Well times are changing and it became quite apparent yesterday.
The last of our true old schoolers retired after 50 years in the industry. I am now the oldest in the shed at 42 and the average age is down to 29.
So as we sat down for his last smoko break of coffee and cakes the new school arrived, quite poignant really.
Introducing our new Toro eTriflex greens mower...
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The fairway mower has been hybrid for quite some time but this is the first greens mower of its type I've experienced.
Other than being significantly quieter and having the ability to run for weeks on a 20L tank it has no hydraulics. Quite an advantage if you've ever seen the aftermath of a hose blowing on a green. A month on and my last one is still scorched earth
The technology is astounding, I won't bore anyone with details of adjustable blade counts or variable clip control but I'll expand on the two things that have impressed me the most.
The traction system is amazing, early zero turns can break traction and scuff quite easily and previous traction control versions have felt too glitchy. This one feels natural and simply won't let slippage happen, it even controls the steering rate to avoid tank slapping on the return. Apparently you can do a full 360 on a delicate bent grass green without leaving a mark, although I'm not that courageous with it yet.
The biasing of the cutting heads is pretty special too. If you think of an old style unit as a locked diff the inside cutters do a lot more work on the turns leading to scalping and scorch from hot sole plates. The sound of the reels individually slowing and speeding up on turns is really noticeable and the cut is silky smooth.
Without the old schoolers conversation and the new schoolers buried in their phones I've got a big owners manual to read and comprehend at smoko times for quite some time.