Council Invests In Third Toro Machine

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Council Invests In Third Toro Machine: East Devon District Council has recently invested in a third Toro Groundsmaster 360 after its previous two models purchased in 2015, have proved to be a huge success with the Council’s groundscare department.

Dan Haydon, from the groundscare department, says that there were a lot of boxes for these machines to tick with reliability at the fore and the Groundsmaster 360 has ticked them all.

Council Invests In Third Toro Machine

“We have so many different kinds of grounds to maintain, from communal gardens and children’s play areas to sports pitches and cemeteries,” says Dan. “Having a robust, reliable machine that can adapt is vital and the Groundsmaster 360 does just that.

“Our machines need to be in use every day for eight and a half hours from spring until November; it’s a big task. With the two GM360s we’ve been using for four years, we’ve never had a problem, so it wasn’t a hard decision to purchase another one.”

The Council had been using triple cylinder mowers before purchasing the new GM360 rotary mowers. Due to government cuts, the frequency of cutting areas had to be reduced and its previous mowers weren’t able to keep the grass short for long enough, which is why the department opted to trial the GM360 zero-turn mower

The quad-steer all-wheel drive steering of the GM360 provides maximum productivity even in undulating terrain. Able to climb hills without slipping and make 180 degree turns without tearing turf, Dan couldn’t be happier with the machine.

“Whatever the weather or type of terrain – it performs across the board. We’ve seen a real improvement, and so have our other teams. We currently have eight teams across Devon, three of which have Toro machines, but now everyone is noticing the difference with Toro and there is definite potential in the future for Toro to pushed out across all the teams.”

For more information, visit: reesinkturfcare.co.uk

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PRO 34R A Hit At Beaumont

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PRO 34R A Hit At Beaumont: The new Dennis PRO 34R rotary mower is significantly improving the vast array of pitches at De Montfort University at Beaumont Park, says head groundsman Cameron Flitten.

Beaumont Park in Leicester has recently benefitted from a multi-million pound investment and has been transformed into an outstanding venue which boasts first-class sports facilities.

PRO 34R A Hit At Beaumont

In 2015 De Montfort University agreed a 25-year lease on the council-owned Beaumont Park and has been home to the university’s men’s and women’s football teams for past three years. The facilities are also widely used by the local community.

Cameron, who has been the head groundsman throughout this time, revealed that his interest in the Dennis PRO 34R was first ignited when he received a glimpse of the prototype model.

“One day their Area Manager was dropping some equipment off to me and on the back of the trailer there was a machine that I had never seen before. I asked him what it was and it was then that he told me it was the Dennis PRO 34R prototype.

“I had previously used Dennis Mowers in my former job at Loughborough University and I knew that they were reliable and renowned for giving a first-class presentation, so after asking a few questions, I was adamant that I wanted one.

“At the time it was winter and an incredibly wet winter at that. I was struggling to get on the pitches at certain times and ideally, I like to keep weight off the natural pitches so I was looking for an option where I didn’t have to take the tractor on. The PRO 34R seemed to be just what I needed.”

PRO 34R A Hit At Beaumont

The prototype which Cameron saw that day was launched at SALTEX 2017 with the sole purpose of gathering feedback from potential end users. Over the course of the next twelve months, the mower was refined and developed based on the input from the groundsmen who would eventually be using it. With no stone left unturned, the all new PRO 34R was unveiled at SALTEX 2018.

The Dennis PRO 34R is a 34” (860mm) rotary mower which has been designed to help groundsmen achieve an aesthetically pleasing appearance and desired playing surface. It is ideal for sports pitches and lawns producing the enviable ‘Dennis Stripes’ while a powerful vacuum flow collects debris quickly and efficiently.

The angle of the cutting deck and twin blades can be easily adjusted using a single ‘click adjuster’ ensuring the mower is suitable for changing conditions and meeting groundsmen’s requirements.

Unique features of the Dennis PRO 34R Rotary Mower include:

  • 5 forward and 1 reverse selection for speed of operation
  • 90 litre capacity grass box
  • Fully adjustable angle of deck for changing conditions
  • 2 section cast aluminium rear roller
  • Easy to use height of cut gauge
  • Single point height of cut adjustment for ease of operation
  • Optional front wheel or smooth/weile roller options
  • Front brush for standing grasses upright
  • Adjustable handlebars for operator comfort

“At this time of year, you are not really cutting; instead you are using it more as a vacuum cleaner,” said Cameron. “Ideally you just want to remove any loose fragments of grass, debris and soil which sits on the top of the pitches after use because the more organic matter you remove, the less disease you get. In this respect, the PRO 34R is superb and it has certainly helped to keep the pitches cleaner, which will also no doubt make my job easier when it comes to the renovations in spring.

“It also gives us brilliant presentation which is thanks to the roller on the back. I like the fact that it has the brush on the front, so it stands the grass up, the blades go over and then it hoovers it all up.

“The PRO 34R really is a fantastic piece of kit and it is doing a brilliant job. All the staff love using it – especially my assistant groundsman because I can never get it back off him.”

For further information or a no obligation demonstration, please contact Dennis 01332 824 777 or visit www.dennisuk.com

For more news, reviews and insightful views, you can follow Dennis on Twitter & Instagram @DennisMowers and like the company’s Facebook page – www.facebook.com/DennisMowersUK. You can also view the latest Dennis videos by visiting www.youtube.com/DennisMowers

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JCB Secure Plant Hire Deal

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JCB Secure Plant Hire Deal: JCB has secured a major deal with Plant Hire UK for new fleets of Loadalls and compact excavators worth almost £17 million.

The deal will see the leading UK hirer strengthen its construction machinery line-up by purchasing 300 new JCB Loadalls and 50 compact excavators along with site dumpers and tandem rollers.   The new machines will be put to work by contractors on construction and civil engineering projects across the country and will add to Plant Hire UK’s vast fleet of JCB machines.

JCB Secure Plant Hire Deal

Plant Hire UK Managing Director Graham Jones said: “As the construction sector goes from strength to strength this investment in new JCB Loadalls and compact midi excavators ensures our customers are guaranteed the highest specification machines with outstanding safety features and telematics support as standard.”

JCB Group Managing Director of Global Key Accounts Yvette Henshall-Bell said “Plant Hire UK has a reputation for delivering the best machines and market-leading service, which perfectly complements the JCB ethos. As the world’s number one telescopic handler, the Loadall has a proven track record that construction firms trust implicitly, while our compact excavators are hard-working on-site machines.”

The machines are supplied and supported by Gunn JCB. Managing Director Paul Hartshorn said: “Plant Hire UK is one of our largest and most successful customers. Gunn JCB depots are perfectly located to support the ever-growing number of machines as Plant Hire UK has continued to invest in its fleet.”

Plant Hire UK was founded in 2005 by Managing Director Graham Jones and Finance Director Wayne Illidge. Based in St Helens, Merseyside it has a national customer base, hiring, maintaining and servicing thousands of machines on sites across the UK.

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Reesink Secure Core Solutions Rights

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Reesink Secure Core Solutions Rights: Reesink Turfcare has secured the UK distribution rights for Core Solutions, a core collecting blade attachment from US-based Nordic Plow.

Designed for both golf courses and sports surfaces, this product fits perfectly onto all brands and models of aeration equipment and bunker rakes, such as, but not exclusively, the Toro ProCore 648 and 864 and Toro SandPro, to deliver an efficient and cost-effective way to remove cores from the playing surface in minutes.

Reesink Secure Core Solutions Rights

Jeff Anguige, national sales manager of Reesink Turfcare UK, says of the new addition: “Any tool that can complete a labour intensive process such as core clean-up with less manpower will generate interest. As a distributor we aim to bring our customers innovative products and the lightweight 64-inch collector means cores are removed as the turf is aerated in one pass and that simple fact makes it a perfect solution for core collection.”

The blade of the Core Solutions attachment has been developed to take into account the fact that aerating with the grain of the green or side to side reduces stress to the turf and results in a flawless scrape, says product manufacturer Nordic Plow.

Further advantages include the removable sleeve which removes cores on severely undulated greens without the need for tools and the adjustable scraper edge which can free float or lock into position. The brushes mean if you topdress first the cores can still be removed if the turf is wet and there’s no issue with small tine clear up. Despite them having less structure and more sand, which normally results in a difficult and time-consuming clean-up, Core Solutions handles this with ease.

Add to this the fact that it also creates tall piles of plugs with little spillage and has the added benefit of brushing sand deeper into the holes as it goes, and it’s easy to see why this is the latest addition to Reesink’s UK distribution portfolio.

Jeff concludes: “We’re continually looking to extend the range of innovative turfcare solutions we offer our customers, choosing those which align with what the market demands and that fit our values for quality and innovation. Core Solutions brings this, and more, to our portfolio.”

For more information, visit: reesinkturfcare.co.uk

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Kverneland Announce New Franchises

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Kverneland Announce New Franchises: Leading Cornwall and Devon agricultural machinery dealership, Vincent Tractors & Plant, has been appointed as a Kverneland dealer for Cornwall and South Devon.

This means that its branches at Fraddon and Smithaleigh (Plympton) now have Kverneland-trained engineers and an extensive stock of parts and machines, meaning that it is able to provide after-sales and service for both new and existing Kverneland customers.

Kverneland Announce New Franchises

Paul Vincent, Managing Director of Vincent Tractors & Plant said “We are delighted to add Kverneland to our range of agricultural machines.  Kverneland produces a superb range of machines including ploughs, cultivators, fertiliser spreaders, mowers, balers, wrappers and diet feeders”.

“The addition of Kverneland to our range of agricultural machines will allow us to offer our customers a wider range of products.  We have been listening to our customers who have said that they would like us to supply a wider range of tillage machinery.  The addition of Kverneland will allow us to do that as they produce an excellent range of tillage equipment.”

“We have our Grassland Demo Day on 9th May at Spriddlestone Farm near Plymouth.  Visitors will be able to try out a wide range of machines, including a number of different Kverneland products,” said Paul.

To find out more about the range of Kverneland products check out their website https://uk.kverneland.com/ or contact Vincent Tractors & Plant at Fraddon on 01726 860332 or at Smithaleigh on 01752 981090.

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ECHO’s New 58V Battery Trimmer

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ECHO’s New 58V Battery Trimmer: The new ECHO DST-58V2AH 58 Volt battery trimmer is small, lightweight and yet packs the power of a petrol trimmer to take on the toughest jobs. No longer is there a need to store petrol, mix two-stroke and fill a tank. Simply charge and go with a powerful trimmer built to the same professional standards as ECHO’s petrol versions, which means it’s durable and built to last. Low noise, low vibration operation and zero emissions at the point of use add to the already convincing case for using battery power. There’s no more cold starting, the trimmer is clean to use and store and requires minimal maintenance due to non-wearing parts.

There was a time when battery power was not enough to tackle long grass and stubborn weeds. The ECHO DST-58V2AH comes with a 2Ah 58V lithium-ion battery which produces all the power needed to quickly cut and clear large areas. The battery can also be used with other ECHO 58V products in the new range. Run time is thirty minutes and fully charging the 2Ah battery takes just thirty minutes with the quick charger supplied. There is the option of a 4Ah battery for longer run time. The trimmer features a robust brushless motor which is long-lasting and maintenance free, which also means reduced costs on servicing to add to the savings on fuel. The ergonomic front handle design is excellent for manoeuvrability and user comfort and the variable speed control enables optimised cutting power with precision. There is a hi-lo speed switch to select output for maximum performance or a longer run time. When the trimmer line runs out the Speed-Feed 400 trimmer head, which comes as standard, reloads in seconds without disassembly.

ECHO's New 58V Battery Trimmer

The ECHO DST-58V2AH is ideally suited to use in noise and emission sensitive areas such as schools and hospital grounds, parks and public gardens as well as around domestic properties. The new ECHO 58V range comprises the trimmer, a hedgetrimmer and power blower, which come with the interchangeable 2Ah battery as standard, and a chainsaw and lawn mower. If you buy the chainsaw or lawn mower they come with the 4Ah battery so you would have the benefit of extra run time for the other products you might need. You can find out more from your local authorised ECHO dealer, by visiting www.echo-tools.co.uk or calling 0800 597 7777 for more information

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DLF Join The Amenity Forum

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DLF Join The Amenity Forum: DLF Seeds, the world’s largest producer and distributor of grass seed, have become members of The Amenity Forum. They join over 70 other organisations, covering all aspects of the sector, to deliver research and information to those responsible for natural turf areas.

Amenity Forum Chairman Professor John Moverley commented, “We are delighted that DLF Seeds have joined the Amenity Forum and, by doing so, have demonstrated their commitment to delivering best practice in the sector. The forum advocates a fully integrated approach to amenity management, and choice of the right grass seed and its management thereafter is an important part of that.”

DLF Join The Amenity Forum

As part of their relationship, DLF recently hosted an update event at their Didbrook research station. On the day, DLF UK Breeding Manager Tony Strickland delivered an insight into their Global R&D amenity grass breeding programme, and the 16 years of development, profiling and testing that goes into bringing a new variety to market. The event concluded with a visit the Amenity plots, to look at DLF’s portfolio of cultivars currently under trial. John added, “The day was a fantastic opportunity to update those that attended on current policy issues, as well as to provide information on the new Assured Standard for the sector, which is due to be launched later this year.”

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Technical Features On New SCAG Ride-Ons

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Technical Features On New SCAG Ride-Ons: Major technical features have been introduced with the latest SCAG Ride-Ons, including the introduction of the “Tiger Eye” control panel. This is noticeably superior to the previous ones. The sales literature shows an eleven-point list of the features:

Real-time monitoring of the following systems (model dependent) :

  • Hourmeter
  • Volt Meter / Charging System
  • Engine Water Temperature (liquid-cooled models)
  • Engine Oil Pressure (on select models)
  • Glow Plug Indicator (diesel models)
  • Air Filter Condition
  • Control Lever Circuit
  • PTO Circuit
  • Parking Brake Circuit
  • Seat Switch Circuit
  • Safety Interlock Module

Technical Features On New SCAG Ride-Ons

To put this into more everyday benefits: The operator has a far greater amount of information immediately to hand, and there are pre-programmed, therefore automatic, service requirement warnings that come up, as well other alerts.

Also, the hot weather in 2018 led to greater than normal dust ingress risk – but the Tiger Eye has an air filter monitor, an excellent warning to prevent engine damage.

Another technical advantage from SCAG is in the Diesel / Petrol debate. The continued improvement of the EFi systems on various engines over the years has culminated in a system that can give same level of fuel efficiency as the diesels have done, leading to more effective HP levels on petrol engines and greater cutting power.

Technical Features On New SCAG Ride-Ons

The machines are available through the STM dealership network. To find your nearest dealer ring 01789 488450, email info@st-mach.com or look at our website www.st-mach.com

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Make Light Work Of Big Spaces

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Make Light Work Of Big Spaces: Versatile and strong, the STIGA Tornado robust side discharge tractors can handle a variety of terrain, from private playing fields, paddocks, vineyards, orchards to undulating lawns in any season.

With hydrostatic transmission as standard and powered by Briggs & Stratton or Kawasaki high performance engines these mowers provide superior cutting with top mulching performance. Side discharge comes into its own in longer grass conditions and leaves a uniform finish where the grass has grown too long to mulch.  The mulching plug can easily be fitted allowing efficient recycling of grass clippings returning valuable nutrients into the soil

Make Light Work Of Big Spaces

Top of the range is the Tornado Pro 9118 XWS, featuring 4 wheel drive and is powered by a twin cylinder Kawaskai FS691V engine; built to tackle heavy duty tasks and challenging terrain.  The cast iron front axle and large heavy duty 121cm cutting deck with three untimed blades is driven using premium quality pulleys and a Kevlar reinforced belt that has been designed for intensive use.  The fully floating deck is constructed from steel that is 25% thicker than usual along with lateral structural reinforcements and 6 anti-scalp wheels.

The large 15 litre rear mounted fuel tanks give the freedom to operate for long periods without the need to refuel.  The selection of seasonal implements ranging from poly rollers, carts, sweepers and snow blades make these tractors extremely versatile; making light work of big spaces

For more information about the STIGA Tornado range please visit our website www.stigalawnmowers.co.uk or visit your local STIGA dealer.

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Meet Mowing Challenges Head On

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Meet Mowing Challenges Head On: The unique 50:50 articulated steering makes the Park Pro Front cut mowers agile, perfect for large complex areas where manoeuvrability is tight around rocks, trees, corners and confined spaces.  4-wheel drive, power steering, electric height of cut and a range of other professional features come as standard.  The RAC Quick Connect system allows you to switch implements in minutes.  No tools are needed – just click them on and off!  With a selection of seasonal implements ranging from sweepers, snow blades, flail mowers, rakes and carts these mowers are truly versatile.

Visit www.stigalawnmowers.co.uk for more information.

Meet Mowing Challenges Head On

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