Getting to the bottom of the dike maintenance

Isle of Axholme Internal Drainage Board maintains 300k+ of waterways to the west of Scunthorpe. The current IDB came about from the amalgamation of 6 local boards in 2005, since when a detailed programme of plant renewal and maintenance has been established.

“Much of the machinery was due for replacement” explains Mark Pilkington, Works Supervisor, “and half the drain maintenance work was contracted out. Today 100% of the work is done in-house and we have achieved a situation where all machinery complies with health and safety and environmental standards”. Moreover, operations are now supported by the combined expertise of engineers and ecologists “ …tremendous  progress in five years”.

The Isle of Axholme IDB operates 3 tractors, one with loader and the other two with mid mount Herder Grenadier MBK 512 tool carriers. These have multi attachment capacity including flail mowers, weed mowing baskets and, in the case of their latest model, a mower head with bottom fraise and heavy duty conveyor belt.  The latter effectively clears mown debris from the lower points of the bank and deposits it along the top so leaving the burrows of water voles clear of obstruction. A compact rotary flail mounted on the business end of the flail head is designed to reach the bottom of narrow watercourses, thus providing two operations in one pass.

Mark admits that the introduction of the bottom fraise has had its challenges. “First time can be difficult. The drain width is critical. Too wide and you can leave some growth on the banks such as reeds which will quickly grow back; too tight and you risk destroying the habitat of the voles you are seeking to protect.” Having said which they are well on their way to reforming all drains to accommodate the system. One variation they have adopted is to reverse mount 2 of the 4 flail heads on the head, finding this works well especially in reeds and prolongs the flails’ working life through swapping them around.

Mark and Works Foreman Steve Towns are particularly impressed with the conveyor. “You can’t beat it” says Mark, “The grass is no longer left behind on the bank where it can be washed or blown back into the drain, building up in the pumping stations (the IDB has 17) and requiring removal. It’s saved us a lot of time and money”.

This system is mounted on a Massey Ferguson 6485 with low ground pressure tyres which the IDB selected as a perfect balance of power and weight, the whole assembly coming  within the 12 ton overall weight restriction.

Axholme IDB aim to de-weed every one of their drains every year and October to February sees a planned programme of re-forming and de-silting to improve the efficiency of the watercourses, especially around villages to minimise any risk of flooding.

Being mid-mounted, the Herder Grenadier MBK 512 offers clear vision for the operator and excellent stability. Operation is by a dual hand control. Once a job is completed the arm folds neatly over the cab permitting fast transportation to the next location. Steve Towns has the last word, “You are not going to beat Herder for reliability and strength”.