Is Propane Powered Equipment a Gimmick?

[BudgetGreenLawns.com]

I have been in business for two seasons now and have reconized that society today is pushing for 'Green' products and services.

My questions are as follows:

1.Besides the polution reduction advantages, what are some other advantages to switching to LPG (liquid Petrolum Gas - Propane)?

2.I know Texas has embraced this market but how does LPG appeal to 'John Doe'?

3.The price of the units are more than a Kia car... Are LPG powered mowers worth the big bucks?

4.Will they help me capture customers as part of a marketing stratagy or do potential customers view this kind of approach as a sales gimmick?

5.Is the propane market just a fad in the lawn care equipment arena that will soon be forgotten about?

I have also noticed that the major companies selling LPG mowers won't even let a local dealer sell a unit until one of their shop techs has been through formal training on propane power.

Bottom line is that I know my area has quite a few 'yuppies' who might consider LPG lawn care as an alternative to gas but does anyone have any hard evidance of increased clientèle due to using an alternative fuel business structure?

Thanks,
Jared B.
Budget Green / Owner
Eastern Washington St.

[greenapplicator1]

I don't have the answers to your questions, but I'll be interested to read the responses as well. We actually just had a seller list a couple of propane powered mowers on our Mall site, to be honest I had never seen one before and would love to know more about them.

[StartALawnCareBusiness]

Jared:

I was not a believer in propane powered lawn equipment until I visited the Louisville Lawn and Garden expo last year.

The lawn care industry is quickly adopting lp for good reason. Air quality regulations are quickly being adopted to limit the use of gasoline powered lawn mower engines and two-cycle engines during Code Orange pollution alert days.

Having propane powered lawn equipment will allow you to operate your lawn care business during high pollution days. Commercial cutters running two-cycle equipment will likely be discouraged from operating on these days.

Regulations will get stronger in 2011.

Take a look:

Lawn care during code orange days (http://startalawncarebusiness.com/blog/2009/11/your-lawn-care-business-and-code-orange-days/)

Keith

[Steve]

Has anyone seen any information on how long mowers will run on such LPG tanks? How much does it cost to refill the tanks and how do they compare price wise with gasoline.