Tag Archive for: Mower

400 Mile Mower Journey

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400 Mile Mower Journey: Five former students who drove a Ransomes Matador mower non-stop from Edinburgh to London’s Hyde Park back in 1959, were reunited recently to commemorate their epic journey. The University of Hertfordshire in Hatfield hosted a celebratory lunch and tour of the current Engineering faculty to celebrate their remarkable achievement.

Back in 1959, Tom Hudson, Mike Smith, Mike Savage, Hugh Tansley and John Wilson, who were all apprentices at the De Havilland Aircraft Company and day-release students at Hatfield Technical College, decided they wanted to test the reliability of small petrol engines, so they hatched a plot which became known as Operation Matador, to see if they could drive a mower from Edinburgh to London.

400 Mile Mower Journey

They contacted the management at Ransomes, Sims and Jeffries, the forerunner of today’s Ransomes Jacobsen company, who quickly agreed to help them out. Ransomes provided a standard Matador walk-behind mower, slightly modified with a larger sump added to the 288cc Villiers engine to provide enough lubrication for the non-stop 400-mile trip. A team of four apprentices tested a couple of prototypes, running them around Ipswich for 90 hours, which was the estimated time it would take to travel at 3 mph down the A68 and A1.

With the trials successfully completed, the date for Operation Matador was set for Easter 1959. The five students left Edinburgh Castle with Tom Hudson driving the first leg and the others crammed into a Bedford Dormobile, which was to be their mobile home for the next four days. A gift of a haggis was placed in the grass box of the mower to be presented to the Keeper of the Royal Parks in London – a Scotsman – at the end of the journey.

Four days and three nights after leaving the appropriately named Lawnmarket in Edinburgh, the students rode into Hyde Park to be greeted by a high-powered reception committee of Royal Park’s staff, Ransomes top management and dealer representatives, a BBC television crew and the press. The haggis was handed over to the Keeper of the Royal Parks and a ceremonial strip of Hyde Park grass was mown to Ransomes perfection.

Back in 2009 Ransomes Jacobsen helped the team celebrate their 50th anniversary by organising a two-day visit to their head office in Ipswich, which included a replica of the

Ransomes Matador mower complete with the number plate and signage from 1959.

Ten years on the mower, now in the safe hands of the Ipswich Transport Museum, was parked on the lawn at the university to greet the intrepid Operation Matador team as they arrived.

Professor Quintin McKellar CBE, Vice-Chancellor and Chief Executive of the University of Hertfordshire, welcomed the illustrious alumni saying,

“I am delighted to welcome you all to this amazing celebration, some 60 years on from that epic Easter weekend back in 1959. It was an incredible feat and a credit to yourselves, Hatfield Technical College as it was then, and the Ransomes company. You have entered the annals of the history of the University and it’s a pleasure to welcome you and your wives on this historic occasion, and to get a shot driving the lawn mower!”

Mike Smith, one of the ‘masterminds’ behind the ride added,

“We keep in touch with each other, but it has been 10 years since we were all together. What’s really amazing is that we are all still here to celebrate again a decade later and we are truly grateful to the Vice-Chancellor and his staff for this generous recognition.”

The celebrations concluded with a tour of the university’s Engineering department to see the recently installed driving simulator in the Automotive laboratory, various flight simulators and the latest Student Formula racing car being designed and built by the engineering students.

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New Mower Engineered For Slopes

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New Mower Engineered For Slopes: For more than 50 years, AS Motor have been working continuously on new technologies and the consistent further development of their extensive range of mowers.

The AS 1040 Yak ride-on flail mower from AS-Motor Germany GmbH & Co. is a major innovation for ride-on mowers and is a recent addition to the AS Motor family which includes both 4WD and 2WD models.

New Mower Engineered For Slopes

In high grass, flail mowers are particularly impressive due to their high work rates, robustness in the event of unseen foreign objects and offer consistent cutting results.

The AS 1040 YAK 4WD’s newly developed 100cm wide robust flail mowing unit is a superior alternative to conventional rotary mowing units. It offers significantly less risk of damage and also ensures operator safety. It has balanced weight distribution – 45% on the front axle and 55% on the rear axle which ensures outstanding traction and safe working irrespective of the terrain.

Also available from PSD Groundscare is the AS 940 Remote Control brushcutter for mowing areas where walking is difficult!

High-grass, steep slope, difficult terrain!

Mowing on steep and difficult terrain has always been a challenge for the machine operator and the AS 940 and AS 940 XL ride on brushcutter have been especially developed for this demanding application. Equipped with 27hp, 4wd, limited-slip differential and cross blade, the AS 940 easily mows dense, high grass and undergrowth on terrain where other mowers would have been forced to give up.

With ride-on brushcutters, steep slopes can be mown conveniently and economically. However, there are always areas where mowing is very unpleasant or unsafe for the operator, including steep terrain, loose substrate, mowing under trees and bushes, along hedges and even areas around wasp nests. However AS Motor have the solution – the AS 940 Remote Control which offers all the benefits of the standard AS 940 but with the option to convert to remote control when required.

The main remote-controlled functions include:

  • Professional remote control unit with 300m range
  • Adjustment of the cutting height
  • Engine on/off function
  • Mower deck on-off switch
  • Steering via remote control
  • Maximum incline transverse to the slope in remote control operation 33° (ride-on operation 21°)
  • Emergency stop of the machine

Should you require any further information about PSD’s range of AS Motor mowing and brushcutting equipment or to arrange a demonstration, please contact:

Tel: 01282 856819 Email: sales@psdgroundscare.com Web: www.psdgroundscare.co.uk

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ECHO Launch First Mower

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ECHO Launch First Mower: ECHO has built an enviable reputation for producing quality outdoor power tools, both professional and domestic. Until now, only a lawnmower has been missing from the range but that has been rectified with the introduction of a new 58V battery powered mower. Part of ECHO’s new 58V range, the LM-58V4AH offers petrol performance from a battery product. ECHO is quick to point out the new mower is the product of extensive development and built to the same professional standards as all its tools.

The question is, why would you choose battery power over petrol? ECHO answers this with a mower that has all the power of its petrol counterparts, whilst bringing a range of battery benefits and green credentials. These include low noise, low vibration, no emissions at the point of use and minimal maintenance. This makes it ideal for working in noise and emission sensitive areas such as parks and public gardens, educational establishments and around hospitals as well as domestic gardens. Coupled with no fuel filling or fuel storage required, no pull start and a lower lifetime cost of ownership, it’s easy to see why ECHO’s new lawnmower is perfect for today’s keen gardener.

ECHO Launch First Mower

The LM-58V4AH is powered by a 58V lithium-ion battery and a brushless motor, which is long lasting and maintenance free due to non-wearing parts; helping to reduce downtime and servicing costs. It has a run time of up to forty minutes on one battery and comes with a quick charger to fully charge the 4Ah battery in sixty minutes. So you just charge and go. There are dual battery compartments and a simple key system activates a second optional battery for maximum convenience and minimal disruption.

The mower features a 53cm (21”) cutting deck that is robust, won’t rust and comes with a grass collection bag and mulch plug, offering the versatility of collection or mulching. Wheel height adjusters with seven positions let you easily select multiple cutting heights and there is a three position handle adjustment for maximum user comfort. The quick release handle enables compact vertical or horizontal storage.

ECHO’S 58V interchangeable battery system allows one battery to fit multiple tools. So the 4Ah battery that comes with the mower can be used with any of the 58V products in the range which, together with the mower, comprises a chainsaw, power blower, hedgetrimmer and trimmer. ECHO offers a one-year professional use or two-year domestic warranty on the LM-58V4AH, which shows their confidence in the machine, and there is a two-year warranty on all 58V lithium-ion batteries. You can find out more from your local authorised ECHO dealer, by visiting www.echo-tools.co.uk or calling 0800 597 7777 for more information.

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Campey’s New Electric Mower

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Campey’s New Electric Mower: Campey Turf Care Systems is giving turf professionals a green solution to mowing with the introduction of the Fleischmann Electric 5 Deck mower.

The mower has five 2.20 metre cutting decks with six spindles per deck, giving a 10-metre overall cutting width. The mower features a braked steering rear axle and the two-point pivoting front mount hitch provides high maneuverability, enabling cutting speeds up to 20kph to be achieved.

Campey's New Electric Mower

Each blade on the five cutting decks is powered by a low maintenance electric motor, leaving behind traditional gearboxes and PTO shafts and eliminating the risk of oil leaks. The six high tip speed blades in each deck give more cuts per metre and offer excellent clipping dispersal.

The modern generator used to power the mower is very efficient and lowers all the factors you’d want less of. That’s low PTO requirements, low engine revs and lower noise output for quiet operation.

The mechanics of the operation are enhanced further by the five low ground pressure castor wheels. Each deck has five wheels which are expertly designed to follow contours and iron out bumps in the surface without leaving any marks. The wheels are also used to easily set the height of cut with all other operations controlled from the in-cab control box.

The 25 castor wheels are joined at the back of the machine by two steerable braked tyres on the rear axle. These tyres improve the turning circle and prevent any marks being made and also make the machine safer when travelling at high speed on the road.

Campey's New Electric Mower

Transporting the mower is simple with hydraulic folding wings reducing the width of the machine to a 3-metre transport width. The process of folding has been meticulously tested to ensure that no marking or scuffing occurs during the conversion from working to transporting.

For more information, visit: www.campeyturfcare.com

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Toro’s New Quieter Mower

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Toro’s New Quieter Mower: Toro’s new hydraulics-free Greensmaster eTriFlex with Lithium-ion battery cuts noise by 50 percent for quiet, leak-free, clean cutting and is being launched in the UK by Reesink Turfcare at BTME 2019.

The eTriFlex is a classic example of Toro responding to customer demand by creating a machine which significantly reduces noise. The big benefits to this are that it allows work to start earlier and may circumvent noise regulations. It will help avoid complaints from area residents and prevent having to delay mowing certain green early in the morning or during the day. Plus, with greens ready earlier, it could enhance revenue by allowing earlier tee times.

Toro's New Quieter Mower

Alongside the Lithium-ion battery is a proven Kawasaki twin cylinder 14hp air-cooled engine with a reduced speed of 2400rpm, shrouded in venting. It’s this design that ensures perceived bystander noise level is reduced by half.

Jeff Anguige, national sales manager, at Reesink, says: “The eTriFlex is a mower you could talk about all day. It’s quiet, and with no hydraulics it delivers clean and leak-free cutting. It ticks the green credentials box with its all-electric components and brings an estimated 22 percent saving in fuel, in comparison to say the Greensmaster 3320, thanks to its efficient power supply.”

As you’d expect from Toro, cutting capabilities are only ever improved upon, and the Greensmaster eTriFlex is no exception. The company is calling it the most advanced riding greensmower ever-bringing a new standard in mowing greens. Plus, the cut is consistent from the first to the last green as it’s no longer dependent on changing oil temperatures.

Jeff concludes: “With the familiar feel of its series counterparts such as the Greensmaster 3320 we have no doubt the eTriFlex will create a great deal of interest with UK greenkeepers and course managers at BTME keen to lower noise pollution and up their green credentials.”

See this – and more – on stand 420 in the Purple Zone.

For more information, visit: reesinkturfcare.co.uk

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