It's been more than 15 years since Cushman entered the golf utility vehicle market with the Truckster. That's an eternity in the golf business. And since then, utility vehicles from several manufacturers have overrun the market. A new utility vehicle from Jacobsen that is due to launch later this year promises a larger payload capacity and cabin area than previous Textron entries, and is based on years of research and development derived from input from hundreds of people who use such vehicles for myriad purposes every day.
More than two years in the making, the new Jacobsen Truckster XD offers what the company says is the largest payload capacity (3,550 pounds) in the turf industry and a roomier over-wheel cab that allows for a longer bed without increasing the wheelbase. Speaking of the bed, the Truckster XD features on that Fox says is thicker, perhaps as much as 75 percent thicker, than those found on older Cushman models. The product is still in testing, so specific details and technical specifications are being closely guarded until the product is available for purchase, probably in the second quarter. Beta vehicles will be on display at next month's Golf Industry Show in San Antonio, as well as the Sports Turf Managers Association Conference this week in Denver.
"This vehicle is based on input from more than 400 customers," said Jacobsen product manager Chris Fox.
"We went out and talked to them to understand their needs. We knew the answer to what they needed was not inside our factory. We had to get out and talk to them to find (that answer)."
Although the word Cushman arguably has become synonymous with utility vehicles regardless of manufacturer, competitors soon hit the ground running with their own entries into the market, arguably leaving the Cushman behind.
"It had a payload capacity of 2,850 pounds, which was the largest in the industry," Fox said. "Then, the Cushman was like the Blackberry. It was new, everyone loved it and had to have one. Since then, like the Blackberry, the Cushman has been leapfrogged."
Curious turf managers can see the Truckster in action on
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Fox and other folks from Jacobsen talked with turf managers about what they like and don't like about the Truckster as well as vehicles from other manufacturers. They also asked them to fill out a 15-20-page survey.
Needless to say, answers about what people like in turf utility vehicles and how they use them were quite varied.
"I can see a mower in use in Las Vegas or Florida, and I see all I need to see. Everyone mows the same way," Fox said. "But with a truck, any day a superintendent might use it for 10 different things. It's much more challenging to capture everything going on with a truck."
The new truckster promises a cab that is 60 inches wide where the operator sits. As a result, controls are not as cluttered. Location of controls has been changed many times throughout testing. Other aspects of the design, such as a tailgate latch, still are not finalized.
"That's the working end of the truck," Fox said. "People were not happy with our (old) design. It's robust, but it got beat up."
The new Truckster is going through a seven-stage design and production process, in which each segment of the business, from research to engineering to sales, is involved every step of the way.
"We are involving all departments all the way through," Fox said. "That way, if someone sees something that is not going to work, we can identify it as soon in the process as possible."