Maintenance: mowing equipment

[Paul Payne]

A am curious about something. I know someone who has been working on a powered mowing device that does not require feul. I can't get into the drive details because that would not be fair to him. From an engineering standpoint however it seems pretty ingenious. This is not remotely like a traditional reel mower.

His plan is to market this to environmentally conscious consumers. I just wondered if there would eventually be a comercial market for this idea.

I really don't know a lot of details about course maintenance equipment so my question is this: how big is the fuel cost for mowers on a typical course? Not the tractors but simply the mowing device? In other words hand mowers or eliminating the need to drive a mower with the tractor engine. Do you think reducing fuel consumption in this way would have any significant impact on the maintenance budget?

[Craig Sweet]

Paul, fuel costs alone are not the determining factor when purchasing equipment for mowing a golf course..the quality of the cut, service,battery life (if electric) etc. are very important considerations....currently there are several "hybrid" mowers that utilize electric motors to either turn the reels or drive the mower.  

[Paul Payne]

So even assuming that the quality of the cut was good, fuel cost itself is not really a big factor?

Thanks,

After I posted this question I realized I didn't want anyone to think I was going to try and sell them something, I was just curious about the answer.

[Steve Okula]

Fuel costs alone are a relatively minor consideration.

Higher priorities are (in random order),

Initial cost of investment
Quality of cut
Manufacturer support in parts and service
Reliability and ease of equipment maintenance
Operator friendliness and safety

[Joe Hancock]

Not including the tractor unit? We've had ground driven mowing units (pull by horses or tractors) for a very long time.

I still mow fairways with ground driven reel mowers.

Joe