Autumn may be round the corner but any professional with a Wessex STC sweeper collector will be well prepared for leaf fall. The STC may well have been working through the year as a scarifier and flail collector. With the optional change kit come autumn it is quickly converted to sweeper collector mode and it’s off to the park to rapidly collect leaves and quickly move on to the next job. The brush rotor comprises four banks of hardwearing polypropylene bristles which lift leaves, grass clippings and litter with ease into the hydraulically operated hopper. The bristles are secured firmly into a pre-drilled hardwood strip and are of a generous length to give a good ‘flick’ action to ensure the material is thrown to the back of the hopper. Semi-mounted to the tractor, the STC runs on its own four wheels, totally independent of the tractor, allowing it to follow contours, while the front wheels are fully castoring and repositioned by a simple pin mechanism to adjust the working height. As the whole machine is not lifted on the linkage, the STC can be operated behind a small tractor with limited lifting capacity. Power is transmitted from the tractor through a heavy cast gearbox and belt drive to the rotor. The rear wheels have flotation tyres to keep turf compaction to a minimum.

No longer are there the restrictions and costs of having individual machines to do each job, with the STC easily converted using the optional change kit. So you might start off with the STC in the autumn as a sweeper collector and in spring add in the flail when the fast growth begins. As a scarifier, the STC is fitted with verti-cutting knives for a professional operation on the sports field or lawns. A large diameter steel drum with flails and paddles converts the Wessex STC to a flail collector. Unlike many collectors the STC has no narrow throat so long or short grass will be collected efficiently without blocking, even in wet conditions. This makes it ideal for long grass applications such as the rough on golf courses. So you get three machines in one investment and only one machine to be housed when it’s not in use.

The Wessex ProIine STC is available in 1.2m and 1.8m working widths for the maintenance of amenity turf, golf courses, parkland and large gardens. Wessex International: 01264 345870 www.wessexintl.com