Turfscape, the company behind JCU’s landscaping, has implemented a change in equipment that will benefit workers, students and the environment: electric automated lawnmowers, with three currently in use on campus. The Carroll News had a chance to speak with mower operator Joe Lacuda to learn more about these new machines.
When discussing the benefits of the new Scythe M.52 mowers, Lacuda said that in addition to cost and environmental impacts, the worker now “is able to do extra detail on campus.” Instead of dedicating time exclusively to the mowing of lawns, workers can let the mower operate on its own while they take care of other duties such as trash pick-up or tree-trimming. He emphasizes that the new machines are not replacing people, rather making them “able to do more” with their time.
The machine functions through the use of “cameras, GPS and satellite.” Turfscape workers make a map of the property that needs to be mowed, which is saved on the cloud shared across all Scythe M.52 mowers, before setting the machine on its course. Once a map is saved once, the Scythe can make the same route repeatedly with “the press of a button.”
From there, the only duty of the worker is monitoring. Turfscape employees are equipped with a device that acts as an “emergency stop” in the case of an unforeseen issue. Though they do not have to watch the mower constantly, workers generally glance over every “30 seconds to a minute” to ensure everything is running smoothly while they are taking care of other business.
The Scythe itself has its own safety protocols in place as well. If an object or person comes too close to an active mower, the machine will stop and “will not resume until that object is moved.”
These new mowers have also provided Blue Streaks with more peace and quiet. Lacuda noted how the gas-powered mowers used to disturb studies and classes, but now “professors aren’t coming out anymore to ask us to shut the mower off” like they previously had. With significantly quieter electric mowers in use, Turfscape can perform its duties without disturbing campus life, which Lacuda believes people will “definitely appreciate.”
The one inconvenience that comes with the Scythe M.52 is that workers “can only get six to eight hours of use” before needing to recharge overnight. While that does slightly hinder the amount of work that can be done in a single day, Turfscape believes it is significantly outweighed by the positive impacts.
Lacuda also explained how the idea of electric mowers came about. “Turfscape is aware of what gas equipment does to the environment and that times are changing,” he said. “We know electric is going to be the future and we want to be running while everyone else is crawling.”
Going forward, Lacuda said Turfscape will be “looking to go electric,” with machines such as electric leaf blowers and trimmers planning to be implemented on campus later this semester.
With the robotic mowers already a success, it is likely that JCU will be completely free of gasoline-powered devices in the near future. For further questions about the Scythe M.52 mowers or any other on-campus equipment, students can contact Turfscape at [email protected].
