HTS Group Invests In Toro

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HTS Group Invests In Toro: At SALTEX 2017, Toro’s LT-F3000 triple flail mower stood out from the crowd to Harlow Council-founded facilities management company, HTS Group Limited. In fact the company, which deals with grass cutting and landscape maintenance for the postcode, was so impressed it promptly invested in two machines.

As Andrew Bradley, landscapes manager at HTS Group, explains: “The LT-F3000 not only stood out with its signature Toro red, but for looking professional and robust. After making some enquiries, it was clear that it would tick all of our boxes, too.

HTS Group Invests In Toro

“Post-show, I got in touch with our local Reesink Turfcare representative, Danny Lake, who took me on a tour around the Spellbrook Toro Factory in Bishop Stortford. Seeing machines hand built before my eyes convinced me that for quality and robustness, Toro was the way to go.”

Two LT-F3000 flail mowers join HTS Group’s fleet of 19 grounds machines and replace a 12-year-old cylinder mower to maintain medium-sized open spaces across the Essex district too small for a tractor-drawn mower and too large for a rotary.

Another box ticked for Andrew is that the LT-F3000 is road legal. He says: “With most sites six miles away, and their proximity to busy roads making parking a nightmare, being able to drive our machines to jobs is a must. A bonus with Toro’s triple flail is that it has a good road speed of 15.5mph.”

And the machines are proving their worth in action too, meaning Andrew’s show instincts were well-founded: “The wet spring has made grass grow like mad, but the flail mowers are chewing through it effortlessly. This would have been too much for our cylinder mower,” he says.

“The Toros, however, make light work of the grass and even leave a beautiful striped finish to really top it all off,” Andrew concludes.

To find out more about Reesink’s groundscare range, tailored to the needs of the UK groundsman, visit: reesinkturfcare.co.uk

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World Cup Prep Underway

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World Cup Prep Underway: Somerset County Cricket Club is just one of ten UK venues selected for 12th ICC Cricket World Cup next year, and the club are relying on Toro to ensure its outfield is ready for the eyes of the cricketing world upon it.

The club, based in Taunton, is in good company as a World Cup host with Lord’s and The Oval, but as one of the smallest and newest in the line-up, the benchmark is high, says head groundsman Simon Lee.

World Cup Prep Underway

“Our trajectory of growth over the last five years has been huge. As part of our categorisation in to group B we received some funding so for the first time in 100 years we could improve our drainage system. This completely changed the way the outfield grew. What had previously been more like a recreational surface was suddenly more like a sports surface, with thicker, denser grass.

“This has meant a lot more work in terms of cutting and maintaining the area. We’d been using a 20-year old Toro Reelmaster 2300-D, and while that machine has been a fantastic workhorse and we’d never had a problem with it, the time had come to upgrade to a newer model to help cope with the change in the turf’s characteristics.”

A demo, organised by Devon Garden Machinery, saw Simon and the team trial a seven-year old Toro Reelmaster 3100-D, which, says Simon, “set the bar high for everything else that followed.”

He continues: “Whatever machine followed the RM2300-D had its work cut out. We think so highly of it that if its successor is even half as good as it’s been, that will be enough”. And it’s so far so good with the new Toro RM3100-D the club ultimately opted for. Only time will tell if its longevity matches up to the formidable RM2300-D, but in terms of performance, Simon is impressed.

“Mechanically its all the same – an engine and bottom blade – but my goodness the way it chews effortlessly through the grass is really impressive. It takes two and a half hours to cut five acres. Plus, by opting for Toro again, we have the added benefit of the reassurance of having a quality product, one that will last for years, giving us excellent value for money.

World Cup Prep Underway

With three international matches between New Zealand and Afghanistan, Australia and Pakistan and West Indies and Bangladesh to look forward to it in June 2019, it really has been an eventful five years for the club, with the future everything to play for.

Simon concludes: “Being chosen as a World Cup venue puts us on a level playing field with some of the best sporting venues in the country, and it’s incredibly important we present at our best. We feel confident we can do that, especially with Toro looking after the grounds.”

For more information, visit: reesinkturfcare.co.uk

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Innovation Success For EGO

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Innovation Success For EGO: A new cordless line trimmer from EGO has claimed two awards for innovation at top European trade exhibitions.

The technology was awarded with GaLaBau’s Innovation Medal in Nuremberg, and a Technology Innovation Award at Bologne’s EIMA exhibition.

Innovation Success For EGO

The cordless outdoor power equipment specialist received the coveted accolades for its ST1510E – Power+ Line Trimmer featuring POWERLOAD™ technology; the industry’s first line trimmer tool with a fully automatic line re-loading system.

Entering the European market in 2019, POWERLOAD™ removes the need for the fiddly and frustrating process of loading new line – a problem that anyone who has used a garden line trimmer is all too familiar with.

To load the ST1510E – Power+ Line Trimmer featuring POWERLOAD™ technology, users simply insert the trimmer line through the head of the tool. After a push on its green activation button, the automatic re-loading system then perfectly winds the line onto the spool in less than five seconds… and it’s ready to go!

After beating 105 unique entries for the Innovation Medal award, The Federal Association of Garden, Landscape and Sports Facilities presented EGO with the Innovation Medal at GaLaBau – Europe’s leading exhibition for the design, construction and maintenance of urban, green and open spaces.

Innovation Success For EGO

Similarly, the line trimmer technology will be recognised in November at EIMA as winner of its Technology Innovation Contest. The competition acknowledges genuinely innovative machines, accessories or components capable of improving productive procedures and the quality of the work of operators in the sector.

Like all EGO products, the ST1510E – Power+ Line Trimmer featuring POWERLOAD™ technology uses a 56 volt Arc Lithium battery, engineered to match or surpass the performance of petrol powered outdoor power tools.

The unique battery technology has an innovative design to maximise battery cooling and in turn provide users with the industry’s highest energy capacity in a hand held battery. This allows users to complete jobs with less noise, less fuss and no harmful fumes.

 Vince Brauns, European Product Manager at EGO, said: “Since the line trimmer was invented in the 1970s, gardeners, landscapers and consumers have all been continuously plagued by the difficult task of re-loading new line.

“Our POWERLOADTM technology truly is a first of its kind and will finally put an end to these frustrations. We are delighted to have won the GaLaBau Innovation Medal and EIMA Technology Innovation contest and will continue to develop our cordless outdoor power products and make the lives of our customers easier and easier.”

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Intelligent Marking At SALTEX 2018

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Intelligent Marking At SALTEX 2018: Danish company, Intelligent Marking, is ready to introduce the world’s most advanced robotic line marker and it’s PROSTRIPE line of field paint to the sports turf industry at Saltex 2018 on stand CO10 and at the Live Demonstration area.

The Intelligent One (IO) has led the field in accuracy, reliability and ease of use since being released in 2016 and was awarded the Saltex Innovation Award in 2017 when it was first presented to the UK market. Since then it has seen further advancements to its GPS system and software to maintain its industry leading specification.

Intelligent Marking At SALTEX 2018

 

The PROSTRIPE field paint has been carefully formulated to match the requirements of every type of customer, including Premier League venues. It is currently being used to great effect by our American customers, including grass-root clubs, professional sports teams and universities. It comes as a ready-to-spray (RTS) paint in three variations: permanent grass paint, semi-permanent for artificial grass and easily removeable chalk-based paint. Each variant comes in white, blue, yellow and red as standard, with other bespoke colours on request.

The robots unrivalled accuracy comes from the base station. Intelligent Marking is the only company to provide an optional base station which allows the machine to be operated without a costly annual subscription and without cellular or real time kinematic (RTK) connectivity and coverage. Using the closed system means the machine can be used anywhere with unprecedented reliability whilst matching the marking speed of every robotic line marker on the market.

The accuracy of markings is millimetric and makes overmarking lines quick and easy with no external signal factors able to impact the performance. The Intelligent One comes with several pre-loaded templates including UEFA regulation football pitches, NFL pitches, track and field marking, rugby union and league, lacrosse and many more. Customers can also request custom templates from Intelligent Marking which can be made within a short timeframe ready for use.

Massive savings in paint cost and manpower are being seen by current users of the IO, including Paul Floyd, Facilities and Operations Manager for the City of Decatur, Alabama, Parks and Recreation Department.

Before using the robot, Paul would use 60 litres of 50/50 mix (28 litres paint) to mark two full-size soccer fields with a three-man crew, taking 30-45 minutes per pitch and one hour starting from scratch.

With the IO these figures reduced dramatically. Up to 34 minutes were saved marking per pitch and 26 litres less paint was needed, figures that Paul thought would be unattainable before using the robot for himself.

He said: “Obviously, everyone paints fields with different paint rates, various numbers of crew and time – but there is clearly a huge cost saving. I know these numbers may seem unbelievable and I was sceptical myself, but we have been using this machine since March 2018 and these are our numbers. We are estimating a savings of £15,500 in just paint cost – not including manpower time savings and less time correcting mistakes. The paint is lasting after multiple mowing sessions and longer than the paint we used previously. We like it so much, we plan to buy a second machine this fall.”

Visitors to Saltex can see the Intelligent One in action at the Live Demonstration area located outside the main building and have any questions answered about the robot and paint at the Intelligent Marking stand.

For further information please visit the website: www.intelligentmarking.com

Or contact:

Intelligent Marking
Ian Robson, Sales Manager, England
ian.robson@imr.eu
07779 270501

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New Bobcat Loader Developments

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New Bobcat Loader Developments: Auto Ride Control, Heated Cloth Air Ride Seats are just some of the new developments announced by Bobcat regarding the company’s compact loader range for Europe, Middle East and Africa (EMEA). The new developments provide an increased choice of features for the Bobcat skid-steer, compact track and all-wheel steer loader ranges.

Complementing this, Bobcat has also launched the S100E model for EMEA, an updated version of the company’s popular S100 skid-steer loader that meets Stage V emissions regulations. Like the S100, the new S100E skid-steer loader meets customer requirements for manoeuvrability, size, weight, uptime protection, lift capacity and push force for this loader class. In addition, customers benefit from improvements Bobcat has made in operator comfort, ease of operation, noise levels, running costs and asset management.

New Bobcat Loader Developments

These new advances come in the year that Bobcat celebrates the 60th Anniversary of the loader, forming part of a 60 year legacy in compact loaders that is second to none in the worldwide construction equipment market. Over the last 60 years, the same outstanding quality, workmanship and innovation have helped to maintain Bobcat’s market leadership, so that one in every two skid-steer loaders sold today is a Bobcat machine.

New Developments in Bobcat Loader Range 

The improvements in Bobcat compact loaders include:

  • Auto Ride Control (Factory Option and Kit)
  • Heated Cloth Air Ride Seat (Factory Option and Kit)
  • Cloth Suspension Seat (Factory Option and Kit)
  • Cushioned Cylinders (Standard)
  • Auto Reversing Fan (Factory Option and Kit)
  • LED Side Lights (Kit)
  • Rear Camera (Kit)
  • Deluxe interior foot-pad (Standard)

 Available as a Factory Option or as an Aftermarket Kit, the new Auto Ride Control system improves operator comfort when driving with a load in the bucket especially on rough terrain. This feature lets the operator lock in travel at a speed of their choice, so that they only have to think about where they are going without feeling the need to avoid bumps or any other surface level obstacles.

Benefits include reduced spillage caused by vibrations due to an uneven operating speed and/or irregular surfaces; more stability when moving up and down with a load/weight and the ability to drive faster on rough terrain. It is also an intelligent system, providing increased efficiency, performance gains and a more comfortable ride with fewer bumps, simply through the flick of a switch.

The new Heated Cloth Air Ride Seat is available on the Bobcat 600, 700 and 800 Series compact loader models. This is an alternative to the previous Air Ride Seat with a vinyl surface and further enhances operator comfort with the move to the cloth surface. It is designed to enhance comfort and productivity, particularly for customers operating loaders in cold weather.

On the 400 and 500 Series models, Bobcat has also introduced the Cloth Suspension Seat, again replacing the Air Ride Seat with a vinyl surface. The cloth surface improves the operator’s comfort all year round − in both cold and hot weather − and provides more comfortable seating on slopes and inclines.

The Air Ride Seat with vinyl surface remains available for Bobcat loader customers through the company’s Aftermarket service.

Cushioned Cylinders as Standard

 The incorporation of Cushioned Lift and Tilt Cylinders as standard offers advantages when the loader’s lift arms are lowered and/or the Bob-Tach system tilted, and the cylinders move towards the end of a stroke, by restricting the hydraulic fluid from flowing out so that the cylinder is slowed down before it fully retracts.

This slowing − or cushioning − effect increases overall performance and improves comfort, because the operator does not need to slow down the motion themselves when approaching the end of the stroke. In addition, cushioned cylinders soften the impact when the lift arms contact the mainframe − reducing noise in the workplace.

As well as being a standard, free of charge feature for the customer, this system allows the operator to work faster, with softer impacts, reducing spillage while tilting and ensures that the machine feels more stable when in use.

 The Auto Reversing Fan helps to keep the grill clean and to clear out dust that can clog the cooler. This helps improve machine uptime, reducing the need to clean so frequently and it is an automatic feature, ensuring the operator does not have to leave the cab as often.

Available in Kit form, the LED Side Lights improve the operator’s all-round visibility from inside the cab. The lights − solidly incorporated in the cab structure to ensure high reliability − help the operator work more safely and efficiently, in all environments, in minimal visibility conditions. In extremely dark conditions, and especially in tight spaces, the LED Side Lights enable the operator to see how close they are to an obstacle.

To further enhance visibility to the rear, Bobcat has introduced the new Rear Camera Kit, with the basic system combining a 4.3 inch display and a 118° tail-gate mounted camera.

The Deluxe Interior Foot-pad provides an improved foot area in deluxe interior versions of Bobcat loaders. This offers a fit and finish improvement, enhances cleaning ability and offers increased operator sound insulation.

New S100E Skid-Steer Loader

Compact dimensions – a height of 1878 mm, length without attachment of 2262 mm and width over the tyres of 1182 mm – allow the S100E to manoeuvre efficiently in confined spaces even in bad weather. Despite its smaller dimensions, state-of-the-art engineering has ensured that the S100E loader offers the power and performance expected of a bigger machine.

This is combined with the durability of a strong frame design, increased operator comfort and easy serviceability thanks to a transverse-mounted Stage V compliant Kubota V1505-T4FST5 diesel engine providing 18.2 kW of power at 2300 RPM. The S100E offers a rated operating capacity of 457 kg and a tipping load of 915 kg.

The low operating weight with bucket of just 1860 kg allows for easy transportation of the S100E on a trailer.  The engine power and hydraulic flow on the S100E are suitable for operating over 30 different Bobcat attachments.

As well as the full-comfort cab, designed to enable operators to work all day long for optimal productivity, the S100E has the most advanced electronic controls and instrumentation for this size of machine on the market, providing a new level of diagnostic capability and control.  The instrument panels and gauges are placed in convenient locations in the top left hand and top right hand corners at the front of the cab.

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ECHO Launch New Chainsaw

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ECHO Launch New Chainsaw: ECHO is setting a benchmark for rear handle chainsaws with the launch of the new CS-4510ES. It packs a real punch with its 45cc two-stroke stratified scavenging engine and the power-to-weight ratio makes it more powerful yet lighter than previous models. This is a chainsaw loaded with new features but still built to exacting ECHO standards. It offers a better output of 2.3kW and yet weighs in with a dry weight of just 5.0kg.

Lift the CS-4510ES and you immediately feel how light it is. Start cutting logs or use it for felling small trees and you realise it is no ordinary chainsaw. You know instinctively the moment you start work it’s been designed by engineers who understand what the operator needs in terms of performance, durability and ergonomics. The Stage II emission compliant engine is one of ECHO’s new engine platforms. The two-stroke has a piston operated scavenging system in which a layer of fuel-free air is created between the burnt charge in the combustion chamber and the fresh charge in the crankcase. The buffer reduces the fuel laden losses during the cycle.

ECHO Launch New Chainsaw

This translates into a chainsaw that generates more torque to cut faster and more efficiently through harder wood. Add in features such as the new air filter design which shields the engine from dust intake, the drop-out prevention nuts, translucent fuel tank, and the ES Easy Start system, and it’s easy to see why this very different looking chainsaw is going to be much in demand with a wide range of users.

The ECHO CS-4510ES is a machine that not only increases productivity and reduces downtime in maintenance, it also comes with a two-year professional warranty or five-year domestic warranty.

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Makita Help Create War Horse Story

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Makita Help Create War Horse Story: War Horse, the war drama film by Steven Spielberg, and hero of Michael Morpurgo’s novel, has taken many Best Picture, golden Globe Awards and BAFTAs.  It is the story of Joey, the much loved horse of young Albert Narracott who lived in south west England with his family.  Joey was one of the millions of horses, mules and donkeys who served their time in World War 1.  They were used for transport, communication and companionship, carrying water, food, ammunition and medical supplies to men at the front while some 200,000 pigeons carried essential messages.  Of our soldiers, 886,000 men died representing 2% of the country’s entire population.

Ian Murray, the renowned chainsaw sculptor, has carved many and varied subjects from timber  mostly as commissioned works from individuals and organisation keen to have his breath taking works of art.  As 2018 marks the 100th Centennial of the end of World War 1, and to commemorate this special occasion, Ian has been tasked to carve a life size Joey, standing at 7’3”, from solid oak, in just 70 amazing hours.  Chainsaws and other high performance tools, accessories and PPE have been supplied by Makita UK, the UK’s number 1 professional power tool manufacturer, via regional distributor Morris Garden Machinery, Rhuddlan.

Makita Help Create War Horse Story

Richard Kendrick, Royal British Legion organiser in Rhyl, N Wales, who is responsible for the Poppy Appeal, is aiming to raise £3,500 to pay for the creation of Joey.  He is working with local schools and colleges to help raise these funds.  “When Ian has finished creating War Horse, we plan to visit local schools and educate our children about World War 1,” says Richard.  “Together we want to tell children about the war and what happened – to understand the hardships our soldiers and our horses endured.”

Adds Ian Murray: “We’re hoping the children will enjoy this real-life lesson as they will be able to connect with War Horse, to see him and touch him, and we hope they will appreciate how much our servicemen and women did for us over 100 years ago.”

There is also hope that local MP Chris Ruane may be successful in arranging for War Horse to visit the Palace of Westminster, the iconic home of UK parliament, and that other children around the UK will see and request a visit to their own school and to learn of our gallant forces and what they contributed to the country.

Makita UK has supported the project in supplying chainsaws to Ian Murray, a keen Makita fan, for the creation of War Horse including three chainsaws, one with Easy Start and another featuring the market leading Vibration Dampening technology; a cordless LXT blower; 18v cordless grinder, file sander and die grinder, as well as accessories and PPE.

“This carving of War Horse has been a bit daunting,” reports Ian, “and I had to make this creation in two bursts due to essential overseas travel in the middle of the project. But this allowed the timber time to stabilise and take on a new position while it dries out naturally adding greater dynamics to the wonderful Joey.  I’m very pleased with this creation.”

Jonathon Morris of Morris Garden Machinery has encouraged Ian Murray over recent years.  “His sculptures show exceptional talent and we are delighted that he uses Makita saws. We are a Makita approved PDI dealer and sales have expanded tremendously in recent years.  The products are excellent and, above all, reliable,” reports Mr Morris.

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New Campey TopDrain For CLS

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New Campey TopDrain For CLS: Leading specialist sports contractors, CLS Sports, a division of Cleveland Land Services, has added an Imants (KORO®) TopDrain 1000 from Campey Turf Care Systems to their fleet to meet increased customer demand.

For 15 years CLS Sports has been at the forefront of sports turf contracting using their expertise and knowledge, in conjunction with the most innovative machines available, to service the sports turf industry.

New Campey TopDrain For CLS

During that time drainage has, and will continue to be, one of the most vital aspects of sports turf maintenance. Keeping surfaces playable throughout the more challenging times of the season is paramount for team or club.

Introducing a secondary drainage system that compliments existing primary drainage is an effective way to prevent fixtures being postponed. Water can drain quicker into the primary lateral drains, making surfaces more suitable for the demands of modern sport and increasingly wetter weather.

The TopDrain 1000 provides a complete one-pass surface drainage system. It is a unique multifunctional machine that trenches, removes spoil, injects sand and re-compacts all in one operation. Designed for sports fields and golf course fairways, the TopDrain 1000 benefits include; material and labour savings, faster processing times and less surface contamination than conventional methods.

For Cleveland Land Services Contracts Director, Stephen Miller, this is the second TopDrain in the fleet so they are already familiar with the advantages it brings, but the benefits of adding a second smaller machine has strengthened the service they offer.

“Top draining is an option that’s been popular for some time and is continuing to grow,” Stephen said. “It’s been specified on a number of schemes this year and it’s something that when we design projects internally we’d recommend because it offers a high-level secondary drainage system.

New Campey TopDrain For CLS

“So, the combined growth in demand and proven results is the reason why we have purchased a second machine. We have plenty of TopDrain work for our current model to do, but also a requirement for the new smaller 1000 model for other projects which were as important but didn’t need the tractor capacity.

“The 1000 model trenches out at 250mm deep and 40mm wide and at one-meter centres, whereas our existing machine works at the same depth and width but at half meter centres.

“Our current TopDrain needs a 135hp tractor whereas the TopDrain 1000 only requires 105hp thereby increasing its versatility on site as the same tractors we use to install the primary drainage systems can be used to install the secondary system.”

For more information, visit: www.campeyturfcare.com

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Koro FTM At Cricket Demo Day

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Koro FTM At Cricket Demo Day: Campey Turf Care Systems in association with their Cambridgeshire dealer, Scamblers, held a successful demonstration day at Clare College, Cambridge, to show what the Koro FIELD TOP-MAKER can do on a cricket square.

The Imants machine was originally used to strip the organic matter off of football pitches and has gone on to be used in rugby, golf and tennis with cricket becoming the latest adopter of the technology.

Koro FTM At Cricket Demo Day

Cambridge United use the Clare College site for training and because of this head groundsman, Robbie Nightingale knows the difference removing the organic matter can make to a football pitch and was keen to test it out on his cricket square.

“There is a lot of good quality cricket played in the county and there is an opening for a few Colleges or clubs to pitch in together to get a Koro FTM,” he explained. “Using the machine in different sports to what it was originally used for is something that’s a growing trend and you read and see a lot about people using it, so we thought we’d have a look and see what it’s about.

“Because it’s a demonstration day and the first time we used the machine we wanted to start at 3mm and go down very gradually so we could take out whatever we wanted to. Going to 3mm is ideal for us because we wouldn’t have been able to do that with the machinery that we have so it’s been a fantastic opportunity for us, and others, to see it on our own square.

30 turf professionals from 28 different cricket clubs, football clubs and colleges from the Cambridgeshire region attended the event which also included a demonstration of the Air2G2 GT Air Inject.

Campey product specialist, Simon Holland, ran the practical side of the event and has seen an increased number of cricket groundsmen enquire about using the Koro FTM on their squares.

Koro FTM At Cricket Demo Day

“Koro-ing has become more popular within cricket at all levels of the game,” he said. “I’m going to Edgbaston Cricket Ground to Koro a wicket there that has SIS Grass reinforcement, so that’ll be an interesting project to work on because it’ll be the first time it’s been done on a cricket pitch that’s reinforced.

“But although today is mainly cricket we do have people from other sports attending because they want to see the Koro FTM working. I think there’s a growing interest from the cricket side because it isn’t something they’ve adopted fully yet, but they can see the benefits of using it.

“The idea is to level the pitch, particularly the saddles, and pull 90% of the organic matter out so they’ve got a blank canvass to work with.”

For more information, visit: www.campeyturfcare.com

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Whisper Twister Perfect For Coxmoor

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Whisper Twister Perfect For Coxmoor: Coxmoor Golf Club, an accredited England Golf Championship venue, is in its fourth year of a major ten year redevelopment, working closely with architects, Creative Golf Design. The progressive Nottinghamshire club has an innovative programme of bunker and tee improvements to future proof the course which are already elevating its stature. 

Running alongside is a ten year woodlands plan in partnership with The Sherwood Forest Trust and the Forestry Commission.  The goal is to restore the Sutton-in-Ashfield club to its natural heathland habitat with a better understanding of woodland management.  Over 1500 trees have been thinned out making way for the best indigenous species, the focus on selecting trees across a spectrum of life cycle stages. By necessity, Course Manager, Ben Cumberland and his greenkeeping team of seven, adopt very effective solutions for removing leaf debris.

Whisper Twister Perfect For Coxmoor

Central to their operation is a previously under-used John Deere 3730 tractor, which now supports a Wiedenmann Whisper Twister blower on the front and a variety of equipment on the back.

“When I joined Coxmoor, the 3730 tractor was a couple of years old with its three point front linkage kit untouched and no obvious plans to put it to use. With front linkage in place it made sense to attach a blower which could stay on for two to three months at a time,” explained Ben Cumberland.  “James Robson from dealer Henton and Chatell got on the case and brought the Whisper Twister for demo and we kept it.

“It’s fortunate the John Deere has low ground pressure and Galaxy flotation tyres so it can be over the greens for most of the year, leaving no imprint whatsoever. The Whisper Twister balances on a low pressure wheel so together they are perfect for fine turf. When it’s dry, the blower goes round the greens that need it in the morning to tidy them. We drive right up to a bunker, point the nozzle, rotate if required and the leaves are taken out easily. Because the driver’s view is to the front, you see everything; no awkward neck twisting trying to look behind,” continued Ben Cumberland.

Whisper Twister Perfect For Coxmoor

“Only in the depths of winter will we go over the greens and blow leaves by hand. But for other parts of the course when it is damp and the leaves are dormant and bedded into the grass, we will pair the blower with the Wiedenmann Terra Rake.  The scarifying tines on the rake go through the longer grass, teasing the leaves out from the bottom; the leaves are blown out and then we rake them up.

“Having the blower to the front is so versatile; the set up gives scope to do more and more. We will put another machine on the back and tidy as we go, especially with aeration work on the greens, or with the slitter, the sorrel roller, the brush… even down to blowing tees before we spray them with the sprayer attached. We often do two jobs in one. Kill two birds with the one stone if you like.”

For more information, visit: www.wiedenmann.com

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