The demands from spraying contractors extend far beyond just reliability when it comes to their sprayers. Strength, durability, and flexibility are all factors that need to be considered for the operator to tackle a wide range of spraying situations.
Sam Vickers of SMV Contract Services LTD, Stamford, Lincolnshire covers all aspects of ground care maintenance. The spraying sector of the business covers agriculture, sports turf, and amenity sites across the UK. A continually growing list of clients meant it was time for him to expand his sprayer fleet.
For Sam the choice was easy – another Martin Lishman sprayer: “We bought our first Martin Lishman sprayer 4 years ago, a 400-litre model with a 6-metre boom, and it’s been superb! So much so, that we haven’t replaced but added to the fleet with a new 600 litre, 8m metre boom pro-specification version. The tractor mounted option suits our needs for transport and utilises the compact tractors we have. The new sprayer also joins a new Martin Lishman compact 70 litre quad bike sprayer with a 3 metre boom for smaller jobs.”
Combining amenity specification and flexibility with agricultural strength and durability has been the key design element of Martin Lishman compact sprayers since production began in the 1980’s. Designed and manufactured in England at their site in Bourne, Lincolnshire, specialist or bespoke requests can often be catered for. Their design allows considerable variation of models to meet the specialist needs of customers, with many looking to diversify into a wide range of spraying jobs.
“The need for a solid design for amenity work became clear very quickly” explains Gavin Lishman, Managing Director of Martin Lishman Ltd. “In the early days we designed our sprayers for use in agriculture; we had the experience and a strong foothold in the industry, so we knew what we were up against. The sprayers needed to be able to withstand the rigors of farm use and always work when needed. As the demand for small sprayers grew in the amenity market, we were ready to bring our tried and tested designs into the industry. We are starting to see more contractors like Sam cover both the agriculture and amenity sectors, and we believe that our sprayers are almost unique on the market in offering the range and versatility needed for this kind of work”.
The Martin Lishman compact sprayer range includes trailed, ATV mounted, demountable and self-propelled models with tank sizes ranging from 70 to 600 litres and boom widths from 1 metre to 8 metres. Sam’s new pro-spec tractor mounted sprayer consists of a 600-litre tank, PTO-driven pump, 8m pro-spec folding boom, 9m hose reel with hand lance, full electric controls, chemical induction hopper and bout marker.
“The sprayer is mainly used for liquid fertiliser and herbicide applications, our compact tractors run on auto steer GPS guidance to ensure total accuracy”, explains Sam. “The new sprayer has been very reliable, and full credit goes to your workshop team should I need any replacement nozzles, pipes or wearing parts. The service from Martin Lishman has been exemplary, and I look forward to many more years of business together as we expand.”
