The answer for groundsmen?

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The answer for groundsmen? Artificial surface maintenance machinery is one of the fastest growing areas for SCH (Supplies) Ltd. Having worked with maintenance contractors and sports groundsmen over a number of years, SCH say they are producing more and more of these products and are flattered by the amount of interest they have received in them.

The answer for groundsmen?‘We are working very hard to keep up with demand,’ says managing director Andrew Rodwell. ‘What we’re noticing is that a lot of people in the industry are talking to each other about our products and recommending SCH to their friends and colleagues. ‘

Andrew puts this down to a number of things.

Firstly, the pricing of SCH sports maintenance machinery is such that it fills a gap between those clubs and associations with enormous budgets and the ones that don’t want low quality flat packed machines which may not make it to the end of the season.

Andrew says he spoke to someone at a small football club recently that told him; “it may be alright for the likes of Arsenal or Manchester United to buy from the big guys, but some of us have to work within a budget and it’s been a real relief to discover that SCH can deliver top notch machines without the heart-stopping price tag!”

Secondly, the company relish the challenge of adapting their standard machinery to suit the individual.

‘We’ve been making bespoke machines for years, and as a family company we understand that a one size fits all approach doesn’t work for everyone. So we make it clear to our potential customers that if we can make changes that will make their life easier, we’ll do it.’

Finally, Andrew says having their own parts department provides a lot of reassurance to their customers.

‘I know myself the frustration of buying something, needing a spare or replacement part after a few years, and then finding the company you purchased from aren’t remotely interested. At best, you may have to spend hours on the internet before finally locating somewhere in China or the USA and waiting an age for the part to be shipped – at worst, you may not find anything and could face the possibility of the item being deemed useless. At SCH, we can always help you with spare tines, replacement brushes or whatever you need. We’re just a phone call away.’

Wiedenmann Gives Scotscraig GC Additional Polish

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Extra Wide 3.95 m Wiedenmann Terra Brush Gives Scotscraig GC Additional Polish – A golf club celebrating its bicentenary this year has taken delivery of a double width Wiedenmann Terra Brush.

Wiedenmann Terra Brush Gives Scotscraig GC Additional Polish

Scotscraig Golf Club is the world’s 13th oldest course and was founded in 1817 by members of the St Andrews Society of Golfers. Just 15 minutes north of St Andrews, it features a championship course in a traditional loop, influenced firstly by Old Tom Morris and later by James Braid.

Course Manager, Chris Barnard, and his greenkeeping team of five have newly finished an intensive two year renovation project which reinstated many original features of the famous links and heathlands layout.

Chris Barnard said:  “We’ve wanted a brush for a while. Last year we improvised and fashioned one ourselves but it didn’t quite do the job.  We chose the Terra Brush with folding wings, and yellow bristles, the firmest ones, because it suited our situation best.

“Its arrival coincided with just 9mm of rain in nine weeks so we took immediate advantage of a dry course, though careful to avoid drought stressed turf.”

The Wiedenmann Terra Brush comes with four rows of bristles, two rows aligned perpendicular to the direction of travel and two in a zig zag formation, making it ideal for intensive and even brushing. On large area such as fairways, the wings can be deployed to extend the working width to 3.95 m.

“Stiff bristles help lift matted areas of the Sheep Fescue fairway sward as well as pulling out dead or dying foliage prior to mowing. In the last few weeks there’s been increasing amount of seeding on greens by the Annual Meadowgrass. We’ve brushed it to stand it up then immediately cut off as much as possible. The brushing has the added benefit of standing up any other lateral growth prior to mowing. Continual brushing means we remove the need to verticut almost completely, detrimental to our good grasses if done too frequently.” continued Chris Barnard.

“Here we have a predominantly Fescue and Bent sward and the bristles help to stand up the grass better and give it a more polished look. The brush will also be a valuable tool in spring, prior to growth starting, as we can use it to create definition around the fairways.”

The team at Scotscraig GC plans to groom all over with their new brush including tees and greens. Gareth Rogers, Area Sales Manager for Fairways GM, Wiedenmann UK’s dealer for Scotland, helped install the new Terra Brush.

Dennis Mowers: “A Pedigree No-One Can Argue With”

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Dennis Mowers: “A pedigree no-one Can argue with” – Glenn Davies, grounds manager at Bloxham School in Oxfordshire has claimed that he chooses Dennis because of the “strength, history, quality and durability” of the mowers.

Dennis Mowers: “A pedigree no-one Can argue with”

Set in the beautiful countryside of Oxfordshire, Bloxham School is an independent co-educational day and boarding school for students aged 11-18. Although the school is best known for its academic success, Bloxham also boasts a superb sporting programme which is complimented by first-class facilities.

Glenn oversees the maintenance of around 40 acres of sports fields which includes seven rugby pitches, four cricket squares, one football pitch, one hockey pitch and two grass tennis courts. With over 400 pupils attending the school and playing sport on a regular basis, as well as the facilities being used by local and county sporting teams – it is safe to say that the pitches have a high amount of usage.

Helping Glenn and his team keep on-top of such heavy usage is the Dennis G860 cylinder mower, which they use on a variety of different sports surfaces.

“The Dennis G860 is a great bit of kit,” says Glenn. “We use it for cutting the cricket squares, for cutting the grass hockey pitches, both rugby and football pitches, and when we have county fixtures or cup games we will box off the cricket outfields because this gives it a much faster, truer surface so the ball will carry quicker.”

“In my opinion the G860 is one of the best machines you can get and with the interchangeable cassette system, it is extremely versatile.”

As Glenn says, the Dennis G860 features an interchangeable cassette system, and with a simple one minute changeover, users have the option of fitting eleven different types of heads including scarifiers, verticutters, brushes, spikers, and slitters as well as six or eight bladed cutting cylinders.

“In terms of the cassettes, we are particularly impressed with the scarifier, and we will use it lightly through the season so we can make sure we keep the thatch down to a minimum and the grass stood upright.”

“The brush is also a very useful cassette to have. We’ll use this throughout the season to keep the squares nice and clean, but we will also put the brush in after we’ve done a deep scarify in the autumn and the spring. This drags up all the grass the machines haven’t been able to pick up and it will also pick up all the debris and take it away. So when you put your top dressing down, you have got a clean, flat base to start with.”

“You just can’t beat the Dennis machines,” says Glenn. “There are other machines on the market but Dennis has got a pedigree that nobody can argue with – for me, it speaks of strength, history and durability. They’ve been around for a long time, they always deliver, and most groundsmen you talk to will favour a Dennis above anything else.”

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

Council Sees Efficiency Soar Thanks To New Toro Mower

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Council Sees Efficiency Soar Thanks To New Toro Mower – Uttlesford District Council’s decision to opt for Toro’s LT-F3000 flail when the need arose for a new grounds mower to tackle the area’s parks and open spaces is one that has made a significant difference to productivity and efficiency.

Council Sees Efficiency Soar Thanks To New Toro Mower

The LT-F3000 is expected to maintain 760,000 square metres of parkland and open spaces per month and Steve King, Uttlesford’s street services supervisor, says it was evident that the LT-F3000 was “more than up to the task” straight away as it began having “a notable impact on the efficiency of the workforce” within just two weeks.

Steve continues: “We’ve been using the flail for two weeks now and it’s already having a notable impact on efficiency. We’re finding the LT-F3000 is capable of achieving the same amount of work that we would otherwise have to bring three dedicated mowers in for. This level of versatility in one mower has significantly improved the team’s productivity rate.

“Our previous machine’s cutting width was 1.7m, but the new mower boasts a 2.12m cutting width, which has enabled us to cut down on operating times. We’ve also found that the flail’s three cutting units follow the contours of the ground better than our former single unit machine, resulting in a superb after-cut appearance.”

This high quality finish is achieved no matter what the length of the grass is to start with, says Steve: “Long, short, wet, coarse, the result is always great. The LT-F3000 can easily cut meadows, the height of cut just needs to be adjusted, and it’s very good with small bank work as it’s solid and stable.

“It’s easy to transport too; the front units can be tucked up out of the way and secured by good, sturdy fixing points so towing is safe and fast. With this feature, the machine can be moved from site to site hassle-free and we can now access trickier sites which were previously impossible. We are looking to get the machine road registered, so it could be even more productive!”

Uttlesford District Council’s grounds maintenance division prides itself on delivering a high level of service to its residents and every machinery choice is made with a great deal of care. Steve says: “We considered a variety of different machines, but the Toro shone through by promising to deliver everything our sites demand. It’s great to see this translate to our working day and the results we are producing.”

If that weren’t enough, “the professional manner of Reesink Turfcare’s representative Danny Lake cemented our decision,” says Steve. “He was very personable and really cared about helping us choose the best investment for our needs. Reesink’s customer service has been absolutely fantastic throughout, with any queries handled quickly and efficiently.”

Uttlesford District Council’s grounds team of nine replaces its machines every seven years and welcomes this as an opportunity to consider new technology to improve the already high level of service it provides to the residents of Uttlesford. In choosing machines like the Toro LT-F3000, which the council has found has the capability to do the work of three machines, it seems fair to say Uttlesford District Council is making all the right choices.

Malvern Hills Puts Kubota’s Latest RTV To The Test

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Malvern Hills puts Kubota’s latest RTV to the test – Kubota UK’s commitment to the environment has stepped up once more this month after the market leading machinery supplier loaned its RTV-X900 utility vehicle to the Malvern Hills Trust, a charity that conserves the iconic, ecological landscape in Worcestershire.

Malvern Hills Puts Kubota’s Latest RTV To The Test

As a popular destination for tourists and locals alike, a home to wildlife, and a workplace for local farmers, the Malvern Hills and Commons make up over 3,000 acres of grassland, woodland and rocky terrain.

The Kubota RTV-X900 has already become a major player for the Trust, helping its 20 volunteers and six field staff tackle the expansive and rugged landscape by carrying people and equipment efficiently across the vast site.

Warden, Richard Vale said: “The Kubota RTV-X900 is great, because it allows us to access certain areas with a vehicle that we couldn’t before. We’re now able to maintain the hills easier and quicker, without disturbing any visitors or wildlife.

“Every time we use the RTV-X900, we become more confident in its capabilities. The cab offers great protection while its compact characteristics make our presence on the hills very constructive as the machine offers high power without damaging the soft terrain. Anything bigger almost begins to reduce the positive effect we try to have on the environment.”

It’s estimated that Malvern Hills receives over one million visits per year and around 7,000 on peak holiday periods such as the recent Easter weekend. The iconic landscape hosts a range of activities including walking, cycling, horse-riding, and more.

While the hills and commons are visited by thousands of tourists, they’re also home to a range of wildlife including bluebells, marsh tits, serotine bats, adders and woodpeckers, to name but a few.

As 90% of the hills and commons are registered under common land, they are protected under law for the benefit of locals, wildlife and visitors. Because of this, the Trust need to have something that successfully aids in their daily maintenance and protection of the landscape, this is why the footprint and efficiency of the RTV-X900 is so important.

Duncan Bridges, Chief Executive Officer of the Malvern Hills Trust commented: “We’re so thankful to have been given the opportunity to put the RTV-X900 through its paces, it cuts time, energy and costs, which helps us make a much bigger impact across the hills and commons. As the number of visitors continues to increase, the work of our volunteers, field staff and wardens is all the more essential to the area and the loaned vehicle helps us to do just that.”

Karen Tipping, marketing manager at Kubota UK, concluded: “Kubota takes its commitment to the environment seriously, so much so, that our corporate mission statement is ‘For Earth, For Life’ – its our promise to protect the environment on a global scale.  By loaning an RTV-X900 to the Malvern Hills Trust, we are living up to this commitment and playing a key role in helping this charity and the valuable work it does.”

For more information on Kubota’s leading groundcare solutions or to find your local dealer, visit www.kubota.co.uk or call 01844 268000.