- Shropshire Groundcare Dealer Scoops Top Allett Award
- Allett Developing Electrically Powered Mower
- New Cutting Heigh Adjuster for Allett Fine Turf Mowers
- Exceptionally Hard Leading Edge Cuts Wear Rate And Downtime
- Allet Mowers Joins Turfmech Stable
Shropshire Groundcare Dealer Scoops Top Allett Award
The groundcare division of Shrewsbury-based Oakley’s Ltd has been named Allett Mower's Dealer of the Year for 2009.
The award was made at BTME 2010 by Allett’s parent company, Turfmech, in recognition of the sales achievements and high level of service provided by Oakley’s in 2009 to owners and users of Allett pedestrian mowers and turf maintenance equipment.
Presenting the award to Oakley’s staff, Turfmech and Allett sales director, Leigh Bowers, said that Oakley’s had produced consistently strong results over many years as an Allett dealer. However, 2009 had proved exceptional for the business, culminating in the firm securing the coveted Allett Dealer of the Year award.
Richard Jones of Oakley’s pointed out the firm’s relationship with Turfmech and Allett is founded on considerably more than just the supply of quality turf machinery.
"Turfmech’s support for both Turfmech and Allett equipment is among the best in the business,” said Mr Jones. “From demonstrations, new machine installations and customer training to rapid parts availability and technical assistance, we know that we can rely 100 per cent on Turfmech and its staff. It’s a pleasure doing business with the company and we are delighted to have won this award."
Turfmech/Allett sales director, Leigh Bowers (centre), presents the 2009 Allett Dealer of the Year to Richard Jones, sales director of Oakley’s groundcare division. Also pictured is Paul Bennett, professional sales representative with Oakley’s.
Allett Developing Electrically Powered Mower
Allett is aiming to have a battery-powered pedestrian cylinder mower ready for commercial sale in time for the 2010 grass-cutting season. The result will be a mower combining very low levels of noise and vibration with no risk of fuel or oil leaks and no harmful emissions at the place of work.
Shown in prototype form at IoG SALTEX 2009, the Buffalo 34E is the first in a planned series of Allett electric mowers which, if testing proves successful, will ultimately encompass models with cutting widths of 20in, 24in, 27in and 34in. All will utilise the same cutting units as found on the company’s current range of petrol-engined machines.
Powered by a 24 volt battery system of the type commonly found on electric golf carts, the prototype Buffalo 34E has two electric motors – one driving the rear roller, the other driving a standard 34in (864mm) wide, 8in (203mm) diameter cutting cylinder fitted with eight blades. Projected mowing life for a fully-charged battery is around three hours, depending on grass lengths and gradients.
Electronic motor controllers enable both the speed of the cutting cylinder and forward travel to be adjusted by the operator on-the-move to suit mowing conditions and the final finish required. Up to six different forward speeds can be dial selected, four covering the normal working speed range with two slower speeds available for mowing in confined or awkward areas, for example, when negotiating trees, flower beds or buildings. A selector switch for powered reversing is also included.
As the Buffalo 34E uses the same proven cutting unit as its petrol-engined counterpart, the main focus of testing this winter will be on the performance and reliability of the battery pack and electric drives powering the rear roller and the cutting cylinder.
An indoor “rolling road” has been built by Allett to simulate the diverse range of surface conditions typically encountered by a walk-behind cylinder mower when cutting a sportsfield, public park or domestic lawn. The company plans to clock-up more than 1,000 hours of indoor testing of the mower over-winter, to be followed by pre-production trials on turf in early spring 2010.
Although pricing is yet to be finalised, Allett is hoping that a battery-powered Buffalo 34E will cost around the same as its petrol-engined equivalent.
Testing of the prototype Allett Buffalo 34E electric mower over winter will be followed bypre-production trialsready for commercial launch in time for the 2010 mowing season.
New Cutting Height Adjuster for Allett Fine Turf Mowers
Allett has introduced a fast, convenient and precise cutting height adjuster for its Shaver, Tournament and C-Range fine-turf pedestrian mowers.
Known as the Quick Height Adjuster, the device consists of a micrometer dial and threaded rod assembly attached to either end of the mower’s front roller. Each click-turn of the dial moves the front roller up or down by 0.4mm, altering the height of cut by an identical amount depending on the direction in which the dial is turned.
The new adjuster supersedes the previously-used system for adjusting the mowers’ cutting height which required spanners to slacken the height-adjuster locking nuts and to wind the adjuster up or down.
To be fitted as standard to Allett’s 20in and 24in Shaver and Tournament mowers and to the C-20 and C-24 cartridge head machines equipped with a 10-bladed cutting cylinder, the Quick Height Adjuster will be included on all new machines delivered this spring.
Micrometer-type cutting height adjustment for Allett fine-turf mowers.
The Allett Tournament 20 is one of the mowers to be fitted with the new
height adjuster.
Exceptionally Hard Leading Edge Cuts Wear Rate And Downtime
Allett Mowers is now using tungsten carbide tipped blades on three of the interchangeable cartridge heads available for the Allett C20, C24 and C34 machines.
The blades are being fitted as standard to the powered scarifier and verticutter heads offered for the three C-Range models and also to the powered groomer available as an option on the 10-bladed cutting unit for C20 and C24 mowers and for the 20in and 24in Allett Tournament fine-cut mowers.
Comprising a small, yet extremely hard insert precision-brazed to the leading edge of each vertically-rotating blade, the tungsten carbide tip is designed to extend greatly the working life of the blades, reducing machine running costs and servicing downtime.
Tests in a variety of conditions have shown that a tungsten carbide tipped blade has a wear rate up to 20 times less than a standard steel blade. Actual wear rates of the new blades fitted to the scarifier, verticutter and groomer attachments for Allett machines will depend on a range of factors including soil type and conditions, level of use and working depth.
Supplied at no extra cost to purchasers of optional attachments for Tournament and C20, C24 and C34 models, and also to those adding to their complement of interchangeable cartridge heads for an existing Allett C-Range machine, the tungsten carbide tipped blade units are available now from Allett and its dealer network nationwide.
Allet Mowers Joins Turfmech Stable
A secure and vibrant future underpinned by sustained product development and sales growth are promised for Allett Mowers following the purchase by Turfmech Machinery Ltd of Allett Mower's assets, trademarks and main product range.
The move brings one of Britain's best-known makes of professional walk-behind cylinder mower and turf-care equipment into the Turfmech stable to be based at Turfmech's product development and manufacturing centre in Hixon, Staffordshire.
For further information see the Press Release or click here to visit the Turfmech website.
