For this year's Editor's Choice Awards, the Green Industry Pros staff decided to round up the products that make landscape professionals more efficient while boosting their bottom lines.
Instead of compiling this list by online page views like in years’ past, the winners were chosen based on a selection process by the Green Industry Pros editorial staff. We changed the process in order to add credibility, assurance and uniformity for all nominees.
We chose products in each of the magazine's newly created departments: business management, lawn care, mowing and maintenance, equipment and technology, hardscapes and design and irrigation and lighting.
With supply chain issues, labor woes and rising fuel costs, things in the green industry are changing and changing fast. With that in mind, we wanted to call out those products that are making green industry pros' lives a little easier.
Without further ado, check out this year's award winners.
1. Echo eForce 56V Battery System Platform
Echo's eForce 56V Battery System Platform includes 10 units, two batteries and two chargers. Each of Echo’s key categories are included in the new lineup, including ECHO’s Pro Attachment Series, with two powerheads that will run up to 15 or 16 attachments.
“As battery powered growth continues to soar, we wanted to give customers a superior option,” says John Powers, Director Product Management, Echo. “With a full lineup of 10 new units spanning the range of users from high-end homeowners up to professional landscapers and arborists, the 56V eForce platform delivers the performance that users have come to expect from the ECHO brand.”
Since 2017 alone, ECHO has launched 109 new products, including 20 in 2020.
Included are:
- 12-inch Top-Handle Chainsaw
- 18-inch Rear-Handle Chainsaw
- 16-inch String Trimmer
- 17-inch String Trimmer
- 21-inch Self-Propelled 3-in-1 Lawn Mower
- 550 CFM Handheld Blower
- 22-inch Hedge Clipper
- 17-inch Brushcutter
- 16-inch Pro Attachment Series Trimmer, compatible with 15 PAS attachments
- 17-inch Pro Attachment Series Trimmer, compatible with 16 PAS attachments
- 2.5Ah Battery
- 5.0Ah Battery
- Standard Charger
- Rapid Charger
2. Exmark Vertex S-Series Stand-On Zero-Turn Mower
The Exmark Vertex S-Series stand-on zero-turn mower gives landscape professionals the productivity, versatility, and ease of use they can rely on to perform every day.
Vertex S-Series is available with a choice of 48-, 52-, or 60-inch UltraCut Series 4 cutting decks, with single-point deck lift for easy, tools-free cut height changes. The rod-style floating deck offers easy rake adjustment, with anti-scalp rollers for consistent quality of cut. A Micro Mulch system is also available.
The Vertex design places the heaviest components, including the engine and hydro drive system, lower in the frame for increased stability, maneuverability, and traction in any terrain. The ergonomic control panel places vital controls close for easy reach and operation. And the large, open operator platform offers more room for the operator to change stance, providing even greater operator comfort.
Vertex S-Series models are designed for reduced maintenance, with no in-season grease points, a single belt drive system and tools-free access to hydro drive components. Exmark’s Series 4 cutter housings feature maintenance-free sealed bearings, and the patented spherical idler bearings require only annual lubrication. Sealed bearing caster wheels and forks work with Exmark’s flat-free semi-pneumatic front tires to deliver maximum reliability and durability.
Choose from carbureted Kawasaki FX730V, or fuel-saving EFI Kohler Command Pro ECV740 commercial engines. Exmark’s proven hydro drive system offers infinitely variable ground speeds of up to 8.5mph. This enables Vertex S-Series to make quick work of large jobs.
3. FieldRoutes Operations Suite
Pest control SaaS providers—PestRoutes and Lobster Marketing—rebranded as FieldRoutes to deliver modern technology to field service companies looking to grow. This will enable expansion into new verticals, and as part of this move FieldRoutes has developed several new solutions for lawn care service providers.
“Aligning PestRoutes and Lobster Marketing under one brand allows us to expand, and as such, it was a natural progression for us to expand our capabilities and officially enter the lawn care market,” said William Chaney, CEO of FieldRoutes.
According to Chaney, lawn care customers using FieldRoutes’ operations suite, on average, report growing their customer base by up to 44 percent within their first year using the software. In addition, he says lawn care customers using FieldRoutes’ sales and marketing suite have seen year-over-year returns on their marketing investment ranging from two-and-a-half to 11 times.
The product lineup now includes FieldRoutes’ operations suite (formerly PestRoutes), FieldRoutes’ sales and marketing suite (formerly Lobster Marketing) and FieldRoutes Payments, a fully integrated payment solution that delivers enhanced payment functionality, such as the account updater which automatically updates lost, stolen, expired, or closed customer payment card information.
The software now includes service plan functionality, which allows clients to bundle multiple services into discounted packages—a practice known as “programs” for lawn care businesses and “bundles” for pest control operators—and the ability to charge customers by measurement. It also now includes property estimations and updated routing functionality to take technician skills and certifications into consideration when scheduling a service.
Another noteworthy enhancement is the ability to route by chemical capacity—which allows clients to optimize routes by the amount of chemicals that can be carried by each vehicle. Rounding out the enhancements is the addition of pre-payment discounts as well as consolidated invoicing, allowing clients to create a single master invoice for individual services completed during a specific period. This new invoice type allows clients to process payments for these services together as their workflows may require.
4. Toro Grandstand Revolution Series
Every Revolution machine is equipped with patent-pending software in the controls that enables smooth operation. It also gives operators a chance to customize the machine with adjustable deck rake, drive speed control options and blade tip speed settings.
The Revolution series mowers are powered by Toro’s HyperCell Power System, which delivers all day power and reliability. The battery management system (BMS) allows for longer run times and quick charging to maximize productivity. HyperCell is built to run cooler than other power systems, so it can last as long as the sunlight. Ultimately, operators gain efficiencies, cut down on emissions and complete more jobs with less hassle. The Toro Grandstand Revolution Stand-On Mower is a machine designed for high performance. It’s the same ride users have come to trust with its space-saving, flip-up platform, only now it’s powered by Toro’s HyperCell batteries. The intention of the design is to help reduce cost on gasoline and maintenance. There are three deck motors and two drive motors, eliminating the belts and pulleys with no engine components that can fail. In addition, the Revolution series produces no emissions and is quiet. From a safety standpoint, the mower has speed control settings in seven different increments up to 10 mph. For someone new on the machine, the speed can be set at lower maximum to ensure a safer environment for training. With a target of all-day mowing, based on conditions, the mower will operate from five to nine hours.
The new Toro GrandStand Revolution stand-on mower is a powerful machine designed for high performance and professional lawncare pros focused on optimizing their businesses with the next generation of landscaping equipment. It’s the same ride you’ve come to trust with its space-saving, flip-up platform, only now its powered by Toro’s durable HyperCell batteries.
Featuring a Turbo Force deck with adjustable baffle, operators can adjust the deck baffle to get the most pristine cut in any conditions. The Turbo Force deck is a 50 KSI 7-gauge high strength steel deck, complemented with an extra strength tubular chassis and durably rugged I-beam front-end. It also features industry-leading dual capture anti-scalp rollers to ensure the highest quality of cut in the harshest terrain. Operators can discharge and disperse clippings with the industry’s highest IQ system—rubber discharge chute clears obstacles, while debris dispersion is second to none. The Toro GrandStand Revolution combines the speed and comfort of a zero-turn rider with the on-and-off ease of a wide area walk-behind — creating a fast, maneuverable and more productive alternative to meet operator’s quiet, battery-powered, efficient mowing needs.
5. ASV Holdings trencher, auger attachments
7. Bobcat Machine IQ Mobile App
8. Case CX15 EV
9. Diamond Mowers SK Drum Mulcher OD Pro X
10. Ditch Witch RT70 Ride-On Trencher
11. Doosan -7 Series Mini Excavators
12. Hunter Pro-Spray PRS Spray Sprinklers
14. John Deere Signature Gator
15. Kioti CS2220 and CS2520 Tractors
16. Kubota U10-5, K008-5 Compact Excavators
17. LMN, Acorn Finance Marketplace
18. Makita 36V Brushless Blower
19. Milwaukee M18 FUEL 21-Inch Self-Propelled Dual Battery Mower
20. Oregon CS300 Cordless Chainsaw
22. Real Green Forms
23. SecuraTrac’s MobileDefender Model S
24. Steel Green SG46 zero-turn sprayer/spreader
25. Steiner Mower
