What Mows Better Than an EverRide Warrior Mower?

November 15, 2004

The Aharts were the first EverRide customers in the Hawkeye state, where the bright yellow Warrior was unlike any commercial mower seen in western Iowa. “It’s a curiosity because they don’t know what it is. This is John Deere territory,” Pam explained.

The Aharts’ decision to purchase a relatively unknown zero turn commercial mower over much better known brands last fall was based in part on the recommendation of their equipment dealer in Omaha, Neb., who they’ve done business with for years.

“He was following the development of the EverRide and keeping me up on it. I knew the EverRide hydrostat system has bigger pumps and motors than a Dixie Chopper and its construction is heavier in terms of their frame,” Joel said.

Joel was convinced to try the EverRide Warrior when his dealer offered to take the mower back in a year if the Aharts were unhappy with it.

‘His’ and ‘her’ mowers

Not only were the Aharts happy with their new mower, they ended up buying a second one earlier this year from the same dealer. They cited several features of the EverRide Warrior that led them to invest in “his” and “her” EverRide mowers.


Among the features that impressed Joel Ahart was the EverRide Warrior hydrostat system with twin Hydro-Gear BDP-16 pumps and Parker DF0280 wheel drive motors that provide more capacity for on-demand power than is possible with smaller pumps found on competitive mowers.

For starters, both Pam and Joel are impressed with its speed. “We’ve increased our production each day because they’re so efficient and they get you in and out of the job faster,” Pam explained.

“You need to use equipment that improves your productivity without taking shortcuts. Our productivity is up and we can get more done and cover more ground in less time. Productivity is the name of the game,” Joel agreed.

The 12-gallon capacity gas tanks contribute to the increased production. “The dual gas tanks are perfect the way they’re set up now. We can go a whole 12-hour day without refilling them, and we don’t have to worry about it,” Joel said.

Running out of gas can be a major headache when you’re in the middle of a 30-acre sports complex like the one in Denison, Iowa, under contract with the Aharts. “When you’re out in the middle of a soccer field where you have to carry a five-gallon gas can out there being careful not to spill any gas on the turf, it’s going to be a problem,” Joel said.

Patent pending technology

The Aharts also appreciate the mower’s solid construction, its patent pending height-of-cut system that adjusts from one to six inches with the twist of a knob, and its custom seat which is standard equipment on the Warrior. Referring to the mower’s deck made from heavy-duty, 7-gauge welded construction, Joel pointed out, “Iron for iron, they didn’t cut any corners. There’s no guessing game when it comes to adjusting the deck height. It’s self explanatory.”

Joel appreciates the special design features that enable the seat and floor to fold back, making the deck more accessible for easy cleaning with a pressure washer. Failure to properly clean the deck area on any zero turn commercial mower can result in "windrowing” or “scalping,” which is why Joel cleans all of his equipment and checks his blades every night.

“The seat latches when you pull it ahead, and the same with your foot panel. If you have to get underneath to clean it out, you can flip your seat ahead and latch it, then you flip your floor panel over and latch it so they don’t flip back down during washing,” Joel said.

Both Pam and Joel appreciate the comfortable seat, especially when mowing along banks that tend to be bumpy. “Mowing wears you out, but the comfort of the seat makes a big difference,” Pam said.

“The job is so much easier when you have the right equipment,” Pam continued. “As a woman, I compare this new EverRide mower to a Kirby vacuum cleaner. It’s top of the line. All you have to do is drive this mower back and forth a couple times on a yard and it sells itself.”

‘Complex’ situations

Sports complexes can present special challenges, especially during periods of heavy rainfall when the ground becomes saturated but teams still want to play.

“In a sports complex, you have to take repair into consideration,” Joel explained. “I do have the call on whether teams play in the rain at the sports complex. I have signs made up and put the call out on the radio explaining that it’s too wet to play.”



In the spring, following one high school soccer game played under wet field conditions, Joel used a 3,000-pound roller to pack down the damaged turf. “That seemed to work pretty well on the divots. After the season is over, I shut the field down and allowed it to grow out to about 3 ½ to 4 inches and fill itself in for the fall season,” Joel explained.

In the same sports complex, Joel was able to dramatically improve the condition of two playing fields as part of an evaluation conducted by Iowa State University. At the start of the evaluation, both fields had received a below average score of 2 ½ from the university’s turf specialist. After Joel seeded the fields with a drought-tolerant fine tall fescue grass seed, and through careful management, the two fields received the evaluator’s highest score of 5.

Another challenge posed by the sports complex involves mowing on banks and steep grades, which demand an experienced hand on the steering controls. “You don’t want to go down a bank and box yourself in – you have to make sure you have a way back out. Otherwise, you can start sliding and tearing up the turf,” Joel explained.

Staying competitive

In spite of growing competition from other lawn care services in the area, the Aharts are able to retain their customer base by providing professional, personal service. In one case, a customer stayed with the Aharts even after a competitor under bid them by more than half. “The customer is very content with the quality we provide and he doesn’t have any desire to switch,” Pam said.

Other customers appreciate the Aharts’ emphasis on safety. “All our mowers are set up with roll bars that I can pop on and off. With one customer, we never get out of our vehicle on their property without wearing safety glasses, earplugs and a hard hat,” Joel observed.

The ability to mow the open areas quicker, without having to stop to refill the gas tanks, allows Pam and Joel more time for touch up work around trees and tight spaces.

Too often, Joel observed, lawn companies hire inexperienced workers who use their equipment like they’re in a race. “They’re going for speed and when they make their turns they’re tearing up the turf. You can tell they don’t do a very good job because the ground is all rutted out around the trees,” Joel noted.

Unlike large discount stores that do not provide warranty or service work, a good dealer can be invaluable to commercial operators like Pam and Joel. According to Joel, “Our dealer ran his own lawn care business and treats us as professionals. If I have a mower that’s down, he’ll come out and pick up the broken mower and leave us a replacement until ours is fixed. He won’t leave you high and dry and that means a lot.”

”Our dealer was really enthused about the EverRide and his enthusiasm is what got Joel interested in them. We’re tickled with these mowers. They’re going to do what we need,” Pam added.