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POWERlines
A Hatton-Brown Publication www.poweret.com
From Asset To Afterthought DAN SHELL
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as it really just been since 2006? Has it really only been eight years that the brand name value and sales appeal of a pioneering zero-turn mower brand can be wrung out and hung up to dry? Evidently so, as news of Husqvarna’s plan to discontinue the Dixon brand of products in North America at the end of this year was announced in mid August. But back in July 2006 the future was bright: Dixon Industries, a subsidiary of Blount International, was acquired by industry giant Husqvarna. Though the new owner closed Dixon’s longtime manufacturing plant in Coffeyville, Kans., it added jobs to absorb the Dixon product line at Husqvarna’s state-of-the-art manufacturing plant in Beatrice, Neb., a 274,000 sq. ft. facility that was basically new after starting up in 2005. The acquisition was no small potatoes: In 2005 Dixon had sales of more than $54 million and an operating income of $3.1 million. After its founding in 1974 by K.O. Dixon who bought a patent for a “unique mechanical transmission” and some manufacturing assets from a Kansas mower company, Dixon Industries grew and developed into a powerhouse player in the lawn and garden industry with its then-revolutionary zero-turn capability that allowed steering by power wheels instead of a traditional steering wheel mechanism.
Market Leader Maybe revolutionary is a bit strong: Swisher, Excel Industries, Yazoo and a few other companies had built and sold zero-turning mowers prior to 1974, but Dixon was the first company to bring the capability to the mass national lawn and garden market. Starting from scratch in ’74, Dixon’s sales had quadrupled by 1978 and the mower was available in 24 states. In 1986 Dixon sold the company to Coleman Industries to take advantage of Coleman’s established distribution and dealer system, with Dixon remaining in charge of the company. Coleman itself was swallowed up, torn apart and sold in pieces after acquisition by McAndrews & Forbes in an LBO in 1989, and Dixon found itself on the auction block. While many companies never recover from such a fate, Dixon had the good fortune of being bought by Blount International in 1990. New owner Blount left Dixon alone while giving it resources to grow—and grow it did, to more than $40 million in sales and a ➤ 37
Co-Publisher/Adv. Sales Manager David H. Ramsey Co-Publisher/Executive Editor David (DK) Knight Chief Operating Officer Dianne C. Sullivan Publishing Office 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 Editor-in-Chief ■ Rich Donnell Managing Editor ■ Dan Shell Senior Assoc. Editor ■ David Abbott Associate Editor ■ Jessica Johnson Associate Editor ■ Jay Donnell Contributing Writers Dale Stotts, Greg German Production Manager ■ Cindy Segrest Ad Prod. Coordinator ■ Patti Campbell Circulation Director ■ Rhonda Thomas 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 Midwest/Northeast U.S. Utility & ATV (exclusively) Paul Holdsworth Tel: (847) 934-0084 Fax: (847) 934-0556 Email: phpeh@hotmail.com Western U.S. & Canada Bill Albrant Tel: (951) 696-1473 Fax: (702) 442-2920 Email: billa@wgholdsworth.com Europe & Scandinavia Murray Brett Tel: +34 96 640 4165 Fax: +34 96 640 4022 Email: murray.brett@abasol.net Distributor Library Kathy Sternenberg Tel: (251) 928-4962 Classified Advertising Bridget DeVane Tel: 334-699-7837 (800) 669-5613 Reprint Sales Patti Campbell Tel: (800) 669-5613
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Volume 63 ■ Number 7 ■ SEPTEMBER 2014 Our 700th Consecutive Issue ■ Founded in 1952
Renew or subscribe on the web: www.poweret.com
FEATUREstories
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ARCO LAWN EQUIPMENT Tech Savvy Dealer In Missouri
2015 MOWERS & ACCESSORIES Latest Mowing Technology, Related Products
SERVICE POTENTIAL
Proactive Dealers Increase Market Share
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INDUSTRY VOICES
Dixie Sales 100th Anniversary
VALUEadded Power Suppliers ___________________________5 Showroom ______________________________29 Distributor Library ________________________32 PowerWorks ____________________________36 AD Index _______________________________37 Dealer To Dealer _________________________38
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COVERphoto
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Power Equipment Trade delivers the latest mower and accessory innovations in the 2015 edition of the lawnmower annual, beginning on Page 11. (Cover design by Shelley Smith; photo courtesy of Altoz Mowers)
Member Verified Audit Circulation Power Equipment Trade (ISSN 1063-0414) is published 10 times annually (January/February and July/August issues are combined) 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 ® 2014. 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 ■ Southern Loggin' Times ■ Timber Processing ■ Panel World
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POWERsuppliers
Rotary National Sales Awards
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otary Corp. recently recognized several team members for outstanding performance in sales and leadership during the company’s 2014 national sales meeting this past summer at Amelia Island, Fla. The Duke Award, named in honor of the company’s late founder, Duke Harvey, was presented to Rotary Customer Service Manager Sarah Murray. As recipient of the award, Murray was lauded for consistently displaying competitive and positive approaches to the continued growth and success of Rotary during the past year. Rotary’s Travis Hicks, Cal Kato, Robert Huff and Pete Toth were recognized for “Greatest Increase in New Dealer Sales” while New Accounts Awards were present- Sarah Murray ed to Terry Clauson, Cindy Deloges, Huff and Kato. Clarke Baum, Keith Gray, Mark Grinstead and Kurt Lorenzen were presented awards for “Greatest Increase in Sales.”
Husqvarna Dropping Dixon Brand In NA Husqvarna Professional Products announced in mid August that it is discontinuing the distribution of products under the Dixon brand name by the end of 2014 in North America. International markets are unaffected at this time. Husqvarna Group will continue to process Dixon warranty claims and provide service parts under the Dixon brand for an extended period of time. According to a statement, while Dixon’s line of zero-turn mowers, walkbehind mowers and tractors will be discontinued, the Husqvarna Group will continue to manufacture and market similar products under the current family of Husqvarna Group brands. No job cuts or “noteworthy” financial impacts were expected as part of the move. Jeff Dewosky, Vice President–Dealer Sales, Husqvarna, says, “The decision to phase out the Dixon brand is part of the Husqvarna Group’s strategic plan, a strategy that seeks to reduce operational complexity, improve efficiency and give additional focus to the consumer.” He adds that all impacted partners have been notified of the change.
Briggs Acquires Allmand Bros.
Briggs and Stratton Corp. officials recently announced a signed agreement to acquire Allmand Bros., Inc. Founded in 1938 and based in Holdrege, Neb., Allmand designs and manufactures high quality towable light towers, industrial heaters and solar LED arrow boards.
Briggs is expected to acquire all Allmand’s outstanding shares for $62 million. According to Briggs & Stratton CEO Todd Teske, the acquisition follows the companmy’s strategic initiative of focusing on attractive higher margin, commercial end use products. “The acquisition of Allmand augments our higher margin commercial product portfolio, expands our market access to include the rental channel, and helps diversify our business into industry segments that we do not meaningfully participate in today,” Teske says.
Exmark Launches New Promotion
Exmark recently announced its “Time For a New Ride” fall promotion, which offers rebates up to $500 on the company’s most popular models, available 42 Months Special Financing, subject to credit approval, on eligible purchases of $1,500 or more with your Exmark credit card and extended warranty terms. The promotion applies to Exmark zero-turn mowers purchased between August 1 and October 31, 2014. Instant retail rebates of up to $500 are available on select Exmark zero-turn models. Customers will receive a $300 rebate on all Quest models purchased during the promotion, with a $500 rebate available on Lazer Z E-Series machines and all Lazer Z models equipped with an UltraCut rear discharge cutting deck. Buyers of select Exmark Pioneer S-Series models will receive a $500 rebate and free suspension seat upgrade (retail value $300). See the complete list of models and rebates at http://www.ex-
Rotary President Ed Nelson, left, presented Kurt Lorenzen with a “Greatest Increase in Sales” award.
mark.com/CurrentOffers.aspx. Warranty coverage commences from the date each eligible machine is registered. Coverage restarts on April 1, 2015 to the published duration. Customers can view full details and warranty durations for each model at http://www.exmark.com/Warranty.aspx.
Walbro Expands Michigan Facility
Walbro Engine Mgmt. recently received a Michigan Strategic Fund grant to expand its facility in Cass City, Mich. The company plans to invest about $4.2 million with help from a $165,000 grant. Cass City also offered Walbro a 12-year property tax abatement, in addition to the grant. Walbro chose to expand at its existing facility over a competing site in Mexico.
OPEI Announces New Officers, Board
The Outdoor Power Equipment Institute (OPEI) announced its 2014-2015 Officers and Board of Directors, during the OPEI Annual Meeting in Palm Beach, Fla., June 17-19, 2014. Officers for the 2014-2015 year include: OPEI Chairman Paul Mullet, President, Excel Industries; OPEI Vice Chair Lee Sowell, President, Outdoor Products at Techtronic Industries, N.A., Inc.; and OPEI Secretary/Treasurer Tim Merrett, Vice President of A & T Global Platform and Turf & Utility, Deere & Co. Immediate past chair is Todd Teske, Chairman, President and CEO at Briggs & Stratton Corp.
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POWERsuppliers Kris Kiser, President and CEO of OPEI says, “As the voice of outdoor power equipment, utility vehicle, and small engine manufacturers, we are doing more to support manufacturers, advocate on their behalf, educate dealers, and share safety standards and best practices within the industry and with consumers.” “A hundred million plus consumers use our products and our industry is continuing to expand and grow,” OPEI Chairman, Paul Mullet, echoes. “OPEI is championing the highest standards of safety and excellence during this phase of growth and innovation.” Continuing their service on the OPEI Board are: Daniel T. Ariens, President and CEO, Ariens Co.; Earl Bennett, Vice President and General Counsel, N/A and L/A, Husqvarna Professional Products; Steven M. Bly, Executive Vice President, Echo Inc.; Edward B. Cohen,Vice President, Government & Industry Relations, American Honda Motor Co. Inc.; Tom Cromwell, President, Kohler Engines, Kohler Co.; John Cunningham, President, Consumer Products Group, Stanley Black & Deck-
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er; Marc J. Dufour, President and CEO, Club Car LLC; Peter Hampton, President, Active Exhaust Corporation; Jean Hlay, President and Chief Operating Officer, MTD Products Inc.; and Michael J. Hoffman, Chairman and CEO, the Toro Co.
Yamaha Makes Charitable Donations
Yamaha Motor Corp., U.S.A., announced that the company is donating $15,000 to two of its charitable organization partners: Honored American Veterans Afield (HAVA) and Feed the Children (FTC). Yamaha recently gathered motorsports dealers for an incentive and appreciation event near Austin, Tex., where the company unveiled the allnew 2015 Viking VI EPS six-person side-by-side (SxS) vehicle. The launch event included a number of activities that ultimately allowed Yamaha corporate staff and dealers to help raise awareness and money for HAVA and FTC. As a result, Yamaha committed to donating $15,000 to be split evenly be-
tween the two organizations. Yamaha is a founding sponsor of HAVA (www.honoredveterans.org), an organization created to help disabled soldiers and veterans with the healing process through active participation in outdoor sports. Yamaha has worked with Feed the Children (www.feedthechildren.org) as its corporate charity for nearly 20 years.
Kawasaki Motors Corp. Executive Promotions
The Engine Division of Kawasaki Motors Corp., U.S.A. has promoted four members of its management team. Leading the group announcement is Rodger Howe, who becomes Vice President. He is joined by Karen Howard, Senior Manager, National Sales-Dealer and select Distributor Channels, Tom Moskwa, Senior Manager, Engineering and Technical Services, and Lorraine Lauer, who becomes Senior Administrative Sales Supervisor. Howe, who has served in executive positions with Kawasaki in both the consumer products area and with the Engine
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POWERsuppliers Division, most recently as the division’s Executive Director. His broad experience with the company includes sales, marketing, and operations posts, and he will now oversee various aspects of the company’s growth plans for the division’s business. Also a veteran Kawasaki employee, Howard has held marketing management titles and is being promoted from her position as National Sales Manager, Dealer and select Distributor Channels. She will continue to develop and implement strategic sales plans, focus on improvement of dealer traffic, oversee the company’s district manager sales team, and help ensure achievement of wholesale objectives.
EETC Offers Briggs Training Kits The Equipment & Engine Training Council (EETC) is now offering Briggs & Stratton’s Training Kits and Curriculum to the online EETC Education Resources web site after adding the feature in early June. Tom Billigen, Briggs & Stratton Customer Education Training Manager, comments that “The need for hands on, experience-based training is becoming increasingly important to schools and the communities they serve. Working with the EETC and its membership to provide that support makes sense.” The Briggs & Stratton educational materials have been available on the EETC site since June (https://eetc.siteym.com). According to Erik Sides, EETC Executive Director, “Being able to offer a broader array of training options through our web site has been one of my primary goals since taking on this position in January 2013. Adding Briggs’ curriculum to the site gives members access to another proven training resource.”
HPE Celebrates, Invests Honda Power Equipment Mfg., Inc. (HPE) recently marked the 30th anniversary of operations at its Swepsonville, NC facility by announcing a new $8.5 million investment in plant operations to improve production processes and add new products. Among other changes, the plant will add a new line for the production of two-stage snow blowers and prepare for the addition of Honda generators to the existing production lineup. The 375,000 sq.ft. facility, which houses both Honda power equipment production and R&D operations, has long served as a major producer of Honda power equipment products for worldwide distribution, with the capacity to produce upwards of 2 million products each year. In 2013 alone, more than 400,000 North Carolina-made Honda power equipment products were exported to overseas markets, marking a record for the company. Honda’s total investment in its Swepsonville operations is nearly $250 million. “We are celebrating 30 years of success at Honda Power Equipment Manufacturing because of the everyday hard work of our power product associates in North Carolina,” Takuji Yamada, Honda COO of North American Regional Operations told a gathering of local press, Honda employees and others during the anniversary celebration. “Our founder, Soichiro Honda, believed that we could make people happy through technology. Now, many years later, Honda is still focused on using unique Honda technologies to help people get things done.” The celebration at the facility included a speech by North Carolina Governor Pat McCrory as well as other elected officials.
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Dealer Goes Extra Mile Gets An Edge Throughout thirty years in business, Arco Lawn Equipment has seen a lot of changes, but remains focused on constantly improving to stay ahead. BY ANNIE MUELLER BALLWIN, Mo. hen Steve and Kathy Mueller purchased Arco Lawn Equipment in 1977, the same year they got married, it was a one-man shop with some pretty strict, self-imposed limitations. “The previous owner didn’t do anything but residential, didn’t do any two-cycle equipment except for snowblowers,” says Steve. “He just didn’t want to deal with all of that.” The Muellers have changed those policies and a lot more in the last 37 years. Steve no longer runs the company. After 30 years at the helm, he took a full-time job in the IT industry. At that point, in 2007, Kathy faced a choice: sell the business and go home, or take on running the store herself. “I just thought about it… and the business is
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here. Lack of customers wasn’t a problem,” says Kathy. “So I proposed to run the business instead of just cashing in and calling it even.” Steve continues to handle all of Arco’s technology needs and help out on weekends, while Kathy manages the business.
Operations The Muellers have taken Arco through four location changes, from the original small shop in Brentwood, Mo. to their current location in Ballwin, Mo. At one point they bought out another small dealership, and Steve ran one location while Kathy ran the other. They had three young children then, and after three years of juggling two locations along with family demands; they sold the second location and relocated to their current building. “We’ve gone through many iterations of how things are arranged,” says Steve. “It was a huge remodel when we first bought the building. It was divided into three bays, and we rented one bay out and took a wall down to use the other two. We shared the basement with our renter at that time, and it was just a hassle. So after a few years we
expanded into all three bays.” The basement, which is 5,000 sq. ft., houses the service shop and provides storage. The 5,000 sq. ft. of the main level contains the showroom in the front 3,000 sq. ft. The rest of the main level houses the parts department and office space as well as an employee kitchen and break room. Arco’s frontage on a busy main street of suburban Ballwin has been helpful in maintaining and expanding their residential customer base. Starting in 2007, they have added more commercial accounts by actively pursuing them and offering quick turn-around on service needs and discounted pricing on larger equipment and parts orders. They currently do approximately 10% commercial business and 90% residential business, reports Kathy. One of the things Kathy has been adamant about in her time heading up Arco is the need to build strong teams. “I had to fire a few guys and it was really hard,” says Kathy, explaining that their consistent bad attitudes and unwillingness to share responsibilities hurt the team. “You have to be willing to do that hard thing to show people that your team is important, that you will do the right thing for the team,” she continues, “not only implementing what a team looks like but being part of the team.”
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The Generac line of products is a recent addition for the focused dealership.
Owner Kathy Mueller is very involved in daily operations, but cites strong systems and managers in place as a big daily help.
Monthly team meetings give everyone a chance to share their own ideas for improving the business. One of those ideas was to start selling parts online, which has grown beyond what they expected. “We started selling just a few parts in an eBay store in July of 2013,” says Kathy. The online sales grew slowly at first, but skyrocketed in the first half of 2014. They are currently seeing on-line sales growth of at least 300% from one month to the next. The parts manager oversees these new on-line parts sales, with assistance from Kathy as needed. She reports that it has not affected in-store parts sales, and many of the parts sales they do are drop-shipped from the manufacturer, so they don’t have to stock or ship them. Arco focuses on three main lines: Toro, Snapper and Stihl. Arco is a Master Service Dealer for Toro and an Elite Stihl Dealership. In early 2013, Arco added Generac to the line-up as a servicing dealer. “From the beginning we’ve been with Toro, Snapper and Stihl,” says Kathy. “We tried many other brands, and have carried up to 7 different brands at a time, but have always stuck with those 3. We learned you can’t stock enough parts and equipment to keep up with so many brands. We’ve learned to focus on the best, on what our customers want, and do an excellent job at it.” One of the biggest changes that Kathy and her team have implemented in the last seven years is to rearrange and designate different areas for service, parts, and sales counters. Most of the store layout had remained the same since the expansion into all three bays:
the double front doors opened up into a showroom, with a single, long counter in the back, with the parts department behind the counter. There was no designation of which area of the counter was for sales, which for service, and which for parts. Customers who came in to pick up a spark plug might find themselves stuck behind someone with a complex work order or a purchaser filling out a long financing application. Now, thanks to the new set up, customers have a service ticket written upstairs, at the service counter, and then drive around the side, to the shop entrance. Once there, the service manager unloads the equipment, reviews the service ticket, and looks the equipment over for anything that the service writer might have missed. The service manager assigns the equipment to a tech based on each tech’s expertise and any rush status that the equipment might have. The Muellers have also improved many of the main business systems. “We’ve added state-of-the-art for our industry, tools and sales systems. We’ve done some really serious upgrades,” says Kathy. “We pretty much just educated [ourselves] along the way. We did things we thought would benefit: sales schools, things that would educate us. Of course, doing it is the best teacher.” The Muellers have attended Bob Clements’ seminars, many manufacturersponsored training schools, industry events, and done online training in sales, marketing, and business management. Both Steve and Kathy have high-school education but little college. They’ve made it a life habit to educate themselves. Steve is an avid reader and de-
vours all sorts of material, from software manuals to how-to business books. Kathy is very hands-on and prefers faceto-face workshops, presentations, and seminars. They say that not everything they’ve learned has been useful, but the habit of constantly learning and seeking to improve has kept them from staying stuck in any one rut for too long. Arco has 14 employees. Mark Bauer, the service manager, oversees three technicians and a shop helper. The techs work on assignments: one is primarily responsible for two-cycle equipment, one for riders, and one primarily for walk-behind mowers. All three pitch in on the walk-behind machines in the spring, when the work load increases. Arco’s labor rate is $80 an hour, and this spring they were never over a week in turn-around time. Customers who need their equipment sooner than a week from drop-off can pay a rush fee of $30 to get moved to the front of the line. Commercial customers have the option of joining a premium commercial club, which gives them automatic rush status and two-day turn around. Upstairs, along with the service writers, the parts department, and the sales department, there are two parttime office employees. “My position really is a position of managing people. Eventually you should be able to get to a point where [things] operate by the systems that are in place and the leadership of the departments,” says Kathy. As a small business owner, always trying to cut costs and save money, it can be difficult to designate more money for additional salaries, Kathy adds. But, she notes,
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hiring and training the employees you need is one of those leaps you have to take to allow your business to grow.
Technology Steve laughs when he starts talking about the computer systems in place at Arco. “Well, in our industry,” he says, “we may be the only shop in the United States that has its own server room.” Steve’s lifelong interest in computers shows up at Arco and all the employees benefit. “Every employee has his or her own computer,” Steve says. “The shop has a system which handles all of our inventory, bookkeeping, point-of-sale, service department scheduling, billing, estimating, managing, so on. We use a parts look-up program hosted on our servers that allows our people to look up parts in-house. We have an eBay store, a website, a blog, a computerized phone system by Mitel. We use ADP for our payroll system.” Arco currently uses Ideal Computer Systems for parts look-up, over ARI, though they have used ARI in the past. Steve reports that the technological set up at Arco may be advanced but it’s proven very beneficial in a number of ways, including: keeping track of parts inventory so they know what they have and when they need to order; keeping track of equipment inventory, and paying it off before interest charges come due. He adds that with the integrated system they have been able to identify where they are losing money, and why,
and fix it. The integrated system also tracks which employee is using it, and for what purpose, so it’s easy to track mistakes and issues back to deal with them (for example, an incomplete work order or wrong part special-ordered for customer.) The equipment and software have been added over time as they can afford it. Having Steve in the IT industry has helped them get some good deals, but he also often shops at computer warehouse supply stores when they have a technical need. Arco has maintained active social media accounts on Facebook and Twitter since 2005, which they advertise in the front window of the shop. E-mail is Arco’s advertising powerhouse. “We used to do it all by direct mail,” says Kathy, “And the return was not good enough on the postal mail.” Both the cost and the response are significantly better with e-mail, she notes. The Parts, Service, and Sales Managers share responsibility for maintaining the social media accounts: They update Twitter several times a week and Facebook at least once a week. Kathy oversees the e-mail. Arco used to send postcards every year to offer their customers a reduced charge on pickup and delivery in the wintertime—now they use e-mail to offer that special, and customers can simply reply back to schedule the pick up and delivery. They’ve seen a better response rate from e-mail, so they use it to update their customers on any other special discounts or events such as the Spring Open House event.
These are usually short, just a few sentences about the current promotion, sometimes written by Kathy, sometimes written by the appropriate manager. The dealership brought on a part-time hourly employee to get the blog and social media marketing started. At $8 to $10 an hour, 10 hours a week, Kathy believes it was a pretty affordable option. Once the blog was developed with some good content and the social media was in place, they divided the responsibilities, primarily between the Parts Manager (who puts up parts specials) and the Sales Manager (who posts equipment info and sales). The blog is updated but not frequently. Kathy and I have developed a monthly report for each department that lets them see the profit and loss broken down by the department,” says Steve, “which includes the percentage of overhead that their department is responsible for.” Those reports help employees to take ownership of their departmental performance. “When I see something oozing and costing us money, I would rather be putting that money in my employees’ pockets than having it leaking out,” says Kathy. “And when they see that they know, if it’s costing Arco money, it’s costing me money.” A good business, they’ve learned, is as much about knowing what you are not supposed to do as knowing what you are supposed to do. “By reducing the lines, not trying to be everything to everybody,” says Kathy, “we can delivPET er exceptional service.”
Arco Lawn Equipment’s showroom is 3,000 sq. ft, with displays being updated four times a year.
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2015mowerpreview (Material supplied by American Honda)
Honda HRC Commercial Mowers Offer Durability H
onda’s HRC Commercial Series mowers consist of two models: the self-propelled, hydrostatic drive HRC216 HXA and push-type HRC216PDA. The HRC Series’ legendary mowing performance has enhanced by offering Honda’s exclusive MicroCut twin-blade mulching technology. Twin blades produce finer clippings for mulching, and finer clippings means less bagging. The HRC mowers are strong, fast, lightweight, more efficient, and incorporate a number of key features. Features such as dome shaped deck design that facilitates both
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bagging and mulching while delivering finer clipping particles: a front bumper provides mower deck and engine protection, and hydrostatic cruise control transmission designed for increased durability and higher top speed (HXA model only). The HRC Commercial Mowers offer improved heavy duty handlebars that are now adjustable for height and durable, lightweight Xenoy wheels with axle protectors. Both mowers also include large capacity easy-to-use grass bag with a quick and easy on/off feature. Call 770-497-6400; visit Hondapowerequipment.com
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2015mowerpreview (Material supplied by Rotary)
Quality Mower Parts Manufactured In The USA Built Rotary Strong—Built American Proud
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t Rotary, we take exceptional pride in manufacturing high quality lawnmower blades, trimmer line and foam air filters at our headquarters in Glennville, Ga. In 2013, four out of every five parts we shipped were made in the USA. “During a day when more jobs and more inventories are lost to overseas suppliers, we’re more committed than ever to relying on the USA for quality parts that are second to none,” says Ed Nelson, President of Rotary Corp. Rotary’s manufacturing facility in Glennville, Ga. is a leader in advanced technology, quality control and manufacturing expertise. In the past decade, we have installed new technologies utilizing advanced equipment and the very latest quality control methods to ensure our blades have exceptional uniformity and demonstrated efficiency. Whether it’s blades, trimmer line or filters, Rotary quality is always evident, and 100% of our blades, trimmer line and foam filters are manufactured in the USA at our state-of-theart manufacturing facilities.
The USA Way—The Rotary Way Think you can’t buy mower blades, trimmer line or filters that are 100% made in the USA? Take a look at Rotary. When you buy Rotary parts, you’re keeping jobs in America. In fact, Rotary offers more than 9,000 guaranteed quality parts, tools and accessories for 2014, including world class
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mower and edger blades manufactured in the USA. Over 250 new items have been introduced in 2014, including new commercial mulching blades, belts, heavy duty air filters, oil filters, pre filters, tires, wheels and tubes. Also featured are new piston assemblies, carburetors, electric starters, throttle controls, idler pulleys, spark plugs and throttle, brake and clutch cables. Rotary Corp. is recognized as the world’s leading aftermarket supplier of outdoor power equipment parts, tools and accessories, serving customers in all 50 states and 68 countries around the globe. Founded in 1957, Rotary operates eight U.S. distribution centers—Glennville, Ga., Richmond, Va., Largo, Fla., Albany, NY, Mesquite, Tex., Columbus, Oh., Fresno, Calif. and Evansville, Ind.—plus alternate shipping centers strategically located throughout the U.S.A. Contact Rotary now for a FREE 2014 catalog for servicing dealers and distributors that features more than 9,000 outdoor power equipment parts, tools and accessories! Call 800-841-3989; visit rotarycorp.com
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2015mowerpreview (Material supplied by Altoz)
Continued Innovation Expansion From Altoz F
ollowing a successful product unveiling nearly one year ago at the 2013 GIE+EXPO, the Altoz brand is offering a precision mower with progressive styling, an extraordinary level of engineering and durability, and unrivaled performance. The innovative design and engineering behind each of the XC and XP model mowers has made strategic collaborations with industry veterans such as Briggs & Stratton, Hydro-Gear and Kawasaki, reinforce Altoz’s commitment to providing the highest quality and most durable zero-turning radius mowers. Building off of the buzz surrounding the Altoz launch, a
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team of sales professionals began visiting dealerships nationwide to communicate the value the line can bring to a dealership and their bottom line. These efforts were enhanced by the Altoz show vehicle touring the U.S. to provide enthusiasts with up close and personal views of the new mowers, complete with opportunities for demo rides. Dealerships, events throughout the United States and tradeshows were all in-
cluded in the tour. Armed with a truly innovative line of zero-turning radius mowers and accessories, as well as competitive dealer financing options through Northpoint Financial and other incentives, the Altoz dealer network began to expand. As mowers rolled off the assembly line in Greenbush, Minn., and onto dealership floors throughout the nation, positive feedback began rolling in. With the 2015 model launches drawing near, the Altoz team continues to push the engineering envelope and will be introducing an additional zero-turning radius model to the market this fall. Guaranteed to further enhance the style, quality and durability the brand is quickly becoming known for, this latest offering will be a must have for dealerships nationwide. Visit Altoz.com.
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2015mowerpreview (Material supplied by Masport)
Masport’s “Dealer Only” Walk Behind Mowers M
asport is New Zealand’s leading manufacturer of lawn and garden outdoor power equipment. It has an extensive range of rotary and cylinder gasoline walk behind mowers, as well as gas shredders, edgers and cultivators. Masport is sold in 45 countries around the world, including the U.S. where a range of walk-behind mowers and other outdoor power equipment was first introduced in 2012. The IDN network of Distributors in U.S.A. and Canada distribute Masport’s range of consumer outdoor power equipment to servicing dealers across North America. Masport is a “dealer only” 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 mulch, catch and side discharge, feature aluminium and steel decks, single lever height adjustment and a unique handle lift system for ease of emptying the grass collected. The ball bearing wheels on Masport mowers are inset to allow the blades to extend past the wheel for ease of mov-
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ing close to walls and edges. Masport mowers are available in various cutting widths and are powered by Briggs & Stratton engines. Masport’s premium aluminum 4N1 walk-behind mower, the unique patented “Genius,” has an extra chipper blade and as well as performing mulch, catch and side discharge functions, can shred branches up to 1". As branches are chipped they are fed back into the catcher for spreading as mulch. For the 2015 season, in addition to their existing 6 model mulching/rear bagger line up, Masport introduces an electric start aluminum deck 21" variable speed machine as well as 18" and 21" commercial grade, side discharge only, models. Masport offers competitively priced, quality, unique products which stand out in any dealers’ showroom. Contact your regional IDN distributor for more details on the Masport 2015 dealer only program. Visit www.masport.com.
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2015mowerpreview (Material supplied by Billy Goat)
Billy Goat Fixed Deck Brushcutter B
illy Goat is pleased to introduce the BC2600HM and BC2600ICM mechanical drive, fixed deck models to supersede the prior BC2403 series of Outback brushcutters. The new BC2600 series will be the same great Outback but with next generation features, ergonomics and productivity. The new series features wider 26" deck for increased productivity; higher top speed for better cut quality; a rubberized rear deck trim for added stump clearance and reverse; heavier spindle assembly; improved shifting at the control panel for operator comfort; a shifting linkage for longer cable life; thicker and wider ergonomic handles, and a low engine oil alarm for improved reliability. The new Outback is equipped for meadow mowing and compliments the articulating deck, hydraulic drive units with enhanced traction control introduced in 2012 that is positioned for more severe terrain and hilly applications. Both series are designed to cut brush as high as 6' and saplings as up to 2" in diameter. They are also designed to take the abuse of hitting all those hidden items such as rocks, stumps, fence posts and tires. The heavy-duty belt protects the engine, so
the mower can keep cutting in the harshest environment. Visit www.billygoat.com.
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2015mowerpreview (Material supplied by B3C Fuel)
New Ethanol Shield Fuel Stabilizer Formula B
3C Fuel Solutions is proud to introduce their new Ethanol Shield Fuel Stabilizer formula! This formula is the first fuel stabilizer available to the general public that conforms to the rigorous standards set by the United States Military and NATO. B3C Fuel Solutions is introducing this new Ethanol Shield formula because today’s modern fuels are constantly changing and new fuel related problems continue to arise. Through their relentless research, B3C Fuel Solutions is continu-
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ously combating these issues by discovering new and better solutions to these problems. Key benefits of the new formula include: protection of all the metal components in the fuel system and increased upper cylinder lubrication. The new Ethanol Shield Stabilizer formula is also able to reduce engine heat, keep and clean combustion chambers and injectors, reduce the need for high octane fuel as machine ages, ensure maximum lubrication and prevent phase separation. Visit b3cfuel.com.
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POWER EQUIPMENT TRADE
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2015mowerpreview (Material supplied by Star Brite)
Star Tron’s 1-2-3 Rebate Program Increases Sales, Customer Satisfaction O
ne of the most common customer service complaints dealers hear concerns equipment that becomes difficult to start or runs rough within a few months after purchase. Dealers realize that the problem is the fuel, not the engine, but this can be a tough message to convey to irritated customers. All fuels, and especially ethanol-blended fuels, begin to degrade, forming gums and other debris within as little as 30 days of blending. The result is clogged carburetors and engines that run rough or are suddenly difficult to start. The solution is simple: Star Tron’s unique enzyme formula stabilizes fuel chemistry for up to two years, but it does much more than “just stabilize.” Star Tron actually increases the combustibility of the fuel, which means engines start easier and run smoothly with full power, even after sitting idle for weeks, even months, at a time. The enzymes break apart and disperse clogging debris to allow carburetors and injectors to operate at peak efficiency. In order to help customers discover the solution in a manner that also results in a measurable improvement in sales, Star Brite has launched the 1-23 Rebate program, which has been statistically proven to increase store sales. The program consists of three rebate offers, all designed to prompt customers to use Star Tron in order to keep their gas engines running reliably and to develop good fuel management habits. Best of all, Star Brite provides the coupons and
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handles all fulfillment. The first of the three rebates in the 1-2-3 Rebate program is the Ultimate Rebate. The customer receives a full refund for the purchase price of an eight ounce or 16 ounce bottle of Star Tron when they also purchase a piece of gas-powered equipment, allowing them to try Star Tron risk-free. The second rebate gets them up to a $5 rebate on the purchase of two 14308 bottles, or $2 on the purchase of one 14308 bottle without an accompanying whole goods purchase. The third rebate is similar, offering $10 back on the purchase of two 93016 bottles or $4 back on the purchase of one 93016 bottle. Dealers who are participating in the 1-2-3 Rebate program report an increase in customer satisfaction and a decrease in returned gas-powered equipment. Most customers who have experienced Star Tron’s results firsthand will continue to purchase it, using it not only in outdoor power equipment, but also in cars, trucks, motorcycles and more, improving profits for the dealership. The program also provides a full marketing materials support kit, including a banner, a countertop Ethanol 101 information brochure and training DVD. Participating dealers are listed on Star Tron’s website as part of the Star Link consumer referral program. Contact Dennis Torok at (800) 327-8583; email dtorok@starbrite.com.
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2015mowerpreview (Material supplied by Ybravo)
Ybravo 25" Commercial Walk-Behind Mower Y
bravo’s commercial line-up now includes the Bravo 25 model 25-201. The mower features Ybravo’s proprietary heavy-duty 2-speed gear-drive transmission and Kawasaki FJ18OV Kai engine that combine to deliver the fastest ground speed in its class. The Bravo 25 offers a number of commercial features including ergonomic handles, which allow easier turning and eliminates clenched fingers for hours at a time, and 9" semi-pneumatic wheels bolted directly to the axle eliminating wheel ratchets that cause expensive failures on other mowers. The walk-behind mower also includes an adjustment knob located at the handle which allows the operator to easily adjust the drive engagement of the mower to their personal preference. The oversized handle tubes are made of 34mm aircraftquality aluminum and provide a strong handle solution while
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minimizing weight. The 14 gauge heavy-duty steel deck provides years of trouble-free commercial use with a rolled lip at the bottom for additional rigidity. A blade spindle assembly with a forged spindle shaft for optimum strength, die cast aluminum housing for enhanced heat dissipation, innovative lubrication design which places each ball bearing in its own sealed compartment within the spindle housing ensuring permanent lubrication. A superior mulching “deep-draw” cutting deck with a special rolled lip provides superior vacuum for a manicured lawn even in moist conditions. A large capacity catcher that fills completely without clogging even in damp grass for fewer stops, and is quick and easy to remove straight through the handles without cables in the way. Visit http://www.ybravo.com.
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2015mowerpreview (Material supplied by Brinly-Hardy)
Brinly’s Tow-Behind Lawn Sweeper A
llowing fallen leaves to lie on the lawn not only discolors the grass and impedes growth, but also contributes to thatch buildup and can ultimately kill the turf, leaving bare spots. Raking large areas is an inefficient and exhausting task–one that must be done multiple times throughout the fall season. If your customers are like ours, they’re fed up with raking and ready to enjoy beautiful fall weekends without the hard labor. The newly redesigned towbehind lawn sweeper from Brinly is the ideal tool for sweeping up leaves, pine needles, grass clippings and old grass after dethatching. The durable fabric hamper has the capacity to hold and haul 20 cu. ft. of lawn material and can be emptied
right from the seat of your tractor. Six high-velocity brushes rotate to pick up material continuously, even during tractor turns. A high brush-to-wheel ratio and the easily adjustable brush-toground contact minimizes skipping and provides maximum performance. Then when the project is complete, simply collapse the sweeper into its upright position for quick and easy storage. With new additions like the ergonomic T-handle for easy emptying, integrated wheel drive design for durability, and the new twist-lock height adjustment for security over rough terrain, the Brinly 42" Lawn Sweeper keeps getting better and better. Call 877-728-8224; visit brinly.com.
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2015mowerpreview (Material supplied by Jungle Jim’s)
Jungle Jim’s Accessory Products J
ungle Jim’s Accessory Products, Inc. offers a full line of accessories for commercial lawn companies. Our first innovation, the Jungle Wheels, led to the incorporation of JJAP on August 16, 1993. Today, we offer a large assortment of accessories. Jungle Jim’s prides itself as one of the leading manufacturers of accessories for the commercial lawn industry. JJAP sells all products by means of two-step distribution. Distributors are set up to cover certain areas of the United States and abroad. We are working hard to be known as a name synonymous with quality and innovation in the commercial lawn industry. This would not be possible without you, the customer. Throughout our company history, your comments, support and patience have made all the difference in our success. We invite and encourage these suggestions as they continue to be the corner stone for our future. As a commercial landscaper myself, nothing is more satisfying than the approval of my peers for the products I sell. We will continue to work hard to explore new and innovative products with quality that you the customer can count on. I want to personally thank you for your encouragement and support through this journey. —Jim Hafendorfer, President and CEO Call 888-844-5467; visit junglejimsap.com
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POWER EQUIPMENT TRADE
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Customers Have A Choice Do They Choose You? What do you know about your service market potential? BY JOHN WALKER
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either “sat back and waited” for the business to come to them or did nothing to change the status quo of their business. There are two ways for the dealer to view the opportunity in the service department, the first being the service contribution to total sales. To measure this, divide your total service sales by your total dealership sales—view anything below 10% an extremely meager effort. The second is directly related to service market share. To measure this, divide the number of customers who have bought equipment in the past five years by the number of those customers who are currently purchasing their service from your dealership. In other words, if you have 100 customers and only 30 are purchasing their service from your dealership, you have a 30% market share. The 70% who go elsewhere for service is your unrecognized opportunity to increase your service sales and profitability. It is just as important to know who is not buying your product support as it is to know who is buying your product support! Once you know who is not buying from you, you can then ask the question why. We coined the phrase “unknown op-
portunity” because, as a general rule, most equipment dealers are unaware of this opportunity. More importantly, they are unaware of what it could mean to them if they decided to shift the dealership’s market focus slightly towards their product support sales and recognize the profitability of those same sales. Contact your systems provider and ask them whether or not your system has the ability to tell you what a customer buys from you on a yearly basis. If the system provider tells you yes, which will be 99% of the time, then ask your Parts Manager, Service Manager and Branch Manager whether or not they make use of these reports. If the answer is no then it is up to you to turn a problem into an opportunity. You will prove two things to yourself: The first being that there are a whole lot of customers out there who are servicing their own equipment—possibly because you have never asked for this business. The other being that there are a whole lot of “other” competitors working on the equipment you have sold, like independents, shade-tree technicians, other in-line dealers and other OEMs. This is your service competition. You may have four or five competitors for the equipment you sell and you know everything there is to know about their marketing strengths and weaknesses, but what information do you have about your product support PET competition?
ears ago the service department was referred to as the black hole of a dealership. The only (assumed) value of the department was to handle set-ups and warranty work. Seldom was it recognized as a true profit center capable of covering all the dealership’s fixed overhead and variable selling expenses, by providing the dealership a 100%+ absorption rate. When it comes to the equipment dealer’s parts and service, the customer has a choice! They can choose to go elsewhere to have their equipment serviced. Therefore, it is extremely critical that the dealer body recognizes this and begins to market the quality of the dealership’s service long before the sale is made, during the selling process and continually after the customer has departed the dealership after the sale has been consummated. Fortunately, this situation is slowly beginning to change. Dealers are beginning to figure out that as a profit center, the service department is most likely to carry the highest margins of any department within the entire dealership. With major manufacturers beginning to recognize the value of service sales and profits, more and more dealers will begin to search out and discover their unrecognized opportunities. Some successful equipment dealers recognized these service opportunities years ago and developed a secondary sales force dedicated to marketing the dealership’s product support. Too many dealers The service department is most likely to carry the highest margins of any ignored the opportunity and department within a dealership.
POWER EQUIPMENT TRADE
John Walker is President of Aftermarket Services Consulting Co., Inc., a Fort Mill, SCbased international training and consulting company working with manufacturers, dealers and associations in parts and service marketing, managing and merchandizing techniques. For more information contact AMS, 817 Stockbridge Drive, #399, Fort Mill, SC, 29708; email: amsconco@aol.com; web site: amsconco.com. ■
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INDUSTRYvoices
Servantage Dixie Sales Co. Celebrates 100th Anniversary Company also says goodbye to Jim Starmer, after announcing his retirement.
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fter 45 years with Servantage Dixie Sales (Dixie Sales Co.) Jim Starmer decided to retire effective on July 1, 2014. Starmer joined Dixie Sales in 1969 and led the company through substantial growth resulting in the organization’s current, prominent position within the outdoor power equipment distribution industry. While Starmer may be retiring he won’t be too far away: he will be maintaining Jim Starmer an office in Greensboro, NC. Harold Reiter, Servantage Dixie Sales’ CEO, says that he “wishes Jim all the best in his retirement and thanks him for his significant contribution to the organization and the industry over the years.” Starmer has always preached the importance of customer service, therefore it is no surprise that Dixie Sales Co. prides itself on the detail they pay to customer needs and the versatility of their employees’ knowledge of the ins and outs of the business. It’s what’s kept them in business for 100 years. From an article in Power Equipment Trade in February 1994, Starmer was quoted saying, “There is an ongoing joke around here that if someone asks one of the company’s employee’s what we do and he or she answers, ‘We distribute parts for various OEM lawn and garden manufacturers,’ that person is fired. That’s not the business we’re in. We’re in the customer service business. As long as we remember that, we’ll be successful.” These factors have contributed to the success and growth of the company over the last 100 years. Being successful in 28
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this industry is no small feat, let alone overcoming the obstacles Dixie Sales Co. has faced in the process. From what started as Dixie Rubber Co. in 1910 by Joseph Leahy, Dixie Sales Co. has seen it all in a century. From the very beginning, Dixie Rubber Co. foreshadowed the upcoming success. Because of little competition Dixie Rubber Co. quickly grew so big that not only did Leahy have to change his location, but also the company name to Dixie Dixie Sales Co. storefront, 1916 Sales Co. to accompany the recent growth within the business. Dixie Sales Co. continued to to the Narang Group from India, adding grow, having to move yet again and also global accounts. 2009 saw the investadd on a secondary location. ments sold to DSC Senior Management In 1914, Leander Starmer and and several Canadian independent inFranklin Snyder from Ohio purchased vestors, with 2012 bringing addition of the company from Leahy. The persis“Servatage” to the company name. In tent growth in the company allowed for 2013, the last buyout occurred, when Starmer and Franklin to expand by Servantage Dixie Sales acquired the adding and moving locations. outdoor division of Henry W. O’Neil & With new services, came new a new Associates in Victor, NY. name: Dixie Sales and Service Co. Inc. No matter the name or the manageSpreading its reach throughout the automent, the company has always been in mobile business, the second location some form or fashion, keen on remaining was named Columbia Batter Station. a dynamic force within the industry. Following a change in the company focus to automotive parts and accessories and drive-in general automotive services in the 1940’s and 1950’s, Dixie Sales refocused on Even when Dixie Sales was faced with outdoor power equipment parts and achardship, the company exceeded all excessories in the 1970’s. Through expanpectations by reopening following an sions, buyouts, name changes, and even explosion in 1922, triumphing over the cultural factors, the company became a Great Depression and effects from both strong competitor once again in the outWorld Wars. door power equipment industry in the In the 1980’s the ownership was 1990’s into the early 21st century. One of turned over to the Starmer family. But their goals is to continue to change to the the buyouts did not end there: 2001 saw customer’s needs. In order to do so, the the sale of Dixie Sales to Barrett Marcompany has recently added emphasis to keting Group. In 2006 Dixie Sales providing product and brand value-added merged with Freeplay Energy Plc. and service to better accommodate manufacPET in 2008 the Freeplay division was sold turers, retailers and customers.
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SHOWroom SP-1675 Precision Pro
variable transmission (CVT) with lowand high-gear ratios, a user-selectable locking rear differential that can be engaged in both 2WD- and 4WD-operation, and four-wheel independent suspension. Call 706-798-4311; visit cushman.com. 6611
Turf Tracer S-Series The SP-1675 Precision Pro, by SnowEx, has a 6-cubic-foot capacity. An innovative volumetric vane feed system provides consistent material flow to the spinner, while eliminating the need for a gate, since no material can leak out when the spreader is turned off. To ensure even material distribution, the spinner is located in the center of the unit, and the feed rate and spread width are independently adjustable for maximum material control. The spreader comes with a lightweight, corrosion-resistant polyethylene hopper, which requires little maintenance. The electric drive system further reduces maintenance needs, since there are no engines, chains or sprockets to service. The SP-1675 is offered with three mounting systems for attaching to threepoint hitches, utility vehicles or 2" receiver hitches. It is backed by a two-year parts and labor warranty. Call 800-725-8377 or 248-586-350; 1516 visit snowexproducts.com.
Cushman 1600XD4
The Cushman 1600XD4’s many features include: 22 HP, 1,007cc diesel engine, automatic transmission with selectable gear ratios, user-selectable 4WD, user-selectable locking rear differential, large payload and towing capacity, four-wheel independent suspension and durable construction. The 1600XD4 combines four-wheeldrive capability with a powerful 22 HP, 1,007cc three-cylinder OHV diesel engine. Its performance is further enhanced by an automatic, continuously
Exmark has redesigned one of its most popular wide-area walk-behind mowers, the Turf Tracer S-Series. The new 2015 model incorporates a number of improvements designed to deliver increased overall durability, serviceability and ease-of-use. The simplified design reduces maintenance and increases reliability, with easier belt changes courtesy of a revised belt shield design. The new Turf Tracer S-Series utilizes new materials in a number of areas, including a more robust, durable discharge chute and more abrasion resistant metal in the front deck height adjusters. In addition, an hour meter is standard on all Turf Tracer S-Series models to help accurately track maintenance intervals. A choice of 36-, 48- or 52" UltraCut Series 3 cutting decks are available with the new Turf Tracer SSeries. This 5" deep, fully-welded deck design delivers Exmark’s signature cut quality, combined with the durability of the company’s sealed, greaseless spindles and heavy-duty 7-gauge steel deck reinforcements. Call (402) 223-6300; visit Ex4510 mark.com
POW-R Tote POW-R Tote, by SWE, is housed in a virtually indestructible, heavy-duty, watertight storm case to handle harsh environments. Two power connectors come standard: An automobile 12V auxiliary outlet (car plug) powers and recharges cells phones, notebook computers,
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SHOWroom
tablets and other low power devices; an Anderson SB50 powerclaw connector is also provided for higher power gear like surveillance, drug test kits and power tools. SWE will configure-to-order other connectors and energy capacities to meet consumers’ unique needs. The recharging POW-R Tote is easy with an external 115V/240V AC adapter that plugs into any outlet. About the size of a lunchbox, and weighing only 23 lbs., the ecofriendly and reliable POW-R Tote uses safe, powerful lithium-ion battery technology to deliver longer, high powered run time. Call 1-800-231-3612; visit swe.com. 3342
Radiator Genie The Radiator Genie, originally designed as an effective and efficient alternative to expensive tractor radiator cleanings (or replacements), can also be used to clean and improve the performance of radiators and cooling systems
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on trucks, A/C units, refrigerators, cars, boats, ATVs, lawn equipment and much more. On a tractor, the Radiator Genie fits in the engine’s cowl, between the fan blades, and is at the correct angle to blow directly through the radiator coils while exerting maximum pressure to the backside of the radiator. The Radiator Genie clears away the dust and debris that can quickly accumulate through daily tractor use to prevent overheating—and the subsequent damage overheating can cause—with an easy-to-use wand design. Two different wands, an air wand and a water wand, can be used depending on the level of debris. The versatile wand can also be used as a general-purpose pressure washer. Call 303-915-9092; visit radiator 3202 genie.com.
STP15 Tree Puller The Land Pride STP15 Tree Puller removes shrubs, saplings and small trees pulling them from the ground, roots and all. The serrated teeth make this a useful tool for removing steel and wood fence posts around the farm. The 10" jaw opening allows you to grasp and pull a
wide range of trees and posts. With the STP15, chances for regrowth are eliminated without the use of chemicals because you remove the root with the added benefit of minimal ground disturbance. The frame on the Land Pride STP is manufactured from 3/16" x 3.5" square tubing, the teeth are laser cut from 5/8" steel and measure 16" in length. It features a 2.5" solid, greaseable pivot pin. The clamping force is supplied by a 2" x 8" x 1" welded cylinder. Call 785-823-3276; visit Landpride.com 5626
Rim Fire Gasket Internal combustion engines operate by igniting fuel in a cylinder. The ignition of the fuel mixture in the cylinder is caused by the introduction of a spark, resulting in combustion. Current spark plug design places a spark plug in the center of the engine head. This design propagates the combustion flame from the centre evenly out to the walls of the cylinder. However, the cylinder walls are externally cooled and therefore create a cooler area that extinguishes the flame before combustion is fully completed which results in a loss of power, increased fuel consumption and high hydrocarbon emissions. The Rim Fire sparking gasket reverses this process by propagating multiple flames starting from the cooled cylinder wall and burning evenly in towards themselves to the center of the combustion chamber. In short, Rim Fire utilizes an innovative head gasket embedded with multiple electrode circuitry in each chamber. This provides significant improvements in fuel economy, performance, emission reduction and material cost savings. 3507 Visit rim-fire.com.
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SHOWroom John Deere 1500 Series TerrainCut
easier diagnosis of service issues and faster service intervals. These EFI engines are continually monitoring internal and external factors that can affect engine performance, such as fuel grade, fuel quality, ambient air temperature and altitude, and making automatic adjustments to optimize performance, increase fuel efficiency and extend service life. Model 727T EFI can be equipped with 52-, 61- or 72" DuraMax cutting decks, and 61- or 72" DuraMax decks are available for Model 327 EFI. Both models accept PowerVac collection systems, while a range of time- and labor-saving implements for the 727T EFI increase productivity in any season. 4095 Visit grasshoppermower.com.
ABOUT SHOWROOM PRODUCTS John Deere increases its front mount mower models with the new 1500 Series TerrainCut front mowers. The series adds five new models—the 1550, 1570, 1575, 1580 and 1585 TerrainCut to the existing front mower line-up. The 1550 TerrainCut features a 24.2 HP engine, and the 1570, 1575, 1580, and 1585 TerrainCut are equipped with 37.4 HP engine. All 1500 TerrainCut models can be equipped with a 60"/72" 7-Iron PRO side discharge deck, or 62"/72" Fastback rear discharge deck options. These decks come standard with flat free semi-pneumatic caster tires that increase uptime to finish the job. The 1550 and 1570 TerrainCut models are available with either two-wheel or fourwheel drive. The 1575 and 1585 models have a factory-installed cab on the market and come standard with HVAC, front work lights, flashers, turn signals, windshield wiper, an upholstered, air suspension seat, and tilt steering. Curved glass and single pane tempered windows provide an unobstructed view no matter what the task. 0495 Call 309-765-8000; visit deere.com
All products presented here were submitted by manufacturers, who are responsible for any and all claims made. PET reserves the right to edit for style and space considerations.
HOW TO SUBMIT PRODUCTS Electronic images and copy (please be brief) are required. Images should be scanned as 300 dpi and saved as either tiff or eps files. E-mail to jessica@hattonbrown.com. Ship disks to Jessica Johnson, P.O. Box 2268, Montgomery, AL 36102-2268 or to 225 Hanrick St., Montgomery, AL 36104-3317. Ph. 334834-1170.
Grasshopper EFI Mowers
The new MidMount Model 327 EFI and FrontMount Model 727T EFI mowers by Grasshopper, are powered by enhanced second-generation, fuel-efficient 747cc Kohler Command Pro closed-loop EFI engines that offer a range of benefits to operators including: decreased fuel use, reliable hot and cold starts, reduced engine exhaust emissions and fewer fuel-induced service issues. The Delphi automotive-based system features plug-in diagnostics with engine feedback and performance information for POWER EQUIPMENT TRADE
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1709 Lamons Lane Johnson City, TN 37604 Website: www.powertoolco.com Email: sales@powertoolco.com Pro/Consumer Lines: Scag, Giant-Vac, Brown Products, Velke, Grass Gobbler Voice: 800-752-1780 Fax: 423-926-1679
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Obsolete McCulloch & Obsolete Green Machine
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BUSY LAWNMOWER, TRIMMER, SNOW BLOWER, CHAINSAW SALES, SERVICE AND REPAIR SHOP!!!
Busy lawnmower, trimmer, snow blower and chainsaw sales, service and repair shop in business since 1965 includes all inventory, parts, equipment and a list of over 1700 current customers. Lots of traffic and tons of room for expansion and growth into new products. The business is on a 10 acre parcel and operates out of 10,000 square feet of interior space comprised of 3 buildings - a 42x90 clear span steel building for storage and work space, a 20 x 40 storage building. And a third building with a 32 x 60 showroom, office, additional storage area and a 24 x 80 service shop. 5454 Route 32, Catskill, New York. Come take a look .....................................................................$450,000
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But by mid decade in the new 21st century, storm clouds were beginning to gather for not only Dixon and Husqvarna but all of the lawn and garden industry and U.S. economy as a whole: In 2006 when Husqvarna announced the Dixon acquisition, the wheels were already wobbling on the housing market that drives much of lawn and garden’s sales, and two years later all bets were off as the U.S. economy was in freefall by late 2008. Sales of lawn and garden equipment followed the trend downward. In June 2009, Husqvarna embarked on a major consolidation and cost cutting scheme that involved closing its longtime Augusta, Ga. facilities, reducing distribution locations from 27 to 17—and shuttering its barely 5-year-old Beatrice plant and transferring production to Orangeburg, SC. Beatrice closed by the end of 2010, and less than a year later Husqvarna announced it was discontinuing the Yazoo/Kees brand “in order to focus on the Dixon and Husqvarna product lines.” Ironically, in announcing both the Yazoo/Kees and Dixon brand discontinuations, Husqvarna used the same phrasing: “will continue to manufacture and market similar products.” Maybe that’s the same as the dreaded “vote of confidence” that soon-to-be-gone football coaches and political appointees get. But please don’t view this column as a slam against Husqvarna: The company’s performance speaks for itself as one of the largest lawn and garden power equipment manufacturers in the world. And in the past five years, Husqvarna and many other companies all had to make tough decisions to survive the harshest business conditions in the U.S. since the Great Depression. And even without the economic downturn, mergers and acquisitions are an ongoing feature of modern business around the world. Every day businesses get bought out, merged, swallowed up, chopped up and absorbed by other companies, their organizations left anywhere from totally intact to completely shattered depending on how the deals go down. In addition, those brands, products, people and organizations acquired must prove their value to their new parent companies. But aside from the dry financial, bottom line realities of business transactions (or maybe because of them), many try to
look behind the numbers to the heart and soul of a business: Stories like Andreas Stihl hitting the road in North America in 1937 with five chain saws and a dream; Tony Malizia and Bill Nelson pounding the Southeast backroads spreading the Snapper and Rotary gospels; George Ballas coming up with his popcorn can and fishing line and a better idea—and K.O. Dixon taking a better mowing concept, refining it and introducing it to the biggest lawn and garden market in the world—are much more interesting than tales of how roomfuls of lawyers negotiated multimillion dollar buyouts. Then again, instead of shedding a tear for the Dixon name now that Husqvarna has announced it’s disappearing in North America, perhaps it’s a tip of the hat or liquid salute that’s called for. After all, compared to the thousands of businesses big and small that start up and flame out in months, Dixon Industries made it to the stars. I cover a lot of time and distance on the road, much of it in rural America for PET’s companion magazines. Driving through places that have seen bigger or better times, I’ll notice a rusty teepee burner in a field, a vine-covered husk of an industrial plant or long-gone trucking or logging shop alongside the highway and think of the hopes and dreams and hard work that went into each of these forgotten ventures and whether it might have been bad decisions or bad markets or just bad luck that put them on the road to rust and ruin. In its announcement that it was discontinuing the Dixon brand in North America, Husqvarna officials noted the move would provide “no noteworthy financial impacts.” That a mower brand can go from more than $50 million in sales just nine short years ago to off the menu now is astounding, and a testament to modern business practices, where even the most successful subsidiary can quickly go from asset to PET afterthought.
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3 ➤ 160,000 sq. ft. facility by the late ’90s. The company’s early promotion of the zero-turn concept was a big reason for the zero-turn explosion in the 1990s. (At one time I’m pretty sure Dixon had trademarked the acronym “ZTR” in regards to lawnmowers; maybe someone can let PET know if that’s still the case.) By the late 1990s Dixon had more than 1,000 dealers—most handled direct—and export distributors sold Dixon mowers into Europe, Australia, New Zealand and even South Africa and Israel. Though Dixon had started out with its original mid-mount, blue-bodied ZTR design targeting homeowners, more than half its production was being sold to commercial contractors by 1999, when the 200,000th mower rolled off the assembly line in Coffeyville. Dixon was well known for working well with its dealer base: In 1995 PET asked dealers to rate their suppliers, and more than 600 responded. Dixon came out on top with the best overall rating (followed by Stihl, Simplicity, Deere and Husqvarna). The survey took into account a variety of factors including product quality, promotional support and even quality and helpfulness of sales reps.
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DEALERtodealer
DALE STOTTS
How Do You Handle Mower Safety?
The mowing season is in full swing with consumers purchasing both new and used equipment; how are you handling costumers questions?
The Consumer Product Safety Comthis: Are we as leaders in our own inmission (CPSC) keeps records on industry doing enough or just letting juries and deaths on all types of accithings slide by? dents during a year. The following are When was the last time you took the just those which concern this topic: In extra few minutes to completely explain 2012 there were 13,799 accidents which to your customers the safe and proper required hospital visits. Between 2011 way to use their products? Much less and 2013 there were 38,000 accidents explain the very reason certain devices with walk-behind mowers; at the same are on a unit to make it safer to use? time there were 34,000 accidents with Are you stressing the fact that no child, he question I present to you is, riding equipment. Now comes how are you doing with your eduthe scary part, from 2008Are you stressing the fact that no cation of those very consumers 2010 there were 90 deaths who not only purchase but use gas and recorded in the United States. child, pet or any other individual electric powered equipment products? So here is my first observashould be in the area the operator At the same time how are your service tion: For several years manutechs and sales force doing about folfacturers, both domestic and is using a product? lowing with factual “Safety Advice and abroad, have worked with Information?” Let’s take a moment and agencies like CPSC in doing detailed pet or any other individual should be in review some information I’ve recently studies on how to prevent injuries. Any the area the operator is using a product? gathered as well as a few recent examdealer, sales rep and service tech can At the same time, even though it might ples I’ve seen, observed and even read vouch for all the safety information be inconvienent or aggravating, safety about. available to not only the consumer, but devices are on units to help protect the Like the ultimate safety mishap in a also to those who directly deal with the user and anyone else from possible inFather’s Day commercial. This compublic on a daily basis. Just take a jury or worse, death. mercial aired on national TV by a Big glance at all the warning labels and deAre any of us perfect? No. During Box store. It shows a father mowing his tailed written information on any prodmy 50 plus years in this business I’ve yard with a walk behind mower and foluct connected to use in a yard, garden, been hurt, received stitches to a hand lowing him was his young son pushing timber tract or any other landscaped twice and a leg once. Each and every his toy mower less than six feet behind area. Yet, here we are, with accidents time it was a direct result of my own his father. Now I don’t know about you, each and every year—with many doing fault, not paying attention to proper but I would have refused to pay for this such serious damage, death is a result. safety measures. Talking and showing consumers about safety makes good sense. My question is this: Are we as leaders in our own industry Our customers are a precious commodity we don’t want to lose—espedoing enough or just letting things slide by? When was the cially by an accident which might have last time you took the extra few minutes to completely been avoided if safety measures had been followed. So what do you think? explain to your customers the safe and proper way to use Are you and your help doing all you can their products? or have you fallen into the habit that the consumer should know better? I think ad. I also would have fired the ad agenNow many of you may think: We they need much more training to reduce cy for the total disregard of safety every can’t take the consumers by the hand the CPSC accident report numbers. seller and manufacturer of powered PET and watch over them 24 hours a day. What do you think? equipment stress on each and every Why one can fall getting out of the bath Dale Stotts owns and operates Stotts Engine Service, Monett, MO 65708; fax: 417unit, much less in every owner’s manutub or shower and be seriously hurt. 235-1156; or email: djstotts@sbcglobal.net. al. Of course, since it was a Big Box But, my point is, in the factual world we The views of Dale Stotts do no necessarily store, I guess it was all right to ignore live in individuals are probably going to represent those of Hatton-Brown Publishbasic safety precautions for the young be injured by a product or something ers, Inc. son while his father is mowing the yard. they are doing wrong. My question is
T
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