By design, the Walker is one of the most compact and maneuverable, commercial-quality mowers on the market. Among its features are an exclusive, integrated grass-handling system, a custom designed and custom-developed dual hydro axle, and a near effortless steering/speed control operation that eliminates steering wheels, gear shifts and foot pedals.
If you own a Walker, you're familiar with these features and others that give these mowers a solid reputation. What you may not know is that the person who helped design and build the first Walker Mower is still designing them.
Dean Walker heads up the Walker design team in Fort Collins, Colorado. His approach to engineering really tells the story behind the evolution of the Walker Mower.
"When we designed the first Walker, we wanted a compact machine with a grass catcher," tells Dean. "Over the years, the Walker has evolved, but our original concept is intact. Today's Walkers have the same wheelbase and chassis as the original machine."
This is significant, he adds. The company has been able to take the original compact design, and upgrade and add new components without jeopardizing one of the mower's truly unique features - its size and maneuverability.
"On the original mower deck, we used a single-blade, 30 inch configuration without a blower," Dean says. "Then we added a blower to boost grass-catching performance. The rear-discharge deck, in combination with a blower, was a solid concept, but we saw some limitations with the deck performance. So we developed a 36 inch rear-deck with counter-rotating blades. We plowed some new ground with that deck.
"By the third prototype, we had evolved from a planetary wheel drive to a hydrostatic transmission.
"Designing decks for optimum performance was and still is a game of trial and error," Dean points out. "I don't think anyone can effectively design decks on a computer because there is no way to predict how they will react to different grass conditions.
"Our philosophy has always been to bring a deck design to its highest possible level and then continue to redesign it and improve on it as we receive more feedback from the field."
The same can be said for the tractor, too. The first Walker was built in 1977. That machine was powered by an 11-hp engine. Twenty-one years later, the Walker still offers a variation of that first machine in the Model S, again with an 11-hp engine. Today, however, customers may choose from another five engine sizes, nine deck sizes, and a number of attachments and accessories to further enhance a Walker's versatility.
Although technology and manufacturing techniques have changed considerably since those early days, he still relies on his hands-on talents to improve on current tractor designs and develop new ones. Dean has build at least one prototype for every Walker Mower and deck.
"One of Dean's strengths is his discipline and focus," says older brother and company president Bob Walker. "In decks alone, he has literally built and tested hundreds of configurations to arrive at the optimum deck design. This is not glamorous work. Many typical engineering types would have become bored and given up on deck design long before arriving at the design Dean developed through long hours of trial and error work."
Another strength, Bob adds, is the fact that his brother is not driven by "pride of authorship."
"Dean originated the product, but he listens to other people, again always looking for ways to improve on his design."
What happens to new ideas? How do suggestions get from that - just suggestions - to production?
"Safety is always our first priority," tells Dean. “Ideas that enhance the performance come next, followed by bells and whistles."
Being a small company has its advantages because a consensus is easier to reach, he adds.
Dean's approach to the design process also speeds up the implementation process. He doesn't labor over the drawing board or at a computer screen before trying out an idea. He simply designs it and builds it, and then comes back with drawings and documentation.
Sometimes it's just a few hours until his idea is coming down the assembly line.
Walker Mfg. Has always been open to new ideas and suggestions. as far as competition goes, the company believes the best defense is a good offense. Part of that offense is the design process itself. For Dean, the process begins with the identification of a goal or a problem, that has to be solved.
"I start by thinking about different ways to reach a specific goal or to solve the problem, "he explains. "I look at different methods and consider costs, too. You have to think about your capability as a manufacturer, as well. Is it something we can do in-ours or will we have to outsource it?
"We're very sensitive about outsourcing. One of our goals has been to bring as much of the production as possible in-house to be able to control quality.
"Throughout the design process, I always look for the best way to solve the problem. When I think I've found it, I build a few working models and let other people try them out."
Next, if the design flies, Dean builds the tooling. In addition to being the lead designer, he also designs and builds the tooling used in production.
He also heads up the production plant, giving him complete control of the Walker design from inception to finished product.
"As for myself, I've always struggled with the idea that I'm an engineer. I see myself as a designer, as a hands-on person who simply tries to design and build a machine that people will buy. If I can point to a couple of reasons for our success, I would have to say we've always strived to keep our designs simple, to design and build versatility into our products and to continually improve on what we have."