In this series of articles, we will be sharing exclusive coverage from all aspects of the ARB Show 2023.
YOU couldn’t miss the Först stand at the ARB Show - and with good reason. The firm had gone all out to mark its 10th birthday in style, sponsoring the event and boasting one of its biggest selections of machines. There was also a Först demonstration area in a first for the exhibition.
“It is fantastic to be back,” Kenny Brock, sales director, said. “You think that this stand wouldn’t have been here like this before.
“2013 was the launch of Först. 10 years on, we have the biggest stand and are sponsoring the show. It’s been a huge success.
“I’ve only been with the company for six years, so haven’t seen the whole journey. But a lot has happened in that time.
“And a lot more will happen in the next 10, that’s for sure. Going forward we will invest very heavily in the R&D department. We don’t stand still, and never will.”
One way in which Först hasn’t stood still in recent times has been with the launch of its ST6P HD chipper. A ‘heavy-duty’ version of its best-selling product, the ST6P, it was released last year to coincide with the ending of towing regulations in the UK.
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With its spare wheel attached and more of a robust build quality, it features the same chipping performance as its predecessor and proved the highlight of Först’s stand.
“This model is very much designed for the UK market,” Kenny added. “We have the ST6P 750 kg; that’s been the best-selling six-inch woodchipper in Europe for probably five years now. It’s an excellent product.
“We developed the HD off the back of the UK changing its towing restrictions.
“It’s never easy to build a machine under 750 kg and keeping all the quality we want. At Först, we like to go the extra mile and keep build quality at its peak.
“Compared to our ST6P, you have a single-piece solid metal over the bonet, a metal hood over the chamber. The spare wheel is fitted on the machine with this model. It is going down very, very well.”
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