Energy Purchase More Gators

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Energy Purchase More Gators: Leading event equipment supply company Energy Generator Hire Limited, based in Aylesbury, Buckinghamshire, has recently added a record beating 51 John Deere Gator 4×4 utility vehicles to its UK hire fleet, which now numbers in excess of 170 units.

Supplied by Farol Limited of Milton Common near Thame in Oxfordshire and supported by John Deere Financial, the purchase of the XUV 855D two-seater models was already the largest single order for Gators in the UK, before they were joined shortly afterwards by another 12 S4 four-seater versions to keep up with customer demand.

Energy Purchase More Gators

Energy Generator Hire was established in 2004 with just one generator by owner and managing director Tom Carr, who identified a market opportunity to offer a one stop shop, full turnkey service to the events industry.

The company now specialises in short, medium and long term hire of power and generation equipment to various industry sectors, including events, construction, motor racing and, in the near future, the equestrian market. Energy will also be venturing into the electric vehicles sector in line with its sustainability and environmental policies.

“I was always intrigued by the events industry, and initially concentrated on temporary power supply services,” says Tom. “On visiting customer venues more frequently, we soon realised that all-terrain vehicles were also in great demand, and so expansion of The Energy Group began naturally from there.”

Energy bought its first John Deere Gator in 2015, initially for use at the company’s premises, but it wasn’t long before enquiries for the vehicle started flooding in. Due to Energy’s longstanding relationship with Farol area sales manager John Bennetts and John Deere Financial, the Gator fleet has increased rapidly due to a mix of repeat custom and new business.

“When you delve into a new aspect of any business, market and product research are key,” says Tom. “We studied all types of machine in the ATV market, and after gaining feedback from our clients, particularly festival organisers, it was John Deere who stood out as the number one choice.

“The new Gators were ordered with full specification to ensure they meet all our customers’ needs, delivering a premium product to stand alongside our first-rate service. They are fast becoming the industry standard and are more often than not requested by the end user due to their reliability and durability.

“We’ve found that the John Deere Gator can handle all kinds of terrain with ease, and due to their high specification they can also be used safely and efficiently 24 hours a day by our ever-expanding client base, both indoors if required as well as outdoors. In addition, all of our hire vehicles are Trackered and barcoded, not only for security but also to ensure fleet management and logistics are streamlined.

“This is vital, considering that the company’s entire machinery fleet now numbers more than 500 units. Add to this the fully comprehensive and strict maintenance schedule entrusted to Farol, and we can offer complete peace of mind to our clients countrywide.”

John Deere Financial area sales manager Christophe Verteneuil says: “This deal was the perfect example of consulting with a valued client to ensure the best available package was structured to suit both our lending criteria and the customer’s needs.

“Primarily, to manage a transaction of this scale, we arranged a credit line after gaining an understanding of Tom’s business challenges and opportunities. Flexibility was key, from identifying the most suitable financial product to being adaptable with regards to the payment schedule, which we were able to match to the seasonal cashflow of the business.”

Tom Carr adds: “Residual value is also very important when undertaking an investment of this magnitude. John Deere Gators, when serviced and maintained correctly, hold their market value well and this is extremely beneficial when renewing our fleet.”

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JCB Diggers In Full Production

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JCB Diggers In Full Production: JCB has made manufacturing history by going into full production with the construction industry’s first fully electric mini excavator – with more than 50 machines already delivered.

The 19C-1E models – JCB’s first-ever electric diggers – are now coming off the assembly line at JCB Compact Products in Cheadle, Staffordshire, with orders rolling in from customers from across Europe and North America.

JCB Diggers In Full Production

The machine is a staggering five times quieter than its diesel counterpart and can be fully charged in under two hours. The model is expected to be a big hit with companies working inside buildings and in emissions and noise-sensitive inner-city areas. Fully charged, the 19C-1E can put in a typical full day’s shift for a mini excavator.

The 19C-1E will also offer customers great cost-of-ownership benefits, with research highlighting that over the first five years, charging costs will be 50 per cent cheaper for customers who would otherwise be using red diesel. Servicing costs are also expected to be up to 70 per cent lower compared to the diesel model.

JCB Chief Innovation Officer Tim Burnhope said: “In urban environments in particular, contractors are understandably very keen to operate zero emissions equipment whenever possible, including outdoors. I’m delighted that the model is now in full production after successful feedback from customers in many key markets during the evaluation stage.”

JCB Compact Products’ MD Robert Winter said: “This is a historic moment for JCB and for JCB Compact Products. We are delighted to go into full production with the industry’s first fully electric mini excavator. The machine has a very promising future ahead of it.”

Using leading automotive battery technology, the zero emissions and low noise 19C-1E delivers all of the performance of a conventional diesel-powered 1.9-tonne mini excavator. The machine comes with JCB’s LiveLink telematics as standard.

The machine is perfect for working indoors or outdoors, in factories, tunnels or basements, for digging foundations, or on utility projects.

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RTC A Hit At St Mirren

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RTC A Hit At St Mirren: To keep on top of the maintenance of a newly-laid 4G astro surface at their Ralston Training Complex, St Mirren FC have purchased an RTC unit from Charterhouse Turf Machinery.

For the facility’s sole Groundsman, Alan Michie, it has improved both the efficiency and speed of regular surface brushing.

RTC A Hit At St Mirren

Forming part of the 3.7 hectare site, the artificial pitch is home to first team and academy training throughout the week, and matches at the weekend. “Just before the 4G pitch was open for play in September, I was very pleased to find a new RTC brush unit from Charterhouse land at my door” explains Alan, who has been running the training ground for the last two and a half years. “We had previously used a tractor and brush combination which wasn’t the most practical – timely to set up and, being in one of the wettest areas in the country, often meant I was unable to get out at all.”

“The Chairman and Head Groundsman at the stadium had been in talks with Ian Lauder of Charterhouse and decided the versatility and simplicity of the RTC was a perfect fit to keep on top of the regular maintenance. Ian came in to do some training with me, but it’s so simple to use, it’s fantastic. If I’m struggling for time, the guy who looks after our youth department will go out and brush for me. He finds it therapeutic!”

The convenience of a self-contained unit means Alan can easily keep up with the regular maintenance on the high-wear surface, brushing on average five or six times a week. The RTC brushes fold to allow storage and access through gaps as narrow as 90cm, although when deployed, the unit will cover an impressive 200cm in one-pass. “I can also use the tow bar on the back to take other tools out with me that I use for work on the natural grass pitches. It pulls a small trailer no problem.”

Proving itself to be a real multi-purpose machine, Alan adds, “it does a fantastic job of levelling off the pitch, spreading the rubber well to prevent compaction. The ongoing maintenance of the unit is also very simple. For me, it’s crucial that the maintenance is simple, but effective. For this, the RTC is ideal.”

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New Toro Fleet At Bradford GC

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New Toro Fleet At Bradford GC: If success is a fresh pair of eyes, then The Bradford Golf Club in West Yorkshire has well and truly succeeded since the arrival of its first Toro fleet.

Darrell Crowley re-joined the club as course manager in 2018, and one of his first big decisions was to choose the supplier from which he would source his new fleet, as part of the club’s commitment to continually investing in the course.

New Toro Fleet At Bradford GC

Having seen the difference and improvements that the previous Toro fleets had made since his return, it was an easy task. Darrell comments: “There have been Toro machines, among other brands, at the club since the millennium, but it wasn’t until 2006 that the first package deal arrived. I had recently started as an assistant greenkeeper at the time and the club wanted to move away from updating individual machines to getting a bulk amount of new kit from one brand to see what difference that made, and if that approach further improved the course.”

And while Darrell could see the immediate improvements the switch to a Toro fleet deal with Reesink Turfcare made to the overall quality and condition of the course, it’s coming back to the club now as course manager and seeing the long-term benefit that this has made when it really hit home for Darrell.

“The course is looking better than ever. It goes without saying each individual machine makes a difference, but of course only to its particular area such as the greens or tees, so to get a fleet of new machines to cover all areas of the course, well the collective improvement is simply striking.

“The board has been working tirelessly for the last twenty years to keep the club in the modern era, keep up with the latest machinery advancements and make it more self-sufficient, the first Toro fleet deal was a big part of that. It’s been so successful and made such a positive improvement to the course since that we have continued our relationship with Toro, and this is now our third lease agreement.”

And it’s an impressive fleet of Toro machines that have been brought on board. The fleet consists of like-for-like renewals of the Greensmaster TriFlex 3400, Groundsmaster 3500-D, and Workman HDX, plus three new additions in the Groundsmaster 4500-D, Reelmaster 5010-H and Multi Pro WM sprayer, which are already making a strong impression.

“The Multi Pro WM sprayer and RM5010-H are definitely my new favourites,” says Darrell. “The Multi Pro WM’s information centre gives us more accuracy and the hybrid drive system on the RM5010-H is really beneficial for fuel savings.

“The demonstration process for these two was great as well. Russell Groundcare were able to get us the machines we wanted quickly and then gave us the time to really test them out. They then worked closely with us to help supply the package once we were set on the machines for the fleet. The whole process from start to finish was seamless.”

Named 2018 West Yorkshire Golf Club of the Year by Your Golfer Magazine, the club is a popular destination for golfers and keeping the course up to standard has proved even more vital in recent years with the club undergoing a large development project. But the Toro fleet has been more than up for the job says Darrell.

“In recent years we have restructured several holes and undergone tree removal to help return the course back to its traditional moorland roots, this has been coupled with a major refurbishment of the clubhouse.”

With Darrell, the team and the board all having seen the benefits Toro has brought to The Bradford Golf Club, it’s likely Toro will continue to have a place at the club.

“What Toro provides is reliability, high quality of cut and high quality of build, all at a competitive price. I don’t think other brands can really offer the same, and if the quality is there, there’s no need for me to look elsewhere,” says Darrell.

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GreenMech’s New SURE-Trak

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GreenMech’s New SURE-Trak: GreenMech’s new pivoting track extension system has proven itself to be a real game changer for Scotland’s South West Arb.

With an increasing number of rail-side de-veg projects demanding work on steep embankments, the SURE-Trak’s ability to perform in even the most challenging of environments saw owner Stewart Ball taking delivery of the first SURE-Trak 19-28 woodchipper in the UK earlier this year.

GreenMech's New SURE-Trak

“When I established South West Arb five years ago, the first thing I purchased was a GreenMech SAFE-Trak chipper” explains Stewart, who now heads-up a team of 15. “My previous employer had been a longstanding user of the SAFE-Trak units and, having looked at other machines, when it came to working on embankments or challenging terrain, no other chippers came close.” After quickly adding a second SAFE-Trak to his fleet, Stewart then heard about the launch of GreenMech’s next generation track system, SURE-Trak.

Allowing safe traversing of slopes in excess of 35 degrees, the pivoting SURE-Trak assemblies allow each track to maintain contact with the ground independently, while following differing contours, to provide a surer footprint and improved stability. “When I saw what the 19-28 fitted with SURE-Trak system could do, it was a complete game changer. It can get absolutely anywhere and the ability to tilt the body means it’s now even easier and safer for the operator to feed in material, no matter the embankment angle.”

To help in the delivery of power line and railway contracts, Stewart was delighted to take delivery of his SURE-Trak 19-28 from local dealer Lloyd Ltd, in January 2019. “Not only can they reach any given location, but the actual chipping performance is second to none. The powerful rollers will pull in even the most awkward forked material for the disc blades to process. Keep these sharp and they won’t skip a beat.” Stewart concludes, “Since we’ve had the SURE-Trak, it’s been working on embankments that other chippers could only dream of getting to!”

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