Ransomes SPIDER
OF all the mowers, the Ransomes Spider certainly lives up to its name. Its unique compact concept with 360-d
degree
turning capacity and an array of gadgetry made it a sure-f
fire winner when it came
to our guests ‘having a go’, especially those from the ‘Playstation Generation’, who quickly got to grips with the control pack that was strapped to their waist. Launched at Saltex in 2004 and
already the winner of five international awards for design and innovation, the Spider was designed with operator safety in mind. Its ability to mow slopes with up to a 40% incline means that the risk of operators slipping down banks whilst strimming can be a thing of the past. It’s built in the Czech Republic and
distributed by Ransomes Jacobsen in the UK and Europe. Being four wheel drive and powered by a neat 17hp Kawasaki engine allows it to track along and work on most terrains, even in wetland areas. Our demonstrator, Joe Turner told the groups that he’d mown waist-h
height
vegetation with a Spider and drove the machine onto a ramp so they could see the substantial blade underneath. Its cutting width is 800mm, with height adjustments ranging from 80mm- 130mm. He was also quick to point out that the
RANSOMES
Spider isn’t a robotic mower, it’s a remote controlled mower and human input is necessary at all times. Successful mowing with a Spider requires training and experience of working with it on steep terrain. The ergonomic remote control
transmitter is strapped to the operator’s
waist. It enables them to: • Start and stop the engine
• Preset the travelling speed (turtle rabbit)
• Engage or disengage the mowing device
• Adjust the height of cut
• Change the travelling speed and direction
• Steering the machine through 360 degrees
The spider will shut down if it travels
past its operating range of 50m, if it encounters a similar radio frequency in the area, or if the signal is interrupted. Apart from removing the risk of ‘trip
and slip’, using a Spider means there’s no exposure to vibration, reduced noise levels, reduced PPE protection required and no physical contact required with the machine during use. And the groups were impressed by how easy it was to load the Spider onto its trailer, reducing the need for manual handling. It retails at £15,000 with the complete
trailer, including loading bars and legs, costing a further £850. As a specialist piece of machinery the Spider has proved a popular purchase for hire companies. Our guests from Rugby and Warwick
Councils were so impressed, they asked the local Ransomes distributor if he could show it to another group of staff on some rough banks nearby. After a successful demonstration, they’re now considering the possibility of renting or buying one between them.
SPIDER
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