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Changing Weather No Challenge For Honda Miimo

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Changing Weather No Challenge For Honda Miimo: The UK’s traditional unpredictable and changeable weather patterns place additional stress on lawns and garden machinery manufacturer, Honda (UK), believes that its Miimo robotic mower can help ease some of these difficulties.

Firstly, continuous mowing at a height of cut suitable for the prevailing weather conditions will help reduce this stress on lawns. Honda’s Miimo robotic mower has a choice of cut height from 20mm to 60mm enabling it to continue mowing in very dry conditions, plus it’s fully waterproof and will operate effectively in the rain.

Changing Weather No Challenge For Honda Miimo

Secondly, is to make sure the lawn is getting the nutrients it needs. Here Miimo helps by continuously cutting and leaving the finely micro-shredded cuttings on the grass, this acts as a mulch to provide the roots with essential nutrients and helping retain moisture.

There are three Miimos in the Honda range, the HRM 310, 520 and 3000 and cut lawns ranging in size from 1500 M2 up to an acre and give owners more time to enjoy gardening without worrying about mowing.

Miimo is quiet, allowing it to run at night. It automatically detects obstacles, including children and pets, and will operate on slopes up to 25o and uneven ground.  Built-in security means that if the machine is picked up it immediately stops rotation of the cutting blades and sounds an alarm which can only be stopped by inputting a unique pin number.

Prices start at £1,799, for the Miimo 310, £2,399 for the 520 and £2,599 for the range-topping, app enabled Miimo 3000.

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Borough Council Choose Imants ShockWave

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Borough Council Choose Imants ShockWave: Ribble Valley Borough Council has invested in their own Imants ShockWave to help alleviate compaction and get games on.

Chris Shepard, Head Gardener at Ribble Council has 14 sports pitches and the fields at Clitheroe Castle, a medieval construction that has been in place for 800-years, to look after as well as other non-sports areas across the Ribble Valley.

Borough Council Choose Imants ShockWave

The council had a desire to improve the drainage on the pitches and prevent fixture cancellations while improving other areas that were less problematic. To achieve this the decision to purchase a ShockWave was made and it has had a busy start to life during its first three months in Lancashire with the difference already visible.

Chris said: “There were some pitches that had some standing water, but it had got to a point where we needed to do something regarding drainage for all of the pitches and the land to put money back into it and improve our facilities and we thought to get better use in the winter periods that the ShockWave was the way to go.

“There has been a difference in some of the pitches we’ve used it on. There was one area that would always hold water but that’s gone now. It’s still a bit softer underfoot than the rest of the field but you’re not squelching water like you would have been.

“Once we go on that area again, we’ll be able to go deeper and get down to 18 inches and that’ll definitely help.”

The ShockWave is specifically designed to revitalise heavy wear areas by relieving soil compaction and in turn improve aeration and remove surface water. When doing the linear aerator causes very little disturbance, to the point that play can continue virtually straight away.

Borough Council Choose Imants ShockWave

For Chris this is an important factor when deciding when to deploy the machine because it can used close to fixture to provide maximum benefit without any risk of causing injury to players.

He said: “People can use the pitches on the same day we’ve used the machine and that’s a massive benefit because we don’t have to shut a pitch down for a week. It allows us to make a solid plan with the machine and work on the pitches when we want to and if an area needs to be worked on close to a fixture then we know that’s fine.”

The ShockWave comes in five different models with the depth ranging from 120mm-380mm. Often it is best to start at a shallower depth to relieve compaction before setting the machine to go deeper on a second run and alleviate any remaining problem areas.

For more information, visit: www.campeyturfcare.com

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Attila 98X A Hit At Glanusk

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Attila 98X A Hit At Glanusk: Harry Legge-Bourke, custodian, managing partner and trustee of the Glanusk Estate, believes that the ride-on Attila 98X brushcutter from Etesia has exceeded all expectation at the truly prestigious venue.

Situated in the beautiful countryside of the Usk Valley, Crickhowell, South Wales, Glanusk, which has been in the ownership of the same family since 1826, boasts 400 acres of private parkland, 800 acres of forestry, 3,500 acres of lowland and hill farms, the Park and forestry, 16,000 acres of Common Land hills and 5 miles of the River Usk. It also contains an array of historic buildings, including the iconic Tower Bridge, the ancient Celtic standing stones, the private chapel, farm buildings and stables, all of which are either Grade II listed or Grade II starred.

Attila 98X A Hit At Glanusk

Today, Glanusk features a multi-diversified business portfolio that includes weddings, farming, festivals, fishing, corporate events, unique holiday cottages and residential lettings. Within the Estate’s grounds there is also the third largest selection of Oak trees in the United Kingdom. This wondrous display of Oak is set to be unveiled to the public and it is for this reason that the Estate was in need of some new groundcare equipment.

“I was looking for a machine for a very specific requirement, owing to the fact we are opening up the Oak Collection,” said Harry. “I needed a machine which could prepare the ground for visitors.

“By chance, after looking on the internet, I came across Etesia. I then looked at the videos, found out a bit more about the product and contacted the company. It was an absolute priority of mine to see the machine in action and so within days Etesia, along with our local dealer Forest Park and Garden, came to the Estate to carry out a demonstration.

“On the day of the demonstration we were faced with horrendous weather conditions but the 98X absolutely proved its worth.”

Etesia’s Attila 98X ride-on brushcutter is reliable, efficient, comfortable and safe. The output, combined with 4-wheel-drive and performance makes it ideal for some of the toughest jobs. The 98X has a 98cm cutting width for more efficient working while eight cutting heights are available between 50mm to 120mm, with one transport position, which is easily adjusted with a centralised lever.

It can be used on slopes up to 30% and its strengthened structure welded tubular chassis offers its operators a better driving position. Furthermore, the electric start offers a high comfort level, rack and pinion steering, plus hydrostatic drive. Special attention has also been paid to sound and vibration levels to reduce them to a very low level – making it ideal for public areas.

“I have been using the Attila 98X throughout the Oak Collection, new plantation sites in the park and along the river bank – all day every day,” said Harry.

“I’m sceptical and I really didn’t think the machine would be able to do what it did. The demo was great but it is different when you sit on the machine yourself, and I have managed to do exactly what I wanted to do. The machine just cruised up and down and it destroyed everything that it needed to. The work would have normally been done by hand on that bank and taken two weeks, but that work with the 98X was completed in an hour.

“It has exceeded all expectation and you wouldn’t recognise the areas where we’ve used it. It is an outstanding bit of equipment.

“The Oaks area I could open tomorrow, with access right up the trees and pathways all clear – no hairy moments on that bank in the brambles either! I now consider myself an expert with the 98X and really know how to use it to its maximum capability.

“I would say that the stability and the cut are the best features of the machine.”

For further information, please contact Etesia UK on 01295 680120 or visit www.etesia.co.uk.

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

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Sherriff’s Marathon Key For Trojans

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Sherriff’s Marathon Key For Trojans: With sports pitches facing heavy usage at the Trojan Club in Eastleigh, Hampshire, head groundsman Dave Edwards needs to ensure the turf stands up to the rigours of winter sports. It is for this reason he chooses Sherriff Amenity’s Marathon Sport extended release fertilisers.

The Trojan Sports Club is a community-based amateur sports club which is run by the members, for the members and is open to all. The club receives no ongoing support from local or national sports authorities, and is totally reliant on member subscriptions, bar takings and fund-raising for its continued survival; and in a true case of Trojan by name, Trojan by nature – survive it certainly does.

Sherriff’s Marathon Key For Trojans

Trojan is one of the largest amateur sports clubs in Hampshire and has a long history of playing sport at a high level including rugby, hockey, squash, cricket and football. Tasked with ensuring the quality and safety of the sports pitches is Dave Edwards, who aside from the help of volunteers two days a week, tends to the large site alone.

Dave has been in the turf industry for the entirety of his career and after a nine year spell as a groundsman at AFC Bournemouth, he went onto positions at Iford Golf Club, Christchurch F.C and Meyrick Park Golf Club before accepting the role of head groundsman at Trojan two and a half years ago.

It was in his previous employment that he first became acquainted with Sherriff Amenity’s Marathon Sport extended release fertilisers.

“I had previous experience of using the Marathon range and especially when I was at the football grounds – I didn’t really use anything else. I thought they were good slow release products which lasted an incredibly long time. In my opinion there are a lot of slow release products out there which are hit and miss and it can be a bit of a lottery but I was impressed with the Marathon range. In summer, the pitches used to really kick on when using them for the end of season renovations, so when I started here I thought it made sense to start using them again.”

The Marathon range is characterised by a balance of nutrients, the analyses of each product being geared to a specific growth stage or season. With five existing products in the Marathon Sport range – Autumn, Pre-Seed, Spring, Summer, Lawn Mini Pack– there truly is a solution for every requirement, no matter what the time of year.

Across the four rugby pitches, Dave’s maintenance programme sees him start the season with the Summer mixture 10.0.15, which he applies at 35g/m2 before turning to the Marathon Sport Autumn 7.0.21 to ensure good grass coverage over winter. Just through these two applications, Dave believes that it is all he needs to ensure the turf stays strong and healthy all year round.

“The products are very good in respect of providing the turf with a lovely colour and they are extremely hard wearing – it keeps the grass looking healthy but toughens it up as well which is what we need for the amount of usage. The pitches are used approximately 6-7 days a week through the winter and the slow release gives us great longevity, it doesn’t tail off after a few weeks.

“Overall, I would say that the Marathon Sport fertilisers are great value for money without a shadow of a doubt. The customer service I receive from Sherriff Amenity is also fantastic; I always get products on time and my representative David Evans is full of advice and very supportive.”

For further information, please contact Sherriff Amenity on 01638 721 888 or visit www.sherriffamenity.com

For more news and insightful views, you can follow Sherriff Amenity on Twitter @SherriffAmenity

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Makita Launch Job Site Radio

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Makita Launch Job Site Radio: Makita’s first DAB Job Site Radio with Bluetooth, the Makita DMR112, is the latest addition to the audio range that will meet everyone’s taste in music and quality. With a dual power source by either AC adaptor or by Makita’s CXT or LXT Lithium-Ion batteries, that can be found in Makita’s cordless power tools range, this radio provides total convenience and cost efficiency.

The Makita DMR112 radio with Bluetooth is capable of receiving DAB, DAB+ and many national and local radio stations.  DAB+ is the current standard across much of Europe with the main advantage of being three times more efficient, carries far more radio stations than DAB, and at a far higher audio quality.  DAB+ is also a much greener technology because the overall transmission power required is far lower.

Makita Launch Job Site Radio

This radio has a two-way speaker system of twin 89mm diameter speakers that provide high quality sound and a maximum output, when using an 18V LXT Li-Ion battery, of 4.9 watts from each.  This rugged IP64 protection-rated dust and showerproof site radio has an elastomer bump-protecting casing, foldable antenna for added protection, an AC adaptor jack and digital amplifier and LCD display, which offers equal protection to the existing range from Makita.

This new body only radio has a Band III frequency range of 87.5 – 108 Mhz and is equipped with Bluetooth Class 2 to wirelessly play music from a mobile phone, MP3 player or tablet with a range of up to 10 meters.   A neat, flat top surface provides stability for mobile devices and features a USB output port that allows mobile devices to be charged from the radio.  An AUX-IN jack allows connection to personal audio players

This intelligent and rugged Job Site Radio with Bluetooth has a soft grip carry handle, that swivels to 90°, is compact and light weight at just 4.3 kg plus batteries.

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