Mower Maker Exits: A Written Vendor Checklist Before a Quote

Should a mower maker's exit stop a lease decision?

Not by itself. A supplier leaving the market is a reason to ask harder questions before a quote is accepted, not a reason to skip robotic mowing. The real exposure sits in what the contract and the supplier's service network can still deliver after an announcement.

The clearest golf example dates from 2020, and it still teaches the right lessons. Golfdom reported on February 24, 2020 that Cub Cadet suspended support for its RG3 robotic mower, citing technical challenges found in field testing. These events are not new, and the sources do not agree on how permanent the pause was.

This checklist turns that history into questions you can put in writing. Every item asks for a commitment you can hold a supplier to, not a brochure claim.

What did the 2020 Cub Cadet exit do to golf operations?

Golf Course Industry's launch coverage shows the RG3 debuted in 2015. When support ended, that outlet reported the company had told superintendents it would stop supporting the machines. Some planned to keep using them for months, while others scrambled to find replacements.

Superintendents felt the loss in labor hours. According to coverage summarized by Golf Course Industry and GCM, Justin Miller said the RG3 saved him roughly 13,000 hours of labor. Brian Nettz of Presidio Golf Club called the change a severe blow and later declined comment, citing pending litigation.

The sources disagree on status. GCM reported that Cub Cadet, operating within the MTD group, would keep supporting existing units while working with customers on transition plans, and that the mowers would be returned to the company. GCM also described the pause as possibly temporary, while other outlets describe the program as ended. A buyer facing that ambiguity should not guess. Settle it in writing.

How do you test support response times and parts access?

The research behind this piece found no dated figures on response times, parts stocking or training for any exiting mower vendor. That gap is a finding in itself. A supplier that cannot state its commitments in concrete terms should not be trusted to keep them after it stops selling.

Ask for the response commitment as a written term, and define when the clock starts. Does it begin at a support ticket, a phone call or a remote diagnosis? Find out if a technician comes on site or if the supplier only ships parts. Remote diagnosis matters, since a fault cleared by phone and a fault that needs a person on a fairway are very different events.

Parts access is the quieter risk. A unit that cannot get a blade, a battery or a sensor replaced sits idle on the course. Ask which wear parts are stocked in the United States, where that stock sits, and what happens to it if the supplier winds back its operations.

What training should survive a supplier exit?

Training tends to leave with the product line. Ask who trains your crew at go live, how many sessions are included, and how new hires are trained after the first month. Request written training records that name the people who delivered them.

If the trainer is a factory employee, find out who replaces that person. A training path that another qualified team can deliver is safer than one tied to a single contact, and the quote should state which one you are getting.

What happens to the course if the supplier stops operating?

Most contracts skip this question. Define in the quote what happens to installed units, mapping data, charging hardware and service records if the maker exits, changes distribution or stops support. Confirm who holds the software license and whether your boundary maps can be exported.

Golf Course Industry's reporting showed the operational split. Some superintendents kept mowing for months while others scrambled, and the scramble is the outcome to design against. A written plan removes both panic and blind trust.

The USGA later wrote that the void left by Cub Cadet had not been filled, and that autonomously mowing greens was not then an option for superintendents. The research could not confirm the article's date, but its warning about replacement timelines still applies. Put a backup unit path into the quote, with a stated arrival window.

Which golf mower vendors are active today, and what should you check?

A search run in November 2026 surfaced several golf-focused offerings. These came from search summaries and headlines, and the vendors' own pages were not checked for this article. Electrek reported in November 2025 that Husqvarna offers three types of autonomous electric mowers aimed at commercial golf courses.

A golf business headline reads Toro rolls out autonomous mower fleet with Reesink, and the search summary described Toro's robotic fairway and rough mowing as sold through a distributor. Rye Robotics, founded in 2022, targets golf turf with a Level 4 autonomous mower, according to a funding news item.

Treat each name as a starting point for questions, not a recommendation. Ask who the regional service provider is, which parts that provider stocks locally, and what the supplier commits to if its distribution changes.

How does Service Robot Co. approach continuity?

Service Robot Co. is a full service commercial robot integrator for US businesses. We lease robots only, on a lease that runs three years, with one fixed payment quoted after a site assessment.

We are OEM neutral. We select the right robots across manufacturers, then finance, deploy, integrate, train and service every unit through a nationwide US engineer network. Because one vendor handles that whole lifecycle, the continuity questions in this article land on one accountable team instead of being split between a manufacturer, a distributor and an installer.

The site assessment is the natural point to write down response, parts and training terms before a lease quote is accepted. Robot lease options deserve comparison on those terms as well as on the fixed payment.

What belongs in writing before a lease quote is accepted?

Put these questions to every supplier, including us, before you accept a quote.

• What is the response time commitment, and when does the clock start?
• Does a technician come on site, and what does remote diagnosis cover?
• Which wear parts are stocked in the United States, where, and who holds that stock?
• What training is included, who delivers it, and how are new hires trained later?
• If the maker stops operating, who services the units, and for how long?
• What happens to installed units, maps, charging hardware and service records on exit?
• Which backup unit covers a failed mower, and how soon does it arrive?
• Who is the single contact after go live, and how does escalation run?