STIHL to exhibit at GroundsFest

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STIHL to exhibit at GroundsFest: STIHL will be showcasing its full AP System range of professional battery tools at the first GroundsFest 2023 exhibition, highlighting how cordless tools can meet the varying needs of landscapers and groundscare teams.

Visitors to the STIHL stand will be able to see the new PS 3000, STIHL’s first portable 230V power supply, providing users with a quiet, low maintenance and emission-free alternative to petrol-powered generators. Weighing only 19.8kg and boasting a 3.6kW power output, the new PS 3000 offers a high power-to-weight ratio and is one of the most powerful portable power supply units in its weight class.

STIHL to exhibit at GroundsFest

STIHL to exhibit at GroundsFest

Other new tools available for professional users to get their hands on at the exhibition will be the BGA 300 backpack blower, HSA 100 cordless hedge trimmer, and the updated MSA 220 C-B chainsaw.

The BGA 300, STIHL’s first cordless backpack blower for professional users, offers high performance and a significantly less disruptive sound thanks to its innovative STIHL Noise Reduction System (NRS). Thanks to the STIHL NRS, the BGA 300 produces fewer high pitch frequencies often associated with cordless blowers, meaning operation is much more pleasant and less intrusive for bystanders.

In addition, The HSA 100 boasts a 60cm double-sided, double-edged cutting blade, which offers improved cutting performance due to the large cutter spacing of the blades, whereas the updated MSA 220 C-B is a robust and powerful cordless chainsaw, ideal for felling small trees, pruning and cutting to length.

STIHL will also be showcasing a range of petrol-powered tools on its demo plot, allowing professional users to see a direct comparison between battery and petrol performance.

For more information, please visit https://groundsfest.com

Stand OSA 30, Stoneleigh Park (20-21 September)

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Calderdale Council keeps line marking on track

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Calderdale Council keeps line marking on track: Resource management, time and consistency were all factors that needed tackling at Calderdale Council, and the Turf Tank One has addressed them all.

Senior Technical Officer Samantha Ward had retirements in her line marking team, which meant losing over 60 years of experience. Temporarily, Samantha utilised members of the gardening group to mark out the running tracks and football, rugby and rounders pitches needed in the borough, but she was always looking for a solution.

Calderdale Council keeps line marking on track

Calderdale Council keeps line marking on track

“I thought there must be a better way to utilise resources that didn’t involve additional recruitment and the time it takes to provide full training,” Samantha explained.

“Our line marking team were impressed by the time that Turf Tank would save and the way you could plot the pitches. We knew from there that our gardeners could focus more on their traditional jobs whilst people like me who are technically minded could work with the Turf Tank robot.”

Redistributing resources had an immediate positive impact on the team, with timesaving and line accuracy next in line. Savile Park is one of the Council’s busiest pitches, with athletics, football and rounders all hosted at the site. Previously it took staff an entire day to line a 400m running track, whereas now it takes less than two hours.

” Savile Park, is a multiple-game site, and it’s much easier to mark out now. Once we set a template on the Turf Tank, we can pretty much set up each sport, football, running tracks, rugby, and rounders, and let it go.

” Every time it goes out, it’s in the right space, and it’s accurate.

“Our time is precious, and the running track we’ve marked out today now takes just under two hours with one person and the Turf Tank, so we have pretty much smashed the time in terms of the full day. Because of that, the Turf Tank has recovered a lot of time for our staff to do other things on the sports pitches and around the borough.

“We have also saved time with initial marking of football pitches, probably a week and a half every time we mark out, which is invaluable time.” .”

A video with Calderdale Council can be found here

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Reliable G860’s are excellent for Hartpury

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Reliable G860’s are excellent for Hartpury: Matthew Newman, Grounds and Sports Turf Manager at Hartpury University and Hartpury College in Gloucester, claims that his fleet of Dennis G860 mowers are reliable, robust, and ergonomically excellent.

Matthew was once a student at Hartpury University and College completing a National Diploma in Horticulture before being offered a position on the grounds team in 2002. He now oversees three divisions which consists of a grounds team, a sports turf team, and a construction team.

Reliable G860’s are excellent for Hartpury

Reliable G860’s are excellent for Hartpury

The eight sports pitches, which are split equally between rugby and football, require a lot of attention as Matthew explained.

“They are arguably the most demanding surfaces because of the amount they are used,” he said. “During the week we find ourselves preparing the pitches for university and college teams, which still must be high spec because they are in the top divisions, but then it gets to the weekend, and we have premiership fixtures for the women’s teams or championship rugby games for men. In these situations, we are very much aware that we are preparing pitches for the paying public and that the games will be streamed online around the world for all to see. It is a lot of work, and we need reliable machinery.”

It is for this reason that Matthew decided to upgrade his previous cylinder mowers to four Dennis G860’s.

Relied upon at world class stadia and major tournaments, the Dennis G860 is one of the most renowned cylinder mowers in the grounds management industry. Lightweight at just 166kg it is incredibly easy to manoeuvre and comfortable to operate. The handlebar console houses the controls for the throttle, parking brake, roller drive and cutting cylinder drive.

The mower features a large diameter front roller with an adjustable scraper which has been designed for a precise height of cut control, giving an excellent finish on every occasion. The Dennis G860 also features an interchangeable cassette system to assist with a wide range of tasks such as including scarifying, verticutting, brushing, spiking, and slitting.

“Once we trialled the Dennis G860’s, we just had to have them,” continued Matthew. “They are lot more robust, more sturdy, easier to use and more manageable. For me the usability is one of its best features – they are ergonomically excellent, and everything is in the right place in terms of controls. It does a brilliant job every time and it isn’t complicated. I think there are quite a few machines out there that are perhaps over engineered. Dennis keeps it simple and straight to the point.

“The G860’s present the pitch brilliantly and they provide a more defined stripe than other mowers we have used.”

Matthew and his team use the Dennis G860’s on both the rugby and football pitches approximately three times a week. With such a busy schedule, time is of the essence and Matthew has noticed that the Dennis G860’s have helped in this respect.

“We seem to cover the same area more quickly with the Dennis G860’s. Previously we were only able to single cut and would never have enough time in the day to double cut, whereas we can do that now.

“We’ve had the Dennis G860’s for a couple of years now and nothing ever goes wrong with them. They are incredibly reliable.”

For further information or a no obligation demonstration, please contact Dennis 01332 824 777 or visit www.dennisuk.com

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

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Versatile square pattern nozzles

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Versatile square pattern nozzles: The Rain Bird range of SQ Series Square Pattern Nozzles has been extended with the addition of the ¾ Square Pattern version.

These highly efficient and precise low-volume spray nozzles are ideal for irrigating difficult corners and small areas such as narrow planting beds, shrub islands within residential, commercial or public landscapes and around pedestrian walkways. The new ¾ Square Pattern is particularly suitable for surface watering the perimeter of trees and shrubs whilst avoiding the trunk.

Versatile square pattern nozzles

Versatile square pattern nozzles

The 1.4–3.5 bar SQ Series is pressure compensated and the square spray pattern offers efficient and virtually mist free controlled irrigation. This means optimum coverage for non-turf watering applications and reduced risk of overspray and potential damage to adjacent areas. The patented nozzle design gives the irrigation system designer or installer the option of 0.8 or 1.2 metre throws from one SQ nozzle and flow rates from 22.7 to 90.8 l/hour.

From an installation design and layout viewpoint, the edge-to-edge pattern capability of the SQ Series ensures full coverage of an area and reduces the need for overlap. The number of nozzles required is therefore reduced, not only simplifying designs and decreasing material costs, but also significantly reducing installation times.

In additon to the new ¾ Square Pattern nozzle, the SQ Series is available for quarter, half and full irrigating patterns.These can be used individually or combined in multiple ways to provide the exact coverage and flow rates required for an installation, whilst accommodating any future expansion of the area to be irrigated. The nozzles can be fitted directly on to a variety of spray heads or risers with adapters and accessories available too.

With fewer nozzles needed and the high levels of efficiency and control that they provide, the versatile SQ Series can typically provide up to 65% water savings when compared with using alternative nozzle designs. For more information, contact Peter Longman, Rain Bird Europe, plongman@rainbird.eu  www.rainbird.eu

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Boost your surfaces with Mansfield Sand

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Boost your surfaces with Mansfield Sand: Visitors to the Mansfield Sand stand (OSA260) at GroundsFest can expect to see a wide range of sand-based products that are vital to the overall health and performance of a sports pitch.

Mansfield Sand has pioneered the development and production of premium silica sand-based products for over 170 years. The company provides a wide range of innovative products for sports, landscaping, and equestrian uses. These include stadium and training ground facilities; championship golf courses and world class show jumping arenas.

Boost your surfaces with Mansfield Sand

Boost your surfaces with Mansfield Sand

The company’s leading experts will be on hand at GroundsFest to explain how some of the following products could make a difference to your sports turf projects.

Mansil Silica Sand Sports Range

Sourced from the company’s Two Oaks Quarry in Mansfield where the Mansil range of Silica Sands is produced. These products are predominantly used in the construction and maintenance of a wide range of sports surfaces – from winter sports pitches, golf courses, bowling greens and all amenity turf areas.

Fibresand

A pure sand and polypropylene fibre reinforcement product that is particularly advantageous when grass cover has been reduced due to heavy usage and wear during the winter period. Incorporated into an upper sand soil rootzone and consolidated to provide a stable divot-free environment.

Fibre Reinforced Rootzone

A range of Fibre Reinforced Rootzones developed to obtain greater use from natural turf surfaces whilst maintaining the high standards demanded by today’s sports industry and meeting the expectations of ground staff at all levels. Mansfield Sand’s fibre reinforcement technology provides stability and durability to all sand dominated Rootzones allowing the pitch to remain free draining and consistent over the whole surface.

Sand Soil Rootzones

Mansfield Sand understands exactly what is needed to achieve the surface that turf managers require week-in-week-out and that is why their rootzones contain only the best quality materials to meet that demand. For renovation or construction, the company’s superior rootzone blend Mansil 40 Silica Sand with a quality screened topsoil, guarantees the perfect start.

Sand Compost Rootzones

A range of premium quality sand organic material blends which are perfect for creating a rootzone where an organic rich material is required within the profile, aiding in the retention of nutrients whilst providing increased drought resistance.

Top Dressing

Produced for the fine turf market, Mansfield Sand’s Soil Top Dressing is a manufactured homogenous product made from their own premium silica sands combined with top quality soils. All passed through a sterilising unit, over a 3mm screen to produce an easy to spread, stone and pebble free dressing.

Mansfield Sand can also produce bespoke dressing blends and combine soil amendments into any product.

For more information visit www.mansfield-sand.co.uk

You can also follow the company on Twitter – @MansfieldSand and Facebook – https://www.facebook.com/MansfieldSandSportSurfaces/

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