This year, the show drew more than 26,500 people from around the world. The indoor exhibit floor and the Outdoor Demonstration Area covered 24,000 net sq. ft. more than last year.
Show highlights
Lawn and landscape attendee categories
increased by 18%.
Servicing dealer registrants increased by 8%.
Thirty-four percent of dealer/retailer and
42% of lawn and landscape attendees were first timers.
Attendees hailed from all 50 states and more
than 40 countries.
Indoor booths were spread throughout 675,000
sq. ft. of exhibit space.
The Outdoor Demo Area exceeded 20 acres for
the third year in a row.
More than 80 products were highlighted in the
New Products Spotlight.
Many Product IntroductionsFeatured Electric Power
Avant introduced the 860i, its largest and most powerful loader to date;
Bobcat launched its new line of sub-compact and compact tractors which range from 21 to 58 hp and debuted the newest member of its R-Series excavator lineup, the new E26 compact excavator
Caterpillar introduced its D3 series compact track and skid steer loaders and 306 mini-excavator;
Multi-One introduced the company’s EZ Series electric miniloaders;
Toro introduced additional models in its 60V Flex-Force lineup, its new TimeCutter zero-turn mowers, new 60-in. TITAN;
ASV showcased two special edition machines: The Green Beast, a green and black version of the RT-120 forestry compact track loader and the Black Widow, a black and red version of the RT-40 among the industry’s smallest sit-in compact track loaders;
Gravely launched its new full-electric commercial ZT machine, with new drives and batteries.
Exmark unveiled its newest Lazer Z X-Series zero-turn mower that sports a 96-inch deck.
Hustler Turf debuted its Super 88 zero-turn stand-on mower allowing operators to mow faster and with a smaller crew.
Vanguard Lithium-Ion Commercial Battery System; Vanguard 14.0 gross HP 400 and 5.0 Gross HP 160 single-cylinder, horizontal shaft commercial engines; and Integrated InStart and Electronic Fuel Injection with Electronic Throttle Control on Briggs & Stratton residential engines. Commercial innovations included the Ferris ISX2200 & ISX3300; Ferris FS5250 Voyager; Snapper Pro SW15; Snapper Pro S120; Billy Goat Next Gen Debris Loader; and the Billy Goat Post Hole Auger.
Battery Technology
The ongoing transition to
battery-powered equipment reached a critical milestone at this year’s GIE Expo:
the release of commercially viable tools. Several OEMs released handheld and
walk-behind tools with batteries above 80V, the level they all agreed provides
gas-equivalent power.
Power Systems Research is based in Minnesota, and we were happy to see a battery-powered snowblower that boasted a 60’ launch range, although the standard 35’ is just fine. OEMs reached this power level in different ways, with some increasing the weight of their equipment by installing larger batteries and others releasing battery backpacks, so landscapers can hold that weight with their core rather than their arms. Run time was up, too. Few people claimed their machines could run a full 8-hour day, but the refrain was that it will run all of the hours you actually need them to run, if you manage your batteries well and charge them on your downtime.
OEMs appeared to indicate a coming shift from the release of
more-powerful products to educating their end-users on how to get the most out
of the equipment. That isn’t to say that more-powerful equipment isn’t still
coming. Last year, most OEMs expected to have their battery powered ZTR mowers
on the market in 2023. This year, several new players announced release dates
as early as next year.
Along with greater power, greater autonomy was on display at GIE 2019. Last year, Husqvarna was the clear leader in the robotic mower market, and while they still stole the show in that space with their new articulated robotic mower, there were at least two dozen booths displaying a new robotic mowers or robotic mower services. Mowers were not the only machines being automated, though. Remote-control, battery-powered sidewalk plows and tool carriers also made a showing. We look forward to seeing a further spread of automation next year.
The European market has embraced these “Roomba” like machines for years, but the U.S. has been slow to catch on. Companies have been working on ways to make no boundary wires better for the US market with our bigger yards, and landscaping features and improvements have been made.
We will see if the U.S. market starts to adopt the robotic mower at the rate that everyone hopes.
Future
The conversation about “if” electric is coming is done, and the “when” discussion will be soon over. Now the outdoor power equipment industry must do a better job of building what the customers and dealers want.
There will be more advanced displays and touch controls on the machines and electric outdoor power equipment will become more user friendly. The big engine companies are finally embracing the electrification of the market that is coming. PSR
RC Mowers Powerful Automation
Two of the biggest trends at GIE this year were automation and commercial power. This mower combines the two, showing off how it can handle any hill a lawn care specialist might face..
Briggs & Stratton Goes Electric with Vanguard
Briggs & Stratton have been talking about rebranding themselves from a small engine company to a power solutions company for a while now, and that was on full display with the unveiling of the Vanguard battery system. Not only are they planning to electrify the large ZTR application, but their release date of fall 2020 for this mower is a full 3 years ahead of the concept ZTR mowers on display at last year’s GIE..
Briggs & Stratton Goes Electric with Vanguard
Briggs & Stratton have been talking about rebranding themselves from a small engine company to a power solutions company for a while now, and that was on full display with the unveiling of the Vanguard battery system. Not only are they planning to electrify the large ZTR application, but their release date of fall 2020 for this mower is a full 3 years ahead of the concept ZTR mowers on display at last year’s GIE..
DR Power Expands Commercial Battery Line
DR Power has one of the most extensive lines of battery equipment and have been racing with everyone else to get a commercial line to market. Part of that offering is this high-wheel string trimmer, the only battery powered trimmer of that kind available.
Gravely Brings Up Battery ZTR Launch
This battery-powered ZTR from Gravely is expected to hit the market in August, 2020. Some exhibitors in 2018 were skeptical that battery-powered ride-on equipment would ever take off, but 2019 put those doubts to rest.
Cormidi Tool Carrier Shows Spread
Mowers are not the only application electrifying and automating. This tool carrier from Cormidi is just one of many examples of how battery dominance in lawn & garden equipment is spilling over into light construction equipment.
Range Improvements Make Greenworks’ Battery UTVs Viable
Battery-powered UTVs were as common at the show this year as battery-powered chainsaws last year. This UTV from Greenworks can achieve a top speed of 29mph and boasts a 60 mile range.
Mean Green Incorporates Solar to Extend Runtime
The Mean Green ATOM might have been the biggest robotic mower on display this year. Designed for quiet green spaces around hospitals and university campuses, it comes with a solar panel to help extend its runtime.
Husqvarna Continues to Push the Robotics Industry
Husqvarna is widely recognized as the leaders in the robotic mower market, having been active in robotics in Europe for over 20 years. To keep the top spot, they demonstrated the new articulated robotic mower, and set it running up a steep incline to overcome the concern that robotic mowers are not a viable option for residential customers with hilly yards.
Husqvarna Continues to Push the Robotics Industry
Husqvarna is widely recognized as the leaders in the robotic mower market, having been active in robotics in Europe for over 20 years. To keep the top spot, they demonstrated the new articulated robotic mower, and set it running up a steep incline to overcome the concern that robotic mowers are not a viable option for residential customers with hilly yards.
Greenworks Charging Station Gets Equipment Through the Day
Many OEMs claimed to have achieved commercial power levels with their electric lines this year using one of two routes- bigger batteries or better charging technology. This charger from Greenworks is designed to be used over a lunch hour to carry your equipment through the end of the work day.
Green Climber’s Snow Plow is a Gamechanger
Maybe the most exciting piece of equipment for us at Minnesota-based Power Systems Research was the autonomous snow plot from Green Climber. While clearly meant for commercial or municipal use, we are looking forward to the day this technology is small enough to clean our driveways for us.
Ego’s Battery Backpack Adds Power and Keeps Balance
Ego’s path to commercial power in their battery-powered equipment is the introduction of the battery backpack. Their thinking was that a person 50 feet up cutting a tree doesn’t need to be handling a chainsaw whose balance is thrown off by a massive battery. The battery backpack is intended to be an ergonomic answer to the question, “How do I get more power without sacrificing the benefits battery technology brings?.
Battery Powered Snowblowers Reach a new Threshold of Viability
This year also brought snowblowers whose launch range is far enough to clear a driveway in one pass for the first time. Don’t expect a miracle if you let it pile up overnight, but if you plow in a timely fashion, you won’t have to plow the same snow twice to get it into your yard..
Battery Pressure-Washers Not Quite There
While plug-in pressure washers are just starting to achieve the psi of an engine-powered model, two OEMs took the leap all the way to battery. Here you can see Lera’s model. While there was no psi rating displayed, the Worx model could only achieve 300psi on a single battery, and 420psi with two. This application seems likely to experience the same challenges as leaf blowers, where very high power needs to be maintained for a long period of time.
