LPG ATV Case Study - Lowther Park Farms

The management of 3,200 Scottish ewes and 360 Beef cows across a 2,700 acre estate in Penrith, Cumbria is now cheaper and greener thanks to a fleet of four Honda ATV’s all running on cleaner burning Calor.

The four Honda Foreman 450 LPG bikes which tackle Lowther Park Farms undulating grassland on a day to day basis are potentially saving farm manager, John Reid £6,000 a year on his fuel bill. The bikes are all refuelled from an onsite bulk tank installed and maintained by Calor, the UK’s leading supplier of liquefied petroleum gas (LPG).

The farm was already benefiting from the low cost of LPG, as 250,000 litres of LPG a year are used to maintain a constant heated environment for 170,000 broiler chickens. An additional two tonne tank was also installed by Calor, eliminating the time consuming and arduous task of carrying fuel for the bikes back from a local garage. By renting their on-site refuelling tanks from Calor, Penrith Lowther are now able to tap into a complete support package which ensures that the tanks are closely monitored and regularly filled up.

With the escalating cost of petrol, John Reid approached local Honda ATV dealer, Lloyds of Carlisle to look into the possibility of a LPG conversion kit. Lloyds is one of a growing network of Honda ATV dealers offering LPG conversion packages supported by Calor. The cost of converting each bike was around £500 and took Lloyds about four hours to convert.

Because of the demanding terrain which the ATV’s cover each day, the LPG conversion kits have been designed to be transferable, so when the bike needs replacing, the kit can be removed from one ATV to another, providing John with greater flexibility.

The environmental benefits of running ATV’s on LPG also tied into the farms green credentials. For sometime 1500 acres of farmland have been devoted to the Countryside Stewardship scheme which prevents the use of fertilisers and pesticides on land.

In April 2001, 3000 sheep were lost in a foot and mouth cull over a 3km radius. The devastation which foot and mouth brought was also a catalyst for some of the farm to be devoted to organic production. Commenting on the importance of environmental awareness, John said:

“The reduced emissions thanks to the cleaner burning qualities of LPG were also an important factor in our decision to opt for LPG. This coupled with the convenience of on-site refuelling and no risk of spillage and contamination of watercourses makes it a very viable fuel option,” continued John.

As well as economic and environmental benefits, the argument for LPG does not just stop there as converted ATV’s offer all the performance of petrol and diesel bikes.

“I have previously worked with petrol and diesel ATV’s and can see no noticeable difference in the performance of an LPG powered bike, it provides the same acceleration as a petrol driven equivalent and is not as noisy as a diesel, making it ideal for animal management across difficult terrain. LPG bikes also have the advantage of working well at low speeds, a requirement that is often needed when dealing with sheep and cattle,” said John.

Commenting on the rapid growth of the LPG market, Barry Ohrman, sales development manager said: “We have a product offer that gives ATV users a cheaper and more convenient alternative to petrol and diesel, which is supported by technical expertise from an ever expanding local dealer network.”

As industry leader, Calor has been supplying LPG for more than 70 years. With experienced staff and a nation-wide delivery network, Calor can offer unrivalled expertise and support wherever you are. From its customer support centre in Warwick, Calor offers a wide range of services and technical advice for the whole of the LPG market.