LPG Mowers Trim Fuel Costs by 60%

Mowing the grass in parks, estates and gardens across the Hammersmith & Fulham borough is cheaper and greener thanks to a new fleet of 26 liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) powered mowers, purchased by the council. Assisting the council with support and expertise, Calor have played a leading role in meeting the council's needs, delivering fuel cost savings of 60 percent.

With its old mixed petrol and diesel fleet made up of a number of different models and makes due for renewal, Hammersmith & Fulham Council's Transport Manager Roy Finan went to SALTEX the industry's showcase exhibition to see what was on offer. Visiting various different stands he was impressed by the Ferris brand of mowers and in particular the new concept of running the machines on LPG, which married well with the council's green fleet agenda.

Following the exhibition Hammersmith & Fulham put together a specification for Ferris LPG powered mowers, which were sourced through The Consortium in Wiltshire. Golf & Turf Equipment, the London dealer for Ferris in partnership with the IPU Group in Birmingham were selected as equipment suppliers.

Explaining their involvement with LPG powered mowers, John Murphy, Groundcare Division Product Manager of the IPU Group said, "In the summer of 2000 we saw an opportunity to exploit the benefits of gas powered mowers, recognising that there was a gap in the market where we could get ahead of the competition".

"It was at this point we contacted Calor, who introduced us to the bespoke conversion of small to medium sized petrol driven engines to LPG," continued John.

As part of the research and development process, conversion packages were developed for the entire range. Over a three month period the team designed, commissioned and tested equipment on the range of mowers, providing prototype models which were supplied to the IPU Group Dealer network for field tests and demonstrations.

"The field tests were very successful, giving us useful information on running costs and times. We found that in comparison to petrol running the mowers on LPG produced fuel cost savings of 60 percent." commented Kevin Houlden, Calor's groundcare and councils specialist.

Using the Ferris demonstrator models, Golf & Turf and the IPU Group were able to illustrate the performance of the mowers on-site at Hammersmith & Fulham, taking them through their paces with grounds staff.

The council was very impressed with the performance of the mower and the quality of the conversion, which was tailored to suit their operating requirements perfectly. Following the confirmation of the order both IPU and Calor liaised with the council to ensure that staff were trained and the refuelling sites were installed before the mowers arrived, making the transition to LPG very smooth.

Due to its size Hammersmith & Fulham is split into two main grounds maintenance depots responsible for the North and South of the borough, with each depot operating 13 mowers. Following a number of visits to each of the sites, engineers from Calor installed two on-site bulk tank refuelling units, one at each depot. Fitted with special refuelling nozzles for the mowers, the tanks make the refuelling process a simple and quick operation, allowing Hammersmith & Fulham to benefit from duty free fuel due to the off road status of the mowers.

"Being able to store large quantities of fuel safely at two on-site storage facilities is a big advantage for Hammersmith & Fulham, they have greater control of fuel costs and are able to benefit from bulk purchasing. By monitoring the use of LPG we are able to top up the tanks at regular intervals to ensure that they never run out of fuel, " explained Kevin Houlden, Calor's groundcare and councils specialist.

"The mowers were delivered in February 2001 and so far all the comments have been very positive. The machines handle well, start up easily and thanks to the cleaner burning qualities of LPG the emissions are negligible. Our maintenance staff are also very pleased", added Roy Finan Transport Manager for Hammersmith & Fulham.

"We are now looking to replace our ride-on mowers and other equipment with LPG powered models when our current leasing arrangement expires in 2002.

"We are very pleased with LPG, it's cheaper, we can refuel on-site and with cleaner emissions it helps us become more environmentally friendly. Of course the big advantage is the savings on the capital cost of petrol engines running on LPG. For example diesel powered 61" riders cost around £13,000, with the equivalent petrol version converted to LPG costing nearer £9,000 and then you have all the other cost and environmental benefits.

By taking an integrated approach to utilise the potential of LPG powered equipment, backed by refuelling support from Calor we have reduced our fuel costs and are looking to continue to do so. I am also able to spend less time with refuelling and fuel cost management allowing me to concentrate on other issues," continued Roy.