£186,000 Sandwell order for Hayter

As part of a major programme to rationalise their mower fleet, Sandwell Metropolitan Borough Council has taken delivery of 35 Hayter Condor Mid-Size pedestrian mowers from Oakleys Groundcare.

Sandwell's area was formerly managed as six Black Country towns. This had resulted in a very mixed fleet and in April 2008 the decision was taken to standardise across the fleet.

Sandwell's grass management requirements are large and varied, including schools, housing estates and highway verges as well as major parks and open spaces. The operation is large, involving over 150 directly employed and agency personnel.

The purchasing decisions were important and all potential candidates were evaluated against a number of criteria. In addition to efficiency and overall costs, the selection of Hayter Condors was influenced by the ease of manual handling, noise and, importantly because many operators mow for six or seven hours in a shift, hand arm vibrations (HAVs).

Ground Maintenance Manager Martin Brayford said, "The Council has been using Hayter equipment for over 20 years, everything including batwing and ride-on cylinder mowers. We value their reliability and the relationship we have with Oakleys Groundcare.

The support provided by both organisations, particularly the training is first class."

For details of the CondorMid-size, together with information on the full Hayter range, log onto www.hayter.co.uk or call 0800 781 7155.