Repowering utility carts makes Green Sense, But does it make financial sense?

Golfers at the Hindman Park Golf Course in Little Rock, Arkansa have something to brag about – they have the greenest greens in the state. Not the color green – green as in environmentally friendly. Environmentally friendly golf courses came to national attention about ten years ago, when the Environmental Protection Agency, the American Society of Golf Course Architects (ASGCA), the United States Golf Association (USGA), Audubon International and the National Wildlife Federation came together and created a set of guidelines for developing greener golf courses. According to the Audubon Society, golf courses are a natural place (no pun intended) to turn for wildlife shelters and habitats. The guidelines, published in 1997, offer tips and suggestions for golf course owners and municipalities that make the greens even greener environmentally. Hindman Park’s Supervisor took their suggestions to heart. He and his crew have put up over 40 nesting boxes around the course, and planted 100 fruit trees to encourage and attract wildlife. The intent is to add another 100 trees each of the next four years – all of which will grow without the aid of pesticides or fertilizers. The partnership between golf courses and environmentalists is a new one – but it shouldn’t be a surprising one. After all, part of the pleasure of golfing is in being a part of the natural outdoor world. Preserving that world so that golfers can continue to enjoy it should be part of taking care of the golf course. Throughout the country, municipal and private golf courses are taking their stewardship of the land seriously by instilling new methods of irrigation and greens keeping. While most of the attention has focused on designing environmentally friendly golf courses, the decisions that the grounds service makes every day can also affect how green a golf course is – and not by picking a new fertilizer. The engines that power grounds keeping and grooming equipment are one of the targets of environmentalist concern. The NOx emissions of diesel and gas powered equipment – particularly older equipment – are often well above the new emissions standards. Replacing older engines on machines like lawnmowers, sand groomers, utility carts and tractors can go a long way toward cutting down on the noxious fumes that pollute the atmosphere. New equipment must meet the new EPA standards for emissions control – but the price is often out of reach, especially for a small private course or a municipal course struggling to stay within the Parks & Rec budget. There is an easy solution – don’t replace. Repower the equipment with new, cleaner engines. For the cost of a new Toro Sand Pro, you can repower your old Toro Sand Pro with a new kohler engine, and usually have enough left to repower four Toro Greensmaster lawnmowers. If you choose to repower a Rake-o-Vac instead of replacing it with a new one for $31,000, you can practically repower your entire fleet! Choosing to repower doesn’t just make financial sense. It makes green sense. By replacing old engines with new Kohler repower engines, you reduce the NOx emissions of your fleet by as much as 70%. In addition, since you’re not scrapping your old machine, it won’t be sitting in a landfill challenging the Earth to break it down and deal with it. Green is a label that golf courses have always worn with pride, and now it’s more of a badge than ever. Make your golf course a greener place to be – consider repowering your old machines with a much more efficient, more powerful and more environmentally friendly kohler engines. © Ben Anton, 2006

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Budget Conscious; What are the Benefits of Repowering a Utility Golf Cart with a Kohler Engine?

These days, maintaining a fleet of golf carts and utility vehicles is more likely to be a matter of topping up battery cells than checking spark plugs and mixing fuel and oil. The vast majority of golf carts sold in the past decade or so has been electric. Electric golf carts, goes the traditional wisdom, are cheaper to maintain, easier to manage and less trouble in the long run than the models powered by small gas engines.

Despite the popularity of electric golf carts, however, most pros agree that there are some jobs that require the power of a good gas engine. It’s not unusual for most course fleets to include at least a few gas golf carts that have been converted to utility vehicles for hauling and other purposes. What do you do when the motor on one of those starts to go?

It used to be easy to replace those with a used utility or golf cart when the engine started to go – but not anymore. Used and rebuilt gas-powered golf carts are rare – and replacing them with a new gas-powered cart could run you between $12,000 and $20,000.

The solution is simple. Don’t replace – repower. The decision to repower a utility vehicle that you currently own rather than replacing it with a new vehicle makes sound sense in a number of ways.

1. By repowering a vehicle that you own, you extend the useful life of that vehicle or piece of equipment. There’s no need to scrap a perfectly good piece of equipment that just needs a bit of a boost in the engine department.
2. Repowering a vehicle with a new motor can expand its usefulness. You can turn an old golf cart into an all-purpose hauler or plow by fitting it with a more powerful engine.
3. You get a new warranty for your new upgraded engine. Depending on the dealer, you may find a Kohler engine repower kit that contains all you need to upgrade and includes a two-year warranty, or a Honda small engine to replace one that’s on its last legs, with a warranty for parts for up to two years.
4. A repower Kohler engine or other small engine could save you money on fuel, especially if you upgrade to a cleaner burning fuel. And it will certainly be kinder to the environment.
5. Speaking of kinder to the environment, check your state’s grants and proposals web site if you’re considering replacing old motor equipment. Many states offer substantial incentives if you choose to repower a high-emissions piece of equipment with a lower-emissions engine. The same holds true if you choose to refit an engine with after-market parts to reduce its emissions. In some cases, you can even apply for a reimbursement grant that will pay for a repower engine or the refit parts, along with any parts needed to fit the new engine into your tractor or utility vehicle.
6. If your new repower engine does need repair, it will be far easier to get parts for a current engine than for an older model. Spare parts support is yet another reason to upgrade your engine with a repower.

Repowering is also an excellent way to update your greens-keeping equipment. Little has changed in the business end of mowers, rakers and other turfcare equipment. Why replace a piece of equipment that’s in virtually excellent condition when a repower kit will upgrade it and keep it running in tiptop shape for years to come? Kohler makes repower kits for Toro, Jacobsen, Club Car and Cushman turf care equipment. Each kit comes with everything you need to drop a new engine into your trusted machine and update it to perfect working order.

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