Modified Avant 860i Helps Transform the Tower of London Moat into Superbloom Spectacle

A custom made Avant 860i loader, supplied by Kellands Plant Sales, has been used to carry out what is regarded as the most significant UK landscaping project since the London Olympics which has totally transformed the centuries old moat at the Tower of London just in time for Her Majesty the Queen to celebrate her Platinum Jubilee.

Designed by Surrey based multi award winning landscape contractors Landform, the Superbloom project, which will open on the 1st June and run through to the 18th September, will see the moat turned into a field of flowers, with the planting of over 20 million seeds of 29 different varieties; it will also create a new wildlife habitat.

Landform has been creating quality landscapes throughout the UK for many years, offering a range of specialist services in hard and soft landscaping, and maintenance and design for private gardens, public and commercial spaces; it regularly constructs and designs award winning Show Gardens for the prestigious Chelsea flower show.

Managing Director Mark Gregory says the new Avant 860i has been an invaluable workhorse on the Tower of London site where it has been fully utilised since last October. “We have five Avant machines in the fleet. They are so versatile and easy to move from site to site. Since acquiring the customised 860i it has performed fantastically well.”

Modifications to the Avant 860i, which took several months to complete, included swapping its wheels for tracks, a conversion that was undertaken by Andy Cox at Moorend Limited in Gloucestershire who has over 30 years experience in tracked systems; his original four track technology was specifically designed for ecologically sensitive surfaces.

The four track system has improved the Avant 860i’s pushing power and has given it more grip, especially in wet conditions where conventional wheels can become bogged down. As each track remains on the ground at all times, it also offers the operator more comfort, and better manoeuvrability and versatility, as well as improved stability.

“Putting tracks on the new 860i has made it perfect for the project, especially
as much of the work has been carried out in the wet winter months.”

“We already have an Avant 860 with wheels, but we knew we would need something a little different for the Superbloom contract. Putting tracks on the new 860i has made it perfect for the project, especially as much of the work has been carried out in the wet winter months,” says Mark. It is understood to be the first tracked Avant 860 in the country.

A specially designed grader blade, made specifically for the project which has involved the moving thousands of tonnes of soil, has also been fitted to the Avant 860i; it was manufactured by Mumby Machinery Limited in Peterborough, (formerly BLEC) headed up by Gary and Sue Mumby who are highly regarded specialists in landscaping and turfcare equipment.

“We helped Paul and Gary design the blade, nicknamed ‘the Landform Vari-Grader’; we told them what we wanted and they produced it perfectly. It’s been performing very well on the site where large volumes of soil are being pushed around; we put about a thousand loads of material into the moat, about 10,000 tonnes of designed and manufactured top soil and manufactured sub soil,” says Mark. “The blade has been well up for the task.”

And commented Gary and Sue Mumby: “We were very pleased to have the opportunity to design the bespoke blade for the Avant with Mark and Paul, and are glad it was used for such a prestigious contract and that it worked very well for them.”

So, what does operator Edvinas Vaitekūnas think of the Avant? “It has more power, about five times more grip than with tyres, great traction and is easy to manoeuvre around the site, plus it comes with loads of attachments, making it a very versatile machine.”

Representing some of the largest manufacturers of construction equipment in the world as main dealers for the South West of England, including Develon, Mecalac and Merlo, Kellands Plant Sales became an official dealer for the Avant multi loaders in February 2022 when it bought Paul Helps Limited, the previous Avant Equipment dealer for 10 years. Paul Helps continues fronting Avant equipment sales at Kellands; he has many years of expert product knowledge and a clear passion for the multi functional loaders.

“We’d very much like to thank Andy Cox and Gary Mumby for helping us with the modifications on the Avant 860i, a process which began in May last year and was completed in October, when the machine began working on the Superbloom project,” says Paul.

Easily operated, with well-positioned controls, the Avant 860i has been
utilising a number of different attachments on the site

The Finnish manufactured Avant 860i is the newest loader in the Avant range; it was launched in 2020 and is powered by a 57hp Kohler KDI 1903 TCR 3-cyl diesel engine, with a lifting capacity of 1900kg and a lift height of 3.5 metres.

With several different cab options, this 860i features the L variant, giving the operator plenty of protection against the elements; a low noise level combined with excellent visibility and ergonomics guarantees a comfortable working environment.

Easily operated, with well-positioned controls and safe and easy access to the driver’s seat, the machine working on the Superbloom project has been utilising a number of different attachments; with Avant’s hydraulic multi-connector system for coupling the attachment’s hydraulic hoses, it guarantees easy and effortless connecting and detaching with a single hand movement. The mechanism is leak-free and cannot be connected in the wrong way.

The Avant 860i machine completed its work at the Tower of London moat at the end of April before it was transported to be used in landscaping at the Chelsea Flower Show. “We use the Avant machines on a wide range of projects,” says Mark. “They do exactly what they have been designed for. They are reliable and versatile which is why they are our preferred work tools.”