What are the problems that you might come across when using zero turn mowers? We broke down these three problems that will stunt your productivity when using a ZTR. This post will help you understand how the Walker combats these issues and boosts your productivity.
Bulky Zero Turn Mowers
Many lawns have low, over hanging obstacles that can often block you from mowing under or around them. Many ZTR’s have ‘high profile’ chassis which means you cannot get the deck into the small areas as the chassis will hit the obstacle as it is quite high off the ground. The Walker mower has a low-profile deck that is not supported by the chassis that is high off the ground, this allows you to easily mow under and around low and overhanging obstacles.
The other component that is at the forefront of the Walker design is the compact drive train and internal GHS System (Grass Handling System). Keeping all these components inside the body of the machine means you don’t have bulky overhanging components. Having the compact design means you can get through smaller gaps and mow in the tight and difficult to reach areas. This boosts your productivity as you don’t have to come back with a push mower or wipper sniper to finish off the job.
Controlling a Zero Turn Mower
How taxing is the steering and speed control on your body? Most ZTR’s have bars that go up and over your lap (hence they are called lap bars) these require you to use the whole of your upper body to move forward or backwards. After users have swapped from a generic ZTR to a Walker they find the intuitive steering and speed controls very effortless to use. But why is this so? The Walker literally is controlled by your fingertips! The steering levers are controlled by one hand, two fingers on the left lever and two on the right. The only thing you do with the steering levers is make small movements to steer the machine using only your fingertips rather than the whole of your upper body. You also have a ‘ford speed control’ lever that acts like a cruise control, you set your speed and simply make small movements with your fingers to adjust the speed of your left or right wheel to steer. The intuitive Walker steering design requires less input from the operator and returns more responsive results. The control of the Walker is easily mastered leading to confident and safe operation.
Zero Turn Mower Balance and Traction
As you will have heard ZTR’s are notorious for being dangerous on slopes! On generic ZTR’s the weight of the mower is not over the center drive tires. This means that the mower’s drive tires will quickly loose traction and you will make a speedy trip down the slope and possibly ending up in a dam, fall off a retaining wall, or even upside down! Most people will revert to using another piece of equipment to cut grass on a slope such as a push mower or a brush cutter. These tools are far slower than using a ride on mower and stunt your productivity.
No matter what direction the Walker Mower is facing when mowing on a slope the weight is always transferred to the center drive tires ensuring optimal traction at all times. The non-collect models definitely have the upper hand on slopes as they don’t have the weight of the cut grass in a catcher at the rear of the machine. Pairing the MB, MR, and MH with all terrain tires makes it a beast on the slopes and will get you further than standard turf tires will. Being able to use the same machine for all areas of the lawn means you don’t waste time fetching other equipment that will do the job slower than a ride on mower.
Why is it so important to boost productivity?
If you are a lawn care business this will allow you to cut down time on the job therefore allowing you to fit more jobs in during the day or you can spend more time with the people who mean the most to you. Whether you are a property owner or a lawn mowing contractor you want to boost your productivity so you can spend more time doing what is most important to you.
Analyse your productivity savings here
Do you think the Walker Mower is the right machine for you? Feel free to speak to your local dealer or click here to book a demo!