For the city of Vallejo, Calif., keeping its maintenance workers safe and its more than 8,000 acres of land protected from potential fire hazards was the catalyst for its decision to add three more remote-controlled robotic units from RC Mowers to its fleet this mowing season.
“Our team spends a great deal of our work week clearing the brush and other vegetation that serve as fuel for wildfires,” said Robert Ljuba, the facilities maintenance supervisor for the Vallejo Water Department. “Because this brush is usually located on hills and in rough terrain, our crews are often put in harm’s way. As a result, we are constantly evaluating equipment that can help mitigate those risks while doing an effective job at removing fire hazards.”
Ljuba said that in addition to steep slopes, his team also battles biting insects and dangerous wild animals when trying to mow around the city’s water tanks, reservoirs, dams, pump stations and treatment plants. However, the brush still has to be cleared and the land maintained to meet the state and city fire codes.
After hearing about the RC Mowers remote-operated robotic mower, Ljuba researched it. The city bought one and was pleased with its ability to handle the city’s toughest terrain. In addition to the safety features, Ljuba said he has been impressed with the mower’s ability to improve his team’s productivity.
“Our productivity is through the roof,” Ljuba said. “For example, fuel mitigation on our Summit Reservoir dam would take 12 or more contracted hand-crews one day to cut and complete. With our RC Mowers’ R-60 and newly acquired R-52 machines, we have been able to independently manage the brush on the dam and cut working time down to four hours. It’s amazing how these mowers have changed our lives.”
Tim Kubista, RC Mowers vice president of sales and marketing, said the company’s goal is to address ongoing challenges in the land management industry, including labor shortages, productivity and staff safety.
“Land management companies and municipalities across the United States have been experiencing a severe and ongoing labor shortage for several years, and our remote-controlled robotic mowers help alleviate some of that problem,” Kubista said. “Our R Series is built to be highly efficient and can mow steep slopes and other hazardous terrain in half the time with just a crew of one. We’re pleased that our robotic mowers have been able to address the city of Vallejo’s labor and safety problems so effectively.”
Kubista said the company’s commercial robotic mowers are perfect for municipalities that deal with large tracts of land in the roughest terrain. The R Series’ upgraded rear-discharge deck improves the first-pass yield by over 100 percent, according to the company.
“With the R-60 and R-52’s, our facilities maintenance team is able to stay safe on the flat land while the mowers do their best work in the hazardous terrain,” Ljuba said. “Since we made this purchase, we have had zero injuries, which is the ultimate safety test.”
