The Sculthorpe Moor Community and Nature Reserve in Norfolk has chosen a Polaris Ranger 6x6 off-road utility vehicle to tackle its challenging combination of marshy ground, scrub and woodland and lack of roads.
The nature reserve is managed by the Hawk and Owl Trust and works to conserve owls and other birds of prey in the Wensum Valley. The charity needed a vehicle that could cope with the off-road conditions and help transport its volunteers around the site, carrying out tasks such as planting, coppicing, and maintenance of the habitat.
Local Polaris dealer Linstead Farm and Garden Machinery provided a Polaris Ranger 6×6 for testing against several other machines.
'We needed a machine that could cope with our particular terrain, with no roads and a lot of marshy areas,' explained Adrian Blumfield, the Trust's executive director. 'In the test the other vehicles very quickly got stuck. The Polaris was the only one that did not'
The Polaris Ranger has six-wheel independent suspension with up to 12 inches of ground clearance and a powerful 800cc engine. This means it can provide excellent off-road traction and a smooth ride. With a 39-gallon capacity, it can also carry the large number of tools and other equipment required by volunteers. The rear dump box has a 1,250 lb capacity for larger loads and the one-tonne towing strength is more than enough to manage the draw bar weight of the Trust's large trailer.
