NZSTI was commissioned by Trimax Mowing Systems Ltd to undertake a trial to determine the mowing quality of its Merlin 320 fairway mower compared to a typical reel (cylinder) mower commonly used for mowing fairways on New Zealand golf courses.

The Merlin 320 is unique in that it features three inter-connected decks each housing three, twin bladed spindles. Each deck is able to move independently from each other and includes front and rear rollers. Anti-bounce skids can be mounted on each deck to help prevent scalping of more challenging terrain. Cut height can be varied from 10 to 100mm. There were no significant differences in the cut quality in terms of shredding rough cut edges or turf die back between the Merlin 320 rotary mower and the control (reel type) mower.