The Parks and Countryside Department at Sheffield City Council has upgraded to the latest version of Ransomes Jacobsen’s remote controlled slope mower, with the recent delivery of a Ransomes Spider Specially designed for mowing steep slopes and banks, this new machine is larger than the original Spider it replaces. This Mark II version has a wider cutting width of 1.23 metres and is powered by a larger, more powerful Kawasaki 680cc, 23hp petrol engine driving four overlapping mulching blades. With a 16 litre fuel tank it can work for five hours on slopes of up to 55° with assistance from its integrated winch.
Melvyn Riley is a District Parks Officer with the Council’s Parks and Countryside Department says, “Historically we had a particular issue with Stocksbridge Clock Tower Gardens which we maintain in partnership with Stocksbridge Town Council. In years gone by gardeners were employed to cut the steep bank on which the clock tower stands with pedestrian mowers. Recently, health and safety issues have meant that we could not continue with the maintenance of this space. It is important we get the grass maintenance of this site right as the gardens were overlooked by the town council’s offices and is a prominent feature of the town centre. We investigated possible solutions for mowing the bank and came across the Ransomes Spider
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