GKB At “The Most Beautiful Ground”

GKB At “The Most Beautiful Ground”: Cricket Manager and former head groundsman for the Wormsley estate, Simon Tremlin heads the team responsible for maintaining the Wormsley Cricket Pitch in Buckinghamshire, which is often referred to as ‘the most beautiful ground in Britain’.

When Mick Jagger introduced Sir Paul Getty to cricket, the millionaire philanthropist formed such an affection for the sport he had a replica of The Oval built on the grounds of his estate. The pitch was completed in 1992 and the first match played there was attended by Her Majesty The Queen Mother, the then Prime Minister John Major, Sir Michael Caine and cricket legends Denis Compton and Brian Johnston. What is now known as ‘Sir Paul Getty’s Ground’, Wormsley has in recent years played host to England Women’s test matches against Australia and India.

GKB At "The Most Beautiful Ground"

With such a reputation to live up to he’s naturally very selective about the machinery he uses and a requirement for a scarifier and seeder led him to official GKB dealers RT Machinery near Aylesbury.

“We do a lot of contracting work as well as looking after Wormsley,” says Simon “and it’s important to know the machines we use are sturdy enough to meet our needs. Last year we did forty- two cricket squares as well as rugby and football pitches.” RT Machinery arranged with GKB Machines’ Tom Shinkins for demonstrations of GKB’s VStrong and Combiseeder at Wormsley. “We wanted a scarifier that collects as well and the VStrong showed us it’s ideal for that, leaving a tidy finish and saving time, especially in damp conditions.” Simon adds.

The VStrong follows in the tradition of GKB’s Combinator and employs generically developed 3mm carbide scarifying blades attached to the rotor using their Quick-Lock system. An operating depth of 5cm is easily attained without missing any areas. The operating speed of up to 12km/h is a real benefit for the professional contractor, with fast removal of thatch and weed with the ability to collect at the same time.

The GKB Combiseeder can be used for overseeding and initial seeding and features two spiked rollers that open up the soil for the seed to then be spread accurately across the full width, in and around the holes. Creating over 1500 holes per m² the Combiseeder provides accurate seed application at various rates to suit different seed mixes, with drag brushes to incorporate seed and topdressing for minimal surface disruption.

“We’ve gone with the GKB machines for the way they perform and they are robust enough to withstand the punishment of contracting work,” says Simon, “and we have plenty of that ahead as well as maintaining Sir Paul Getty’s Ground.” GKB machines can be seen at work in an open day at RT Machinery, Nether Winchendon near Aylesbury on the 5th September 2018 and local demonstrations can be arranged.

For more information, visit: www.gkbmachines.com

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New John Deere Turf Outlet Opens

New John Deere Turf Outlet Opens: New Forest Farm Machinery Ltd, a John Deere dealer, has recently opened a new turf equipment outlet. Based at Cadbury Business Park in Sparkford, near Yeovil in Somerset, the premises serve the dealer’s extended trading area that was initially established in 2014 after New Forest took over the professional turf business of Rochford Garden Machinery.

The dealership offers John Deere’s full range of professional golf and amenity turf equipment including mowers, aerators, sprayers, tractors and Gator utility vehicles, as well as homeowner and construction equipment.

New John Deere Turf Outlet Opens

Based at Ringwood in Hampshire, New Forest Farm Machinery has been a John Deere agricultural dealer since 1979 and has held the turf franchise since John Deere’s commercial and consumer equipment business, as it was then known, started in 1986. New Forest currently employs 43 people altogether and sells to turf customers in the counties of Hampshire, Somerset, Dorset and Wiltshire.

“As a long established, independent family-owned business we are always striving to improve our company offering, through focusing on customer support and investing for the future,” says managing director Ed Smales. “The new premises at Sparkford are ideally located to cover our extended trading area and increase our presence in the marketplace.

“We intend to maintain our traditional high standard of product sales, parts and service support in the various turf equipment markets that we serve, and we look forward to welcoming both existing and new customers to the dealership.”

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

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Case IH A SALTEX Newcomer

Case IH A SALTEX Newcomer: Leading agricultural machinery manufacturer, Case IH, which has been producing agricultural machinery for more than 175 years, will be exhibiting at the upcoming SALTEX for the first time. Held at the NEC, the exhibition is the the premier event for the sports, amenities and landscaping trades.

Case IH produces a range of tractors from 55hp to 628hp, with the 55hp to 150hp models perfectly suited to many applications in amenity use. All these models share the Case IH tradition of safety and operator comfort and can be specified with a range of implements including loaders, as well as tyres to match the demands of every application.

Case IH A SALTEX Newcomer

Case IH tractors have proven reliability and are supported by a network of 81 dealers across the UK and Ireland, providing a guarantee of personal and professional after-sales support.

Case IH can be found on stand D032 and will be exhibiting a Case IH Farmall 75C, fitted with a loader.

Commenting, Andy Whiley, Case IH Key Accounts Manager, said:

“Case IH aims to be the preferred partner in bringing innovative products and market-leading solutions and services to customers around the world. Our tractors have proven performance and reliability, offering best-in-class total cost of ownership, and our range offers the right machine for every task, backed up by an extensive dealer network. We look forward to meeting customers old and new at the SALTEX exhibition.”

The Case IH range includes the following series of tractors suited to sports, amenity, snow clearing, municipal and landscaping use:

Quantum V/F

If you are looking for a specialist tractor when narrow access is required, then the Case IH Quantum series provides the right machine for the task at hand. Ranging from 65 to 106hp they offer excellent performance for work such as pavement sweeping or snow-blowing, or for maintenance work on lawns and sports grounds or any type of facility management.

Farmall

The Farmall name is deeply rooted in the history of Case IH, with the first tractors to bear this name being produced back in 1923. Today’s Farmall tractors range from 55 to 114hp and share a design emphasis on manoeuvrability, compact dimensions, ease of operation and a high power-to-weight ratio. This means that whether you are working with mounted machinery, trailed equipment, transport duties or with a loader, there’s a Farmall to suit your needs.

 Maxxum

The Maxxum series is available from 116 to 145hp and offers superior performance and fuel efficiency thanks to the use of Efficient Power technology. Available with a range of transmission options including a 16F/16R four-speed powershift, our award-winning ActiveDrive 8 24F/24R eight-speed powershift that delivers class-leading fuel efficiency, or a CVXDrive for the ultimate stepless transmission, the Maxxum makes work easy.

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ISEKI’s Dealer Network Expansion

ISEKI’s Dealer Network Expansion: ISEKI have announced that Medland, Sanders & Twose (MST) have joined their dealer network after making the switch from a competitive tractor brand.

MST are a well-known and established dealer trading through Devon, parts of Cornwall and parts of Somerset with depots in Tiverton, Lee Mill and Yeovil. Their joining ISEKI complements the exiting dealer network and will give customers even more reason to buy ISEKI products.

ISEKI's Dealer Network Expansion

Nigel Godefroy,  Director of MST Group commented “We are delighted to have the opportunity to serve our customers with the ISEKI product range, having been with a competing brand for the last 40 years we were concerned that this might be a big upheaval for us and our customers, but the transition has been really smooth and we have already had customers change orders from our previous brand to ISEKI”

David Withers, Managing Director of ISEKI expressed his pleasure with MST joining ISEKI “it is great to have MST on board and look forward to working with them in the future. Since launching the company in January this year it has been very encouraging to see the volume of dealers who would like to represent ISEKI and benefit for our growing sales and share gain across the sectors we serve” he went on to say “we continue to have openings for dealers in some areas and are happy to discuss opportunities with interested parties who share our commitment to Customer service and relationship building”

Dealers interested in representing ISEKI should contact ISEKI UK at sales@iseki.co.uk  or call 01473 599266

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

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Fantastic Flexibrush At Overstone

Fantastic Flexibrush At Overstone: Overstone Park Resort, based in Northampton, have been left delighted by the fantastic results they’ve received from the SISIS Flexibrush on their fairways, which are looked after by course manager Lawrence Ryan.

Set in 193 acres of Victorian countryside, Overstone Park Resort boasts a wide array of incredible facilities including a 31 room hotel, 115 Scandinavian style lodges, a state-of-the-art gym, tennis courts, a bowling green; and arguably the jewel in the crown – a stunning 18 hole parkland golf course.

Fantastic Flexibrush At Overstone

Lawrence, who has been a greenkeeper since leaving school, has held the position of course manager for the past two years and by all accounts it appears to be an exciting time for all involved at the resort – new owners have signalled their ambitions by heavily investing in Overstone and the membership, which currently sits at around 600, and continues to grow significantly on a yearly basis.

The course is quickly gaining a reputation as one of the premier golfing venues in Northamptonshire, which is testament to the work of Lawrence and his five members of staff who ensure that the course is kept at a consistent quality all year-round.

With a vast selection of turf care equipment in his armoury, Lawrence is particularly impressed with his SISIS Flexibrush – a tractor mounted brush which is ideal for both synthetic and natural turf surfaces. In Lawrence’s case, he has reported great results from using it for a number of tasks on his fairways. Featuring a 5.35 metre working width, its brush sections ‘float’ to follow ground contours providing maximum efficiency on large areas.

“It’s a great piece of kit which is extremely versatile,” he said. “Primarily we use it prior to cutting which ensures a quality cut every time. In the mornings, we will go out with the Flexibrush to remove the dew from the fairways. Also, because we block cut them, we will use it to stand the grasses up before cutting. We simply run the brush in an opposite direction to the way we block cut which results in a nice and even cut.

Fantastic Flexibrush At Overstone

“Presentation wise, the Flexibrush provides us with fantastic striping which the members really like and appreciate. We can follow up with it behind the fairway mower, enhancing the presentation. This summer, due to the dry weather we’ve experienced, we’ve reduced the amount of cutting and used the Flexibrush for striping instead. It means we can skip cuts which saves a significant amount of time for the team as it’s quicker than mowing and gives us the presentation that is expected by the members.”

The SISIS Flexibrush, which is also commonly used for effectively dispersing top dressings, has hydraulically folding outer sections for storage and movement between areas and Lawrence claims that this feature provides him with even more versatility.

“You’ve got the hydraulic arms on it as well which means you don’t have to have all three of them down at the same time. Therefore, if you want to work on smaller areas with it then you can. It’s very versatile, offers extremely low maintenance and it fits onto our tractor incredibly well. The Flexibrush is also a time saver when you need a quick turnaround. You can whizz round the fairways with it within a couple of hours, whereas you could spend all day cutting and striping them beforehand.”

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

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