Protecting the land factors into every decision at Mauna Kea Resort, including golf course maintenance equipment selection.
The resort uses John Deere hybrid technology to maintain its famed Robert Trent Jones Sr.-designed course along the Pacific Ocean. “One of the reasons we went to John Deere was because we were able to get hybrid equipment in there and were able to reduce our oil and fuel,” says former director of golf course maintenance Scott Main, who oversaw acquiring a fleet that includes 8000A E-Cut Hybrid fairway mowers and 220 E-Cut Hybrid walking greens mowers.
Mauna Kea has already documented the savings as part of its sustainability case study released in 2016. Shifting to John Deere hybrid vehicles has reduced fuel consumption from five gallons per day to five gallons per week, according to the “Embracing Sustainability at Mauna Kea Resort” report. Main became the director of golf course maintenance at Nanea Golf Club last December. Nanea also uses the 8000A E-Cut Hybrid and 220 E-Cut Hybrid.
Released in 2014, the 8000A E-Cut includes a three-wheel configuration. John Deere Golf manager, product marketing Tracy Lanier says the mower leaves an after-cut appearance comparable to a triplex while offering increased productivity associated with an 80-inch width of cut. The mower receives extreme tests on the Big Island, where severe fairway and green contouring is common among courses constructed on hilly terrain and lava rock such as Mauna Kea and Nanea.
“One of the reasons it does so well with hill climbing is that you are driving the reel circuit electrically,” Lanier says. “You’re not using a lot of power from the engine to drive the cutting units, so basically your hydraulic drive for your wheels have plenty of power, because the reels aren’t taking it. It does a great job with hill climbing and following contours.”
The electrification of the reel circuit helps courses looking to reduce their environmental footprint. The series of E-Cut mowers, first released by John Deere in 2005, removes 100 to 120 potential leak points, Lanier says. “They are still using some hydraulics, but normally probably 90 percent of your leaks occur in the reel circuit because that’s the system that’s moving the most over the time things happen,” Lanier adds.
A mower in the E-Cut series can offer “up to 30 percent” fuel savings compared to a mower with a hydraulically-driven reel circuit, according to Lanier. The ability to reduce throttle and run an engine at a lower RPM also decreases noise levels.
“It’s real important for us to have energy efficient machines,” Lanier says. “It’s something that our customers ask for as budgets get scrutinized. It’s not only good for the environment, but it’s also budget friendly. We try to do as much as we can to make our machines as productive as well as energy efficient as possible.”
The resort uses John Deere hybrid technology to maintain its famed Robert Trent Jones Sr.-designed course along the Pacific Ocean. “One of the reasons we went to John Deere was because we were able to get hybrid equipment in there and were able to reduce our oil and fuel,” says former director of golf course maintenance Scott Main, who oversaw acquiring a fleet that includes 8000A E-Cut Hybrid fairway mowers and 220 E-Cut Hybrid walking greens mowers.
Mauna Kea has already documented the savings as part of its sustainability case study released in 2016. Shifting to John Deere hybrid vehicles has reduced fuel consumption from five gallons per day to five gallons per week, according to the “Embracing Sustainability at Mauna Kea Resort” report. Main became the director of golf course maintenance at Nanea Golf Club last December. Nanea also uses the 8000A E-Cut Hybrid and 220 E-Cut Hybrid.
Released in 2014, the 8000A E-Cut includes a three-wheel configuration. John Deere Golf manager, product marketing Tracy Lanier says the mower leaves an after-cut appearance comparable to a triplex while offering increased productivity associated with an 80-inch width of cut. The mower receives extreme tests on the Big Island, where severe fairway and green contouring is common among courses constructed on hilly terrain and lava rock such as Mauna Kea and Nanea.
“One of the reasons it does so well with hill climbing is that you are driving the reel circuit electrically,” Lanier says. “You’re not using a lot of power from the engine to drive the cutting units, so basically your hydraulic drive for your wheels have plenty of power, because the reels aren’t taking it. It does a great job with hill climbing and following contours.”
The electrification of the reel circuit helps courses looking to reduce their environmental footprint. The series of E-Cut mowers, first released by John Deere in 2005, removes 100 to 120 potential leak points, Lanier says. “They are still using some hydraulics, but normally probably 90 percent of your leaks occur in the reel circuit because that’s the system that’s moving the most over the time things happen,” Lanier adds.
A mower in the E-Cut series can offer “up to 30 percent” fuel savings compared to a mower with a hydraulically-driven reel circuit, according to Lanier. The ability to reduce throttle and run an engine at a lower RPM also decreases noise levels.
“It’s real important for us to have energy efficient machines,” Lanier says. “It’s something that our customers ask for as budgets get scrutinized. It’s not only good for the environment, but it’s also budget friendly. We try to do as much as we can to make our machines as productive as well as energy efficient as possible.”
