Remote-controlled mowers

Test Report

If you ever played with remote-controlled cars when you were a child, then you’ll love this machine. But the Deltrak is no toy.

It is a serious flail mower on tracks, and it’s capable of mowing in places where people can’t go. It’s available in the UK from IPU Group of Oldbury in the West Midlands.
In our test we drive it through threatening brambles, along the banks of a ditch and up slopes — places you don’t want to put your feet.
That’s the point of this remote mower. Its primary function is to mow vegetation on steep banks. It is designed to work on angles of up to 50° for extended periods of time. And it’s so simple to use. It can be started, the cutter engaged and all movements controlled from a safe distance. We find that the flail head — with six rows of three back-to-back flails — is a real bramble buster but it is also able to do a first-class job on grass.
Designed and manufactured by Irus in Germany, the Deltrak features a zero-gravity articulating system in which the engine pivots so that it always remains in an upright position. Full lubrication of all components is maintained even when the machine is working under load conditions on steep slopes.
There’s a choice of engines, including 25hp and 31hp Vanguard air-cooled V-Twin petrol engines, but our test machine is powered by a 27hp three-cylinder Briggs Daihatsu diesel engine.
No wonder this beast has some grunt. It tracks at 8km/h. In fact it does everything at 8km/h and in our test there is no stopping it. This one should suit local authorities and utility companies — especially those working in remote and lonely situations. For really steep slopes, studs can be fitted to the tracks to provide extra grip. The tracks can be extended outwards to increase stability.
All the controls you need are incorporated on the remote: start; throttle; forward and reverse; lift and lower of the head (top-of-the-range model); cutter engagement; and stop. But you do need to remember that the forward and reverse controls work the other way round after you turn the machine round at the end of a run.
The remote control has a range in excess of 300m and, in the event of the mower disappearing out of range, or over the crown of a hill, the engine will cut out.
Maintenance appears to be straightforward with sealed hydraulics and easily visible grease nipples. In fact, the biggest maintenance task is likely to be found when working on the tracks. They are metal and rubber, so they are likely to stretch over time. Adjustment is a one-spanner operation.
Perhaps the Deltrak’s only weakness is that it drinks juice as though it were going out of fashion — but then you are getting the tricky jobs done safely.