GKB Ideal For Artificial Maintenance

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GKB Ideal For Artificial Maintenance: Launching his dedicated artificial sports turf maintenance business this month, Sports and Courts Maintenance Ltd, Jon Lawson was looking for something that would decompact and assist in the deep cleaning and rejuvenating of artificial sports turf and was impressed with the robustness of GKB’s Renovator and the size of the double heads of the Rotobrush.

Owner and Managing Director at Sports and Courts Line Marking Ltd, Jon Lawson explains, “GKB is known for reliability and from Tom’s demo, I was so impressed with the rotary brush. I needed something that was going to do the job and that was robust and reliable.”

GKB Ideal For Artificial Maintenance

“We have a lot of tennis clubs complain that they’ve got very compacted baselines and the Renovator and Rotobrush tick all the boxes. For us it was the answer to going forwards with the new business, offering this additional service on top of the deep cleans and everything else we already do” Jon adds.

The GKB Rotobrush enables you to brush deeper and more effectively as the rotating brush disc is provided with extra rigid bristles which are pressed into the synthetic turf. Where the functioning of normal brushing and cleaning stops, the Rotobrush will continue.

The GKB Renovator’s five rotating brushes form the foundation of the machine and because the brushes interlock into each other, you will not miss a single inch when you are operating on your pitch.

For more on GKB Machines and their reliable and robust range of machinery for natural, hybrid and synthetic turf, please visit www.gkbmachines.com or contact Tom Shinkins on 07495 883617.

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Killeen Castle Invest In John Deere

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Killeen Castle Invest In John Deere: Killeen Castle Golf Club in Co Meath, Ireland is celebrating its 10th anniversary in 2019, as well as its recent investment in a state of the art golf course equipment fleet deal with John Deere and local dealer Dublin Grass Machinery worth in excess €500,000, with finance arranged through Deere’s partner Bank of Ireland.

The machinery acquisition represents a significant investment on the part of Killeen Castle in the future of the Jack Nicklaus Signature Course, as the club enters its second decade of golf operations. The championship golf course opened in 2009 and was described by the 18-time Major winner and course designer as “one of my proudest designs”.

Killeen Castle Invest In John Deere

The upgraded equipment fleet includes tees, fairway, greens and rough mowers, utility tractors, Gator utility vehicles, sprayers, top dressers and bunker rakes – with the latest John Deere E-Cut hybrid electric mowers now playing an important part in future-proofing the work of course superintendent Mark Collins and his team.

Killeen Castle has hosted The 2011 Solheim Cup between Europe and USA in addition to three Ladies Irish Opens from 2010 to 2012. The 630-acre estate also features a number of signature residential properties, The Dave Pelz Scoring Game School, Fore Golf Custom Club Fitters and a Norman castle dating back to 1181.

The castle will become the focal point of the estate following a recent grant of planning permission for a 177-room luxury hotel, including the renovation and restoration of the original structure which will house 17 suites and a number of luxury dining rooms. The new three-storey structure partnering this renovation will incorporate 160 rooms, a day spa, function rooms and a winter garden restaurant.

The investment in new equipment also included an upgrade and enhancement of the club’s rental golf cars and trolleys to the latest state of the art GPS units, as well as re-kerbing of the entire clubhouse compound. This was in addition to significant works around the golf course and peripheral areas to enhance the sanding and drainage profile of the course, all designed to ensure championship standard golfing conditions for members and visitors alike all year round.

“There were many key factors in choosing John Deere equipment,” said Mark Collins. “The relationship with Dublin Grass Machinery and sales manager Noel Bennett was high up the list, with the excellent technical and back-up service provided for the past 12 years.

“The quality of John Deere machinery is quite simply second to none, and the company’s advances in technology with the hybrid electric mowers made the decision an easy one. The overall package will allow us to continue to improve our work practices and deliver even better standards of course presentation to our members and guests.”

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Eliet Speeds Up Scarifying

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Eliet Speeds Up Scarifying:Leading Belgian manufacturer Eliet have launched an innovative new machine, set to dramatically reduce the time landscapers and groundsmen spend undertaking scarifying operations and disposing of thatch and moss.

The NEW C550ZR Collector brings a new standard in turf maintenance, collecting moss and thatch into narrow rows for easier disposal, resulting in huge time savings for the operator by reducing the cleaning time by up to 50%.

Eliet Speeds Up Scarifying

As every landscaper and gardener knows, mowing the grass is only one small step in maintaining healthy turf. Dehatching is also a key element of lawn care and with the increased use of mulching and robotic mowers, the requirement is now greater than ever. The constant deposit of hard-to-break-down organic material can result in a layer of thatch accumulating within the turf structure. If left undealt with, this will seriously inhibit lawn development and can encourage both invasive species and diseases to develop. Dethatching removes this layer of material and moss from the turf, providing the space for the grass plants to grow and your lawn to flurish.

Eliet have now introduced an effective solution to this issue with the C55OZR Collector, which provides efficient scarification, moss and thatch removal with improved collection. As material is removed from the turf, it is deposited into a discharge channel with an Archimedean screw that carries it to the side of the machine. It is deposited into a narrow row, which on the next pass of the operation can be re-collected by the machine and integrated into a new row, along with the raked-up material from the second strip of turf. In this way the C550ZR can collect the moss and thatch of a 1m working width into one row, which is hugely time saving.

This new machine is self-propelled and features an above-average 55cm working width which limits the number of rows to collect, and opreates at 2.5km/hr. The scarifying blades are spaced every 15mm to provide an intensive treatment to the turf and are designed to rotate forwards; thus maximising dethatching performance. This contra-rotation results in improved removal and collection of material which is pulled out and thrown vertically onto the collecting auger, increasing the efficency of dethatching by up to 30%. In addition, the extremely fine blades have Permanently Sharp BladesTM technology to ensure minimum turf damage and extended blade life. The machine also features controls with an anti vibration damper for improved operator comfort and safety and runs on a rubber-coated roller that ensures an aesthetically pleasing striped pattern on the lawn.

Gracienne Geenens, Sales Director at Eliet says:

“We’re absolutely delighted to be bringing the C550ZR Collector to the UK market. It’s a fantastic, innovative piece of equipment which will save landscapers both time and money.”

The C550ZR will be available for demonstration during April through UK distributor PSD Groundscare. For more information please contact:

Tel: 01282 856819 or email sales@psdgroundscare.com

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Golf Club Signs Toro Agreement

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Golf Club Signs Toro Agreement: It’s a full fleet update for East Berkshire Golf Club as it signs its third five-year agreement with Toro and Reesink Turfcare. And it was an easy decision to make with “Toro leading the market” according to course manager, Derrick Johnstone.

“When the time came to renew our agreement plan, we weren’t really looking to go with someone else,” says Derrick. In fact, Derrick was so impressed with the robustness of the Toro machines already at the club, he wanted to increase the commitment in Toro.

Golf Club Signs Toro Agreement

Previously the club was on a lease deal but by opting to hire purchase and securing equipment for the club to own, Derrick felt confident they would make savings in the long term, providing opportunities to invest elsewhere and further improve the course.

“I’m really familiar with Toro machines,” he says. “I’ve used them at my last two clubs, and they tick all the boxes and last incredibly well. By buying and using the machines for a longer period of time, we can save money. Plus, we now have a mechanic at the club, whose main area of expertise is Toro equipment, and that coupled with the service from Reesink, should we need it, means we can be sure we have maintenance and servicing well covered.”

The hire purchase deal has seen the club renew its Toro fleet like for like bringing back three new TriFlex Hybrid 3420 mowers, two Reelmaster 3550 machines, a Groundsmaster 4500-D, a Groundsmaster 3500-D, two Workman MDX-D utility vehicles as well as one GTX-E Workman. There was one difference this time though, Derrick couldn’t resist adding a Groundsmaster 3500-D to the order, which he says is his new favourite.

“This will be a great machine for cutting our tee banks and semi-roughs, leaving very little mess or wheel marks. I’ve used the GM3500-D before so I think it will work well here,” he says before adding: “The pedestrian GR1000 and GR1600 mowers are also great, they give a really good quality of cut and raise the bar presentation wise.”

Established in 1903, the natural barriers and cleverly designed doglegs mean the 18-hole course at East Berkshire plays a lot longer than the 6,200 yards suggest and provides a real challenge for golfers.

“It’s an exciting time for the club,” says Derrick. “With considerable investment in not only machinery but woodland management, drainage and tee construction, the addition of a short game area and future driving range improvements.”

With all these improvements, keeping the heathland course up to scratch for members is no easy task, but Derrick is sure that Toro will only continue to improve the playing surface.

“It didn’t take a lot of persuading to go with Toro,” says Derrick. “The Toro machines we’ve been using up until now have definitely improved the quality of the course. The contouring is just fantastic, and they save time because they’re incredibly well made and get the job done efficiently.

“Put simply, Toro provides the best quality and service which is what this club needs. It’s really exciting to see what we can achieve in the coming years with more of a commitment in Toro for the club.”

For more information, visit: reesinkturfcare.co.uk

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Don’t Be Fooled By Voltage Claims

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Don’t Be Fooled By Voltage Claims: It is a common misconception that the higher the voltage – the better the machine; but it couldn’t be further from the truth when it comes to performance. Les Malin, Managing Director of Etesia UK, who distribute Pellenc battery-powered equipment explains why this is the case.

Groundscare professionals could be forgiven for opting to choose a new battery powered machine based on the high voltage it offers – after all, most marketing strategies tend to shout the loudest when it comes to voltage. However, what often goes under the radar is that the voltage of a battery purely indicates how much potential is in a battery, but that potential is not a measure of energy.

Don’t Be Fooled By Voltage Claims

Voltage will only tell you how fast that power tool will want to operate, it doesn’t tell you how strongly it will operate and it will not tell you how long it will operate for. You can think of volts as horsepower for cordless tools. The higher the volt, the more power it can use for higher drain applications.

However, you can have all the voltage you want in a machine but with low amperage the machine would not be much use at all. Think of a small hose pipe struggling to squeeze a large amount of water through it. You would have low volume and high pressure.

Alternatively, the same could be said for a machine that has high amperage and low voltage. It would be the same as having an extremely large water pipe which only manages to trickle a few drops of water through it.

The bottom line is that it takes two to tango. For a cordless tool, you really need volts and amps to work together for higher demand applications. You will need them to both flow at a similar rate and that is exactly what you get with Pellenc technology.

Pellenc significantly leads the way when it comes to the volts/amps balancing act and boasts 43,6 volts and 35,2 amps. This combination of more power and more runtime makes Pellenc equipment the market leader.

As a result, operators using Pellenc equipment have leverage over their competitors. They will have the latest generation and top performing technology meaning that their tools will run with more power for a longer period of time.

Furthermore, they can start earlier, work later, and work closer to schools and hospitals due to the reduced noise. Contractors using Pellenc battery-powered equipment can also promote the fact that they are using market leading technology and are cutting down on noise pollution and emissions, and, as a result, position their businesses as environmentally friendly, and, in turn, charge more for their services.

Pellenc products are exclusively distributed in the UK by Etesia UK.

For further information, please contact Etesia UK on 01295 680120 or visit www.pellencuk.com

You can also follow Pellenc on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram @PellencUK for much more news, reviews and insightful views.

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