James T

Up here in Scotland the hedgerows are mostly pretty well kept, but the verges are left to grow wild in some places. Last year when on holiday in Somerset, I was astounded by exceptionally poor maintenance, being new to the area, I was obviously making great use of signs, sometimes I had to slow right down to 20 MPH to see what they said, the trees were growing straight across them. I should say this was on B and A roads, not motorways!

I'm curious about these mowers with chains - how does that work? Are the chains held underneath a beam which swings round like the blade or...any pics?

I wonder how that mower would last nowadays at the side of your average road with remnants of HGV tyres, traffic cones, concrete, shoes, bumpers, glass bottles, body parts....

Thanks for your superb series of photos, much appreciated. I just live over the Forth in Dunfermline but other plans, plus five mile queues on the motorway and general congestion put paid to my plans to visit the RHS this year!

Thanks for the review and photographs. Are the safety curtains flexible?

Deutz with Votex Roadmaster front-mounted flail and Bomford rear flail cutting on A92 verge in Fife on Wednesday afternoon.

I have a brochure for this - apparently there was a mounted and a pull-type. That bloke is trying to rotovate instead of mow by the looks of things!

Seems like it could be a bit of a hazard if applied wrecklessly. I note the precautions when using power harrows etc. Thanks for the information!

Thanks for the information, Gav. Sounds like very nasty stuff!

Nice pics and video. What are the small tanks for above the de-stoner?

Superb detail - well done!

Ford looks great, Fastrac, no thanks. Needs proper hitch on the front.

Thanks for that - great pics!

Went to have a look for the one I knew was there a few years ago...alas it's been removed. I have, however, located another miles out at the edge of a field in Stirlingshire, I may go for a wander and I'll post any pics. A few instruction manuals have turned up on eBay under 'Blanch-Lely Golden Pheasant Hay Turner/Tedder' or similar.

Nice amendments! Does anyone have any weblinks for the Triathlon brand?

I'll try and see if I can find one over the Xmas hols I knew was tucked away in a corner of a field...great piece of kit. Thanks for the photos.

Answering my own question - Lely Pheasant - just saw a picture from a manual for sale on eBay. Interesting piece of old kit - don't suppose anybody has a pic?

Thanks for the info guys, is 'Pheasant' the model? Who is the manufacturer - Lely perhaps?

Used to be a few of these still working in the '80's when I was young Offset, PTO driven, greater width than tractor with long horizontal bar to which tines were attached. Hood over the top, probably could be adjusted. Skids and small wheels. Anybody think they know what this was?

2 x JD 8330T with cultivation equipment on the A1 about 10 miles east of Dunbar late afternoon. First time I've seen these tracked monsters in Scotland.

G&M were selling it for ?30 at East Kilbride earlier this year, but I finally succumbed and bought it for ?40 from G&M at Lanark last week.

I saw one of them at work in Ayrshire, near Auchinleck a couple of years ago - one big piece of equipment. C'mon Universal Hobbies - give us a good model!

Just back from holiday in Devon and one of these monsters was negotiating its way along the road near Starcross (just a few miles north of Dawlish) on Tuesday evening. Couldn't stop for a photo, but what a machine. Great to see those tracks!

Thanks, Ol.

Anybody seen one of these in action? When I worked on a nature reserve, we used to get a contractor in with one of these and a rear-mounted fingerbar mower to cut partially-submerged reeds in a marsh. A local farmer would bring in his old MF and a Votex topper to do the grass in the drier areas, however, last time I was there when it was done the vegetation was a bit too tough for the topper and the gearbox was starting to overheat. One of the rear safety flaps on the Votex was also badly buckled. Here's the website for the Softrak: http://www.edenconservation.co.uk/softrak.htm