Independent prep school Spratton Hall has taken delivery of a new TYM T503 tractor – an investment that's quickly shown its worth since it arrived earlier this year.
Situated in 50 acres of lush Northamptonshire countryside, the establishment has an exceptionally good reputation, both in terms of education and the aesthetics of the school's vast grounds.
Helping maintain this reputation is the job of head groundsman Doug McCarlie, who decided to demo a range of tractors when the need for a new vehicle arose.
"We tested out tractors from a few market leaders, including TYM, but quickly discovered that the TYM T503 was the best fit for us," explains Doug. "Not only did we find it offers great visibility, is straightforward to use and is exceptionally roomy, but the fact that TYMs are supplied by Lely UK was an additional bonus."
Spratton Hall has been using a Toro Groundsmaster 4500-D for the past five years; a purchase that was also made with Lely, the UK's sole distributor of Toro machinery.
"Through our interest in Toro, we've successfully done business with Lely for years, so felt that using the same distributor for all our turfcare needs really made sense," he says.
Dealing with Stewart Jeffs, one of Lely's specialist groundscare retail sales managers, was also instrumental in Doug's decision.
"We've got a great relationship with Stewart and have always respected his knowledge and advice, so were confident the tractor he recommended would be equally as good as our Toro machine," he adds.
Since taking delivery, Doug has been busy putting his new tractor through its paces and it's lived up to his expectations.
"Our new TYM is a pleasure to use," says Doug. "Since it arrived, we have been busy harrowing, slitting and fertilising and have even put it to work snow ploughing twice this year already!
"Whatever the job, the design of the cab makes it that much more comfortable to use and the control system is fantastically simple to operate. Even with the snow plough fitted, you can still drive the vehicle using the same controllers, which is a real benefit."
