Lingfield Park Racecourse Benefits from Avant 860i Loader After Winning GMA Award

 

Lingfield Park Racecourse has recently experienced the remarkable versatility of the Avant 860i loader after winning a six-month loan at the Grounds Management Association (GMA) Awards.

The Avant loader was awarded to the racecourse after they were named the Professional Racecourse Grounds Team of the Year, a category sponsored by Avant Tecno UK.

Jon Harris, Estate Manager at Lingfield Park, and his team are responsible for ensuring the vast grounds remain in pristine condition all year round. Its diverse facilities include a turf and all-weather racecourse, an 18-hole golf course, and a hotel with extensive gardens. With a dedicated team of 20, Jon’s job covers everything outside the buildings on the estate, from the racecourse to the golf course and hotel gardens.

“The Avant 860i has made an incredible difference to how we work here,” Jon explains. “It’s a fantastic machine, capable of handling almost any task we throw at it. The ability to use a single machine for a wide variety of jobs has been a huge benefit, allowing us to be more efficient and freeing up time for other tasks across the estate.”

The Avant 860i is the flagship model in the Avant 800 series and has proven to be an invaluable asset at Lingfield Park. Powered by a 57-hp engine, the Avant 860i boasts an impressive 3.5m lift height and a lift capacity of 1,900kg, making it perfect for heavy-duty lifting and clearing tasks. Its powerful auxiliary hydraulics (80 L/min) and robust design allow it to handle tough jobs with ease, such as lifting stone pallets, clearing scrubland, and handling a wide range of attachments. Despite its impressive power, the Avant 860i’s compact size allows it to operate in tight spaces and sensitive areas without causing damage to the ground.

“The sheer power and lift capacity of the Avant 860i is impressive,” Jon says. “We’ve used it for a variety of tasks, from moving heavy materials to clearing scrubland, and it handles everything effortlessly. The ability to swap attachments quickly has been a massive time-saver. We’ve been able to go from a flail mower to pallet forks in just a matter of minutes. This is something you can’t do with a tractor, which might take 20 to 30 minutes to change attachments.”

Some of the key attachments Jon and his team have used during their six-month loan include the Pallet Forks, HD Bucket, Bucket Broom, Flail Mower, and the Fence Post Mower.

“The flail mower attachment has been a real standout for us,” Jon says. “It’s incredibly robust and has cleared scrubland down to nothing, allowing new grass to grow through. The results have been impressive. The team has also found the Bucket Broom invaluable for cleaning up tarmac and other hard surfaces around the estate.”

Jon values the machine’s versatility and how it can handle multiple tasks with one operator. “We’ve found the Avant to be really effective in situations where we need a single operator to handle multiple jobs. It has freed up our team to focus on other work, while still getting a variety of tasks completed.”

Another standout feature of the Avant 860i is its ability to access all parts of Lingfield Park, thanks to its compact size and turf tyres. “The turf tyres on the Avant make it so easy to get anywhere on site without leaving ruts or causing damage to the surfaces,” Jon explains. “This is particularly important here at Lingfield Park, as we manage such a large estate with various types of terrain. The Avant is perfect for navigating all of it, whether it’s the racecourse or the golf course.”

Jon’s enthusiasm for the Avant 860i is clear, and he and his team are already looking forward to having one on-site permanently. “The Avant 860i is going to be missed by all of us when our loan period ends,” Jon says. “We’re incredibly grateful for the opportunity to have used it. For any estate manager, particularly those managing large, diverse sites like ours, the Avant is a must-have.”

Lingfield Park’s experience with the Avant 860i loader has been overwhelmingly positive, and the team is eager to continue reaping the benefits of such a versatile and powerful machine. For Jon and his team, the Avant 860i has proven to be an invaluable tool for maintaining the expansive and varied estate at Lingfield Park Racecourse.