Mercury Floor Machines A-163-1 BOSS Floor Machine Apron – 13", 3 lbs, with Bumper

Mercury A-163-1: 13" Apron with Bumper for BOSS Floor Machines

The A-163-1 is the narrowest apron in the BOSS machine series — 13" with a non-marking bumper and three-thumb-screw installation. At 3 lbs, it is the lightest in the series by 1 lb (vs. the 15" at 4 lbs). For BOSS machine operations in the tightest access zones — walk-in cooler lanes, server room aisles, laboratory equipment corridors — the 13" apron provides the widest cleaning path that fits, while retaining the BOSS machine's weight, motor, and torque for heavy-duty scrubbing and stripping in those confined spaces.

A-163-1 Specifications and Compatibility

• Model: A-163-1
• Apron size: 13 inches — narrowest in the BOSS apron series
• Weight: 3 lbs — lightest in the series
• Bumper: Non-marking perimeter bumper — integrated into the apron assembly
• Installation: Three thumb screws — tool-free, interchangeable with all BOSS apron sizes
• Compatible machines: Mercury BOSS-1 and BOSS-2 Heavy-Duty Floor Machines

The 13" Apron in the Context of the Full BOSS Apron System

The BOSS machine's interchangeable apron system is designed to make one heavy-duty floor machine serve the full range of cleaning zones in a facility — from large open areas with the 21" apron to the tightest confined access points with the 13" apron. The key advantage of the 13" apron over buying a separate 13" floor machine for narrow zones is that the BOSS machine body maintains its full weight (90–107 lbs depending on configuration, plus optional UWK weight kit) regardless of which apron is installed. A purpose-built 13" floor machine in the 75–85 lb range delivers less downward pad force than the BOSS machine with the A-163-1 apron at full weight. For stripping and scrubbing tasks in confined zones, that weight difference produces measurably better single-pass results. The 13" apron also pairs with the Unicorn Weight Kit: adding up to 50 lbs of additional weight on the smallest apron produces the highest pad pressure per square inch of any BOSS configuration.

Non-Marking Bumper Application in 13" Access Zones

In a 13" access zone, the machine has minimal side clearance — often 1–2 inches on each side throughout the full pass. The non-marking bumper on the A-163-1 continuously protects adjacent walls, equipment legs, and racking uprights from contact damage throughout each pass, not just at the end turns. This is distinct from wider apron sizes where the bumper primarily protects during direction changes at room edges. In truly confined zones, the bumper contacts adjacent surfaces continuously and must maintain its non-marking characteristic throughout the cleaning session — inspect the bumper material for embedded grit or debris before cleaning in zones with painted or finished wall surfaces, as contaminated bumper material can transfer marks even if the bumper itself is non-marking.