Dennis Perform at Knebworth

Dennis Perform at Knebworth

By Sue Meeken

Knebworth House in Hertfordshire is renowned as much for its diversity as for its grandeur. Built in the 1400s as a redbrick manor house, it was transformed into a mock gothic construction in 1843. Used for film locations and massive open-air rock concerts, amongst other attractions, it has just bought a similarly versatile grounds care machine from Dennis to care for its three acres of fine-lawned areas, within the twenty-five acres of gardens.

Knebworth's Head Gardener David Roberts along with Stephen Dyche, the Assistant Head Gardener, specified a G760 mower, a heavy-duty model derived from the multi-tasking FT range that accepts cassette attachments for different turf care applications.

"The G760 is perfect for our large turf areas," says David, "which are cut once a week in the growing season. We find the machine is well balanced and easy to manoeuvre. It is solidly constructed and the six-bladed mowing reel gives a precise cut."

"We also have a brush cassette for our G760. We brush fine turf approximately once a month to lightly scarify the grass and remove thatch and other debris. This also removes any gravel that gets kicked into the grass from adjacent paths."

The 76cm (30in) wide G760 exerts minimal pressure on the turf. A cast three-section, aluminium ribbed roller gives positive traction, while a steel geared differential in an oil bath allows manoeuvrability without scuffing.

Controls are designed for easy operation. Only the forward drive handle needs to be held in by the user, and this is an important factor in reducing fatigue when cutting for long periods.

"The G760 does exactly what we want and it has proved a thoroughly worthwhile investment," says David Roberts.

Other typical users of the machine include sports clubs, stadiums, local authorities and contractors.