Mowers

Baggies bag a Dennis G34D

Rob Lane, Head Groundsman at West Bromwhich Albion's The Hawthorns stadium, recently chose a Dennis G34D cylinder mower that would help him achieve that all important pitch-perfect-presentation.

“I wasn’t good enough to play the game, but I knew I wanted to be involved in football,” says Rob who watched his team, nicknamed the Baggies, from the stands in the 1970s. “That was when I first thought about becoming a groundsman. So, I contacted all the football clubs in the area closest to me, and the only vacancy available was at my childhood club. I jumped at the chance. My whole family are West Brom fans, so it was a proud moment.”

Rob embarked on a Youth Training Scheme (YTS) which included a day release where he studied sports turf at college. That was in 1988 and he has been at the club ever since.

The one-club man is committed to preparing the best pitch possible for the players, the staff, the fans and of course his family, so Rob never cuts any corners. So, when it came to finding a new mower to give the pitch that all important matchday cut, it was a decision he was not going to rush into.

“Our previous mower we had for presenting the pitch needed replacing and I looked long and hard at what was available,” he explains. “I just couldn’t look past the Dennis G34D and that was based on our experience with the Dennis G860 cylinder mower – which is a machine we use a lot here. It is the same height; the same weight and we liked the thought of having two Dennis mowers for the pitch. It would be nice and uniformed.”

As Rob says, the Dennis G34D has been designed and built following the same concept as the popular Dennis G860 cylinder mower. Available in three different cutting sizes – 26”, 30” and 34” – the mowers incorporate a large-diameter eight bladed cutting cylinder to cater for a wide range of uses to leave a precision cut. The handlebar design makes manoeuvring easy and the wide adjustment makes it comfortable for all cutting heights.

Rob uses the two mowers in conjunction with one another to prepare the pitch. While using cassettes such as the verticutter and the brush on the G860, he will save the G34D for matchdays. “On a Friday before a game we will use the G34D to cut widthways and then on a Saturday morning we will cut lengthways,” he explains.

“It provides a fantastic finish every time. We also like the fact that if it is a bit dewy or a bit wet then it doesn’t drop the grass clippings like our old machine used to. It also has a much bigger grass box to get more in and you don’t have to keep stopping to empty it.

“I’m very pleased – it is a superbly engineered mower.”

Verge-cutting head gives biodiversity a winning edge

Specialist Halifax-based contractor GVA has become the first UK customer for a new, environmentally-friendly mowing head designed to protect the flora and fauna of roadside verges.

The ECO 1200 plus head was developed by German manufacturer Mulag and delivered by UK agent, South Cave Tractors. It has now been fitted to the PTO-operated Mulag SB600 suction mower that GVA has been using since 2019. This was also supplied by South Cave Tractors, of Brough, East Yorkshire, as was the Mercedes-Benz Unimog on which it is mounted. The 4x4 vehicle pulls a Harsh drawbar trailer with grass collection box.

Green areas from which cut grass has been removed become increasingly nutrient-poor, which in the longer term leads to an uplift in biodiversity among plants and insects. South Cave Tractors Managing Director Tony Levitt explains: “The ‘cut and collect’ set-up being used by GVA was already supporting sustainability by sucking up the cut grass, then scarifying the ground ready for planting with wildflower seeds.

“Mulag’s ECO head technology takes environmental compatibility to another level, by extracting considerably fewer bugs than other, more conventional equipment.”

GVA will be deploying its Mulag mowing and collection system on motorway and major A-roads throughout northern England this spring, when it becomes a direct supplier of ecology and landscaping works services to National Highways. Biodiversity is a top priority for the Government-owned company, which changed its name from Highways England last year, and would-be contractors are encouraged to demonstrate their ability to deliver environmental gains.

The ECO 1200 plus head features a disc mower, ahead of which a mechanical scourer is fitted. The scourer ‘chases up’ insects sitting in the grass before the cut material is sucked up from above. The mower has a 1.2m cutting width and also employs ‘sensor rollers’ that offer reduced ground contact and thereby provide more protection than a conventional pressing roller.

The cutting surface of the new disc blades is approximately 50 times smaller than that of a flail mower, which is more commonly used to undertake such work. As ecology experts have found that cutting heights above 10cm greatly increase the chances of survival for creatures living in and on the grass, the ECO 1200 plus head is designed to cut no lower than this.

Tests conducted by the German University of Tübingen’s Institute of Evolution and Ecology confirmed that in comparison with a standard mower, operation of the Mulag ECO 1200 plus results in a reduction of between 20% and 80% in losses of spiders and most insect groups. Importantly, these tests focused solely on the mower and not also the scourer, so the potential benefits of the complete unit could be significantly higher.

Tony Levitt continues: “Cut grass that’s left on the ground simply encourages the growth of yet more grass. But if you collect the cuttings at the same time you’ll gradually remove the nitrogen content, so the grass backs off and makes way for wildflowers to come through, especially if the area has been seeded.

“Dead grass that’s simply left to rot can also build up the bank of soil over the years. As a result the water cannot run off the road surface during periods of heavy rain, which is an obvious safety hazard for motorists.

“There’s another potential environmental benefit too, in that grass that’s been cut and collected in late summer and then left to die away over the winter releases methane. This can then be turned into energy, which is already happening in facilities where they know the grass has been properly cut and doesn’t contain any pollutants. So the more we clean up the sides of our biggest and busiest roads, the more usable the grass will become.”

Tony concludes: “With its unique, side-arm concept, the Mulag SB600 cut and collect system is ideally suited to roadside work. Fitted with the new ECO head it can play a key role in promoting biodiversity by helping to establish and maintain ‘corridors’ of wildflowers and encouraging bees, butterflies and other pollinating insects to flourish.”

GVA Commercial Director Luke Kendall adds: “Roadside corridors represent a great opportunity for the conservation and protection of insects. This is an area in which GVA already has extensive experience, not least through our work on a Cumbria Wildlife Trust project that entailed the management of habitats for declining wild bee populations.

“We highlighted our operation of the Mulag cut and collect mowing system in our successful tender to National Highways – the ECO head is a valuable new tool that will further assist us in meeting its biodiversity targets. We look forward to deploying this impressive technology in support not only of National Highways, but also of other customers.”

A first for STIGA

STIGA has introduced its newest ride-on mower, STIGA Swift, which aims to meet the high demands of environmentally friendly and resource-conserving work ensuring maximum performance and the greatest possible flexibility. This latest innovation from the European manufacturer, which has its headquarters in Italy, is the world's first ride-on mower with interchangeable batteries. STIGA is now the first manufacturer to feature interchangeable batteries and a full range of motorised garden tools, from handhelds to walk-behinds and rideons, to suit all user needs, garden architectures and price ranges.

Swift batteries are compatible with STIGA handheld equipment

The STIGA Swift is equipped with a combined 25 Ah battery pack comprising four 48V batteries (2 x 5 Ah + 2 x 7.5 Ah), included in standard delivery. Innovative interchangeable batteries make for virtually limitless riding time, rendering the Swift ideally suited for use on expansive, demanding lawns. The batteries work synchronously and constantly balance the available energy: Onboard charging supplies new energy to one battery after the other, so that the first one is ready for use again after just 30 minutes. A further innovative feature is the system compatibility of the highperformance power units. The interchangeable batteries can be used seamlessly in a wide variety of STIGA range handheld equipment. Mowing the lawn and cleaning up pavements at the same time with a leaf blower or trimming back hedges with a multitool? No problem! The Swift runs reliably and efficiently even on only three batteries. Users will benefit from the flexibility of these batteries and can always count on full e-Power.

Short turning radius, smart mowing mode

Featuring a width of just 735 mm, the mower has proved to master even the “narrowest” of challenges. It also has an extremely low minimum outer turning radius of 1,620 mm, offering the greatest possible manoeuvrability, which is why it works cleanly and precisely even in areas with many obstacles. Cutting edge mowing technology and smart mowing modes optimise Swift operation. Three mowing options are available in total according to demand and energy consumption. While the standard mode provides a performance of 3,500 rpm, the boost mode with 3,700 rpm masters even dense, tall lawns with ease. Eco mode (3,200 rpm) saves users up to 40% energy, covering an area of around 2,800 sqm.

Comfortable and safe handling

Equally convincing is the comfortable handling - lowvibration, ergonomic features and a reduced noise level guarantee pleasant and quiet operation. While the steering wheel can be turned easily with just one finger, the one-button start, cruise control and STIGA One Pedal Drive ensure intuitive start-up and driving. The tractor stops automatically when the drive pedal is released. The parking brake also activates automatically as soon as the machine comes to a stop, with no need for manual intervention. Using the extended connectivity with the STIGA.GO app and the virtual dashboard, users can always keep track of the current battery status and also adjust the various settings to suit their personal needs. With a low center of gravity of 351 mm, the Swift brings manageability and safety to every cut. The new dual-blade mowing deck is designed for more efficient airflow inside the tunnel and at the blades, which also improves the collection of clippings. The shredded grass is fed reliably, quickly and without clogging into the 170l catcher bag. With the special washing attachment, cleaning only takes a few seconds after the work is done.

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Pivot points in hitch

Uniquely allows tight-turn verti-cutting without damaging turf.

The VC60 verti-cutter is designed for continuous heavy-duty thatch removal across golf courses and sports fields. The unit has a unique swing hitch that allows the operator to verti-cut around objects while turning. The faster RPM along with the turning ability increases production over wider gang units, and with five power belts, scarifying deep is not a problem.

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Heavy-duty blades

Contour following rollers

Unique swing-hitch

Quiet all-belt design