When mowing season ends, snow removal season begins. But that doesn’t mean your mowers have to sit idle. The Toro® Polar Trac™ system converts Groundsmaster® 7200/7210 mowers into snow removal machines with tracks and a heated hard cab. Here’s how several grounds managers are getting year-round productivity from their mowers using the Polar Trac system:
Wright State University in Dayton, Ohio, uses two Groundsmaster 7200 units with Polar Trac systems to clear snow from campus sidewalks. Grounds manager Mike Coyle says his operators like the Toro Polar Trac units for several reasons. “Cab-wise, the operators really like the visibility,” he says. “It’s roomy and it’s warm. And the maneuverability with the tracks is great. We’ve got a lot of entrances and tight spaces where you have to get in and out, and we can get right up close to doorways.”
According to Coyle, the University doesn’t see a lot of deep, heavy snow, so the brush attachment works best to clear down to the pavement. “If we get heavier snow, we’ll switch out to the blade, which is a pretty quick operation,” he says.
In the summer, the Groundsmaster 7200 mowers are used throughout University grounds. Crews like the maneuverability to get in tight around buildings and trees. “We keep our grounds well-manicured year-round, and the quality of cut on these machines is really good,” Coyle notes. “They have speed, so you can get more done time-wise, and labor-wise it’s a good investment.”
Perfect North Slopes in Lawrenceburg, Ind., has two Groundsmaster 7210 mowers equipped with the Polar Trac system. Grounds supervisor Boonie Neff says the ski area chose Polar Trac for a number of reasons. “Speed. Agility. It’s a little more user-friendly. And the cab visibility is amazing,” Neff says. “We’re also able to run them on some areas where we couldn’t run a skid-steer loader because they’re not as heavy.”
Neff says his crews use the Polar Trac units to sweep moving carpets, chair lift decks, the courtyard and the lodge deck. Ninety percent of the time, crews use the rotary broom, but for heavy, wet snow, they switch to a blade. “It pushes even more than you’d ever think it would,” Neff says. “It’s a really fast machine. Easy to get around things, easy to see out of, and it does an amazing job. Nothing compares to the Groundsmaster in my mind.”
At the end of snow season, Neff says converting the machines back to mowing mode isn’t a big deal for his crew. “To have a 72-inch mower back in the summer is awesome. I like the quality of cut, the comfort of the ride and the speed.”
We also heard from a K-12 school system in the Midwest that has eight Groundsmasters with Polar Trac systems. “They’re very consistent performing machines, both in the mowing mode and the snow removal mode,” the equipment manager says. “And with the track system on the Polar Trac, not much can stop them. A couple years ago we had some extremely heavy snows – several over 12 inches – and with the blowers on those machines, they had no trouble cutting through even significant drifts.”
In terms of mowing performance, the reviews are just as positive. “They have lots of power and we just don’t have many problems with them,” the manager says. “Even in the tallest grass with the rear discharge decks, they don’t leave heavy clippings. And they have plenty of power to cut through tall, thick grass.”
For more information about Toro’s Polar Trac system for Groundsmaster 7200/7210 mowers, call your local distributor or visit www.toro.com.
