Eastman adds new hover model, wheeled mowers

PORTLAND, Maine. - Eastman Industries has expanded on its Hover Mower product line and made its first entry into the wheeled mower category with two new models.

The company has been a strong player the floating mower market since being bought in 1999 by local businessman and former nuclear engineer Nicholas Nikazmerad. At that time, the company was known as Grass Craft, but Nikazmerad re-engineered the mowers and changed the name to Hover Mower.

“We started from new,” said Nikazmerad. “We redesigned the deck and impeller. About the only thing we didn’t modify was the engine mount.”

There are now three Hover Mower models, the newest being the model HM 19H4 that features a 5.5-hp 4-cycle Honda engine and a 19-inch deck.

“This engine was specifically engineered for the hover mower application,” Nikazmerad said. “This is the maximum power you can get and it is designed to be used in continuous operation on 45-degree slopes.”

The other models in the Hover Mower line are the HM 19S2, which has a 3.8-hp 2-cycle Suzuki engine, and a 19-inch deck and the HM 16R2, which has a 2-hp 2-cycle Robin engine and a 16-inch deck. All of the mowers feature high-density polyethylene decks and half-inch to three-inch cutting heights. An optional four-inch lift kit is available. Prices range from $699 for the Robin model to $849 for the Honda model. While the Suzuki engine will be going out of production, Nikazmerad is hopeful that a 2.5- to 3-hp engine will take its place.

Nikazmerad is also taking the company in a direction it has never been before – wheeled mowers. This year Eastman introduced two new commercial mowers with 20-inch decks and a choice between a 6-hp 4-cycle Kawasaki engine and a 5-hp 4-cycle Honda engine.

“Golf courses have two choices when it comes to buying a mower to use around the clubhouse or other areas,” said Nikazmerad. “They can either buy a $900 to $1,000 mower, or buy a $300 disposable mower from Home Depot. We wanted to make a sturdy commercial mower that can take the abuse, but that bridges the gap and doesn’t cost an arm and a leg.” The mowers will retail for $650 and $700, respectively, and have a two-year commercial warranty.

Nikazmerad plans to continue to add products to the Eastman lineup and said commercial wheeled mowers will just be the beginning of the firm’s expansion beyond the Hover Mower into other niche markets.