Compact Spider Mower To Launch At SALTEX

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Compact Spider Mower To Launch At SALTEX: The name Spider is synonymous in the sector for innovative, industry-leading machinery that tackles even the most challenging terrain.

Designed and built at high-tech premises in the Czech Republic by the team at Dvorak, Spider slope mowers are the only remote-controlled, robotic mowers in the world that offer zero-turn capability to cut grass on slopes up to 55 degrees. Now, the Spider team from the Czech Republic and the UK distributor T H WHITE Machinery Imports are excited to unveil a brand-new slope mower, launching at SALTEX at the end of October on stand H190.

Compact Spider Mower To Launch At SALTEX

The new Spider X Line is their smallest commercial machine to date, offering a compact profile with huge performance. The X Line includes all the benefits of a larger Spider slope mower in a 1m2 sized machine, enabling users to get the very best performance while being able to transport the mower easily on a trailer or in the back of van. With an integrated winch, until now only seen on the larger Spider mowers, the X Line is capable of mowing slopes up to 55° – that’s 17° more than the worlds steepest ski slope, Harikari in Austria – which boasts an eyewatering 38° pitch!

With an incline as steep as that, there is naturally great concern in mowing grass with an operator using a ride-on or pedestrian mower, or strimmer. This is where the Spider X Line will excel, remote-controlled from a distance to ensure complete operator safety. The remote control also removes the operator from the working area of the mower, away from noise and vibration, meaning there is no limit on safe use considering HAVs, WBVs and Noise. Not only that, the X Line can mow at speeds of up to 6 km/h with a 65cm mulch cutting deck, meaning you can cut more grass in less time. The unique wheel stowage design enables the incorporation of a specially designed terrain-following mowing deck, giving you a consistent, high quality cut on the most uneven turf.

In fact, the X Line has a cutting capacity equivalent to 3 operatives with brush cutters, meaning that not only is the job completed faster and more efficiently, but it also allows for operatives to be redeployed to other tasks while one person controls the Spider.

Unique to Spider is the ‘Dancing Step’ drive system, which enables the X Line to move with zero turn capability. This is supremely useful when mowing around obstacles or when coming up against boundaries, saving time on each turn compared to other robotic mowers.

Finally, in addition to its powerful Honda GXV390 10.2hp petrol engine, the X Line boasts a lightweight chassis and four-wheel drive, giving it exceptional traction with gentle treatment of turf even in wet or soft conditions and eliminating erosion on slopes.

In addition to exceptional performance on slopes and inclines, Spider mowers are proven to excel in other unsafe or challenging environments across the UK, including airports, motorway and railway verges, lakes and riverbanks, around reservoirs, powerplants and solar farms, orchards and vineyards and in military facilities. Machinery Imports Director, Tim Lane, is looking forward to showcasing the new X Line at SALTEX ahead of it’s release to the market in 2019. “This is an exciting time for Spider and Machinery Imports, and we are pleased to launch a new commercial mower to the industry for 2019. The X Line is a true all-round robotic mower, offering features that are unrivalled in the market at the moment and the ability to outperform its competitors on sloping and even ground. We’re looking forward to demonstrating the X Line in the New Year to interested customers and working with our extensive dealer network to promote this innovative machine.”

As part of the Machinery Imports stand at SALTEX this year, the Spider X Line will be proudly displayed for visitors to find out more about it and see the innovation for themselves. We welcome all visitors to the event to see us at stand H190 to learn more.

Specifications:

• Honda GXV390 petrol engine, 10.2-gross HP.
• Hydrostatic transmission
• Ground speed up to 6kph/3.7mph with productivity equivalent to 3 operatives with brushcutters
• Skid steering ‘Dancing Step’ zero-turn drive system
• 65cm / 25.6 inch cutting width with mulching deck
• 4-12cm / 1.6-4.7 inch cutting height range
• 1-2 litre per hour fuel consumption
• 55° / 143% climbing ability with integrated winch
• 95 x 105 x 65cm dimensions

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John Deere Dealership Changes

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John Deere Dealership Changes: John Deere dealer Winchester Garden Machinery Ltd has decided to relinquish its professional golf & turf business at the end of October 2018, while retaining Deere’s full homeowner equipment franchise. Neighbouring dealers Farol Ltd and Hunt Forest Group will share WGM’s existing professional sales area of responsibility, with Farol’s Midhurst outlet covering West Sussex and Surrey and Hunt Forest Group at Chilbolton taking on Hampshire.

Winchester Garden Machinery has been supplying and maintaining garden and commercial grass care machinery since 1969. It will continue to trade as a main John Deere homeowner dealer, specialising in walk-behind mowers and lawn tractors, from its three domestic machinery sales locations at Winchester and Liss in Hampshire and Sunningdale in Surrey. The business also includes a Forest & Arb Sales division, which was introduced in the early 2000s.

John Deere Dealership Changes

“After over 20 years of supplying and supporting the professional golf & turf sector, Winchester Garden Machinery Ltd has taken the decision to relinquish the franchise for this side of John Deere’s business,” says WGM dealer principal Andrew Hoskings, the company’s owner and co-founder with industry stalwart Robin Nettle, who sadly died of cancer earlier this year. “This decision has not been taken lightly, and with the growth in other sectors of our business – domestic, forestry and commercial – we will continue to be strong trading partners with John Deere on homeowner equipment.

“We will continue to support John Deere’s professional machinery with warranty within the valid dates and undertake service work as required. Winchester Garden machinery is very proud of its association with John Deere and of our reputation as one of the UK’s largest specialist dealers of lawn and garden machinery, and we look forward to the future with confidence.”

Farol will now manage a total of six John Deere agricultural and turf dealerships from the Midlands down through London to the south coast of England.

“Being awarded the new area of responsibility for John Deere’s golf and turf product range in West Sussex is an incredibly exciting prospect for Farol Midhurst,” says managing director Matthew Vellacott. “We will look to continue and build on the high standards of service established by Winchester Garden Machinery, and aim to grow the business with the additional benefits of resources and specialisms that come from being part of a larger group.

“Since Farol’s debut in the professional golf and turf machinery business eight years ago, we have seen exceptional business and market share growth. This now contributes over £20 million to the group’s turnover, which makes Farol one of the largest professional groundscare machinery dealerships in the UK.

“We believe that our industry leading machine technology and aftersales departments have been key to this success, and we now look forward to demonstrating this support to our new customers in the south of the country. This latest addition to the group will undoubtedly take our golf and turf business from strength to strength.”

R Hunt Ltd and New Forest Farm Machinery Ltd recently signed an agreement to merge their two businesses under the new name Hunt Forest Group from January 1, 2019. R Hunt has been a John Deere agricultural equipment dealer since 1971 and currently runs four outlets covering Wiltshire, Hampshire, Berkshire, Surrey and the Isle of Wight. New Forest Farm Machinery trades from two outlets in Hampshire and Somerset and has been a John Deere agricultural dealer since 1979, and a professional turf dealer since 1986.

“This new area of responsibility sees our business expand its professional turf coverage and capability into Winchester and East Hampshire by adding the John Deere turf franchise to our existing Chilbolton facility,” says Hunt Forest Group managing director Tim Hunt. “We will be providing full sales, service and parts support for all John Deere professional turf products from Chilbolton, alongside our other outlets at Blashford, Sparkford, Tilshead and Isle of Wight, from November 2018.

“Following the recent news regarding the creation of Hunt Forest Group, we are able to quickly leverage the experience and staff within our new organisation. We are pleased to say we have immediate coverage for the new professional turf area of responsibility in Hampshire, with knowledgeable staff who will already be very familiar to many customers. We are very excited about the opportunity this brings and look forward to our customers and Hunt Forest Group growing together.”

For more information, visit: www.JohnDeere.co.uk

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