Archive for May, 2010

Bagging Done Right for Perfect Results

Wednesday, May 26th, 2010

Believe it or not, there’s a low-maintenance way of bagging your grass and leaf clippings. We know what you’re probably thinking, but trust us on this one. There are certain things you can do to streamline the bagging process without disrupting productivity or cut quality.

First, you must remember three things: airflow, airflow and airflow. Airflow plays a major role in bagging. It’s the little things that make all the difference, from high blade tip speed to the right “breathability” in the system. The more your deck is able to breathe, the smoother the bagging process will be.

It’s a good idea to maintain a clean cutting deck.  If the underside of your deck is packed with grass, it won’t breathe as well.  Clean it out, and you will process more material. And keep the deck at ¼” positive rake.

Every bagger can get clogged with material.  Plugs normally start closer to your deck discharge, but check your hopper along the way.  To keep this clogging to a minimum in tough conditions, slow your forward ground speed while keeping engine throttle and rpm high.  This gives your deck the best opportunity to process material through the system to your hopper.

Also remember to keep your bag and hopper screen clean so more air passes through them. If your system does plug up, always shut down your mower completely before trying to clear material.

Keep your engine speed up.  Higher blade tip speed created by running your engine at full throttle will maximize air flow.  Engage your blades at ½ throttle first, then power up to full throttle for bagging.

For spring grasses, use a notched airfoil blade to increase air flow. In the fall, use blades that will process leaves to a finer grade, such as Exmark Extreme blades.  Also, blades with a higher sail lift (the upturned portion at each end of your blade) require more power from your engine, but also create more vacuum within your deck to pick up leaves.

We’d love to know if this post has been helpful. Leave your questions, comments and anything else on your mind below.

This post is by Mark Aldendifer, parts and accessories marketing manager at Exmark Manufacturing.

28 Candles

Monday, May 24th, 2010

This month, we’re celebrating our 28th birthday. But before we blew out the candles and cut the cake, we asked a couple of Exmarkites to help us look back and reflect on the good times by sharing their fondest, proudest memories while working here. Without further adieu, here’s Cindy Jurgens and Greg Licht, two family members with a long tenure of making kick-butt Exmark mowers sharing their favorite moments with us.

Cindy Jurgens, Continuous Improvement Analyst

I started working here in 1982, shortly after Exmark was founded. There were seven of us back then, which meant we worked closely together, ate lunch together and helped each other out whenever someone needed it. Though I have a great collection of stories and memories, the one that really stands out, which also happens to be my proudest moment at Exmark, was when I received my Lean Green Belt. I took different courses, completed 100 credit hours over 2 years, lead a project with more than $10,000 in savings and gave a final presentation to earn my belt. I am honored to say that today I am a Kaizen facilitator at Exmark, helping us become more efficient, more focused and better at what we do. Now that will stay with me forever.

Greg Licht, Materials Manager

Having worked here since 1984, I have a lot of memories stored up. But the one that comes to mind is the day a full trailer tipped over right outside of the building and mowers went everywhere. It was a particularly hot day in Beatrice—so hot, in fact, the asphalt near the ditch literally melted. When the trailer was being moved to the street, the asphalt buckled and the trailer fell on its side. Man, it was a mess. But everyone came together and worked as a team to get the mowers back on the trailer and ready to go. It was the camaraderie that really stands out in my mind. I loved seeing everybody pitching in, staying late and making sure the mowers were taken care of. That’s the thing about this place—no matter how big we get, people are always ready to pitch in.

Green Machines

Wednesday, May 19th, 2010

We’re not surprised in the least to see a good deal of our customers opting for environmentally-friendly, alternative fuel mowers. It’s been a steady ripple of change within the landscaping industry. And pros are doing it for a variety of reasons, from customer expectations, to evolved business practices, to overall gas savings and efficiency.

Exmark is supporting our customers’ efforts with green machines that burn cleaner, reduce emissions and use less gas. We’re also hoping to educate everyone on the benefits of propane mowers.

For instance, along with the positive impacts of fuel  and environmental conservation, propane mowers require less maintenance and a clean-burning engine will actually last up to twice as long as a traditional engine.  Although there’s a bit of sticker shock associated with these mowers, propane is nearly 30 percent cheaper than gasoline, so the cost savings really add up. Translation: going green can save some green.

But if investing in a new alternative fuel mower is not an option, you can still take steps to go green by filling your Exmark with biodiesel. You’ll see very little impact on the performance of your mower.

Though alternative fuels may not be as readily available as gas, propane and biodiesel are not hard to find. Simply search your local Yellow Pages for your nearest propane dealer and The National Biodiesel Board for a list of registered fuel suppliers who adhere to strict production standards.

For those who prefer a gas motor but still want to reduce their gas consumption, take a look at Kohler electronic fuel injection engine (EFI), which uses significantly less gas, burns cleaner and produces far fewer carbon emissions than a traditional engine.  Similar to alternative fuel engines, you’ll spend less on fuel and need less maintenance.

Thinking about going green? Check out some Exmark’s alternative fuel mowers and EFIs.

Don’t forget to leave a comment and share your thoughts on the green issue.

Exmark’s Virtual High Fives

Thursday, May 6th, 2010

Every month we will feature dealers and landscape professionals who stand out in the industry. They are companies and people who share our philosophies, going above and beyond the expected to deliver not just a great product or service, but a great 360-degree experience. We’ll be asking them a few questions that will highlight what they’re doing right, how they’re doing it and how they will continue to do it in the future. We hope you keep coming back to read these well-deserved pats on the back.

For our first feature, we spoke with Dean Meyer from Waconia Farm Supply. We’ve had a relationship with Waconia since 1998 and it’s still going strong. Not only are they focused on their customers’ needs, but they’re a progressive-thinking company that’s not afraid to try new things.

How long have you been in business? 61 years.

What do you look for in the products you carry? For us, it’s all about the reputation of a company, how easy they make the process, the quality of their offerings and availability. And having competitive terms doesn’t hurt.

What do your customers look for in a mower? They want something that’s reliable, that’s built to last, that’s low in maintenance and high in productivity. They also want to work with a company and dealer that stand behind their products.

How do you feel you do things differently? We strive to provide the best customer service possible ― before, during and after the sale.

What are your goals for your dealerships? This can be easily answered with our mission statement: Be a value-added supplier of goods and services, and enhance our customers business and lifestyles in a manner beneficial to both customer and our company.

What is the one thing you focus on when it comes to your customers? Customer satisfaction. Always.

Where do you see the industry headed? It’s definitely becoming more competitive and specialized.  Consumers have more knowledge at their fingertips forcing dealers to know more about the products they sell.

Where would you like to see the industry go? I’d like to see dealers having more control over what the manufacturers provide for service to dealers.

What are some of the things currently affecting your customers and how are you dealing with this situation? Our customers are scrutinizing each aspect of their business, like dealers are.  They are running as lean as possible and only doing what they are profitable at. We try to be efficient, offering our customers exactly what they need through diverse yet relevant product offerings.

What similarities/philosophies do you think you share with Exmark? We strive to be the best and be proactive.  We never want to be in a situation where we are reacting to the market…we want to be the ones other dealers are reacting too.

Thanks Dean, for taking the time to answer our questions and for doing things right. Way to go.

Daryn Walter’s Peek into the 2010 Season

Monday, May 3rd, 2010

With the new mowing season fast approaching, we wanted to look ahead and take a brief glance behind at the issues that will be affecting us, our dealers and Landscape Pros.

For this 2010 forecast, we turned to our Director of Marketing, Daryn Walters, with a few questions that have been floating through the halls of Exmark.

Q: What is the outlook for landscape pros this mowing season?

This may sound shocking, but the early indications from Exmark retail data and product demand tell us that landscape pros are poised for a very successful 2010. This is the direct result of a very busy snow season, which generated healthy profits and a high degree of optimism for landscape professionals.  And as products are aging, we are ready to provide our customers with great products that will continue to build on the momentum created by winter.

Q: What is Exmark looking forward to through the 2010 season?

We’re excited to be able to offer our customers and distribution channels some of the best mowers on the market. We’re moving into the second, full year of production on the new Lazer Z product line. The new Lazer has been a tremendous success over the last 14 months, with perks of some of the lowest warranty rates in the company’s history. In addition, our customers are gearing up to jump on our highly anticipated, stand-on mower, Vantage, as well as walk behind the completely redesigned Commercial 21 product.

Q: What could be most unexpected this year?

Since we’re constantly looking out for our clients, it’s in our nature to try to prepare for any number of scenarios, both positive and negative, that could impact our customers’ business. For example, we’re continually monitoring fuel and commodity prices, economic conditions, and the most unpredictable variable of them all, major weather shifts.  Weather is such a huge contributing factor to the industry’s yearly success, that it cannot be ignored; however, it is the one variable that is arguably the most difficult to manage.  The good news is that if the current long-term models are correct, our customers should enjoy a relatively normal temperature and precipitation cycle over the coming summer months.

Q: Any tips for our customers that will help them have a successful year?

The greatest advice that I can provide both landscape professionals and power equipment dealers is to keep challenging yourself, keep improving, keep evolving. This is Exmark’s core philosophy and it has helped us advance our company in both prosperous and poor economic times, and unpredictable weather conditions. We are always challenging the norm and trying to find new and more effective ways to grow our business, support our customers and produce the industry’s leading products. This drive for innovation and business improvement transcends the manufacturing segment and can easily be applied to our customers—whether that is identifying new profitable products and services or improving your existing core business processes.  There will always be new competition popping up and in order for your business to grow you must continuously seek improvements, challenge the past and approach every day with an entrepreneurial curiosity. And, if you are ever in need of some immediate inspiration, remember that Darwinism is alive and well in our economy, where strong companies will prosper and grow, while weak companies decline and disappear.