MClassic Hydraulic Loaders Introduced

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MClassic Hydraulic Loaders Introduced: Distributor AgriArgo UK has introduced a front-end loader for the new McCormick X2 Series compact tractor line-up with mechanical parallel linkage fitted as standard for ease of use and added safety.

The McCormick MClassic 25 loader adds to the versatility and usefulness of the 43hp, 47hp and 54hp mechanical drive X2 Series tractors, giving them the ability to load and re-handle materials from manure and feed to gravel and soil, or to lift bales, pallets and small bulk containers.

MClassic Hydraulic Loaders Introduced

“The X2 Series tractors – which replaced our GM models – are small but durable machines that are often used as scraper tractors on dairy farms and for different paddock management and grounds maintenance applications,” says Ray Spinks, general manager and sales director.

“With a loader fitted, the little tractor becomes even more useful, especially as it can get into buildings and other locations that are denied to larger, more powerful tractors and handlers.”

With a lift capacity of 740kg from the ground to the full lift height of 2.60m, the McCormick MClassic 25 loader will typically handle a 530kg payload (measured from the load centre) when equipped with a multi-purpose bucket.

To minimise the risk of spillage back on to the operator – especially important on X2 tractors without a cab – mechanical self-levelling of the attachment is fitted as standard.

“This feature also makes the loader easier to use, of course,” notes Ray Spinks. “Once the bucket or fork has been crowded back, it will remain in the chosen position as the loader arms are raised.”

A quick-attach faceplate makes it easy to switch between different implements and a hydraulic third service is installed for operating attachments such as a muck fork with grab or a four-in-one bucket.

Boom and implement carriage movements are controlled by a cable joystick, making it easy to manipulate the loader and position it accurately.

The lack of joint welds in the loader’s one-piece curved arms adds to the durability of a design that, in its lowered position, keeps the attachment as near the front of the tractor as possible for compactness and good lift performance.

And the matching shape of the combined parallel linkage arms and tip/crowd cylinders not only gives the loader a neat appearance but also ensures the best possible forward visibility.

Two drop-down legs, and quick-attach mechanical and hydraulic couplings, make it easy to remove and mount the MClassic 25 loader, which is available with a selection of performance-matched attachments.

The McCormick X2 Series tractors come with a 12×12 or 16×16 speed transmission, synchro shuttle, and four-wheel drive with a rear diff lock and front limited slip differential.

They can be had with an open operator’s platform and ROPS roll-over protection or with a fully enclosed cab to provide added comfort in all weather conditions.

The new loaders can also be fitted to their predecessors in the McCormick range, the GM Series tractors.

McCormick MClassic 25 loader for 43-54hp X2 Series tractors
Lift height to pivot pin 2.60m
Height beneath level bucket 2.40m
Dumped bucket clearance 2.05m
Dump angle – full height 50deg
Crowd angle – ground level 46deg
Lift capacity – full height 740kg
Payload – multi-purpose bucket 530kg
Standard equipment includes mechanical parallel lift, cable joystick control, quick-coupling hydraulic hoses, quick-attach latches, drop-down parking legs.

For more information go to mccormick.agriargouk.co.uk

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PING partners John Deere

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PING partners John Deere: PING, a brand with a strong heritage and one that is synonymous with performance and innovation, is a family-owned business founded in 1959 by Karsten Solheim. The company, renowned for its innovative golf equipment, is also involved in golf course ownership at Gainsborough Golf Club, which is just a short drive from its European headquarters in Lincolnshire.

As part of a three-year plan that will see the club’s entire course maintenance equipment fleet updated to John Deere, Gainsborough recently took delivery of several new machines from area sales manager Steve Blanchard of local dealer F G Adamson & Son at Langworth, Lincolnshire.

PING partners John Deere

PING and John Deere have more than a local connection. The biennial Solheim Cup match between the best women golfers from Europe and the USA was founded by the Solheim family, and John Deere is a Patron of and machinery supplier to this prestigious event. “PING prides itself on the quality of its products and service,” says Gainsborough’s course manager Greg Skinner. “John Deere and F G Adamson & Son are built on the same ethos, so we are delighted to be working together.”

Greg and his greenkeeping team are responsible for two courses, the 123-year old Thonock Park and Karsten Lakes, which celebrated its 20th anniversary in 2017. “We needed to renew our ageing equipment fleet to improve the overall presentation of both courses and bring them up to the standard golfers expect from a PING-owned property,” says Greg. “Presentation and quality are very important to our members and for attracting more visitors to all of the club’s activities.

“F G Adamson & Son showed exceptional understanding of our requirements and their knowledge provided a huge amount of in-depth information that guided us through the machinery selection process. In addition, they provided several demonstration machines for us to test, which proved crucial in our final choices.”

Gainsborough’s general manager Ben Hatch adds: “Overall, the package is a huge investment and F G Adamson & Son showed us how quickly they could get parts from John Deere’s UK premises at Langar, Nottingham, its distribution centre in Germany and even the USA, if required. This level of after sales service and support gave us great confidence we were making the right decision.”

The latest additions to the fleet include a 9009A rough mower, 7700A 4WD fairway mower, two 2500E hybrid electric mowers for use on the greens and tees, two HPX Gator utility vehicles and a 1200A bunker rake. These have joined machines from the deal’s first phase in 2016, including a 7400A semi-rough mower and a 1600T wide area rotary mower, plus additional hybrid greens and tees mowers, Gators, bunker rakes and two rotary walk-behind mowers for use on the amenity grass areas.

“The club has ISO 14001 environmental accreditation and we want to be as green as we can,” says Greg. “The 2500E mowers are not just quiet, there is also less chance of hydraulic leaks. They produce a nice stripe and on the greens their offset cylinders eliminate the triplex ring effect on the clear-up lap, which minimises compaction.

“These go out most days and they run at lower revs, which we estimate saves us approximately 1250 litres of fuel a year. In addition, the brush tender conditioners are kinder on the grass, resulting in less disease. If we can cut out even one fungicide application a year, that’s a saving of £2000.

“When Steve Blanchard demonstrated the 9009A rough mower, it just blew the competition away for quality of cut, speed and presentation,” Greg adds. “It’s really changed the way we cut the Karsten Lakes fairways, as we’ve widened the semi-rough from one to four bands because of how well this machines performs. It’s made the whole course a much better experience for the golfer.

“The 7400A TerrainCut mower goes places its predecessor wouldn’t and has the traction to handle the banks on the courses and those around the clubhouse. I also believe nothing touches the HPX Gator for ride comfort, carrying capacity and towing ability – it’s a very, very good utility vehicle.

“It was a long process selecting the equipment and negotiating the overall package but that was a good thing, as we made better decisions and ensured we got exactly the right machines for our needs.”

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Richard Peel Groundcare keep the water moving at Dyrham Park

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Richard Peel Groundcare keep the water moving at Dyrham Park Golf and Country Club: Richard Peel Groundcare has installed sand-banding on 14 greens at Dyrham Park Golf and Country Club to enhance their primary drainage system.

The picturesque Hertfordshire course is renowned for its water hazards, with several placed across the 6,497 yards, but keeping water off the greens is what head greenkeeper, David Hicks was concentrated on.

Richard Peel Groundcare keep the water moving at Dyrham Park

The club had new drainage installed in their greens in 2015 and to make the system more efficient David wanted to use sand banding to link the two systems together, prompting him to use Richard Peel Groundcare’s Imants SandCat for the job.

“We’ve had main drainage installed at a deeper depth on our greens and we just wanted to keep the top surface open, and link the two systems up,” David said. “We wanted to remove the surface water and the sand will aid it getting into the lower drains and prevent any standing water.

“There are four sand based greens here that drain like a sieves so we didn’t have any work done on those, but it did go over 14 of our greens and our putting green which is the size of two greens.

“We’ve had some rain on the course and I’m pleased with how the water has drained through so far, albeit a small amount.”

Richard Peel (contact number is 07930 336594) places great emphasis on having the best machines for the job and this has led to investment in the highest quality possible, in this case the SandCat. “The SandCat offers sand injection to 10-15mm and uses de-compacting blades that cause very little disturbance and have minimal recovery time.” He explains

“Its compact size makes it ideal for greens and tees, and these factors combined are why the 14 greens at Dyrham Park now have consistently draining greens.”

But it wasn’t only the machine that impressed David. He also commended the workmanship and management of the work, which had to be completed during the clubs’ maintenance week.

“Because the project was going on during our maintenance week it was important that we were able to get on with the other work we had on, so it was important for us to be able to leave the operator on his own to work,” David explained.

“The operator, Tom, was a conscientious hard-working lad who picked up our course really quickly and used a good bit of common sense, so we were very comfortable with leaving him to get on with the job.

“I was very happy with the service overall because sometimes you have contractors offer things they can’t deliver, so it was very refreshing to work with a company who delivered on what they said.”

Overall the project took four and a half days to complete, with one day lost due to 51mm of rainfall over 24-hours that stopped all work on the course. However, at a rate of six greens a day all work was completed well within the pre-arranged time frame.

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Lees Hall The Latest Golf Club To Purchase Ventrac 4500

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Lees Hall In Sheffield Is The Latest Golf Club To Purchase A Ventrac 4500: Lees Hall Golf Club is the latest purchaser of a Ventrac 4500 compact tractor and attachments. Situated three miles south of Sheffield, it was designed by Alex Herd, the Open Champion of 1902, and opened in 1907 as a 9-hole course. It was remodelled to 18-holes in 1911 creating a 6,171 yard, par 71 parkland course with commanding views over the city.

Ian Whitehead is the Head Greenkeeper and heads a team of four dedicated greenkeepers. He has been in the job for 16 months, having previously been Course Manager at Hillsborough Golf Club for 23 years.

Lees Hall The Latest Golf Club To Purchase Ventrac 4500

 

“I’m really lucky to have a very supportive committee with the president and greens chairman putting their trust in me and providing the funds to help with my suggested improvement programme. It’s no secret that the course has been in decline for some years, but I see this as a challenge. We’ve implemented some immediate improvements and the members are making the right comments. We have upgraded various machines including a greens mower, tees mower and a greens iron.

“However, the purchase of the Ventrac 4500 from local dealer, Russells Groundcare, has been the real bonus. It’s a powerful, multi-purpose compact tractor on which you put many attachments. Glen Sawyer of Russells recommended it to me and I trust his judgement. We had a demonstration and it was a no-brainer; we had to have it. We had intensive operator training when it was delivered so everyone can get the maximum out of it.

“Like other recent purchasers of Ventrac, I was sceptical when I first saw the machine, it’s a bit quirky, but once you’ve sat on it you realise it’s a powerful and versatile tractor, very smooth to drive and the articulating Contour mower deck leaves a great finish. Its hill climbing is excellent and that’s a prime consideration here.

“We’re already looking at other attachments as we prepare our 2018 budget. There’s so much that this single machine can do with its selection of accessories which include a Tough Cut deck, Stump Grinder, Edger, Blower and more. I’m really excited about this machine and the challenge ahead; the perception of the club is already changing in the local area and membership is moving in the right direction. Good greenkeeping practices and the equipment to carry them out are essential. With the continued support of the club, we’ll get there.

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Trilo S3 Makes Light Work Of Leaf Clearance

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A Trilo S3 Makes Light Work Of Leaf Clearance At Keele University: Any machinery that makes time-consuming tasks more manageable is desirable and in the area of leaf clearance, a Trilo S3 is just that. At 617 acres, Keele University’s single-site campus is the largest in Europe. With woodland, gardens, sports facilities, halls of residence and academic areas to maintain the in-house maintenance team of 12 have their work cut out – that’s where the Trilo S3 comes in.

Jane Barker has been Head of Grounds at Keele University for 3 years but her knowledge of Trilo kit pre-dates this. “I’ve worked in grounds for the last 20 years, including for the MoD at Catterick Garrison, which is where I first came across the Trilo brand. We worked with a contractor at the time who used Trilo equipment and I was immediately impressed.” Upon Jane joining Keele, leaf collection was a task that was still done by hand, meaning it was both very labour intensive and tedious for the staff involved. “With over 4,500 deciduous trees on our site, generating millions of leaves, the clearance of these would very often go right through the winter and into the spring.”

Trilo S3 Makes Light Work Of Leaf Clearance

“One of my first decisions here was to invest in a Trilo S3 vacuum sweeper. Though it was greeted with initial scepticism based on past experiences of similar machinery, very quickly indeed they were all converted and were singing its praises.” Since the purchase, leaves are now completely cleared before the Christmas break which allows staff to be put to better use elsewhere. “It’s made an absolutely massive improvement!”

Working at a convenient 1.5 metres wide, but with a large 3m3 capacity, Jane says the Trilo S3 is the perfect size unit for their campus. “We have lots of narrow, twisty roads and paths and attached to our tractor we can take the S3 nearly every area we need to and those few spaces it can’t reach, we can blow the leaves to somewhere that it can.” The team were so impressed with the S3 that when it came to their tri-annual machinery replacement process, the S3 was top of the list with their new unit being delivered in April. “We always look at possible alternatives but everyone has been so pleased that going for a new S3 was the preferred choice. Our new unit comes complete with a flail and scarifier attachment which has delivered great results in its initial scarification work on some of the sites sports pitches.”

Final word from Jane, “The service and support we’ve received from Jon Proffitt has been great and thanks to him suggesting the additional attachments, our new S3 will now play an even greater year-round role in the maintenance of our site.”

For more information go to www.trilo.com

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