Time to mow and mow but don't drop
It is that time of year when the grass is growing faster than you can get round with the mower, the heady mix of sunshine, high air temperatures and regular rainfall make for ideal grass growing conditions so its mow, mow, mow for the time being. But, to be fair, we are our own worst enemy when it comes to mowing habits.
With an eye on cost, speed and convenience, most areas of grass are cut and dropped rather than being cut and collected; with the logistics of collecting and composting being seen as too expensive and too complicated to contemplate. However, when we look at the grass growth cycle, we know that mulch mowing returns green matter to the soil as organic matter and is then, as such, feeding the sward which, in turn, promotes faster re-growth - a vicious downward spiral which leads to the creation of more work for ourselves as well as possibly a lost income stream from compost revenue and also a loss in ‘free’ usable organic matter for planned mulching and top dressing where necessary.
The unique SmartCut horizontal flail cutting rotor on the Amazone Groundcare range of mower collectors means that, whether self-propelled or tractor mounted, there is no noticeable loss in output whether we are cutting and dropping or cutting and collecting. The wide choice of flails, which can be exchanged in minutes and without any tools, makes sure that we can equip the kit to do exactly the job that we need: rough cutting, high-lift collection, scarifying or fine turf work, the choice is yours and all of these operations result in an immaculate, clean finish afterwards. Got a hopper full? Then this can be either ground discharged but, more commonly, would be hi-tipped into a trailer, pick-up truck for removal from site or, on the Profihopper self-propelled, dropped into a ‘big bag’ hung on the back of the hopper for later collection by lorry and crane or loader.
Where material is left uncollected, this also adds to a layer of thatch building up in the bottom of the sward that prevents air flow resulting in higher disease levels, poorer root development and water infiltration issues and thus the need for more remedial expense in subsequent months. By investing into the Amazone ‘cut and collect’ system, we have less moss issues to deal with, the grass is easier to cut as it is fuller, less-fluffy, and a better rooted sward with less bare patches caused by poor drainage. And the benefit to end-users of that green space is that they are left with a clean environment meaning that no cuttings are carried off on to paths, pavements and then into the car or house, a much nicer experience for the recipient and less cleaning up furher down the line. And, in the public sector, clean, tidy green spaces are better respected and kept tidier with regard to litter, etc.; a noticeable improvement on where we might be at the moment.
And this is the same with any organic matter so leaf mould, spring flowering bulb tops, hedge cuttings, etc. can all contribute to the frequency of mowing during the following season so tidying it all away makes sense economically, cosmetically and environmentally.
So what are the options for ‘cut and collect’? The Groundkeeper SmartCut range of tractor-towed mower co-lectors starts with the 3-point linkage mounted GH1350 with a 1.35m cutting width and a matching collection hopper size of 1350 litres right through to the trailed Groundkeeper SmartCut Drive with its 2.1m width and 3,500 litre hopper. The 24.5 hp, self-propelled Profihopper SmartCut comes in lever-steer, 2-wheel drive or 4-wheel drive models and the out-front cutting deck with its PowerCompactor auger system packs in over 1,000 litres of cut material into its 730 litre box. The machine turns on nothing, tips over the side of a 2.1m high trailer and copes with anything from waist high grass to a fine lawn striped finish in the blink of an eye. Why it is called SmartCut? Well SmartCut stands for the chevron mounted blade formation that ensures that there are always knives against the shear bar for equal loading and so less noise as well as a smoother, cleaner pickup to boot - both wet and dry.
However, don’t just take our word for it, book your demonstration now and see for yourself how Amazone can revolutionise your ground care business or read some more about the finer details of the options available.