The City of Ratigen, Germany, is not unlike most municipalities; it is always looking for ways to contain costs. Recently, the city purchased a more expensive Walker mower to help cut grass - and expenses. What appears to be a dichotomy really makes a lot of sense, tells city cemetery chief Deiter Anders.
"We looked at mowers for more than a year," says Anders, who's in charge of the upkeep in five city cemeteries. "We purchased the Walker because it was more productive than our previous mowers, costs less to operate and maintafn, and overall was a better fit for the cemeteries.
The mower was also more maneuverable than the other mowers we tried out, and was more robust all the way around. We really wanted a machine that is commercial-quality."
At the time Walker Talk visited Ratigen, the new mower already had 70 hours on it. It was mowing from 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily. Although it was being used exclusively for cemetery work, Anders mentioned that other city departments already had their eyes on the machine for other applications. If they're serious about a Walker, they need look no further than the nearby city of Dusseldorf, which has four of the machines.
Ratigen and Dusseldorf have both discovered there is more to mowing than meets the eye. The ideal mower needs to be productive, easy to operate and easy to maintain. It also needs to be tough enough to sustain long hours in the field. This combination not only far outweighs the purchasing costs, but helps keep operating costs in line.
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