SPECIALIST MOWERS
Framlingham College achieve both flexibility and finish with their new TDR-X
ess than a month since its delivery , the
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Head Groundsman at Framlingham College claims the Progressive TDR-X contour mower has exceeded the expectations of him and his team . Jason Wright explains how the TDR-X is ticking the boxes of build quality , manoeuvrability and high standard of finish since taking charge of the cut and presentation of close to 80 acres of college grounds .
The Progressive TDR-X , exclusively available from Vanmac UK , features three independently floating decks which promise to closely follow undulations , delivering a total cutting width of 3.2m and easily adjustable cutting height range of between 10mm and 85mm . Along with other machines in the Progressive range , the TDR-X features Pro Lift-N-Turn™ technology , which enables the operator to temporarily lift the decks with the PTO still engaged , increasing overall productivity .
Once part of the castle estate , Framlingham College now comprises of two sites – the main college catering for students aged 13-18 and the Prep School , four miles down the road at Brandeston Hall , taking pupils from the age of three . Sport plays a big part in the student experience at both sites , with Jason and his team of three full-time grounds staff maintaining athletics , cricket and hockey surfaces in the summer , then switching to rugby during the winter months . After encountering some age-related faults with their previous mower , the time came for Jason to explore the alternatives . “ We wanted something that would be quicker , easier and cheaper to maintain while still giving us a quality finish ” he explains . “ We demonstrated various makes and models but agreed that the Progressive was the most manoeuvrable and would be the most versatile to use on both our sports and wildlife areas . It also suited us weight-wise to work alongside our existing tractor and fleet of equipment .”
“ Tomlinson Groundcare Ltd delivered our TDR-X at the end of June and after some very good training , we put it to work straight away . We ’ ve found already that setup and changing the height of cut takes less than five minutes to do , where previously this would have taken half an hour . We ’ ve also used it in the wet with impressive results which wouldn ’ t have been feasible before .” Jason adds , “ In addition , it gives us the ability to lift the height to maintain our rough areas which has been another plus – the versatility we have with this as an all-around machine versus our previous fine turf mower .”
“ People have been commenting on how well presented the site is , which is a big compliment for the Progressive , given the rise in quality we ’ ve achieved since switching from a cylinder to a rotary cut !” www . vanmac . co . uk
GroundskeepingJournal . co . uk | January / February 2024 49