Page 15 - OPE September 2020

MARKETPLACE
Ride-on Mowers
Get on your mower and ride!
With the combination of lockdown, warm weather and pent-up demand, ride-on mower sales have enjoyed an unexpected momentum shift this year. Is it sustainable? Andy Kerr reports.
LOCKDOWN HAS BEEN
driving end users online and now
in-store in ever greater numbers. And it’s not just domestic or lifestyle
consumers who have been eager to upgrade their ride-ons.
Husqvarna Sales Manager Steve Middleton says the autumn weather and one of the warmest winters on record kept ride-on sales going strong when economic
indicators were suggesting the opposite. “We were expecting things to be heading
in a different direction [but] people were still out spending on large ticket items in businesses that would typically be quiet through winter,” he says.
Husqvarna mowers have had some facelift changes this year and the V-twin Husqvarna Loncin engine was introduced for entry- level machines with a 42-inch pressed deck.
“The engine is a little bit like the Kawasakis we run in the next series up,” explains Steve, “but Husqvarna can support it 100%. We have our own parts and consumables and replacement engines, and handle the warranty directly. It’s gaining good traction in the dealerships at the start of spring.
“Otherwise, the ClearCut cutting deck remains very popular in the marketplace
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SEPTEMBER 2020 NZ OUTDOOR POWER EQUIPMENT 015