Multi award-winning Yorkshire Sculpture Park attracts half a million visitors annually to its 500-acre estate near Wakefield with its iconic structures.
“Exhibitions and events run year-round,” notes Mark Chesman, Head of Estates and Projects. “Visitors expect everything to look clean, tidy and well-maintained to present the sculptures in their best light.”
Handling the scale of the park’s upkeep depends on minimal machinery downtime made possible with a full, flexible service agreement with local John Deere dealer Balmers GM.
“All the Deere kit is exceptionally reliable,” Mark says. “Balmers are just a phone call away and they respond swiftly with fast turnaround on machine replacements.”
The cost of the annual service, undertaken in autumn/winter when summer’s heavy footfall lightens, is spread over 12 months, “which helps improve cashflow and gives us added peace of mind in knowing what the outlay will be,” Mark adds. “We replace older machinery as and when we need to, with new Deere units, which is covered by JD Powergard protection.”
The fleet of five diesel Gator TH 6x4s does the donkey work of transporting equipment, tools, material and green waste around the park. “The tipping facility is particularly useful, while the Gator’s six tyres ensure lower ground impact,” Mark says.
Under his mission to switch over to electric tools and machinery, Mark has started the process by adding a Gator TE to the fleet.
“The Gator TE delivers zero emissions, has less vibration and is cheaper to run, with just a battery and motor,” he explains. “It’s charged up overnight using a three-pin plug and we get a full day’s work on that.”
Covering the 30 hectares of grassed open space around the hall is the JD 1600 turbo mower, with front and two side decks, supported by a 1580 ride-on collector mower – “a fantastic machine that ensures the Park is tip-top for exhibitions”.
John Deere’s 997 zero-turn ride-on handles the critical cutting in confined spaces, Mark reports. “We want to be able to operate in ever tighter areas, as the complexity of maintaining the park rises.”
Yorkshire Sculpture Park has every opportunity to wax lyrical about its many qualities, but Mark does a pretty good job himself.
“This is a wonderful place to work and staff tend to stay here a long time to face the everyday challenges of what is a complex though beautiful place.”
ENDS (August 2022)
For more information contact:
Ben Pike
Eve Communications
Or
Chris Meacock
John Deere LTD