GIE+Expo expands UTV presence

Polaris, Hisun join traditional lawn and garden companies at show

The Green Industry & Equipment (GIE) Expo, held in Louisville, Ky., in October, has traditionally been a showcase for the lawn and garden industry’s vast lineup of mower products, hand-held equipment and other accessories, along with the accompanying component suppliers such as engines, transmissions, tires, seats, etc.

In more recent years, powersports OEMs, mostly from China and Taiwan, have exhibited their ATVs and UTVs at the show.

This last year GIE organizers announced early on that they planned to attract more exhibitors featuring UTVs. Since these machines have multipurpose applications on traditional farms and hobby farms, as well as among homeowners, in both utility and recreation, it seems a natural fit that outdoor power equipment (OPE) dealers also offer UTVs in their portfolios.

There were several surprises featuring UTVs at this year’s GIE+Expo.

Polaris

One thing that drew attention to the Polaris booth was the display of the Kohler 1028cc IDI diesel engine rated at 40 hp that meets all EPA Tier 4 final, CARB and EURO emissions. The engine is technically an Italian Lombardini engine that Kohler acquired back in 2007.

Polaris has discontinued its sourcing of the Yanmar 904cc IDI diesel engine rated at 24 hp for the 2015 Ranger Diesel and Crew Diesel and opted to instead offer the beefed-up alternative from Kohler. However, it appears the Yanmar engine is still being sourced in the Brutus.

Gravely

Gravely is the commercial arm of the Ariens/Gravely OEM primarily known for its lineup of mower products, tillers, snow blowers and log splitters. In December 2013, it was announced that Polaris and Ariens would “share technology and R&D,” including developing a new work vehicle for the Gravely line.

Two such vehicles were on full display in the Ariens/Gravely booth — the three-passenger and six-passenger Atlas JSV (Job Site Vehicle) 3000 and 6000 models. They are available with either Polaris’ ProStar 570cc gas or the Kohler 1028cc diesel engine with CVT transmissions.

Ariens tried to develop and market its own UTV some years back when the company acquired the Treker vehicle from Landpride, but even after redesigning the vehicle, it failed to sell well through the Gravely network and was discontinued. The Atlas JSV product line has real potential for Gravely dealers, and indeed one of the reps at the Gravely booth remarked that orders have been pouring in, with retail sales expected in November and December.

Toro and Exmark

Another surprise that surfaced came in the form of new 500cc and 700cc utility vehicles offered by Toro and to be sold next year through Toro distributors and subsidiary Exmark dealers.

Toro and Exmark are the largest volume producers of  zero-turn mowers ahead of MTD (Cub Cadet, Sears Craftsman and Troy Bilt), Hustler/Big Dog, Briggs (Snapper, Snapper Pro, Simplicity and Ferris), John Deere and Husqvarna.

Toro’s Workman UTV product line caters to commercial applications, mostly to golf course accounts. Sales have been stagnant due to the decline in golf over the last decade. It would seem that a recreational-type UTV would be a natural fit for Toro, given that half of its customer base is made up of consumers purchasing mower, snow blower and other hand-held OPE products.

Hisun Motors Corp.

Chongqing Huansong (Hisun) is a major Chinese manufacturer of ATVs, UTVs and motorcycles with proprietary engines and the capability to manufacture most major components on its vehicles. Hisun opened a service center in Carrollton, Texas, in 2006. Last spring the company moved its operations to McKinney, Texas, where machines go through final assembly and testing before being shipped out to Hisun North American distributors.

For 2015, Hisun is introducing all-new UTVs after phasing out the previous models for a new Sector utility series and Strike sport series offered in 450, 550, 750 and 1000cc models. The 1000cc Sector and Strike vehicles come with EFI, EPS, winch and windshield as standard. EPS is optional on the Sector 450, 550 and 750 models.

Massimo, formerly SunL, is the largest distributor of Hisun machines — largely due to its account with Tractor Supply.

Pug Utility Vehicles

Remember the old Pug, the UTV with the pug nose and articulated rear dump bed? It was a vehicle that sold well back in the 1990s. Originated by The Chetech Company of Chetek, Wis., it was later sold to Yazoo/Kees Power Equipment in 1999. Production was transferred to Jackson, Miss., where the company was renamed Pug Inc. The vehicle later morphed into the Badlands 4×4, but production was discontinued in 2004 when Pug went bankrupt.

Now the vehicle has again been resurrected, this time by Joe Crawford under a company named Frog Pond Mfg. Crawford acquired the name and design from Landpride a while back and has spent a couple of years getting a facility in Somerset, Ky., up and running and component suppliers lined up. The new Pug will be powered by a 21-hp fuel-injected Kohler engine and have a 5-speed manual transmission.

Sunright International

Sunright, headquartered in Lawrenceville, Ga., has served as an importer of ATVs, UTVs and scooters from China for more than a decade.

At the show, Sunright exhibited a new 700cc fuel-injected UTV, produced by Linhai, that is scheduled to become available by next spring. Ronald Ho, president of Sunright, said he was dually excited about the company’s new 200 UTV (176cc), also produced by Linhai, with an MSRP of $3,999. A few containers have already arrived. Indications are that he is looking for a major retailer to market this vehicle.

KIOTI Tractor

KIOTI is the trade name in North America and Europe for Daedong tractors. KIOTI has been selling the Daedong line of tractors in North America since 1993, and several years ago introduced the Mechron 2200 diesel utility vehicle. At the same time, Daedong also was producing a private label version for Cushman called the 1600XD.

For 2015, Daedong’s KIOTI brand is introducing a new Mechron 2200PS with power steering as standard, as well as the new four-passenger Mechron 2240. A private label version for Cushman called the 1600XD-4 is also available.

GIE Expo took place at the Kentucky International Convention Center Oct. 22-24, with Dealer Day on Oct. 22 and open attendance on Oct. 23-24.

Dave Crocker is a managing partner at Power Products Marketing, a Minneapolis-based company offering detailed market share data and research services to original equipment manufacturers (OEMs), component & aftermarket suppliers, associations and government agencies linked to the global power equipment industry.