is a blog we put together with Australian machinery manufacturers MowMaster Turf Equipment, who are looking to make a impact into the U.K machinery market.We asked them 13 questions in a simple Q+A format.
Manufactures of specialised professional Turf Maintenance Equipment for all types of sportified surfaces, professional curators & contractors.
Who are you and what do you do for MowMaster?
My name is Luke Harrison & I am the General Manager of MowMaster Turf Equipment.
Since starting my apprenticeship with the company over fourteen years ago as an apprentice fitter & machinist I have seen it grow immensely.
The number of new products which we have added to our extensive range has vastly grown.
Entering into the UK market is an exciting time for both myself and MowMaster.
We feel that we have got some very unique products which will slot into the market well.
Can you briefly talk us through your range of equipment and your aims for the UK market?
At present our aim is to introduce our professional cricket pitch maintenance machinery into the UK market.
This range of machinery includes:
Cricket Pitch Rollers – three types
Cricket Pitch Mowers – over eight types
Renovation machinery – full collection
Transfer Line Markers
Pedestrian boom sprayers
We also plan to introduce our sports field maintenance machinery into the market over the next twelve months.
This range includes:
Pedestrian cylinder mowers 30-36” cutting widths designed for cutting soccer & rugby pitches.
Sports field rollers – ride on rollers up to 2.2m rolling width + tow behind dew/debris removal rollers
Where do you feel your machines can stand out, in a competitive U.K. market?
Unique Designs!
All MowMaster products are designed specifically to suite the requirements for maintaining the particular turf surface, we believe that one product does not do it all!
Purpose built machinery to get you the desired results done properly first time – every time.
Supplying machinery to all major venues, stadiums, first class grounds, private colleges & club grounds has given us the ability to work closely with Australia’s top curators.
This knowledge combined with MowMaster’s 75years of engineering experience has allowed us to produce the highest quality machinery available.
I understand you have some small pedestrian machines that are based in the U.K, what’s is the plans for these machines?
Last year we supplied some cricket pitch machinery to a school in Hampshire.
The initial enquiry come to us via the head groundsman Dave seeking the need for a pedestrian Vertimower/Groomer.
As we did not have any machinery in the UK at the time, I had sent him some video content of the machine in action along with some curator’s feedback on the MowMaster VMM series.
It wasn’t long before Dave gave us the go ahead and we shipped over the machinery.
We currently also have some demo machinery which is being tested throughout various grounds in the UK, receiving Positive feedback.
On your rollers you have a smaller diameter roller on the front, than the rear what is the benefit of this and could it work on U.K. pitches what is the reasoning with only having weight in the rear roller?
The main reason that the MowMaster ride on roller features a smaller roller at the front is because this is purely for steering the machine.
When we designed the MowMaster WR660 cricket pitch roller we had to focus on the most important factor – Compaction.
The rear roller on the MowMaster WR660 is the main roller which is 910mm diameter & 38mm wall thickness.
Weight distribution (78% Rear Roller -22% front roller) on the roller is Key to its huge success throughout Australia, with nearly all major stadiums currently using these rollers.
This is where the MowMaster roller is much different to its competitors.
All rollers are fully machined to provide 100% rolling consistency when rolling your pitch.
We also offer a cricket pitch roller with one single roller, which is commonly used for cross rolling throughout stadiums.
Do you think you can compete on price in comparison to other U.K. brands?
Absolutely – We believe that our products provide great value for money.
When purchasing any MowMaster product you can be assured that there have been no shortcuts taken when manufacturing these machines.
When we look at designing a new product, we don’t ever look at meeting a price point as such. We make sure that we manufacture the best possible machine to aid the curator in providing the best possible playing surface.
MowMaster Turf Equipment – “There is no substitute for quality”
You call your verti mower/groomer a world class product, can you tell us how you believe this product stands out?
The vertimower/groomer is by far one of our most popular machines. You will find these machines in every single stadium around Australia.
The VMM series is commonly used on various sporting surfaces eg: cricket pitches, golf courses, grass tennis/croquet courts, soccer pitches plus many more fine turf surfaces.
We believe that there is no other pedestrian machine available which will cut & catch debris as efficiently as the MowMaster VMM Series
Luke Harrison
With this machine you are able to achieve full block renovations to light grooming applications whilst collecting all of the debris.
Changing the cutting depth is a breeze on the MowMaster VMM series, by its unique wind arm system allowing you to alter the cutting depths whilst on the fly – no tools required!
Do Mow Master deal with any other countries if yes what sort of machinery have you supplied?
Yes, exporting machinery is quite a large market for us.
We are one of the very few companies left in Australia that manufacture machinery from scratch!
Lately have been supplying a fair bit of machinery over in Doha, Qatar in preparation for the 2022 Soccer World Cup.
Some of the machinery we have supplied has been:
36” Pedestrian Vertimower/Groomers
36” Pedestrian Cylinder Mowers
Pedestrian Scarifier units
Lawn Edgers
Sports Field Rollers – 2.2M wide Rolling width
Transfer Line Markers and many more products.
Where do you see Mow Master in the next 5 years?
The next five years will be interesting to say the least…. especially with the current global pandemic.
However, we arelooking forward to finishing some exciting new products off in the near future! – Watch this space……
What is your relationship like with customers and how will you deal with them in the UK market?
Overseas customers are usually fairly straight forward to deal with, especially the professionals because they usually know what they want!
Once someone enquires about our machinery, it is usually because they are intrigued by our design or are not happy with the products that they are currently using.
How long has the Mow Master brand been operating?
MowMaster has been manufacturing professional Turf Equipment since 1947.
Back in the early days, the range started with only two types of cylinder mowers along with general engineering practises.
Today we now have over 45 plus different dedicated products in our range!
Would you supply rollers with both diesel and petrol options?
At present all of our cricket pitch rollers are available in a petrol engine only.
We use Honda engines which we believe are the most reliable small engine around and are extremely fuel efficient.
The engine we choose to use in our WR660 cricket pitch roller is a 25hp Honda V-Twin engine. These engines combined with our unique hydraulic power transmission allows you to be able to enjoy the smoothest of rides whilst rolling your pitch.
If anyone would like further details on your U.K. machines, who would be their contact?
We are currently seeking interest for a UK distributor.
Sales & Enquires – luke@mowmaster.com.au
Feel free to follow our Social Media pages to see recent product releases –
Instagram – @mowmaster_turfequipment
Facebook- Mowmasterturfequipment
Twitter- https://twitter.com/MowmasterE
While on the subject of machinery , take a look at this review- https://turfcareblog.com/kubota-l1361-l2351-review/
2 comments
I have a similar one from Fox in Uk. It is not heavy enough for a wicket mower.
Hi steve why is the weight a issue for you ?
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