When more horsepower was needed for work in the gardens and grounds of the Abbotswood Estate, Kubota was the obvious choice for head gardener Robert Champier-Clarke.
“We had a 20hp Kubota which was a great tractor, but wanted something a bit bigger for trailer work. But it still needed to be compact and nimble enough to use around the numerous trees, and relatively lightweight. I’ve got lots of experience with Kubota tractors from previous roles and I know just how well built and reliable they are.”
“We’ve found that our new L1452 does everything that we want, yet actually has less impact on the ground than the smaller tractor.”
Robert and his team of four groundsmen are responsible for 160 acres of parkland and 38 acres of formal gardens at the Cotswold estate, the former home of tractor pioneer Sir Harry Ferguson.
The 45hp Kubota tractor from the latest L Series generation was supplied with a factory-fitted LA805 loader and is used for everything from forestry work to pushing up compost and providing the muscle for gardening projects, he points out.
“I specified the hydrostatic transmission for ease of operation; any of our gardeners can jump on and use it. It’s simple and rugged with less electronics.”
While trailer towing makes up the majority of the workload, the L1452 also comes in handy for snow ploughing on the estate’s hilly roads, power harrowing and pulling a spring tine harrow on the grassland.
“Lift capacity is very good and it handles all the implements we need,” Robert comments. “We’ve also ordered some pallet forks for the loader for jobs such as moving trees and shrubs – we used to hire in a telehandler but it will replace that and the maintenance team can also use it for the estate buildings.”
For work in the estate’s extensive woodlands, the ROPS frame can be folded to get under low branches, and he adds that the operator platform offers a comfortable seat plus good access and visibility.
Robert has a good relationship with dealer Hunts, which will maintain the tractor while it is under warranty, before responsibility is transferred to the estate’s own workshops.
“Hunts were extremely helpful with the purchase of the tractor which I bought unseen having only viewed its cabbed equivalent, and it has certainly lived up to their recommendation – it’s a brilliant tractor,” he says.
