A small Airdrie equipment company is making waves with some big players in the industrial world with a unique piece of equipment.

NB Equipment of Airdrie are the only distributors in the province for Spider remote controlled mowers and owner Jason Curcio says the labour saving, and life saving device is garnering the attention of some well known names.

"We've sold to Carmacks and Volker Stevin. We've also done some demos for Parks Canada, Heritage Park and we've also been talking to another company named Wilco and Alberta Highway Services as well."

Curcio discovered the mower, which was developed in the Czech Republic, at the Landscape Ontario Trade Show in January of this year.  

"My eyes got a little bit big when I saw what their application was for. I thought that in Alberta we definitely have a real need and a real use for a machine like this."

Curcio says the mower was designed for maintaining slopes and roadways and the principle is all about safety.  

"Instead of having men or women along the side of the road or on steep slopes where accidents, slips and falls can happen, even debris from highways, people are getting hit by debris from cars along highways. The owner developed these Spider remote controlled mowers so the operator can be at a safe distance away from any hazards, including the hills. Up to a 55 degree slope these machines can climb and cut while the operator is standing on some safe ground."

Before you rush out to order a Spider mower to do your one acre lawn, you should know that the price tag is between $37,000 and $47,000, depending on the size.  Curcio says that the reason they're getting so much interest from commercial contractors is because of the safety and production.  

"Essentially the Spider mower will do the same amount of work on a hillside as 15 people with hand trimmers (weed whackers). Production wise right there, and then safety. You've got companies saving money on WCB, people going off for a time say if they roll their ankle, slip on a hill or even on a riding mower that flips. Every year in the U.S. 75 to 100 people are dying from rollovers on riding mowers and tractors.  It's big, big on the safety."

 

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