Tewkesbury Park get the break they need

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Tewkesbury Park get the break they need: Protruding roots on fairways and approaches were causing mower damage and affecting play at Tewkesbury Park, but the Imants RootPruner supplied by Campey Turf Care Systems, provided a clean and easy solution.

Removing roots meant excavating around the area, which would cause disruption and look unsightly. For Course Manager Paul Hathaway this was unacceptable because it was at odds with his standards.

Tewkesbury Park get the break they need

Tewkesbury Park get the break they need

The golf resort was recently voted number 50 in the Todays Golfer best golf resorts in Great Britain and Ireland. Keeping these standards on the 6554 yard, par 72 Deerpark course meant finding a solution, and Paul found it in the RootPruner.

“We noticed the roots protruding through the surface of a few approaches and fairways, and these kept being caught by the mower, damaging the blades and putting the mower ‘off-cut’,” Paul explained.

“This was more noticeable during the drought we had last year. We tried to dig and cut them out, but the mess looked unsightly and didn’t stop the roots from coming back. I always feel prevention is better than cure, so I decided to search for a machine to cut the roots near the canopy of the trees so we wouldn’t damage the health of the trees but stop the roots from encroaching into play.

“In the past, I have used an excavator to create a root break, but the disruption this caused wasn’t suitable to the standards we expect the course to be in, so we needed a machine that would create a root break but be efficient, neat and tidy.

“With the RootPruner, we were able to get around the entire course with ease and were very surprised how quick it was. The roots we went over have been removed, so we don’t have any protruding the surface, and so far, we don’t have any new roots coming through, so I am hopeful this will continue.”

The RootPruner cuts roots up to 100mm in diameter with no clean-up, making it useable on the course with no worries of shutting holes through surface damage. It also has the ability to decompact tight, narrow areas with ease and includes a unique patented triple-reduction planetary gearbox for smooth, maximum torque drive to the rotor shaft. The RootPruner also features a factory set, torque limiting PTO shaft eliminating all shear bolts and spring clutches.

For a parkland course, it can be an invaluable machine. Paul heard about it from a club in the local area who have shared similar results, and seeing it on his property once was enough to convince him to purchase his own unit.

“Once we had the demo, we were very impressed with the smoothness, cleanness and size of the roots it would cut,” he said.

“I would definitely recommend the RootPruner for any parkland golf course. It’s a machine that is so quick and easy to use, it will save you downtime and money on repairing mowers which are damaged from hitting tree roots, and also make the surface better from not having roots protruding through the surface.”

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RHS Wisley calls on Otterbine

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RHS Wisley calls on Otterbine: RHS Garden Wisley has chosen Otterbine to provide its flagship garden with sustainable irrigation.

Otterbine’s 25HP Polaris Giant Fountain was installed at RHS Garden Wisley in Woking as part of the Royal Horticultural Society’s project to create a new rainwater capture lake, providing great quality irrigation to one of the largest plant collections in the world.

RHS Wisley calls on Otterbine

RHS Wisley calls on Otterbine

In today’s climate, water can be a scarcity and harvesting rainwater supports the conservation of this vital resource. The water has to be good enough quality to use though which is where Otterbine’s 25HP Giant Polaris fountain steps in.

Matthew Pottage, curator of RHS Garden Wisley, explains: “The Giant fountain is installed in our new lake which is connected to our garden irrigation system. The lake collects winter rainwater for summer irrigation and the Otterbine aerating fountain makes the water good enough to use.”

Otterbine’s fountains have the highest oxygen transfer rates in the industry and the Polaris is the brand’s largest floating fountain. The geyser-like spray of the Polaris throws water droplets into the air where they attach to oxygen molecules that can then be absorbed into the lakewater.

Matthew, who oversaw the aesthetic of the new landscape and horticulture around the lake, explains there were additional reasons for choosing the Otterbine Giant Fountain: “The Wisley is one of the UK’s most visited and best-loved gardens, attracting around a million visitors each year and we wanted to use the opportunity to create a new atmosphere and beautiful place for visitors to enjoy and relax at Wisley.

“The lake is designed in an ornamental fashion and the fountain’s visual beauty and the fact that it muffles noise disruption from a nearby road helps bring a sense of theatre and peace to the space,” says Matthew.

Another benefit of the Otterbine Polaris Giant fountain is its unique launching system that eliminates the need for cranes during installation in most applications, despite its size. Miles Water Engineering was responsible for the build of the lake and the subsequent fitting of the fountain. “The whole thing was easy and efficient. We are very grateful for that,” Matthew comments.

Installing the new rainwater capture lake is not the only change to the grounds that RHS Wisley is undertaking. Matthew says: “We are planning a massive new landscape of grasses and perennials with Piet Oudolf, a world-renowned planting designer.”

To find out more about how the Otterbine range of aerators and fountains can help your lakes and ponds, contact Reesink on 01480 226800, email info@reesinkturfcare.co.uk or visit reesinkturfcare.co.uk.

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Aspen delivers clean and convenient power

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Aspen delivers clean and convenient power: More than a decade since he first started using Aspen Alkylate fuel in his tree surgery business, The Arborist Ltd, Owner Tony Gascoyne says he’s never looked back.

Having originally switched for the health & safety benefits for him and his team of operatives, he notes the reduction in mechanical failures and simplicity of bulk delivery and invoicing has brought a new efficiency and convenience to his operation.

Aspen delivers clean and convenient power

Aspen delivers clean and convenient power

Tony founded the Mansfield-based business 23 years ago after a period spent working in Stockholm, with the majority of his day-to-day workload made up of domestic tree and hedge maintenance. “Everyone in this industry knows the unpleasantries of working with 2-stroke fuel – the haze, the smell and the overarching health concerns of breathing in those hazardous emissions everyday” he explains. “Despite it being a Swedish brand, I didn’t actually come across Aspen during my time in Sweden, but instead got into conversation with them at a trade show roughly 10 years ago.”

“It was really the health benefits for the operator that appealed to me, but based on the other claimed USP’s such as reduced engine component failure and the extended shelf life I gave it a go and it has really delivered on every front.” Being free from ethanol and most of the other hazardous hydrocarbons traditionally found in unleaded petrol from the pump, Aspen Alkylate fuel burns cleaner, reducing the negative impact on the operator, machinery and surrounding environment.

“One thing that became apparent very early on was the reduction in problems we were having with carburettors. And with Aspen being pre-mixed, you eliminate the variability of having to mix in 2-stroke oil so you get guaranteed consistency in every can.”

Tony explains that Aspen is used in all their 2-stroke engine equipment, primarily chainsaws – some of which, at the larger end of the scale, are used fairly infrequently. “Our 088 chainsaw for example might only come out once a month, and it doesn’t seem to matter how long it’s been sitting in storage, it’ll always start first time with Aspen.”

Further labour savings are also found with the safe and simple bulk delivery of Aspen to site. “We get one delivery and one bill a year which keeps everything simple and means we’re not repeatedly making trips to the forecourt. The fireproof Transbank storage container holds 60 five litre cans so we pop one in the truck, and a spare, and off you go.” He concludes, “When you start to add up the savings from fewer servicing bills combined with the convenience angle, it starts to stack up in a commercial sense as well as a safety one.”

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Guernsey States Works switch to TinyLineMarker Pro X

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Guernsey States Works switch to TinyLineMarker Pro X: At the end of February 2023, Origin Amenity Solutions delivered their latest GPS guided robotic line marking machine, the TinyLineMarker (TLM) Pro X, to the States Works Propagation Unit in Guernsey.

Richard Langmead manages the Land Management section of States Works, where the team carry out grounds maintenance predominantly for States of Guernsey local Government which includes maintaining school grounds, parks and gardens, social housing, coastal areas, and cliff paths, as well as health properties including the main hospital.

Guernsey States Works switch to TinyLineMarker Pro X

Guernsey States Works switch to TinyLineMarker Pro X

 

Richard comments, “The primary use for the line marker will be to mark out sports pitches on our education sites. We will also be offering a service to other sports clubs on the island. My team used to mark out by hand using a manual line marking machine but this is time consuming and as our workload has grown so has the requirement for us to be faster and more efficient.  I decided to purchase the TLM Pro X robot for many reasons but mainly the efficiencies the robot will give us.”

Tiny Mobile Robots is marketed and distributed exclusively in the UK by Origin Amenity Solutions which brings together four leading industry names – Headland Amenity, Rigby Taylor, TurfKeeper.com and Symbio.

Packed with a range of brand-new innovative features, the TLM Pro X is an exciting new GPS robot designed to make line marking projects as streamlined and effortless as possible.

Richard adds, “As a business we were looking at ways to do tasks more efficiently and are always looking at technology to try and help with this. We came across the TLM Pro X on the internet. The potential cost savings on labour and the ability to have a pitch marking service that we could offer to other sports clubs on the island did appeal and fitted in with our business plans.”

“We have only just started using the robot, but it has already made the initial marking of the pitches much more efficient, and we certainly expect to see the savings in labour costs going forward.”

The TLM Pro X easily manages line marking from start to finish, whether it’s initial marking or overmarking. The robot runs on the ultra-reliable RTK (Real-Time Kinematic) network which means it doesn’t need a base station like some robots use. The robot will mark or remark  the pitch in the correct location every time, even if previous lines have disappeared. Once set up it incredibly simple to use and very reliable.

The TLM Pro X has over 200 customisable pitch templates which include sports pitches, athletic tracks, and parking.  “The ability to quickly and accurately mark out various pitch templates is a fantastic benefit to us.” Richard adds.

A popular new feature of the TLM Pro X is the multi-select tool and Richard agrees that it gives a “noticeable time saving.”  This tool gives users the ability to queue up multiple pitches to be marked out in a specific order of their choosing. The robot will then mark out the designated areas without having to recalibrate the robot each time. To help avoid problems, the robot displays the route it will take to mark out all queued pitches, so the user can ensure that the path is clear of obstructions for a seamless line marking project. As a part of this feature, the robot also gives an estimated time of completion as well as the distance to drive so users know when they can expect their project to be completed.

Working hand in hand with the Multi-Select Tool, the Low Paint Alert feature ensures no time is wasted due to running low on paint when sending the TLM Pro X off to mark multiple pitches in succession. When the robot is running low on paint, an automatic alert is sent to the user’s hand-held tablet notifying paint level is low. In addition, the robot will also send an alert if there is blockage which is preventing the robot from marking. “A simple yet time saving feature that is going to be incredibly useful to us” comments Richard.” “It means my team can carry out other jobs nearby while the robot does it thing, making us more productive and efficient. We don’t need to waste time monitoring the robot closely but are aware immediately when the paint is low, and we can top up before it runs out.”

The Origin Amenity Solutions team offer onsite training, maintenance, and general advice. Richards concludes by saying, “The communication with Simon Hughes and Glen Howard from Origin Amenity Solutions has been excellent, from the initial inquiry, right through to the training once we had purchased the robot, technical support is only a phone call away which is reassuring.”

Free demonstrations are being offered across the UK.  To book or enquire visit https://tinymobilerobots.com/tinymobilerobots-uk/

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Kubota shows off new machinery at Plantworx

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Kubota shows off new machinery at Plantworx: Kubota showcased its new and innovative construction machinery for the first time at this year’s Plantworx exhibition, allowing members of the public to get hands on with the newly launched construction equipment.

The centre piece of this year’s Kubota stand were three brand new models; the KX085-5, an eight and a half tonne mini-excavator; and two new additions to Kubota’s Smart Energy Solutions range of sustainable construction machinery, the RT210-2e and the RT220-2, electric RT compact wheel loaders.

Kubota shows off new machinery at Plantworx

Kubota shows off new machinery at Plantworx

The KX085-5 offers operators advanced performance and superior operational functionality, powered by a low emission advanced Kubota engine. The mini-excavator can be used with a two-piece boom, expanding the working range and increasing efficiency in narrow spaces.

Kubota’s next generation RT compact wheel loaders offer high productivity with a zero-emission performance, reducing carbon output while offering the same standard of performance operators have come to expect from Kubota. Powered by a 48V system with modular 260Ah lithium-ion batteries, the machines regenerate energy when the machine decelerates.

In addition to the new machines, visitors to the Kubota stand also were able to find out more about Kubota’s OnSite App, which gives users access to information about Kubota machines at the touch of a button. The brand-new app which launched last month, allows users to access their machinery handbook and quick start guide, and ‘how to’ videos for each machine.

Leading construction influencers including Lord Muck and Digger Girl also stopped by to greet fans and discuss the latest machines.

Rob White, division manager for construction at Kubota UK, said: “It’s fantastic to be back at Plantworx for this year’s show. It’s been an exciting year for Kubota so far, with a host of new models and service updates announced, so it was brilliant to be able to demonstrate them to the visitors to our stand.

“Plantworx is a corner stone event of the UK construction machinery sector and it was great to see so many people at this year’s show and to see such interest in our newest models to market.”

For more information on Kubota and its extensive range of solutions for the construction industry, visit www.kubota-eu.com.

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