Textron Summary

FINE TURF MOWERS FOR FOOTBALL AND RUGBY STADIA

If it is turf maintenance equipment for the use at Sports Stadia, Football and Rugby, then Textron Golf & Turf could be in a Premier League of their own…or even Champions League.

A quick look at the following table highlights the football clubs that use Textron equipment, either, exclusively or as an essential part of their maintenance regime

Ransomes have been making quality fine turf mowers for over 150 years with a reputation that has become legend. Now under the Textron banner they combine with Jacobsento provide a complimentary range of turf maintenance equipment that competitors struggle to emulate.

Presentation is all-important nowadays with live sport, especially football and rugby, attracting huge audiences on both terrestrial and satellite television. This is where the Ransomes range scores as the choice of turf professional worldwide for the immaculate finish they bring to fine turf in sports stadia.

The popular Matador is well established with groundsmen as a high-output, walk-behind mower with a 71cm (28") cutting width. Powered by a 5.3 hp, single cylinder, 4 stroke, air cooled petrol engine it features operator presence controls, a 5-knife cutting reel and a full width smooth front roller, as standard. A trailed seat on iron land rolls can be fitted as an optional extra.

For sports fields, soccer, cricket and rugby pitches, the Mastiff is the ideal heavy-duty roller mower with large capacity grass collection. It converts to a highly manoeuvrable ride-on machine with steering seat or trail seat. Power is supplied by a 7hp, 4 stroke, air cooled Honda petrol engine with a 6-knife cutting reel providing 91cm (36") of precision mowing. This is probably the most prolific fine turf mower to be found at sports stadia around the globe.

These fine turf mowers from the Ransomes range offer both durability and performance and provide sports turf with that well groomed and distinctive striped finish. Each machine is power-matched to give many seasons of reliable performance coupled with simple, straightforward controls and easy adjustment.

Historically, football and rugby clubs would use nothing but walk-behind mowers for final matchday preparation, but times are changing and so is the quality of ride-on equipment. Golf tees and greens have been cut by ride-on machines for many years and we are now seeing a trend develop where these machines are being introduced for the preparation of football pitches.

Newly promoted Livingston in the Scottish Premership Division have taken delivery of a Jacobsen T-Plex triple reel mower to maintain their relaid pitch, as have Heart of Midlothian and Hibernian. Celtic have been using Jacobsen Tri-King for the last few seasons and all benefit from a superior quality of cut, which can be achieved quicker than with a walk-behind machine.

Similarly, Everton Football Club in the FA Premiership, purchased a Jacobsen Tri-King late last season to maintain their Goodison Park stadium, their training ground at Mellwood and their academy facility at Netherton. It was bought specifically to maintain the new pitch, which was laid at Goodison during the close season. However, it was used in the run up to the climax of last season and performed excellently.

Commenting on why he chose the Tri-King, Head Groundsman, Bob Lennon said,

"It's lighter and more manoeuvrable for the Goodison Park pitch. I made my choice after an on-pitch demonstration and the only requirement was to change the machine's all weather tyres for smooth ones. My preference for the Tri-King was backed by the board s part of their future planning for the club's remaining seasons at Goodison Park".

Stadium and Arena Management April 2001

Product Feature - Modern equipment for sports turf maintenance

The Ransomes name has been associated with fine turf mowing ever since the lawnmower was invented two centuries ago. Now Textron, the owners of the Ransomes brand, continues this mowing heritage with the introduction of Motivairä, the new servo-control system for fine turf pedestrian mowers.

Always at the forefront of research and development Textron unveiled the new system on a Ransomes Super Certes walk-behind mower at BTME 2001 in January.

Motivairä is easily identified by its distinctive profiled handgrips incorporating the engagement trigger and safety collar. The handgrip design provides the best user comfort design possible, whilst complying with stringent safety legislation. A gentle squeeze of the trigger allows the vacuum operated servo-control system to engage the drive clutch. This new design delivers an exceptionally smooth take-up of power with almost effortless operation and provides the user with a comfortable working platform.

Tim Lansdell, Product Manager on Textron's development team states,

"Convenience, ease of use and operator fatigue are major factors when it comes to the ergonomics of pedestrian mower controls. Motivairä provides simple, comfortable and minimum effort control system that addresses all these factors. With the development of Motivairä we believe that we have produced the best operator control environment on the market today".

The Ransomes Super Certes, Super Bowl and Marquis mowers are now powered by a new Honda engine and are available with Motivairä as standard. With the Ransomes pedigree and the new control system they provide a superb package for the turf care professional who demands product excellence and a pristine finish.

Murrayfield, the spiritual home of Rugby in Scotland, will continue to be maintained in superb condition throughout the next decade after the signing of a preferred supplier agreement between Textron and the Scottish Rugby Union (SRU).

Scottish Grass Machinery, Textron's dealer for Scotland was the driving force behind the deal, which has resulted in a five-year agreement with SRU. Textron will be the preferred supplier for turf maintenance equipment and light utility vehicles - the contract being won despite major competition from a rival turf care provider. The agreement sees the Textron providing a range of products from its renowned stable of brands.

Bill Elwood, Facilities Manager commented,

" We appointed Textron as our supplier because they have such a wide range of products that suit our needs, not only in the area of turf care but also for our facilities management requirements with their E-Z-GO brand".

Heather Mackinnon, Head Groundsman at the Murrayfield complex added,

"As well as ensuring the very best playing surface possible in the stadium, my team are also responsible for four other pitches and the training area that make up the Murrayfield complex.

There is a long tradition of immaculate playing surfaces here at Murrayfield and it is one that I am determined to continue. The introduction of other sports into the stadium, such as American Football, Rugby League and Football will provide a real challenge, but we have the best equipment around to meet it. A perfect example is the Ransomes Mastiff: for match day preparation there is nothing to beat it. It just produces the best cut of any pedestrian mower on the market".

The table above illustrates some of the UK and European clubs, including some from Eastern Europe that are using Textron equipment. A recently secured order for turf maintenance equipment worth £165.00 came from one of the premier football clubs in the Ukraine, FC Shakthar of Donetsk. They have invested heavily in their stadium and their new training facilities located on the outskirts of the city, which includes seven new grass practice pitches.

Scott Forrest, Textron's Export Manager for North Europe commented,

" The Ransomes name is well respected in the former Soviet Union and the initial enquiry for this order resulted from a referral by another leading Ukrainian football club, Dynam Kiev. After a series if emails to establish the club's exact requirements, I flew out to Donetsk to complete the fine-tuning of the agreement and the whole deal was done from initial enquiry to delivery, in just over three months".