Hustler Seeks Own Niche with Maximum Duty Vehicle
The vehicle is targeted for work applications, incorporates patented cargo lift technology and builds on intellectual property purchased from AUSA, a Spanish vehicle manufacturer.
Pictured Above: Hustler’s Maximum Duty Vehicle incorporates patented LeveLift bed technology.
Hustler Turf Equipment’s new Maximum Duty Vehicle (MDV), which was introduced last fall, is now available for purchase. The vehicle is the company’s first entry into the utility vehicle segment and is designed for work applications, such as jobs performed on a farm or ranch or by university or municipality grounds and maintenance crews. The MDV has a top speed of up to 37 mph and features the company’s patented LeveLift bed technology — a cargo box that allows users to lift up to 750 pounds from the ground and dump material from any point in its arc of motion.
“It’s what we feel is needed in the utility vehicle market. Nobody else has anything like it,” says Paul Mullet, president and CEO of Excel Industries, Hustler Turf’s parent company.
Hustler came up with the LeveLift concept in 2005 and built the first vehicle prototype in 2009. However, it was an arrangement with AUSA, a construction equipment company from Spain that moved the concept to reality. “The biggest market for utility vehicles is the U.S. and AUSA had no representation here. It’s a perfect fit because we had the technology but needed the platform. To do this from the ground up would have extended our development time. This really leaped us forward,” says Adam Mullet Excel’s vice president of sales and marketing. The company purchased AUSA’s intellectual property.
The company expects to build several hundred by the end of summer. They are working with dealers now for inventory orders and training. States the vehicle is launching in include Kansas, Pennsylvania, Georgia, New Jersey, Kentucky, Illinois and Florida.
Production is taking place at the company’s Hesston, Kan., location with inventory and distribution out of its new Kansas City, Kan., area distribution center.
The MDV has two configurations, both offering 23 horsepower and a 1028cc Kohler diesel engine. The standard vehicle with a powered dump bed starts at $14,999 and the MDV with LeveLift starts at $19,999. Other features include a roomier cab than other models, larger fuel tank (14 gallons) and a side compartment for easy maintenance, according to the company. Attachments and accessories include a full cab option, heater/defroster, side mirrors, rear view mirror, hitch/winch mount (front), hitch mount (rear), brush guard, work lights, beacon, wheel and tire options and a snow blade.
