34 minute read
Power Suppliers
POWERsuppliers Electric Equipment Cuts Into Gas-Powered Share
Rechargeables are becoming more prominent in dealers’ showrooms.
In a tougher application than handheld, rechargeable mowers are taking market share as well.
Electric equipment—battery-powered, specifically— continues to cut even further into the mainstream as evidenced by a recent article in the Washington Post detailing how one city’s public works crew is making the move to 90% electric equipment in the next five years. This, of all places, is in Alabama, where things like rooftop solar installations are actively punished by power companies and regulators. Part of the greater Birmingham area, the city of Mountain Brook has spent $18,000 to convert its maintenance capacity to almost all-electric.
Another institutional transformation is at the University of Louisville, where administrators began reducing their maintenance crews’ carbon footprint 10 years ago when it switched to propane-powered mowers. A year ago, the university bought its first battery-powered zero-turn mower to complement the natural gas mowers.
In between, the school also made the switch with other types of equipment and now has more than 25 battery-powered units including blowers, saws, string trimmers, hedge trimmers and shop tools.
Mountain Brook and U of L’s respective moves toward almost completely eliminating liquid fuel-powered small engines on their maintenance crews reflect multiple features, benefits and trends: battery-operated equipment is convenient and quiet, with zero emissions. There’s also the ongoing increase in battery power and run times and overall boost in quality that can help lead institutions and commercial users to invest in such products.
A recent Consumer Reports article looked at almost four dozen battery-powered lawnmowers and noted that average run time is 30-45 minutes, roughly enough to cut a quarter-acre.
Using a standard two-battery setup with precharged batteries, consumers can easily mow up to half an acre. That covers a large swath of new residential development lawns. Throw in a “system” battery-powered product like some OEMs do, and the homeowner can also use the same batteries and charger to power a blower and trimmer—rounding out the other two items in the suburban garage power equipment “holy trinity”—and handle most any yard work.
Market Share
A 2020 report from the California Air Resources Board (CARB), citing Freedonia Group data, claimed “35% of the small engine market is now electrified, with handheld tools leading the way.”
The same report looked at a wide variety of equipment categories and estimated market share of electric (battery and corded) equipment vs. gas-powered units. According to CARB, as of 2018 in California, 23% of walk-behind mowers were electric, while 37% of chainsaws, 58% of trimmers and 69% of blowers (including vacs) were either corded or battery operated.
Corded handheld and walk mowers have long been an option mostly at lower price points. Led by rechargeable handtool suppliers that have worked to expand applications and attachments over the years into lawn and garden markets, most traditional gas-operated premium equipment manufacturers have added battery-operated products to their lineups the past decade-plus as battery technology advanced and consumer demand grew.
In talking with dealers who are on the front lines of the rechargeable revolution in their showrooms, several have voiced concern about the impact the ongoing move toward more electric equipment will have on dealer service departments.
After all, every few percentage points of the move toward more electric equipment represents thousands upon thousands of gas-operated machines no longer on the market—and no longer showing up in dealer service departments needing carburetor or other fuel system work.
While that work will no longer be there, some dealers have pointed out that much of the impact so far is in the handheld sector that tends to represent lower-priced service orders. One dealer mentioned that he’d rather have his technicians working on mowers or riders than handheld equipment anyway. So far there’s no major complaints from dealers but the impact is sure to be felt eventually in service departments.
One rechargeable power tools manufacturer making lawn and garden inroads is Stanley Black & Decker, which bought a 20% stake in MTD three years ago and announced in January 2021 it would be exercising a contractual option to purchase the rest of the company.
The company already has lawn and garden products under the DeWalt brand, and MTD’s Cub Cadet this year debuted a lineup that includes a rechargeable ze-
ro-turn, lawn tractor and walk-behind mowers—plus a saw, blower, string trimmer and hedge trimmer.
In other rechargeable and electric equipment news: The Stihl Group has strongly promoted its dealer-based line of electric products. The company recently noted that its Stihl Tirol subsidiary (formerly Viking) that produces many Stihl electric products, saw a 26% growth in sales from 2019 to 2020.
The operation is expanding even further in 2022 with completion of a new plastics manufacturing and injection moulding facility at the Stihl Tirol plant. In mid July Husqvarna reported its best second-quarter operating profit ever ($307 million). Organic sales growth was 14% with robotic lawnmowers and battery-powered products up 27%. Briggs & Stratton recently announced a minority stake in Accelerated Systems, Inc. (ASI) which develops traction and control systems for vehicles and has in-house design capabilities for electric motors, controllers and battery systems. The agreement includes the option for Briggs & Stratton to acquire additional equity in ASI over the next five years.
Briggs & Stratton President and CEO Steve Andrews noted that the acquisition provides capabilities that “will significantly accelerate our electrification strategy.”
Platinum Equity To Acquire Oregon
Platinum Equity, American Securities and P2 Capital Partners have announced the signing of a definitive agreement under which Platinum Equity will acquire Oregon Tool. American Securities and P2 Capital have owned the company (previously known as Blount International) since taking it private in 2016. Financial terms were not disclosed. The transaction is expected to be completed in the fourth quarter of 2021.
“Oregon Tool has a well-deserved reputation for quality, innovation and engineering that dates back nearly 75 years,” says Platinum Equity Partner Louis Samson. “We are committed to building on that legacy and working with the management team to invest in a new generation of growth and expansion. We have a lot of experience helping companies like Oregon Tool take the next step and our financial and operational resources will accelerate their efforts.”
Earlier this year, the company rebranded from Blount International to Oregon Tool, an effort that highlights its unique heritage and long history of innovation, while also marking an important inflection point in its evolution as an industry leader.
Platinum Equity Managing Director David Glatt adds, “In addition to nurturing the company’s existing portfolio, we will pursue an aggressive strategy to expand in adjacent product categories across segments, channels and geographies.”
Oregon Tool CEO Paul Tonnesen will continue to lead the company following the transaction.
Mower History The Walker Way
The story of how the Walker family got into the mower business is a story of faith, perseverance and ingenuity. This story has now been captured in a book by Bob Walker entitled The Walker Way, A Family’s Journey Of Loving People, Loss, And Lawn Mowers.
Now available in paperback, hard cover, e-book andaudio book, The Walker Way tells the story of Walker Manufacturing’s humble beginnings and the lessons learned along the way. Bob Walker shares his childhood memories all the way through the mower project and the values that have directed the Walker family all these years.
Available for order through the Walker Ware Store and Amazon: Bulk discounts are also available for multiple copies atwalkerware.com. Additionally, aspecial hard cover signed by Bob Walkeris available to purchase only at Walker Ware. Visit thewalkerway.com.
Court Reverses E15 Year-Round Sales Policy
In early July, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit struck down a Trump-era rule that allowed for year-round sales of E15, saying the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) ex-
ceeded its authority by lifting summertime restrictions on the sale of E15, according to news source Reuters.
In June 2019, EPA issued its final rule extending the Reid Vapor Pressure volatility waiver to E15 and found that E15 is substantially similar to E10 certification fuel, allowing its introduction into commerce by fuel manufacturers without the need for a separate E15 waiver. These actions allowed for the sale of E15 fuels year-round. ArgusMedia.com reports that the court said that statutory language was clearly intended for 10% ethanol gasoline.
“By its plain terms, then, [the exemption] applies to E10, leaving no room for EPA to exempt E15,” the court wrote.
The decision came in a lawsuit filed by the American Fuel and Petrochemical Manufacturers, an oil refining trade group. Farm and biofuel groups apparently intend to appeal the decision and will work with the Biden Administration to ensure the continuity of E15 sales through the 2021 summer season and beyond. The ruling is unlikely to go into effect immediately because of a court practice to offer time for appeals.
If the ruling is sustained, it would undermine a long-term strategy from biofuel products to grow sales by expanding the availability of higher-ethanol fuel blends. The EPA is reviewing the court ruling.
Stihl Analyst Receives STEP Ahead Award
The Manufacturing Institute (MI)— the workforce development and education partner of the National Assn. of Manufacturers— announced it will recognize Trasa Coffil, Stihl Inc. business process analyst, with a STEP Ahead Award. The STEP Ahead Awards honor women who have demonstrated excellence and leadership in their careers and represent all levels of the manufacturing industry from the factory floor to the C-suite. This is the second award for a woman at Stihl—Vice President of Manufacturing
Lorriane Amesbury Holder received the honor in 2020. “I am honored to be recognized by the Manufacturing Institute for this award,” Coffil says. “I am driven by the principles of excellence and Stihl empowers me to make an impact on the manufacturing industry through both my work in the office and mentoring opportunities with young people. It’s a win-win.” Amesbury Holder adds, “Trasa not only exemplifies Stihl excellence through critical thinking, problem-solving and teamwork. She also applies those skills to mentoring the next generation of talent through our annual Manufacturing Technology Summer Camp making her an invaluable asset to the Stihl team.” The STEP Women’s Initiative is the nation’s marquee program to close the gender gap in manufacturing. STEP Trasa Coffil works to foster a 21st-century manufacturing workforce by empowering and inspiring women in the manufacturing industry through recognition, research and leadership, as well as by motivating alumnae to pay it forward by mentoring the next generation. The STEP Ahead Awards honor exceptional women
23
Farms, Homeowners, ATVs NY Dealer Does It All
Brothers Eric and Tim Law expand their family business in central New York.
BY JESSICA JOHNSON
CORTLAND, NY
Tim Law is the kind of guy the industry currently can’t stop talking about. He’s under 40. He knows how to fix a machine, and he loves selling tractors. He and his brother Eric, who’s also under 40, just four years ago took over from their parents as the ownership duo of CNY Farm Supply in Cortland, NY 35 minutes from Syracuse in a
heavy hobby farm, horse farm, dairy farm area of central New York close to Pennsylvania. And while Law knows he’s somewhat of a unicorn in his chosen profession, he absolutely loves it just the same—especially after a year like 2020, when the business had one of its best ever despite a consistently empty showroom. “We’re young,” he says of himself and his brother. “But we’re just getting started, paying down debt as fast as we can.”
The dealership, like many, had a very good year last year, and is seeing things not really changing for 2021— though product availability does continue to plague the sales staff. Law estimates that they were doing okay with most equipment, keeping up with the supply and demand until the summer hit. Then everything went haywire.
CNY Farm is completely sold out of machines ranging in 23 HP to 120 HP, and has been since around June and will not have anything available until October. As a diversification stream, CNY also deals side-by-sides and ATVs, which have also been steady sellers in ’20 and ’21 and have also experienced supply issues. Law explains, “I am getting things like I would in a normal year, maybe 5% more, but the difference is consumer demand. People are buying them so frequently. Buying them faster than we can get them.”
In trying to keep track of what’s coming in the future, and what the demand is, for the first time ever CNY has bulletin boards near the sales staff desks with lists. On these lists is everything coming in, including the date. So, when people call or come in looking for a certain piece, Law and his guys can go to the boards, see what’s coming next and offer it to them. “Half that stuff already has a name by it,” he says. “There’s product coming in September and October that’s already spoken for. The frustrating part is telling people the same story, over and over. ‘We don’t have anything and it really sucks not being able to show you something.’ People don’t understand why and you have to explain to them it is not a product shortage, people are just buying more stuff.”
While it is frustrating to continue to try to serve customers as the demand shoots off the lists, Law sheepishly admits it’s a good time to be in sales. He says firmly they aren’t rude with customers, but it’s simply a demand issue. If someone doesn’t want something that’s okay—they will have a call tomorrow where someone does want that exact piece. But there’s also a very strong upside for Law, he says: “There’s no haggling, there’s no discounts. It’s not that we don’t want to take care of the customer like that; I just don’t need to. It makes it easy to price stuff. We’re not trying to be rude about that, but on the positive side from a business standpoint, yeah, you’re doing just as much business, maybe a little less because of availability on some products, but you’re making more money because everything is being sold at full retail price.”
He believes that 2022 will see more of the same higher demand, creating an even longer time before products are going to be available again regularly.
Tim Law Stihl handheld dominates CNY’s sales because everyone needs something from the line.
His estimate is that 2023 will be the year the bubble bursts, so-to-speak: With buyer’s remorse hitting some hard, more machines being readily in stock and then the potential for better deals between new and used machines.
But for all the good of the last few years, the business still gave the Laws plenty of headaches. Even more so when Tim thinks about how many family businesses aren’t successful. “It’s a lot on our shoulders and sometimes it’s hard to sleep. One of the biggest things for us is that Eric and I just click together really well,” he says. “We are constantly pushing and pushing to grow and lead by example and work strong together. Everything we’ve done has been for a reason.”
And that example is very evident in how the dealership operates. At the time of Power Equipment Trade’s visit, Tim was in the set-up warehouse hosing off a machine about to go to a farm show. The dealership was a bustling activity center with sales staff straightening product and cleaning things up. The music was going, and everyone seemed to be in a good mood. It’s hard to imagine that the Laws might not get great sleep at night on a day like that.
But still, Tim shares, he wonders. Do they fight through the next few years and stay with it? Or is the cost of machines, and therefore the cost of living going to rise to a level that becomes insurmountable for a small business like his?
“As the expenses for everything keep going up—even in our business—and it’s not like I can make that much more money on everything that I sell to offset the expenses but also offset what I have to pay to get my employees to come to work. You’re going to find a lot of businesses that are going to try and do as much work as they do now with less people,” he believes.
A hopeful saving grace for businesses like the Laws is the push to move toward keeping spending local, and that people would like to do business with a local, family business. The brothers wear many hats, but most importantly are extremely hands on and visible to their customers and employees. While CNY has five in the sales staff, both Tim and Eric sell as well. “Just like in any business, everyone wants to deal with the owner. My guys sell a lot of equipment, but we sell double,” Tim laughs.
Daily Operations
CNY sits on 10 acres, with multiple buildings—a 100 x 200 building houses the sales staff and administration, with 10,000 sq. ft. of showroom space and a set-up/accessories install area in the back. The shop and parts building is “basically double” Law estimates, housing the small CNY rental department, and all parts and service staff. Of the 30 total CNY employees, only 10 are in the showroom building. “It’s a big beehive up there,” Law says of the shop. Both buildings have large warehouse spaces for their respective departments.
Overall the dealership had a $23 million year last year, which Law says sounds like a whole lot, but doesn’t account for the significant amount of costs that are also factored in. Volume-wise, handheld equipment and lawn and garden dominates CNY sales because everyone from a residential homeowner to a 100-plus acre dairy farmer needs those machines.
He laughs, though, as he admits, “It’s takes a lot of $200 weed-whackers to make up for a $100,000 tractor for sure.” CNY is a top dealer for Ferris zero-turn mowers, which Law notes with pride “are built right here in New York.”
In addition to Ferris, CNY is a dealer for Massey Ferguson, Stihl, Ventrac, ROC hay mergers, Kawaskai, Honda (power equipment and power sports), Land Pride, CLAAS, New Holland, Husqvarna, Toro, SnowEx, Sunflower and Meyer.
They used to focus more on power sports, selling a lot of mo-
torcycles and snowmobiles Law says, but two years ago the brothers made the decision to condense their offerings. While the toy business was fun to be in for a while, it quickly became not fun as it is a challenging industry to service, he says. Explaining, “If you’re not making any money why are you doing it at all? The consumers are hard to work with. That’s their hobby. When you buy a lawnmower, obviously, hopefully everything goes great. But people are prone to know that it might take a day or two to get it ready. It’s going to happen. On their day off, if the motorcycle breaks on that day it’s like The parts & service departments operate in a building double the size of the showroom. the world collided on them.”
The Beehive
Between 12 and 13 staff the CNY service department, supported by six parts personnel and truck drivers who handle pick up and delivery. Law says the potential to do more in the service department is there, and there’s a potential for a lot of money to be made. “It takes all of them to handle all of the calls after we seven sell.” CNY's service department currently takes pieces bought elsewhere for repair, but it isn’t what Law prefers. Part of that is short staffing, Law says he’d love to find one or two more technicians to turn wrenches and help out, but the other part is making sure that servicing customers who purchased from him are the priority. It’s hard for anyone to turn away business; he admits it’s one of the biggest things he and Eric struggle with, but his staff can barely keep up with that they do sell. “How do I slide somebody that bought something from Home Depot or Lowes and not us in front of one of my customers that did buy from us. We try to help them out as best we can, but if there’s an emergency, my customers come first. Why didn’t you buy it from us?” he emphasizes. PET The sales staff have phones and desks immediately to the left of the front door to the showroom.
EDITOR’S NOTE: The following companies submitted these editorial profiles and images to complement their advertisements places elsewhere in this issue. All statements and claims are attributable to the companies.
Archer—PMD International isan Australian-owned, China-based manufacturing and trading company, offering over 10,000 parts and accessories for the forestry, small engine and lawn & garden markets. Our company brand is Archer; we also private label and produce for OEMs and many large international distributors. The PMD customer network is considerable, with products sold in 83 different countries with over 50 international Archer exclusive distributors.
Our Chinese operation is based in Jinhua, Zhejiang, where 130 are employed in our 100% fully owned saw chain factory, office, warehouse, packaging department and showroom. We
proudly invite all visitors when possible to come and see our operations.
Although best known for our leading saw chain factory, PMD International has equal product offerings for the lawn & garden market sector. We offer complete high quality product lines of the following categories: spindles, filters, carburetors, starter cords, fuel line, fuel tanks and oil tank parts; cylinders for brushcutters and trimmers, trimmer heads, brushcutters, ignition coils, clutch assemblies; flail blades for lawnmowers and robotic mower parts. In fact we offer complete ranges of non-genuine parts and accessories for all major brands in the lawn and garden and chainsaw industry.
Whilst we manufacture saw chain and lawnmower blades, we source over 10,000 parts from proven quality and qualified manufacturers who support us with not only top quality products but also complete warranties. Our suppliers are aware of our strict standards and QC audit requirements.
Our valued staff in China are long term, very experienced, with incredible connections and associations which have taken many years to develop— highly necessary if we are to offer only the best support from Chinese suppliers.
Our factory is ISO qualified and regularly audited by UL and ISO. We operate our own fully equipped laboratory with qualified engineers and metallurgists to ensure we manufacture and supply only the best quality possible, while always maintaining our competitiveness.
This large quality department tests all new products and then continually tests our factory’s raw material input and product output. This ensures that our products maintain original specifications and quality.
Archer is committed to quality, service, price and range.
Aspen—Aspen USA is now offering its clean-burning fuels locally to professional and residential power equipment operators. Aspen fuels are alkylate-based fuels, which are among the cleanest and most stable gasoline products that can be produced. As clean high-octane gasoline, Aspen provides a much better user-experience and extends the life of 2-cycle and 4-cycle power equipment.
Over 30 years ago, Aspen first developed alkylate fuel for small engine equipment with the mission to improve the conditions for equipment operators, who were experiencing various health problems from frequent equipment operation. Aspen’s fuels are ethanol-free and engineered to be virtually free of the other harmful substances that are found in pump gasoline such as sulfur, benzene, toluene and other aromatic hydrocarbons.
Professionals are among the primary users of Aspen 2 and Aspen 4 as they have the most to benefit from a cleaner high-performance fuel. The cleaner ethanol-free formulation helps minimize engine corrosion and soot buildup for longer-lasting engines and reduced downtime. Dealer service departments can also greatly benefit from Aspen’s advantages for their shop use and ensure that serviced equipment starts up whenever needed.
In the U.S., Aspen Fuels are available to dealers through Oscar Wilson Engine & Parts (Midwest), Power Equipment Systems (Western), John E Landis Co. (Northeast and Mid-Atlantic) and Marr Brothers (South Central). Aspen fuels can be purchased in quarts, 1.3 gal. and larger pails and drums, ideal for shop and professional use.
Heftee—For
more than 20 years, the Heftee 4000 has been the lift of choice for technicians working on the largest riding mowers and commercial turf equipment. The 4000 safely accommodates equipment up to 84-in. wide and lifts up to 4,000 lbs., to 6 ft., in less than a minute. It’s ideal for shops short on floor space.
There is no special installation required and the Heftee 4000 operates on 110 power.
Technicians stand comfortably with unrestricted access to service areas, no longer laying on cold concrete floors in awk-
ward positions to perform under-equipment jobs—and it’s freestanding for easy relocation within the shop.
The Heftee 4000 standard equipment package comes complete with jacks, boom and extension arms for completing virtually any repair job.
Heftee’s revolutionary single-mast design gives unrestricted access to the equipment. There are no crossbars or twisting cables, and the jacks, booms, support arms and easily adjustable work platforms all integrate with the lift.
Making hard-to-service equipment easy to service is Heftee’s business. Any lift can lift; with Heftee the technician can focus on repairing hard-to-service turf equipment and utility vehicles better, faster, safer.
KNK—KNK Power, with production based in Ningbo, China, 250 km south of Shanghai, has been manufacturing parts and assembling chainsaws and brush cutters since 2006. Ever since KNK Power has grown to be a one-stop supplier.
New products in 2021 include parts and consumables for lithium-ion battery powered garden tools, pruner saw and electric scissor, blades, ¼ in. and 0.043 in. gauge micro-picco chain and bars, brushless motors and controller, Makita compatible battery and chargers, and blades for robotic mowers.
Our popular products for 2-stroke engines and parts range from 25 cc, 33 cc, 43 cc, 52 cc, 63 cc to 79 cc (1E32, 1E34, 1E36, 1E40, 1E44, 1E48, 1E53 and 1E58FL); while our 4-stroke offerings include 25 cc, 31 cc, 33 cc, 38 cc, 49 cc, 53 cc (135F, 139F, 139FB, 140FA, 142F and 144F) for smaller engines, and 168 cc, 200 cc, 270 cc, 390 cc and 420 cc for larger 4-stroke engine options.
Parts include piston and cylinders, crankshafts, connecting rods, carburetors, inlet manifolds, fuel tanks and fuel lines, fuel and oil filters, air filters, ignition coils and fly wheels, spark plugs, starters and starting ropes, covering KNK machines, but also are non-original but compatible for other brands like Stihl, Husqvarna, Honda, Echo and Makita.
Consumables available include, but are not limited to, bars and chains for gasoline-powered and cordless lithium-ion battery powered chainsaws; trimmer lines for trimmers and brushcutters in round, square, star, twist and dual types. Blades and spindles for robotic mowers, push lawnmowers, and ride on lawnmowers.
Additionally, KNK offers a complete range of personal protection equipment (PPE), helmets, face shields, ear muffs, anti-vibration mechanical gloves. The KNK Pro-Safe brand special developed anti-cut saw proof gloves, chaps and clothing, which carry UL and CE approvals in three different protection categories—20M/S, 24M/S and 28M/S. Masport—Masport is an iconic brand in the New Zealand marketplace with a 111-year history of producing and supplying quality power equipment to consumers around the world. It is a household name in New Zealand winning the “Most Trusted” lawnmower brand products category of the New Zealand Reader’s Digest consumer judged awards for the past nine years. Masport is a leading manufacturer of lawn and garden power equipment in both New Zealand and Australia with a proud engineering history making its first lawnmower in 1930. It has an extensive range of rotary and cylinder gasoline walk-behind mowers, as well as shredders, edgers and cultivators.
Masport products are sold in 45 countries around the world, including the U.S. and Canada, where a range of walk-behind mowers and other outdoor power equipment was first introduced in 2012. Power Distributors and Power Source Canada distribute Masport’s range of consumer and professional power equipment to servicing dealers across North America. Masport is a dealer only brand in North America and is ideally suited to this form of distribution as its products are feature rich and of high quality.
Masport mowers are available in various cutting widths and can mulch, catch and side discharge. They feature aluminium and steel decks, ball bearing wheels, single lever height adjustment and a unique handle lift system for ease of emptying the collected grass.
For the 2021 season, Masport offers an extensive line of consumer and professional walk behind mowers which include Briggs & Stratton and Honda, engine brake and BBC configurations.
Masport offers competitively priced, quality, unique products which are not available in the Big Box stores. Contact your regional Power Distributor’s territory manager for more details on the Masport 2021 dealer brand program.
Rotary—The industry’s most complete line of lawnmower replacement parts is available from Rotary including guaranteed quality Copperhead mower blades, air filters, pre-filters, oil filters, belts, tires, starters, spark plugs and internal engine parts. Plus, piston and spindle assemblies, carburetors, ignition kits, batteries, throttle controls, brake and clutch cables, idler pulleys, tune-up kits, wheel and deck accessories and much more!
Backed by an exclusive warranty that ensures quality and performance, Rotary offers over 9,500 different power equipment parts for lawnmowers, trimmers, chainsaws, brushcutters, pressure washers, snow blowers, garden tillers and more.
Made In The U.S. With American Steel
New for 2021 are a variety of Copperhead mower blades, plus
the Rotary Six-Pack, a box of six value-priced Copperhead blades that’s ideal for professional landscapers.
Rotary manufactures approximately 12 million mower and edger blades annually including heavy duty blades, professional grade mulching blades, flat blades, high and low-lift blades plus edger and de-thatcher blades.
Copperhead mower blades by Rotary are engineered to perform better, last longer and cut with powerful force. Available for most any brand, Copperhead blades meet all OEM standards for operation and feature premium-grade American steel, heated treated and tempered for uniform hardness; are precision formed, balanced and sharpened to ensure a cleaner, finer cut with less vibration, and ISO compliance for quality and superior craftsmanship.
Filters Engineered For Protection, Performance
Rotary offers a wide range of commercial-strength air, fuel and oil filters for mowers—professionally designed to protect engines under extreme operating conditions while ensuring maximum efficiency and peak performance.
Made in the U.S., Rotary filters improve airflow, horsepower and overall engine performance. Oil filters feature a special blend of fibers and resin that create a filter media with exceptional dirt-trapping capacity for maximum protection. A full line of pleated paper filters and foam air filters are made at Rotary’s manufacturing facility in Georgia, which was recently upgraded with state-of-the-art equipment. Rotary’s 2021 master catalog features over 9,500 parts for power equipment including illustrations, cross-referencing and item numbers for every major brand. In addition to a print version, the catalog is available at rotarycorp.com and downloadable in a PDF format. Plus the company website makes it easy to locate parts with comprehensive listings and a convenient keyword search.
Sunbelt—
Sunbelt Outdoor Products is a wholesaler of professional grade turf products with everything from arborist supplies to trimmer products and is celebrating over 60 years in the turf business. With multiple warehouses across the U.S., Sunbelt can help you get the parts you need when you need them.
XHT, Predator Brand Tough Mower Blades
Sunbelt Outdoor Products Predator and XHT blades are the strongest blades on the market. The secret to their strength and durability is in a patented austempering process, taking it a step further than competitors. Ideal for professionals, these blades require less sharpening, last longer, and are lighter weight than other competing blades.
Accelerator Industries Premium Grass Catchers
Ideal for professionals working in wet climates or any conditions where it is necessary to bag grass or leaves, the Accelerator Industries line of premium aluminum grass catchers are best in class. The drilled aluminum body provides high airflow that will prevent clogging that commonly happens with other bagging systems.
Precision Equipment The Professional’s Choice
Precision is an industry leader in broadcast spreaders, lawn rollers, trailer dump carts, lawn sweepers, hose reels, and so much more. The professionals choice for lawn equipment assembles quickly to save time, produces professional results, and are tough enough to hold up to daily use.
Here's An Idea:
Create An Email Marketing Plan
Finding a cost-efficient way to market your dealership to a wider audience can often be fraught with obstacles. Email marketing could be one solution.
BY JACQYLN KIRKLAND
Whether your dealership is just starting out or is already well established, an effective email marketing plan can help promote and grow your business and increase revenue.
Decide What To Write
After defining your audience, think about the content for your campaigns. You want to send emails that will engage your subscribers. Remember why people signed up to receive your emails in the first place. Your content list might include details about new products, holiday hours, dealership news, coverage of a special event or a popular post from your dealership’s social media accounts. Remember to choose the content you would like to showcase based on your audience.
Providing content your subscribers will find appealing on a regular basis can be difficult. Send new information that is use-
Choosing Email Marketing Software
There are several email marketing platform options that offer a free trial or a free version depending on the number of subscribers you have. Examples include Constant Contact, MailChimp and GetResponse. When comparing email marketing platforms keep in mind your technical skill level, as well as your business goals. Think about the emails that you delete without even reading. Ask yourself why, and then try to do better. Don’t be afraid to include some personality!
Define Your Audience
The next step is to identify who your audience is so that you can effectively communicate with them. Digging deeper to identify smaller groups of people within your audience will enable you to craft more personalized emails, which will help to increase engagement. Email marketing software allows you to create signup forms with customized fields to collect everything from age and gender to subscription preferences. Some of your customers may only be interested in receiving emails for a special sale, or you may have subscribers who prefer biweekly updates instead of weekly ones. Defining your audience allows you to send promotions, called campaigns, that are more relevant to your audiences’ wants and needs.
Establish a goal and then start growing your business by using email marketing.
ful to them. Inform them first about any new products or sales.
Try to keep the content short and to the point. People are bombarded by emails every day, so make it easy for subscribers to scan your content quickly and get the information that they need.
Subject Line
The subject line of an email is the first line of text your subscribers see in their inbox. This text can often determine whether an email is opened, sent to trash or marked as spam. Use phrases that are relevant to your audience. Choose text that will make them stop scrolling and click. Also remember that subject lines should be short and to the point.
Campaign Automation
Consider automation as a tool when choosing email marketing software. An automation is a series of emails that are sent automatically. These might include emails welcoming new subscribers or a follow-up message after a purchase. Automation allows these important interactions to happen while you are focusing on other matters.
Measure Performance
Establish Frequency; Schedule
If you send emails too often, your subscribers might ignore what you have to say or simply unsubscribe. If you are looking to stay on track, a content calendar can be useful to schedule email campaigns and help to keep your dealership’s marketing message consistent. Depending on your content, you may want to send at least once a month to keep your subscribers engaged. But that shouldn’t be set in stone.
Design Your Emails
When choosing an email marketing software it is important to consider your technical skill level. Are you comfortable designing your email from scratch or would you prefer a pre-made template? Some email marketing software offer an email design guide. Your design should focus on the message and be straightforward so that people can scan it quickly.
Some tips:
Lay out all the elements for your campaign in a hierarchy, putting your most important information at the top Divide text into sections Use legible fonts within the 14-16 point range: No Wingdings! Add a call to action, such as “Mention This Email At The Counter To Receive A 10% Discount”
Test Your Campaigns
Once you have your campaign designed you should resist the urge to click the “Send” button immediately. Taking a little time to test your design to make sure it looks good in different email clients (Yahoo, Gmail, Outlook, etc.) and devices (desktop, mobile, inbox) will make it more effective. For example, the campaign you designed might not look the same for every subscriber. Some email marketing software provides information on which email clients and devices your subscribers mostly use. It is recommended that you test your campaign using this information. Mailchimp, for example, provides a preview tool so you get a chance to see how your campaign will look across several email clients before
you hit the “Send” button. Sending a test email to friends and coworkers could help with spotting typos and receiving feedback on the design. The data generated and collected by email marketing software will help you improve your marketing strategy. The most significant data points are opens and clicks because these measure engagement and indicate how well your campaign’s subject line and content resonated with your audience. It’s also important to compare your dealership’s open and click rates to other companies. A good Campaigner email marketing Campaign Monitor software will provide email key perConstant Contact formance indicaGet Response tors (such as open rate, click rate, unHubspot subscribe rate, Infusionsoft abuse rate and bounces) based on industry and company size, so you can see how your dealership stacks up with the competition. After reviewing the key performance indicators you can begin taking steps to make improvements with tools such as A/B testing. Some email marketing software offer steps on setting up an A/B test, so that you can experiment with different versions of the same campaign.
Variables to consider testing:
Subject line: Low open rates could indicate that your subject lines aren’t appealing to your audience. As a result, people are not opening your campaigns Audience: You might need to narrow down your audience list by sending a campaign to a smaller group based on their needs and wants Send time: You might be sending campaigns too early, too often or not often enough Content: To improve click rates, consider using more descriptive link text instead of simply “Click Here”
Website Traffic
If your dealership’s goal is to increase website traffic, consider an email marketing software that offers the integration of tools like Google Analytics. This tool can help provide a more holistic understanding of how your subscribers interact with your campaigns by tracking any trends in website traffic that might occur after sending a campaign. PET
Top 2021 Email Marketing Software According To PCmag.com
Mailchimp Salesforce Pardot Sendinblue Twilio SendGrid Zoho Campaigns
