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NEWS ARTICLES

Ben Burgess increases area partnership with Dennis & SISIS

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Ben Burgess Grounds Care Equipment, an existing Dennis and SISIS dealer for Norfolk, has increased its area partnership after it was announced that the East Anglian grounds care retailer will now be distributing the two brands’ leading range of turf equipment to the areas of Cambridgeshire, Peterborough and South Lincolnshire.

Ben Burgess has been serving the Norfolk and Suffolk farming community since 1931 and has supplied grounds care equipment since 1962. The company has gone from strength to strength throughout that time and now boasts six depots consisting of a large sales force specialising in various fields of expertise, highly trained technicians, dedicated parts teams and a comprehensive hire department.

With the grounds care side of the business seeing exceptional growth throughout the years, the company has enjoyed a long partnership with Dennis & SISIS according to Ben Turner – Group Grounds Care Manager for Ben Burgess.

“We’ve worked with Dennis & SISIS for a number of years. We have many of their machines in some key locations throughout our region and carry out service work on them for some incredibly big names. The product range is exceptional and we’ve been very successful in distributing the equipment such as the Dennis G860 – which is a very solid and reliable product synonymous with the Dennis brand. I don’t think there are many clubs or sports and playing fields round here that don’t have a SISIS Quadraplay – which is a very versatile piece of kit.

“Overall we have a very strong partnership with Dennis & SISIS and they complement the portfolio of quality brands that we offer across our business.”

When the opportunity arose for the company to increase its offering of grounds care equipment and services, Ben believed that it made perfect sense to venture into new territories with the distribution of Dennis & SISIS products.

“We had the opportunity to take on new trading areas and we were very keen to be able to offer the full package of grounds care equipment to our professional customers. Dennis & SISIS are a key part of that and they’ve been with us for a long time as we’ve developed over the years. We invested heavily in sales and support functions and with that in mind we went to Dennis & SISIS to show that we could offer an excellent level of professional delivery and support of the equipment in these new areas.

“They have offered us the opportunity to prove what we can do and our partnership continues to grow. We are both dedicated to offering an incredibly high level of service to our customers.”

Grounds care professionals in the areas of Cambridgeshire, Peterborough and South Lincolnshire will get the opportunity to receive a fantastic insight into the range of Dennis & SISIS equipment when Ben Burgess hosts a number of open days throughout 2017. It will be a fabulous chance to see how they can best use the products and take the most benefit from them.

“We’re very happy to be part of the continuing success of Dennis & SISIS and we look forward to developing the brands within our new territory,” said Ben.

Further information, please visit www.dennisuk.com and www.sisis.com

New Quick Coupler for Bobcat E25 to E55 Excavators

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Doosan Bobcat EMEA has extended its excavator quick coupler offering with the launch of a new hydraulic pin grabber coupler for attachments used on the seven Bobcat compact excavators from the E25 up to the E55 models. The new Bobcat Hydraulic Coupler is available both as a factory installed option and as an aftermarket product for use with all the pin-on fitting attachments for the E25 to E55 excavators. The new quick coupler complements the existing full range of mechanical couplers from Bobcat including Klac and Lehnhoff systems.

Bobcat excavators equipped with the factory-installed hydraulic coupler are now supplied as tailormade systems, ready to go from the start. All controls are incorporated within the operator area, so there is no need for additional controllers, switches, displays, hoses and/or wire harnesses to be connected. The factory installed option is designed not to compromise machine efficiency, its robustness and overall performance.

Key features and benefits of the new quick coupler include its triple lock design for greater safety, exceeding the ISO 13031 norm and complying with all safety standards in the industry in Europe and the UK. There is a wide variable pin centre, to pick up multiple pin-on attachments. A robust, yet compact design enures maximum breakout force and the system is essentially maintenance free, with few components for peace of mind. Powerful springs are activated in case of pressure loss to avoid any risk and reversibility is standard when the job requires it.

Important aspects include the increased safety and compliancy offered by a hydraulic pin grab coupler, which enables the operator to rapidly and safely change between non-hydraulic attachments from the comfort of the cab. The pins in the system are under constant pressure from the hydraulic cylinder ensuring the attachment is tightly gripped, even when there has been pin wear over longer term use. In the unlikely event of a hydraulic cylinder failure or hydraulic pressure loss, the attachment will remain securely connected thanks to two powerful springs. Front and rear locks ensure the attachment remains in position at all times.

The ‘curl to release‘ safety protocol is an additional step to release the attachment in a safe position. A bucket, for example, must be in the fully curled in position, locked on its hooks with the front lock, to allow the changeover process to start. The front lock, in green, is a highly visible indicator for the operator to check if the attachment is properly locked. An acoustic alarm will engage when releasing the attachment to warn everyone around the excavator that the operation is in progress.

The operator can change non-hydraulic attachments without leaving their seat. This means more comfort for the operator as well as higher productivity, because the attachments can be changed faster. The procedure is quick and safe: The operator simply activates two switches in the correct sequence, followed by moving the bucket joystick.

The proven and tested design has no greasing requirements and very few moving parts with no maintenance requirements (other than the daily inspection), guaranteeing a hassle-free coupler. The open and simple design is meant to work in mud – so mud doesn’t get trapped and block the release or unreleased mechanism. It is manufactured using extra-high-strength steel, increasing durability, while optimising weight and the excavator’s performance.

With the pin grabber coupler, the operator can operate the bucket in both the normal position and in the reverse position, without any modification or extra components, to excavate against walls and under pipes for greater flexibility. The pin grab concept allows the operator to connect to a widely available range of pin-on attachments for greater versatility. This makes this coupler an ideal choice for the rental business. It is also an economical option as unlike dedicated systems, only pins are required to secure the attachment(s).

For more information about Bobcat and Bobcat products, visit www.bobcat.com

Emirates Stadium And Their Success With DLF

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Together with some key distributors and customers, DLF Seeds recently hosted a groundsmens trip to the Emirates Stadium in London. Delegates were treated to a stadium tour, a look around the maintenance sheds and discussed how the Johnsons J Premier Pitch mixture has played a fundamental role in the recent re-build of the stadium pitch and the results it has already delivered.

Commenting on the day, Regional Manager for DLF Craig Spooner said, “It was a fantastic opportunity for our customers to see and hear first-hand how the Emirates team monitor and maintain their facilities. We had a great day for it, the turnout was fantastic and the feedback we’ve received from all so far has been very positive. I’d like to pass on my sincere thanks to Paul Ashcroft, Reece Watson and Alan Russell at the Emirates for delivering a factual and informative day for all.”

Johnsons J Premier Pitch is the UK’s No. 1 sports turf renovation mixture, featuring top rated perennial ryegrass cultivars Eurodiamond and Columbine. It is also available as J Nitro Premier Pitch, the ProNitro coated option.

ICL launch Landscaper Pro Range

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The Turf and Landscape division of ICL has announced the launch of Landscaper Pro – featuring a range of unique products for landscapers and gardeners to help meet the demands of modern day lawn and landscape management.

The fertilizers in the Landscaper Pro range will result in less waste and healthier turf as well as improve its tolerance of environmental stresses such as shade and drought.
The Landscaper Pro range includes:

Lawn Fertilizers

  • Landscaper Pro Spring & Summer which offers a strong immediate response.
  • Landscaper Pro Autumn & Winter to help prevent stress during colder months.
  • Landscaper ProTablet a controlled release fertilizer that feeds the plant for up to two years.
  • Landscapers Pro Feed Weed & Mosskiller which maintains growth and contains a selective herbicide for weed control plus iron for moss control.
  • UNIVERSTAR Balance which has been developed as a convenient and cost effective general purpose fertilizer for use on lawns, beds and borders.

The Landscaper Pro Performance grass seed provides the perfect foundation to get turf off to the best possible start. Containing high quality perennial Ryegrass and Fescue, Landscaper Pro Performance produces a hard-wearing and fine blade which is ideal for areas used by children and pets. Offering rapid germination, it is available in both 5kg and 10kg bags.

For fertilizer and grass seed application, the Landscaper Pro range features a variety of spreaders such as the Handygreen II – with an ergonomic design to reduce wrist fatigue and the Accupro 1000 which has been designed to deliver an even and balanced spread pattern.

Also included within the Landscaper Pro portfolio is Osmocote PrePlant which helps growers add value to their offering and help boost incremental sales to the landscaping sector. Designed for use when planting trees, hedging plants, hardy nursery stock (HNS) and herbaceous perennials, Osmocote PrePlant provides an ideal NPK and trace element package (16-11-10+2MgO+TE) promoting good establishment and ongoing healthy plant growth. It is suitable for a wide range of trees and plants including Rhododendrons, Azaleas and Buxus, without fear of root scorching.
Along with Ranger – a hard surface cleaner for use on concrete, asphalt, tarmac, block paving, artificial sports surfaces and any hard surface areas (except memorial marble/slate).
Landscapers and gardeners will be pleased to see the inclusion of the Humax range of growing media, which offers a wide choice of products and package sizes to suit the amateur as well as the experienced.

For further information, please contact Mark Pyrah, ICL’s Landscape & Industrial Manager, for the UK & Ireland on 01473 237100 or visit www.icl-sf.co.uk or
www.icl-sf.ie if you are in Ireland.

A week is not such a long time for Charterhouse and their dealers

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Some say a week is a long time, but not Charterhouse Turf Machinery’s Nick Darking. Their Dealer Training Week “flew by” he said, “with 68 dealer staff from across the country converging on Charterhouse School for us to update them on new and updated kit.” Existing, and recently appointed dealers from their distribution network had the opportunity to get ever-valuable hands-on experience and ask questions.

Burden Bros Agri Group Turf Manager, Alan Pierce, went along with the whole of his sales team. “We all attended the same day and found it to be very well organised with plenty of Charterhouse staff on hand, as always helpful and professional. It was hugely beneficial to see such a wide range of kit in action and we all came away with an enhanced knowledge which we look forward to sharing with our customers.”

Ben Turner, Group Grounds Care Equipment Manager from Ben Burgess GroundsCare Equipment added, “6 of my team and I attended and found it to be a worthwhile event. It’s always great to get hands on and develop our understanding of the products. A big thanks to the Charterhouse team for the event and their hospitality on the day.”