The Mean Green SK-48 Stalker stand on mower is an excellent, high-quality, battery-operated mower. The 48-inch stand-on mower comes with all of Mean Green’s standard features with a few special additions. This mower is one of the first to create a commercial stand on that is all battery.
Whether you like it or not, this mower is the future. It is an innovative step in the right direction. It definitely may not be the best mower or the best price for a commercial mower. But it is a step toward innovation, that I can appriate.
Let's take a look at the details of this mower.
Battery Life
The Mean Green SK-48 Stalker stand on mower is powered using lithium energy batteries. To use the mower, you need to charge the batteries beforehand and unplug the model before you take it to the lawn.
When it comes to battery life, you have two options. Depending on your budget, you can get this mower with the Estate Package (LEM4870) or the Contractor Package (LEM48112). The first one comes with one battery that can run up to three and a half hours in one go.
If that isn’t enough for your mowing needs, you can choose the slightly expensive contractor package which comes with 2 batteries. Both batteries run parallel to one another, so you can get around 7 hours of running time.
Durability
With its 7-gauge steel chassis and deck, the Mean Green SK-48 Stalker stand on mower has the kind of powerful frame you want in a commercial mower. The lightning holes and careful designed framework make the body extremely lightweight. Since the mower weighs between 730 to 846 pounds, you can easily balance and operate this model on rugged terrain or around obstacles.
Additionally, because it is an electric mower, there are no spindles, belts, pulleys, or oils to weigh it down or clutter the deck. This lowers the center of gravity, making this one of the best options for mowing hilly areas or uneven terrain. Overall, the Sk-48 is extremely durable and long-lasting. Individual parts are easy to source and replace too.
Features
The Mean Green SK-48 is packed with features. Aside from being one of the first battery powered stand on mowers, it also has a few other things that make it stand out.
- up to 7 hour battery life (with 2 batteries)
- 3 light system to ensure correct mowing speed for quality of cut and good battery life
- Light mower at only 730 – 845 lbs
- low speed at 5 mph and high speed at 8 mph
- 24 HP equivalent power
- Flat free front tires
- Optional accessories like USB port, grass catcher, rear discharge mulching deck, and QTXN debris blower
Speed Options
There are two speed options in the Mean Green SK-48 Stalker stand on mower. To pick between the two, you simply move the knob on your dashboard from low to high, which will take your driving speed from 5 miles per hour to 8 miles per hour. Generally, the low option is for cutting while the high option is for driving your mower to or from the site.
However, these are up to user discretion and you can drive your mower at your preferred speed. The simply knob system makes it easy to make the change as many times as you want.
Height Adjustment
The Mean Green SK-48 Stalker stand on mower gives you a solid range of fifteen height options, from 1.25 inches to 5 inches. During regular working, your mower’s height is locked in tow mode. To change this setting, you can undo the safety lock and move the lever to a different setting.
I do wish the height adjustment pin was in a better location. It is kind of difficult to reach without bending over or getting off of the mower. I prefer to have the height of cut adjustment near the control panel on stand on mowers.
Durable Front Tires
The Mean Green SK-48 comes with flat free tires that last twice as long as other tire options and require little maintenance. Since there are no tubes, you won’t have to worry about refilling. However, you get the same results as air-filled tires, especially if you get Mean Green’s ride suspension.
Cut Quality
The cutting blades are connected to an electric motor which in turn is attached to the controller that you can use to alter the speed. If your mower slows down, this controller will simply send more power to the motor to speed it up.
This is a special feature in the Mean Green SK-48 Stalker stand on mower, which sets it apart from other mowers on the market. Because of this setting, the system self-regulates the cutting blades so you can maintain top speed for thin or thick grass.
Overall, you get a precise cut and the quality is consistent no matter the terrain or type of grass. When you’re mowing thick grass, the mower loses less than 5 percent efficiency. This minimal loss is not visibly noticeable.
Discharge Options
When it comes to the discharge of cut grass, the Mean Green SK-48 Stalker stand on mower comes with two options. For general use, there is a side discharge deck to the right of the cutting deck. You can attach a grass catcher here and keep the waste grass from spilling out.
Alternatively, the mower also comes with the option to switch to a rear discharge deck. If you go with this method, the grass is thrown out the back. You can even purchase accessories or additional attachments like an optional front end blower.
Sound Quality
Not only is the Green SK-48 Stalker a zero-emission, environmentally-friendly model, it’s also extremely quiet. One of the biggest customer complaints landscapers hear is that their mower makes a lot of noise that disrupts residents, neighbors, and anyone within a 50-foot radius.
The best thing about the Green SK-48 is that it makes very little noise, less than 76 dba. If you’re 30 feet away from the mower, you won’t hear it. This can be a very attractive point to pull in potential customers, especially in residential areas or near a hospital or school.
Long-term Savings
If you are a professional who’s going to use your mower day-in and day-out, you need to look at more than just the initial cost for a mower. With gas options, you need fuel, oil, cleaning and maintenance, all of which require a considerable budget on a weekly basis.
The Mean Green SK-48 Stalker stand on mower doesn’t have any of these needs. In fact, when you take the long-term costs into consideration, you’ll find that buying this mower actually saves you 7 dollars an hour in terms of running and maintenance costs.
Warranty
When you’re buying a commercial mower, the warranty is an important factor in the decision making process. With the Mean Green SK-48, you get a 2-year mower warranty. However, you also get a 3-year warranty for the battery with both residential and commercial use.
Price
There are two different packages for the Mean Green Stalker, the Estate package (1 battery) and the Contractor Package (2 batteries.) The Estate Package starts around $14,000 and the Contractor package starts around $18,000.
The price is definitely high when compared to a comparable gas powered stand on, but this is the story for almost every electric powered commercial mower on the market. They are a higher upfront cost, however they are a lower cost to operate.
Conclusion
Overall, the Mean Green SK-48 Stalker offers multiple enticing features, including:
- Long-term savings at $7 an hour
- Two speed options, 5 miles per hour and 8 miles per hour
- 15 easy height adjustment options
- Side or rear discharge
- Noiseless mowing
- Precision cutting
- Multiple battery options with a running time of 3.5 or 7 hours
This may be a good mower for the right situation. It may be a little out of the need and budget of most commercial lawn care companies. However, this may be the perfect mower for municipalities or lawn companies in certain cities or states with strict governing. Some places in California are beginning to require more and more battery powered lawn equipment so this may work for that kind of situation.
At the end of the day, for lawn care companies you will have to do the cost analysis to see if a battery powered stand on will work for your company.
What Do You Think?
Are you planning to get this Mean Green Stand On Mower? Let us know in the comments!
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For more information on this mower check out Lawn Mower Shop.
