Sturdy Stoneburier from GKB proves the ideal investment for ATV Contract Services

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After years of hiring various makes and models of stoneburier with varying levels of success, ATV Contract Services Limited decided the time was right to purchase their own machine and went for the most robust model they could find – the Stoneburier from GKB Machines. Managing director Paul Hensman noticed the superior build quality Stoneburier at a dealer open day, and in the few months since its delivery it has more than lived up to expectations – taking commercial groundwork projects, on tough terrain, in its stride.

Based in the East Midlands but assisting with major infrastructure projects around the country, ATV Contract Services have an extensive fleet of equipment for cultivation and soil preparation – with the GKB Stoneburier SB180 the latest addition to that, delivered in spring 2022. “These machines, with the nature of the work at hand, take a real hammering and what you don’t want is to invest in something that is going to spend more time in the workshop than out in the field!” says Paul.

“We saw the GKB machine at an open day hosted by Fentons of Bourne and the first thing that struck me was how sturdy and robust it was and, following a good chat with the GKB team, we placed an order. The proof has been in the pudding and in the first eight weeks from delivery, the Stoneburier did six weeks’ worth of work and everybody was incredibly impressed with it. It’s been on a lot of POS (public open space) work where you’ll very often find debris such as discarded kerbstones or lumps of tarmac in the ground and the SB180 hasn’t missed a beat.”

The Stoneburier utilises blades that rotate against the direction of travel to effectively screen stones and other debris from the top 7” of the surface, creating an optimal seedbed in a single pass. One particular feature that has impressed Paul and the team is the 45o angle on the GKB blades meaning that when they turn in the ground, no pan layer is created. He explains, “Other stoneburiers we’ve used with blades at 90o to the rotor can actually compact the ground in such a way that restricts drainage and negatively impacts seed germination. That simple design feature on the GKB Stoneburier makes a huge difference to not only the quality of finish, but how often the machine will jam or clog up.”

“The GKB Stoneburier made great commercial sense and has proven to be a fantastic investment. We are already benefitting from having it on our fleet, available whenever and wherever we need it” Paul concludes.