Greenlay scores a century
By Steve Mitchell
John Deere commercial & consumer equipment dealer Greenlay Ltd of Choppington in Northumberland has sold over 100 mowers worth approaching £250,000 in two fleet deals with local councils in the north-east of England.
Gateshead and Sunderland City Councils have invested in the new machines as part of their ongoing replacement policies, with higher specifications and lower vibration levels being key requirements.
Gateshead Council has bought 60 C43 commercial walk-behind mowers to replace other makes, plus six 220B walk-behind greens mowers, five 3320 30hp compact tractors (two equipped with front loaders), and four 1545 31hp front rotary mowers. The council currently has around 65 John Deere ride-on mowers in its fleet, in addition to several Gator utility vehicles.
The 5.5hp C43 rear discharge mowers feature an aluminium deck with a 43cm (17in) cutting width, and can collect or drop the grass as required.
"We couldn't collect with our previous walk-behind mowers, se we had a CV43 on demonstration and liked it a lot," says workshop foreman Fred Thomson. "There's more demand for collecting the grass in some of the city's more prestige areas, to leave a cleaner finish. We also get a better finish from the 220B greens mowers, which are used the cut the parks' bowling greens."
Workshop manager Frank Carr adds, "We've never had a problem with John Deere or Greenlay, their back-up and parts system has always been there for us. We've been more than happy with the service and support we've had from the dealer and the company over the years we've been buying their equipment."
The photograph supplied shows Gateshead Council's workshop foreman Fred Thomson and groundcare manager Graham Scott, centre, with Greenlay dealer salesman Jim Blakey (left) and John Deere territory manager Richard Charleton.
Sunderland City Council has bought 12 R43VO rear collect walk-behind mowers and 12 C52VK commercial rear discharge walk-behind mowers, following 10 of each bought in 2005. The council has also acquired three new X748 24hp 4WD diesel lawn tractors and a John Deere 900 27hp ride-on triple cylinder mower, with additional compact tractor models to come.
The variable speed R43VO mower features a 5.5hp engine and a 43cm (17in) aluminium cutting deck, while the new C52VK commercial walk-behind has been upgraded to meet all 2006 noise and vibration regulations.
This 52cm (21in) mower boasts a new 6.5hp OHV engine, in addition to John Deere's variable speed transmission and TurboStar collection system. All-round durability for commercial applications is enhanced by the steel-reinforced aluminium deck, steel wheels, hardened TurboJet blade and reinforced 75 litre grass bag.
"We are gradually replacing our older generation walk-behinds to meet the latest vibration regulations, as some of the previous makes could only be used for about three hours a day," says Sunderland City Council transport manager Len Harfield.
"John Deere's models came out best on trial, and meet our everyday requirements for use across the city. We now have around 70 rotary walk-behinds in the fleet, which we use in cemeteries and other small areas where the bigger mowers just can't go, especially round trees and shrubs.
"The main thing I like about John Deere machines is that they're reliable - apart from the odd blade and cable you hardly ever see them in the workshop. The dealer service is reliable too, and Greenlay also provides full training for our operators and workshop staff on all new machines on delivery, to ensure we get the best from the equipment."
The photograph supplied shows Sunderland City Council's transport manager Len Harfield, centre, with Greenlay dealer salesman Jim Blakey (left) and John Deere territory manager Richard Charleton.
E-mail: steve@asmpr.co.uk Website: www.johndeere.co.uk
