FIELD INTERVIEW  |  LANDSCAPE OPERATIONS  |  2026 SEASON

One Machine, 200 Acres: A Grounds Team on Switching to Remote-Controlled Mowing

How two T40S units replaced a ride-on fleet and a seasonal crew — and what the operators learned in their first season

Every season, grounds teams ask the same question: how do we cover more ground with fewer people? We sat down with [Interviewee Name], [Title] at [Customer Company] — a 200-acre estate and park operation — after their first full season with the T40S remote-controlled mowers, to find out what actually changed.

“The mowers did the open lawn, and everything else was handwork. Two T40S units replaced all of it.”

Q.  What pushed you to make the change?

The math stopped working. We ran four ride-on machines and still hired a seasonal crew of six to finish the edges. The ride-ons did the open lawn, and everything else — trees, rows, rough verges — was handwork. Two T40S units replaced all of it. One operator each, and the edges get done in the same pass as the middle.

Q.  What surprised you most about remote control?

How precise it is. You expect to lose something when you step off the machine, but the proportional joysticks are more accurate than steering a ride-on. We zero-turn around every tree now — the pass that used to need a hand-trimmer behind it.

Q.  The machine runs a 1350 mm deck and a 28.2 kW diesel. Did the power feel like overkill?

It’s exactly the point. The deck is wide enough that a full site is three or four passes, and the diesel runs a full day on a tank. We cut 200 acres between two machines in the same window we used to spend on 120 with four.

Q.  What about rough vegetation — the sections ride-ons couldn’t touch?

That’s where it surprised us most. The Y-blades and the reversible drive handle saplings up to 30 mm and matted growth without bogging down. We cleared a neglected verge that had been hand-mowed for years — no attachment change, same machine, same afternoon.

Q.  Did safety play into the decision?

Completely. Our operators used to sit on the machines and get bounced around for hours. Now they stand at the edge with the remote. The automatic stops — tilt alarm, signal loss, oil pressure — mean the machine protects itself, and the operator is never in the work zone.

Q.  What would you tell another team considering the switch?

Do the math on your season, not your week. One operator with a T40S replaces a crew — and it’s working while the crew is still being hired. I’d estimate our cost per acre dropped by half. And I don’t miss a single Saturday of overtime.

Results at a glance

The interviewee

THE INTERVIEWEE Operation: 200-acre estate and park complex Fleet: 2 × T40S remote control mowers Season: one full season (figures projected, not audited)

The T40S is available now for the 2026 season. Contact us for the full specification sheet, pricing, or an on-site demonstration.