- Mower's Manoeuvrability Boosts Workrates Without Marking
- Buffalo Mower Maintains Good Length and Accuracy
- Allett Moves Quietly and Softly Over Sensitive Ground
- Fine Turf Maintenance and Allett go Hand-In-Hand
- Dudley Clocks up 10 Years with Allett Mowers
- Allett Tournament Mowers Keep High Altitude Greens In Fine Fettle
- Praise for Allett C20 from School Groundsman
- The Queen's Club
Mower's Manoeuvrability Boosts Workrates Without Marking
Ask bowls greenkeeper Chris Lightfoot to name the most impressive feature on his new Allett Tournament 24 mower and the response is immediate: “Its manoeuvrability, which is absolutely superb,” he said. “Having the ability to turn smartly and easily at the end of a run has boosted workrates significantly without any sign of scuffing or marking.”
Purchased by Borough Green Bowls Club in summer 2009, the Tournament 24 had been recommended to the Kent club by local firm, Kidman’s, which has serviced the club’s machines for many years. Although not an Allett dealer, Kidman’s advised the committee that Allett mowers offered fine performance and great value for money.
Following a call from the club, Allett quickly arranged a demonstration of the Tournament 24, giving Chris Lightfoot the opportunity to get behind the controls. “As well as being very easy to turn, the mower’s cut was also first-class,” he recalled. “I remember being impressed also with its ease of starting, low noise levels and the ultra fine adjustments provided for height of cut and the standard turf groomer. I’d never used a groomer before, but I could see that it would soon have a beneficial effect on the condition of the green.”
Within four weeks of the arrival of the new mower, the benefits were clear for all to see, as club president, Iain Ferguson, explained: “The condition of the playing surface had improved beyond belief. So much so that our bowling performances away from home were being adversely affected due to the time we were taking to adjust to the often poorer and less consistent condition of our opponents’ greens.
“The support and advicewe received from Allett has been first class from the start. My advice to any bowls club considering a new mower is to ensure that Allett is on the short list. Buying the Tournament mower is one of the best decisions taken by Borough Green Bowls Club in recent years.”
Chris Lightfoot, greenkeeper at Borough Green Bowls Club, with the new Allett Tournament 24 mower purchased by the club in 2009.
Delighted with the performance of the Allett Tournament 24 mower are, from left to right: Iain Ferguson, club president; Chris Lightfoot, greenkeeper; Ian McCallum, club chairman.
Buffalo Mower Maintains Good Length and Accuracy
An Allett owner and user for more than 25 years, well-known cricket commentator and writer, Christopher Martin-Jenkins, first became aware of the brand back in the late 1960s.
“I remember seeing Allett mowers in action cutting the outfield on a number of first-class cricket grounds,” he recalled. “Having long admired the finish produced by the machine, I was determined to have an Allett of my own and purchased in 1983 a 36in Regal with trailing seat to maintain the lawns at our former family home in Sussex.”
That machine served Mr Martin-Jenkins well until he moved recently to a house with a smaller garden. “The Regal was just a bit too big for the grass areas at our new home,” he explained. “I needed the ability also to cut somewhat longer, tougher grass so I asked Allett for their advice.”
The machine recommended, and subsequently purchased by Mr Martin-Jenkins, was a Buffalo 34 equipped with an 8in diameter, eight-bladed cutting cylinder. Although only slightly narrower than the Regal, the Buffalo 34 is a lighter and more compact mower able to work effectively in tight spaces and cut longer and coarser grass than would normally be asked of a Regal.
“I like the machine,” says Mr Martin-Jenkins. “Not only is it easy to handle, but it’s quiet and economical, producing the standard of finish that I have long associated with Allett mowers. The brand remains a wonderful example of British engineering at its very best.”
Cricket commentator, Christopher Martin-Jenkins, with his new Allett Buffalo 34 mower, a replacement for the Regal 36 mower that he had owned for 26 years.
Allett Moves Quietly and Softly Over Sensitive Ground
Known and respected for the quiet dignity and immaculate presentation of its cemeteries, the Commonwealth War Graves Commission is responsible for maintaining graves, memorials and their surrounding grounds in more than 140 different countries around the world.
In the United Kingdom alone, there are close to 170,000 war graves and memorials in the Commission's care, many located within burial grounds looked after by the organisation's own staff and gardeners with the help of an array of powered machinery and hand tools.
One machine that has been ever-present within the Commission's armoury at home and overseas since the early 1990s is the Allett Buffalo 27 walk-behind cylinder mower, used throughout the year to trim the grass between and surrounding the solemn ranks of head stones and memorials.
A high profile site maintained by the Commission with help from four Buffalo 27 mowers is the Brookwood Military Cemetery, near Woking, Surrey. Established in 1917, the year that the CWGC was founded, the cemetery was created to provide a resting place for the servicemen and women who died in the London area as a result of wounds received on the Western Front during the First World War or from sickness or training accidents. The cemetery was extended later to accommodate casualties from the Second World War and now covers around 15 hectares.
In addition to more than 5,000 Commonwealth graves, the cemetery houses the Canadian Records building and the Brookwood Memorial, an imposing, circular structure commemorating almost 3,500 men and women of the Commonwealth land forces that died during the Second World War and have no known grave.
Responsibility for the grounds at Brookwood Military Cemetery lies with Senior Head Gardener, Mark Creber, and eight gardener caretakers.
"All ornamental grass is cut down to 25mm once a week between mid March and late October using the Alletts or a rotary machine," explained Mark. "The choice of mower comes down to grass location, length and type but the Alletts are dedicated primarily to cutting and collecting grass in the larger, high profile areas close to the graves and memorials where visitors walk."
Mark pointed out that the Buffalo is a great all-rounder, able to produce an excellent finish in virtually all weathers and growth conditions thanks to its robust, 200mm diameter, eight-bladed cylinder. "It's also a very quiet machine, manoeuvrable and easy to operate," said Mark. "This makes it ideal for work between and around head stones. Daily maintenance and mower adjustments are extremely straightforward. In my opinion, it's a true operator's machine."
Having settled on the Buffalo for the regular mowing of larger areas of grass, the Commonwealth War Graves Commission has since selected Allett Tournament 20 mowers to look after smaller, prestige lawns where a finer, closer cut is needed.
A direct replacement for a machine purchased originally in 1999, one of the Commission's latest Tournament 20s is responsible for keeping the grass neatly mown within the Air Forces Memorial at Runnymede, Surrey.
The centrepiece of this secluded, tranquil site is a striking monument fronted by four rectangular lawns surrounded by cloisters upon whose walls are recorded the names of more than 20,000 Commonwealth air force personnel who were lost without trace in operations during the Second World War.
Resident gardener, Ian Haskell, uses his Tournament 20 to mow the 600 sq m of fine turf within the cloisters twice a week. Set at a cutting height of 16mm, the mower trims grass which is walked upon each year by many hundreds of visitors from around the world.
"It's most important that our grounds and buildings maintenance are carried out quietly and efficiently to show respect for those honoured by the memorial and those who visit it," commented Ian. "I like the Tournament because it produces a first-class result without fuss or bother. Settings and servicing are very simple and the mower has proved trouble-free over the many years that I've used it, backed by excellent support from Allett. In my opinion, it's a great British machine."
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Fine Turf Maintenance and Allett go Hand-In-Hand
When specialist turf contractor, Kevin Moult, took over the regular maintenance at Donnington Wood Bowling Club in the spring of 2004, he also took over an Allett C-20 interchangeable cartridge head mower that had been used by the organisation previously responsible for the Shropshire club's two Crown Green bowling greens.
Today, Kevin's dedication and attention to detail, assisted in no small way by the mowing, grooming and verti-cutting abilities of the Allett C-20, have raised the standard of the greens to an altogether higher level on which a growing number of bowlers from around the county, and country, want to play.
In 2007, Donnington Wood was selected to host its first Shropshire county match in 40 years, an honour being repeated in 2008.
The club's annual Open Competition has also become an important late season fixture over the past three years, attracting first class bowlers from Shropshire, neighbouring counties of England and Wales, and further afield.
Among the 128 entrants for this year's competition is one of England's top bowlers, Yorkshireman Graeme Wilson, who will be playing for a place in the final and a first prize of £1,200 on the last Sunday in October.
Named after the club's treasurer who donated the splendid trophy which accompanies the winner's cheque, the Dickie Bond Donnington Wood Open Finals could not have been staged five years ago, as Mr Bond himself explained. "Quite simply, the greens were not of a sufficiently high standard to attract some of the best players in the county, let alone the rest of England," he said. "The results achieved by Kevin Moult since 2004 are remarkable and I rate him as one of the top greenkeepers in the country."
Kevin Moult's experience in fine turf management began in the early 1980s at Market Drayton Golf Club where he worked for nine years as an assistant greenkeeper. After leaving the club, he continued to expand his knowledge and technical skills while employed to look after private lawns and other areas of ornamental grass.
In 2003, Kevin took the decision to become self-employed, immediately picking up a number of garden maintenance contracts as a result of the fine references generated by his previous employment. It was not until the following year, however, that Kevin secured his first professional contract when he was appointed groundsman at Donnington Wood Bowling Club, a position he won due to his long experience and the tremendous interest and enthusiasm he showed for the job being offered.
When Kevin Moult stepped onto the club's greens in April 2004, it was the first time he had ever walked on a bowling green in a turf management role. Today, his reputation and the results achieved have brought additional maintenance contracts for himself and the Allett C-20 at more than 25 different bowling clubs in Shropshire as well as preparation and renovation work on cricket squares and domestic lawns.
However, his principal contract remains that of Donnington Wood Bowling Club where he can normally be found every Monday, Wednesday and Friday during the growing season as well as at weekends when competitions and matches are being played.
From early April, greens' maintenance at the club involves use of the Allett C-20's verti-cut head every other week, working just 1mm below the 5mm cutting height of the mower's 10-bladed cylinder. "I use the verti-cut to generate speed, creating what I can only describe as fine tramlines in the sward," explained Kevin. "The vertical blades pass through the grasses without touching the soil below, helping prevent establishment of hard grasses and thatch."
This year, Kevin is for the first time using a groomer in conjunction with the mower's cutting cylinder on his three-times a week mowing schedule.
"Since 2004, I have been steadily raising the greens to an ever higher standard," he said. "To help me go just that little bit further, I purchased from Allett last September a powered grooming attachment that is fitted to the mower just in front of the cutting cylinder. Set to work 1mm below the height of cut, the groomer's blades lift and thin the sward, helping the grasses grow back thicker to give a wonderfully smooth and even finish on which to play bowls. The appearance is also fantastic, stopping visitors in their tracks as they enter the club."
Other work carried out by Kevin once a month on the greens using specialist equipment includes 5mm solid tining to a maximum 100mm depth and a liquid feed. He also uses the C-20's brush cartridge head to remove unwanted debris from within and on top of the sward, leaving the surface in immaculate condition.
"When I started at Donnington Wood, I had never used an Allett machine, let alone worked on a bowling green," commented Kevin. "Four years on, I've learnt a tremendous amount about fine turf maintenance and Allett mowers. To my mind, the two go hand-in-hand and I would never want to go to work now on a sports turf surface without Allett by my side."
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Dudley Clocks up 10 Years with Allett Mowers
Ten years after purchasing its first Allett pedestrian mower, Dudley Metropolitan Borough Council's Allett fleet has grown to 33 machines being used to maintain the 12 hectares (30 acres) of ornamental grass, eight bowling greens, two cricket squares and two croquet lawns managed by the Borough.
Selected initially for its ease of use, uncomplicated maintenance and rugged build quality, the Allett mower has become a byword for reliability among Dudley MBC's managers, operators and engineers.
"The machines have proved a really first-class investment over the past 10 years," commented Russell Norton, Technical Manager of Green Care, the in-house contract division responsible for the maintenance of all Dudley's green spaces. "I commend also the excellent technical support provided by Allett and by Oakley's Groundcare of Shrewsbury who supplied the mowers."
Numbering 25 machines, the mainstay of Dudley's Allett fleet is the 5.5hp Buffalo 27, a rugged general-purpose mower equipped with a 200mm diameter six-bladed cylinder giving a cutting width of 686mm.
Set at a 20mm cutting height throughout the growing season, the mowers are used primarily to maintain high-visibility grass areas around ornamental borders, flower beds and on traffic islands and roundabouts. The Buffalo 27 is complemented by three narrower Buffalo 24s, a 610mm cut mower dedicated to smaller areas and those with restricted access.
The total aggregate area of ornamental grass cut each year by Dudley MBC's 28 Allett Buffalo mowers is around 3.6 million sq metres spread over 30 separate cuts. Added to this is more than 12,000 sq m of fine sports turf looked after by five Allett C-20 mowers equipped with interchangeable cartridge heads.
Fitted with 10-bladed cutting units throughout the growing season, the C-20s are mowing eight bowling greens, two cricket squares and two croquet lawns up to three times a week. For turf renovation programmes, the cutting heads can be removed and replaced in seconds by powered scarifying heads which effectively remove thatch and lateral growth ahead of hollow coring, top dressing and re-seeding operations.
Summing up, Russell Norton commented that the Borough's choice of Allett walk-behind cylinder mowers had been made initially following competitive demonstrations of a number of contenders that had been selected by Russell and his assistants during their annual visit to the IOG SALTEX exhibition.
"After a close look at purchase and running costs, and with useful input from our operators and engineers, the decision was made to move to Allett," he said. "Looking back, that decision has been totally vindicated by the virtually trouble-free operation of the original mowers and their replacements over many seasons' hard and extended use. In a nutshell, the machines are extremely reliable, produce an excellent finish and our staff find them easy and satisfying to use and to maintain. You can't ask for much more than that."
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Allett Tournament Mowers Keep High Altitude Greens In Fine Fettle
Perched 1,284 ft (391m) above sea level, Kington Golf Club in Herefordshire is the highest 18-hole golf course in England, commanding spectacular views across six counties of England and Wales.
According to chairman of greens, David Radbourne, it is these views and the superb condition of the greens cut by Allett Tournament mowers that make the course such an attractive choice for societies, corporate days and visiting golfers, the latter travelling from all over the world for great hospitality and a challenging round of golf.
"It is clear that the views played a major part in the decision to site the course on the top of a hill and the club continues to benefit from that decision," he commented. "However, there is a lot more to golf than great scenery and we face considerable competition from other courses in Herefordshire and neighbouring counties. For that reason, we strive to produce greens of the very highest standard for the benefit of our members and visitors alike. Once you’ve played a round at Kington, we are confident that you will want to do so again in the very near future."
Designed in 1925 by the noted golf course architect, Major C K Hutchinson, Kington Golf Club is described by head greenkeeper, Ian Gough, as a moorland-links style course with three par-5s, 10 par-4s and five par-3 holes, all laid out on National Trust land. “The location and the lack of any great depth of top soil make the course very free-draining, producing greens that are playable all-year-round,” he pointed out. "Temporary greens are a rarity."
Ian started at the club as an assistant greenkeeper in 1978. His assistants, Gareth Evans and Alan Crichton, joined the staff in 1989 and 1995 respectively. Because of the high level of attention paid to the greens, pedestrian mowers have always been used at Kington, with Allett being specified for the first time in 2002.
"I was becoming concerned at the ever-increasing complexity of what ought to be a simple machine to set-up and operate," explained Ian. "The Allett Tournament 20 impressed with its build quality, its ease of setting and its handling, particularly when turning at the end of the green. The price was also right so we have bought a further three 20in Tournaments since 2002 and have been very pleased with their performance, reliability and quality of cut, enhanced by the fitting of grooming reels as standard."
From late May until early September, all 18 greens are cut seven days a week, reducing to three or four days a week in early spring and autumn depending on grass growth. Height of cut ranges from a consistent 3.5mm throughout the main grass growth season to 5mm over the winter months when the greens are normally cut once or twice a week. The only time that the mowers are set to cut lower is for competitions when 3mm is the minimum setting.
"We prefer not to cut too low to minimise the risk of turf stress on our free-draining soils," pointed out Ian. "To maintain optimum green speeds and turf condition, we use a combination of regular mowing and tightly controlled fertiliser inputs, applying water only when really necessary. At almost 250 cuts per metre, the Allett Tournament’s cutting unit produces a very fine finish which, in combination with its grooming reel, delivers greens with excellent speeds and a true and consistent ball roll. In a nutshell, the mower does really well all that’s asked of it and you can’t get much better than that."
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Praise for Allett C20 from School Groundsman
After taking their sportsground maintenance back in house, Ibstock Place School and their groundsman Andrew Marshall were left without a cylinder mower for their cricket table. With the cricket season fast approaching Andrew contacted Allett and other leading manufacturers for a demonstration.
"Allett were very quick to respond to my enquiry and set up a demonstration with their own staff and Matthew Wilson from Turner Groundscare."
"I was very impressed with the C20, it is an amazingly versatile machine with a wide choice of cassettes available. The cassette fitting is really easy and robust.
Once I had taken delivery I was so impressed, the C20 is the best mower I have ever used. It took the square down to playing height effortlessly with a superb quality of cut. The whole machine has been designed with the operator in mind, all the controls and settings are logically positioned and to hand when you need them. The floating handlebar system and clever use of the engine virtually eliminate vibration. Height of cut and setting are simple and easy to carry out. Due to the removable cartridge system setting can even be done on a bench in my workshop rather than crawling round on hands and knees. Even taking the grass box on and off is a matter of seconds, it just drops into place rather than the fiddly systems other manufacturers use."
"It makes good financial sense for us to get a cassette system as we only need one power unit to provide several machines including scarifiers, verticutters, sorrel rollers, powered brushes and slitters as well as a top class cylinder mower.
It is a dream to work with, clean and maintain. I would recommend the C20 to anyone. I hope to buy some of the other cassettes available in the coming months to help with end of season renovation."
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One of the most famous tennis clubs in the world, and host to the prestigious Stella Artois Championships. To quote the Club's own website: -
"The Club boasts 28 outdoor Lawn Tennis courts, of which 12 are arguably the finest grass courts in the world".
And to whom do the Queen's Club entrust the care of these world class courts? Who else but ALLETT, who have just supplied the Club with a fleet of Tournament 20" Mowers.
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