Twickenhan stadium, the home of English rugby, has taken delivery of more equipment from Ipswich-based turf maintenance specialist Ransomes Jacobsen.

The company, which has a “preferred supplier” agreement with the Rugby Football Union, has provided three Iseki tractors and a Cushman utility vehicle, all delivered via Essex-based Ernest Doe & Sons, its local dealer in London.

The new machines join an extensive fleet of Ransomes Jacobsen equipment already in use at the stadium, including four Ransomes Matador walk-behind mowers for match preparation and a Jacobsen Eclipse 322 diesel-electric hybrid triplex with a height of cut extension kit.

The largest of the new units is the Iseki TJA 8100 tractor which features a three-cylinder turbo-charged diesel engine offer high fuel efficiency and low maintenance costs. Also included in the delivery is a Cushman 1600XD-R utility vehicle for general duties around the confines of the stadium.

Keith Kent, head groundsman at Twickenham, said: “I particularly like the Iseki tractor range and the TJA 8100 is a great workhorse.

“Its large loader has the capacity to lift 1.6tonnes and will be an excellent asset around the stadium. We also have an Iseki TH4335 HST with a Lewis loader. Again, this is a superb tractor; it has a 33hp engine, independent PTO and throttle control together with an ISO mounted operator’s platform making it highly manoeuvrable and comfortable for an environment such as ours.”

Andy Muir, one of the senior grounds staff at Twickenham, said the Cushman machine had been chosen because it wa road-approvied, making useful for when playing fields at the nearby Cardinal Vaughan Schoolwere and other local sports clubs were hired for additional parking on match days.

“Having a road registered utility vehicle is a great option and with its impressive load carrying capacity we can get jobs done quickly,” he added.

Other equipment from the Ransomes Jacobsen stable in use at Twicken ham includes an E-Z-GO ambulance vehicle for the removal of injured players from the pitch and a Ransomes HR300 out-front rotary mower which is also used for maintaining the grass car parks at Cardinal Vaughan School.

Ransomes Jacobsen, a member of the EADT/EDP Top100 listing of the 100 largest companies in Suffolk and Norfolk, is part of the US-based group Textron Inc which is involved in industries including aviation, defence, and finance.

Its brands include names such as Bell Helicopter, Cessna, Beechcraft, Hawker, Dixie Chopper and Kautex, Lycoming.