by Nick Drew | Thu 24 Jan 2019
Watermaster from Finland with Love
Time for something a bit different in today's blog post, with another assignment in Finland coming up soon, it jogged my memory about my visit to multi-function backhoe loader manufacturer Lannen Tractors back in 2017.
The long-established company has other machines in its portfolio including the Watermaster amphibious multipurpose dredger, some examples of which I was shown in a separate part of the factory away from the Lannen production section.
These strange looking pieces of kit look like they have come straight out of an episode of Thunderbirds, but it’s a well proven concept with many examples now operating around the world in over 70 countries.
The machines which are assembled in Loimaa can operate on dry land and out in water to a depth of around 6 metres. The Watermaster can be used with a wide variety of quick-change attachments and can be deployed to deepen shallow waterways, remove invasive vegetation and rubbish build up and to assist in preventing floods.
The following promotional video demonstrates very well how these machines move around and work, its impressive stuff!