While the battery-powered lawn care revolution is making the biggest headlines, professional crews are also keeping an eye on the autonomous movement. Slated for spring 2025, Exmark plans to throw its hat in the ring with the Turf Tracer featuring an XiQ autonomous upgrade.
Exmark Turf Tracer with XiQ Basics
The mower is built on Exmark’s 60-inch Turf Tracer X-Series walk-behind but with an UltraCut Series 4 deck rather than the Series 3 deck on the current non-autonomous models. The Series 4 deck has a permanent mulching kit to aid in safety while maintaining the same steel gauge and fabrication as the Series 3 decks.
It also steps up to the Kohler ECV749 engine, giving the mower an additional 3 horsepower over the top Kohler engines on other Turf Tracer models.
The XiQ hardware is on top of the deck, and it is packed with technology that makes the mower accurate, efficient, and safe.
For accurate tracking, the system uses a combination of GPS, GLONASS, Galileo, and BeiDou satellite networks. Cellular-based RTK backs up the satellite positioning to provide location correction.
Even with the XiQ hardware, you still have manual controls, giving the mower hybrid operation capabilities. There’s a stand-on attachment, so even though the Turf Tracer technically has a walk-behind foundation, you’re not stuck walking when you’re operating manually.
Using the Exmark Turf Tracer with XiQ
The first time you mow a property, you’ll use the manual controls to establish the outside boundaries and any permanent obstacles, such as landscaping elements. Once that’s done, the mower can take over.
There’s no limit to the number of maps you can store online for the mower to reference.
There are four mowing patterns and an optional striping kit. Combined with Exmark’s cut quality, you can autonomously maintain the same professional results you would achieve manually.
For safety, the system has front and side radar systems that can detect people and objects. If the mower comes across an object it doesn’t expect, it will stop, flash a red warning light, and send an alert through the app.
As far as the types of properties you can mow, it’s up to you. The autonomous system is the most efficient at managing large, open properties. Exmark notes that you’re better off with a human operator on lawns with a lot of obstacles or small areas, though. Since the controls are hybrid, you don’t need two different mowers if you’re working on multiple lawn types throughout the day.
About the App
First of all, you don’t need to use the app to operate the mower. If you’re running multiple crews, there’s no need to outfit each lead with the app. There’s a 4.3-inch color screen on the mower to manage autonomous controls.
On the app, you can easily see where each mower is in real-time as well as view saved property maps, and control the mowers. Admins are also able to add and remove crewmembers.
Exmark Turf Tracer with XiQ Price
Exmark’s first autonomous mower isn’t cheap—$59,999. That’s about $50,000 more than the baseline Turf Tracer.
While that’s a hefty investment, weigh it against the possibilities. If your crew is frequently down a person, and it’s hurting your productivity, XiQ could replace unreliable employees. For well-oiled teams, it can offer the opportunity to expand your business by multiplying the number of crews you can operate without bloating your payroll.
