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NEWS ARTICLES

Schouten Machines B.V’s new scarifier

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Schouten Machines B.V’s new scarifier: Schouten Machines B.V.  manufacturer of agriculture and grounds care machinery comes  with a new three-point scarify machine. The Rabbit scarify machines are available in two working widths 150cm and 230cm.

The Rabbit scarify machine distinguishes itself in robustness and minimal maintenance.

Schouten Machines B.V's new scarifier

Schouten Machines B.V’s new scarifier

This can be seen in the finish, the strong frame and the robust drive.

The RD 1545 weighs 580 kg has a working width of 150cm and works up to a depth of 50mm with a required power of 30 hp.

The RD 2345 weighs 610kg has a working width of 230cm and works up to a depth of 50 mm with a required power of 70 hp.

In the Schouten Rabbit there are star-shaped hard metal blades with a diameter of ø450mm.

The thickness of the blades is 3mm and stand at an intermediate distance of 4 cm.

The scarify blades rotate with direction of travel which requires less power. This has a positive impact on fuel consumption. Because of the position of the blades  in relation to each other, one knife point grabs in  when  the following blade comes out of the ground. Even a less well-rooted turf is not pulled loose.

The robust frame has on both sides a maintenance free V-belt transmission with 3 V-belts. The frame is equipped with a three-point system for Cat.1 and Cat.2.

At the bottom of the frame are feet mounted to the machine. After use can set it away without damaging the blades.

Maintenance is limited to the lubricate the bearings. Hoses have been mounted to be able to do the lubrication job on an accessible place.

At the front of the machine is the front roller with a diameter of 140mm,  which allows you to set the working depth  stepless  to a maximum depth of 50 millimeters.  This is indicated by a fixed scale.

New is the hydraulically adjustable spread wing that allows you to steer the spray of the grass to keep paths and advertising signs clean.

Schouten machines for today and tomorrow

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Greenkeeping course set to continue

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Greenkeeping course set to continue: The Singapore-based Asian Golf Industry Federation (AGIF) have said in a statement they will continue their Certificate in Greenkeeping (CIG). The development comes after the educational programme was abruptly halted by the coronavirus outbreak.

The certification programme is being run in partnership with the New Zealand Sports Turf Institute (NZSTI) and the backing from the Royal and Ancient Golf Club (R&A) in Scotland

The Certificate in Greenkeeping aims to improve the knowledge of greenkeeping staff and providing an educational framework for the golf greenkeeping industry in the region, the AGIF said.

“This will enable green-keepers across Asia to develop their careers and gain certification.

“The programme focuses on the core knowledge and skills required to operate safely and efficiently as a greenkeeper and in a way that protects the turf, prevent damage to the reputation of the course and improves productivity.”

The CIG is a 12-month programme with five modules and to date has attracted participants from China, India, Malaysia, Singapore and Thailand, with 18 completing the programme.

The AGIF said there are 31 participants enrolled in the course stalled by Covid-19 and that a further 30 were awaiting to sign up.

AGIF president Richard Walne, who pledged to recommence the programme at the earliest opportunity, said: “The success of the first intakes and the interest from new (prospective) students has driven us to find ways of continuing.

“Of course, the safety of all involved is our number one concern. That’s why we’re unable to proceed with the planned programme delivery in June.

“The confirmation courses have been delayed until November, when we hope to be able to continue as planned. We will, however, build a contingency that if we cannot travel internationally in November, we will have in place a hybrid learning system.”

Walne said the modified system may include having local mentors delivering the written and practical elements of the confirmation courses. That would be complemented by video links to overseas instructors, who would be able to moderate and oversee proceedings.

“This approach will ensure that students who are part way through their modules will be able to complete their programmes,” added Walne.

Walne said students in Malaysia and Thailand, who are part way through their courses, will be given extra time to complete their tasks with their mentors and the support of the NZSTI.

“We need to do this to make up for the time students spent under lockdown, when they were unable to complete practical tasks on the golf course.

“The AGIF and NZSTI are continuing to develop and refine modules and develop a back-up plan for delivery, which will allow us to continue to provide accredited education for Asian golf courses, including on-course practical work, classroom and remote learning.

“A special ‘thank you’ to our mentors who have been a key factor in the success of the CIG. Once we are back to normal life, it is the intention of the AGIF to expand the programme to other countries,” he added.

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Contributing to the bigger picture

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Contributing to the bigger picture: Agrovista Amenity has been helping UK grounds managers to address new protocols and take steps to a safe return to sport through the use of a multipurpose disinfectant product.

The team has been advising the use of Huwa-San TR50 and TR-3 for safe and effective multi-use viricidal mode of action. Based on stabilised hydrogen peroxide, the product quickly inactivates Coronavirus and is safe on all surfaces with no rinse application.

Contributing to the bigger picture

Contributing to the bigger picture

Huwa-San also has efficacy against bacteria, mould, spores, fungi and mycobacteria and is biodegradable, breaking down to oxygen and water.

Head of Commercial for Agrovista Amenity, Dan Hughes said: “Providing our customers with the correct advice and support couldn’t have been more important, given recent times.

“Grounds managers want to ensure that new working protocols are in line with Government guidance, and that the risk to their staff, players, officials and the public can be minimised.

“Huwa-San is an effective solution for the current climate. It’s flexibility also means that it can be used across the board – in irrigation tanks, on hard surfaces such as machinery, and for hand-contact surfaces such as steering wheels, tools and equipment.”

The hydrogen peroxide solution found in Huwa-San TR-50 has increased stability thanks to the application of unique ionic silver stabilisation technology. This means that the product is powerful yet non-residual. It is also non-corrosive and biodegradable, as well as approved by the Health and Safety Executive, as a constant dose biocide for the control of legionella.

At 3% active H2O2, Huwa-San conforms to a number of EN standards for disinfection including; Virucide EN14476 and Bactericide: EN1276, EN13697, EN1656, EN13727, EN14561, EN14349, EN16437, EN13626. A systematic review published in the Journal of Hospital Infection demonstrated that a (H2O2) concentration of 0.5% achieved a Log4 (99.99%) inactivation of human coronavirus HCoV-229E within one minute.

For more information, visit www.agrovista.co.uk/amenity.

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Orbit praises Pellenc’s green credentials

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Orbit praises Pellenc’s green credentials: Orbit, one of the UK’s leading housing providers, has invested in a large fleet of battery powered Pellenc equipment, from dealer RT Machinery, to meet its low noise and carbon emissions requirements.

Orbit is one of the largest housing groups in the country with a growing property portfolio of over 45,000 homes spanning the Midlands, east and south. Green objectives are at the forefront of its agenda; from construction to day to day operational management of its properties, efficient use of resources is a key consideration.

Orbit praises Pellenc’s green credentials

Orbit praises Pellenc’s green credentials

Through its Orbit Earth initiative, the company aims to take responsibility for its impact on the environment, take action to reduce this impact and embed more sustainable practices throughout the business.

Rhys Warwick, an Estates Team Manager for Orbit, was asked to investigate the procurement of new machinery to complement its Orbit Earth initiative. He started researching battery powered groundscare equipment which would be able to withstand the heavy demands of commercial use and quickly found that it was a limited market – until he discovered Pellenc.

“I was looking specifically at commercially viable equipment rather than domestic tools and found that actually the market was very limited,” he said. “We looked at a lot of manufacturers and the equipment was extremely limited in terms of the running times and the warranty we’d like from commercial equipment.”

“Fortunately, we came across Pellenc at SALTEX 2019 and were really impressed at the design, the running times and pretty much everything about that equipment. It was probably one of the only brands we had seen that was really and truly commercially viable with the running times you would need to have a good full day’s work in grounds maintenance.”

A forerunner when it comes to lithium-ion technology, Pellenc has established itself as the number one choice in the ‘zero emission’ professional power tools market for the maintenance of urban and green-spaces.

Light, odourless, noise-free, with no starting problems and enough power to enable professional users to work for a full day on a single charge, it’s no wonder more and more professional users are turning to Pellenc. It is an attractive alternative to those who have, for several years, been relying on fuel-based machinery.

Not only will users see a huge amount of savings by eliminating the necessity of purchasing fuel but by using the Pellenc equipment, they will be contributing to protecting the environment by reducing the consumption of fossil fuels and noise pollution.

After seeing the Pellenc equipment at SALTEX 2019, a demonstration day was organised, and Orbit ordered a fleet consisting of Rasion Easy mowers, City Cut brushcutters, Excelion strimmers, Selion chainsaws, Arion blowers and the powerful ULiB 1500 batteries. Over a three-year period, the equipment will continue to be incorporated into Orbit’s operations – as Rhys explains.

“I would say that in three years’ time, 95% of our groundscare equipment will be electric, and all of that will be exclusively Pellenc.

“One of the main factors behind choosing the Pellenc equipment was from a health and safety point of view – in terms of the low vibrations, the noise reduction, more savings in fuel and less Co2. There are so many benefits for the user but also for the public. We operate in residential areas and our independent living sites have an elderly population – so in these areas the low noise levels and the minimal disturbance will be beneficial.

“Our operatives have been extremely impressed with the running time of the 1500 battery. They have commented on being able to get round several sites, sometimes not needing a charge for two days. The batteries also hold their charge between use as well.”

Pellenc UK recently announced the launch of an industry leading four-year commercial warranty for all batteries and three-year warranty for all tools – something which further impressed Rhys.

“It shows us that they have great confidence in their equipment, and it gives us confidence too,” he said. “They wouldn’t provide such a good length of warranty on something they didn’t think could withstand the rigours of commercial use. It certainly gave us peace of mind.

“Ultimately, Pellenc equipment has the commercial bite needed to meet our environmental aspirations.”

The complete range of Pellenc equipment purchase by Orbit was supplied by official dealer RT Machinery and area sales manager Scott Reynolds.

Pellenc products are exclusively distributed in the UK by Etesia UK.

For further information, please contact Etesia UK on 01295 680120 or visit www.pellencuk.com

You can also follow Pellenc on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram @PellencUK for much more news, reviews and insightful views.  

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Richard Peel delivers on new bowls contract

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Richard Peel delivers on new bowls contract: Richard Peel Groundcare have become the latest name on the growing list of sports turf contractors to take delivery of an INFINICUT® FX pedestrian mower.

Complete with an UltraGroomer™ cassette from the TMSystem™ range, this new setup will help Richard and his team deliver on a brand-new bowls maintenance contract.

Richard Peel delivers on new bowls contract

Richard Peel delivers on new bowls contract

Undertaking pitch maintenance and renovations for football clubs at all levels, Owner Richard Peel prides himself on using ‘industry leading machinery to deliver the best possible results to each individual customer’. That was why, when the company won a new contract to maintain five bowling greens in the Manchester area, there was only one mower in contention to deliver the desired results. “We’d had always been impressed with the INFINICUT® when we had seen it at industry trade shows” explains Richard, “and it was clear from posts on social media that it was going to tick a lot of boxes for us.”

After a successful demonstration, Richard took delivery of his new 22” INFINICUT® Fixed Head mower in June 2020, from local dealer Balmers GM. “From an environmental point of view, the battery is major plus – not just as a cleaner source of energy, but the reduction in noise and vibration issues for the operator. HAV is a massive industry-wide issue, causing long-lasting damage to those using machinery on a daily basis. It’s something I’m really passionate about reducing with every piece of equipment I buy.”

One operative on Richard’s team takes care of the eight greens they now maintain, each cut twice a week. “I’ve received nothing but positive feedback, particularly how lightweight the unit is, how easy it is to set-up, adjust and control and the fantastic cut quality.” The range of interchangeable TMSystem™ cassette options was another influential factor in the purchase of the INFINICUT®, enabling the team to conduct different operations throughout the maintenance calendar. “We also purchased the UltraGroomer™ cassette which we will use on the greens once a month, to keep on top of any lateral growth and thatch accumulations. This should mean we won’t then have to conduct more invasive removal operations come the end of the season.”

Delighted with his purchase, Richard concludes, “This combination of equipment now puts us in the best position to keep the greens healthy, playing well and looking at their best throughout the year.”

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