New ECHO Lithium Ion Hedge Trimmer

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New ECHO Lithium Ion Hedge Trimmer: ECHO have introduced a new hedge trimmer, the DHC-200 to their 50V Lithium Ion battery series which also includes trimmers and power blowers.

New ECHO Lithium Ion Hedge Trimmer

Like all ECHO products this hedge trimmer has built-in features which take into consideration the environment in which it will be working and operator productivity. As a Lithium Ion product, the hedge trimmer offers clean battery power whilst providing performance equal to its petrol counterparts. It’s also built to the same professional standard as ECHO’s petrol hedge trimmers with their reputation for being powerful, tough and durable.

“The ecological features of the new DHC-200, as with all the ECHO Lithium Ion series products,” say ECHO “offer contractors and professional landscapers exceptional benefits. The low noise makes them ideally suited to use in noise-sensitive areas such as schools and nursing homes. Low emissions are beneficial in their use in parks, nature reserves and organic gardens.”

There are other considerations such as reduced maintenance costs due to fewer moving parts, easy-to-use controls with no recoil start, no more fuel filling or cold starting. The DHC-200 just needs charging up and it’s ready to go. It’s lightweight and very comfortable to use, thanks to the ergonomic design of the front handle which helps manoeuvrability, and it can be used for long periods with little fatigue. Gardeners trimming ornamental hedges can count on the variable speed control for precision cutting and optimized run-time. The 62cm double-sided precision cut blades provide a clean cut with a long-lasting sharpness for a beautiful finish. The DHC-200 uses energy efficient motor controls to manage motor speed, power delivery and battery temperature for improved cutting performance and battery life.

The DHC-200 comes with a 2Ah battery and rapid charger as standard, with an optional 4Ah battery for a longer run time. The rapid battery charger ensures the 2Ah battery is boosted to 80% capacity in 24 minutes and the 4Ah in 48 minutes. It’s also a hedge trimmer that is clean to use and store and there’s no need to store and mix two-stroke fuel. The two-year professional use and 5-year domestic warranty shows that ECHO are extremely confident in their machines. This confidence continues in its 50V battery range with a two-year warranty on all 50V lithium ion batteries.

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Jacobsen and T.H. White Support Trilby Tour at Gaudet Luce Golf Club

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Jacobsen and T.H. White Support Trilby Tour at Gaudet Luce Golf Club: Jacobsen and local dealer T.H. White provided tournament support recently as the Trilby Tour, the only televised amateur golf tournament, came to Gaudet Luce Golf Club in Droitwich as part of a series of Regional Championships across the UK.

Jacobsen and T.H. White Support Trilby Tour at Gaudet Luce Golf Club

Jacobsen, together with T.H. White supplemented the club’s existing Jacobsen machinery for the duration of the tournament. Three Eclipse 322 greens mowers, one GP400 ride-on mower for tees and surrounds, two TR-3 triplex cylinder mowers, two LF570 fairway mowers, one HR600 wide area rotary mower, two Smithco Tournament Ultra greens rollers, one Turfco Torrent blower, one Cushman Hauler Pro-X, and 12 E-Z-GO RXV golf cars were used for maintaining the golf course’s championship standard status. The club is part of a growing customer base taking advantage of the recently conceived Textron Golf concept of a “one-stop shop” for turf maintenance equipment across the Jacobsen, E-Z-GO and Cushman brands.

Andrew Laing, Course Manager expressed his appreciation for the support the club received in the lead up to the event,

“I spoke to Simon Bingham from T.H. White and Steve Alabaster from Jacobsen at BTME earlier in the year about tournament support for this event. They both unreservedly said that they would support us in every capacity, and they haven’t let us down. We have had a relationship with T.H. White for over 14 years now, and since changing our equipment to Jacobsen back in 2008, we’ve never looked back. The machinery is reliable, and the after-sales support is second to none.

“I would just like to show my appreciation to Steve, Simon, and also Albie the Debach driver who delivered the tournament support equipment. Without them, our preparations would not have gone so smoothly, so I can’t thank them enough. It’s also important to thank all the volunteers from local clubs such as The Worcestershire Golf Club and Droitwich Golf Club who have supported us as well. It’s times like this that you realise what a fantastic, and friendly industry we work in.”

Simon Bingham from T.H. White commented on supporting the club during the Trilby Tour,

“It has always been important to us to support our customers both when they ask for it, and also when they don’t. We pride ourselves on our customer service, and Andrew is a brilliant example of the relationship that we strive to achieve with everyone who walks through our door. The course looked fantastic as always, and we look forward to assisting in the same way for future tournaments at the club.”

For more information, visit: www.jacobsen.com/europe

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First Sports Stadium To Install Toro Lynx Reports Back

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Lynx Let Loose At Rhino’s Home: First Sports Stadium To Install Toro Lynx Reports Back

First Sports Stadium To Install Toro Lynx Reports Back

In 2013, Headingley Carnegie Stadium, the West Yorkshire home of Leeds Rhinos rugby club and Yorkshire County Cricket Club, was the first sports stadium in the UK to opt for Toro’s advanced irrigation system, Lynx.

Four years on the sports venue has a new head groundsman, Ryan Golding, and here we talk to him about how he has found taking over the system, the installation of which placed the stadium at the forefront of sports pitch irrigation.

“Lynx was chosen by my predecessor Jason Booth as part of a £1 million pitch rebuild,” Ryan says. “He saw the reasoning behind having a high spec system for many reasons, but predominantly for its real-time intuitive control and water sustainability.

“It makes no sense spending thousands of pounds on a pitch and having a bog standard irrigation system. To join a stadium which had that vision and invested in a state-of-the-art system, which is still state-of-the-art, was brilliant.”

When Lynx was installed at the club, the idea was that the system would enable the club to access detailed and comprehensive information on all aspects of the pitch and its irrigation programmes, to monitor water, energy and other inputs and based on the findings introduce a more sustainable way to manage the pitch.

Ryan confirms that as hoped, the Lynx system puts the pitch management team in control. The computer-based software is coupled to wireless soil sensors beneath the surface enabling effective planning and real-time adjustments to benefit plant health, playing surface conditions and to sync with other turf management regimes.

“As I’ve said, part of the decision making process was based on how Lynx could help with water sustainability. Well, I can confirm that it is contributing in a big way. The efficient head-to-head sprinklers, soil sensing equipment, weather station system and integrated pump stations have had a big impact on how much water we use and on the club’s bottom line. Water off the mains is not cheap and it’s sensible not only for the environment, but also our budget to use the resource effectively. We’re making big savings and it’s improving grass-growing conditions, too.

“There are plans to put in place water holding tanks underneath the stands to harvest water from the stand roofs. The surface area there will collect a good amount of water to reuse,” Ryan tells us. “The important thing is ensuring the water is thoroughly cleaned as, in order for the collected water to be used for pitch irrigation, the salt content of the water, which can be high in rainwater, will have to be low enough to not damage and depreciate the irrigation system. I will test the nutritional value of the water every four weeks and from the results will be able to decide whether to use the water to irrigate the pitch or use it in the washrooms and showers.

“The bottom line is Lynx gives us the power to make these kind of big-impact, long-lasting decisions, which is fantastic.”

For more information, visit: reesinkturfcare.co.uk

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Kubota are racing to the finish line at BBC Countryfile Live

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Kubota are racing to the finish line at BBC Countryfile Live: Kubota UK are encouraging kids to put their racing skills to the test on a specially designed racecourse with a Kubota pedal tractor.  Children who race across the finish line will be in with the chance to receive a Kubota driver’s license or a children’s hi-vis vest.*

Kubota are racing to the finish line at BBC Countryfile Live

Whilst the children put the pedal to the metal, visitors to the stand can see a selection of Kubota’s high performance groundcare machinery. This includes the Kubota Z122R – the company’s new zero turn ride-on mower for the residential market. The new Z122R enables gardeners to manoeuvre seamlessly and effortlessly around trees, climbing frames and flower beds, by utilising some of the key features of Kubota’s zero turn models for the professional market.

Kubota’s popular GR1600-ID ride-on mower will also be on display. The versatile, reliable and efficient machine is ready to help you maintain your lawn. Accompanying this, the leading RTV400 utility vehicle enables land owners to traverse large estates and tough terrain quickly and safely.

For those looking to see something bigger, take a trip down to the ‘Farming in Action’ area at BBC Countryfile Live where visitors will have the opportunity to see the Kubota M135GX-III Series tractor in action! Equipped with a Bale Wrapper, the powerful, efficient and high performance tractor will be taking part in live demonstrations throughout the four-day show.

Karen Tipping, Marketing Manager for Kubota UK, said: “BBC Countryfile Live is a fantastic show for the whole family, a really great day out with a host of activities on offer for families to enjoy. The show provides us with the ideal opportunity to promote our brand and build awareness with a wide range of visitors. We look forward to seeing everyone at the show.”

For more information on Kubota and its extensive range of solutions visit www.kubota.co.uk or call 01844 268000. To purchase your tickets, click here

*Subject to availability. Age Restrictions apply.

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Bobcat Extends Forestry Cutter Attachment Range 

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Bobcat Extends Forestry Cutter Attachment Range: Bobcat has extended the company’s new range of forestry cutter attachments with a third model – the new FRC150ST – for use on the smaller Bobcat S630/H and S650/H skid-steer loaders and T590/H and T650/H compact tracked loaders.  

Bobcat Extends Forestry Cutter Attachment Range 

The new FRC150ST complements Bobcat’s recently launched FRC150HT and FRC200HT high torque forestry cutter attachments, which are compatible with the larger Bobcat T770H and T870H compact tracked loaders, S770H and S850H skid-steer loaders and the A770H all-wheel steer loader and provide cutting widths of 1.5 and 2.0 m, respectively,

Based on feedback from the field, the 1.5 m wide FRC150ST incorporates many improvements over the previous FRC150 model.  Among the improvements, the FRC150ST is manufactured almost entirely from Hardox, with a specially designed new fixed motor offering greater output and efficiency.  The enhanced design also offers a new, lighter drum, with carbide teeth, new hose routing and greater performance and manoeuvrability.

The FRC150ST forestry cutter mulches trees and underbrush in minutes − leaving a carpet of mulch behind when clearing trees and bushes for any kind of application.  The variable front gate can be adjusted to provide the coarseness or fineness of mulch that the finishing requires.

Providing a cutting width of 1.5 m, the FRC150ST forestry cutter is designed for continuous work on bushes and trees 100 to 120 mm in diameter, intermittent use for trees with a diameter from 150 to 200 mm and occasional use on trees 220 to 260 mm in diameter.

Applications are very varied and range from those in agriculture including vineyards, orchards, nurseries and tree care; forestry including cutting fire breaks in woods and forests, clearing work and removing unwanted undergrowth and trees; wildlife, national park and country estate management; perimeter maintenance of facilities such as schools and military bases; to site development in construction; land clearing for landscaping and recreation projects; maintenance work on vegetation next to pathways and other right-of-ways, utilities, railway lines and roads as well as clean-up work after storms and floods.

Powered by a new high performance motor, the 1.5 m drum on the FRC150ST forestry cutter is equipped with 30 fixed long-life carbide teeth.  Other new features include three rows of counter cutters; a new adjustable push bar configuration; a new reinforced chain protection system at the back; a new HD belt cover; new adjustable skid shoes; a debris and seal application kit; an automatic drum brake system; an ACD Control system and a patented fixed knife rotor with tungsten carbide tips.

The FRC150ST forestry cutter attachment is operated from the comfort and safety of the cab on the Bobcat loader − and the mandatory Forestry Applications Kit provides even greater safety and protection.

The Forestry Applications Kit protects the loader and operator from flying objects and debris.  It includes an impact resistant front door, which must be installed in order to operate the forestry cutter.  A safety feature stops the cutter drum from turning if the loader door is opened.

For work in confined spaces in woodland and forests, front and rear light guards are added to the loader to protect the lights.  A guard protects the hydraulic quick couplers, hoses and wire harness from falling trees and branches.  A level II FOPS (ISO 3449) protects the operator and the cab from falling trees and objects, while top and rear polycarbonate windows provide additional protection for the operator.

Shields protect the lift cylinders against debris and help to reduce material build-up in the engine compartment.  Although daily maintenance is essential in this type of work, a debris screen on the radiator ensures continuous operation and makes cleaning up easier.

All functions of the forestry cutter can be fingertip controlled from the operator seat without requiring the operator to remove their hand from the loader steering levers.  As mentioned above, the forestry cutter has a hydraulically-adjustable front gate that can be opened while cutting debris and then closed to retain material and provide a fine mulching action.

The Bobcat range of forestry cutters is part of the company’s comprehensive selection of attachments for forestry, estate management, amenity and landscaping work, which includes stump grinders, wood chippers, brushcutters, flail cutters, augers and tree transplanters.

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