Landscaper converts mowers to propane

Josh Limbach, foreground, and Andrew Fritz operate walk-behind mowers that have been converted to propane fuel. They were part of a larger crew working on the city's West side. All-Seasons Landscaping has converted their fleet of lawn mowers to propane.
Josh Limbach, foreground, and Andrew Fritz operate walk-behind mowers that have been converted to propane fuel. They were part of a larger crew working on the city's West side. All-Seasons Landscaping has converted their fleet of lawn mowers to propane.

With the rising price of gasoline, businesses are looking for any way to cut their fuel costs.

Kris Scheperle, owner of All Seasons Landscaping in Lohman, recently converted six commercial lawnmowers from gasoline to propane.

The move was just in time for the mowing season.

"I'd been looking at doing this for a couple of years, but I couldn't justify buying a new mower already converted to propane," he said. "The conversion kits are now available so I did some number crunching. There were a lot of things that weighed into this decision. The price of fuel was a big one, but other things such as propane being a clean-burning fuel. It has very little emissions, and it burns at a cooler temperature."

Scheperle said other benefits to burning propane include prolonging the engine life of the mowers.

"Based on last year's prices, I spent around $1,000 a month on unleaded gasoline so that cost starts adding up pretty quick," he said. "A tank of propane lasts about eight hours, and I haven't bought any unleaded since the conversion."

Scheperle said propane was $1.76 a gallon when he made the conversion compared to a gallon of unleaded, which averages $3.79 in Jefferson City.

A statewide incentive program with the Missouri Propane Education Resource Council (MOPERC) has helped with the purchase of 31 commercial mowers since April 1, said Tom Proctor with MOPERC. Nineteen of the mowers were converted from gas; 12 were new propane mowers.