Allett Mowers

October 17, 2019October 17, 2019 041322990

Words by Travis Blake

A British maker of Cylinder Lawn Mowers, with international renown that is an award winning cut above the rest!

Allett Mowers is a British owned, Staffordshire based, high quality cylinder lawn mower manufacturer that has been helping us keep those beautiful greens looking just so since 1965. The business was founded by horticultural engineer Reginald Allett, who developed the 36” cylinder mower which quickly became the favourite tool of professional green keepers, groundsmen and domestic lawn aficionados. They say that if you want a bowling green style lawn then it is an Allett cylinder mower you will need to achieve this level of precision.

The development of Allett’s professional range continued through the 1970s and 80s with introduction of 20”, 24”, 30”, 34” and 40” and beyond into the 21^st Century launching mowers for Golf, Bowling greens, Sports Stadia, Cricket wickets and other applications. Having established the Professional range of cylinder mowers as the go to tool of the professional groundskeeper, Allett continued to develop their Homeowner range, and let’s face it we all want our little patch of Wembleyesque turf don’t we?

The cylinder mower is used to achieve that wonderful stripped effect often seen on sports fields. The effect is created as the sharp blades on the cylinder rotate and cut the blades of grass they will bend in one direction and reflect the light, and then this action is repeated in the opposite direction, which in turn reflects the light in the opposite direction. Key to a stripy lawn is ensuring that your cylinder blades are kept sharp to provide a crisp cut and having a high blade setting allows the grass to bend more creating a larger surface area to reflect the light.

The Groundsmen and Greens Keepers of Great Britain are held in high regard and are renowned for their knowledge, skills and expertise all around the globe, and this has meant that the same is true for the tools that they employ whilst carrying out their craft. Allett cylinder mowers being the first choice of the professional Groundsmen means that these machines are used in some prestigious places and international events. The majority of venues in the 2018 FIFA World Cup, held in Russia, used Allett mowers to create and maintain beautifully manicured pitches to enable the very best players in the world to demonstrate their silky skills, the likes of Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo, benefitting from the cut and finish that an Allett mowing machine provides.

Being a major part of one of the biggest sporting events in the world, with a television audience of three and a half billion, does not happen overnight. The process began two years before a competitive ball had been kicked with Dave Allett, the Company’s Export Sales Manager, making presentations and attending seminars and taking the available opportunity to demonstrate Allett’s product range to key influencers and buyers for the prestigious event. Key to securing this contract was Unisaw, Allett’s Russian distribution partner, who invested in demonstration equipment to promote the brand and display the products undoubted abilities to prepare the pitches to the world class standards that such an event demands.

Allett supplied an impressive one hundred and eighty five units to eight of the official stadiums and 13 training grounds used in the FIFA 2018 World Cup Finals, unsurprisingly making Russia their biggest export market of 2018. A variety of Allett models from the product range were used to ensure that the tasks required for perfect pitches were completed seamlessly. The main machines supplied to the stadiums and training grounds are the Allett C34 from the Professional Range, powered by the Honda GX200 engine, the Buffalo 34, RM34 and the Regal 36. The World Cup really was a major success story for Allett and British export.

Such success in International markets and on the World sporting stage does not go unnoticed and this lead to the Staffordshire mower maker being recognised for its growth in exports and contribution to the growth of the British economy by receiving the highly prized Queen’s Award for Enterprise in 2019. This deserved recognition for the Company that has been at the forefront of design and manufacture of machinery for the sports and premium lawn market for fifty years, is not just for the Russian success, Allett have been increasing exports to the U.S.A, Spain, France, Germany and more, steadily over the past few years. Receiving the award, Allett’s Managing Director, Austin Jarrett said, “We’re very honoured to receive the Queens Award, it recognises our achievements and the team efforts in bringing innovative developments in our mowing systems to meet challenges in overseas markets with large potential. We’re no longer confined to the seasonality of domestic sales cycles in the U.K. Our mowers and turf maintenance systems are used throughout the world where they are maintaining sports surfaces and lawns to the highest standards.”

As the business continues to develop new products and innovations a recent addition available in the Homeowner Range has caught my eye, the Liberty battery powered cylinder mowers. Available in three different blade widths, 12”, 14” and 17” the Liberty range of cylinder mowers are powered by a lithium ion rechargeable battery providing a greener alternative to the traditional petrol engine mower and greater freedom and ease of use than a mower with an electric cable. A further benefit is that the mower is quieter in operation so you can mow the lawn without disturbing your neighbours, has lower vibration and the advantages of being emission free at the point of use! Could it be that the future of the perfect pitch, lawn and bowling green is also electric? The Liberty battery mowers retail from £589.00, up to £1220.00 depending on specification and package required.

To find out more about this successful, growing, innovative and market leading British cylinder mower developer and manufacturer visit their website or give them a call, details below. You too could have the perfect patch of nature’s green carpet.