Kubota tractors are ‘workhorses’ at Warwick Castle

By Alistair July 6, 2024 08:24

A trio of Kubota tractors have proven themselves to be capable workhorses for the entire facilities operation at Warwick Castle. With 64 acres of vast and varied historical landscape to maintain, grounds and gardens manager Tony Cameron explains how – alongside some more obscure uses – the L2622, L4240 and B2261 are responsible for towing the mowers that cut 95 percent of the turfed areas, with the assistance of their F3890 out-front mower also from Kubota!

Built by William the Conqueror during 1068, Warwick Castle has played a crucial role in shaping British history. More than 950-years on, the ancient walls surround an array of lawns and gardens, a ‘Horrible Histories’ maze and a glamping site not to mention a new 60-bed hotel and grounds, opening in July 2024, and providing the platform for year-round events. With so much to maintain, the key for Grounds and Gardens Manager Tony when it comes to machinery, is reliability which he says he’s enjoyed with the Kubota fleet he’s built up over his 12-year tenure.

“We’ve had other tractors and ride-on mowers in the past which always seemed to have one problem or another. Together with having the all-important kit out of action, we also found frustrating delays in getting these issues fixed” Tony says. “The first Kubota we purchased was the L4240 six or seven years ago which, to date, remains faithful and versatile – it’s basically bulletproof. Whether we’re towing implements or trailers, this is our go-to for a range of maintenance tasks around the site.”

Since then, Tony has purchased the larger 62hp L2622 equipped with forks, and the smaller B2261 compact tractor from Richard Lucas at Hunts Engineering – the latter delivered in August 2023.

“The L2622 is big and powerful, making light work of towing our large-area mower to cut big spaces quickly. Any deliveries we get, the L2622 is there to unload and move materials around the site. It get’s a lot of use… even coming in to lift the trebuchet recently when the winch failed!”

“The B2261 is another great bit of kit that can get to all the areas the larger tractors can’t, towing smaller mowers and will be loaned to the jousting team to operate the grading equipment used to level the arena.”

Complementing the fleet of tractors and providing the solution for embankment mowing and cutting in wet conditions, is an F3890 from Kubota’s F-Series. With a 60” rotary deck, rear discharge and auto-assist 4wd as standard, it brings Kubota finesse and reliability to even the most demanding of mowing operations.

“This is used on all the formal areas where it’s more challenging to manoeuvre a tractor, as well as around the many obstacles within the glamping site. We use this wherever we can, our moat ditch and the riverbank are another couple of examples, and it leaves a fantastic finish whether it’s wet or dry.”

Tony concludes, “With Kubota we know we’re going to get user-friendly and well-built bits of equipment, powered by good engines and that ultimately do a good job. The support we’ve received from Hunts Engineering has also been first-class, with outstanding responsiveness from Richard and the team whenever we’ve had a question or query. It ticks every box for us.”