This week’s post comes from our very own CEO, whose celebration is steeped in tradition

Rick Olsen – General Manager

Our holiday celebration is shaped by two things: my Swedish ancestry and my birthday. My birthday is on December 24^th. This is great for me since that’s the day my entire extended family comes together to celebrate Christmas. We kick things off with a little midday lunch that includes cake and birthday presents. After lunch, we usually spend the rest of the day catching up and enjoying each other’s company. Before we know it, it’s time for dinner. We always have a traditional Swedish meal that takes me back to my roots. A family program follows dinner, where the children play musical instruments and the eldest read Christmas stories. Then it’s time to open presents. But no matter how many presents I get on that day, whether for my birthday or Christmas, my absolute favorite present by far is seeing my entire family in one place.

No matter how you and your family celebrate, everyone at Exmark wishes you a happy holiday season.

The lights are up. The mall Santas have taken their rightful thrones. The deal-hunters are out in full force. The lists and cookies have been made. Everywhere you turn, it’s beginning to look a lot like the most wonderful time of the year. To keep in the spirit, we’d like to take a moment and shift focus from mowers to people. Specifically our Exmark people. The next few posts are dedicated to three of our employees and how they like to spend their holiday season.

We’re kicking off the holiday posts with one from Debbie Hartig.

Debbie Hartig – Materials Coordinator

Ever since I can remember, we’ve celebrated Christmas on the 24^th. We always get together at a relative’s house, eat a delicious prime rib dinner and open presents. We have the best time just sitting around and catching up. And if the mood strikes, we’ll pop in a few home movies and catch up on Christmases past. And haircuts past! I can’t imagine spending the holidays any other way.

No matter how you and your family celebrate, everyone at Exmark wishes you a happy holiday season.

As mowing season winds down, pros need to start thinking about fall maintenance and winterizing their mowers. But before we get ahead of ourselves, let’s talk fall clean-up.

Picking up extra debris and keeping customers’ yards clean sometimes can be more difficult than it should be. But using the right tool, like Exmark’s UltraVac system, can keep a simple clean-up job from turning into a big production.

Something else to consider is your blades. More times than not, we get calls from pros telling us that their mowers aren’t picking up extra debris, like twigs. The issue is often blade related. Regular blades do a great job of bagging grass clippings, but leaves need to be chopped up into very fine pieces to move quickly and efficiently through the tube. Extreme blades are designed for this job. They’ll get more debris in the bag, and you won’t have to stop as often to empty it.

One last thing to check is your deck setting. If your deck isn’t set at the correct level, your mower won’t be able to pick up debris. Your local dealer can help you get your deck to where it needs to be.

This blog post is by David Martin, customer service manager at Exmark.

Ahhhhh, mowing – being outdoors, surrounded by the scent of freshly-mowed grass, no walls or fluorescent lights or cubicles standing between you and nature, the feeling of instant gratification that comes with turning a plain lawn into a masterpiece – there’s nothing like it.

The only catch is, spending all that time outside during the prime summer months, when the sun is at its most relentless, can be bad news for your skin. The rays are at their worst between 10:00 am and 2:00 pm. Aside from painful sunburn, you’ll increase your chances of skin cancer. Fortunately you can protect yourself with a few easy steps.

It’s all in the timing.

When you apply your sunscreen is just as important as actually applying sunscreen. So slather it on 30 minutes before you head out to maximize its effectiveness. And don’t forget to reapply every few hours to keep your skin protected.

Choose the right amount.

Most people think a little squirt of sunscreen will do the job. Those people usually end up burned. What you need is at least a shot-glass full to cover your entire body.

The right outfit.

It may seem like a no-brainer, but what you wear can make a difference in protecting your skin. The color, thickness of material and tightness of the fabric’s weave all contribute to a piece of clothing’s SPF rating.  Clothing’s SPF can range from less than 10 for a plain white T-shirt to more than 50 for sun-protective clothes.

If you get burned.

If you do end up with a sunburn, there are several things you can do to treat it.  The first is to take an anti-inflammatory such as Ibuprofen to help reduce swelling.  The second is to use a sunburn spray or gel and apply it directly to the burn. Skip the heavy lotions though; they can actually prevent the skin from cooling down.

Do you have any tricks for protecting yourself from the sun? Post a comment and tell us all about it.

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.

We’ve heard it time and time again from both pros and homeowners: there’s just something relaxing about mowing. About getting out in the fresh air with the scent of freshly mowed grass holding the air captive.

There’s also a feeling of pride and a sense of accomplishment that comes with looking at a perfectly cut lawn. And when you take mowing seriously, you naturally move into the ranks of being an artist, because you’re creating something beautiful. Every lawn is your canvas.

We don’t mean to get overly Zen on you, but it is undeniable that there’s a certain Zen-like feeling that can come from mowing.

As calming as mowing can be, there are still mower operators who are less than gentle on their equipment. Not that machines are sensitive by any means, but an aggressive operator who manhandles the mowers will wear the equipment down at a much quicker rate, as well as tear up the turf. This forceful handling causes an enormous amount of strain on the hydraulic system and will also compromise the quality of cut.

Another way to compromise the mower is to try to jump over things. If you need to go up or down a curb–don’t jump it. Take your time in finding another way to move the mower. Jumping off a curb results in free-spinning tires and, upon landing, creates excess weight and pressure on the machine.  It doesn’t matter what type of equipment you have, none of these systems are designed to deal with a force that strong and can cause an immediate failure of the hydraulic system.

So when you get out there, remember to extend the tranquility to your equipment. Not only is it pricey to fix, but a broken machine can shatter the peaceful balance of being outdoors and creating your lawn masterpiece.

Author: David Martin, customer service manager at Exmark