SCH Supply De Haar Castle

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SCH Supply De Haar Castle: British machinery manufactured by SCH is helping to maintain the historical De Haar Castle in the Netherlands.

De Haar Castle is the second most visited castle in the Netherlands. The gothic fairy-tale castle we see today was rebuilt from ruins in 1892 until 1912, with the designs sticking closely to historical accounts of the castles 15th century appearance. Many grand and luxurious features have been added inside, and the grounds that the castle sits upon have changed drastically during the renovation.

SCH Supply De Haar Castle

The castle is now surrounded by a large park, but this wasn’t always so. From medieval times until 1898 a village had been situated around the castle. The entire village was torn down and rebuilt 1.5 kilometres to the west so that the park could be created. To create a fully-grown appearance of the park as soon as possible, 7,000 40-year-old trees were transported to the surrounding land.

Looking after the 135 acre park surrounding De Haar Castle is a monumental task. The park includes many ponds, canals and bridges, as well as the famous Rose Garden and Roman Garden. The impressive park requires a large maintenance team, and the Dutch agent of SCH has recently supplied a fleet of trailers to help the ground keepers keep the site in perfect condition.

The trailers will soon become an essential part of so many tasks around the park, and SCH are proud that British machinery is helping to maintain the historical site. The heavy duty turn table trailer has its wheels mounted under the chassis so that the sides can be dropped down unhindered. The high mesh covered extension sides more than double the trailers carrying capacity, which is good news as the autumn leaves from thousands of trees will soon need removing.

The wide profile wheels give the trailer stability over rough or wet ground, and the chassis is of welded steel construction. The trailer is usually fitted with a clevis hitch so that it can be pulled by a small tractor or ride on mower, but the groundsmen at De Haar requested a ball hitch instead.

The castle is open to the public all year round, and our agent hopes that many will see the trailers hard at work over the coming years.

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Woodland Work At Fife Golf Trust

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Woodland Work At Fife Golf Trust: Thanks to Fife Golf Trust’s purchase of a GreenMech QuadTrak chipper and trailer, almost 20 years of little woodland management across a number of course in Scotland has come to an end. Fife Council owns seven golf courses and the Trust has maintenance responsibilities for all of them. Golf Courses Manager Paul Murphy and his team of 21 greenkeepers has now put the disposal of the woody waste firmly back on the agenda with their recent purchase.

“Each course is equipped with a basic fleet of machinery for routine maintenance, however we also have a bank of equipment that’s shared between the sites” explains Paul, who has been with the trust for five and a half years. Prior to Paul joining, woodland management had been on the back burner, something that changed two years ago. “We’re now a couple of years into a long overdue tree thinning programme, for which we use an external contractor. However, following the work they mainly conduct with tree harvesters, we found there was a lot of material that required clearing.”

Woodland Work At Fife Golf Trust

When hiring a chipper was ruled out for being too costly, Paul lead the search for a chipper that would fulfil the requirements of the various courses. “We looked at a few alternatives, but I was keen on the GreenMech product from previous experience. We had a demonstration of the QuadTrak from local dealer Henderson Grass Machinery and were impressed with how it performed. That, together with the back up support from them as a dealer and the no quibble warranty from GreenMech, sealed the deal.” Paul took delivery of the QuadTrak, together with a bespoke road-towable trailer in February 2018.

“Having the tracked chipper complete with a trailer gives us the best of both worlds. The self-levelling tracks are fantastic for work on uneven ground while the trailer makes it easy to transport the chipper around the course or between sites.” While it’ll earn its keep mainly between November and February, should anything come down during the season, the team are now equipped to deal with it. “The machine is simple to operate, build quality is fantastic and all of these elements combined will help us ensure our courses are tidy for the start of the season, for many years to come.”

For more information, visit: www.greenmech.co.uk

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Town & Country Launch New Products At GLEE

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Town & Country Launch New Products At GLEE: Since acquiring Town & Country just one year ago, E.P. Barrus has fully refreshed and updated its offering, with 2019 seeing 120 new products added, following on from extensive customer research and product development. The Town & Country stand at Glee will showcase the entire range, which includes new boots and gloves, as well as gift sets and gardening accessories.

The new Buckingham Boots, available in navy and green, are contemporary and stylish, combining the durability of PVC with the comfort of an integral 4mm neoprene sock. The contoured design and stretch-to-fit neoprene make them extremely comfortable to wear and are 100% waterproof, meaning that feet will stay dry whatever the conditions.

Town & Country Launch New Products At GLEE

The Burford Boots are available in navy, and, made of PVC, are lightweight, with a contoured design and fully lined inner for added comfort. The tread provides great grip for underfoot security on all surfaces

A very on trend addition to the line-up is the Chelsea Boot. These fashionable Chelsea style boots are easy to slip on with a stretchy gusset and comfortable liner. The lightweight PVC is waterproof and ideal for everyday use whilst providing the protection when needed, not to mention stylish good looks!

A very practical new product is the boot bag. Lightweight and durable, the PVC polyester coated bag will protect the home and car from muddy boots and has both a carry strap and shoulder strap to offer a choice of convenient ways to carry.

The ever popular Cloggies range has been updated with two new additions. The standard EVA Cloggies are now available in an attractive Navy Daisy pattern, as well as the green and navy, whilst retaining the comfortable, cushioned, design. These injection moulded clogs are great for ‘keeping by the back door’ and slipping on to pop into the garden or to take the bins out

The Furry Cloggies have the same supple, lightweight and contoured design of the EVA cloggies, with the added benefit of a cosy fleece lining for extra warmth and comfort. The outside is waterproof with a slip resistant sole and comes in either a Navy Star or Red Pattern design.

The range of Town & Country gloves has also been extended, with the Mastergrip leading the line-up. This unique glove uses patented Microfinish® Technology to provide up to 100% more grip than standard gloves. Originally developed for industry, these gloves provide control, safety, reliability and confidence. As well as the standard version, the glove is available in a variety of different guises to cater specifically for a range of gardeners, whilst providing unparallel grip with each one. The Mastergrip Pro is designed for professionals who use their gloves on a daily basis and demand the ultimate in grip and durability. The Mastergrip Thermal is perfect for winter gardening tasks, as it will keep hands warm in all conditions, whilst the Mastergrip Pattern is attractive and provides security for those with limited strength. Finally, there is a Mastergrip specifically for children; the Mastergrip Little Gardeners, the perfect glove for budding gardeners.

The UK’s most popular gardening glove, the Master Gardener, is now also available in a new design. The Master Gardener Lite has all the benefits of the original – soft, comfortable, providing great flexibility – in a lightweight version.

The Suregrip glove is available in twin packs, in both mens’ and womans’ sizes. Soft and comfortable, with a latex coated palm and finger, the sure grip pattern provides grip in both wet and dry conditions. The fitted wrists keep the dirt out and the breathable back makes gardening for longer more comfortable.

Another design that has been updated is the Ultimax. The new Ultimax, available in green, is hardwearing, comfortable and unequalled in its dexterity, with textured pads for grip and protection. It also has the added benefit of innovative, touch sensitive fingers to enable to use of smart phones without having to remove them – a modern day gardening essential!

The above are just a small selection of the new products to be launched by Town & Country in 2019. Visit stand 7J30-L31 to see all of these, and many more.

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New Toro Machines At SALTEX

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New Toro Machines At SALTEX: Toro distributor Reesink Turfcare is bringing the first super-duty utility vehicle, the Outcross 9060, and the brand’s new 12ft pull-behind rotary mower to SALTEX 2018. Both machines are designed to ensure groundsmen can do a lot more, with less, and will be on show on stand H010.

Jeff Anguige, national sales manager for Reesink, says: “The launch of the Outcross 9060 marks the first of its kind to be purpose-built for the management of fine turf. It combines the best elements of a tractor with a utility vehicle and delivers a machine that can do the work of multiple machines in one compact package.”

New Toro Machines At SALTEX

Powered by a 59.8-horsepower Yanmar liquid-cooled diesel engine, the Outcross can tow up to 16,000lbs and has an optional cargo bed that can hold 4,500lbs of materials. It simplifies operation, optimises power and brings the option of dozens of attachments to perform hundreds of tasks.

Following hot on the Outcross’s heels for making the groundsman’s life easier is the Groundsmaster 1200 pull-behind rotary mower. What’s interesting about this new machine is that it is, says Toro, a pull-behind more than worthy of being called a Groundsmaster such are its capabilities.

Productivity is high with a 12ft wide cutting width thanks to three decks which flow with the contours of the terrain for example and dual full width rollers which leave a well-groomed after-cut appearance. The height of cut can be adjusted from 0.5 to four inches, and its wing decks folded up to create a narrow 86-inch transportation width making it easy to get from site to site. Plus, the transport wheels feature a torsion axle and integrated torsion spring which means it can do its job smoothly and comfortably for the operator.

Jeff says of these new launches: “As with the entire grounds range, Toro focusses on productivity, versatility, flexibility and durability, and the Outcross and Groundsmaster are the perfect embodiment of all these things. Toro understands its market and that today’s groundsmen need to do more with less. Plus, they complement each other so well.”

In addition, there will be a full line-up from Reesink and all its brands. From the grounds machinery range will be the LT-F3000 triple flail mower and its innovative cylinder attachment option, and the large volume direct collect ProLine H800, which launched at last year’s show.

Representing Toro’s irrigation range will be the Lynx Central Control system and Infinity 55 sprinklers with Smart Access, TS90 and T7 sprinklers with TurfCup, a feature for hidden infield irrigation and seamless-looking turf, and the Flex 55 sprinklers.

For those managing ponds and lakes, needing to optimise oxygen levels to keep water healthy, there will be Otterbine’s best-selling Fractional five-in-one aerator which delivers the highest performance rate of any fractional aerator on the market. It will be joined on stand by the Concept 3, the aerating fountain that perfectly illustrates how industrial aerators can give the best of both worlds offering function and beauty.

Reesink will again have two stands with H080 being entirely dedicated to TYM’s range of compact tractors and accessories.

Reesink’s marketing manager Holly Jones, says: “There’s lots to look forward to for this year’s show. To have not one but two Toro launches is great for the sports and amenities market and I predict there will be a lot of interest on the stand as a result. We welcome everyone to come and see the line-up, discuss their needs and share experiences and advice with our specialist groundscare machinery team.”

For more information, visit: reesinkturfcare.co.uk

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High Standards From MM Seed

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High Standards From MM Seed: Cheltenham College’s Christian Brain has praised Limagrain UK’s range of MM grass seed mixtures for their role in helping him to maintain the high standard of pitches in his role as head of grounds at the prestigious school.

Located in the heart of the Cotswolds, Cheltenham College is a leading independent boarding school which dates back to 1841. Well known for its classical, military and sporting traditions, Cheltenham has approximately 700 pupils between the ages of 13 and 18 with many of whom go onto world-class universities such as Cambridge and Oxford. The College also features a prep school with pupils aged between 3 and 18.

High Standards From MM Seed

Christian is the man responsible for maintaining the grounds at both the main site and the prep school, and was initially drawn into the world of groundsmanship through his involvement with club cricket. He went on to work in a number of deputy roles in public schools before getting his opportunity at Cheltenham College.

Christian now oversees a team of four and ensures that the sports and surrounding grounds are at a consistent quality all year round.

“As you would expect, we have cricket in the summer term and then we change into rugby which lasts pretty much up until Christmas,” he says. “After Christmas, it is mainly football and rugby sevens until Easter with hockey which is played on our artificial surfaces.”

Christian relies on both Limagrain’s MM50 and MM60 grass seed mixtures which he uses on the winter pitches, outfields and cricket squares.

“We overseed our winter pitches with MM60 and this is done twice a year,” he says. “Once in August so we are ready for rugby and then we apply again in the spring. We overseed with MM60 after we’ve scarified the smaller cricket squares during the renovation period – purely because it is a stronger mix and can withstand winter sport.”

As Christian says, Limagrain’s MM60 grass seed is renowned for performing incredibly well on winter pitches and produces an excellent playing surface. It is a 100% Ryegrass formula which is perfect for renovation and divot repair, has a high disease resistance, fantastic aesthetic qualities and offers extremely fast germination. MM50, is arguably a more popular choice for cricket groundsmen. This superior mix contains the perennial ryegrass cultivars, Venice, Alison and Malibu, which are renowned for providing a great sward. It features excellent shoot density along with tolerance to close mowing making it particularly suitable for cricket squares.

High Standards From MM Seed

“I’ve been using MM mixtures throughout most of my groundsmanship career and I don’t have any reason at all to change. Both MM50 and MM60 are very strong mixtures, we’ve never had any problems with them, the recovery is very good and they withstand a lot of wear.”

Both MM50 and MM60 are boosted by the inclusion of Headstart GOLD®. Developed using the latest scientific findings and field experience, Headstart GOLD® is a natural revolutionary grass seed treatment that ensures rapid germination and is perfect for enhancing performance on grass seed coatings for sports fields, golf courses, lawns and amenity turf.

“The seed is always quick to establish – it is strong and has good rooting. They are just great products which perform well and provide great colour all year round. The mixtures are always available and are easy to get hold of which is another benefit.

“I also have a good relationship with Matt Gresty who is always on the other end of the phone if I need him. He is also quick to offer technical advice as and when it’s required.”

For further information, please contact Limagrain UK on 01472 371471 or visit the company’s website www.lgseeds.co.uk/mm

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