FA Premier League football club, Charlton Athletic, has taken delivery of a Massey Ferguson 1531 Hydro compact tractor to help with all aspects of pitch maintenance and preparation at The Valley, the club’s impressive stadium in south-east London.

Supplied by MAB Groundscare of Cranbrook, Kent, the 32 DIN hp tractor came with a comprehensive set of standard features including three-range hydrostatic transmission,
twin spool valves, folding roll-bar, independent mid and rear power take-offs and
Category 1 three-point linkage with an 1,100kg (2,425lb) lift capacity.

Charlton Athletic’s groundsman, Colin Powell, pointed out that the MF 1531 is, in fact,
the first compact tractor ever to go to work at The Valley. “Previously, I had used a
specialist turf maintenance vehicle exclusively for pitch preparation,” explained Colin. “However, the aging vehicle was finding it increasingly difficult to satisfy the rigorous demands of Premier League pitch presentation and maintenance, in particular the
ability to carry out fast, effective solid tine aeration after every match.”

Deciding that a compact tractor would be able to lighten considerably his present and
future workloads, Colin looked at several makes before settling on the MF1531 Hydro. “A number of factors persuaded me to go for the Massey Ferguson tractor,” he said. “Not only does it have excellent all-round visibility and a high power-to-weight ratio, but I know that I can rely on first-class dealer support. The price was also very competitive.”

Put to work immediately with an existing 1.5m reciprocating tine aerator, the MF1531 Hydro showed Colin within minutes what he had been missing. “The aerator was no longer a handful to power or to raise and lower,” he commented. “As a result, I am now able to aerate the pitch comfortably following every game. The improvements achieved in surface drainage has enabled the frequency of deep-tine aeration treatments to be cut from six-weekly to every three months, cutting contractor’s bills by 50 per cent,”

Although pitch aeration and grooming are the principal tasks for the new tractor during the playing season, Colin points out that he is planning to use the MF1531 throughout the year for other jobs carried out previously by hand. These include spraying, fertiliser spreading and transporting tools and pitch maintenance materials quickly to all parts of the stadium.

“What’s particularly pleasing is that the tractor carries out pitch operations without leaving any tell-tale surface marking, even in quite wet weather,” he said. “In a very short time, the MF1531 has become an essential member of my team, a factor that has been appreciated also by the club.”

ENDS

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About AGCO
Founded in 1990, AGCO Corporation (NYSE: AG) (www.agcocorp.com) is a global manufacturer of agricultural equipment and related replacement parts. AGCO offers a full product line including tractors, combines, hay tools, sprayers, forage, tillage equipment and implements, which are distributed through more than 3,600 independent dealers and distributors in more than 140 countries worldwide. AGCO products include the following well-known brands: AGCO®, Challenger®, Fendt®, Gleaner®, Hesston®, Massey Ferguson®, New Idea®, RoGator®, Spra-Coupe®, Sunflower®, Terra-Gator®, Valtra®, and White™ Planters.  AGCO provides retail financing through AGCO Finance. The company is headquartered in Duluth, Georgia, and in 2005, had net sales of $5.4 billion.

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