People often talk about battery-powered equipment as the future of lawn care. But battery-power isn’t way off in the future. We’re using it now. The technology behind battery-power lawn equipment has progressed tremendously in recent years. Today’s modern battery-powered equipment is powerful enough to compete with gasoline-powered models. And they make an excellent, high-tech addition to your collection of commercial landscaping equipment.
Battery Advantages
Battery-powered equipment has several advantages over gasoline powered. It’s quiet, which means you can use it in noise restricted neighborhoods. This also makes it easier for workers, who won’t have to wear hearing protection when operating this equipment.
Equipment powered by lithium-ion batteries is also easy to take care of since there’s no engine maintenance. No engine also means no emissions, which makes them a green lawn-care choice. Ditching the engine also cuts back on weight, making them easier to work with and transport.
Large Equipment Selection
Many types of lawn equipment come in battery powered versions. Stihl and Echo both offer battery-powered string trimmers, hedge trimmers, blowers, chainsaws, and lawn mowers. Stihl also offers pole pruners. Basically, if you’d use a tool to trim, cut, and clean up around a yard there’s probably a battery powered option.
As a landscaping professional, you might find there’s a higher initial expense to purchasing battery-powered equipment rather than gasoline. But you’ll save in the long run because you’re not buying fuel or pouring money into maintenance.
Robot Lawn Mowing
Robotic lawn mowers are widely used in Europe but haven’t quite caught on over here in the States yet. That could change, though, as more and more people recognize how much time these little mowers can save. More companies are starting to manufacture, them, too. Stihl recently released their first robotic battery-powered lawn mower, the Stihl iMow mower.
Like other robotic lawn mowers, the iMow runs within a perimeter laid-out by an underground wire. Once you set the perimeter, the iMow will quietly run around a yard during the hours you set as Active Time to keep the grass looking neat and trim. And, unlike some other robotic mowers, this one cuts right up to the edge of your lawn so you don’t have to worry about trimming.
Making Tech Work For You
Mike Poluka, product manager of battery-related products for Stihl says, “One of the biggest industry trends is the influx of battery-powered products into the professional landscaping market, particularly for pros in municipalities requiring low- to no-exhaust and lower-noise equipment or for indoor projects.”
Gasoline-powered equipment isn’t going away any time soon. But for many landscape professionals, battery-powered equipment offers a new way to tackle key challenges in the modern landscaping industry. If you’d like to learn more about what lithium-ion powered equipment can offer your business, come visit us at Richardson Saw & Lawnmower. We’ll be happy to answer your questions.
