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Market Report: Gardens & Grounds Care County extends boundaries Having successfully added an American range of grounds care equipment to its fleet, a Hampshire based hirer is importing the machines to sell in this country. County Hire is in many ways a typical one-depot independent. Founded in 1991 and based in Tadley, Hampshire, it supplies tools and equipment to builders, landscapers and DIY customers in and around nearby Basingstoke, Newbury and Reading, as well as contractors undertaking maintenance work at a local MoD facility. Popular fleet items include Hilti breakers and hammers, Wacker compaction plates and vibrating pokers, Kubota mini excavators, Terex dumpers, Stephill generators, JCB hydraulic breakers and Genie materials lifts. However, what is more unusual is the extent of its interest in grounds care equipment hire. “We first became aware of the opportunities in this market segment several years ago, when trying to crosshire a rotavator,” says Managing Director, Paul Errington. “All ours were out on hire, and those of other hirers were either being used or under repair, so we decided to expand our fleet. We added Camon equipment from Tracmaster, such as the C8 and C10 rotavators, along with the power scythes and power harrows from the company. These have proved very popular with gardeners and landscape contractors.” The business sought other products for the grounds care fleet, and on visiting the ARA Rental Show in Atlanta last year, Paul Errington came across the TurfTeq equipment range, manufactured in the US, which the company is now importing. The machines have been added to County Hire’s own fleet, and are being made available to other companies under the separate trading name, GroundsCare Products. The TurfTeq line-up comprises several high work-rate implements that attach to the same walk-behind tractor unit, powered by a 13hp Honda engine. “Using them in our fleet, we have proved they are robust enough for hire, being made of very heavy gauge steel. We know how satisfied customers are with the machines in terms of efficiency and performance.” The range includes the Power Rake, a 91cm wide machine that can prepare ground for turfing or seeding, scarifying, gathering stones and rotavating to depths of up to 5cm. “It is considerably wider than comparable units, giving greater productivity,” says Paul Errington. “Customers are impressed at how quickly they can complete jobs. Operating depth is easily adjusted, and the machine is ideal for use in areas with trees that would be difficult for a tractor-driven implement to manoeuvre around.” The Power Edger can be fitted with various blades to accomplish different tasks. Used with a cutting disc it can slice through soil down to 12cm to create neat edges on flower beds and golf bunkers, and it also accepts blades of widths from 1-12cm wide that create shallow trenches for installing cables, fencing and drainage channels. “We hired an Edger recently to a school in Reading that wanted to create large, curved flower beds for children to plant bulbs in, and golf courses use it to create drainage trenches on areas prone to waterlogging,” says Paul Errington. Also available is the Power Broom, a 116cm wide rotating brush that is height adjustable to undertake tasks such as sweeping turfed areas or car parks, collecting litter, clearing snow, brushing artificial grass surfaces, and removing debris after concerts or other events. The broom can be angled to the left or the right to facilitate subsequent collection of material. All the TurfTeq machines have been independently tested for HAV levels, and have quoted vibration measurements of 5m/s2 or less. Other implements are currently under development, and a dealer network for the range in this country is being established. Paul Errington believes that, once hirers appreciate the versatility of the machines, they can offer them for a wide range of tasks. “County Hire is having great success with them, and because they provide efficient solutions for people’s needs, we find that we are able to achieve a sensible hire rate.” • T
0870 321 8900 Executive Hire News › Archives › August 2008 › Market Report › County extends boundaries
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