Council delivering with Ventrac

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Council delivering with Ventrac: North Lincolnshire Council is committed to delivering best value to its residents and demonstrated this with the recent purchase of two Ventrac 4500 all-terrain compact tractors and multiple attachments. Delivered and installed by local dealer Russells, the package also included two MU rotary mowing decks, one Tough Cut deck and a Tiller attachment.

So impressed with the versatility of the Ventrac, the council’s Green and Open Spaces Manager Carl Beacock, is already looking at adding an Aeravator, Contour mowing deck, Edger and Finishing deck to this ever burgeoning mini-fleet.

Council delivering with Ventrac

Council delivering with Ventrac

Prior to taking up this latest position, experience groundscare professional Carl Beacock spent 7 years as Grounds Maintenance Manager at the Riverside Housing Group and 9 years as Estate Manager for Kingston-upon- Hull Council.

“We were looking to replace our aging Aebi mower,” he said, “but I wanted to ensure that we achieved best value with an alternative machine that was more than a ‘one-trick pony’, albeit the Aebi is a very competent one!

“When researching the market, I spoke to some colleagues in the south of England, who provided effusive feedback on the Ventrac, especially its versatility. This sounded exactly what I was looking for – a machine that not only performs well as a mower, but one that could be used 52 weeks a year with the right attachments.

“We contacted our local dealer Russells, who quickly organised a demonstration and within less than a minute I realised it was the machine for us. It performs on slopes, its stability is excellent and every attachment does what we expect, ticking the box for versatility. We are mandated to maintain all green spaces in the area including parks, sports pitches, cemeteries and roadside verges. Traditionally we have been using ride-on cylinder and rotary mowers, but they are designed for one specific purpose. whereas the Ventrac is much more versatile.

“We can mow our sports pitches down at 25 mm, then change out the deck in a matter of minutes and be cutting down bracken and brambles. We have a policy of introducing more wildflower meadows across the area and for this this purpose we purchased the tiller attachment. This helps us quickly prepare the soil bed in readiness for the specialist seed mixes and we can do it on steep slopes. We can also use it when we are restoring football and rugby pitches.

“I think this demonstrates that we have purchased a couple of multi-capacity machines, that produce a finished cut on fine turf as good as our current cylinder mowers, but can fulfil numerous other functions. We have been blown away by their performance; every member of my team is commenting on how good they are and that doesn’t happen very often! Without a doubt, it’s a great piece of kit and the best investment I’ve made during my career.”

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NHS Tayside goes for ISEKI SF450

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NHS Tayside goes for ISEKI SF450: Malcolm Ross, Grounds Maintenance Manager at NHS Tayside has been buying kit from local ISEKI dealer Fairways GM’s Kinross depot since its inception, 18 years ago. His team is responsible for grounds maintenance of NHS Tayside’s portfolio of properties throughout Angus, Dundee, Perth and Kinross, which covers a variety of NHS locations of different sizes, settings and challenges.

“We’re not just municipal parks, we are hospital sites, and our aim is to create a well maintained and attractive greenspace environment when public come for treatment or to visit and when members of staff come to work or wish to enjoy our greens space at break times. The grounds are uplifting and create a feeling of well-being.

NHS Tayside goes for ISEKI SF450

NHS Tayside goes for ISEKI SF450

“We’ve had a long association with Fairways GM over the years, purchasing a range of products but the first machine was our Iseki SF300 in 2003. Due to the superior build quality and service, our mower has lasted the test of time hence, we haven’t purchased that many new pieces of equipment, until now, with Fairways GM Kinross our first port of call,” said Malcolm Ross.

“Iseki build is renowned; our SF300 has been super reliable so it’s testimony to its excellent quality that it is still going strong.  Admittedly, it has not been heavily used, but it still “punches above its weight”. The new machine will be a direct replacement.”

According to Malcolm, the SF450 has the adaptability his team requires: “We’re hoping it’s as consistently reliable as the last. Our previous out-front Muthing Flail proved its worth on our Ransome HR 300 so the new cut and collect facility on the ISEKI SF450 will be a big plus for us; the engine is more powerful, so more able to deal with wet and longer grasses when needed.”

Bobby McDougall, Commercial Sales Manager for Fairways GM said:

“The out-front flail deck gives a very impressive striped finish. Presentation must be on point for Malcolm’s team, but now they have the flexibility of being able to cut longer grasses with pristine results.  Throughout the year, they use other attachments and implements for gathering leaves or clearing snow, so this Iseki, with 48 hp, will be of enormous help.”

For further information on the full ISEKI range of mowers and tractors please visit www.iseki.co.uk or call 01473 599266.

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Ranger EV continues to serve Cannon Hall

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Ranger EV continues to serve Cannon Hall: Six months on from the delivery of the Ranger EV to Cannon Hall Farm, Farmers Robert and David and dad Roger are utilising all aspects of their new electric utility vehicle…

Featuring on Channel 5’s Friday on the Farm back in October, the Ranger EV has since become a regular guest star on the show, and behind the scenes too, helping with day-to-day farm life.

Ranger EV continues to serve Cannon Hall

Ranger EV continues to serve Cannon Hall

Robert Nicholson, from Cannon Hall Farm, said: “We’ve been really pleasantly surprised by the versatility of the Ranger and it is used every single day around the farm for various tasks. It surprised us by how brilliantly it handled off-road, it is really good in wet conditions and it makes life so much easier for us as it means we can get anywhere on the land without having any problems.”

At just 147cm wide, the Ranger EV is the perfect utility vehicle for fitting through gates and storing inside a barn or garage. Not only that, its smooth, silent motor means it will not spook any animals whilst in operation.

“We’ve used it way more than we thought we would because it is so adaptable – we have even got a tow bar on it now,” continued Robert. “It is used regularly for transporting animals, for training Pip and for checking the stock in our 125 acres of land. It’s been particularly useful in the snow if we’ve needed to bring any animals back to the farm. We’ve even used it to help Farmer David’s fitness regime – he wasn’t quite ready to pull a lorry so the Ranger EV was perfect.”

The Ranger EV has a 680kg towing capacity, along with 227kg bed box capacity for hauling things like animal feed and tools. Cannon Hall Farm’s Ranger EV has been fitted with a livestock canopy from TFM Engineering, which optimises the cargo bed for carrying livestock and for Cannon Hall Farm’s dog, Pip.

Given to Roger as a late birthday present last year, Cannon Hall Farm’s Ranger EV is well suited as an access-all-areas vehicle around the land with its on-demand all-wheel-drive technology to give it more forward traction when needed – especially helpful in muddy or slippery conditions – as well as ample space in the cab so Roger can easily get in and out.

Spot the Ranger EV on the latest season of This Week on the Farm on Channel 5, and catch up on-demand on My5.tv.

#FridayOnTheFarm

#ThisWeekOnTheFarm

To see Cannon Hall Farm’s latest adventures with their new Polaris Ranger EV, follow them on Facebook, Instagram or Youtube.

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Kubota is top of the class

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Kubota is top of the class: Taking grasscutting in-house has allowed site manager Ed Crawford to have better control of the mowing cycle at Horncastle Primary School, and a Kubota Z122R is just the machine for the job.

The Lincolnshire school accommodates 580 pupils from nursery-age to year six, and the four-acre site includes grass playing fields and lawns, from small areas around car parks to a one acre field.

Kubota is top of the class

Kubota is top of the class

“We have used a contractor in the past, but last year decided to do the pedestrian mowing ourselves. It then made sense to have a ride-on for larger areas, as we were paying £2500 a year just for grass cutting.”

A discussion with local Kubota dealer Irelands Farm Machinery, which opened its groundcare division last October, suggested that a Z122R zero turn would be the ideal solution.

Powered by a 19hp petrol engine, the mower packs a punch with a 1.07m (42in) cutting deck to tackle larger areas with ease, but features a clever zero turn steering system. This uses a pair of levers for precise control of forward and reverse and steering, allowing it to manoeuvre in its own length for effortless work in tight or tricky areas such as around flowerbeds or street furniture.

“It’s very manoeuvrable,” comments Mr Crawford, who is the main driver, “But can really move on and cover the ground on a longer run. The levers took a little getting used to but I was soon up and running; it’s very easy to operate.”

He notes that the twin blade rotary deck produces a high quality cut, and says: “The grass has always been cut with a cylinder mower, but I actually think the rotary is doing a better job. We’ve also got the flexibility to mow when the grass needs it, rather than on a contractor’s fixed schedule, and at a time and in conditions that suit us.”

Cut height will mainly be kept fairly consistent, but he praises the ease of adjustment allowing a taller sward to be left in spring and autumn.

“The Kubota has a good, comfortable operator platform and there’s a clear view over the deck,” Mr Crawford notes. “The deck lifts up and there’s a hose slot for easy cleaning out, and on our use so far, fuel consumption looks low,” he says.

Irelands Farm Machinery will offer servicing as needed, but Mr Crawford expects the Z122R to have low running costs.

“It’s a really well-built machine, much more robust than others that we looked at, so I think it will stand up well to the work and will last. We’re very pleased with our choice.”

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Bernhard announces distributor award winner

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Bernhard announces distributor award winner: Industry-leader in turf sharpening equipment and management solutions, Bernhard and Company, has announced Grasvardsmaskiner AB of Sweden (GVM), as the winner of its coveted European Distributor of the Year award for 2020.

Inaugurated in 2013, the annual Bernhard and Company Distributor of the Year awards recognise the successes of company distributors in all regions around the world. GVM, this year, claimed its third award after previously being recognised for its efforts throughout Europe in both 2015, for its Malmo branch, and 2017 for its Gothenburg branch. This time, it is the turn of the company’s Stockholm branch.

Bernhard announces distributor award winner

Bernhard announces distributor award winner

The Swedish distributor continues to proactively promote Bernhard and Company’s cutting-edge grinding philosophy, and demonstrates the values of close support and education, that fall perfectly in-line with the brand principles set out by Bernhard and Company.

The Stockholm branch, led by Sales Manager, Anders Axhamre, has led the way, in part, by achieving the highest number of sales in Europe of the premium Express Dual 5500 and Anglemaster 4500 machines since their launch.

Paul Wilcox, European Territory Manager at Bernhard and Company, commented: “For many years, GVM has been one of our most successful European distributors, and it has been a great pleasure to work with, and support its extensive team, throughout the branch network.

“They have had an outstanding year, not only with strong sales performances for our latest sharpening equipment, but also with the excellent manner in which they have promoted our brand philosophy.

“We very much look forward to continuing our successful partnership in years to come,” he added.

Bernhard and Company grinding machines are used by 80 of the world’s top 100 golf courses to ensure perfect, tournament-ready playing conditions year-round, while the company’s turf management solutions and educational support are utilised at major sporting events around the globe.

KNOW BERNHARD AND COMPANY?

A specialist in sports turf technology, Bernhard and Company is committed to providing leading turf care solutions to golf course and pitch care specialists worldwide. The Company offers innovative and market leading blade sharpening systems as well as sports surface air movement and moisture control solutions.

With over 150 years of being at the sharp end of the industry the Bernhard and Company product portfolio is focused on providing its global customer base with championship turf, world-class playability and unbeatable quality of cut. Bernhard and Company’s turf health solutions are used at top 100 courses and famous sporting venues around the world – there has to be a reason why. For more information, visit www.bernhard.co.uk.

Find Bernhard and Company on their official social media channels:

  • Twitter – @BernhardCompany
  • Facebook – Bernhard Company
  • Instagram – @BernhardCompany
  • Linkedin – Bernhard Company

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