Fort Knox turns to propane for mowers

The lawn care company responsible for mowing the U.S. Army base at Fort Knox, Ky., recently incorporated propane-powered mowers into its daily activities.

According to the Kentucky Propane Gas Association, Mainscape, which manages lawn care for homeowners, communities, corporations and military bases throughout the United States, embarked on a pilot project at Fort Knox using propane-powered mowers. Mainscape now relies on 15 Exmark mowers, and it worked with Irvington Gas. Co. of Irvington, Ky., for the past few months preparing for the conversion.

Irvington Gas installed a 1,000-gallon tank for Mainscape, and it trained the lawn care company’s employees to fill the cylinders. Mainscape’s crews cut nearly 700 acres of grass on the base each week. Once crews mow the entire 700 acres, it’s time to mow the Fort Knox grounds all over again.