Iain Hart pictured with Graham Hill of dealer Charles H Hill


Last year, Etesia ran a competition titled 'The Hunt is on'. The aim was to find the oldest working Hydro 100 ride-on mower from across Europe. After receiving hundreds of entries from users still using their respective machines, it came down to two entries which were determined by only two months. The winner, Iain Hart of Lincolnshire was still using his H100 which was first registered in 1990 until the day before he exchanged it for a brand new Hydro 100 Evolution, worth over £8,500.

Iain's machine, which has nearly 2,500 hours on the clock, has been in his family since new, with his father-in-law originally purchasing the mower back in 1990 from their local Etesia dealer at the time, Chandlers (Farm Equipment). The new Hydro 100 model was presented to Iain and his family at new Etesia dealer Charles H. Hill, Woodhall Spa, Lincolnshire.

"The mower has been in our family since new with my father-in-law purchasing an ex-demonstration model," said Iain. "I saw the competition details in a trade publication and had a chat with my father-in-law to see how old he thought it was. The mower was still doing a fantastic job and was easy to use, so I was surprised just how old it was at first.

The fact that the mower is still working just as good now as it did over twenty years ago is a credit to the excellent service that Iain has received from his Etesia dealer. "I've dealt with Charles Hill for a number of years and their staff are all very knowledgeable with a well stocked parts department."   

"The competition and level of the entrants really surprised us," said Les Malin, Etesia UK's General Manager. "Our network of dealers scoured the country and beyond to find the oldest working machine and when we found Iain's mower, we were pleasantly surprised in what good condition it was in”

Iain's old machine will now take pride of place in the reception area of Etesia UK's head office in Shenington, Oxfordshire.