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New John Deere equipment at IOG Saltex 2007
New professional triple mower from John Deere
Six National Trust For Scotland properties in the Aberdeen & Grampian area have come up with a novel mower sharing scheme to keep their gardens and grounds in order, within a limited budget.
For the main visitor season from April to October, each venue gets a weekly visit from a new John Deere Series II 1600T wide area rotary mower, bought from dealer Alpha Plus Groundcare of West Broomhill, Kintore. The six properties are Castle Fraser, Crathes Castle, Drum Castle, Fyvie Castle, Leith Hall and Pitmedden Garden.
The mower was chosen by Susan Burgess, property manager and head gardener at Pitmedden Garden, where the operator Allan Work also lives on the estate. The rotary machine came in for a triple cylinder mower that needed replacing, after it was decided that this would provide the best overall finish at each property, based on their different requirements, grass areas and general features.
“When we switched machines, I canvassed the views of all the staff involved, so it was a very democratic choice, and it was a good price,” Susan points out. “Many of the properties have gravel paths and a lot of stones would get thrown up onto the grass, which caused problems for the cylinder mower.
“Although it looks a big machine, the John Deere rotary mower has actually proved to be more flexible, because you can cut very large areas of grass quickly, but you can also raise the outer wings when you need to get in and out of narrower places.
“For example, we have seven acres of grass lawns on two levels within the walled garden here at Pitmedden, and probably over 50 acres of grass altogether, while Leith Hall in particular has some very tight areas to cope with, but the mower manages both very well.
“The rotary decks still give a good enough finish for the main lawns on the approach to the castles, and everyone seems very satisfied with the job Allan’s doing. Keeping on top of the grass growth is the key, as you can’t let it get too long.
“We’re also very happy dealing with Alpha Plus, where we have bought other small items of equipment such as lawn edgers before, and we know we can rely on them if we ever have a problem.”
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