A vendor demonstrates a Sanyokiki remote-controlled lawnmower to Directorate of Public Works employees at Camp Zama, Japan, Dec. 6, 2024. DPW crews plan to use the mower to cut grass on the installation’s steep hills. (Photo Credit: Sean Kimmons)
CAMP ZAMA, Japan – Directorate of Public Works employees received a demonstration of a new piece of equipment here Friday that may help make mowing steep slopes safer and more efficient.
The Sanyokiki remote-controlled lawnmower allows landscapers to control the device as it cuts grass on the installation’s hills, some of which are at a 40-degree angle.
“Japan is a really unique place where the landscaping has lots of hills, a high degree of slope, and it takes a lot of effort for our in-house team to cut the [grass on the] base to keep it looking good,” said Eli Craft, chief of DPW’s Operations and Maintenance Division.
Several grounds team members attended the demonstration as the vendor used a remote control to have the mower climb a slope near Camp Zama’s skate park.
Craft said the workers will have additional hands-on training as his division utilizes the lawnmower to tackle grassy areas that are difficult to trim.
“We spend a lot of hours walking these hills manually with weedwhackers,” he said, “and we’re always looking for new technologies and new ways to deal with old problems.”
Safety is also a concern since terrain can be slippery when walking up it, and riding lawnmowers can only handle 18-degree slopes without the risk of rolling over.
“The center of gravity is really low, and they have a nice wide deck,” Craft said of the remote-controlled lawnmower. “The four wheels all turn independently, so we’re able to hit some of these steeper grades.”
Risa Funakoshi, the division’s safety official, welcomed the new device to its inventory.
“Safety is always a first priority for DPW, especially in the O&M Division, because we operate [outside] every day,” she said.
Funakoshi said the lawnmower will greatly benefit crews in the summer when the weather is hot and humid, and the possibility of heat-related injuries can increase.
“Now, if we use this machine, maybe someone can stay in the shade if it is hot,” she said. “And if it’s a better solution, we may distribute it to other bases.”
Hidetoshi Suzuki, foreman of the grounds maintenance section, said he appreciated how the lawnmower will require less physical exertion for his 16-member team as they beautify the installation.
Due to the climate here, the team cuts grass year-round, and when the temperature soars, workers must start around sunrise before the sun gets too high in the sky.
“Camp Zama is a very steep slope area,” Suzuki said. “It’s very tough for us [to landscape], and, of course, in the summertime it’s a very tough situation.”
Since the remote-controlled lawnmower only needs one person to run it, Craft said it could help free up crews to landscape elsewhere, including sports fields, on Camp Zama and Sagamihara Family Housing Area.
“When the grass starts growing really heavily and we’re doing all kinds of grounds work,” he said, “it allows us to put people in other places and increase the frequency of service by maximizing our manpower.”
Craft said Camp Zama will be the first U.S. Army Garrison Japan installation to use the mower after the U.S. Air Force has already seen success with them at Yokota Air Base.
He said they plan to test out the mower and relay their findings to other garrison sites across the country that face similar terrain challenges.
“They’re looking to see how this works for us and how they can use it in their locations as well,” he said. “We want to demonstrate to everyone the benefit that it brings to our capabilities.”
Craft believes his crews will be able to find effective ways to incorporate the mower into their ongoing operations to support the community.
“We don’t have a better-dedicated group of people than we do here in Japan,” he said of his workforce. “And we have a responsibility to make sure that our guys have the best and the newest equipment to help them to do their job. And that’s what we think this brings to that effort.”
