Crewe Alexandra Football Club’s grounds team invest in two Dennis ES-34R electric rotary mowers for the Mornflake Stadium
Crewe Alexandra Football Club's grounds team is embracing battery-powered technology with the Dennis ES-34R rotary mowers, using the professional 34-inch twin-blade rotary mower to deliver high-quality pitch presentation and clean-up while reducing noise, vibration, emissions and running costs.
Josh Whalley, Head Groundsman at Crewe Alexandra, is solely responsible for the playing surface at Mornflake Stadium and works with a three-person grounds team overseeing the stadium pitch alongside a 16-acre training ground.
For Josh, groundskeeping has been a lifelong passion. His father began working in the industry 22 years ago, and Josh started accompanying him as a young child. He began divoting at the age of six before progressing through his apprenticeship at the club and eventually taking responsibility for the stadium pitch.
“It’s a big responsibility and a big site to look after, but with the skill and class within the grounds team, I’m really positive that we do a good job and that we strive for the best possible standards that we can.”
Continuing a long-standing relationship with Dennis
Crewe Alexandra Football Club has a long history of using Dennis machinery, with Josh highlighting the reputation of the brand among professional grounds staff and the quality of finish achieved by its machines.
‘’Dennis have been around for quite a while now, and you speak to several other ground staff within the industry who use Dennis and you hear nothing but good things.When there are clubs with a long-standing tradition of using Dennis, and as we see here at the stadium now, the quality of cut that machines give off and the overall quality and standard of machines, it was a no-brainer really.”
The ES-34R continues that relationship while introducing the benefits of Dennis’ battery-powered E-Series technology to the club’s operation.
Built for pitch clean-up and presentation
The Dennis ES-34R is a 34-inch (860mm) battery-powered twin-blade rotary mower designed specifically for fine turf maintenance and sports pitch clean-up.
At Crewe, the machine is used predominantly after matches to remove debris from the playing surface. Its contra-rotating steel blades and precision airflow system are designed to lift and collect clippings, debris and surface material in a single pass.
Josh particularly values the machine’s ability to work against the existing mowing pattern.
“We use the ES-34R predominantly for cleaning up after a game and removing any debris from the surface.They’re a really good machine for going against the pattern like we have today, getting the grass stood up with the brushes and really giving it a good clean out.”
The front grooming brush helps stand grass upright, while the machine’s collection system allows the grounds team to clean and present the surface efficiently.
The ES-34R can also provide a finish comparable to a cylinder mower, making it suitable not only for clean-up but for presentation and routine turf maintenance.
“One of the main benefits with the ES-34R is the quality of cut,” said Josh. “It allows us, if we’ve got a tight turnaround in fixtures, to really prepare a game with these machines.”
“They give off a good finish. They’re aesthetically pleasing, and the overall quality doesn’t really differ too much from a cylinder mower, which is really pleasing.”
Electric technology delivers quieter matchday operation
One of the immediate benefits Josh noticed when moving from petrol to electric was the reduction in noise.
Post-match is often a busy period at a football stadium, with media interviews and other activity continuing around the pitch. The low-noise operation of the ES-34R allows the grounds team to continue cleaning without creating the same disruption associated with petrol-powered machinery.
“One of the reasons we switched from petrol to electric was media after a game,” said Josh. “When we’re hoovering up, we’re a lot quieter. We’re not being asked to stop, and media can continue to do their interviews post-match.”
The ES-34R is designed for ultra-low hand-arm vibration and low noise, supporting extended use and making it particularly suited to stadium environments where grounds teams may need to work around players, staff, media and spectators.
Josh added: “On the petrol models they give off quite a lot of vibration. One benefit with the electric is the hand-arm vibrations are almost zero so we’ve not got the worry and we can protect staff in every way possible.”
Supporting a more sustainable approach
Sustainability was another important factor behind the move to battery power.
The ES-34R uses a British-made 111Ah/5.76kWh lithium-ion battery and delivers zero-emission operation at the point of use, eliminating the exhaust fumes associated with petrol-powered equipment.
“The way the industry is going now, there’s more and more clubs moving over to electric,” said Josh. “We see it within cars – we’re all going electric now so I was really pleased to move over to electric and start our sustainability journey here at Crewe, because I think it’s really important that we protect the environment in any way we can.”
The reduction in emissions is also welcomed from an operator perspective.
“Using the electric over the petrol as well ensures that we’re not sniffing in fumes all day,” said Josh. “So that’s another benefit. It provides a good health benefit for the grounds team here.”
Alongside reduced emissions, the ES-34R can help reduce fuel consumption, maintenance requirements and overall running costs compared with petrol-powered alternatives.
Control at the operator’s fingertips
Josh also highlighted the machine’s programmable colour LCD display and keypad, which provides the operator with information and control over key functions.
The display provides information including battery charge, ground speed and distance covered, while allowing operators to adjust settings such as walking speed, blade speed and reverse operation.
“One thing I like with the electric is the screen, the onboard screen. You get to see and set your revs per minute, so you can adjust it if you need to.You can also adjust your walking speed. So if it’s not quite collecting as much debris as you’d like, you can slow the machine down. It gives you a lot of flexibility when using the machine in terms of revs per minute and walking speed. I like the fact you can also see all your servicing hours on the machines’’
The ability to alter blade speed according to conditions is particularly useful when collecting debris in different turf and weather conditions.
Designed for professional grounds teams
With an 860mm cutting width, two contra-rotating blades, an 80-litre grassbox and adjustable forward speed from 2.0 to 8.5km/h, the ES-34R is designed to combine productivity with fine turf presentation.
Its two-section aluminium rear roller provides ease of turning while producing a strong stripe, while the click-adjust height-of-cut system allows simple adjustment between 15mm and 50mm.
For Josh, ease of operation is another important advantage.
“To me, they’re a lot easier than using petrol,” he said. “They seem a lot lighter. Turning at the ends of the pitch is a lot easier. Overall, the balance of the machine and how it moves on the pitch is really good.”
“It’s stable and it’s well built, really strong.”
Battery performance removes range anxiety
Battery life is an important consideration for any professional grounds team moving away from petrol, but Josh has been impressed with the ES-34R’s performance.
“One of the main benefits with the ES-34R's is the battery life,” he said. “We can hoover this pitch up twice and still have about 10% battery left in.”
The ES-34R is designed to complete a full pitch on a single charge, with a rapid recharge time of under two hours.
“That’s one of the main things with electric – how long’s the battery going to last and what efficiency are we going to get out of that battery?” Josh explained.
“To be able to hoover up twice and still have 10% left in is really pleasing.”
The combination of battery capacity, rapid charging and on-board battery information gives operators greater visibility over the machine’s available working time.
A recommendation from the grounds team
After putting the ES-34R into regular use at Mornflake Stadium, Josh believes Dennis’ electric technology represents a significant step forward for professional sports turf maintenance.
“I’d definitely recommend the Dennis series to any other ground staff up and down the country,” he said.
“If you’re looking for an efficient mower that’s good quality, gives off a good quality finish, and you do see that in the pitch, then Dennis is certainly the way to go.”
“I’m really pleased with the overall quality of our machines here and I’m looking forward to working further with Dennis in the future.”