One of the objectives of Pitchcare is to keep our members up to date with new products by involving practising Groundsmen and Greenkeepers in appraisals of these new products
LAURENCE GALE reports
Recently, I attended a press day with E.P. Barrus Ltd at the company’s headquarters in Bicester, Oxfordshire. The occasion was the launch of their new Cub Cadet Big Country 4x4 utility vehicle. I was in the company of a number of journalists from other trade magazine putting the vehicle through its paces.
These press days are all well and good, but they simply cannot put the machine in a full on working environment. Time just does not allow. So, working closely with Angie Jamieson, Publicity & Marketing Executive at Barrus, we agreed a format for trialing the Cub Cadet with a number of Pitchcare members.
Barrus dealers delivered the vehicle to six separate venues leaving the vehicle on site for a few days to enable the staff to put it through its paces in their own environment and, importantly, without the attendant pressure of sales reps.
The six sites chosen were:
Harper Adams University (Newport, Shropshire), Groundsman Tom Joslyn
Rugby School (Rugby, Warwickshire), Groundsman Ronald Werkman
St Albans School (Harpenden, Hertfordshire), Head Groundsman Ian Smith
Astbury Hall Golf Club (Bridgnorth, Shropshire), Course Manager Jim Cassidy
Wolverhampton Wanderers FC, Assistant Groundsman, Ken Bates
Ashridge Golf Club ( Berkhamsted, Hertfordshire), Course Manager Sean Jarvis
The vehicle on test was the Cub Cadet Caterpillar diesel powered 3 cylinders 20 hp 4X4 utility vehicle with full ROPS safety, capable of speeds up to 25mph and with a loading bed capacity of 400Kg and a towing capacity of 500Kg.
Each independent tester was asked to answer fifteen questions about the vehicle’s performance and give a score between one to five, with five being the best.
The benefit of conducting this sort of trial allows the end user the opportunity to try out new products and provide valuable feedback to the company.
The results are as follows:. 98
1. What first impression do you have of the Cub Cadet UTV?
Tom Joslyn: First Impressions of the Cub Cadet was that it was a large, well built and heavy duty vehicle. It was also considered to be quite wide and relatively short. Rating: 4
Ronald Werkman: A smart looking vehicle, solidly built and looks as if it is capable enough to perform the work that it is intended for. (4)
Ian Smith: When it arrived all the staff thought it looked the part. Ours was in the camouflage body colour; good if you are using it for conservation work and you don’t want to stick out like a sore thumb. (4)
Jim Cassidy: It would not look out of place on the streets of Baghdad with the camouflage bodywork and its rugged looks. (5)
Ken Bates: Smart and robust looking vehicle. (4)
Sean Jarvis: On arrival I thought, ‘it’s quite big, probably too big and over engineered for our application’. It was solid in construction, wasn’t impressed though by the camouflage bodywork, which was also a thin plastic/fibreglass which I thought would be damged easily. Machine was
delivered with tyres too aggressive for a golf course application! (3)
2) Starting procedure and ease of starting operation?
TJ: Straight forward with alarms to prompt you should you forget something. Rating: 5
RW: Very easy to start, no complicated procedure. (5)
IS: The pre-start checks were okay, the dip stick is not that obvious - maybe a sticker to point you in the right direction. (5)
JC: Starting was easy, engage neutral, a good safety feature, and away you go. If you engage gear and the hand brake is on there is a rather annoying beeping to warn you. (4)
KB: Does not start very well on cold mornings. (2)
SJ: Very easy, it was a case of just put it in neutral, and turn the key. Started first time every time. (5)
3) Fuel -e ease of filling and how much fuel used? Is it economical to run?
TJ: Very economical to run over the period of the trial and refuelling was easy and similar to a standard car. Rating: 5
RW: Refilling is easy and the vehicle is economical to run. (5)
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