FM48 Flail Mower redesigned

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FM48 Flail Mower redesigned: Managing fields and meadows can be a difficult task once the growth hits a certain height. It doesn’t take long before grass, nettles, brambles, and all sorts of nasties make it impossible for a lawnmower or strimmer to bring it back under control.

A flail mower is ideal for maintaining rough grassed areas where a conventional mower would get clogged up and struggle to cut.

FM48 Flail Mower redesigned

The FM48 is a powerful, towed, long grass cutter with a working width of 1220mm (48″). A reliable 13Hp Honda engine with an electric start drives two ‘V’ belts and 42 cutting flails. These sharpened flails are easily replaceable to extend the lifetime of the machine.

As of 2020, the FM48s transport wheels situate at the rear of the machine, instead of the side. By mounting the transport wheels in the new position, the mower cuts closer to the edge and can squeeze through narrow pathways.

Mounted at the rear of the cutter is a one-piece roller. This roller is easily adjusted to fine-tune the cutting height and alleviates scalping by ensuring the flails lift above the highest peaks on uneven ground.

A screw jack effortlessly raises or lowers the transport wheels, allowing you to travel two and from storage on pneumatic wheels, before dropping the mower onto its steel roller. This steel roller flattens and neatens the ground behind it, it protects the user from the rear of the flail mower, and it is invulnerable to punctures, unlike rival mowers which operate on wheels.

The tow bar is typically mounted central to the mower, and it can be offset to the side of the vehicle when it’s desirable not to flatten the grass by running it over.

The safety of the operator is very much in mind when designing this type of machine. The throttle control and engine emergency stop switch are reached easily from the tractor seat. Full skirt guards are provided to stop the operator’s feet from being accidentally offered to the flails.

A jockey wheel is mounted onto the tow bar to help manually move the 245kg machine in and out of storage.

The SCH FM42 Flail Mower is identical in many ways to the FM48, however instead of having a width of 48″, its width is (you’ve guessed it) 42″. This compact machine is ideal for towing vehicles with less pulling power and smaller areas to manage.

For a free 80 page brochure featuring over 200 British built machines, contact SCH on 01473 328272, email sales@schsupplies.co.uk, or visit the website www.schsupplies.co.uk

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SISIS success at Colliers Park

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SISIS success at Colliers Park: Two SISIS machines are helping to keep the natural grass pitches clean and healthy at Colliers Park according to Dylan Thompson, grounds maintenance manager.

Colliers Park in Gresford, Wales has recently benefitted from a major renovation following the FAW’s acquisition of the site. It has now transformed into an elite training facility which boasts two full-size training pitches and a synthetic pitch.

SISIS success at Colliers Park

Dylan embarked on his new role in March 2019 and found himself with an arsenal of brand-new turf maintenance equipment at his disposal. The new equipment was based on what the grounds staff use at Dragon Park (the FAW’s other football development centre) and there were two machines which particularly caught Dylan’s eye.

“After using them for the first time I could immediately see why both the SISIS Quadraplay and the SISIS Multitiner were high priority,” said Dylan. “They are both superbly built and can carry out a wide range of tasks.”

As Dylan says, the multi-functional SISIS Quadraplay single pass maintenance system is perfect for busy groundsmen as it incorporates a mounted frame for up to four implements such as grooming rakes, spikers, slitters, rollers and brushes. The implements can be fitted to the mainframe in any order and can be independently adjusted to achieve the desired effect. Compact, robust, versatile and with the ability to carry out up to four operations simultaneously – the Quadraplay makes life a lot easier for many groundsmen as Dylan explains.

“We’ve got the four implements and we mainly use it for brushing and raking. When we are brushing, we will have the slitter down and go as low as we can go just to provide a little aeration – it is great at breaking up the surface algae if we have any. The roller is used to give the pitch a light roll, rather than compacting and is perfect for a nice presentation. With regards to raking we will vary the depth depending on how aggressive we want to be. We’ve done a lot of raking this summer because there was a lot of thinning out required. It has kept the pitch nice and clean so that it is not suffocating.

“I would say that we use the Quadraplay at least once a month – it’s nice and easy to use and changing the depth of the implements is incredibly simple. It is one of those machines which you can get on and complete a number of tasks within a short timeframe.

“Likewise, the Multitiner has 3-point linkage, no hydraulics and there is no messing about – it is quick, simple to set-up and effective.”

For further aeration requirements Dylan relies on the SISIS Multitiner 1.8m – a tractor mounted drum-type aerator. It has three drums with independent rotation and its interchangeable tines with a maximum depth of 100mm ensure excellent turf care when the time comes to aerate.

“The amount we use it all depends on the amount of pitch usage and the weather conditions but we have a general rule of trying to use it on a fortnightly basis,” said Dylan. “On the fibresand pitches we try and keep the structure firm so we will use the Multitiner just to give us a bit of surface aeration.

“Ultimately it keeps the turf healthy and clean and that is exactly what I want.”

For further information or a no obligation demonstration, please contact SISIS on 01332 824 777 or visit www.sisis.com

For more news, reviews and insightful views, you can follow SISIS on Twitter @SISISMachinery and like the company’s Facebook page – www.facebook.com/SISISMachinery. You can also view the latest SISIS videos by visiting www.youtube.com/SISISMachinery

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GKB Vstrong impresses again

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GKB Vstrong impresses again: Based in Woolpit, Suffolk and with over 35 years of experience and knowledge, Parkers Pitches added a GKB Vstrong to their range of robust and dynamic machinery, through GKB’s distributor Ernest Doe.

Parkers Pitches have a passion for sports pitches and knew the perfect partner to support their passion was the GKB Vstrong. The sports turf management company, run by hands-on Owner Will Parker, have been impressed with the performance of the machine so far, stating: “We pushed the machine very hard this Autumn renovation season with over 40 cricket square scarified in 3 directions.“

GKB Vstrong impresses again

The beating heart of the machine is the CombiRotor, with its generically developed 3mm carbide scarifying blades. “The heavy duty nature of this machine has meant this year we have managed to scarify deeper and with closer blade spacings than in previous years, due to this we have seen great results with superb germination and coverage at all pitches renovated” Will adds. Thanks to the blades being rigidly attached to the rotor, the GKB Vstrong allows you to easily attain an operating depth of 5cm, not to mention it has a working speed of up to 10 kph.

Always completing high-quality work to improve and maintain surfaces and pitches the GKB Vstrong was a perfect match. Will explains “With the great results seen from a machine that is faster and cleaner than any we have previously used, we are in no doubt the Vstrong is the best machine on the market for cricket renovations and many other tasks.”

By scarifying and letting the material fly when you collect afterwards with a vacuum or a cut and collect mower, you are collecting less material. This leaves the soil behind and just takes the green waste off the top.

GKB Vstrong impresses again

Parkers Pitches Vstrong features an optional collection box. This is specially designed for work on golf green and cricket squares.

For more on GKB Machines and their reliable and robust range of machinery for natural, hybrid and synthetic turf, please visit www.gkbmachines.com or contact Tom Shinkins on 07495 883617.

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New SCAG stand-on mower

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New SCAG stand-on mower: The V-Ride is a stand-on mower designed for professional use; the compact machine size, ease of manouevering and clear view for the operator have lead to the V-Ride becoming increasingly popular for intricate mowing areas. 

The Ride-On SCAG machines, because they are purpose-built for grasscutting, place the operator directly above the cutting deck, and one of the main features on the new V-Ride is that the revised configuration of the stand-on deck follows the same concept, placing the operator nearer the centre of the machine. 

New SCAG stand-on mower

The new version of the original V-Ride was announced in 2017 and had revised features that exhibit SCAG’s policy of continuous improvement and response to operator feedback, which combine to make them such a successful machinery manufacturer. 

The latest machine in the range addresses the need for gate-access: the V-Ride 32. 

The full model name is the V-Ride 32A-16FX: 

  • 32” Advantage Deck
  • 16HP Kawasaki FX
  • Electric start
  • Drive wheels: 20x6.5 – 10 
  • Fuel capacity: 4 gallons
  • New style 2020 V-Ride operator pad
  • All other features as on the 36” V-Ride

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Prince’s GC chooses innovation

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Prince’s GC chooses innovation: Prince’s Golf Club recently underwent an extensive renovation process to all three nines on the 27-hole property, which saw developments made to bunkers, teeing grounds and a number of greens, with plans in place to make further improvements in 2020.

In order to produce work of the highest quality and keep the fine links turf as healthy as possible, the club made significant investment into to the latest Bernhard grinding systems.

Prince’s GC chooses innovation

The specialist grinders are designed to keep the mowers as sharp as they can be, allowing Course Manager, Sean McLean and his team to prepare the golf courses in perfect condition all year round.

Machinery Manager at Prince’s Jon Bartlett was keen to achieve more efficient accuracy and speed of work. The Express Dual 5500 and the Anglemaster 4500 provided Jon with versatility and uncompromised performance upon testing and were installed in the club’s new facilities in November.

The automated reel surveying on the Express Dual 5500 allows for maximum precision and helps to determine wear and assist with the resolution of “coned” and “barrelled” reels. With a host of features, this innovative piece of equipment allows the user to achieve the highest precision grind in the industry.

Commenting on the new Bernhard grinders, Course Manager, Sean McLean said: “We are delighted with the new set of grinders. We are always striving to achieve greater accuracy and consistency on our courses and particularly the greens.

“Being able to maintain a precise quality of cut through the automated fleet set up is saving us time and will be financially beneficial for us in the long run.”

Machinery Manager, Jon Bartlett added: “Working with such precision machines makes my job even more enjoyable. We now know that we can keep our machines updated through the remote assistance at the press of a button, which is extremely reassuring when dealing with a large fleet of machinery.”

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