BALTIMORE, Md. – The ever-popular outdoor demonstration portion of the outdoor demo was held beneath unseasonably warm and sunny skies Sunday afternoon, and more than 75 manufacturers had their latest and greatest products on display for contractors to test out.
Attendees enjoyed a barbecue lunch and then scattered across the series of baseball fields and park areas just outside of downtown Baltimore to check out products.
On display were a number of new products, including:
- Encore’s 61-inch Prowler riding mower with a 26-hp diesel engine. The mower offers zero-turn capabilities, carries an articulated deck and will have a 72-inch counterpart next summer. Encore already offered the mower with a 31-hp gasoline engine, but Encore’s Jim Forrester said contractors across the country have been looking for a commercial mower with a diesel engine because of the diesel engines’ longer life.
- Scag’s Cougar mower is a 48-inch riding machine that allows operators to mulch clippings, collect clippings or discharge them out the side of the mowing deck. The mower features a 25-hp Kohler Command engine.
- The LESCO Viper made its first appearance at the GIE Show with its 54- or 60-inch deck options and 23-hp Kawasaki engine. A 10-gallon fuel capacity and anti-scalping floating deck are other features.
- Husqvarna Forest & Garden featured commercial mowers in its booth for the first time following the acquisition of Yazoo/Kees’ line of riding and walk-behind mowers.
- Gravely’s 260Z is a zero-turn riding mower with a 50-, 60- and 72-inch deck options and a 25-hp Kohler Command engine.
- Great Dane continued its history of innovation by debuting the Gateway and Champ mowers. The Gateway is a 52-inch walk-behind mower that features a hinged mowing deck so the blades can be turned off and a portion of the deck can be raised perpendicular to the rest of the deck. This move shortens the deck width to 37 inches, which enables contractors to take the mower through gates. The mower features dual hydrostatic drive and a 17-hp Kawasaki engine.
The Champ features a single hydrostatic transmission system to offer a more affordable alternative to belt-drive systems. The line includes 32-, 36- and 48-inch models that will retail for as little as $2,200 in the smaller models.
- Toro continued to expand its line of mowers by adding the Z350 mid-mount riding unit. A Kohler Command, 26-hp engine powers 62- and 72-inch decks, and operators can mow longer with a 12-gallon fuel capacity.
- Toro’s Sitework Systems group had multiple additions to its line of compact utility loaders. The Dingo TX is less than 35 inches wide to provide access to tighter spaces, and tracks "wheels" provide improved floatation for reduced turf damage. The unit also features simplified operator controls and improved hydraulics and will operate all of the pre-existing Dingo attachments.
- Kanga Loaders added an attachment trailer to its offerings to help Kanga users transport various implements they own. One of these tools to move may be the new Kanga Kid, a smaller version of Kanga’s base compact utility loader. The Kid is just 30 inches wide, offers 13 horsepower of work and comes standard with an auger, plow and bucket.
- Kubota introduced a BX18000 subcompact tractor and a B2410 tractor for landscape contracting applications.