Most people are familiar with a remote-controlled toy car but have you seen a remote-controlled mower before?
These impressive, tracked machines are used by commercial businesses like councils for mowing sloped areas.
Inlon introduced the first commercial remote-controlled mower for slope mowing in 2006, with the technology developing since then and other manufacturers entering the market.
In addition to the safety of removing the operator from the machine and its potential rollover hazard, remote-controlled mowers have proven to be the most productive method of maintaining slopes and mowing areas with limited access and height constraints, like solar farms.
Inlon's latest offering in this space is the Agria 9600i mower.
The company introduced the tracked Agria 9600 back in 2019, which featured a low-impact track mechanism and hybrid drive system.
The low-impact track mechanism does not dig in or disturb the ground, reducing subsequent erosion and creating less ground pressure than a human foot.
The hybrid drive system is a conventional petrol engine driving a generator that provides the electrical power to control and drive the tracks and other functions.
This system is seen as a stepping-stone to full plug-in commercial mowers of the future and is at the heart of the Agria's lightweight design, requiring fewer components.
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New developments on the Agria 9600i include telemetry systems to provide remote support and high performance EFI engines.
The latest model has a Kawasaki EFI engine, which brings a new level of engine performance that is ideal for slope mowing applications.
Testing has shown that the EFI engine provides a 30 per cent productivity improvement.
The increasingly sophisticated engines and electrical and electronic systems on commercial mowers are perceived as a challenge for the traditional small plant technician accustomed to carby engines, gearboxes and belts. However, this is where telemetry makes the difference.
The latest Agria 9600i has a comprehensive telemetry system that measures key parameters and events each second and transmits the data via the internet to a cloud service.
Events such as high impact collisions, overheating, insufficient engine maintenance, deck belt slippage, operating speeds, workload, working angles, GPS location and system diagnostics are recorded each second, stored and transmitted to the cloud as mobile coverage allows.
Using this data, Inlon advises the technicians on the ground which issues need to be addressed and servicing requirements.
This technology enables centralised and expert know-how to be utilised effectively in remote locations and assists with faster resolution of issues.
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