In partnership with Greenworks Commercial
Greenworks Commercial may be most well-known for its Optimus line of mowers and handheld tools that have been helping professional lawn care crews switch to battery power without compromising performance or productivity. Expanding the line to meet more landscaping needs, the Greenworks Commercial Optimus Sprayer Spreader is getting the attention of Pros for reasons that go beyond the basic benefits of battery power.
To learn more about how this machine changes the game, I dove deep into the weeds with Tony Marchese, Senior Vice President of Sales for Greenworks Commercial. I’ll share what he told me about the design and why this machine is making such a big impact on professional landscaping crews.
A Solution for Maintenance Headaches
Stand-on sprayer spreaders are the go-to solution for large-area chemical applications, but they’re a nightmare for maintenance teams.
Gas engines draw in a lot of air to operate, and since they sit below the spraying equipment, they suck in fertilizers and pesticides as you apply treatments. It can create serious trouble for the carburetor and degrade the engine block, among other issues. When you have to deal with engine service, access is even more challenging than a mower’s engine because the hopper and spray gear have to come off first.
It’s hard to blame mechanics for seeing these machines as such a big maintenance pain point, and battery power solves it. With the Greenworks Commercial Optimus Sprayer Spreader, there’s no gas engine sucking in fertilizer air.
However, it’s not only the engine that can suffer ill effects. You need a solid platform to start with, and Greenworks Commercial already had an excellent one with their Optimus 9-series mowers. Building on that foundation, the engineering team looked to enhance the corrosion resistance. One of the primary initiatives was to use all-stainless-steel construction. They also added fertilizer-specific protections to ensure key components, such as wheel motors, are protected for a long service life.
Better still, Greenworks Commercial didn’t develop new equipment to install on the machine. They partnered with top U.S. manufacturers of spray gear, so it’s the same as what you’re used to on gas models. Whether it’s regular maintenance, repair, or replacement, it’s familiar equipment with readily available replacement parts.
There’s not even much daily maintenance to perform. Just keep the front caster wheels greased up, flush the tank if you need to, and give it a good wash down with a hose.
Operator Advantages
Of course, there are other benefits of switching to battery power. Not paying for fuel is an obvious one. Noise reduction is another. Based on Greenworks Commercial’s testing, the noise level at the operator’s ear is just 66 decibels. At 50 feet, it’s only 52 decibels. It’s quiet enough that your crew can easily communicate with one another, and bystanders might not even hear it running.
For crews who work in noise-sensitive areas, such as residential neighborhoods, that low noise level also means you can get started earlier or work later into the evening to beat the heat without disturbing residents. The Optimus Sprayer Spreader comes with integrated LED lights, so you don’t have to worry about purchasing a separate light kit and retrofitting it onto the machine.
There are also benefits when it comes to operator comfort. The Optimus 9-series platform has the advantage of nearly 10 years of refinement in the controls and operation to make it feel like using a gas model. From the physical design of the drive bars to the wheel response as you work them, it’s a natural transition with a very short learning curve.
Gas engines produce a lot of heat, and given how they’re positioned on stand-on sprayer spreaders, it can make a hot day downright miserable for the operator. That’s not the case when you use the Optimus Sprayer Spreader since the battery system doesn’t produce those levels of heat. Plus, there’s much less vibration fatiguing the operator, and he or she isn’t smelling gas emissions all day. By swapping gas for battery power, the operator stays more comfortable and fresher throughout the day, making them more productive and less prone to mistakes.
Competing With Gas
But what about performance? What trade-offs should you expect when you swap your gas model for the Optimus Sprayer Spreader?
It’s equipped with a 60-gallon tank and a boom that can spray up to 10 feet wide and cover up to 5.5 acres. For granular spreading, the hopper can hold up to 220 pounds. Those are very popular capacities that match the top gas models.
Even runtime isn’t an issue. When you consider a battery-powered mower, most of the energy goes to driving the blades. However, the Optimus Sprayer Spreader needs much less power, and its 8 kWh battery offers up to two work days’ worth of runtime. Since the battery only needs around two and a half hours to fully recharge, you can plug it in at the end of the day and have confidence it’ll be ready the following morning.
It’s no slouch when it comes to covering ground, either. With a top speed of 10 MPH, it’s faster than most competing gas models.
Don’t discount the benefits of the Optimus Sprayer Spreader’s advanced electronic design. Using the control screen, you can adjust the speed and view current information, such as battery levels. The electronics can self-diagnose issues and report them to you. And if it’s stolen, built-in 4G connectivity can help law enforcement get it back for you. You can even disable it remotely so it can’t be driven until it’s recovered. From a management standpoint, you can see which properties your crew worked on and how long they were on site.
Ready to Level Up Your Chemical Application Game?
The Greenworks Commercial Optimus Sprayer Spreader does more than bring battery power’s benefits of no gas and oil, lower noise, and no emissions to the table. It’s designed to legitimately improve the operator’s experience and your mechanic’s workload.
With a price tag of $24,999.99, the premium compared to gas models isn’t as high as you might think. When you weigh the benefits to your field and shop crews, it makes a very compelling case to ditch gas.
If you’re thinking this all sounds great, but a 52-inch model is larger than you need, keep your eyes peeled. Greenworks Commercial has a smaller version coming soon.
Ready to upgrade to the benefits of battery power? Click the buttons below to learn more at Greenworks Commercial’s website or find a dealer near you.
