I"ve been tasked by my son to help find an outfield cutter,at the moment the local council cut it ,but they are looking to do the job themselves, they are a small club in the aberdeen area and I have advised him that a 30-36" cut will suffice, something like a mastif or matador, anybody point me in the direction of any used machinery firms in the aberdeen area
a 30-36" mower will do the job so long as your son has many hours to spend cutting the outfield. Cutting an outfield with one of those will take 3->4 hours.
Personally I'd look for a cheap triple of some description.
Of course there's no bounce, bend your back and put some bloody effort in.
thanks jl but I look after a more substantial ground in yorkshire that is much bigger than my sons and I have a mastif and I find that fine, granted given the funds I would like a triple, but I am sure a cheap mastif or matador will do them fine
I have used a mastiff, Jacobsen 1900d, JD 3520 and gangs to cut cricket outfields, by far the worst and most time consuming option was the Mastiff, why don't you get on the net and search for dealers in Aberdeen
Campeys have one:
Campeys Used Mastiff etc.
GOGGA
Why oh why do people insist on time consuming ped machines ..??..unless you are the dedicated groundsman to a pro sports ground, ie football or cricket stadium, when a perfectly good triple can be bought for less than £3k...
Ticky supports British farmers...!!
Because they are generally less complicated than a triplex machine for the 'average' club groundsman to manage.
In round figures, a triplex has 3 times as many reels & bedknives to sharpen, 3 times as many reel and roller bearings to grease, 3 heights of cut to match etc and the traction unit can be more expensive to service/repair.
You could say 3 times more expensive to operate...
Yers, it's maybe easier for the more mechanically inclined user than many clubbies but I find most volunteers have enough to do without the above to think about/budget for as well
Also, for 'less than 3k' many triples on the market are far from "perfectly good". Quite the opposite in many cases, in my experience.
GOGGA
Using a 30 inch would take you over 7 hours to cut a reasonable sized outfield, I know Ive had to do it! Dont even consider it. A triple has to be the way or if you have a tractor, a set of gangers but i would go for a triple all the time.
Depends on your budget though but whatever you get you have to budget for getting it serviced every year and cost of fuel. Using a diesel triple for example will cost you around fiver a week in season.
Sumo points out volunteers have enough to do etc, quite right, and they dont have have 7 hours to cut an outfield for sure.
I am not mechanically minded at all but no problem in doing the basic maintenance to my triple, just do it regularly thats all.
What do I do? I just cut the grass.
23 Apr 2010 by A J Last edited 23 Apr 2010
Its not just the fuel, Although triples do a great job and reduce cutting time.
Like sumo hits on, setting cutters, greasing, takes me about a hour. Then back lapping once a month depending on usege.
Then you`ve got the £1.000+ to full service each year?
Though this would be the norm for most grounds, you have to have a healthy buget and the time to maintain properly.
Im sure dave will have in mind, Small ground - small buget.
Have you tried some of the local machine dealers as they tend to have trade ins or recon`s avalable.
Grow in grace...........
23 Apr 2010 by Charles Johnson
I recently spent £2k+ on a refurbished 3-set of gang mowers, they are ideal for cutting the outfield in under 2 hours which is required 3 or 4 times a week at the moment. It does require you to have a tractor though.
We gave up using a motor triple a few years ago, to maintain it in good order was very expensive as Sumo says and it was relatively slow. Plus, a tractor with gangs means you can use the tractor for other things.
Unfortunately my predecessor then chose to have a mounted hydraulic triple reel mower, it was heavy slow difficult to set up and drank diesel to power it. So we went to gangs.
More recently I have been experimenting with a large cylinder mower with a trailed seat (an Atco Groundsman on its last legs). In the second half of the season when the ground is firm and the grass growth has calmed down it is excellent for the final cut on match days and does the square too. The presentation is superb, because it collects and rolls. It can take 2-3 hours.
The problem it seems is that there is no such thing as a good cheap second hand one - the choice is between Mastiff, Premier, Allett or older machines. They are either good and £5k+, or old and under £1k but with problems like obsolete Tecumseh, Villiers or JAP engines. They will usually have a worn out cylinder, which in turn means all the parts which move are probably worn out too. I am still looking for an affordable 30"+ machine and the key decision will be to choose one with a really good commercial-standard engine.
23 Apr 2010 by mario
David - I sold my Mastiff to one of the private schools in Aberdeen to cut their square - not sure if they are still using it.
If I get a minute today, I'll take a run up and have a word with their Head Groundsman.
As it was for their square it didn't have a trailed seat which may be an issue for cutting an outfield.
I know no boundaries.
23 Apr 2010 by Zippy
The points Sumomosr makes about Triple Mower maintenance are a valid one.
Which mower you pick boils down to the following:
1) Budget (Initial & Ongoing Maintenance)
2) Usuage of the Field
3) Size of the area to be cut
4) Time willing to be spent cutting the outfield
In our case:-
1) is limited - small village club.
2) Football is played on the outfield during the winter and we need something that can address levels in October and from mid-feb onwards through cutting and rolling.
3) We have about a hectare to cut weekly which takes 2.5-3 hours using an Allett 42" Regal.
The added bonus of a large cylinder mower becomes more obvious when you use it as part of your PSR on a cricket square at the end of February onwards and use it 2-3 times a week to maintain the square.
Furthermore, I recently managed to pick up a second hand 1995 36" Allett Regal on Ebay in good working order for £200 (just needed some basic maintenance and a good paint job) and it will make an excellent spare machine, so they can be sourced cheaply.
Finally avoid 30" machines or the Atco 34" Groundsman as parts are becoming difficult to source.
Look for an Allett Regal, Dennis Premier or Ransomes Mastiff if you are intent on a cylinder mower.
thanks to you all who have taken time to reply and offer help, and I know there isn"t much argument against a ped" or a triple , but in over 50 years I have never had the luxury of riding around on a triple, I have been tending wickets ,and putting squares to bed for almost fifty years and only ever had the luxury of a
"ped" for the outfield (yes an old fashioned b****r I know) and to be honest at my age I wish someone would buy me a triple, but at the moment my club is in an ECB premier league in yorks and it takes me just over two hours to cut the outfield with a mastif, and after its finished it is a picture , so when I saw the ground my son plays on which is only half the size of ours I know that what with very limited funds they have, that a half decent "ped" will do,once again thanks for all the feedback
23 Apr 2010 by Minormorris64 Last edited 23 Apr 2010
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, so I know my preferred methodWhat goes around, comes around
Yes there a three times as many cylinders etc on triple, but they each do 1/3 as much work. Therefore the triple blades and bearings should last three times longer.
I come from a small club with limited funds. This is what we did;
Saxon MkII off ebay - £535 (you don't often see them in good condition for that price - I was v lucky - £1K is more normal). Cuts our ca. 1 hectare outfield in about 1 hour - proportionately longer if going for the super finish in 2nd gear. I get about 4 cuts per gallon of petrol. 7 blade cylinders give very good quality of cut down to 15mm or less. HOC adjustment <10 mins for all three units. Maintenance - simple if you're mechanically minded - belt drive throughout, all cylinder adjusters easily accessed, side cutters take 2 minutes to remove from machine (rear cutter more like 5 to 10 minutes). Downsides - can't box off, had to make my own roller scrapers for use in winter (wormcasts), takes about 6 times more space in shed to store than a pedestrian machine.
The ciderman rolls
I spend over 6 hours a week on my triple - there's no way in the world I'd have enough time to cut the outfields with a 36" or even 42". I have 2 outfields and both need cutting twice a week at the moment.
Of course there's no bounce, bend your back and put some bloody effort in.
Ive got about a hectare I think, takes 6 hours with a 36inch and as you say Jon, Im cutting 3 times a week presently.Id be knackered without my triple or the equivalent.
Servicing is expensive but what isnt? Whatever youve got, it has to be sharpened at the very least.
I check the oil and grease nipples, clean it and adjust blade settings after a couple of cuts, doesnt take long
What do I do? I just cut the grass.
23 Apr 2010 by mario
When I started here the outfield was cut with a 42" Allett which took 7 hours, and with cutting twice a week during the height of the season, I couldn't afford to spend the best part of two days cutting grass.
The committee agreed and we bought a Jacobsen T-Plex 185D which takes two and a half hours to cut all the outfield, which includes boxing off, and just over an hour to cut within the boundary rope.
Big difference!
I know no boundaries.
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