Submitted by Tod Blankenship, Director of Landscape Stewardship
I personally have been researching and purchasing small battery equipment for over 10 years. When I was with the City of Wilsonville, I began spearheading a transition to Stihl battery-powered small equipment. Stihl has long been a champion of landscape equipment. When it comes to committing to battery-powered equipment there are many factors to be considered beyond the craftsmanship and reliability of the tool itself. It is also a commitment to batteries and chargers. Stihl has been at the forefront of battery technology, and it was an easy decision for us.
Mountain Park HOA (MPHOA) Landscape Stewardship Division has purchased nearly all of the Stihl commercial battery-powered tools available. When it comes to the replacement of any light equipment we will purchase a battery option if available. We have found most of the items suit our needs as long as we have plenty of extra batteries. The disappointment has been the limited backpack blower options. A new Stihl electric backpack blower is now available and we plan on buying 5 additional blowers this year. We have also purchased (2) Westward electric low-speed vehicles for use on the road and throughout our 9 miles of trails.
