STIHL’s Pro Products At SALTEX

/in , , , /by

STIHL’s Pro Products At SALTEX: STIHL will be showcasing an array of new products at this year’s Saltex exhibition, the UK’s largest event for the grounds care sector, offering professional users more options than ever before to tackle the toughest jobs.

Taking centre stage will be a preview of STIHL’s new RMA 765 V PRO mower, which will be the latest addition to STIHL’s expanding range of high-performance professional models. Packed with innovative features, the new cordless mower is designed with a 63cm magnesium twin blade cutting deck, height adjustable front wheels for zero turn, and variable speed, controlled via the digital cockpit. In addition, the solid mono handlebar ensures users can empty the tough fabric 80-litre grass catcher box with ease.

STIHL's Pro Products At SALTEX

Visitors to the stand will be able to see up close the new MSA 220 C-B, the most powerful cordless chainsaw in the STIHL range. Powered by a 36 V Lithium-Ion battery, the new saw comes as standard with the STIHL exclusive 3/8” Picco Super 3 (PS3) full chisel saw chain with a guide bar length of 35cm/14”. The powerful MSA 220 C-B makes quick work of any task and guarantees consistently high-quality cutting performance for felling, snedding, firewood processing and much more, regardless of the battery charge level.

The new STIHL BR 800 C-E will also be on display, the latest addition at the top of the range of innovative and high-performance blowers. Producing an impressive blowing force of 41N, the 80cc STIHL 4-MIX® engine runs on a fuel-oil mix just like a 2-stroke model and offers the benefits without the compromises of 4-stroke power. The STIHL 4-MIX® engine provides fast acceleration, more power, added torque, and lower noise during operation to complete jobs quickly and more easily. In addition, the engine offers reduced emissions and increased fuel efficiency.

To make getting up and running even easier, the BR 800 C-E is designed with a convenient starting system featured on the side of the machine, allowing users to re-start the blower while wearing it. The simplified starting system also features an automatic choke reset and a switch position on the control handle that is always ‘ON’, ensuring that the professional user can start the BR 800 C-E with ease.

For more information please visit www.stihl.co.uk.

For the latest industry news visit turfmatters.co.uk/news

Get all of the big headlines, pictures, opinions and videos on stories that matter to you.

Follow us on Twitter and Instagram for fun, fresh and engaging content.

You can also find us on Facebook for more of your must-see news, features, videos and pictures from Turf Matters.

Cobra’s Breast Cancer Mower

/in , , /by

Cobra’s Breast Cancer Mower: Cobra garden machinery are proud to have teamed up with the Breast Cancer Now charity to produce a limited edition pink Cobra GTRM38P electric lawnmower with the aim to help fund the future of breast cancer research.

“We have colleagues, family and friends who have been effected by this life changing illness and so we decided that this would be a great idea to raise money for this excellent charity. Breast Cancer Now is the UK’s largest breast cancer research charity and are dedicated to funding research into this devastating disease,” explained Peter Chaloner managing director of Cobra.

Cobra's Breast Cancer Mower

The company donates £25 from every sale to the charity and the entire stock will be sold, making a total donation of £5000. The electric machine has a 38cm/15” cutting width and its rear roller will deliver those much sought after stripes.

Grass cuttings are either collected in the 40 litre bag or can be discharged as a mulch to help fertilise the lawn.  It has seven different heights of cut and comes with 10 metres of electric cable.  The machine has a two year guarantee and sells for £99.99 in specialist Cobra garden machinery dealers. See cobragarden.co.uk for further details.

“We have been delighted with the customer support for our pink mower and plan to offer it for sale again in 2020,” says Peter,  “We hope to make even more money for Breast Cancer Now.”

Cobra products are available to buy online at the Cobra store or via a network of expert dealers across the UK.

For more information visit www.cobragarden.co.uk

For the latest industry news visit turfmatters.co.uk/news

Get all of the big headlines, pictures, opinions and videos on stories that matter to you.

Follow us on Twitter and Instagram for fun, fresh and engaging content.

You can also find us on Facebook for more of your must-see news, features, videos and pictures from Turf Matters.

GSK Couldn’t Be Without ELMO

/in , , /by

GSK couldn’t be without ELMO: British multinational pharmaceutical company, GlaxoSmithKline (GSK), has explained the benefits of having adopted Husqvarna Automower® technology to maintain the green spaces around its Global head office in Brentford over the past three years.

GSK house in Brentford has relied on ELMO, a robotic lawnmower manufactured by Husqvarna and named by GSK staff, to work unassisted and maintain a large lawn area surrounding its headquarters.

GSK couldn’t be without ELMO

ELMO stands for Electronic Lawn Mowing Operative and is a Husqvarna Automower® – a robotic lawnmower which is able to maintain green spaces up to 5000m2 per machine. Installed in 2017 by Sodexo, GSK’s grounds maintenance provider, the robotic mower has quietly gone about its business and without disturbing office staff, cutting little and often through its random mowing pattern, ensuring that grass of GSK house remains a lush, healthy green.

The Husqvarna Automower® has freed up time, allowing the grounds staff to spend more hours on maintaining other, more labour intensive areas of the GSK site. Husqvarna Automower® is an environmentally friendly machine and means that the team now does not need to use as many petrol machines in order to keep the grounds looking pristine.

Sodexo’s Senior Facilities Service Manager for GSK, Michelle Chapman, commented: “ELMO has truly become part of the family at GSK house – our staff just love watching the robot work and GSK couldn’t be without ELMO now.

“For us, the Husqvarna Automower® means time saved and an environmentally way for us to manage the green spaces at our headquarters whilst improving the lawn appearance. It gives the grounds team more time to focus on other, more crucial things and the fact that it’s silent in its working means it does not disturb staff when cutting the grass.”

The little and often cutting principle of Husqvarna Automower® means the mower feeds micro-clippings back into the soil as natural fertiliser and its random mowing pattern improves lawn quality. The extremely low noise levels also ensures that the machine can work away without disturbing people.

UK Manager – Husqvarna Professional, Kevin Ashmore, commented: “Sodexo’s close relationship with Husqvarna was key in them being one of the first in the UK to trial Husqvarna Automower® in public spaces. The result was that GSK Brentwood recommended the Husqvarna Automower® to many of its main Global sites.”

Husqvarna has an impressive list of commercial installations across the UK, ranging from municipalities (Edinburgh, London & Glasgow), botanic gardens, multi-national headquarters, stately homes, sports facilities, universities & schools and zoos & animal parks.

To learn more about its technology and for more information on the Husqvarna Automower® range visit: http://www.husqvarna.com/uk/products/robotic-lawn-mowers/

For the latest industry news visit turfmatters.co.uk/news

Get all of the big headlines, pictures, opinions and videos on stories that matter to you.

Follow us on Twitter and Instagram for fun, fresh and engaging content.

You can also find us on Facebook for more of your must-see news, features, videos and pictures from Turf Matters.

Toro On Board At Chigwell GC

/in , , /by

Toro On Board At Chigwell GC: Chigwell Golf Club in Essex has taken delivery of its second Toro fleet as it proves itself a winner in the eyes of its membership.

For a golf club managed by its membership, investment in the course is central to achieving a happy collective says course manager Jeff Foulger: “We have an active membership who are very much involved in the decision-making of the club, along with the board of directors and general manager Ben Driver. When the members were presented with the five-year plan for the course, which had been put together by a special committee made up of members and included further investment in Toro machinery, the membership agreed it by a landslide. The plan highlighted the positive difference Toro machinery had made and would continue to make to the course.”

Toro On Board At Chigwell GC

And not just that, but when you consider the main points of the plan, which includes maximum course playability all year round, quality greens, tees and fairways, and bunker maintenance and improvement, alongside the usual course management and maintenance work, it’s clear to see that Toro is integral to all.

Jeff continues: “We need Toro on board to help us tackle the plan, there’s no two ways about it. There’s a lot to do but it’s all achievable with the seven-strong team we have here and a reliable fleet of equipment on board.”

And joining the club in this latest fleet deal, delivered by Reesink Turfcare, is a Toro TriFlex 3420, Groundsmaster 3500-D, three Greensmaster Flex 2120 pedestrian mowers, two Greensmaster pedestrian mowers, a Workman MDX-D utility vehicle and a Pro Force debris blower.

With a CV including top international clubs it’s a role Jeff, who joined the club three years ago, is taking in his stride. “This role at Chigwell Golf Club sees me return home and come full circle career-wise. Not only is it my home club, but it’s where I started my career.”

And it’s a career which has taken him all over the world to the likes of Augusta National Golf Club in Georgia, USA and K Club in County Kildare, Ireland, and Jeff continues: “I’m really excited to be back where it all began, I can’t wait to bring some of the different aspects and ideas I’ve learnt from some of the best clubs in the world to my home club.”

Chigwell Golf Club has also undertaken a major course review with the original course designers who have made recommendations for improvements, while retaining the fundamental character of the course.

Jeff concludes: “The board of club directors has prioritised available revenue for the continued development of our course, which is regarded as our prized asset. That’s an exciting position to be in and one of great responsibility, but with all the right partners on board such as Toro and Reesink, it’s entirely achievable.”

For the latest industry news visit turfmatters.co.uk/news

Get all of the big headlines, pictures, opinions and videos on stories that matter to you.

Follow us on Twitter and Instagram for fun, fresh and engaging content.

You can also find us on Facebook for more of your must-see news, features, videos and pictures from Turf Matters.

Bobcat Expand Attachment Range

/in , /by

Bobcat Expand Attachment Range: Bobcat is a major player worldwide in the attachment market. For the company’s market-leading range of compact loaders, the attachment range has just been expanded with the launch of the new Bobcat Remote Control System.

All Bobcat compact loaders are equipped with the quick-change Bob-Tach attachment mounting system, facilitating the quick and safe interchange of over 100 different types of Bobcat attachment. The new Remote Control System has been designed in the same way – it is a plug and play system comprising an easily portable and industrial radio remote control solution that can be mounted and dismounted on machines very quickly, leaving behind the standard machine in its original form.

Bobcat Expand Attachment Range

A new video demonstrates how simple it is to set up and use the Remote Control System. Here is the link to the video: https://youtu.be/nNUI9Ve0Prc

In the Remote Control video, a Bobcat T450 compact track loader and an S100 skid-steer loader are shown working with Grapple, Pallet Fork and Combination Bucket attachments, but of course there are many more, including Vibratory Roller, Soil Conditioner, Auger, Trencher, Landplane, 2D/3D Laser Grader and Dozer Blade attachments from Bobcat.

Increased Safety and Productivity

Remote control aims to increase safety, comfort and productivity by distancing the operator from dust, noise, vibrations and other hazards encountered at the workface or on job sites that require special safety precautions. Work can be done faster with higher precision and, in some applications, with fewer personnel on the job site. For increased safety, the system also features an emergency stop button and drop and tilt detection.

It allows direct sight of the work in progress, further increasing the versatility of the loader and a comprehensive range of attachments including angle brooms, augers, breakers, buckets and snow blowers. With trenchers and wheelsaws, where the operator specifically needs to drive backwards with the loader, this solution offers perfect visibility of the project. It also allows operators to talk face-to-face with project partners and manage the surroundings (verbally or non-verbally) at the same time.

Other applications include demolition environments with poor air quality and distracting noise, where the Remote Control System gives the operator the ability to do work from a distance, free from dirt, dust and noise.

In shipyards and in vessels with limited space in the hold, distancing the operator from the loader keeps them away from other loading machinery such as grabs and the materials they are carrying, separating them from hazardous chemicals and other airborne pollutants as well as falling heavy objects such as scrap metal and other items. The job can be done more easily, with better visibility for managing tight spaces in and around containment areas.

In the waste and recycling industries, the remote control solution allows operators to handle dangerous or toxic materials from a safe distance, minimizing the risk of exposure. With the remote control solution, operators can work on hazardous applications (such as detecting and removing land mines) and also disasters like floods, forest fires, mud or rock slides and in other places where operators can be subjected to dangerous situations.

Installed in a matter of minutes as the video shows, the new Remote Control System allows operators to leave their seat in the cab and control their Bobcat loader remotely. It is compatible with Bobcat skid-steer, compact track and all wheel steer loader models equipped with the company’s Selectable Joystick Controls.

“After comprehensive testing and licensing of the new Remote Control System, Bobcat is the first company to provide an attachment product of this type as original ‘Plug&Play’ equipment, rather than offering it as an add-on development from a third party,” said Alastair Jones, Bobcat Attachments District Manager (UK, Ireland and Nordics & Baltics).

“The Remote Control System can be used in many applications with the focus on limitless visibility, the ability to communicate with the surroundings without the need to be present in the cab, comfort enhancement for applications with noise, vibration and harshness or even in dangerous areas,” Alastair Jones explained.

He continued: “Complementing the applications described above, remote control solutions have proved their qualities and abilities to save lives in the toughest environments all around the world by providing service during disasters like floods, forest fires, mud or rock slides and in other places where operators can be subjected to dangerous situations.”

Simple Plug and Play

The new plug and play system comprises an easily portable and industrial radio remote control solution that can be mounted and dismounted on machines very quickly, leaving behind the standard machine in its original form.

Every remote-control kit is protected by a dedicated password, with two-way communication providing all the important information about the loader (such as fuel and oil status, warnings, etc.) on a 3.5-inch transflective colour backlit LCD display.

The system provides most of the functions that can be performed via direct loader operation, including throttle, light, creep and float controls. There is also speed management control to ensure easier operation in certain applications (such as trenching, tilling, scarifying and so on). The system is very intuitive to use and the training for end users will be provided by Bobcat dealers.

The Remote Control System is supplied with two exchangeable batteries offering a long 20-hour battery life. The protective case ensures it is easier to transport from one job site to another. This forms part of an updated state-of-the-art ergonomic design with the system housed in a rugged and weatherproof enclosure.

World Leader in Attachments

As a market leader worldwide in attachments, Bobcat offers customers many advantages in this market. They include the company‘s One-Stop-Shop approach – providing every possible combination of machine and attachment from one source and an impressive stock of products available for immediate shipment. This is backed by the service support of the comprehensive Bobcat dealer network in Europe, the Middle East and Africa, offering Service Specialists and excellent Parts availability to reduce downtime.

The warranty protection available from Bobcat allows customers to avoid the disputes that may arise from the compatibility and operating problems that are caused by the use of non-approved attachments. In contrast, all Bobcat attachments are engineering approved, ensuring that they are optimized for efficiency, performance and greater productivity. This results in lower operating and maintenance costs.

For more information about Bobcat and Bobcat products, visit the website www.bobcat.com

For the latest industry news visit turfmatters.co.uk/news

Get all of the big headlines, pictures, opinions and videos on stories that matter to you.

Follow us on Twitter and Instagram for fun, fresh and engaging content.

You can also find us on Facebook for more of your must-see news, features, videos and pictures from Turf Matters.