Photo: ExmarkAs teased earlier this month, Exmark revealed its new gas-powered 96-inch deck Lazer Z X-Series mower at GIE+EXPO this year, as well as a new walk-behind mower and more.
Two years after Exmark introduced the diesel version of its 96-inch deck Lazer Z, the gas-powered version is now available. Jonathan Guarneri, a product manager for Exmark, says the company had some work to do on the gas engine before it was ready to come to market, which is why the diesel model debuted first.
The 96-inch Lazer Z X-Series is powered by a Kohler EFI commercial engine. Exmark designed a number of innovations to keep the engine cool, including an external oil cooler that keeps the oil 20 degrees cooler and an engine hood design that screens intake air coming into the engine and keeps it 17 degrees cooler.
Photo: Jill Odom/Total Landscape CareThe Kohler engine’s electronic governor works the patented RED Technology, using an electronic throttle body (ETB) to eliminate the governor lag that comes with mechanical governors. This allows for increased responsiveness at a more fuel-efficient RPM level. The RED technology also monitors the mower’s health, providing service alerts and productivity data to encourage proper maintenance and maximize uptime.
The 96-inch Lazer Z X-Series model can cut up to nine acres per hour with its rear-discharge UltraCut flex wing cutting deck. It has a full-floating 48-inch center deck with two 24-inch wing decks. The wing decks can be raised or lowered with a hydraulic deck lift allowing the mower to fit on trailers that can transport a 72-inch ZTR.
The wing decks can also flex up to 20-degrees up and 15-degrees down, reducing scalping and improves productivity on rolling terrain. The wing deck is designed to use four matching blades to simplify servicing. The deck can also provide mulching when equipped with a factory-installed mulch kit.
To provide stable handling, Exmark added a 150-pound weight to the back of the mower so there is an optimized weight balance of the machine. The chassis is made from welded and fully reinforced 3/16” walled, tubular steel.
Isolation mounts under the seat base provide three-dimensional isolation from vibration, optimizing operator comfort.
Exmark says the 96-inch Lazer Z X-Series model is well suited for commercial complexes, large residences, universities or municipalities.
“Landscape maintenance professionals need mowers that enable each worker to get more work done, faster, with reduced maintenance and service-related downtime,” says Jamie Briggs, Exmark’s director of marketing. “The 96-inch Lazer Z X-Series leverages Exmark’s latest innovations to give our customers a powerful new option that mows faster, with increased operator comfort and maximum reliability in the field.”
Commercial 30 X-SeriesPhoto: Exmark
Exmark also introduced its Commercial 30 X-Series walk-behind mower during the trade show. According to Guarneri, this mower was created in response to customers who said the S-Series was underpowered.
This new walk-behind has a more powerful engine and transmission. The new Kohler Command Pro CV200 engine gives it 30 percent more torque, allowing it to power through thick grass.
The engine is built with cast iron cylinders liners, dual splash and pressurized lubrication and Quad-Clean air filtration to protect against debris. It comes with Kohler’s three-year limited commercial warranty.
The upgraded transmission allows the mower to make the most of the Kohler engine’s extra power. It helps with wheel torque when mowing up hills. The positive drive design couples both drive wheels for improved traction.
The 4.6-inch deep, 30-inch wide cutting deck provides cut quality while not sacrificing maneuverability. Lenny Mangnall, an Exmark product manager, says the Commercial 30 X-Series an evolution of the original Commercial 30 model, which was introduced in 2013.
“With 40-percent more cut area per pass than the industry-standard 21-inch walk-behind mower, our Commercial 30 quickly found favor with landscape contractors looking to get jobs done faster without sacrificing cut quality,” Mangnall says.
The walk-behind has a 3-in-1 design allowing landscapers to be able to change from side discharge, to bagging or mulching without tools. A mulch kit is also available. It can function as a fill-in reduction kit when working with a bagger, reducing the need to stop and empty the bag as often.
The Commercial 30 X-Series has a variable ground speed up to 3.8 mph.
Z-Spray LTSPhoto: Exmark
Also joining the Exmark family of products is Z Turf Equipment, the new parent brand of Z-Spray lawn care equipment. According to Exmark, all the of its turf management equipment such as aerators and seeders will be sold under Z Turf Equipment starting in 2021 and Exmark will solely sell mowers.
New for 2020 is the Z-Spray LTS spreader sprayer. Based on Exmark’s stand-on spreader sprayer design, this machine has digitized spread and spray controls for more precise applications. The lean-to-steer design allows the operator to control the speed and direction with one hand and adjust spread and spray controls, as well as spot treat, with the other hand.
The hopper can carry up to 175 pounds of material and can broadcast anywhere from 4 to 22 feet. The spray system has narrow and wide spray nozzles and a 20-gallon tank. The tank is constantly agitated to ensure materials are kept in suspension.
The Z-Spray LTS also features a corrosion-resistant stainless steel main frame, powder coated control tower and stainless steel operator platform.
The 2020 line also features the following updated models:
- Z-Aerate – 40-inch aerator
- Z-Spray Junior – 24-gallon tank; 120-pound hopper
- Z-Spray Junior – 30-gallon tank; 150-pound hopper
- Z-Spray Mid – 30-gallon tank; 220-pound hopper
- Z-Spray Max – 60-gallon tank; 220-pound hopper
- Z-Spray Max – 60-gallon tank; 220-pound hopper; upgraded 7 GPM Fatboy pump
Created to compete with the Michelin Tweel airless tires, Exmark also rolled out its new Tractus tire and wheel combination. These wheels are currently available as an accessory for select Exmark Lazer Z mower models.
The Tractus tire has been in development for a number of years.Photo: Jill Odom/Total Landscape Care
Exmark’s Tractus tires feature a honeycomb pattern and are a result of a multi-year development process with testing in-house and in the field. The company had teased the tire two years ago but saw some design flaws and continued to work on the design until they had a durable and reliable product.
“Offering an airless tire and wheel combination that raises the bar in every area compared to traditional pneumatic tires is a big challenge,” Briggs says. “Our customers rely on our equipment to perform every day, so we exhaustively tested Tractus in the Exmark test lab, and in real-world conditions.”
Briggs says the Tractus tires provide more consistent ground pressure with a larger contact patch, for reduced turf compaction as well. The tire tread was designed for better traction across various terrains, while reducing marking when turning on concrete.
The tires have a one-year warranty and will available in early 2020. They will be initially offered on three gas-powered Lazer Z models of different sizes.
