Electric landscaping products equipped with Michelin tires
Electric landscaping products and vehicles manufacturer Mean Green, of Hamilton, OH, is adding a brand name to its affiliates. Mean Green, which specializes in energy efficient riding lawnmowers, announced that one of its most popular models can now be equipped with Michelin's "Tweel" airless radial drive tires.
The Mean Green EVO ZTR-74 model (shown above) will have the option of being fitted with Michelin X Tweel Turf 26-inch tires as an Original Equipment (OE) rear-wheel option or as a replacement fitment on an existing EVO ZTR-74 mower, replacing its standard 26x12x12 tire, the company said.
“We are proud to partner with Mean Green Mowers to offer Tweels on their innovative all-electric mowers,” said Tony Marconi, business director, Michelin Tweel Technologies, in a February 17 press release from the company's Greenville, S.C., U.S. headquarters. “We were challenged to develop a unique ‘hubless’ design that mounts directly to the motor hub drive unit."
Mean Green Mowers are said to be "maintenance free, energy efficient, and more environmentally friendly than traditional mowers which is consistent with our ambition to deliver sustainable solutions that reduce operating costs and downtime.”
The development of this specific size and hub was a true collaboration between Michelin, Mean Green and the field testing partner, Parsons Landscape Services, Inc.
“When we received our custom-made 26” Tweels by Michelin for the Impulse Drive series mowers, we were delighted,” said Matt Parsons, president of Parsons Landscape Services Inc. “We have had MICHELIN X Tweels on our Mean Green CXR mowers and could not wait to get them for our Mean Green EVO series mowers with the Impulse Drive System. Now that we have them installed on our EVO mower, it truly is a maintenance free mower – eliminating the need to worry about any tire issues when we start our day.”
The 26x12N12 XL size has a 1030-pound load capacity and can be used with or without a bagger system. The new design incorporates a hub-less design and utilizes either a 5-bolt configuration to attach the unit as a retrofit replacement for existing mowers, or a 10-bolt standard OE configuration for new production mowers.
“Since 2018, we have been collaborating with Michelin on our environmental journey,” said Joe Conrad, president of Mean Green Mowers. “Our team knows that the MICHELIN X TWEEL TURF tire and caster provide an airless radial tire that has a consistent hub height, which produces an even cut and excellent lateral stability for outstanding side hill performance while reducing downtime to provide a maintenance-free solution for our customers.”