Over the past few months Segway NZ has delivered brand new Segway Personal Transporters (PTs) to a wide range of users all over the country. They all share something in common - reduced mobility.

For each of these individuals their Segway PT is their proven mobility device.

We say 'proven' because in each case what we delivered was a new, replacement Segway PT - their old machine had reached the end of its economic service life. Here's five examples:

• a farmer in Waikato
• a farmer in South Taranaki who also owns an engineering business that repairs heavy equipment
• a Kiwifruit orchardist in Te Puke
• a design engineer in Hamilton

Used on farms, Segway PTs have turned out to be tough, reliable machines. We wrote a post about this called ‘Doing a hard day's yakka'. Typically, with daily used in demanding roles like these a Segway PT lasts 6 to 9 years before replacement makes more sense than repairing or replacing parts. It varies from use case to use case. In some instances well-maintained 20 year old Segway PTs are still chugging away day after day (kinda like a dependable old tractor).

Take for example the Segway x2 SE in the photo below, used daily on a dairy farm in the Waikato region. It was delivered in 2014, and has just been replaced 9 years later in late-2023 with a brand new Segway x2 SE-X. During its 9 year service life the only maintenance it has required is replacing worn out rubber grips on the handlebar, replacing a couple of plastic trim parts (that got broken during, shall we say, enthusiastic riding). At around year 7 the steering sensor was recalibrated. The new x2 SE-X is also shown in the photo, about to have its fenders with cargo plates attached.

In our article Over the hills and far away, in the mud and in the rain (2013) we outlined some of the reasons the Segway x2 makes a great companion on the farm, in part due to its unique features. These apply equally to the latest Segway x2 SE-X.

The rugged Segway x2 model is built for cross-terrain travel over through demanding environments. As part of the mix of methods used to get around, the Segway x2 offers a quick, simple option when you just don’t need to use the quad bike, motorbike or tractor. Here are some of the reasons the Segway x2 is so convenient:

• instant start (no choke, no warming up, no kick-starting) and no smoke or emissions
• fast, easy mounting and dismounting (you don’t having to throw your leg over a centre console or fuel tank, and there is no clambering in or out of a seat)
• on-the-stop zero-degree turning (no three-point turns, no need to back out of tight spots)
• superior line-of-sight while riding (because you’re in a standing position)
• no risk of injury from roll-over (unlike a quad bike)
• ability to open and close gates, and perform many tasks without dismounting
• carry up to 50kg of cargo using Handlebar Bag, Universal Cargo Plates or Side Cases(maximum depends on weight of rider, terrain and bulk of items)