With the ongoing shortages of lawnmowers and parts unlikely to ease shortly, an enterprising dealer in mid-Wales, operating both garden machinery sales and hire business, is planning to trial an innovative approach which he hopes may see the return of Suffolk, one of the UK’s most popular mower names.

First manufactured in 1954, the Suffolk range of cylinder mowers, particularly the Punch, Colt and Pony were an essential part of the product line-up offered by garden machinery dealers in the 1950s and 1960s.

The mowers were made by Suffolk Iron Foundries of Stowmarket, later part of the Atco-Qulacast group, and the Suffolk Punch was its first motorised model after early push mowers

However, the dealer (who has asked not to be identified until he has finalised his plans) got his idea when he recently heard the CEO of BIGGA Jim Croxton, in a recent podcast,talk about preparations for the Festival of Turf in July. Mr Croxton revealed that the extensive outside display area at the Warwickshire Event Centre had been kept in trim by sheep during the past few months.

“That was my light-bulb moment,” he said.

“My brother-in-law breeds a flock of Suffolk sheep and he has said that he is prepared to loan me three of them to add to my hire fleet," he told Service Dealer.

“The demand for hire machines is crazy at the moment and here in this part of Wales, folk are well used to owning and looking after sheep, and certainly if used in a paddock or similar, they would do as good a job as a robotic lawnmower.”

At the moment, he is trying to cost out a realistic hire rate “which would have to balance the cost of feed, healthcare and specialist transport against the cost of fuel, repair and service after each hire, depreciation etc.” 

He added that the livery of Suffolk sheep with its strong, low slung frame, black face and black legs ideally complements the look and characteristics of the original Suffolk mower range.

The month long Suffolk trial is to start on 1 April.