New Ferris Launch At SALTEX

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New Ferris Launch At SALTEX: The team that brings you Ferris zero turn mowers in the UK are delighted to confirm the launch of an all new commercial mower from Ferris at the upcoming SALTEX exhibition.

The ISX®800Z is powered by a Briggs & Stratton Commercial Turf™ 27-gross HP, 810cc VTwin petrol engine, featuring a commercial warranty of 3 years. Packed full of premium features, the ISX®800Z boasts Ferris’ patented suspension technology, iCD™ cutting deck technology, heavy-duty Hydro-Gear® drive system, an engine purpose built for a zero-turn application and mowing speeds up to 16 km/h. With a compact size, the ISX®800Z can easily tackle tight places, providing maximum manoeuvrability and productivity.

New Ferris Launch At SALTEX

Taking owners into the future, the Ferris suspension has been upgraded for an even better mowing experience, featured on the ISX®800Z. Not only does this mower incorporate adjustable coil-over-shocks at the rear wheels, it also boasts next generation independent suspension at the front using a double wishbone system. This offers superior operator comfort and increased mowing productivity, with the deck following the contours of even the most challenging terrain with refined control and incomparable steering accuracy.

This allows the operator to maintain ground speed on rough turf, not slowing down, and instead taking full advantage of the available horsepower resulting in more covered square meters per hour and lower operational costs.

On top of that, all Ferris zero-turn mowers have no limitations on the daily allowable exposure regarding hand/arm and whole-body vibrations (HAV’s and WBV’s), including the ISX®800Z.

The ISX®800Z is a commercial workhorse offering superior durability and is built with industry-leading commercial-grade components. Dual commercial Hydro-Gear® ZT-3400 transaxles deliver unmatched power and durability. The 132cm rear discharge mower deck with iCD™ technology features a factory fitted mulching insert and cast-iron spindle housings; accommodating double-row industrial angular-contact bearings. An all new double belt mower drive system is covered by 3 years (max.300 hours) warranty.

Other features include large 23” traction wheels at the rear, a premium high-back adjustable seat with padded arm rests, large 21 litre fuel tank capacity and a foldable ROPS system.

Clive Carter, T H WHITE Machinery Imports Business Manager, is excited about the opportunities this new model presents, commenting, “this is an exciting step for Ferris, with next generation suspension technology that is unrivalled in the market, as well as all the usual benefits buyers can expect. We’re looking forward to showcasing the ISX®800Z at SALTEX and providing free demonstrations for those who are interested in seeing it in action.”

Specifications:

• Commercial Turf™ 27-gross HP, 810cc V-Twin petrol engine features an ultimate 5 step dust and particle filtration system with an integrated cyclonic air cleaner.
• Dual commercial Hydro-Gear® ZT-3400 Powertrain® transaxles
• 132cm Rear discharge fabricated steel mower deck with iCD™ technology and standard mulching insert
• Patented 4-wheel suspension system
• Foot operated deck lift with cutting height ranging from 38-127mm in 0,6cm increments
• Large 23×10.50-12 drive tyres and 13×6.5-6 caster tyres
• Ground speed up to 16 km/h with productivity up to 1,69 Ha/hour (based on 80% efficiency)

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Winter Warmers From Cobra

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Winter Warmers From Cobra: Cosy winter evenings sat warming by the fire will soon be upon us and logs are set to be in great demand this winter, particularly with the rising popularity of log burners.

Whilst picking some up from the local garage or farm shop on your way home may be convenient, it can also be costly and the logs not necessarily the size you need.

Winter Warmers From Cobra

Cutting your own logs is a great way to have the perfect size without the cost premium of shop bought logs – it’s also a great way of getting outdoors and feeling like a true hunter gatherer!

To help with this, Cobra has an extensive range of chainsaws aimed at domestic users. For those wanting the rev of a petrol engine to add to the experience, Cobra has four models of increasing cutting widths and power, ranging from a 14” with a 42cc engine to a 20” with a 62cc engine. Prices start from £154.99. Alternatively, there are also electric models that start at £89.99.

However, for the ultimate in convenience, Cobra has a lithium-ion battery chainsaw which is ready to go at the touch of a button. The CS3540VZ (£149.99) runs for an impressive 50-minutes on a 90-minute charge.

Alternatively, the Cobra log splitter is designed exactly for this task. The LS520H (£269.99), with its 1500w powerful motor and 5.5 tonnes of splitting force, can split logs up to 25cm in diameter in to four with just one stroke. Cobra even has an extensive range of carts and trailers too, to help you transport the logs once cut!

After cutting, clean up the debris using Cobra’s blower/vac. The BV26C (£139.99) is an incredibly powerful blower with a 26cc petrol engine that converts to a vac in an instant, simply by changing tubes so debris can be cleared and collected easily, all by one machine.

Make sure the garden debris and leaves don’t go to waste by helping them return to nature. You can create your own compost or mulch with the Cobra shredder. The electric QS2500 2500W quiet shredder can tackle garden waste up to 40mm in diameter and has an impressive 50 litre collection box. It also come with a plunger to help with increased output for heavier loads.

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SISIS Praised At Shrewsbury School

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SISIS Praised At Shrewsbury School: Andy Richards, grounds manager at Shrewsbury School, has reported excellent results from using a range of SISIS turf maintenance equipment to look after the School’s widely praised sports pitches.

Shrewsbury School is one of the country’s leading co-educational independent schools for 13-18-year-olds and attracts boys and girls from all over the country. It is one of the original seven public schools as defined by the Public Schools Act 1868, and its impressive list of previous pupils boasts a certain Mr Charles Darwin. In line with the work of its most famous “Old Salopian”, the school continues to evolve in a dynamic way, achieving both outstanding academic and sporting results.

SISIS Praised At Shrewsbury School

“We have a good blend of academics and sports at Shrewsbury School,” says Andy. “Sport is a massive part of the School and there is a very strong house sport system – in fact the students are willing to run through a brick wall for their school and their house in sporting competitions!”

It is for this reason that Andy and his team leave absolutely no stone un-turned when it comes to preparing and maintaining sports pitches of the highest standard. In fact, cricket-writer Sir Neville Cardus once famously described them as “the most beautiful playing fields in the world, spreading and imperceptibly mingling with the pasture land of Shropshire”. However, these truly wonderful facilities don’t come easily.

Andy and his team work tirelessly throughout the year to provide sports pitches of the highest quality, and when it comes to his cricket wickets he puts his faith in the SISIS Auto Rotorake MK5

“We use the Auto Rotorake specifically for cricket because it does such a good job,” says Andy. “The amount of material you can take out of a wicket with the brush reel and the verticutting reel sometimes needs to be seen to be believed. We use it all the way through the cricket season. In summer we do 30 match wickets a week and it will be part of the preparation for every one of those. From the middle of April through to the last cricket match in August we play host to approximately 250 matches and the Auto Rotorake is used on every one of those.”

The SISIS Auto Rotorake MK5 is a powerful self-propelled heavy duty scarifier designed for the removal and control of thatch on fine turf. It features a contra-rotating reel with specially designed tipped blades for clean, consistent cut and maximum thatch removal. As Andy says, a variety of maintenance tasks can be carried out due to a selection of seven different interchangeable reels.

In further discussing his maintenance procedures, Andy pin-pointed aeration as one of the most vital.

“We have one of the highest pitch usages in the country. On each pitch we average 10-15 hours per week and we’ve got limited drainage. Therefore, one of the most important things we do is aeration and we aerate pitches all of the time. Grass lives and needs air like anyone else,” he says.

Breathing life into Andy’s grass is his newly purchased SISIS Javelin Aer-Aid tractor mounted aerator, and he had no problem in running it past the School’s bursars – as he explains.

“It was the machine I wanted because I had previously trialled it and had good results. For example I Clegg hammered the pitches before and after using the Aer-Aid and had noticed a massive reduction in hardness. I know that the Aer-Aid had recently undergone extensive Sports Turf Research Institute (STRI) trials and it came out with excellent results – which always gives you confidence and makes it easier to explain to the bursars why you want to purchase it.”

The Javelin Aer-Aid recently gained rave reviews from the STRI following a three month period in which extensive trials led by Dr Christian Spring were carried out. Described by Christian as “a very useful tool in a greenkeeper’s or groundsman’s arsenal,” the Javelin Aer-Aid is indeed becoming the number one choice for many turf managers looking for the best aeration results.

With 10mm diameter ‘tipped’ tines working at 75mm (3ins) spacing, air is introduced from the Aer-Aid at a rate of 88 litres (3cu.ft.) per minute. These air injection tines are specially designed to use the maximum air available from the compressor and produces clean, fresh air, while also ensuring that surface disturbance is kept to a minimum. The cam trigger mechanism ensures that the air is always expelled at the bottom of the tine penetration, enabling treatment to be targeted precisely and consistently.

“It’s a really good machine,” says Andy. “It’s easy to use and we can see significant improvements since using the Aer-Aid.

“For me, SISIS signals simplicity and reliability. It may be a cliché but the equipment does what it says on the tin and that’s what I expect. The machines are built to last and I’ve never had any problems with SISIS equipment.”

For further information or a no obligation demonstration, please contact SISIS on 01332 824 777 or visit www.sisis.com

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Education City GC Partners John Deere

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Education City GC Partners John Deere: A major investment in John Deere golf course maintenance equipment has been made by the brand new Education City Golf Club in Doha, Qatar, which is due to open at the end of October 2018. The machinery will be used on three courses, with a total of 33 holes spread across 120ha.

Education City Golf Club is a landmark project for Qatar and the world of golf, offering a revolutionary and holistic approach to growing the game of golf. The facility features three golf courses including an 18-hole championship course, a floodlit 6-hole championship course and a floodlit 9-hole par 3 course, all designed by two-time US Masters winner and 2012 Ryder Cup winning captain Jose Maria Olazabal. It also comprises a range of short game formats, a state-of-the-art learning and practice facility housed in the Centre of Excellence and a TrackMan driving range.

Education City GC Partners John Deere

Uniquely the 6-hole championship course has seven tee options per hole for quick and multi-generational golf, as part of the club’s role in supporting the game’s development and encouraging its growth in the region. The golf courses are serviced by a clubhouse and academy building, which will both offer all-day dining options. Surrounding the clubhouse are large gardens where a number of lawn sports will also be available, including footgolf, frisbee golf and croquet.

The facility will be maintained by Golf Course Superintendent Darren Smith and Deputy Superintendent Andrew Ikstrums. An initial fleet of 93 John Deere machines including tractors, greens, fairway & rough mowers and Gator utility vehicles has been delivered by Qatar dealer Progressive, along with other ancillary equipment including sprayers, top dressers and aerators. The choice of John Deere as preferred supplier to Education City Golf Club was made on Darren Smith’s recommendation, following an intensive examination of the equipment’s technical and environmental features.

In line with the club’s sustainability vision, John Deere was considered a perfect match due to the hybrid electric technology used on over 90 per cent of the mowing fleet. These mowers feature proven E-Cut Quick Adjust (QA) cutting units driven by electric reel motors that support energy efficiency, reduced fuel consumption and lower sound levels. In addition, 102 potential hydraulic leak points are removed from the equation due to the use of electric drives in the reel circuits. Precision and quality were also key considerations in the decision making process, as Education City aims to present a premium experience to its members and guests.

Seif Al Ghaly, Managing Director of Progressive, John Deere’s official supplier in Qatar, said: “As the exclusive dealer for John Deere agriculture & turf equipment in the region, Progressive Trading is proud and honoured to supply Education City Golf Club for the first time with our largest ever fleet of golf and utility equipment, to cater for the maintenance of this prestigious project.

“We are committed to providing first class products and service from our well trained and dedicated team of employees, with the full support, back-up and experience of the international John Deere business.”

Education City Golf Club’s General Manager Michael Braidwood added: “Our core product is the golf course and therefore it must be presented in immaculate condition. The equipment has been carefully selected to ensure an excellent guest and member experience. John Deere products are aligned to our vision in sustainability and to supporting our environmental initiatives in reducing fuel and waste. Furthermore, John Deere invests worldwide in education and training, which is another of our core values, and we look forward to a successful long-term partnership with the company.”

For more information, visit: www.JohnDeere.co.uk

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Wilkinson Extend Gardening Campaign

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Wilkinson Extend Gardening Campaign: Wilkinson Sword Garden Tools has extended a campaign designed to get school children gardening, by joining forces with Town & Country and increasing its reach to the whole country.

Wilkinson Sword is passionate about getting children into gardening and in 2016 it launched its school gardening campaign encouraging primary schools in Oxfordshire to get gardening. 2018 sees this campaign being extended throughout the whole country, and Wilkinson Sword has this year teamed up with Town & Country, which has a range of children’s gloves and wellington boots.

Wilkinson Extend Gardening Campaign

As part of the campaign, the winning school can win a £150 voucher to spend on tools from Wilkinson Sword and a £150 voucher from Town & Country to spend on gloves and wellies! On the day that the prize is awarded, the winning school will be visited by the sponsors alongside, 11 year old, Kelsi Rose. Kelsi is part of a gardening club that previously won the competition, and was, this year, nominated for the RHS young Gardener of the Year award. For six years Kelsi has contributed to the vibrant growing areas within her school community and further afield into the village community. She is passionate about gardening and is a real inspiration for getting children into the activity.

In order to take part, pupils are simply asked to design a fruit and vegetable garden for their school, which can either be done as a group exercise, or individually.

Mark Hewett, Garden Division General Manager for Wilkinson Sword and Town & Country, commented: “We are really excited about this project. We are passionate about getting children in the garden, and are confident that this will get them inspired and motivated about getting their hands dirty, and their tummies full of home grown food! We are really looking forward to seeing the designs.”

Wilkinson Sword and Town & Country have enlisted the help of gardening expert, Martin Fish, to provide top tips and to be on the judging panel. Martin writes for several gardening publications including Garden News and Kitchen Garden, as well as being a RHS Garden Advisor, and a judge of show gardens and nursery displays at RHS shows.

Entry forms and Martin’s top tips to help schools get started have been sent out to primary schools across the country. If you would like to request an entry pack please email fayclarkson@paskett.co.uk or tweet @WSGardenTools.

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