Increased Efficiency With Först XR8

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Increased Efficiency With Först XR8: Total Tree Solutions UK Ltd is reaping the benefits of enhanced efficiencies through its use of a fleet of Först XR8 woodchipper’s, where the machines innovative Traxion Embankment System allows the arboriculture specialists to complete rail trackside and highway vegetation management with increased efficiency.

Total Tree Solutions UK started out as a one-man operation in 2005 and the business has since continued to grow year-on-year. Now employing 15 staff, Total Tree Solutions UK has positioned itself as one of the leading arboriculture contractors, specialising in rail, highways, utilites, construction, commercial, industrial and forestry sectors.

Increased Efficiency With Först XR8

Richard Sanders, Managing Director and founder of Total Tree Solutions UK Ltd, said: “Over the years, we have become very effective at providing trackside tree and vegetation clearance services, so much so that we carry out work on the UK Rail Infrastructure for an extensive range of clients. In addition, a lot of our work consists of vegetation clearances for Highways England and Leicester County Council.

“Due to this nature of work, my experienced team of arborists spend a significant proportion of their working day operating adjacent to railway lines and motorways, so it’s vitally important that we utilise equipment that not only allows us to complete jobs to the high standards our customers expect, but also allows my team to work safely and effectively in high risk environments.

“This is where the Först XR8 woodchipper comes into its own. The XR8 has been designed specifically with rail contractors and arborists in mind that need to tackle embankments and difficult terrains. The machine can travel along steep slopes with ease, which allows my operators to overcome the daily challenges of accessing hard to reach areas of railway or motorway sites.

“In addition to the Traxion Embankment System, the Först XR8 is an extremely powerful and robust woodchipper that chips volumes of wood fast and hardly gives us any maintenance issues, allowing my team to just concentrate on the job at hand and saving the business valuable time and money.”

The XR8 Traxion is a fast, powerful and exceptionally versatile 8” x 10” capacity woodchipper that has been designed to traverse banks and slopes up to 35 degrees with ease.  It features a parallel linkage leg system that allows users to expand and retract legs independently for safe and stable tracking on the bankside, as well as class leading ground clearance (height of 695mm when fully expanded) to negotiate difficult obstacles.

Richard concluded: “We have utilised Först’s XR8’s since 2015 and I can see us expanding this fleet as our business continues to grow. The versatile XR8 is a pivotal part of our business operations and allows us to complete railway and motorway jobs to the highest level.”

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Junior Football Club Picks Campey

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Junior Football Club Picks Campey: Moss Bank Juniors Football Club have taken control of their own pitch maintenance for the first time and have chosen Campey Turf Care Systems machines to help improve pitch quality for the future.

The Bolton based junior football club was founded by current club secretary, Marcus Howarth, in April 2006 with just 25 players, and 12-years later the club has grown into a community hub with 350 children playing in 27-teams – including boys, girls and mixed teams – while also offering cricket, rounders, and kids clubs.

Junior Football Club Picks Campey

“Around two years ago we signed a lease on the land, this process was a first for Bolton council because they handed the pitches and maintenance over to us,” Marcus explained.

“Three to four years ago the FA, through their Pitch Maintenance Programme, carried out a survey on the land because it’s very flat and it holds water. This survey highlighted that the surface was compacted. The grassroots are only growing down to around three-inches and are then growing horizontally rather than vertically and that’s because of the compaction.”

For Moss Bank Juniors the pitches are their revenue and improving their condition was paramount to further growth within the community. Recognising compaction to be their main issue, the club sought funding to purchase equipment to rectify the problem.

Investing in the future of the club he founded was a step in a new direction for Marcus who sought expert advice through the FA before consulting Campey’s UK & Ireland sales manager, Ian Campbell, who recommended a New Holland Boomer 40, Trimax Striker 190, Sisis Quadraplay and Sisis Multislit to solve the turf issues.

Marcus has been impressed with the company from the moment he visited the factory whilst obtaining quotes and is full of praise for Ian and Campey for their continued support from purchasing through to installation.

“The drainage is completely fine on the pitches, so the work to be done is reducing the compaction. The council don’t have the time or the manpower to spend working on the pitches. That’s why we’ve bought a Sisis Multislit and the other machines because the experts have told us that by getting air into the ground the roots should start to grow down to ten-inches rather than the three-inches they are at just now.

“The contract started two-years ago and for the first 12-months we marked the pitches for match days while we got the funding through the FA, Football Foundation and the Premier League, but now we have the equipment we can have a very concentrated two-years of intense maintenance on them that will completely resolve the issue, and the pitches will be near perfect within that two-years.

“The pitches are our bread and butter. Even though we are a community asset we charge for using them so it’s our revenue. We are hoping to get deals with local schools and Educational bodies, so they can use them during the day because currently they aren’t being utilised.

“We have also got one local primary school, which is only 300-yards away with no grass facilities, so we are hoping they can also use them throughout the school year.”

Improving the quality of the pitches and increasing the revenue of Moss Bank Juniors will allow them to continue their work in the community and build on what they can offer with other projects, such as becoming Ofsted accredited to host a youth club, also ongoing for this ambitious club.

For more information, visit: www.campeyturfcare.com

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Syngenta Appoint Glenn Kirby

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Syngenta Appoint Glenn Kirby: Glenn Kirby has been appointed by Syngenta as the company’s new dedicated Technical Manager for the UK Turf & Landscape business.

Glenn brings 25 years’ experience of practical turf management skills from both downland and parkland environments, along with experience from both corporate and members’ golf clubs. He has held the Course Manager’s role at Hockley Golf Club in Hampshire and, prior to that, as Head Greenkeeper on the Heritage course at The London Club in Kent. He has also been through the Ohio State University programme in the US, including championship preparation at the prestigious Oak Hill Country Club, along with a wide range of other tournament experience.

Syngenta Appoint Glenn Kirby

Throughout his career to date, Glenn highlighted his commitment has been to deliver great playing surfaces, alongside an environmentally sustainable and economically viable business. “The ethos has been to use innovation to achieve results, and to get the most out of the available budget.

“Syngenta has been at the forefront of helping me to achieve that on the golf course. This exciting new role gives me the opportunity to support more greenkeepers and to help the industry to adapt to the changing picture of products, pressures and integrating technical innovation on a wider scale.”

Glenn will be working alongside Syngenta UK Business Manager, Daniel Lightfoot, to give an unrivalled understanding of issues facing the UK turf industry, and together utilising the company’s immense R&D capability to develop practical solutions for an effective Integrated Turf Management approach.

A renowned champion of the Syngenta Operation Pollinator initiative and an advocate of improving the accuracy spray application techniques on his own course, Glenn will be looking to use his Technical Manager role to enhance the industry’s position and to further develop young greenkeepers’ skills in these areas.

Daniel Lightfoot added: “The new Syngenta role of a Technical Manager dedicated to the UK continues the company’s commitment and investment in the turf industry. Glenn will have an important role to launch several new products and science based innovations over the coming months and years, including a programme to provide information and support for their best use and to achieve the optimum results in practice.”

The Syngenta Turf & Landscape Technical Manager role covers the company’s range of products and services for all golf and sports turf surfaces, landscape management, professional horticulture and professional pest management.

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Ransomes HM600 Launch

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Ransomes HM600 Launch: Textron Specialized Vehicles Inc has announced the launch of its new Ransomes® HM600 flail mower. The mower features heavy duty flail heads from the revered manufacturer, Müthing.

Building on the foundations of the Ransomes MP wide area mower platform, the HM600 features a powerful 65.2hp Kubota turbo diesel engine and has been developed to meet the expanding needs of grounds maintenance teams.

Ransomes HM600 Launch

The HM600 has a cutting width of 3.2m (1.6m at front) with all mowers engaged, combining a high cutting capacity with exceptional productivity. In fact, the HM600 has the potential to save operators up to 21.5% on cost per each m2 cut over established less productive models.

The size and design of the HM600 brings new levels of versatility to flail mowing.  It is superbly manoeuvrable, can turn fast and cut close to parkland furniture.  The fingertip control of individual units makes trimming around obstacles easy. Operators can then fold up all units securely to transport easily between work areas and access confined sites.  The unique combination of this versatility and productivity can eradicate the need for a second mowing team to travel to the same location.

“We have developed the HM600 to tackle some of the issues that grounds maintenance teams face such as extended cut cycles and an increase in the variation of topographies,” Lee Kristensen, Ransomes Product Manager, said. “The HM600 features mulching technology from Müthing, ensuring a superior after-cut appearance, and an even spread of clippings even in wet conditions. The cutting units also feature rear rollers so the option to stripe sports pitches or finer turf is available.”

This combination of technology from Ransomes and Müthing will allow users to produce a clean, fine, rolled finish for sports pitches, or make light work of routine cuts, leaving an even spread of mulched clippings. It is also able to tackle irregular cuts, bringing the lesser maintained areas back under control. The HM600 can visit one work site with the versatility to do it all, the productivity to do it fast and the technology for a superior finish.

Visit www.ransomes.com to find out more.

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DJUKE Purchase Ventrac 4500

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DJUKE Purchase Ventrac 4500: DJUKE, the specialist sports turf maintenance company, managed by former Queenwood course manager Cameron McMillan, has purchased a Ventrac 4500 compact tractor and a range of implements to bolster the company’s service portfolio to golf courses and other turf-related businesses. The new machinery package was delivered and installed by local dealer, RT Machinery, based at Nether Winchendon, Aylesbury in Buckinghamshire.

Cameron McMillan, who was at Queenwood for 15 years through the initial construction phase, grow-in and the opening in 2001 until 2015, is one of the McMillian dynasty that has managed many prestigious golf courses in the south of England.

DJUKE Purchase Ventrac 4500

“We purchased the Ventrac to broaden our service offering to our growing client base,” he said. “Since establishing the company in 2015 we have become known as aeration and drainage specialists through our DryJect, Graden and PC Drainage franchises. We are now enhancing our range of services to help customers maintain everything within the boundary of their property,

“Our initial purchase included Ventrac’s ToughCut deck, the Power Rake and a Power Brush. Woodland management is a time-intensive task for any on-site greenkeeping team. The ToughCut deck is excellent for managing these areas; it can cut through bracken, brambles and young saplings with ease and leaves a very acceptable finish.”

“The Power Rake is very impressive. We had a demonstration on a foul day and it renovated the surfaces of machinery pathways and golf car paths with ease. The Power Brush is typical of Ventrac’s attachments, easy to connect to the tractor and highly efficient in use. I can’t believe how compact, powerful and manoeuvrable the Ventrac is, whichever attachment is connected.

“Without doubt this addition to our fleet will enable us to improve the non-playing surfaces for our clients and provide business opportunities that were not previously open to us. I’m delighted with the machinery package and the superb service provided by Rupert Price and his team.”

Cameron McMillan has been in the fine turf industry for 36 years, beginning his career as a trainee at Sunningdale in 1982. He moved to Liphook as head greenkeeper at the tender age of 21, before getting involved with his first construction project at Pffafing Golplatz in Bavaria in 1990. In 1992 he joined Laleham Golf Club in Chertsey as course manager, moving to Stockley Park before taking the position at Queenwood in 2000.

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