Toro boasts that its all-new Outcross 9060 allows turf and equipment managers to do more with less stress and fewer resources. The machine, the company notes, combines the benefits of a tractor and a super-duty utility vehicle.

The “less stress” attribute is important to turf and equipment managers, who are challenged with finding skilled or experienced people to operate complicated machinery.

“The next generation is not accustomed to driving a manual car, nevertheless a manual tractor or dump truck, so they are not familiar with all the buttons, levers, and hydraulics,” said Noah Wahl, global product marketing manager for the Outcross 9060. “One of its greatest features is it’s easy to drive. Operators have simple, single-­action controls instead of the multiple levers and indicators that are normally associated with equipment carrying out these kinds of tasks.”

Less Complexity Leads to Fewer User Errors

Wahl mentioned aerating as an example of a complicated task that can require operators with experience in knowing the proper speed to drive the equipment, how high to lift the implement, how fast they want the power take-off (PTO) to spin, and how to turn around without causing turf damage. The Outcross allows the manager to input all that information into the machine up front and features a four-wheel steering design, “so the operator doesn’t need to worry about the parameters or causing turf damage,” Wahl said. 

“When they put that green operator in the seat, the machine is going to do what the manager set it up to do, and the operator just has the simple task of lifting and lowering the attachment,” Wahl said.  He added that this “one-of-a-kind feature” allows the operator to focus on driving and reduces the likelihood of errors.

Wahl said that because of its versatility, the machine provides the ability to replace multiple pieces of dedicated equipment with one, which leads to use of fewer resources. He noted the vehicle can serve as a dump truck with its optional cargo bed, the operator can use the front loader with forks to move material such as a pallet of fertilizer, and the user can tow a trailer, for just a few examples.

“Fewer resources are going into multiple machines, [not to mention] the fuel, maintenance, and the insurance, and on top of that the labor that goes into having all of those dedicated pieces,” Wahl said.