Productivity at its best; Snake eats up the acres
The challenge to deliver quality playing surfaces from limited man hours is one with which many groundcare professionals will identify. Only rarely do you have sufficient team members to do all that you would like, which makes the machinery at your disposal fundamental to success.
Maximum production from minimal time investment is a tribute that is awarded time after time by those who have put their faith in the Trimax Snake. Moving at speed over wide open spaces, the Snake is a machine that you will find in settings ranging from fine golf courses to parks and school playing fields like those of the LVS School at Ascot in Berkshire.
LVS Grounds Manager Dan Doherty took delivery of a Snake from Lister Wilder in the spring of 2024, and he’s been delighted by the results he and his team of two are seeing on the eight-acre field that hosts all its sport. Beyond all else, is the simple fact that they can now do a job that used to take four hours in just one hour 20 minutes.
“We have always previously had a triple cylinder mower,” says Dan. “We decided that because we are such a small team we needed to try to reduce the mowing time while maintaining the cut quality. We knew that a wide area rotary mower was always going to be more efficient than a cylinder mower, and of all those we tried the Snake produced the best cut quality and reduced the mowing time significantly.
“The reduction in mowing time is very considerable but so too is the fuel consumption and we are not just saving on the man hours we spend on it but allowing the PE department and our pupils to have greater use of the field with less disturbance. The time we don’t spend on the playing field can then be devoted to the rest of the site.”
Dan added: “The Snake’s three articulating decks are really good at contour following right to left and front to back and it also has an almost zero turn on the tractor. Which matches the capability of our old Triple Mower, the Snake turns on a sixpence.”
“It has the ability to run across a small path and we have a grass bank at one end of the field which you can cut very easily with just one wing extended. It also folds up and parks away neatly without taking up much space in the yard.
Other key features of the Snake include:
- Easy cutting height adjustment
- A stubless roller retention system for vastly improved alignment, bearing life, and replacement ease
- Three-year industry leading warranty
- Full-width front and rear rollers that follow contours and provide excellent anti-scalp protection
- Maintenance-free pivot bushes and sealed spindles that don’t require greasing
- Automatic belt tensioners that eliminate the need for adjustment
- In-cab unlock system for the mower’s wide decks
- A quick lift system to enable the mower decks to be raised without disengaging the PTO while crossing driveways, paths, and pavements.
