Toro Hits The Mark At Altcar

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Toro Hits The Mark At Altcar: The UK’s premier facility for small arms marksmanship training, Altcar Training Camp in Merseyside, recently invested in a Toro Groundsmaster 7210 and LT-F3000 triple flail mower for their sports and residential grounds maintenance.

With a football and rugby pitch, general-purpose field and residential green areas, having robust and high-performance mowers to tackle a variety of jobs was essential for Altcar Training Camp. After a competitive demonstration process where Toro and multiple other brands were tested, Toro hit the mark and came out on top.

Toro Hits The Mark At Altcar

Mark Byrne, infrastructure resource manager, explains: “Our previous machines were on their way out and so we wanted to get the best possible replacements. That was when we got in touch with Cheshire Turf Machinery and set up a demonstration with several brands.

“We wanted a zero-turn mower again because that suited our needs here perfectly. We were looking for something that would be simple to use and would be a seamless transition from our previous machine. With the triple flail mower, we wanted to get a robust alternative that would be more reliable.”

With the help of Cheshire Turf Machinery a competitive demonstration was organised in order to trial several machines and find the perfect replacements for the camp.

“It became quite clear fairly soon that Toro was winning,” says Mark. “The combination of performance and price was just what we were looking for, and with simple and easy to use operation, it meant we could get straight onto using the new machines when they arrived.”

Having had the machines since September 2018, the GM7210 and the LT-F3000 have proved to be right on target. “They’re both really good machines and doing everything we expect from them.”

And with Toro impressing Mark, future investment is definitely on the cards. “We’ve had Toro before and been impressed and would definitely consider going with Toro again.”

For more information, visit: reesinkturfcare.co.uk

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Council Invests In Third Toro Machine

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Council Invests In Third Toro Machine: East Devon District Council has recently invested in a third Toro Groundsmaster 360 after its previous two models purchased in 2015, have proved to be a huge success with the Council’s groundscare department.

Dan Haydon, from the groundscare department, says that there were a lot of boxes for these machines to tick with reliability at the fore and the Groundsmaster 360 has ticked them all.

Council Invests In Third Toro Machine

“We have so many different kinds of grounds to maintain, from communal gardens and children’s play areas to sports pitches and cemeteries,” says Dan. “Having a robust, reliable machine that can adapt is vital and the Groundsmaster 360 does just that.

“Our machines need to be in use every day for eight and a half hours from spring until November; it’s a big task. With the two GM360s we’ve been using for four years, we’ve never had a problem, so it wasn’t a hard decision to purchase another one.”

The Council had been using triple cylinder mowers before purchasing the new GM360 rotary mowers. Due to government cuts, the frequency of cutting areas had to be reduced and its previous mowers weren’t able to keep the grass short for long enough, which is why the department opted to trial the GM360 zero-turn mower

The quad-steer all-wheel drive steering of the GM360 provides maximum productivity even in undulating terrain. Able to climb hills without slipping and make 180 degree turns without tearing turf, Dan couldn’t be happier with the machine.

“Whatever the weather or type of terrain – it performs across the board. We’ve seen a real improvement, and so have our other teams. We currently have eight teams across Devon, three of which have Toro machines, but now everyone is noticing the difference with Toro and there is definite potential in the future for Toro to pushed out across all the teams.”

For more information, visit: reesinkturfcare.co.uk

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PRO 34R A Hit At Beaumont

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PRO 34R A Hit At Beaumont: The new Dennis PRO 34R rotary mower is significantly improving the vast array of pitches at De Montfort University at Beaumont Park, says head groundsman Cameron Flitten.

Beaumont Park in Leicester has recently benefitted from a multi-million pound investment and has been transformed into an outstanding venue which boasts first-class sports facilities.

PRO 34R A Hit At Beaumont

In 2015 De Montfort University agreed a 25-year lease on the council-owned Beaumont Park and has been home to the university’s men’s and women’s football teams for past three years. The facilities are also widely used by the local community.

Cameron, who has been the head groundsman throughout this time, revealed that his interest in the Dennis PRO 34R was first ignited when he received a glimpse of the prototype model.

“One day their Area Manager was dropping some equipment off to me and on the back of the trailer there was a machine that I had never seen before. I asked him what it was and it was then that he told me it was the Dennis PRO 34R prototype.

“I had previously used Dennis Mowers in my former job at Loughborough University and I knew that they were reliable and renowned for giving a first-class presentation, so after asking a few questions, I was adamant that I wanted one.

“At the time it was winter and an incredibly wet winter at that. I was struggling to get on the pitches at certain times and ideally, I like to keep weight off the natural pitches so I was looking for an option where I didn’t have to take the tractor on. The PRO 34R seemed to be just what I needed.”

PRO 34R A Hit At Beaumont

The prototype which Cameron saw that day was launched at SALTEX 2017 with the sole purpose of gathering feedback from potential end users. Over the course of the next twelve months, the mower was refined and developed based on the input from the groundsmen who would eventually be using it. With no stone left unturned, the all new PRO 34R was unveiled at SALTEX 2018.

The Dennis PRO 34R is a 34” (860mm) rotary mower which has been designed to help groundsmen achieve an aesthetically pleasing appearance and desired playing surface. It is ideal for sports pitches and lawns producing the enviable ‘Dennis Stripes’ while a powerful vacuum flow collects debris quickly and efficiently.

The angle of the cutting deck and twin blades can be easily adjusted using a single ‘click adjuster’ ensuring the mower is suitable for changing conditions and meeting groundsmen’s requirements.

Unique features of the Dennis PRO 34R Rotary Mower include:

  • 5 forward and 1 reverse selection for speed of operation
  • 90 litre capacity grass box
  • Fully adjustable angle of deck for changing conditions
  • 2 section cast aluminium rear roller
  • Easy to use height of cut gauge
  • Single point height of cut adjustment for ease of operation
  • Optional front wheel or smooth/weile roller options
  • Front brush for standing grasses upright
  • Adjustable handlebars for operator comfort

“At this time of year, you are not really cutting; instead you are using it more as a vacuum cleaner,” said Cameron. “Ideally you just want to remove any loose fragments of grass, debris and soil which sits on the top of the pitches after use because the more organic matter you remove, the less disease you get. In this respect, the PRO 34R is superb and it has certainly helped to keep the pitches cleaner, which will also no doubt make my job easier when it comes to the renovations in spring.

“It also gives us brilliant presentation which is thanks to the roller on the back. I like the fact that it has the brush on the front, so it stands the grass up, the blades go over and then it hoovers it all up.

“The PRO 34R really is a fantastic piece of kit and it is doing a brilliant job. All the staff love using it – especially my assistant groundsman because I can never get it back off him.”

For further information or a no obligation demonstration, please contact Dennis 01332 824 777 or visit www.dennisuk.com

For more news, reviews and insightful views, you can follow Dennis on Twitter & Instagram @DennisMowers and like the company’s Facebook page – www.facebook.com/DennisMowersUK. You can also view the latest Dennis videos by visiting www.youtube.com/DennisMowers

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Reesink Secure Core Solutions Rights

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Reesink Secure Core Solutions Rights: Reesink Turfcare has secured the UK distribution rights for Core Solutions, a core collecting blade attachment from US-based Nordic Plow.

Designed for both golf courses and sports surfaces, this product fits perfectly onto all brands and models of aeration equipment and bunker rakes, such as, but not exclusively, the Toro ProCore 648 and 864 and Toro SandPro, to deliver an efficient and cost-effective way to remove cores from the playing surface in minutes.

Reesink Secure Core Solutions Rights

Jeff Anguige, national sales manager of Reesink Turfcare UK, says of the new addition: “Any tool that can complete a labour intensive process such as core clean-up with less manpower will generate interest. As a distributor we aim to bring our customers innovative products and the lightweight 64-inch collector means cores are removed as the turf is aerated in one pass and that simple fact makes it a perfect solution for core collection.”

The blade of the Core Solutions attachment has been developed to take into account the fact that aerating with the grain of the green or side to side reduces stress to the turf and results in a flawless scrape, says product manufacturer Nordic Plow.

Further advantages include the removable sleeve which removes cores on severely undulated greens without the need for tools and the adjustable scraper edge which can free float or lock into position. The brushes mean if you topdress first the cores can still be removed if the turf is wet and there’s no issue with small tine clear up. Despite them having less structure and more sand, which normally results in a difficult and time-consuming clean-up, Core Solutions handles this with ease.

Add to this the fact that it also creates tall piles of plugs with little spillage and has the added benefit of brushing sand deeper into the holes as it goes, and it’s easy to see why this is the latest addition to Reesink’s UK distribution portfolio.

Jeff concludes: “We’re continually looking to extend the range of innovative turfcare solutions we offer our customers, choosing those which align with what the market demands and that fit our values for quality and innovation. Core Solutions brings this, and more, to our portfolio.”

For more information, visit: reesinkturfcare.co.uk

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Kverneland Announce New Franchises

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Kverneland Announce New Franchises: Leading Cornwall and Devon agricultural machinery dealership, Vincent Tractors & Plant, has been appointed as a Kverneland dealer for Cornwall and South Devon.

This means that its branches at Fraddon and Smithaleigh (Plympton) now have Kverneland-trained engineers and an extensive stock of parts and machines, meaning that it is able to provide after-sales and service for both new and existing Kverneland customers.

Kverneland Announce New Franchises

Paul Vincent, Managing Director of Vincent Tractors & Plant said “We are delighted to add Kverneland to our range of agricultural machines.  Kverneland produces a superb range of machines including ploughs, cultivators, fertiliser spreaders, mowers, balers, wrappers and diet feeders”.

“The addition of Kverneland to our range of agricultural machines will allow us to offer our customers a wider range of products.  We have been listening to our customers who have said that they would like us to supply a wider range of tillage machinery.  The addition of Kverneland will allow us to do that as they produce an excellent range of tillage equipment.”

“We have our Grassland Demo Day on 9th May at Spriddlestone Farm near Plymouth.  Visitors will be able to try out a wide range of machines, including a number of different Kverneland products,” said Paul.

To find out more about the range of Kverneland products check out their website https://uk.kverneland.com/ or contact Vincent Tractors & Plant at Fraddon on 01726 860332 or at Smithaleigh on 01752 981090.

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