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Lingfield Park Racecourse Benefits from Avant 860i

February 28, 2025/in News, Press Release/by Admin

Lingfield Park Racecourse Benefits from Avant 860i: Lingfield Park Racecourse has recently experienced the remarkable versatility of the Avant 860i loader after winning a six-month loan at the Grounds Management Association (GMA) Awards. The Avant loader was awarded to the racecourse after they were named the Professional Racecourse Grounds Team of the Year, a category […]

Wildwood Machinery continues run of success

February 26, 2025/in News, Press Release/by Admin

Wildwood Machinery continues run of success: Following a year of consistent expansion in 2024, Winchester-based groundcare business Wildwood Machinery has maintained its run of success at the start of 2025. “Firstly, we have extended our product range with the addition of an important dealership contract with Wessex International,” says managing director James Bastian. “Secondly, we […]

Lingfield Park Racecourse Benefits from Avant 860i

February 28, 2025/in News, Press Release/by Admin

Wildwood Machinery continues run of success

February 26, 2025/in News, Press Release/by Admin

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Lingfield Park Racecourse Benefits from Avant 860i

February 28, 2025/in News, Press Release/by Admin

Lingfield Park Racecourse Benefits from Avant 860i: Lingfield Park Racecourse has recently experienced the remarkable versatility of the Avant 860i loader after winning a six-month loan at the Grounds Management Association (GMA) Awards.

The Avant loader was awarded to the racecourse after they were named the Professional Racecourse Grounds Team of the Year, a category sponsored by Avant Tecno UK.

Lingfield Park Racecourse Benefits from Avant 860i

Jon Harris, Estate Manager at Lingfield Park, and his team are responsible for ensuring the vast grounds remain in pristine condition all year round. Its diverse facilities include a turf and all-weather racecourse, an 18-hole golf course, and a hotel with extensive gardens. With a dedicated team of 20, Jon’s job covers everything outside the buildings on the estate, from the racecourse to the golf course and hotel gardens.

“The Avant 860i has made an incredible difference to how we work here,” Jon explains. “It’s a fantastic machine, capable of handling almost any task we throw at it. The ability to use a single machine for a wide variety of jobs has been a huge benefit, allowing us to be more efficient and freeing up time for other tasks across the estate.”

The Avant 860i is the flagship model in the Avant 800 series and has proven to be an invaluable asset at Lingfield Park. Powered by a 57-hp engine, the Avant 860i boasts an impressive 3.5m lift height and a lift capacity of 1,900kg, making it perfect for heavy-duty lifting and clearing tasks. Its powerful auxiliary hydraulics (80 L/min) and robust design allow it to handle tough jobs with ease, such as lifting stone pallets, clearing scrubland, and handling a wide range of attachments. Despite its impressive power, the Avant 860i’s compact size allows it to operate in tight spaces and sensitive areas without causing damage to the ground.

“The sheer power and lift capacity of the Avant 860i is impressive,” Jon says. “We’ve used it for a variety of tasks, from moving heavy materials to clearing scrubland, and it handles everything effortlessly. The ability to swap attachments quickly has been a massive time-saver. We’ve been able to go from a flail mower to pallet forks in just a matter of minutes. This is something you can’t do with a tractor, which might take 20 to 30 minutes to change attachments.”

Some of the key attachments Jon and his team have used during their six-month loan include the Pallet Forks, HD Bucket, Bucket Broom, Flail Mower, and the Fence Post Mower.

“The flail mower attachment has been a real standout for us,” Jon says. “It’s incredibly robust and has cleared scrubland down to nothing, allowing new grass to grow through. The results have been impressive. The team has also found the Bucket Broom invaluable for cleaning up tarmac and other hard surfaces around the estate.”

Jon values the machine’s versatility and how it can handle multiple tasks with one operator. “We’ve found the Avant to be really effective in situations where we need a single operator to handle multiple jobs. It has freed up our team to focus on other work, while still getting a variety of tasks completed.”

Another standout feature of the Avant 860i is its ability to access all parts of Lingfield Park, thanks to its compact size and turf tyres. “The turf tyres on the Avant make it so easy to get anywhere on site without leaving ruts or causing damage to the surfaces,” Jon explains.

“This is particularly important here at Lingfield Park, as we manage such a large estate with various types of terrain. The Avant is perfect for navigating all of it, whether it’s the racecourse or the golf course.”

Jon’s enthusiasm for the Avant 860i is clear, and he and his team are already looking forward to having one on-site permanently. “The Avant 860i is going to be missed by all of us when our loan period ends,” Jon says. “We’re incredibly grateful for the opportunity to have used it. For any estate manager, particularly those managing large, diverse sites like ours, the Avant is a must-have.”

Lingfield Park’s experience with the Avant 860i loader has been overwhelmingly positive, and the team is eager to continue reaping the benefits of such a versatile and powerful machine. For Jon and his team, the Avant 860i has proven to be an invaluable tool for maintaining the expansive and varied estate at Lingfield Park Racecourse.

For more information, please visit www.avanttecno.com/uk

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Wildwood Machinery continues run of success

February 26, 2025/in News, Press Release/by Admin

Wildwood Machinery continues run of success: Following a year of consistent expansion in 2024, Winchester-based groundcare business Wildwood Machinery has maintained its run of success at the start of 2025.

“Firstly, we have extended our product range with the addition of an important dealership contract with Wessex International,” says managing director James Bastian. “Secondly, we have secured a significant contract with a local authority client that we will be announcing shortly.”

Wildwood Machinery continues run of success

“The recent appointment of Sales Manager Rob Hogarth, who brings 40 years of experience in the groundcare sector, is an indication of our intention to continue growing Wildwood Machinery this year,” says James Bastian. “He has brought a wealth of contacts and expertise to the business, and we are already seeing the benefits of that.”

Wildwood – which launched in 2022 – has scaled up rapidly, winning clients across professional and community sports clubs, Local Authorities, schools, National Trust properties.

“A vital component in our success has been our ability to source, supply and maintain the very best equipment available to the UK market. We are already the sole dealer across much of southern England for INFINICUT. Now, as the main local dealer for Wessex International – who manufacture a durable, versatile and reliable range of mowers – we are in a position to meet an even wider range of clients and projects,” comments James Bastian.

Sheldon Diplock of Wessex International, says: “Our mowers deliver superior presentation and professional striping, in dry or wet conditions. This is made possible by our ‘tip speed’ that is approximately 20 per cent faster than other rotary mowers on the market. Investing in Wessex Roller mowers brings a host of other benefits such as savings on mowing time and maintenance costs, whilst getting more value out of the tractors already on your fleet. The Wessex CRX320, a key player in the Golf and Sports Turf market, comes in at around the third of the price of traditional rough mower units.”

James Bastian adds, “At Wildwood Machinery our focus is on providing the absolute highest quality services to the groundcare profession, from our base in Winchester. It’s proving to be a potent combination, and appeals to clients from schools through to clients including Premiership football clubs, Local Authorities, the National Trust and many of southern England’s leading golf clubs.”

Wildwood – which has its main headquarters at East Horton Golf Club in Fair Oak – made regular hires throughout 2024 across engineering, maintenance, customer service and sales, and has bucked the trend across the economy as a whole with rapid growth.

For the latest industry news visit turfmatters.co.uk/news

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Follow us on Twitter and Instagram for fun, fresh and engaging content.

You can also find us on Facebook for more of your must-see news, features, videos and pictures from Turf Matters.

Half Sized Blog Element (Single Author Style)

Half Sized Blog Element (Multi Author Style)

Lingfield Park Racecourse Benefits from Avant 860i

Wildwood Machinery continues run of success

Lingfield Park Racecourse Benefits from Avant 860i

Wildwood Machinery continues run of success

Full Sized Blog Element (Big Preview Pic)

Lingfield Park Racecourse Benefits from Avant 860i

Lingfield Park Racecourse Benefits from Avant 860i: Lingfield Park Racecourse has recently experienced the remarkable versatility of the Avant 860i loader after winning a six-month loan at the Grounds Management Association (GMA) Awards.

Wildwood Machinery continues run of success

Wildwood Machinery continues run of success: Following a year of consistent expansion in 2024, Winchester-based groundcare business Wildwood Machinery has maintained its run of success at the start of 2025.

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