Andrew’s personal touch bring success to Fox Cylinder Mowers

I have always thought that Caractacus Potts was a remarkable man. He had a rare combination of talents, encompassing imagination and engineering excellence. He locked himself in his workshop and eventually emerged to unveil something unique to the world – I’m here to tell Caractacus that there is a new sheriff in town, his name… Andrew Fox!

Andrew Fox also locked himself in his workshop and came up with something unique. A hand built 20” cylinder mower, boasting the most advanced cut available with a 14 blade professional cylinder, bespoke designed shaver blade and enhanced cutting mechanism etc etc. Andrew has since built over 200 of his very own cylinder mowers.

What’s more Andrew has now come up with a new machine, again it is unique and a first in its design, a Verticutter that is something else!

Totally unique and which is about to take the world of cricket and bowling green maintenance by storm. Read on!

A lifelong cricketer, Andrew developed his cricket skills at Millfield School (Millfield featured elsewhere in this issue) from the age of 7 to the age of 18, where he was a classmate and good friend of Sky Sports presenter and ex-England player, Ian Ward.

Andrew’s father, Malcolm, has just retired as Chair of the Somerset Cricket League for 20 years and his son George, another ex-Millfield boy, is also a fine cricketer.

Andrew launched Fox Cylinder Mowers back in 2016 and after hand building each mower he then delivers it personally, assuring people know exactly how to use it, use it safely and how to easily adjust it.

But, other than in the hand built nature of the mowers and Andrew’s personal touch, what is it that makes them stand out?

“The USP of my mowers is the cut and price, the cut is at least equal if not in advance of the professional machines, simply due to the laws of physics, and of course the ever important price. Being virtually half the price of the professional machines, people mistake my machines for being domestic or a far Eastern special, this is simply not true! As a one man band in a home workshop and no distributor’s margins, you remove such a huge ‘chunk’ of cost. The Black versions also boasts a large GX genuine Honda engine, not designed to go fast, but to be laid back – it will last forever and a day,” explained Andrew.

Since completing the design of the new Verticutter early this year Andrew has since been working directly with Honda UK, something Andrew is particularly proud of considering his size, and has now just completed the full electric version of his machines. To the best of his knowledge Andrew is the first in the cylinder mower world to use Honda’s electric combination. This he hopes will provide piece of mind for potential customers, as Honda has a legendary name worldwide for market leading excellence in reliability and longevity, it is definitely not an unknown brand!

Andrew also offers servicing on his machines, driving around the country picking them up in the off-season and returning them to their grateful owners back in ‘as new’ showroom/concourse condition.

Now, onto the new unique Verticutter

Andrew has just designed. Something which Andrew expects will have an equally big impact on the industry, and which is likely to put additional pressure on the one-man-band nature of his business.

“I’ve produced a Verticutter which is completely and utterly unique,” he revealed.

The new machine (also in black and green editions) is built on the same chassis as the mower.

“It is something else, because it is brush assisted! Brush clusters sit just in front the cutting discs and pertrode, to assist by lifting the lateral grass nano seconds before the cutting discs cut. It has rotating stainless steel discs that are two millimetres thick, not the standard one millimetre, and we use hook eyes, not just pointed edges, to be more effective. These are placed at 10 millimetre intervals, not the standard 15 millimetre spacing, providing more cutting discs and brush clusters per unit.

“It is being sold as a brush assisted Verticutter and there is nothing like it on the market,” said Andrew, who added that the new machine was “Patent Pending”.

In all likelihood demand is going to outstrip supply as Andrew has no intention of scaling up and enjoys the personal approach to both his machines and his customers.

“I’ve done the big manufacturing business pre-2016, employing a large number of people and manufacturing large numbers, I don’t want that again. I’ve got no ambitions of getting to the stage where I need a production line and building a big Gin Palace, that would lose all the ethos of it for me.

“I have piece of mind that each Fox machine is absolutely spot on, even polished, before each one is delivered,” said Andrew, who does admit that as numbers of his mowers and Verticutters increase, it will put the pressure on his personal touch.

“When I get to the point where it is causing an issue I will cross that bridge,” is his reply to that one.

There is no doubt that whatever bridge Andrew does encounter he will find a way of navigating it and that his finest British hand built mowers will continue to play a very fine tune on a larger scale!

Andrew’s machines may not fly nor float, but I’m sure, on the other hand, Caracacus Potts would have been envious of Andrew’s ability to scale up to the numbers and his product portfolio! n www.foxcm.co.uk