A Trilo proves multipurpose in name and nature

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A Trilo proves multipurpose in name and nature: A Trilo Multipurpose is proving to be exactly that, by name and by nature, for the team at Highfield and Brookham School.

Delivered in February 2025, the M3 was brought in to replace an existing Trilo S3 vacuum sweeper enabling Grounds Manager Jasper Marks and the team to not only conduct leaf clearance, but also scarification and cut and collect tasks around the 500 acres of school grounds and estate.

A Trilo proves multipurpose in name and nature

A Trilo proves multipurpose in name and nature

Jasper took over the head role in 2022, having worked at the co-educational school as a groundsman since 2019, and is currently supported by a team of three grounds staff and a part-time gardener. On the border of West Sussex, Surrey and Hampshire, the site is densely tree-populated which meant that the Trilo machine had always been a firm favourite on the fleet. This opinion looks set to stay with their latest purchase, bringing new-found versatility and productivity to maintenance tasks around the calendar.

He explains, “The S3 was a fantastic machine, robust and efficient, which would be used for leaf collection, road sweeping and general clearance of clippings and debris over the autumn and winter months. I then discovered the Multipurpose M3, which was capable of doing everything the S3 could, with the addition of flail and scarifying shafts to cut or scarify and collect all with one unit. It’s transformed the Trilo into a machine that we can fully utilise all year round.”

While only a matter of months since the M3 was installed by dealers Lister Wilder and Trilo’s Jeremy Vincent, it is already demonstrating its key trait – versatility! “We have a 9-hole golf course on the estate where the Trilo has been used to assist with cut and collect of the roughs. The large 3m3 hopper means we can cut for longer without having to make as many trips to our green waste area to empty. It’s keeping us productive, for longer.” Jasper continues, “After that, we equipped it with the scarifier shaft for use on our sports pitches. We previously hired a machine for this which often meant we were scarifying in less than idea conditions. Now we can do it ourselves whenever the weather or play schedule allows which will bring huge improvements to pitch quality.”

“What also really impressed me was the service we received from Jeremy. While the machine, in principle, is not wildly different from the S3 we were using before, no corners were cut with the handover & installation to ensure the team were confident and would get the very best out of the machine.”

“We traded in one machine and gained three in return, but needed to find no extra space in the shed as the footprint is near enough identical” he added. “It’s going to become a pivotal part of the team as we continue to drive up standards for our students and wider community to enjoy.”

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GKB Machines delivers top class artificial surfaces

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GKB Machines delivers top class artificial surfaces: A suite of equipment from GKB Machines has been entrusted with prolonging the longevity and boosting the performance of five artificial playing surfaces at Ipswich School.

Installed by dealers Ernest Doe in September 2024, a Quick Brush, Rotobrush and GKB Deep Clean are bringing new-found time-savings and efficiency to both routine and more intensive maintenance.

GKB Machines delivers top class artificial surfaces

GKB Machines delivers top class artificial surfaces

Rated the number one independent school in Suffolk and Norfolk, sport forms a major part of the curriculum for the students at Ipswich School. Keeping an array of natural and all-weather surfaces in top-flight condition for cricket, hockey and winter sports is a team of eight headed up by Grounds Maintenance Manager Syd Townsend. “The all-weather pitches across our Westwood campus and Rushmere Sports Centre have been installed over a number of years and the time was now right to invest in equipment to optimise their performance and protect our investment” he explains.

“We previously didn’t have any mechanised attachments or equipment, so we were drag brushing the surfaces manually which was labour intensive and restricted us from being able to conduct operations as often as we’d like.” For a solution, Syd spoke with local dealers Ernest Doe who brought in a selection of machines from the GKB synthetic portfolio for the team to trial on their facilities. “It was important that anything we purchased would work with our existing tractors. Of the four machines we demoed, we purchased three of them and in a short period of time, they have already proven their worth.”

“The Quick Brush and Rotobrush are in use regularly, standing up the fibres and redistributing the sand dressing. The Rotobrush does a fantastic job of the perimeter areas, in particular, agitating any moss and bringing it to the surface for collection with the Deep Clean.” Syd continues, “We’ll be using the Deep Clean during school holidays to give the pitches a more intensive renovation, on top of the more routine collection of leaves and other detritus.”

“A large proportion of our synthetic pitches are surrounded by overhanging trees. The days of using a blower or manually raking up leaves have gone, and we can now quickly and effectively collect these and other smaller particulates in a more sustainable way.”

While each machine has been well received, Syd considers the combination of equipment to be the golden ticket to perfecting the performance of the playing surfaces. “Not only has the kit delivered exactly what we hoped, the service and training we received from Ernest Does and GKB was outstanding. Despite having to reschedule our training day due to unpredictable weather and staff holidays, both companies were incredibly flexible. On the day all eight operatives had the opportunity to ask any questions and undergo full training to ensure they were confident with the equipment which will all help us to achieve the very best results.”

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Dennis ES-510 Delivers Electric Performance

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Dennis ES-510 Delivers Electric Performance: Keswick’s two flagship parks – Hope Park and Fitz Park – nestled in the heart of the Lake District in Cumbria, are setting the standard for sustainable grounds maintenance thanks to the exceptional performance of three Dennis ES-510 battery-powered mowers.

The move to electric machinery was spearheaded by Christine Fawcett, Parks Manager at Keswick Town Council, following the council’s bold step to declare a climate emergency. “Keswick Town Council and Keswick Parks declared a climate emergency six years ago,” Christine explains. “So obviously things had to change with fossil fuelled maintenance machinery, and we started looking for battery alternatives.”

Dennis ES-510 Delivers Electric Performance

Dennis ES-510 Delivers Electric Performance

The parks team had been long-time users of the petrol-powered Dennis FT510, known for its reliability and versatility – particularly its interchangeable cassette system. When Dennis introduced the battery-powered ES-510, which retained compatibility with the same range of cassettes, the transition was a natural progression.

“We’d built up a full suite of cassettes over the years,” says Christine. “From scarifiers to brushes, verticutter, sorrel roller and cutting cassettes – we rely on all of them throughout the year to deliver high standards of turf care. When the ES-510 came out, it looked like the perfect time to make the change to battery. And because the cassettes were compatible, we didn’t need to start from scratch.”

In fact, Keswick’s parks team became the first users in the UK to adopt an electric Dennis machine three years ago and now operate three ES-510s across both Hope and Fitz Parks.

Hope Park is a popular destination for visitors, featuring a nine-hole pitch and putt course and a large putting green. Fitz Park, affectionately known as the ‘people’s park’, is home to a bowling green, five grass tennis courts, an 18-hole putting course, and serves as the base for local sports clubs including Keswick Football Club, the bowling and tennis clubs, athletics, and cricket. Both parks are owned by charitable trusts and maintained by a dedicated in-house team overseen by Christine.

One ES-510 can handle a significant workload in a single day – cutting the bowling green, two grass-court tennis courts, and nine holes on the pitch and putt – with the battery lasting comfortably through the day. “It gets charged overnight and it’s ready to go again the next day,” says Christine.

The machines play a crucial role in Keswick’s fine turf maintenance regime. Christine explains: “We start the season with light verticutting and brushing to clean the surfaces and remove debris. Once the season starts, we usually verticut every three weeks or so, depending on the weather. Cutting typically happens twice a week, usually on a Monday and Thursday. At the end of the season, we scarify the greens and tennis courts before overseeding in late September.”

For the team, the switch to battery has brought many advantages. “We really like the flexibility – you can adjust the walking pace, set the cylinder speed depending on the task, and even keep track of how far you’ve walked in a day,” Christine adds. “It makes the job easier and more tailored to the person using it.”

Now in their third season, the Dennis ES-510s are proving their worth across Keswick’s green spaces – helping the town meet its sustainability goals without compromising on quality. “The ES-510s have helped us maintain our sports surfaces to a high standard while reducing our environmental impact – and that’s something we’re really proud of.”

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 X and 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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SVR 1500 Proves Vital for Stoke City

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SVR 1500 Proves Vital for Stoke City: Stoke City FC’s long-standing Grounds Manager, Andy Jackson, believes that synthetic pitches demand more attention than people might expect – and that’s exactly why the Syn-Pro by SISIS SVR 1500 has become an essential part of his maintenance regime at the training ground.

“We carry out around eight to ten hours of maintenance work each week on our synthetic pitch,” says Andy, who has been with the club for over 30 years. “People forget that synthetic pitches require a lot more maintenance than they think. But if you stay on top of it and do it properly, it can make a huge difference to the longevity and quality of the surface.”

SVR 1500 Proves Vital for Stoke City

SVR 1500 Proves Vital for Stoke City

The SVR 1500 – a two-in-one deep cleaning and decompaction machine – plays a central role in that strategy. Part of Syn-Pro by SISIS range, the SVR 1500 has been in regular use at Stoke’s training ground for the past two years, and Andy has been thoroughly impressed.

“We wanted a machine that was robust, simple to use and gives us the quality finish that we require. The SVR 1500 cleans the surface, distributes the rubber evenly, and leaves a good finish.”

Used primarily in the spring and summer months when conditions are dry, the SVR 1500 is ideal for ensuring the rubber doesn’t clump together. It also allows Andy’s team to carry out both light and deep cleans as and when needed.

For Andy, usability is just as important as performance. “I don’t want something that takes hours to set up with lots of buttons or settings. With this machine, it’s just so simple – If we don’t want to go too deep, we don’t have to. It’s simple to set the machine to how you want it.

When you’ve got a big team, it’s important that the machines we use are staff friendly.”

The SVR 1500’s effectiveness in removing debris also came as a surprise. “I was shocked when I first looked at the baskets at the back of the filters. I didn’t realise how much debris it was collecting – and that prompted us to use it even more regularly.”

Beyond the machine’s contribution to synthetic surface management, it aligns well with Andy’s wider philosophy in terms of longevity and sustainability. Stoke City FC is proudly pesticide-free – a decision made over a decade ago and one that continues to challenge and inspire the grounds team.

“If something’s got a shelf life of 10 years, can we get 12 years out of it? Can we get 14 years? That’s the aim. Because it’s a massive job to take a synthetic carpet out and put a new one in and then recycling that carpet is not easy. So, we want to expand the life of the synthetic pitch as much as we can – and the SVR 1500 helps us do that.

“For me, having a good support network is crucial – from fertilisers to machinery to line marking. You’ve got to have the right people around you, and the right tools in the garage. And sometimes, the hardest thing is doing nothing. Just looking at the pitch and saying: today, she just needs a rest.”

With Andy’s passion for sustainable practices, and top-quality playing surfaces, it’s no surprise the SVR 1500 has become a mainstay in Stoke City FC’s maintenance plan.

For further information or a no obligation demonstration, please contact Syn-Pro by SISIS on 01332 824 777 or visit www.synprobysisis.com

For more news, reviews and insightful views, you can follow Syn-Pro on Twitter or Instagram @synprobysisis and like the company’s Facebook page – https://www.facebook.com/SynPro-by-SISIS.

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STIHL’s first single-sided battery-powered hedge trimmers

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STIHL’s first single-sided battery-powered hedge trimmers: Single-sided hedge trimmers offer numerous benefits, including a longer and lighter cutting bar, as well as improved safety. Designed for professional landscapers, the HSA 150 R and HSA 150 T are the first single-sided hedge trimmers in the STIHL AP System, comparable in performance to the popular petrol HS 87.

Available in lengths of 75cm or 100cm, the HSA 150 comes equipped with a catcher plate as standard, increasing the speed at which the top of hedges can be cut.

STIHL's first single-sided battery-powered hedge trimmers

STIHL’s first single-sided battery-powered hedge trimmers

Alongside the impressive performance, the HSA 150 also offers high levels of operator comfort. The new hedge trimmer weighs just 4.3 – 4.7 kg (without battery) and is comfortable to hold thanks to the ergonomic handle grips. The wide grip stance, combined with the central centre of gravity, allows the HSA 150 to be pivoted with ease, resulting in minimal strain to the operators’ wrists or arms.

The HSA 150 is quiet in operation, and thanks to its highly effective anti-vibration system, is suitable for long periods of use too. When cutting hedges with a petrol machine, the fumes can often collect within the hedge, resulting in a poor working environment for the user. Battery-powered machines such as the HSA 150 can eliminate this problem entirely.

Featuring 38mm tooth spacing, the HSA 150 R is best suited to annual pruning or hedge reduction work. Its lower maximum RPM of 3,200 also allows thicker branch material to enter the cutters efficiently. Alternatively, the HSA 150 T has a higher maximum RPM and smaller 30mm tooth spacing, making it better suited to ornamental or fine leaf hedges such as taxus, buxus or privet, where a fine finish is required.

The HSA 150 benefits from a new gearbox design, consisting of a two-step planetary gear. This results in exceptionally high cutting performance and fast cold start up, as well as improved protection of the internal components thanks to the integrated slip clutch.

To help prevent the blades from jamming, the HSA 150 features an innovative anti-blocking system that reverses the motors rotational direction to unblock the blades, minimising product downtime and enhancing the efficiency of the tool.

The HSA 150 utilises the same friction optimised, double edged blades that feature on the HS 87 professional petrol models, resulting in long lasting sharpness, a consistently clean cut and ample durability for long cutting seasons.

When used with the recommended AP 200 S battery, the HSA 150 R has a maximum working time of 150 minutes, while the HSA 150 T’s maximum working time is up to 140 minutes.

To find out more about the STIHL HSA 150, visit www.stihl.co.uk.

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