RC Mowers R-60

The RC Mowers R-60 Efficiently and safely mows steep slopes up to 50°. Image Colbrook

When it comes to safety and handling the toughest terrain, Mitch Burn of MJB Contracting Services and his RC Mowers R-60 make a very capable combination.

Life in underground mining undoubtedly has its fascination, but fitter Mitch Burn felt a career change into work with less travel and more time in the fresh air and sunshine was called for.

While launching into the RC Mowers R-60 might seem like a very big step to a casual onlooker, it wasn’t so much of a stretch for Mitch as it might seem at first glance.

Research driven

“I’ve had dry-hire machines in the past,” Mitch told Landscape Contractor, “but it was always a side venture. When I wanted to make a fulltime change I thought I’d look for something a bit niche. I thought this type of property maintenance would be something to work into.”

Mitch did plenty of research before laying down his hard-earned on the R-60.

“I looked at pretty much everything else available,” he told us, “and in all the reviews I’d seen the R60 was rated really highly.

“But the biggest selling point for the R-60 was the importer, Colbrook. The aftersales support was a big deciding factor.”

Well suited

Being a fitter by trade and having spent his working life around machinery meant Mitch was in a good position to adapt to the R-60 and its remote-control technology with a minimum of stress. In fact, after a very thorough demonstration session he was happy to jump straight in without any extra training.

“Colbrook would’ve come up from Melbourne if I’d requested, but they just put it on a truck for me,” the Newcastle-based operator explained. “It’s very simple to use. There’s not much to it and it’s all very self-explanatory. I was comfortable with the machine right from the start.”

And the performance?

“It’s very impressive,” he confirmed. “It handles everything I’ve put it through, and there’s not much to it from a servicing point of view. I haven’t had to dive too far into yet with the hours I have on it, but everything’s accessible and looks fairly easy to reach and work on.”

2.5 acres per hour average mowrate on difficult terrain, and The RC Mowers R-60 mows efficiently in both forward and reverse directions. Image: Colbrook
2.5 acres per hour average mow rate on difficult terrain, and The RC Mowers R-60 mows efficiently in both forward and reverse directions. Image: Colbrook

A safe bet

While safety’s no doubt a big issue for anyone operating machinery, for someone who’s worked underground in mines, it must get severe scrutiny.

Mitch is very happy with the R-60’s remote control and being able to tackle hazardous terrain from a safe operating position. The R-60 has allowed Mitch to take on larger challenging jobs that would normally have required intense laborious man hours with a line trimmer. He can send the machine into areas where it would be unsafe to drive a ride-on mower and potentially dangerous to walk into with a line trimmer or brushcutter.

“That’s what it’s designed for,” said Mitch. “Colbrook claims a 300m operating range, so you can be as far away as you like, basically.

“It has a camera on it which feeds back to the remote control if you want to use it, and it’s nice being out of harm’s way. It’s really good to be able to clear around bodies of water and not risk falling in, for instance,” he smiled. “It’s a very well-designed machine for its applications.”

To see more of RC Mowers, visit colbrookindustries.com.au.

 

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