New Ranger On Sculthorpe Moor

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New Ranger on Sculthorpe Moor. A Polaris Ranger 6×6 off-road utility vehicle has proved the ideal solution for Sculthorpe Moor Community Nature Reserve in Fakenham, Norfolk.

New Ranger on Sculthorpe Moor

Created and managed by the Hawk and Owl Trust, there is no more peaceful place to observe the rich variety of wildlife in the woodland, fen and reed bed habitats across the beautiful Wensum Valley. Here you can look out for tawny and barn owls, marsh harriers, kingfishers, buzzards, bullfinches and marsh tits as well as voles, stoats, weasels and many more species.

Much of the area is marshy ground, with scrub and a high water table so it takes a special vehicle to carry out the wide variety of tasks demanded by the need to access an area with no roads. The Trust first saw a Polaris 6×6 model at Lamma, the agricultural show, and local Polaris dealers, Linstead Farm and Garden Machinery, provided a Polaris Ranger 6×6 for testing. The Ranger went up against several other machines on test.

“We needed a machine that could cope with our particular terrain, with no roads and a lot of marsh areas,” says Adrian Blumfield, Executive Director, “We have a huge number of volunteers, some more senior in years, who need to get around the site for planting, building hides, coppicing and generally looking after the habitat. In the test the other vehicles very quickly got stuck. The Polaris was the only one which did not.”

The Ranger 6×6 has six-wheel Independent Suspension with up to 9.6” of travel and 12” of ground clearance, which, coupled with its powerful 800cc engine, enables it to deliver exceptional off-road traction and a smooth, comfortable ride. Another consideration is the large amount of tools and equipment the Trust volunteers have to carry and the Ranger offers a roomy 39 gallon capacity with huge rear storage boxes. The rear dump box has a 1,250 lb capacity for larger loads and, most importantly, the 1 tonne towing strength is more than enough to manage the draw bar weight of the Trust’s large trailer.

The Hawk and Owl Trust is a registered charity and the Polaris Ranger 6×6 has been kindly anonymously donated. The Trust’s work began conserving owls and other birds of prey and now does much more, increasing knowledge and appreciation of them while creating, managing and conserving habitats that support associated species. The Ranger will have a strong role in Sculthorpe Moor’s research, conservation of the wildlife reserves, running of education centres and ongoing projects.

Mid Kent GC Favours Wiedenmann Values Again

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Mid Kent GC Favours Wiedenmann Values Again. Mid Kent GC Course Manager, Lee Sayers has opted for his fourth Wiedenmann Terra Spike purchase in a row. The Master Greenkeeper at the Gravesend club already has an XP8, the deepest aerator in the Wiedenmann range, and previously two others.

Mid Kent GC Favours Wiedenmann Values Again

“At the demo the quality of the GXi8 HD’s finish was exceptional so it wasn’t a difficult decision. We know first-hand that Wiedenmann aerators are strong and reliable but we wanted this one for its versatility,” said Lee Sayers.

Every six weeks or so, the greenkeeping team of six at Mid Kent has a planned maintenance day. Until now their XP8 has been deployed everywhere, including tees and greens. At 2.1 m wide, weighing 1200 kgs and going down to 400 mm it has been hugely productive. However, the addition of the GXi8 HD means the heavier machine will be allowed to concentrate mostly on fairways while the new one does both fine turf and fairways.

“We’ve managed well with the 65 hp tractor but ultimately a smaller tractor (50 hp) and aerator (900 kg) will get in and around the tees and greens more easily,” he continued. “Now every 5-6 weeks definitely on our green we’ll be doing some kind of aeration. Three different sets of tines have been delivered so I will use all three regularly. It might be a 8 mm tine going 60-70 mm deep or 12 mm tine going 250 mm or on occasion a side eject hollow tine. I could have gone for something even smaller or lighter but 1.8m is a decent working width to cover ground fast and make the most of our window of opportunity so we get through all the greens in a day and a bit more elsewhere. When maintenance time is as precious, it suited me the best.”

John Bignell, Groundcare Area Manager from dealer, Ernest Doe & Sons, Dartford, who have supplied and serviced machines for Mid Kent GC for many decades, said:

“Lee and his team purchased a Wiedenmann Whisper Twister blower last autumn so they know build quality is a given with any type of Wiedenmann and not just Terra Spikes.  This was all about speed and coverage and an absolute requirement for the neatest of finishes so the GXi8 HD was the machines for purpose.”

New Agreement For Distribution Of Spider Mowers

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New Agreement For Distribution Of Spider Mowers 

New Agreement For Distribution Of Spider Mowers

As part of a continuing strategy to strengthen distribution across Europe, Dvorak, the Czech manufacturer of Spider mowers, has appointed Machines4Green of Hooghalen in the Netherlands as their distributor for the BeNeLux region. Machines4Green, which recently changed ownership and is now owned by Roy Gerrits, were previously Spider distributors for the Netherlands, but this new agreement has extended their territory to include Belgium and Luxembourg.

Machines4Green specializes in compact and highly maneuverable equipment for the sustainable green space and agricultural sectors and serves these professional markets with expert guidance and excellent after-sales support.

Commenting on the new agreement, Roy Gerrits said,

“I am an advocate of Spider remote-controlled mowers for two very good reasons; they are good for the operator from a health and safety aspect with less dust, noise and absolutely no vibration issues and they are better for the environment, being lighter than ride-on mowers, more fuel efficient and petrol is a cleaner fuel than diesel.

“We are delighted that Dvorak has faith in our business and has extended our distributorship to include Belgium and Luxembourg. Our business ethos is one of providing quality products and superior service; very similar to that of the Dvorak company. Communication with them is excellent, their marketing is very professional and they are very supportive of me as the new owner of Machines4Green.”

Lubor Hladik, international sales manager at Dvorak said,

“From my point of view, we want a reliable and pro-active distributor network across Europe, with open communication and close cooperation from our business partners. Roy and his team at Machines4Green are totally focused on remote controlled mowing and we both see this as the right approach for Spider.

“Our products have to be demonstrated in a professional and timely manner to potential prospects and with Machines4Green continuing their association with the Spider range, I know that this will definitely happen across their territory. They will also be supported by our customer care specialist, Duke Cermak, a Dutch national who works for us here in the Czech Republic, at shows and demonstrations across the three countries.”

 

Burden Bros Agri Ltd Take On Complete Charterhouse Range

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Burden Bros Agri Ltd Take On Complete Charterhouse Range For Sussex. Charterhouse Turf Machinery have announced the appointment of Burden Bros Agri Ltd as their dealer for Sussex. Operating from their Framfield depot, Burden Bros Agri Ltd will be stockists of the Redexim range of both natural and synthetic turf maintenance machinery, as well as the Graden range of products.  

Burden Bros Agri Ltd Take On Complete Charterhouse Range For Sussex

Celebrating their 10th anniversary this year, Burden Bros Agri Ltd is a family run organisation offering new and used machinery from a wide range of established names as well as parts, service and support to the agricultural and turf industries.

Group Turf Sales Manager for Burden Bros Agri Ltd, Alan Pierce said, “We are delighted to have added Charterhouse to our range of groundcare machinery suppliers; it’s a great fit with our existing portfolio. We have a vast customer base ranging from private estates, contractors and schools right through to professional sports facilities and believe the Redexim products will fulfil the range of requirements these users demand. As a previous Golf Course Manager, I also have first-hand experience with the Graden products and look forward to promoting these within our local area.”

Nick Darking, Sales Manager for Charterhouse added, “Burden Bros Agri Ltd have a proven track record for providing quality products, sales and customer service and we look forward to working together with them to offer a better, more localised service across this region.”

Dennis G34D Praised By Doncaster Rovers

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Dennis G34D praised by Doncaster Rovers. James Davison, head of grounds at Doncaster Rovers Football Club has praised his new Dennis G34D cylinder mowers claiming they provide him with a finish worthy of Premier League standards.

Dennis G34D Praised By Doncaster Rovers

It is fair to say that not one day is ever the same for James and his four members of grounds staff. Not only are they responsible for the Keepmoat Stadium – the 15,000 capacity stadium which is home to Doncaster Rugby League FC, Doncaster Rovers Belles and Doncaster Rovers FC, but they also tend to a 500 seater stadium containing a six lane running track for athletics and maintain Doncaster Rovers FC’s training complex at Cantley Park.

“It is a unique set-up we have here,” says James. “Most days you’re not just coming in to mow the pitch – you might be trimming some trees or tending to the memorial garden – there’s a number of varied tasks which we carry out on a daily basis.”

With the pitch at Keepmoat in constant use by three sports teams, James and his team are kept busy and just last year their hard work was recognised when the RFL recommended them for the Institute of Groundsmanship’s (IOG) Grounds Team of the Year.

“Unfortunately we didn’t quite win it, but we were highly commended,” says James. “For the amount of games that are played on the pitch, I believe it is quite an achievement. We put a lot of dedication into what we do and have incredibly high standards.”

According to James, it is for this reason that he chooses Dennis mowers when it comes to maintaining the pitch.

“When the stadium was first built we had two Dennis G860 cylinder mowers. Soon we will be celebrating the stadium’s 10 year anniversary and throughout that time the G860’s have always done a first-class job. I’ve never had any problems with them so why change a brand when it does everything you want it to do?”

Based on his experience of using the G860’s, James purchased two of the new Dedicated G-Series range of mowers, which have been designed and built following the same concept as the Dennis G860 machine. Available in three different cutting widths – 26”, 30” and 34” – the mowers incorporate a large-diameter eight-bladed cutting cylinder to cater for a wide range of uses to leave a precision cut. The handlebar design makes manoeuvring easy and the wide adjustment makes it comfortable for all cutting heights.

“We wanted something which we knew we could trust and the finish on these mowers is immaculate. They’re not too heavy, you can move them easily, and for me they are everything – quite simply an excellent and vital tool to have in our armoury.  Whether you are in the Premier League or non-league – Dennis mowers are everywhere and that’s testament to the build quality, the reputation they have for customer service and the presentation of the pitch that they help the groundsman to achieve.”

James uses his G34D in his match day preparations which start with a double cut on a Thursday before a game, and then subsequent double cuts on the Friday and on the Saturday. He admits that a long-term element of superstition plays a part in three double cuts over the course of three days – but so far the results speak for themselves.

“It seems to work and I’ll continue to do it all the time it is working,” says James. “Dennis mowers provide you with that wow factor and it also means that for a club with our resources we can still achieve a finish like any of the Premier League clubs.”

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