Visit Makita UK At SALTEX 2017

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Visit Makita UK At SALTEX 2017: Makita UK will be returning to Saltex this year which takes places at the NEC in Birmingham 1-2 November 2017.  Makita will be on stand K190d within the BALI Zone.

Visit Makita UK At SALTEX 2017

The BALI Zone features and promotes leading BALI Registered Affiliate and Contractor members.  Also confirmed for 2017 are Boningale Nurseries, M&M Timber, Green-tech, Ground Control and British Sugar TOPSOIL.

The Makita UK stand will showcase the ever-growing garden machinery range suitable for professional landscaping contractors, groundsmen and forestry workers.

“We are delighted to be joining the BALI Zone at this year’s Saltex and to be teaming up with other leading names in the landscaping industry,” says Mark Earles, Business Development Manager, Makita UK.  “Our cordless range will be taking centre stage but visitors will be able to learn about the entire range including our petrol and electric models.”

The 18v battery platform makes it economically viable for the tool owner as there is the option to purchase the ‘body only’ version of the tool if you already have the battery.   This battery platform has set an industry benchmark but still continues to expand with innovations such as the twin-18v battery 36v application.

Using battery powered grounds care machines means that exhaust emissions are zero – petrol engine exhaust fumes are eliminated and the risk of ground contamination from spilt petrol and oil is removed altogether. Many Makita grounds-care machines offer a considerable reduction in vibration and can be used all day without harm to the operator.  Where traditional machines make an awful noise, the battery powered Makita tools are significantly quieter whilst still delivering a professional performance. This quiet approach means teams can work around parks, schools, hospitals and cemeteries without causing nuisance and annoyance.

SALTEX is the UK’s national event for grounds care, sports turf, amenities, estates and green space management, as well as turf care and specialist machinery, landscaping and playgrounds.  Free to visit, SALTEX is the UK’s biggest event for the grounds care sector.  Register here www.iogsaltex.com/visitor-registration

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Toro Puts Thorndon Park In Pole Position For Centenary

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Toro Puts Thorndon Park In Pole Position For Centenary: With its Centenary year on the horizon in 2020, Thorndon Park continues to invest in Toro to ensure it sees in its new century in pole position. 

Toro Puts Thorndon Park In Pole Position For Centenary

The 18-hole golf club in Essex has been using Toro since 2007 and its most recent order consists of three Reelmaster 3575-D fairway mowers and a Workman HDX-D. The machines joined an extensive Toro fleet at the parkland course which appears in the UK’s Top 100 Golf Courses list.

Robert George, course manager since 2005, says these machinery choices were made with preparation for the Centenary in mind. “This will of course be a big milestone for the club. Our members demand a high-level of presentation at all times and with the club’s 100th anniversary coming up we may well make course alterations. The latest Toro order means we’re almost 100 percent Toro, putting us in the best position possible to maintain the course and prepare for any additional jobs a big event such as a Centenary brings.”

This the fourth Toro leasing agreement Robert has arranged, and he says it was the easiest of them all. “We have not had one issue with our Toro machines in all the time we’ve been using them, so this was an easy sell. In fact, this was the first time I didn’t need to go through a competitor comparison, the management board went with my suggestions for renewing based on how well the brand has proven itself.”

So, what led the decision for Robert to purchase three Reelmaster 3575-D fairway mowers? “Purely their speed,” he says. “We can double cut the entire course inside four hours with the RM3575-D. We don’t interrupt the golfers and it makes cutting the fairways an easy job for everyone.”

This ease of use and nifty movement of the RM3575-D may have something to do with the fact that it is one of Toro’s most lightweight machines, weighing 500lbs less than comparable four-wheel Toro mowers.

And while the quality of the machines has been evident in their reliability and the results they produce, Robert continues to remain impressed with the service and back-up he receives from Reesink Turfcare and rep Richard Freeman, saying he “can’t fault” them.

Robert concludes: “My job is as much about the course condition and presentation as it is about customer satisfaction. With Toro I know that we will not only get the job done, but we will get it done efficiently and to the standards our discerning members expect.”

For more information, visit: reesinkturfcare.co.uk

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Gabba Groundsman Kevin Mitchell To Step Down

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Gabba groundsman Kevin Mitchell to step down: Long-serving Gabba curator Kevin Mitchell, who has prepared pitches at the Australian cricket fortress for over 30 years, has said he will step down after the series-opening Ashes Test.

Gabba Groundsman Kevin Mitchell To Step Down

The Brisbane venue has long been acclaimed for the quality of its pitches, which invariably offer pace and bounce for fast bowlers, turn for spinners and the possibility of big totals for batting sides.

‘I’d taken a step back from the physical side of work and engaged in more of a guidance role with the team to see out my contract while helping to recruit my successor,’ Mitchell told Brisbane’s Courier Mail.

‘I want to thank the grounds team for their continual efforts to meet the high standards required and maintaining the culture of having great pride in producing quality playing surfaces.’

Queensland sports minister Mick de Brenni paid tribute to Mitchell for laying the foundation for some of Australia’s most dominant performances.

‘Kevin truly is an icon, and to have kept producing an absolute world-class deck on a ground that’s used all year round has taken a particular talent. So, absolutely, very, very big shoes to fill,’ he said.

Mitchell learned under the wing of his father and former head groundsman Kevin Mitchell Snr, who tended the grounds from 1975-89 before being succeeded by his son.

‘The great West Indies side were out in those days with the four big quicks and Clive Lloyd, Viv Richards and the like… and I just thought, “what a great place to work,”‘ Mitchell said in comments published by state broadcaster ABC.

‘The Gabba is a famous, iconic, historic stadium, and you feel that responsibility to create something that Queenslanders are proud of. You have to love the job – it’s a big part of your life.’

Australia have not lost a Test at the Gabba since 1988, when they were beaten by West Indies, and only two of the last 13 matches have been draws – a sequence that has seen the ground garner the nickname ‘The Gabbatoir’.

Australia play the Ashes series opener on November 23, four years after thrashing England at the same venue by 381 runs when left-arm seamer Mitchell Johnson took nine wickets.

England opening batsman Jonathan Trott’s struggles against the short ball at the Gabba saw him promptly exit the tour with a stress-related illness and Australia went on to whitewash England 5-0.

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