SPECIALIST MOWERS
INFINICUT ® helps to preserve past and secure future for Crathes Castle
ith one eye on preserving the past and the
W other on ensuring the site remains fit for the future , Crathes Castle – part of the National Trust for Scotland collection – have invested in a battery-powered cylinder mower from INFINICUT ®. Utilising funding from the National Trust , the venue took delivery of a 22 ” INFINICUT ® FX last September for the sustainable management of gardens and lawned areas – in a way that brings benefit to the venue and visitors alike .
For the last five years , James Hannaford has been the Head Gardener at Crathes Castle – a 16th century castle nestled amongst over 520 acres of ornamental gardens , lawns and woodland near Banchory in Aberdeenshire . “ Like a lot of places , we ’ re reviewing our practices to reflect the changing times and switching to more electric machinery to be cleaner and kinder to the environment ” explains James . “ We looked at the options available and first of all were amazed at how
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The finish is excellent and noise has been almost completely eliminated , which is better for our environment and the thousands of visitors we get through the gardens every year . Visitor enjoyment is critical to the success of our venues . far the technology has come in the few years since we first looked at electric mowers . What stood out for us with the INFINICUT ® was the ease of use , the versatility and the quality of cut .”
James and the team purchased the FX22 with two SMARTCut™ cassettes – the 7-blade cylinder for lawned areas and 11-blade option for a finer cut on the sites croquet lawn . “ The finish is excellent and noise has been almost completely eliminated , which is better for our environment and the thousands of visitors we get through the gardens every year . Visitor enjoyment is critical to the success of our venues .”
“ We can also control the mower via Bluetooth and an app on your phone , so settings can be changed and saved for things like the traction and brake speed .” He adds , “ You can also store different set-ups for different weather conditions , for example wet and dry configurations .”
James says that the utilisation of the INFINICUT ® has peaked public interest in the more sustainable solutions to turf management . “ People are genuinely interested in it when we ’ re out using it , and discussing it only makes them more environmentally aware . With this investment we are improving quality of presentation and visitor experience , while reducing our petrol costs and environmental impact . It ’ s a win win situation !”
For more information , visit www . infinicut . com
54 GroundskeepingJournal . co . uk | May / June 2023