“Good equipment is hard to find”, says David McMinn of D.E.C.K. Lawn Maintenance in Gloucester on the mid north coast of NSW. David recently purchased a second Toro® Groundsmaster® 360 with Quad Steer™ all-wheel steering from Scone Outdoors in Scone.
He started his lawnmowing business 22 years ago and has since then diversified into the areas of tree lopping, cutting, supplying firewood and weed control. The company mainly targets larger lawns and commercial work, and presently has three staff members plus David himself on the books.
“I find the Groundsmaster 360 inexpensive to run. With its 36 hp Kubota engine, it uses 3.5-5 litres per hour depending on how thick and tall the grass is. The reliability of the machine is excellent and when our machines need to work, they work”, says David.
The company owned a competitor brand outfront mower before. “This machine cost me $8.67 an hour in parts, plus fuel. It also required a considerable amount of down time. On the other hand, my two Toro Groundsmaster 360’s are costing $2.54 an hour to run, plus fuel.
“Over the five years I owned the other mower I averaged just under 600 hours per year. In the first year of operating the Toro mower I have clocked up 850 hours. Most of this difference is directly associated with less downtime and more time in the field. At $100 an hour, that’s an extra $25,000 income I can make with the Toro Groundsmaster 360”, says David.
Besides the big increase in productivity, David also finds the Groundsmaster 360 comfortable to operate with good seating and ergonomically placed controls.
Daniel Condran, Senior Sales Manager Sports Fields & Grounds at Toro says: “The Groundsmaster 360 controls are intuitive and easy to master, and mower operators enjoy full 360° visibility. The operator seat is isolated with rubber mounts that absorb vibrations to minimise operator fatigue.”
“The machine has four-wheel steering and zero-turn capacity. Having Quad Steer technology means when turning the steering wheel, the inside and outside tyres pivot around a common point, enabling far sharper turns around objects. When combined with a rear end that follows within the width of the deck, it allows users to mow in and out of tight areas.
“The machine can mow up and down hills, across slopes, and make the tightest turns around obstacles as small as a fence post,” says Daniel.
David McMinn concludes by saying: “Many sales claims are made by people who have never operated what they are selling. When you recommend improvements or modifications, they don’t take you seriously.
“Not so with Toro Australia or Cooper Wright, the Manager of Sales and Business Development at Scone Outdoors. Their service has been excellent. They are interested in hearing feedback about their products and are prepared to make changes to improve it. I am quite happy to pay for good equipment and reliability as it works out cheaper in the long run.”
Toro Australia dealers can offer customer finance for the initial purchase. For dealer and finance information, please go to www.toro.com.au