MARKET REPORT GROUNDSCARE


Timberwolf's TW 230 diesel- powered chipper weighs less than 750kg and is easily towable.


Great grounds for growth


A positive outcome of lockdown was the surge in groundscare hire, as mothballed venues used the time to spruce up their estates and homeowners tackled their gardens. Dan Jenkins talks to suppliers who are feeling pretty chipper. 13 Stage V compliant woodchippers.


Groundscare equipment providers have undoubtedly benefited from the boom in business experienced by hirers during lockdown and beyond. Landscapers and facilities management companies have had a busy summer, but none more so than arborists.


Woodchipper specialist Timberwolf reports that the biggest increase in sales over the past few months has been for its TW 230 range, which it says includes the only diesel-powered towable unit in its class light enough to be towed by anyone with a standard UK driving licence.


Antony Alexander, Product Marketing Manager for Timberwolf, said: “As a sub-750kg machine it falls under the standard Class B licence, which is really important when you consider the demographic of arborists. Most of them are under 40 years old so do not have ‘grandfather’ rights to tow above 750kg. That is a cost saving from a business perspective as they do not have to have that additional licence.


“Overall, demand has been very high. We have a very strong order book, and hire is an important and growing segment for us. We are expecting to see a strengthening hire market.”


Stage V


You may not know it, but you might owe a debt of gratitude to Chris Perry, Managing Director of Timberwolf. He was part of the delegation from the Make UK trade body (formerly the EEF) which lobbied for Stage V emissions legislation to be postponed. “We were heavily involved in that and petitioned the European government to extend the deadline,” said Alexander.


However, Timberwolf has found a straightforward way of meeting these emissions requirements without having to increase cost and complexity in its products. “We have chosen a different route to some manufacturers,” explained Alexander.


“Torque is our friend on a woodchipper, decreasing the engine speed on our diesel-powered machines to meet Stage V, actually increases torque. During development, we invited tree surgeons to try the product, without telling them what was different about it. They actually thought we’d fitted a more powerful engine!”


It launched six new products in August to complete its range of 15


“We investigated using full Stage V, DPF-equipped engines and it quickly became apparent that this technology was not suited to our application. These engines require clean and high-grade fuel as well as a long duty cycle in order to operate correctly, often in excess of 45 minutes. It needs to get up to temperature to burn off the particulates in the exhaust. With a woodchipper, the duty cycle is typically around 10 minutes, which is exactly the sort of short operation you don’t want for a DPF. It can lead to blockages and other issues which can lead to significant servicing and maintenance costs.


“As a hirer I would want a product that is simple, reliable, easy to use and easy to train people to use, as well as not feeling worried about whether the DPF needs changing.”


Post haste


Laurie Anthony, Director at SPA Power Machinery, has seen demand grow for its Easy Petrol Post Driver, imported from Australia.


“This was first picked up by Brandon Hire but we are definitely seeing a trend of more independent hirers picking up our product,” she said. “There are lots of different applications for it and a high yield available. You can easily make back what you pay for it in a season.”


With an average selling price of £1,650, Laurie says the post driver can deliver a profit within seven or eight hires, making it an attractive proposition.


Its Westermann push-around weed removers and sweepers are also benefiting from the renewed focus on groundscare. “Some people are uncomfortable with the use of glyphosate weedkiller, and pressure washing can damage block paving,” said Anthony. “The Westermann machines do the same job but in a different manner.”


The Westermann Moss Brush can clear one square metre per minute. “That is very quick and contractors can use that as a gauge to compare against other methods,” she said.


Priced from £1,550 to £2,000, the Honda-powered Westermanns also deliver a rapid return on investment.


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