Kubota Keeps Wheels In Motion

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Kubota Helps Keep Wheels In Motion: When Lee Smith and Liz Marley moved to the Suffolk countryside in 2012, they left their established professions in engineering and law behind them for a more relaxing lifestyle.

Fast forward six years and they are proud owners of Poppies Care Farm, the first care farm in the UK to comply with Care Farming UK’s Code of Practice. Traditionally a European concept, care farms provide health, social and educational care services for individuals from a range of vulnerable groups.

Kubota Helps Keep Wheels In Motion

Located on a seven-acre smallholding on Purdis Heath, Poppies Care Farm has been in operation for four years and is accredited by Suffolk County Council. It features areas of woodland, pasture, and fruit and vegetable growing areas and is also home to four alpacas, seven goats, two donkeys and a range of chickens, guinea pigs and bees.

Through a dedicated learning programme, the individual needs of each participant is taken into account, enabling them to increase their social contact and build confidence through a range of activities that help them achieve realistic goals.

The team currently hosts up to 24 clients, who attend one or two days per week to partake in a range of activities including caring for the animals, farming projects, horticulture, wildlife conservation and wood working.

Speaking of the farm, Liz said: “When we first purchased the land we were unsure of what we would actually do with it, until a friend suggested that we transformed it into a care farm. Over the last four years it’s been a real pleasure to see the care farmers develop both their social and practical skills, from learning how to grow vegetables and tend to the animals, to making bird boxes and selling them at the local Suffolk markets.”

To enable the team to complete all of these activities successfully, they recently fundraised for a Kubota BX2350 tractor, trailer and LA423 loader to replace their existing Kubota machine. This was made a reality by receiving donations from Comic Relief, National Lottery Fund and Kubota UK.

Liz continued: “It’s been absolutely fantastic to have the new tractor here at the farm. We bought our previous Kubota machine when we first opened, and although it was over 30 years old, it did the job really well. However, as the size of our operation has grown, the Kubota tractor was being put through its paces more and more, so it was time to invest in a new machine.”

The BX2350 tractor was delivered by their local dealer Thurlow Nunn Standen after Liz and Lee visited the dealership to find out which machine would be right for the farm. As they had worked with a Kubota machine for three years, the couple knew they wanted another Kubota tractor due to its outstanding reliability and durability.

“The BX2350 was the perfect machine for us as the four-wheel drive makes the machine so easy for the care farmers to operate, along with the comfortable seat and simple to use layout of the levers and pedals. As many of the care farmers are unable to drive a car, they find real pleasure from being able to drive the tractor, with many of them able to successfully reverse the machine with a trailer on – something that is really tricky to do!

“We use the Kubota for a range of activities, from shifting heavy loads of wood, concrete and rubbish, moving and turning compost, to repairing the track to the farm. We are really grateful to Kubota for providing funds towards the tractor purchase, whilst also donating the trailer and loader. The machine supports our daily learning programme, enabling the care farmers to complete a wider range of activities that are all designed to support their ongoing development.”

For more information on Kubota and its wide range of solutions for the agricultural, groundcare and construction industries, call 01844 268000 or visit www.kubota.co.uk.

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Gamekeeper Wins Polaris ATV

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Carrbridge gamekeeper wins Polaris ATV in SGA prize draw: Long standing SGA member Ewan Archer expressed his gratitude to Polaris UK after taking delivery of his brand new Polaris Sportsman 570, won in the 2017 SGA raffle.

The Carrbridge gamekeeper, who works at Kinveachy Estate, was handed the keys to the hard-working ATV at the organisation’s Perth HQ on Thursday after buying his winning ticket through the SGA member magazine, Scottish Gamekeeper.

Fringed by SGA Chairman Alex Hogg, Richard Coleby of Polaris and Iain Stratton of supplier Stratton ATV Ltd, Ewan was delighted to get the first glimpse of his prize.

Gamekeeper Wins Polaris ATV

After entering the annual draw every year since the SGA formed 21 years ago, he admitted he entered the 2017 draw more in support than expectation of winning.

Luck proved to be on his side, though, and he was enormously thankful to collect the smooth riding sage green vehicle.

“Since the outset of the SGA, my family and I have always bought tickets but I didn’t believe it when my wife informed me I had won this year,” he smiled. “A lot of the estates around about us are using Polaris to great effect for grouse moor management and for day to day getting about.

“I am very grateful to Polaris. It is a very generous prize.”

The 44 horsepower ATV is built for safety off-road, with smooth suspension and All-Wheel Drive on demand, single lever brake system and automatic transmission.

It is already a highly popular choice on Scottish estates, as Director of Stratton ATV Ltd, Iain Stratton, acknowledged.

“Ninety five percent of our custom comes from sporting estates. A lot of gamekeepers will use them for feeding in areas they can’t reach with bigger machinery and for towing behind game feeders. It is great for deer extraction as well.”

SGA Chairman Alex Hogg was delighted to see the 2017 prize go to a long-time member of the SGA family.

On the back of successful partnership, the SGA and Polaris are set to renew their arrangement for 2018, with the raffle prize again set to be provided by the company.

“It is really important we have partners like Polaris,” said the SGA Chairman.

“I have used a 6 wheeler Polaris UTV myself for 5 years and it has been really good. In terms of this particular bike, it is a quality product, very sturdy with a good engine. I am sure it will suit Ewan perfectly.”

Polaris UK District Sales Manager Richard Coleby said the partnership was a win-win for all parties and both organisations are looking to make the most of their continued association in 2018.

“Shoots, estates and gamekeepers represent a big market for us, as a business, so it is important to support where we can in Scotland. We are probably the leader in the estates market so it is important for us to maintain profile. All our products are designed for heavy off-road performance so they really suit this type of work.”

Polaris Britain: 0800 915 6720 www.polaris-britain.com

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Foley United’s NEW Range Of Grinders

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Foley United’s NEW Range of grinders offers a sharpening solution for every budget and every method: Foley United is upping the game by adding three new grinders to their range, with 6 models to cater for every method regardless of budget, including the addition of their first spin only grinder in the Accu Spin 622.

A mission to offer a machine for every budget has seen Foley United raise the minimum expectation for grinders on the market by following their own in-house standards of Good. Better. Best. This follows the principle that sharpening cylinders through spin only grinding is Good, sharpening cylinders and removing taper is Better, and sharpening cylinders, removing taper and adding relief to OEM spec is Best.

Foley United’s NEW Range Of Grinders

Foley United is advancing spin grinding to a new level of speed, simplicity and unmatched performance. The new ACCU-Spin 622 series is packed with design features only available from Foley United. The Patented Rear Roller Mounting System locates the reel by the rear roller, minimising issues that can arise when locating the reel by the front roller and is standard on all Foley United table top reel grinders. The Live Shaft Spin Hub design effectively and efficiently produces a sharp edge in a shorter time.

A huge benefit of the new 622 series is that all the features from the SG and SGR models can be added to the base unit as an aftermarket purchase, if and when they are wanted. These features include the L.E.D Gauging that gives the operator an easy visual adjustment process ensuring the removal of taper and a perfect cylindrical grind every time.

Also available is the Auto-Index Relief Assembly. This has long been recognised as a labour free system that allows hands-free blade to blade indexing, making the final step to returning reels to OEM specs a simple, effortless process.

This trio of reel grinders all provide a high level of health and safety with the machine doors greatly reducing noise during grinding whilst simultaneously reducing any risks to health by preventing exposure to dust and vibration.

For Ian Robson, managing director at Foley’s UK distributor, ProSport UK, the introduction of the new machines has given his customers a far greater choice when it comes to finding a grinder to match their needs and budget.

“I think the most important thing about the new 622 series is the minimum standards have been raised,” Ian said. “Spin only grinding has been popular for a long time and whilst Foley are big advocates of relief grinding they now provide the best professional spin grinder on the market.

“Allowing customers the option to add to the base model gives greater flexibility in terms of budgets and grinding requirements. There’s already been a lot of positive feedback about that as we now offer even greater choice, with more Foley models for every budget and every grinding method.”

Joining the new machines is the economical but full featured ACCU-Sharp 618 precision reel grinder. With the ability to do touch-up spin but also perform gauging and relief grinding as well as an optional bed-knife grinding attachment. The 618 is the perfect entry level grinder and is the ideal choice for operators with a limited budget or smaller operations that perform limited grinding or as an alternative to purchasing used equipment with a starting price from as little as £15,750.

The final addition is the ACCU-Pro 661 AT/MT bed-knife.  Like the 618 it has all the features required of a professional grinder but at a lower price point.  Two versions are available the AT (automatic traverse) and the MT (manual traverse).

For further information visit our website: www.prosportukltd.com or Tel: Ian Robson on 07779270501.

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