana’s clean-up efforts in the wake of Hurricane Laura. And in 2021, we headed back to Louisiana after Hurricane Ida and down to Mayfield, Kentucky, after a tornado, sharpening a total of 3,974 chains and repairing 615 chainsaws to further recovery among those disasters. Although we don’t know where 2022 will take us, we do know our team will be ready to go and lend a hand wherever they’re needed.
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POWERsuppliers
Kubota Awards $600,000 in ‘Kubota Hometown Proud’ Grants
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n celebration of its 50th anniversary in the U.S., Kubota grows its “Kubota Hometown Proud” community grant program sixfold in its second year, awarding $600,000 in grants to deserving communities across the country. Kubota Hometown Proud—which encourages cities, towns, municipalities, and nonprofit organizations to partner with their local Kubota dealership and apply for consideration—launched a call-for-entries in April and Kubota selected its five regional grant winners in May. Each regional winner is awarded $100,000 to support their community revitalization project. Then, all five community projects were put up for a public vote to determine one lucky community that would receive an additional $100,000 with the program’s “Community Choice Grant,” which ultimately went to Homesteads for Hope, a community garden for adults with disabilities located in Rochester, New York. “For 50 years, our iconic orange equipment has been helping hard-work-
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2022 Community Choice Grant Awarded to Homesteads for Hope in Rochester, New York
ing Americans maintain their communities and enhance their overall way of life, from projects in rural landscapes, to those in urban cityscapes,” says Todd Stucke, Kubota Senior Vice President, Marketing, Product Support & Strategic Projects. “This year the Kubota Hometown Proud grant program saw almost
900 applicants, from nearly every state in the country. That’s why we are incredibly honored to increase our investment in the Kubota Hometown Proud grant program in honor of our anniversary and give back to more communities and dealers who helped shape who we are today. We hope our equipment
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POWERsuppliers will assist in bringing each winner’s vision to life and serve each hometown community for many years to come.” The 2022 Kubota Hometown Proud Grant Program winners include: ● Northern and Community Choice Winner: Homesteads for Hope’s Community Farm Homesteads for Hope is a 55-acre community farm and intentional community that breaks down barriers with programs that use “nature’s classroom” to teach adults with disabilities important life skills and how to work real jobs. Homesteads for Hope will use its grant to expand their Social Garden Program for those with more challenging needs and mobility-based disabilities, double their 80-plot community garden and the program’s impact and renovate the estate home with new doors and windows to weatherproof the main program spaces for year-round use. ● Western Winner: Food Bank of Monterey County’s Five Acre Farm and Kids Food Fix The Food Bank of Monterey County currently serves 160,000 individuals each month, over half of them are children. The premise of “Five Acre Farm and Kids Food Fix” puts children at the center of a hands-on learning experience and uses healthy food to engage all aspects of the child’s education. The Food Bank is expanding its services and building a new farm. The grant will be used to help build out a large barn, which will serve as the hub, offering a test kitchen, production space and community gathering space to serve school children and their families. ● Central Winner: Ranchos Brazos Community Centers’ Douglas Long Outreach for Children In 2013 an EF-4 tornado destroyed much of the community of Rancho Brazos in Granbury, Tex. Despite this devastating event, the spirit of the people in this community has continued to shine, and rebuilding efforts have ceased to stop. In order to enhance and continue services the Douglas Long Outreach Center, the organization’s future distribution center, is getting support from Kubota to fund the development and maintenance of a community garden, livestock area and various agricultural projects for the local community and will break ground this summer. ● Midwest Winner: New Richmond Area Community Foundation’s Will’s Playground Teresa De Young, a mom raising her family in New Richmond, Wis., realized that there were no local playgrounds in her area that were accessible to her son, Will, who has Down Syndrome. The vision of Will’s Playground encourages diversity, acceptance, courage, and resilience through the act of play. The grant will support demo of an out-of-date play structure and construction of a new, large-scale universal design playground including areas for sensory play, landscaping, fencing and accessible restrooms. ● Southeast Winner: Langton Green Inc.’s Community Garden Langton Green offers services to older people and people with developmental and intellectual abilities including job coaching, vocational training, and access to meaningful paid and volunteer positions at the Langton Green Community Farm. The Kubota Hometown Proud grant will be used to add raised garden beds to help provide vegetables, fruit, and eggs to more than the existing 100 community residents it already feeds, equipment to help maintain the program and renovation costs for its facilities. For more information on the Kubota Hometown Proud Grant Program, visit KubotaHometownProud.com.
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Stateline Growing With New Ownership Seeing possibilities, Alabama couple moves from automotive to lawn and garden. BY DAN SHELL FLORALA, Ala. ocated at the very bottom of Alabama along a major highway, Stateline Equipment is growing with owners John and Lis McQuaig, who acquired the dealership five years
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ago. The two live locally and had grown tired of a more than an hour commute to the same car dealership where he was general manager and she was working in the finance department. The south Alabama lawn and garden dealership had been in business for 23 years when the couple began talking with the previous owner about buying it. Lis notes they saw lots of opportunity, and the owner was nearing retirement and not looking to expand. “We decided to take it and run with it,” she says. They bought the dealership in time for their first spring-summer sales and service season in May 2017. “We cleaned
and cleaned and cleaned,” Lis remembers, noting the dealership had collected quite a bit of junk and scrap metal over the years. Several of the big initial improvements were a coat of paint, building a wall to separate the shop from the showroom and paving the parking area and parts of the back lot as well. While both husband and wife were closely involved in their new business, initially John worked full-time while Lis continued part-time at the auto dealership for a couple of years, moving into a full-time role at Stateline Equipment three years ago. Being new to the lawn and garden
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business, Lis says they didn’t make too many changes the first year: Although she had a long list of things to do when they started, they wanted to see how the business ran and the way things worked before making major changes. Since then, in addition to the paving and paint, the new owners have: ● Invested in a new Infinity computerized business management system from c-Systems, replacing the archaic blue screen system used previously. ● Updated the former one-page web site with a bright and engaging site that offers plenty of information about the Stateline team and their products and services. ● Expanded product offerings and markets by bringing in Spartan mowers and Spartan’s Intimidator side-by-side UTV line that put the business in the recreational equipment market. ● Invested in the staff, reaching goals that included becoming a Scag Platinum dealer and Stihl Silver dealer (soon to be a Stihl Gold Level dealer by the end of 2022). The Briggs technician on staff has received Master Technician Certification—“a celebrated milestone,” Lis says—and the dealership supports ongoing education and certification for other lines as well, including Intimidator, Kawasaki, Kohler and Echo. “We continue to strive to provide superior customer service above the competition,” she adds. Stateline Equipment offers Stihl and Echo handheld equipment and Hustler, Scag, Big Dog and Spartan mowers, plus Intimidator UTVs. “There were lots of things we needed to do,” Lis says, citing the business management system as the most pressing need initially. She believes the couple’s automotive background has helped in making the transition to the lawn and garden industry. They both agreed the dealership has a tremendous growth potential.
Lis and John McQuaig see plenty of opportunity in lawn and garden.
county road about 50 yards north of the Florida state line. “We have a lot of customers who drive more than 30 minutes to do business with us,” Lis says, adding that Stateline Equipment does have a sales tax advantage on lawn and garden equipment by being located in Alabama vs. Florida. Even with the new web site and a measure of social media postings, and with some experience working with automotive ad campaigns, Lis says wordof-mouth is the dealership’s best marketing tool. “And it’s free!” she says. South Alabama and the Florida Panhandle is a mostly rural area, but the average homeowner in the region has a larger lot and work load that benefits from premium power equipment. (This is also a part of the world where you
can almost hear the grass grow in summer with overnight lows in the mid 70s and daytime humidity and temperatures in the mid 90s.) Lis notes that while battery-powered equipment is becoming more popular with older customers and women, most of their customers have properties with mowing requirements well above current battery capabilities for homeowner equipment. “I can imagine electric being a lot more popular in larger towns and cities,” Lis says, adding that lots of Stateline customers have properties of five-plus acres.
Operations Stateline Equipment operates with eight total employees: three technicians and three parts/front counter employees
Markets Stateline Equipment is in a compelling location: Florala itself is small, around 2,500 people, but the business is within 30 minutes of several larger towns in the greater piney woods-panhandle regional market like DeFuniak Springs, Crestview, Andalusia and Opp. Meanwhile, major trade and tourist route U.S. Hwy. 331 runs barely 100 yards from the front parking lot, and customers with trailers who take the convenient and paved pass-through lane around the back of the dealership pop out on a
Store improvements include new BMS, new web site and paving. POWER EQUIPMENT TRADE
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in addition to John and Lis. The service department includes one 2-stroke specialist and two 4-stroke technicians, and one of those also specializes in the recreational equipment. Posted labor rate is $85/hr. for lawn and garden equipment, $105/hr. for recreational equipment. “That’s sort of a standard for the industry and the area,” Lis says of the dual labor rate. “It takes a different technician to work with the side by sides,” she says, noting that technicians are paid by the hour. The labor rate is on the lower end of the market—and that’s after raising it twice in the five years since the couple bought the business. “We don’t want to be too high or too low,” Lis says, adding that she weighs both internal needs and competitor’s rates when determining their own. “You have to be able to make money and be fair to the consumer at the same time,” she says. The dealership has worked to put together a flat rate package but it’s been tough developing rates with all the potential variability in a single job. “Not every machine is the same,” she says. Adding Spartan and Intimidator have increased the dealership’s off-season work as the side-by-sides are a year-round product that have added work for the service department. Lis adds that she’s looking for other products to offer that would help with the seasonal nature of the lawn and garden business. She’s looked into grills, but
adding just about anything else and promoting it properly is going to require a showroom expansion, she says.
Update Since PET visited Stateline Equipment in mid-May, Lis reports a slower year so far than the previous two years which were marked by lots of disposable income and high demand for all sorts of equipment. This year, with skyrocketing
fuel prices and general inflationary pressures, “Things are a little off,” she says. “More people are putting off purchases right now.” Despite the current slowdown, Lis believes the future is bright and there are plenty of opportunities for the dealership and the industry in general. As a self-prescribed optimist, Lis says, “We always look forward to meeting new customers and working to make the business grow.” PET
Stateline’s Hardest Workers
Stateline is well represented in the PET pets department: Buster the shop dog takes a break from nosing out a suspected mouse nest, while Wreck it Ralph the showroom cat waits for after hours to get in trouble. And of course Alice the shy cat missed the photo shoot!
The dealership recently entered the power sports market with Intimidator UTVs.
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SHOPpets
The Latest Round Of Good Boys & Girls These hardworking dealership employees around the country all get PET’s employee of the month award!
“Blair,” Liffco Power Equipment, New York
“Timber,” Hilltop Sales & Service, Pennsylvania
“Buster,” Four Seasons Repair, Iowa
“Troubles,” B&R Lawnmower, “Angel & Pickles,” John’s Outdoor, New Jersey Massachusetts
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MOWERpreview EDITOR’S NOTE: The following companies submitted these editorial profiles and images to complement their advertisements placed elsewhere in this issue. All statements and claims are attributable to the companies.
ARCHER PMD International is an Australian-owned, China-based manufacturing and trading company, offering over 10,000 parts and accessories for the forestry, small engine and lawn & garden markets. Our company brand is Archer; we also private label and produce for OEMs and many large international distributors. The PMD customer network is considerable, with products sold in 83 different countries with over 50 international Archer exclusive distributors. Our Chinese operation is based in Jinhua, Zhejiang, where 130 are employed in our 100% fully owned saw chain factory, office, warehouse, packaging department and showroom. We proudly invite all visitors when possible to come and see our operations. Although best known for our leading saw chain factory, PMD International has equal product offerings for the lawn & garden market sector. We offer complete high quality product lines of the following categories: spindles, filters, carburetors, starter cords, fuel line, fuel tanks and oil tank parts; cylinders for brushcutters and trimmers, trimmer heads, brushcutters, ignition coils, clutch assemblies; flail blades for lawnmowers and robotic mower parts. In fact we offer complete ranges of non-genuine parts and accessories for all major brands in the lawn and garden and chainsaw industry. Whilst we manufacture saw chain and lawnmower blades, we source over 10,000 parts from proven quality and qualified manufacturers who support us with not only top quality products but also complete warranties. Our suppliers are aware of our strict standards and QC audit requirements. Our valued staff in China are long term, very experienced, with incredible connections and associations which have taken many years to develop— highly necessary if we are to offer only the best support from Chinese suppliers. Our factory is ISO qualified and regularly audited by UL and ISO. We operate our own fully equipped laboratory with qualified engineers and metallurgists to ensure we manufacture and supply only the best quality possible, while always maintaining our competitiveness. This large quality department tests all new products and then continually tests our factory’s raw material input and product output. This ensures that our products maintain original specifications and quality. Archer is committed to quality, service, price and range.
HEFTEE For more than 20 years, the Heftee 4000 has been the lift of choice for technicians working on the largest riding mowers and commercial turf equipment. The 4000 safely accommodates equipment up to 84in. wide and lifts up to 4,000 lbs., to 6 ft., in less than a minute. It’s ideal for shops short on floor space. There is no special installation required and the Heftee 4000 operates on 110 power. Technicians stand comfortably with unrestricted access to service areas, no longer laying on cold concrete floors in awkward positions to perform under-equipment jobs—and it’s freestanding for easy relocation within the shop. The Heftee 4000 standard equipment package comes complete with jacks, boom and extension arms for completing virtually any repair job. Heftee’s revolutionary single-mast design gives unrestricted access to the equipment. There are no crossbars or twisting cables, and the jacks, booms, support arms and easily adjustable work platforms all integrate with the lift. Making hard-to-service equipment easy to service is Heftee’s business. Any lift can lift; with Heftee the technician can focus on repairing hard-to-service turf equipment and utility vehicles better, faster, safer.
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MOWERpreview MASPORT Masport is an iconic brand in the New Zealand marketplace with a 112-year history of producing and supplying quality power equipment to consumers around the world. It is a household name in New Zealand having won the “Most Trusted” lawnmower brand products category of the New Zealand Reader’s Digest consumer judged awards. Masport is a leading manufacturer of lawn and garden power equipment in both New Zealand and Australia with a proud engineering history dating back to the first lawnmower in 1930. Masport has an extensive range of rotary and cylinder gasoline walk behind mowers, in addition to shredders, edgers and cultivators. Masport products are sold in 45 countries around the world, including the U.S. and Canada, where a range of walk behind mowers and power equipment was first introduced in 2012. Power Distributors in U.S. and Power Source Canada in Canada, distribute Masport’s range of consumer and professional power equipment to servicing dealers across North America. Masport is a dealer brand in North America and is ideally suited to this form of distribution as its products are feature rich and of high quality. Masport mowers are available in various cutting widths are capable of mulch, catch and side discharge. They feature aluminum and steel decks, ball bearing wheels, single lever height adjustment and a unique handle lift system for ease of emptying collected grass. For the 2022 season Masport offers an extensive line of consumer and professional walk-behind mowers powered by Briggs & Stratton engines. Masport offers competitively priced, high quality, unique products which are not available in the Big Box stores. Contact your regional Power Distributor’s territory manager for more details on the Masport 2022 dealer brand program. We are thrilled to announce we will be at Equip Expo once again in 2022 from October 19-21, at the Kentucky Expo Center in Louisville, booth number 10180. This is an exciting opportunity for us to meet up with some of our existing loyal Masport dealers and to meet new dealers looking for an alternative walk-behind line.
MEAN GREEN The Nemesis Performance Zero-Turn Mower The Nemesis brings commercial mowing to those who don’t require all-day battery power. With a battery life of up to 2.25 hours (enough to mow up to five acres), speed of up to 8 MPH, 15° slope capability, and power equivalent to a 28 HP gas mower, the Nemesis checks every box for the serious user. 60 in. or 48 in. side discharge vortex decks 7.2 kWh battery 28 HP equivalent Up to 2.25 hours per charge Speeds up to 8 MPH The Peace Of Mind Case For Battery Electric Power When you expected to deliver top quality to your customer and top efficiency to your business, everything counts. Reliability: Your equipment has to start, it has to run, it has to be easy to maintain, and it has to put in a full day’s work, just like you. Any time that a mower spends in the shop—whether for routine maintenance like tune-ups (there are none with Mean Green mowers) or major repairs—is time that it’s not in the field. Electric mowers have fewer moving parts and that means less maintenance. Efficiency: High ground speed (that doesn’t sacrifice quality), reduced downtime (no refueling stops), and ease of operation all help you get the job done fast—so you can move on to the next one. Mean Green mowers, with speeds of up to 13 MPH, are likely to leave your gas mowers in the dust! Plus, with their quiet operation, you can start residential jobs earlier in the morning (or finish them later in the day) without annoying your customers. Employee Satisfaction: Keeping good help is never easy and most lawn service professionals experience more turnover than they would like. But when you take away the gas, the fumes, and the noise of typical gas mowers, and offer the comfort of an extraordinarily smooth ride, the work can be a pleasure.
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MOWERpreview MILWAUKEE The Milwaukee M18 Fuel 21 in. self-propelled dual battery mower delivers best-in-class cut quality and more max torque than 200 cc gas competitors, meeting the performance needs of the landscape maintenance professional. Featuring M18 Fuel technology, Milwaukee brings innovation and industry-leading performance to batterypowered lawnmowers. The mower delivers a superior cut quality with a true 21 in. cut capacity and optimized steel deck design. Featuring 3-in-1 capability for bagging, mulching, and rear side discharge, the M18 Fuel 21 in. self-propelled dual battery mower leaves behind less missed blades of grass and clumps compared to competitive units. Harnessing the power of Milwaukee’s Powerstate brushless motor, the M18 Fuel 21 in. self-propelled dual battery mower delivers best in class power levels and more max torque than a 200 cc gas engine. The Redlink Plus intelligence allows the mower to achieve an instantaneous throttle response for blade and drive motors, increasing control and productivity. Milwaukee is committed to improving productivity by providing performance-driven and trade-focused solutions so users can perform an entire day’s work on one battery system. The M18 Fuel 21 in. self-propelled dual battery mower is fully compatible with over 200 solutions on Milwaukee’s M18 platform.
PELLENC Pellenc’s Rasion 2 battery-powered, self-propelled mower is easy to handle, lightweight, and compact. As well as being easy to transport, the Rasion 2 delivers professional power and outstanding mowing. Pellenc has been engineering and manufacturing contractor-grade, battery-powered landscaping tools for decades. Pellenc America is located in Santa Rosa, Calif. with satellite offices and dealers across the nation. The Rasion 2 is an excellent choice for mowing, compatible with the Pellenc universal battery pack system for up to five hours of mowing in a single charge. The ergonomic zero-turning radius makes maneuvering complex green spaces a breeze. With built-in propulsion motors in each rear wheel and the dual electric counter-rotating cutting blades, the Rasion 2 has minimal vibration of 0.7m/s2 (compared to regular gas mowers of 4.5 m/s2). Ultra-high efficiency electric motors of 93% allow you to mow longer on one charge. The compact frame of the Rasion 2 includes a quick adjustment handle for the cutting height and is ergonomically designed to collapse and save space in the trailer or in the garage! Electrification is the future of landscape management and the Rasion 2 is the perfect tool for professional landscapers. When deciding on a product line to adopt for electrification, the largest expense and greatest consideration is the battery pack. Pellenc has been solely designing electric landscape tools for 15 years and is considered a worldwide leader in professional battery-powered tools. Pellenc’s ULiB battery packs offer a massive amount of power in the shape of a small battery backpack, compatible with all of Pellenc’s landscaping tools (which range from small hand pruners to backpack blowers and more!). As with all of Pellenc’s battery powered tools, the Rasion 2 comes with a two-year warranty. Pellenc’s Rasion 2 has been selling around the world and is now in the process of being imported into the U.S.
PRUFREX For an emission-free future, there must be appropriate end applications. While the media response in the highly discussed mobility is quite large, there are also other applications in the field of small, off-road engines, sometimes referred to as non-road, mobile machinery. These include ATVs, golf carts and ride-on mowers. In this area, there is great potential for optimization, or even complete technology transformation. Robotic mowers are already keeping lawns short with lithium-ion batteries and other gardening tools in the private home and hobby sector are being converted to battery applications. Whereas there is still a large gap in the context of electrification in the professional 20
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MOWERpreview segment of garden and landscaping and comparable sectors. In the professional segments the application requirements are much higher such as performance, robustness, runtime and downtime (maintenance or charging cycles). Key Factors: Power, Running Time So far battery-electric systems have not been able to establish themselves in the professional sectors, since massive losses in runtime have to be conceded in the usual performance class. While lithium-ion batteries currently have an energy density of a few 100 watt hours per kilogram (approx.150 Wh/kg), this is 100 times greater (approx. 12,000 Wh/kg) for fossil fuels such as gasoline. To further reduce this gap, an approach with hydrogen technologies offers new opportunities.
ROTARY Celebrating its 65th anniversary in 2022, Rotary features a complete line of mower replacement parts including guaranteed quality Copperhead mower blades, air filters, pre-filters, oil filters, belts, tires, starters, spark plugs and internal engine parts. Plus, piston and spindle assemblies, carburetors, ignition kits, batteries, throttle controls, brake and clutch cables, idler pulleys, tune-up kits, wheel and deck accessories and much more, all backed by an exclusive warranty that ensures quality and performance. Copperhead Mower Blades: Made In The U.S. With American Steel Rotary manufactures approximately 12 million mower and edger blades annually at its world class facility in Georgia including heavy duty blades, professional grade mulching blades, flat blades, high and low-lift blades plus edger and de-thatcher blades. Copperhead mower blades by Rotary are engineered to perform better, last longer and cut with powerful force. Available for most any brand, Copperhead Blades meet all OEM standards for operation and feature: Premium-grade American steel, heated treated and tempered for uniform hardness. Precision formed, balanced and sharpened to ensure a cleaner, finer cut with less vibration Superior cutting efficiency and extended blade life ISO compliance for quality and superior craftsmanship Rotary’s vast assortment of mower blades is highlighted in a special 150-page section of the company’s 2022 parts catalog for servicing dealers and distributors. Filters Engineered For Maximum Protection, Performance Rotary offers a wide range of commercial-strength air, fuel and oil filters for mowers—professionally designed to protect engines under extreme operating conditions while ensuring maximum efficiency and peak performance. Made in the U.S., Rotary filters improve airflow, horsepower and overall engine performance. Oil filters feature a special blend of fibers and resin that create a filter media with exceptional dirt-trapping capacity for maximum protection. Rotary carries a complete line of premium quality filters for small engines, trimmers, chain saws, ATVs and golf carts. Pleated paper filters and foam air filters are made at Rotary’s manufacturing facility in Georgia, which was upgraded last year with stateof-the-art equipment.
SUNBELT Sunbelt Outdoor Products is a wholesaler of professional grade turf products with everything from arborist supplies to trimmer products and is celebrating over 60 years in the turf business. With multiple warehouses across the U.S., Sunbelt can help you get the parts you need when you need them. XHT, Predator Brand Tough Mower Blades Sunbelt Outdoor Products Predator and XHT blades are the strongest blades on the market. The secret to their strength and durability is in a patented austempering process, taking it a step further than competitors. Ideal for professionals, these blades require less sharpening, last longer, and are lighter weight than other competing blades. Accelerator Industries Premium Grass Catchers Ideal for professionals working in wet climates or any conditions where it is necessary to bag grass or leaves, the Accelerator Industries line of premium aluminum grass catchers are best in class. The drilled aluminum body provides high airflow that will prevent clogging that commonly happens with other bagging systems. Precision Equipment The Professional’s Choice Precision is an industry leader in broadcast spreaders, lawn rollers, trailer dump carts, lawn sweepers, hose reels, and so much more. The professionals choice for lawn equipment assembles quickly to save time, produces professional results, and are tough enough to hold up to daily use. 22
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Shelby County Implement • Shelbina, MO 63468 Ph: 573-588-4731 • 573-588-2040 Email: sci63468@hotmail.com Visa and Mastercard Accepted 3524
WISCONSIN ENGINE PARTS NEW–OBSOLETE • BUY–SELL HARD TO FIND PARTS CLOSEOUT PRICES
H&M Industrial Supply (800) 346-4331 2236
Obsolete McCulloch & Obsolete Homelite Parts Bob’s Lawnmower Service 7632 State Hwy. 7 Maryland, NY 12116-3201
607-638-9297 phone or fax
HOMELITE PARTS BUY & SELL NEW, USED & OBSOLETE
8100
Stihl * Homelite * Lawnboy * Briggs & Stratton New * Obsolete * Used Parts THOUSANDS OF PARTS!
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Ask For Ray 502-228-1462 • Fax: 502-228-7737
POULAN WEED EATER PARTS
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PLACE AN AD IN OUR HELP WANTED SECTION TO FIND THE RIGHT EMPLOYEE FOR YOUR COMPANY.
Contact Bridget DeVane • 800-669-5613
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PETcetera Briggs Names Cerniglia New SVP, CFO Briggs & Stratton has announced that Kristina Cerniglia has joined the company as Senior Vice President & Chief Financial Officer. She joins Briggs & Stratton after serving eight years at Hillenbrand, Inc. as Senior Vice President & Chief Financial Officer. Prior to Hillenbrand, Inc., she spent 23 years in the financial organizations at Stanley Black & Decker and United Technologies Corp. “Kristina has demonstrated that she is a transformational leader with the ability to influence results across an entire enterprise,” says Steve Andrews, Kristina Cerniglia President & CEO at Briggs & Stratton. Cerniglia is succeeding Mark Schwertfeger who served as the SVP & CFO. In September 2020, KPS Capital Partners, through a newly formed affiliate, acquired most of the assets of Briggs & Stratton and appointed Steve Andrews as President & CEO. Since that time, the company has added David Dooley, Vice President and General Manager of the Allmand business; Chris Mapes, Senior Vice President of Supply Chain; Brian Hazelton, Senior Vice President & President of the power business, and Michelle Kumbier, Senior Vice President & President of the turf & consumer products business as new direct reports of Andrews. The addition of Cerniglia further strengthens the Briggs & Stratton executive leadership team and reinforces a commitment to redefining Briggs & Stratton as a new company with a strong future.
PETevents OCTOBER 19-21—Equip Expo, Kentucky Exposition Center, Louisville, Ky. Call 812-949-9200; visit equipexposition.com. NOVEMBER 15-17—2022 North American Dealer Conference, Nashville, Tenn. Visit nadealerconference.com. JANUARY 31-FEBRUARY 2, 2023—National Hardware Show, Las Vegas Convention Center, Las Vegas, Nev. Call 203-840-5622; visit nationalhardwareshow.com. APRIL 12-15, 2023—Equipment & Engine Training Council annual meeting, Walker Manufacturing Company, Fort Collins, Colo. Call 888-406-1810; visit eetc.org. Listings are submitted months in advance. Always verify dates and locations with contacts prior to making plans to attend.
ADlink This issue of Power Equipment Trade is brought to you in part by the following companies, which will gladly supply additional information about their products. ADVERTISER
CHP-Mean Green Mowers
PG NO.
PHONE NUMBER
7,11
513.738.4736
Equip Exposition
10
800.558.8767
Heftee Industries
15
800.755.7540
Masport
24
+64 9 571 5888
Milwaukee Tool
16-17
800.729.3878
Pellenc America
6
707.568.7286
PMD International
24
+61 3 8390 3933
Prufrex Innovative Power Products
8
+49 9103 7953 0
Rotary
15,21,32
800.841.3989
Stens Arrowhead Engineered Products 2
763.255.2555
Sunbelt Outdoor Products
9
800.438.0660
TD Retail Card Services
5
800.538.3638
Yamaha MPE
23
800.962.7926
ADLINK is a free service for advertisers and readers. The publisher assumes no liability for errors or omissions.
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DUST&rust Readers are encouraged to send relevant historical lawn and garden media items in.
October 1993: The First Lawnmower Annual
PET has been around the block a few times, but this was the first time we really gave mowers their day in the sun.
1990s are now getting the "classic" status with the younger generations, and well, we couldn't agree more with this classic style by Dan Shell.
Dan Shell investigated a new segment for the industry...
...while the magazine gave space to products that were hot at the time, and have since fallen by the wayside.
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