Page 7 - OPE November 2019

Stand up and be counted!
Zero-turns have enjoyed a rapid rise in popularity. Could other configurations follow suit? What about stand-ons? Andy Kerr reports.
expand its ride-on range further.
“We’ll see how these three go; we’ve got a
big shipment coming in because we ran out of stock before the season took off, and that was just down to manufacturing [constraints], so we’ll see how this container goes through the market. If it’s as popular as the last lot, we may start looking at other models.”
In terms of satisfying contractor requirements, Leon Warner says contractors tend to be going for the largest cutting deck they can get.
“Although it’s at the top end, the HRU216M3 is fast becoming one of the more popular models. In the marketplace, once you go over a certain amount, it seems to be that money isn’t the object, they primarily want something that keeps running every day. This model has all the bells and whistles, hydrostatic gears, and a 21-inch blade.”
Still, as they say, if you ain’t got it, you can’t sell it.
In this respect, Leon Warner says
Honda is continuing to work through a range-based agreement with local dealers, concentrating on providing a one-stop shop for customers.
“We’re encouraging dealers to get as much stock onto the shop floor as possible. The Blue Wing Honda dealers have all had an exterior refresh and now the interiors are being refitted so customers can enjoy an even better in-store experience.”
Relaxed commercials highly competitive
Andrew Peacocke and Tauranga’s ZTR Mowers have been equally busy tweaking the Grasshopper range to better meet local buyer requirements.
One of the original zero-turn mower
COMING INTO THE summer months, some ride-on owners won’t just be thinking about
tailoring their cutting heights to the drier conditions.
They will be considering upgrading to a newer machine or a bigger cutting deck, or even a new configuration of mower.
Whatever their train of thought, they’ll be greeted by a host of new mowing options in an evolving marketplace.
Take Honda which now has three different models in its ride-on range with the recent introduction of the smaller HF2315 model, bringing a range of different
engine sizes and cutting widths to match buyer needs and budgets.
“We had observed a trend with narrower, smaller ride-ons becoming popular as people sought a more compact size and easier manoeuvrability,” reflects Honda’s Leon Warner.
“But what surprised us when we launched the 2315 was how having a broader range generated a lot of interest for us. People
still go for the larger options but having the full fleet seemed to make our offer more appealing.”
And Honda Europe has quite a few other models available should Honda look to
MARKETPLACE
ZTR Mowers
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NOVEMBER2019 NZOUTDOORPOWEREQUIPMENT 07