ISEKI double for St Leonard’s School with SF225 out-front mower and TM 3267 compact tractor

Wednesday, 16 November 2022

Two ISEKI machines that arrived six months apart to St Leonard’s School, St Andrews, are making a significant difference to time management and productivity.

St Leonard’s is an independent co-educational boarding and day school for 4–18-year-olds, which has a beautiful campus, just steps away from the ‘Home of Golf’ in the historic university town.

Head of Grounds is Kev Smith, who arrived at the school in Autumn 2019, six months ahead of the pandemic.

"It’s been an incredibly busy three years. After an initial settling in period, I found myself working alone because of lockdown and furlough. Emphasis could only be on the quality of the sports pitches. Once everyone was back, we revaluated the gardens, made some features far more formal, significantly boosted year-round colour with new planting throughout, then added 30 planters across our estate."

"Gradually, when budget allowed, I’ve updated the school’s machinery fleet with a few key pieces. The ISEKIs make so much more possible, and mean we rely less on contractors."

In November 2021, Kev, took delivery of a SF225 ride-on out front mower from Mike Lindsay at Fairways GM. Then, fast forward to April 2022, when Mike brought in a TM 3267 compact tractor.

"The ride on ISEKI mower lets us cut and collect quicker than before, even in rain. We can use it everywhere. Its narrow enough to be manoeuvrable around trees and verges yet has the sizeable collector on the back that saves us making extra trips back to base. It lets us add stripes and improve presentation. Right now, when mowing has all but stopped, we’re using it to cut and collect leaves."

"The compact ISEKI was on our list, but while there was still life in our previous tractor, my Director and I agreed to defer any purchase until 2023. However, repeat breakdowns in spring and potentially expensive repairs meant we brought the purchase forward to April 2022. It’s got a light footprint yet it’s powerful enough for the kit we have and the kit we hope to have in the future. It’s got the loader to transport materials, hydrostatic transmission and works well with our attachments and implements. We use it to trail our Wiedenmann Terra Brush on our artificial hockey pitch a few times a week to bring the filaments back to standing position, ready for matches and practise."

"Our relationship with dealer Fairways GM at Kinross, and Mike Lindsay in particular, is based on mutual understanding for the job in hand. He brings a practical knowledge of machines and applications, giving options and alternatives likely to suit our situation. The team at Fairways also give great service and back up, always there when we need them," concluded Kev Smith.