Eighth AFT machine for Souters Sports

Stirling based Souters Sports Ltd. took delivery of their fourth AFT WizzWheel 75 (and their eighth AFT trencher) in July and the machine was put straight to work on a project at Burscough Playing Fields, on behalf of Lancashire County Council and PSD Consultants.

Souters have become AFT's biggest customer in the UK for their trenchers, with the company owning and operating one Wizz Wheel 55 machine plus three AFT100 chain trenchers from three bases in Stirling, Scotland; Knutsford, Cheshire and Sunderland, three sites being operated to utilise local labour and reduce transport costs.

Robert Heath, Contracts Manager for Souters Sports Ltd. commented on the purchase of their latest machine: "It's important for us that output is high and that a machine is versatile for our needs, but still retaining ease of use as well. We use the Wizz Wheel 75 for cutting trenches on all types of sports facilities, digging laterals at 135mm width to a depth of 750mm and then slitting across these at 50mm width up to 250mm deep."

But why choose AFT machines? Souters Sports now run eight machines from the AFT range, and Robert Heath has the answer to this question: "We use the Wizz Wheel 75s for our major trenching work and combine their use with AFT100 chain trenchers for digging out mains. We are able to compete at the top level in a very competitive industry and gain maximum output.

We choose AFT machines for their versatility, cost, strength and durability, but the main reason is their ability to dig in the hardest conditions with rock and stone present." Souters have also found AFT's back up to be second to none. "We find that the parts department at AFT is excellent. All staff know the machines inside out and parts can be ordered on-site with no parts book to hand. This keeps us going in the pressure climate of contracting" Robert adds.

The AFT Wizz Wheel 75 features a maximum digging depth of 750mm and widths of between 50 and 125mm. A quick-change blade system reduces downtime when swapping tasks on a site. A major feature is the hydraulic crumber arm which allow the trencher to attain working depth much quicker. Soil is discharged via either a 1.8 or 2.2m discharge conveyor and numerous options of teeth, attachments and accessories are available to suit a contractor's needs. Tractors from 80hp (60kW) are suitable to power the Wizz Wheel 75, ideally with a creep speed, hydrostatic or CVT gearbox.

Captions: Souters Sports Ltd. Image 1.jpg - The Wizz Wheel 75 features a unique hydraulic crumber arm to allow the machine to attain its working depth in less distance, crucial for neat sportsfield work such as at Burscough Playing Fields.

Souters Sports Ltd. Image 2.jpg - Discharge can be via one of two different height conveyors. Spoil removal at high speed is important to achieve high outputs for contractors such as Souters Sports, seen working at Burscough Playing Fields.

For more details, contact: James Lane (Sales and Marketing Manager)
AFT Trenchers Ltd. 16/17 Addison Road, Chilton Industrial Estate, Sudbury, Suffolk, CO10 2YW
+44 (1787) 311811 +44 (1787) 310888 +44 (7747) 025773
email: james@trenchers.co.uk www.trenchers.co.uk