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Kawasaki launches industry first

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Kawasaki launches industry first: Kawasaki Motors Europe has launched a resource on its website that makes it easier and quicker for professional gardeners, landscapers and groundsmen to find machines and equipment Powered By Kawasaki wherever they are in Europe.

In an industry first, Kawasaki Motors Europe has introduced a section on its website to showcase participating OEMs ranges of Powered By Kawasaki machines. Meanwhile having a section of the website dedicated to OEM products means customers can see the range of Kawasaki powered machines available from different OEMs all in one place.

Kawasaki launches industry first

Kawasaki launches industry first

Louise Topp, Marketing Manager for Kawasaki Motors Europe who has co-ordinated the unique project, says: “What we wanted to do is streamline the purchasing process for customers. We appreciate how busy professional gardeners, landscapers and groundmen are and how any way to work more efficiently is valued. This is a resource that brings value to both the distribution network and its customers. It’s the only place online where customers can go and see what Powered By Kawasaki product lines are available, from which brands and from where, all on one website. It saves time researching their next purchasing decision and makes the process so much easier and quicker.”

In a nutshell, this resource removes the guesswork, as Louise explains: “If you are looking for a specific brand of mower or brushcutter with a Kawasaki engine you can rely on, then this new functionality makes finding it so much simpler. It can even help you find a brand using a specific engine type, such as Electronic Fuel Injection (EFI) engines.

“When the customer identifies a brand and product line they’re interested in, it’s only a couple of steps to enquire and be led to a dealer locator. There’s also the option to enter an ongoing prize-draw to win a powerful brushcutter.”

Most of Kawasaki’s European OEMs are participating, says Louise: “When we explained the concept to them, they responded really favourably, and within weeks over 80 percent wanted to be involved. We have a wide-reaching European professional audience network and we wanted to be able to bring that together with us and our customers. We’ve got a strong platform to do this and it’s been well received. It’s a win-win for everyone involved.”

One of the OEMs involved is Husqvarna. Kawasaki powers an impressive range of lawncare products from Husqvarna – professional lawn mowers, garden tractors, ride-on mowers and commercial front mowers; and all these lines appear on the Kawasaki website.

Michael Axelsson, Product Marketing Communication – robotics and wheeled of Husqvarna, said of the pages Kawasaki produced for Husqvarna for the initiative: “This looks really good! Impressive ambition from your side – I hope it will be successful for both of us!”

Alongside Husqvarna, taking advantage of this service are many other industry leading turfcare brands.

Louise concludes by saying it’s all about working in partnership: “It’s great working together like this, we have a common goal to make sure customers get the machines they need in the easiest way possible and this provides that.”

The resource is supported by Kawasaki with an advertising and social media campaign to help inform professional gardeners, landscapers and groundsmen across the continent. To find out more visit Kawasaki-engines.eu/en/powered-by-kawasaki

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Genuinely maximise productivity with Kawasaki

Genuinely maximise productivity with Kawasaki

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Genuinely maximise productivity with Kawasaki: Spring signals the start of the busiest period for your machines and Kawasaki has some top tips for minimising downtime and maximising productivity.

Coming out of winter storage and into the growing season, your machines will need to be functioning to their full capabilities. Martin Cook, Parts and Technical Manager at Kawasaki Engines, highlights key maintenance tasks to make sure your engine and machines perform at their absolute best this season.

Genuinely maximise productivity with Kawasaki

Having a mower Powered by Kawasaki will get you through the Spring growing season with minimal downtime and maximum productivity. Seen here is the FS730V.

First and foremost, remove the spark plugs and check the gap. Oil on a spark plug could be a sign of low compression. Don’t be tempted to clean the carbon deposits off the spark plugs, this can cause more problems than it’s worth for the price of a new spark plug. It is very important to get this right as misfiring or poor performing plugs can put stress on the engine.

The importance of performing overall checks on your machines cannot be underestimated and some have to be done more frequently than others. Engine oil level, loose or lost nuts and screws, fuel and oil leakage, battery electrolyte level and checking for a clear air intake screen are best done daily. Make sure you clean the air cleaner foam element every 25 hours and the spark plugs and air cleaner paper element every 100 hours or in preparation for Spring, whichever comes first.

While most of the checking and cleaning can be done by a workshop technician or competent landscaper, greenkeeper or groundsperson, there are some checks best performed by an authorised Kawasaki Engines Dealer. For example, changing engine oil and filter, cleaning the cylinder head fins and checking and adjusting the valve clearance.

If you didn’t drain the tank before storing the machine for winter, you are going to need to check the tank is clear of any water or debris. Ethanol attracts water and the engine could misfire if there is water in it. This should be easy enough to do as most engines have plastic, see-through tanks and the water will be sitting at the bottom. If in doubt, drain and refill.

Most ride-on mowers will have two oil reservoirs, one for hydrostatic oil and one for engine oil. Always check you are using the correct one when topping up. Some hydrostatic drives use the same oil as the engine. For those please check your machine’s operating manual.

One of the most important things you can do for the overall performance of your machine is to make sure the blades are sharp and balanced. All other aspects of the mower’s maintenance can be perfect, but if the blades are dull your engine has to work that much harder to deliver, and that has repercussions on the longevity of the engine’s life and fuel economy, as well as leading to recutting, affecting productivity.

One easy way to maintain your Kawasaki Engine’s reliability is by using only Kawasaki Genuine Parts. This can make all the difference between a reliable machine and one that is not. Using non-genuine parts means your machine is less likely to operate as productively or efficiently as it should. When you choose Kawasaki Genuine Parts you are assured of quality, reliability and compliance with original equipment specifications.

Most oil filters look the same on the outside, but inside a Kawasaki filter, a slotted alloy tube protects oil flow. A pressure-activate bypass valve prevents cold-start wear and maintains flow in case of blockages. Silicone valves, rubber seals and a heavy canister stand up to high temperatures and severe use. Kawasaki build provides a different level of engine protection, one you can count on.

Similarly, with Kawasaki air and oil filters, these are specifically designed with permeability that matches flow rates, operating pressures and temperatures of your Kawasaki engine – and most importantly, they fit exactly.

With machines heading into their busiest period, make sure you’re preparing them for peak performance. Time spent on routine preventative measures now, will mean any downtime is kept to a minimum and productivity at a maximum.

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Kawasaki build quality a key factor

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Kawasaki build quality a key factor: Kawasaki’s engine build quality has been cited as one of the contributing factors to Lawn Care Legend John Ryan’s self-employed business success. Along with its power, durability, reliability and performance.

John has been a lawn care contractor at his company, John’s Lawn Mowing Services in Bangor Northern Ireland for 23 years, he’s also the founder of one of the fastest growing social media groups in the lawn care industry, so it wouldn’t be a stretch to claim that what he doesn’t know about lawn care isn’t worth knowing.

Kawasaki build quality a key factor

Kawasaki build quality a key factor

Working as a solo operator delivering high quality, reliable and affordable grass cutting, John has learned along the way the value of having the right machinery for the job. He says: “It’s easy to think you need the job first then the machine, but the truth is you need to reverse that thinking. I’ve been there with the wrong machinery and all it delivered was headache after headache, lots of stopping and starting and unnecessary wear and tear on the machine.

“I started taking my influence from successful businesses around me and Kawasaki came up time and again for its reliability and productivity. I learnt that when you have a small team, having efficient machinery is like having another couple of people. It’s the best investment you’ll make for your business and if you compromise on quality, you compromise on profitability and success.”

In his fleet John has three mowers powered by Kawasaki engines. His Ferris 36-inch Soft Ride Stand-on SRS and Ariens Zenith 60 Zero-Turn mower both feature a powerful, heavy-duty Kawasaki FX engine, while Kawasaki’s FJ180V KAI – a durable, commercial-quality single cylinder engine – powers his Weibang pedestrian mower.

So, what makes machines powered by Kawasaki such a safe bet? Lots of reasons, but significantly the quality of their engineering, raw materials and components. The FJ180V KAI and FX Series engines all feature metal engine covers, for example, to protect them throughout a life of heavy commercial use and repeated transport from job to job. Both also use dual-stage, high particle capture air filters, for a cleaner air intake, vital for combustion efficiency and engine performance. Cast iron is chosen to line the engine cylinders – a material highly resistant to the wear, temperature and pressure inside the engine cylinder. Added to that, everyone who assembles a Kawasaki engine also rigorously inspects it, and every finished engine, not just a sample, is test-run before being sold – a major contributory factor to Kawasaki’s reliability, durability and consistency.

John says about these choices: “Kawasaki is a name that speaks for itself and my machines have never let me down. As we all know if you’re not cutting, you’re not earning, so downtime has always been a deciding factor in my machinery choices. With these machines, downtime is absolutely minimal and I can get a lot done in a lot less time.”

It’s not just the machinery to which John attributes to his success, it’s the support of a good dealer too. He says: “Dealers are the backbone of the industry and a decent one will pull out all the stops to help you. As a commercial contractor and it being just me, that’s been something I’ve relied on in my career and it’s played a big part in the success of the business. Not having that support can result in a knock-on effect to your schedule and can set you back, delaying other jobs.”

Alongside build quality, power, performance and reliability, John says the ergonomics and aesthetics of the machine is important too: “The Kawasaki name speaks for itself. When you turn up to a job with machines powered by Kawasaki, it instils confidence in customers and represents the sign of a professional outfit.”

And all these factors have certainly proved effective for John; if 23 years industry experience, a thriving contract business, and 5000 Lawn Care Legends Social Media followers are anything to go by!

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