Commercial Turf Equipment

Hours vs. Mileage …….food for thought…….

• A typical turf equipment engine runs @ 3000 RPM (avg.)
• In a modern car, 3000 rpm can equal 75mph (avg.)
• Theoretically, every 100 hours of operation on the turf equipment engine could be considered to equal 7500 car miles ! (100 hours x 75mph)

And there is more……….

• A modern car engine operates at 20% duty cycle (Full power only 20% of the running time on average)
• Trucks operate at about 50% duty cycle
• Turf equipment engines run at about 70% duty cycle, so……
• ……the turf engine duty cycle is 3-4 times as severe as a car (remember 7500 miles ?)
• Compared to a car, the turf engine and oil has done 3-4 times the work (equivalent to 22,500- 30,000 car miles)

This means….

• Considering the increased load on the engine:
• 500 hours of turf equipment use can equal 125,000 car miles
• 1000 turf hours can equal 250,000 car miles
• 2000 turf hours can equal 500,000 car miles
• 4000 turf hours can equal 1,000,000 car miles

Some additional stuff to consider……..

• A Toro Groundsmaster 455 uses a 116 cu in diesel engine
• It operates @ 3000 RPM
• Assuming a VE ratio of 80% (low), in a 100 hours of operation time the engine has used:
• 1,807,680 gallons of air  (wow !)
• Completed 18,000,000 crankshaft revolutions

Given all this interesting stuff, how do you feel about equipment durability?

What is your perspective on routine maintenance?

Do you feel comfortable with non-genuine parts?