The end of a season is a good time to take stock and start thinking about your equipment needs for next year. Selecting the right machine is an important investment, one that’s critical for success because your business is your equipment. Landscapers need machines that are built to meet the demands of their business.
Once you take stock of your business needs and pinpoint the mower that will provide the most value, do some thorough research before making a commitment to a particular mower. Stand on mowers are great for properties that require a lot of maneuverability while zero-turns are ideal for larger, open properties.
Word of mouth referrals also can help point you in the right direction. Drive around your area and spot landscapers in the field. If they’re using equipment you’re interested in, stop and ask them what they think and who they’re getting service from. These first-hand accounts can go a long way to better informing your decision.
Your local Cub Cadet® dealer is a great resource to help by both allowing you to demo the equipment and give you an overview of their parts and service offering. Partnering with the right dealer will make all the difference. Run a search for the dealers in your area and find one that offers demos of their equipment.
If you’re on the fence, ask a local dealer for a demo. Test out multiple machines to experience how they operate first-hand and find the right fit. Locally owned Cub Cadet dealers are part of a nationwide network of experts on Cub Cadet professional equipment. They’ll bring equipment out to you and allow landscapers to test out the product in the field so they can see first-hand how the machine works and determine whether it will be a fit for their needs.
Commercial dealers, like those in the Cub Cadet nationwide network, know the struggles that commercial landscapers go through when a machine breaks down. It’s imperative you make sure to partner with a dealer that has a strong service support network so you can locally source maintenance parts.
Cub Cadet builds machines that help add value to your bottom line, with innovative technologies and features designed to provide serious productivity and a premium cut. The Cub Cadet PRO X™ 600 is great example; this stand-on riding mower was designed with the operator in mind. Adjustable platform springs allow you to cater to the operator’s height and weight. High rear wheels help make hopping curbs easy, which is especially helpful when tackling big commercial properties. And most importantly, it’s designed to deliver a smooth, premium cut.
The PRO X™ 600 also was engineered to minimize maintenance, which can reduce landscapers’ down time. Maintenance-free spindles don’t require greasing, allowing you to spend more hours in the field instead of in the garage.
The Cub Cadet PRO Z™ with SurePath® Auto Steer technology is a game changer. Auto Steer is a GPS assisted driving technology that is designed to minimize overlap, which can increase productivity, and is easy to use regardless of the operator’s experience.
Autonomous and robotic mowers like SurePath® can help landscapers deal with labor constraints within the industry. In a world where skilled and dependable labor is hard to come by, a major benefit of the Cub Cadet PRO Z™ with SurePath® technology is that it helps simplify the onboarding process while maintaining a consistent level of quality for a premium cut. It can free up human labor to take on other necessary tasks, empowering landscapers to do more with less.
SurePath® Auto Steer technology is just the first stage of Cub Cadet’s commercial autonomous road map, to help landscapers receive tangible value at each phase for an immediate benefit. PRO Z™ SurePath® Auto Steer models are outfitted with GPS technology and category exclusive four-wheel steering wheel system that provides a semi-autonomous experience. Once the operator sets the preliminary cut line, SurePath® units are designed to perform straight cutting paths with an auto zero-turn at the end of each row with the touch of a button. SurePath® technology is the ultimate efficiency tool for today while helping to avoid certain pitfalls of fully autonomous units.
Deciding whether mowers with SurePath technology deliver value is no different than with any other piece of equipment. Landscapers must determine whether the investment will ultimately benefit their business. The value proposition of Cub Cadet PRO Z™ SurePath® mowers offers a viable solution to today’s labor market constraints by helping to maximize efficiency and minimize operator training. SurePath® technology is engineered to reduce unnecessary overlap for a more efficient cut with each pass. And each pass can add up to some serious productivity gains over time.
In addition to overlap reduction, PRO Z™ SurePath® mowers represent a new era in ride comfort for operators. By automating turning and steering, the GPS technology is designed to minimize hand-arm vibrations, manual inputs and the need for sustained concentration, similar to the way current self-driving technology in the auto industry has made parallel parking easier and long drives less draining. Reducing operator physical and mental effort is a business priority for many landscapers looking to increase workforce productivity and giving their employees the necessary time and energy to devote to other high- priority tasks and projects.
Regardless of how you expand your business, choosing the right machine is critical for success. At Cub Cadet, we firmly believe the industry is entering the era of autonomous and robotic mowers. And while we have our sights set on the future and are keen to unlock the potential of fully autonomous units, we are excited to offer a semi-autonomous solution that helps landscapers address today’s challenges and realize new opportunities.
Whether you ultimately decide to add a semi-autonomous or operator driven machine to your business, partnering with the right dealer will help put you in the right machine to set your business up for success.
