B R I E F S
Keeping the grass tidy in Kolo
A Lastec Articulator mower is providing a
fast, efficient and economical solution
to cutting the grass at the football
stadium and other turfed areas in Kolo,
Poland, where Wood-Mizer has its
European headquarters.
The mower was given to the town by
Wood-Mizer Industries last year, in
recognition of the support provided to
the company since it was established
there in 1990. The company has
expanded rapidly, with investment in
manufacturing and assembly halls for
sawmills and sawblades, and a steady
increase in the number of dedicated and
hard-working employees.
"This growth could not have
happened without the support of Kolo's
residents and officials", said sales
director Robert Baginski. "Last year the
company celebrated its 20th
anniversary and we wanted to mark the
occasion by making a gift to the town".
Wood-Mizer presented the mower to
the Mayor of Kolo, Mieczyslaw
Drozdzewski, at a ceremony that was
held at the town's football stadium.
Previously it took six hours to cut the
grass in the stadium, using small
pedestrian mowers. Andy Taylor, sales
manager with Lastec UK, who attended
the event, said that the Articulator would
be able to do the job in around 30
minutes. This claim was greeted with
scepticism - so Andy climbed aboard the
mower and gave a demonstration.
"Everyone was surprised and
impressed by the speed of the machine
and the quality of the cutting", said
Robert Baginski. "For the last year it has
been used regularly to keep the town's
green areas, including the stadium, in
good condition".
Articulator rotary mowers are used
by championship golf courses around
the world. The machines are
manufactured by Lastec, which was
founded by Jeff Laskowski, chief
executive officer of Wood-Mizer. They
use a patented belt drive system which
is the most efficient of all drive systems using 50% less fuel and generating 50%
less CO2 than hydraulically-driven
mowers of the same size.
The model presented to Kolo is the
2261 Zero Turn, a highly manoeuvrable
machine that turns around within in its
own width. This aids productivity
because no grass is missed at the end of
each turn when the mower runs back
and forth. It has a 1.5m cutting width
and features a unique modular baffling
system that allows the deck to be a true
rear or side discharging deck that can
also be set up to mulch. The rear
discharge allows the mower more
trimming flexibility and is far safe ȁѼ)