South Whitehall Township will be purchasing a new, 11-foot Jacobson wing mower at a cost of $61,904.

A new trailer, to transport the mower to various sites where grass cuttting is needed, adds another $4,000 to the tab.

The purchase was approved by commissioners at their June 15 meeting.

Manager of Parks and Recreation Randy Cope, reported the new mower will replace a 10-year-old Toro with 4,000 hours of running time.

“The one we have now is not good on inclines,” Cope said. “The hydraulics have limitations.”

He noted staff looked at a John Deere with a $49,892 price tag but were not satisfied with it.

The safety bar was set up too high, the tires spun and it was not Tier 4 compliant regarding emission controls, explained Cope.

“Overall the John Deere was not the right machine for us,” said Cope.

He said they also looked at a new Toro which cost slightly more than the Jacobsen and was not comfortable for the operators who were trying it out.

The old Toro will be retained as an emergency back-up or for parts, as it would not bring much at resale, stated Cope.

Although the lawn mowing season is already underway, Cope said staff wanted to get the most out of the Toro before obtaining a new piece of equipment.

“We don’t replace unless it needs it. It was time,” said Cope.

The Jacobsen mower will be particularly useful on slopes around detention ponds.

The township had planned to hire an outside firm to undertake grass cutting at the detention ponds to allow more time for staff to work in the parks this season.

That proposal did not materialize because approval of the public works union was required prior to bidding by the outside firms, and that did not occur.