KAR’s New Irrigation Rotor

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KAR’s New Irrigation Rotor: KAR UK has unveiled the new Hunter ST-1700V Turf Rotor which offers unrivalled high-performance irrigation for synthetic surfaces.

The ST range of Hunter irrigation products, which are expertly designed to cool and clean synthetic turf sports surfaces, have long been a market leader. Simple to specify, contractor-friendly to install, and easy to service and maintain for the end-user, the Hunter ST System is the first and only cost-effective, fully integrated solution designed to exceed the unique and specific needs of the synthetic turf irrigation market.

KAR's New Irrigation Rotor

Now, KAR UK – distributor of Hunter Industries irrigation equipment, has revealed that the renowned ST portfolio has been further strengthened with the addition of the new ST-1700V Synthetic Turf Rotor.

Simplicity is the key to the ST-1700V as it integrates Valve-in-Head (VIH) capabilities and a Total-Top-Service (TTS) design to simplify installation and maintenance.

Performance wise, the ST-1700V is unbeatable. Key benefits include:

  • TTS design provides convenient no-dig servicing without the need to cut into the synthetic surface
  • VIH configuration makes installation fast and easy
  • Heavy-duty internal gear drive provides years of reliable operation
  • Includes all the features and benefits of the popular ST-1600 rotor

KAR's New Irrigation Rotor

The ST-1700V rotor is now available exclusively in the UK and Ireland from KAR UK.

For more information, please visit www.karuk.com or www.hunterindustries.com.

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Mulching Head Success Story

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Mulching Head Success Story: SW Landscapes in the South West and South Wales provide grounds maintenance services to small and large customers in both the public and private sectors including property management companies, retail parks, industrial estates, parish councils, housing associations, residential developments, schools and local authorities.

The company is, like many, giving serious thought to carbon footprint management, and for one particular Housing Association they undertook a joint consultation to assess ways of accomplishing a reduction.

Mulching Head Success Story

A fundamental point was grass collection; the housing association understandably wanted their grass looking its best, and a successful approach put forward by Will Stops was the use of a mulching head fitted to a SCAG Tiger Cat ride-on mower, supplied by STM Co Ltd.

Will knew the SCAG make from past experience and has always found them sturdy, reliable and impressive.

Equally impressive have been the results from this exercise. Importantly, the Housing Association have been pleased with the look of the grass, and for SW Landscapes they easily show the benefits: previously they would take two vehicles and three men – and the extra vehicle was only just enough for the grasscuttings. Now they take two men and one van – the Transit that the SCAG Tiger Cat neatly fits into. They mow a little more frequently to keep the mulching process as effective as possible, but it’s a quick cut, because the grass isn’t too long.

The whole venture has proved to be, in Will Stops’ own words: a “win-win situation”; a happy customer and clearly identifiable efficiency savings in time, fuel and carbon emissions.

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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INFINICUT Launch SM34 Rotary

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INFINICUT Launch SM34 Rotary: At the first in a series of launch events, Groundsmen and Greenkeepers were invited to Tottenham Hotspur FC’s training facility to see the new INFINICUT® SM34 Rotary Mower.

Using the very latest design technology, MTD design engineers have produced a machine that has unsurpassed rotary cut quality to ensure the best possible results regardless of turf conditions.

The SM34 follows the same design philosophy as the rest of the INFINICUT® range, offering best in class performance with an emphasis on a modern, clean power source. It takes its mode of traction from the INFINICUT® reel mower, renowned for its durability, paired with a deck designed on the back of MTD’s considerable years of rotary experience. By utilizing expensive stamp tooling, users can be confident that airflow is optimal when compared to other fabricated decks. The culmination is a machine that ensures ‘fit-for-purpose’ application, but also necessary safety compliance that comes with rotary decks.

INFINICUT Launch SM34 Rotary Mower

Designed for professional users, the INFINICUT® SM34 can be used to mow grass in the traditional sense or used as a stand-alone vacuum. In cut mode, the new rotary offers a striping effect usually only achieved with a professional reel mower. The 34” cutting width combines better productivity and lightweight design, which negates the issues of tire rutting and wear of a larger ride on mower. The blades are made from premium-grade, high carbon steel for better performance and extended life, and come pre-balanced to exhibit less vibration.

As with the rest of the INFINICUT® fleet, the machine offers the operator a number of parameters which can be tailored to their particular requirements. With the extreme accuracy of HOC that users often work to in mind, the SM34 has paralleling and deck pitch adjustment features as standard. It can be specified with either an engine generator or lithium battery as a power source. In battery mode the SM34 is quieter in operation, environmentally friendly and can provide significant fuel cost saving when compared to other rotary mowers.

INFINICUT Launch SM34 Rotary Mower

Commenting on its launch John Coleman, Head of MTD Specialty Products UK, added, “The INFINICUT® Rotary was a natural product progression from our well recognised INFINICUT® cylinder mower range. The design of this machine is a combination of our own concepts and ideas but at the same time we’ve listened carefully to our customers feedback. The culmination is a machine that takes a known concept and places it firmly in the modern era by introducing wireless parameter adjustment via our proprietary InfiniApp®.”

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Hinckley Finds Finance Value

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Hinckley Finds Finance Value: Founded in 1894, Hinckley Golf Club is one of Leicestershire’s finest parkland courses and is now looking to build on its reputation as one of the ‘must play’ courses in the Midlands, after investing in a new John Deere course maintenance equipment fleet supplied by local dealer Farol Ltd.

General manager John Prior and course manager Adam Castle opted for a new approach to financing the package deal, which brought their first ever John Deere machines to the club. These include mowers for the tees, fairways, approaches and greens, an aerator and a compact tractor plus ancillary equipment. The deal was also the first by Farol’s newest golf & turf area sales manager Jacob Shellis, who worked as a greenkeeper at The Belfry before joining the dealership.

Hinckley Finds Finance Value

“A big selling point for us was that the John Deere Financial offer was very flexible, so we were able to structure the deal around what suited us best financially,” says John Prior. “We chose a mix of operating lease and hire purchase to deliver best value for the club, with machines that will still be in good condition at the end of the deal bought on HP, and going down the lease route for the kit that will run up longer hours.

“After an initial meeting to discuss the options, Adam and I were really impressed with the whole set-up at John Deere as well as the Farol dealership process. The fact that John Deere has its own bank for example proves it is a very robust business, and everyone involved worked really hard to put the deal together.

“Once we saw the overall levels of dealer service and back-up, the speed of parts delivery and efficiency of repairs and maintenance, it gave both Adam and I, and ultimately the club’s board, the confidence that this was the right approach. Then after having the machines on demonstration for a couple of months, we quickly saw improvements in the course condition and aesthetics and decided there was no reason to look elsewhere.

“We wanted to establish a foundation for the next deal and the one after that, giving us more consistency and productivity – if it’s successful, it provides the club with a blueprint going forward. Seeing the results was justification of the expenditure to the board, and I have no doubt this process has helped us to attract new members and retain existing ones.

“It’s not just about the machinery either, it’s the whole package of product support, training and the relationship that’s been established between the club and our new partners that’s making a big difference.”

Course manager Adam Castle put the package together with Jacob Shellis’ assistance and presented the deal together with John Prior to the club board for their approval. “The overall message was that we were looking for greater efficiency and cost savings, particularly by reducing the expensive downtime that we had been experiencing with our previous fleet.

Hinckley Finds Finance Value

“Since the new machines arrived we’ve become more efficient and productive, we’re getting jobs done more quickly and cost-effectively and we’re using less fuel – that’s all we could ask for. The three A Model mowers we have bought can be set using the advanced TechControl feature, so we get the speed settings we want and everything clearly and easily set up on the dashboard, for better, more consistent cutting across the course.

“You always get niggles with new machines, but the speed with which any service issues have been dealt with has been notable right from the start. We did have a problem with a greens mower early on, but the dealer sorted it out within four hours – this is one of the main reasons we chose Farol and John Deere. The greenkeeping team is enjoying using the new machines and you can clearly see the results of this out on the course, which is looking better than ever.”

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Campey’s New Iceland Distributor

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Campey’s New Iceland Distributor: Grastec ehf has been appointed as the new Campey Turf Care Systems distributor for Iceland.

The Icelandic company has strong relationships throughout the country and will be offering the full range of Campey products, including Imants, Vredo, Air2G2, Dakota and the Campey™ own brand lines.

Campey's New Iceland Distributor

Sport plays a significant part in Icelandic culture, and despite the obvious cold weather, as of 2018, the country had 148 outdoor natural grass football pitches and 184 outdoor artificial pitches of varying sizes. There are also more than 60 golf courses on the island with a short season from May to September, but due to 24-hour daylight, some courses are open for midnight golf, placing higher demands on the turf.

Campey product specialist, Richard Heywood, has represented the company in Iceland and has seen the demands placed on the country’s turf professionals and is looking forward to working with Grastec ehf managing director, Brynjar Sæmundsson, to offer maintenance solutions.

He said: “It is with great pleasure that we announce Grastec as our new distributor for Iceland. We are looking forward to developing a very strong and lasting relationship with Brynjar at Grastec with his unique and strong customer relationships built up over the years within the highly dynamic and robust Icelandic market.

“We know that both companies have a similar outlook within the professional turf care market, and we see this as a very positive direction for all parties. This is the start of a very exciting new working combination, and we look forward to meeting customers both old and new over the next few years in Iceland, helping them find maintenance solutions for their turf.”

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