Mike Lawrie is Grounds maintenance Manager for Manchester City's south area parklands with responsibility for looking after four million square metres. That's a lot of area to be mown and cared for and it takes the work of sixteen operators to keep everything in shape.


Wessex RMX-500

The Council invested in two new Wessex RMX-500 roller mowers to replace what Mike describes as an old, cumbersome and heavy cylinder machine. With 80 football pitches to maintain to a high standard he was looking for a better finish in a reduced timescale to do the cuting, and so arranged a demonstration for all areas under Manchester City Council.

Mike was taken with the Wessex above all, especially when it was returned to him for a week after the initial demonstration. The first thing he noticed was how much lighter it was compared to the previous machine with its heavy axles on the agricultural derived trailer axle. The lighter weight made it easier to transport and whereas operators had been complaining about the finish achieved with the old machine, they praised the results with the new RMX-500's. They were found to be easier to transport and they liked the blade system, together with the mower's ability to cut longer, overgrown grass.

"We are achieving a much better quality finish on the football and rugby pitches," says Mike "and we have been able to use the Wessex machines throughout the year in all sorts of varying conditions, with their ability to cut longer grass in areas we hadn't reached quite as soon as we would have liked. The two mowers have also got through the work a lot faster so they have helped us be even more productive."