BUSINESS
Busting three myths about battery power
Power, run time and how to implement in your business by Sarah Webb, Landscape Management of gas equipment. They need an alternative that satisfies that regulation and gives them the performance they need.” While there’s still progress to be made, several experts agree that the technology will continue to improve in the years to come. “I believe that the turning point for this new trend to really take off is right around the corner,” says Mike Gunn, president of Gunn Landscaping in Noblesville, Ind. “With the trend of electric vehicles in the automotive industry, they have really driven the improvements in our current battery technology that can be implemented within the green industry.”
Photo courtesy of SiteOne Landscape Supply
“With the trend of electric vehicles in the automotive industry, they have really driven the improvements in our current battery technology that can be implemented within the green industry.”
UAC MAGAZINE | SPRING 2021
~ Mike Gunn, President, Gunn Landscaping
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Battery power has quietly been making its way into handheld equipment for years, and many landscape professionals have reaped the benefits of using the tools.
“Landscape professionals enjoy battery (power) for the ease of use and not having to mix gas and oil; virtually no maintenance, such as fuel-related issues; reduced noise and vibration; and no exhaust emissions,” says Mike Poluka, product manager for Stihl. “Plus, (landscape pros) are often up against certain HOA or government regulations that prohibit the use
Poluka, Gunn and Bob Grover, president of Pacific Landscape Management in Hillsboro, Ore., share their experiences using batterypowered handheld equipment to bust a few myths about battery power that still pervade the green industry.
MYTH #1 Batteries don’t generate enough power to compete with gas-powered equipment. This year, Gunn Landscaping ran two gaspowered standard professional grade trimmers as well as Echo’s 58-volt trimmer all on the same trailer setup. Gunn says the 58-volt trimmer has as much as, if not more power, than the standard two-cycle alternatives. “This was just to see if the battery power could take over as far as employee favoritism and convenience,” Gunn says. “It was also as easy as the pull of a trigger, and boom, you’re trimming. We need to remember that battery technology really is just as boundless if not more so as any combustion alternative and will only improve.”
