Early SCAG mower located – two miles away!

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Early SCAG mower located –  two miles away!: A recent chance conversation revealed a homeowner only two miles away from the STM head office in Warwickshire who has a 1992-build STZ ride-on mower.

The STZ was the first Zero-Turn Ride-On SCAG produced, and one is still retained at the plant in Wisconsin.

Early SCAG mower located - two miles away!

Early SCAG mower located – two miles away!

But Alan Griffith, here in leafy Warwickshire, has one too.

He explained:

“In 2000 we brought the property ‘The Wharf’ in Wilmcote, though the process was unusual.

We made a good offer that was increased twice but still did not secure the property. Eventually we received a tender form because of the high level of interest.

It was not a basic form, though. We had to price everything that was up for sale. Apart from offering a sum for the house, we also had to price separately: the dining table, study desk, hens, geese, peacocks, pot belly pigs and 2 on-site mowers.

The Scag was one of those mowers and it was obvious that it was several years old even then by the knocks it had had to the deck.

We have 4.95 acres of which we cut about 2.5 to 3 acres regularly.  The Scag we use on the heavy areas so over the years it has had to put up with a fair amount of hard work, hitting pot holes, tree roots etc. Over the years the Scag has been used about 2.5 hours per week .

The great thing is it has been very reliable, once battery is charged up at the start of the season.  I have usually serviced the machine every year and no major problems have occurred except that 3 small plates have had to be welded to the top of the deck.   The first bearing on the deck needs to be changed this winter so I will change all 3. Also an oil seal has started to leak on the Briggs and Stratton engine; this is the  first major issue with the engine.

We plan to keep it going as long as we stay at The Wharf.  Can’t think of a better lawn mower particularly as we have so many trees to cut around.”

On the one hand it’s good to know that a SCAG mower has so much life in it.

On the other hand, if everybody kept their mowers that long, we’d never sell any new ones!

We’re grateful to Alan for his story, and to Jake Segrin at SCAG’s Wisconsin headquarters for tracing the manufacturing date.

SCAG 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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New Automower® offers productivity and flexibility

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New Automower® offers productivity and flexibility: Last year, Husqvarna announced its new virtual boundary technology EPOS and that the company was going to pilot test it on selected markets. After successful testing during the spring and summer, the first ever Husqvarna robotic mower with virtual boundary technology, Husqvarna Automower® 550 EPOS, will now be launched.

Husqvarna – global leader in robotic lawnmowing – is now, after months of thorough testing internally and with customers, launching the new high capacity Husqvarna Automower® 550 EPOS robotic mower. Its satellite-based virtual boundary solution offers new levels of flexibility, convenience and performance for areas up to 5,000 m2.

New Automower® offers productivity and flexibility

New Automower® offers productivity and flexibility

The pilot of the Husqvarna Automower® 550 EPOS robotic mower with virtual boundary technology included 100 robotic mowers in four countries. It was, for example, tested at Royal Djurgården in Stockholm, the Ullevi Stadium in Göteborg, Munich Airport, La Seine Musicale in Paris and at a baseball stadium in New York.

Gunnar Björkman, Park Manager at Royal Djurgården, a park with more than 15 million visitors each year, tested the Husqvarna Automower® 550 EPOS robotic mower during the spring and summer. He said: “The main benefits we saw from testing the Husqvarna 550 EPOS robotic mower was the easy installation and the flexible area management which allowed us to create temporary stay out zones when lawns were being used for events or closed off for other reasons. With robotics using virtual boundaries we can use robotics for 75% of our mowing, compared to 25% previously.”

At the “Planten un Blomen” park in Hamburg, a Husqvarna Automower® 550 EPOS robotic mower was installed in collaboration with Elbgarden OHG on a demanding public area of 1,200 m2. The test area is located in direct connection to a footpath and an artificial lake, where events such as the music-accompanied water light games take place. Matthias Olinski, head of the “Planten un Blomen” park in Hamburg, was impressed by the performance and flexibility of Husqvarna Automower® 550 EPOS.

He said: “It offers many advantages over conventional mowing technology, especially in terms of flexibility. We no longer have to plan whether we have enough staff for mowing. This offers more time for other work like grooming or bed care. Via the app, we can manage when the robotic lawnmower should run or pause. During organised events, for example, we can easily adapt the mowing work to the respective situation – very practical and user-friendly.”

Husqvarna’s virtual boundary EPOS technology is a high-precision satellite navigation system that delivers an accuracy of 2-3 centimetres, giving the user a new level of flexibility and offers a robust and flexible installation on areas with an open sky.  The virtual boundaries also enable aerating and scarifying without breaking physical wires and the user can change boundaries and transport paths from their phone. With the Precise Area Management feature, several work areas can be defined with different timers and settings, including cutting height. It also makes it possible to create temporary stay out zones.

Kevin Ashmore, UK Manager of Husqvarna Professional commented: “We are extremely proud to bring the new Husqvarna Automower® 550 EPOS robotic mower to the market. Utilising Husqvarna’s EPOS technology, it offers a sustainable and cost-efficient solution that simplifies maintaining large green spaces. Being battery powered it emits no fumes and the light weight of the mower and low electric energy consumption reduce its carbon footprint.”

Operating with low noise levels, it is suitable for environments that require some degree of noise control – for example at golf courses, football stadiums or in urban areas such as city parks. For a convenient user interaction, as well as easy maintenance and handling, it is possible to monitor and control Husqvarna Automower® 550 EPOS through the Automower® Connect and Husqvarna Fleet Services™ apps.

Husqvarna Automower® 550 EPOS will be available from May 2021 and costs £5,199 inc. VAT for the unit and £1,099 inc. VAT for the reference station. The reference station can serve multiple machines.

For more information, visit the Husqvarna website: https://www.husqvarna.com/uk/lawn-garden/professional/professional-robotic-mowers/epos/

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Gorleston Golf Club Go Jacobsen

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Gorleston Golf Club Go Jacobsen: With an ageing fleet and the decision made to replace it, quality of cut, comfort and simplicity saw Gorleston Golf Club go for nine new Jacobsen mowers.

Situated in Norfolk, the course hugs the coastline with stray shots on some holes in danger of landing in the North Sea. Its location in East Anglia makes it England’s most easterly course, with the seventh green claiming the accolade of being the most easterly in the country.

Gorleston Golf Club Go Jacobsen

Gorleston Golf Club Go Jacobsen

The new fleet of machines including three Greens King 522s, an AR320, and three GP400s were selected by Course Manager, Danny Perring, with the backing of the greens committee and the advice of Jacobsen dealer Ernest Doe.

Various manufacturers were assessed throughout the procurement process. Still, it was what the Jacobsen’s offered as a package, including the service of Ernest Doe’s Groundcare Area Sales Manager, Stuart Patterson, that impressed Danny the most.

“The golf club was in a situation where we needed to renew all our machinery, and that is what initially drew us towards Jacobsen,” Danny Began. “The best way of doing this was all together in a package deal, so we put some quotes together, and other manufacturers came in, Ernest Doe with Jacobsen were on top of the job, and they came back really quickly.

“The quality of cut on all the mowers is brilliant. It’s as good if not better than anything I’ve used before. The whole simple factor of Jacobsen is they don’t make things too complicated, the machines are easy to maintain, they’re comfortable, and the guys really enjoy using them.

“That’s one thing myself and the guys really like about Jacobsen and also it’s the aftercare and maintenance. Ernest Doe and Jacobsen are always quick to get someone here within 24 hours. We never have any mowers out of working order for more than 24 hours, and that’s one of the main reasons we bought and went with Jacobsen.

“In the past at previous jobs, I have used other manufacturers, and Jacobsen was just as good if not better in quality of performance and to top everything off the price was good value for money. Nobody else could really touch the price, and that’s how we settled on the mowers and using Jacobsen.”

Simplicity with maintenance and operation combined with a signature high-quality cut has always been the cornerstone of Jacobsen machines. Providing comfort where it is needed on the AR320, simple maintenance with the swing-out centre reel on the GP400 or an easy to use command systems on the Greens King 522 allows operators to consistently make the most of the high-quality cut.

For more information on the Jacobsen range, contact your local dealer or visit www.jacobsenbuilt.com.

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Cees van der Pols passes away

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Cees van der Pols passes away: Kioti UK Ltd have confirmed the sad passing of Cees van der Pols.

Patrick Desmond the General manager for Kioti Uk comments that, “For Kioti UK Cees was a great and much loved figure head, mentor and friend. He was well known throughout the Groundcare industry. His contacts went back many years and all have great tales to tell of their experiences doing business with Cees.

Cees van der Pols passes away

Cees van der Pols passes away

The family have been taken back by the high volume and warmth of the messages that have received from across the world. No one can believe that a man who, right to the end was full of so much life and vitality.

Cees suffered a heart attack Wednesday  18th Wednesday  2020. Regrettably he never came to. He died surrounded by his family the following evening”.

Piet van der Pols makes the following statement.

“It is with great sadness that we have to inform you that our father, husband and grandfather Cees van der Pols, passed away on Thursday, November 19th. We feel deflated and words cannot express our loss.

Led by Cees van der Pols, initially with his brothers, our family business, founded in 1933, has grown over the last 40 years into a leading company in the groundscare- and recycling industry. With his entrepreneurship and great business vision, Cees has managed to secure many import contracts for the Dutch market and helped our company to grow to it’s current position.

In 2015 Cees had decided to take a step back and let the next generation take over the business. As passionate and lively as Cees was, he was still heavily involved and working on a daily basis in the company.

Since 2016 one of his pet projects and passions was the launch of Kioti UK. The success of the company was a result of his energy and vision.

Cees van der Pols, a remarkable person, an entrepreneur, a leader, a beacon and above all an example for everyone, is no longer with us. Cees van der Pols reached the age of 70 and will be missed by all.

On behalf of the family and staff,

Piet van der Pols

Director Technische Handelsonderneming C. v/d Pols & Zn. And Kioti UK Ltd.

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Further accolade for Turf Matters in top awards

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Further accolade for Turf Matters in top awards: Turf Matters proved that last year’s triumph in the International Turf and Ornamental Communicators Awards was no fluke by winning big again in the delayed 2020 Awards.

Turf Matters Designer, Tim Moat, won two categories for Best Cover (May-June 2019) and Best Single Page Design, while Editor, Scott MacCallum, also took two Firsts – a first equal in the same category of Best Writing, for Stadium of the Future (NovDecember 2019) and What a Rush! (Sept-Oct 2019).

Further accolade for Turf Matters in top awards

Further accolade for Turf Matters in top awards

In addition, for the second year in a row, Scott was awarded the Gardner Award for the Best Overall International Entry for his Stadium of the Future, article which focussed on the new Tottenham Hotspur stadium and the great work Darren Baldwin and his team carry out.

“Tim and I are absolutely delighted. We always strive to bring our readers the best possible magazine and we feel that by winning awards our work is rubber stamped,” said Scott.

“Having independent industry experts assess our work is a useful exercise whether we win Awards or not. That said, it is much more gratifying to win!” he added.

Turf Matters was joined in the winners’ enclosure by Greenkeeper International Editor, Karl Hansell, and Designer Libbie Waddleton, who also picked up several awards.

Turf Matters’ winning entries can be viewed at turfmatters.co.uk – magazine