Posts Tagged ‘Exmark’

GIE+EXPO 2010

Thursday, October 28th, 2010
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Exmark General Manager Rick Olson speaking at the Exmark press conference.

Hello from Louisville! GIE+EXPO 2010 has kicked off and we’re expecting it to be another banner show.  If you’re not attending or haven’t stopped by our booth yet, here are some of the exciting highlights of what we’re unveiling for 2011.

Exmarkpride.com

This is a big one. We’re launching a new Exmark member community website, exmarkpride.com, where pros and lawn fanatics alike can gather to share their Exmark pride, along with mowing tips and stories, interact with Exmark and industry experts, participate in monthly contests, find business tools and gain special access into what is happening at Exmark.

And check this out, if you sign up and join what we’re calling the Exmark crew by December 31, you will be eligible to win a Lazer Z X-Series.

The Mark Award

We’re announcing the first of its kind industry awards that recognize the best of the best within the Exmark Community – awarding a dealer and a landscape pro that embodies Exmark pride. Winners will be announced at GIE + EXPO in 2011, where they will be recognized by their peers.

New Products

We’re introducing several new units, Exmark ‘X’-branded merchandise and decals, and a free welcome kit that’s full of Exmark ‘X’-branded stuff.

We’re really excited to launch our new campaign and introduce our new products, and we can’t wait to hear your thoughts. So please go visit exmarkpride.com and join the crew and the conversation.

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Fall Clean-up

Thursday, October 14th, 2010

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.

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Fall Leaf Removal

Friday, October 1st, 2010

A bit of crispness in the air. The days getting shorter. Sweaters making their way out of storage. Yep, fall is heading toward us, bringing a quiet end to mowing season and a frenzied beginning to leaf removal season. Having spoken to quite a few pros in the past, we know that each one has his trick and technique to picking up leaves. And, we’d love to know what those are. Today, we’re asking you to share your personal twist on leaf removal.

We’ll start it off by sharing our “techniques,” which come in the form of attachments and a mower.

These tools quickly and efficiently get the leaves off the grass and out of sight. The attachment you choose depends on the kinds of properties you mow and your clients’ preferences. If you want finely mulched leaves spread evenly over the grass, then the Exmark mulching kit will be the tool you’re looking for. If you want finely mulched leaves collected, then check out our UltraVac® attachment and the Exmark Navigator®.

Now it’s your turn. What’s your best technique or trick for leaf removal? We’ll select one of the techniques shared and feature it and the genius landscape pro behind it in an upcoming blog post!

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Keeping your mower safe.

Tuesday, September 14th, 2010

While doing some research online, we came across a very interesting post by a part-time landscape pro, Sherri Joubert.

In her post, she talks about the fact that mower theft is on the rise. We were actually quite shocked to read what Sherri’s discovered is behind these thefts.

Sherri writes that the slumping economy and the rising unemployment rate are forcing those who are out of work to find alternative means of making money so they can provide for their families. Basically, some people are stealing mowers to start their own landscaping businesses.

Those caught in-the-act explained they were planning on returning the mowers once they’d made enough money to buy their own used equipment.

At this point we started thinking about your mower security.

To keep your mowers, well, yours, there are a few steps you can take to protect them:

  • Make sure your stored equipment is hard to get to. Reinforce your locks with heavy-duty chains.
  • Don’t leave any of your equipment unattended curb-side, even if you’re taking a quick lunch break.
  • Buy a covered trailer or a trailer with high walls.
  • Always check to make sure locks are secure.

Our final piece of advice on what you might do comes from Sherri’s own personal experience. Instead of putting her mower under lock and key, she rents her equipment for a nominal fee to a single mom in the neighborhood. The mom has access to the mowers on days Sherri is off.

Within the last couple of months, the mom saved enough money to buy her own equipment, something she couldn’t have done without Sherri’s compassion. That’s pretty powerful stuff.

What do you do to keep your mower safe? Leave your comments below.

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Exmark Mower Safety

Friday, August 13th, 2010

green_unitsGAAt Exmark, one of our top concerns is safety. Around the plant, at the dealership, during development and especially while on the mower itself. One thing you can always count on is that safety comes first. Always.

Everything we do goes into making each unit as safe as possible for operators, as well as how the machine works for the operator. Of course durability and quality are what we’re known for, but; at  Exmark, safety is essential to a great, successful unit.

To help you with keeping safety at the front of your mind as well, we’ve developed a series of videos for you on our YouTube channel. These videos detail:

  • Proper conditions for mowing
  • Proper care for and operation of the Lazer Z, as well as instructions for utilizing the rollover protection system
  • Exmark’s unique handling instructions, features and controls for full safety and performance
  • Proper maintenance, transport and storage that are crucial to performance
  • Care of your Exmark mower
  • General operation and safety instructions for the Vantage

Stop by the Exmark YouTube channel to catch all the videos and learn more about your Exmark.  Feel free to leave a comment or two along the way! We love hearing from you.

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An Update on the Exmark Outdoor Tour.

Tuesday, July 20th, 2010

We used to get asked all the time what we were doing at fishing, hunting and boating shows. Reels, guns and boats, that’s the kind of stuff you’d expect to see there. But a mower? It seemed odd…at first. Now a lot of Exmark users stop by our booth to tell us how much time they saved with their mowers. And there’s the connection.

If you’ve ever used an Exmark, then you know just how productive these babies are. So whether you’re mowing for a living or mowing your backyard, you can count on the job being done as efficiently as possible. For some of you, this means you can get back to fishing, hunting or boating before the day is done.

Our goal is to be the booth that’s buzzing with activity at all times–from entering our Grand Gear Giveaway Sweepstakes, to video games for the kids to giving away cool gifts to all those who stop by. If you’re the outdoorsy type, then you know that Cabelas is one of the places to go for an impressive selection of gear.

Our presence at outdoor shows is now expected. People love seeing us there. They love to stop by and ask a lot of technical questions. And we love talking with them and sharing our passion for the outdoors. These folks really appreciate quality and craftsmanship in a machine. We can definitely understand that.

This post is by John Cloutier, senior marketing manager at Exmark.

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Keeping the Rays at Bay

Monday, June 14th, 2010

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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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