issue over a long working day. Whilst you can always wear gloves, comfortable, secure handles are a big plus, and the John Deere and Hayter Harrier were particularly good in this respect.” Generous capacity grass bags were also appreciated on the collector mowers, but some had a small discharge chute and used fiddly designs to ensure the flow of wet grass. When removing the bag to cut and drop, a metal connector flap drops down and this can lead to clogging. “The two side discharge machines (John Deere and AS Motor) did a good job, but you need to remember to mow in the right direction to put the clippings where you want, rather than where you don’t!” comments Will. Even the humble mower is assessed on its looks these days and, whilst the groundsman’s eye is always caught by a robust, workmanlike machine, the test did show that you can’t always judge a book by its cover.


Bright green and white


livery, plus different controls on each of the four models


submitted by Etesia were described as initially off- putting by the team, but clever features, such as single point height of cut adjustment, light handling and quiet operation soon won them over. And there was another surprise in the shape of the two big orange machines. “The AS Motor mowers


looked old fashioned and cumbersome,” comments Karen. “But, we were really impressed by their


performance and how user- friendly they are. They are obviously designed with the professional in mind.” She adds: “You really do have to get your hands on the mowers - the John Deere JX90CB, whilst being a really well designed mower, was initially dismissed by some of the operators as large and cumbersome. But, when you get hold of the handlebars and swing it round, it is a really well balanced and manoeuvrable mower.”


Final scores


The AS Mower 530 topped our points table, with John Deere’s C52 KS heavy duty rotary a close second. Of the


‘traditional’ rotary mowers, Hayter’s 21” model came out top, with Etesia’s ME53B and the Toro Proline also scoring well. Price is obviously a contributing factor when making any purchasing decision and, for pure value for money, the Active S/P performed more than adequately and is well worth considering. The four rear roller models tested all scored similar marks, with the Hayter Harrier 56 pipping the two Hondas and the Kaaz model. Comparison tests like these can never fully do justice to any machine and, coupled with the range of models supplied, the points system is not wholly accurate. However, we hope that this article has given you an insight into what is currently available. We would always


recommend that you have a site and operator specific demonstration before making any purchase. Finally, we are grateful to Mark Freeman and his team at Loughborough University for their considerable time and effort.


The new Trimax PegasusS3 makes short work of the biggest mowing jobs.


4.93 and 6.10 metre cutting widths give you the ability to mow large areas quickly and efficiently and with Trimax‘s exclusive Lazerbladez™ system you get a top quality finish no matter what the conditions.


Roller bearings: New Trimax Tri-Bolt™


Sealmaster®


bearing inserts for ultra high bearing life.


 www.trimaxmowers.com


tmpc0410 93


bearing housings with SKWEZLOC®


Hinged wash vents for easy cleaning of transmission chambers.


Cut height indicators for easy and accurate setting of cut height.


Multi-voltage LED road lighting.


High quality Bulldog® stand.


Jack


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