Atco’s new cordless roller mowers

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Atco’s new cordless roller mowers: The trend for cordless mowing with battery powered machines is growing all the time as environmentally conscious gardeners take up arms in the battle against climate change. 

Atco, are proud to announce that they have launched two new battery powered mowers for lawn lovers who not only enjoy producing beautiful stripes, but also want to do their bit for the environment.

Atco's new cordless roller mowers

Atco’s new cordless roller mowers

These cordless roller lawnmowers have all the power of petrol but the convenience of cordless. Although much quieter than petrol machines, it does not mean that power has been lost!  The motors drive the rear roller and cutting blades to produce that wonderful striped finish. With no fumes and easy push button start these mowers are a real pleasure to use as well as being incredibly energy efficient.

Both of the mowers below have batteries which can also be used in all in the STIGA 48V battery handheld tools.

The Liner 16s Li Rear Roller Lawnmower is a 48V-battery, ‘green dream’ and represents the future of domestic lawn-care!  Due to innovative low maintenance and ‘intelligent’ motor technology, this mower is very efficient and runs for up to 60 minutes.  It also has more features such as a stripe producing roller, effort saving self-drive, 41cm (16”) cut and single-point cutting height adjustment. It is supplied with a 55-litre collector and batteries and charger.

The Liner 18S LI Kit has the larger 46cm (16”) cut option and all of the other superb features that the Liner 16s Li boasts too! They are both also fitted with ergonomic soft-grip handlebars for comfort and also have anti-gouge skid plates.  These plates enable multi-terrain transitions without harming the turf, whilst producing a classic striped finish.

Clean, no-fuss, quick-start accessibility and virtually maintenance free – just pop in the batteries and go for the finest cordless cut of all!

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Terra Rake makes fairways on point

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Terra Rake makes fairways on point: Ponteland Golf Club, just north of Newcastle-upon-Tyne, has purchased a Wiedenmann Terra Rake to add even more quality to their surfaces.

The picturesque parkland club already has a deserved reputation for first rate greens but sought a Terra Rake to bring their tees, aprons and fairways to the next level.

Terra Rake makes fairways on point

Terra Rake makes fairways on point

It also happened to be the first purchase of new Course Manager, Craig Kilgour, who took up the post in March, after spending over 30 of his 35-year greenkeeping career at the Northumberland club.

“Across the pandemic we couldn’t be everywhere, and our fairways suffered in particular,” said Craig.  “Too much moss, some bare patches; they needed some attention.

“Aeration was first on my list, so I organised for contractors, Turf Care of Consett, to come in with their two new Wiedenmann Terra Spikes XD8s, and tined them down to about 7 inches (18 cm).  After that they got sprayed a couple of times with a really good feed.

“Next, was a demo with a Wiedenmann Terra Rake Luckily for me, my local dealer, Thomas Sherriff, had a 2.3 m ex-demo model for sale, and within half an hour of its arrival, we had decided to buy it.”

Craig and his team, which returned to a full complement of six in May, have tackled several renovations this Spring, with the new rake adding benefit to each of their projects.

“In the six weeks we’ve had it, we’ve been around all our fairways three times on its most aggressive setting. It rips out thatch and so much organic matter. Now the fairways are looking the healthiest they’ve ever been.

“Our tee boxes and aprons which had been hollow cored, sanded and fed, have also had the Terra Rake treatment.  The aprons have had two passes already. It’s scarifying tines have pulled out dead grass from everywhere. Genuinely, it hasn’t stopped and its starting to bring the quality we were looking for… The Chairman is delighted, the members are over the moon and so win, win.

” Going forward through the season, we’ll probably try to use it monthly; it helps to stand up the grass before we cut and it also helps stripe the turf to keep it well presented. Because of time, our concentration has been limited to the finer areas, but we can’t wait to see the job it will do to help with rough management.”

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ISEKI IQ scores highly

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ISEKI IQ scores highly: Daniel Spencer, Head Greenkeeper at Letchworth Golf Club, has praised the reliable ISEKI TG6507 for its performance and versatility, adding that the IQ gearbox was a big factor in his decision to purchase the unique compact tractor.

Located on the edge of England’s first ever Garden City, Letchworth Golf Club is set in beautiful undulating countryside, which is well renowned for its firm fast greens and tight tree lined fairways. The 18-hole parkland course was extended and updated in 2003 to its present form and length, and it is an on-going improvement process, guided by renowned course architects, arborists, and ecologists.

ISEKI IQ scores highly

ISEKI IQ scores highly

Head Greenkeeper Daniel Spencer inevitably plays an integral role in shaping the future of the club. First and foremost, though, Daniel’s priority is keeping the course in impeccable condition and to achieve this, it is essential that he has the right tools for the job.

“The time had come to replace our old tractor,” said Daniel when discussing equipment. “We needed something reliable which would allow us to combine our existing implements such as the aerator, the leaf collector, and the blower. We looked at a lot of options and decided that the ISEKI TG6507 would be the best fit for us.”

Ideal for high specification aeration and turf maintenance on sports turf, the TG is the most advanced tractor in the ISEKI range with 40-67hp engines.

Features of the ISEKI TG range of tractors include:

  • Water- cooled 3-cylinder and 4-cylinder diesel engines with displacement of up to 2,434L
  • Engine performance from 40 – 67 HP
  • Hydrostat with electro servo control
  • IQ models with innovative IQ dual-clutch gearbox
  • Intuitive operating controls
  • Spacious cabin with excellent all-round view and driver comfort
  • Loader joystick and valve fitted as standard
  • Supplied with two double-acting auxiliary valves

“One of the main reasons, we went for this tractor was because of the IQ gearbox, which gives us a larger selection of gears,” continued Daniel. “The auto PTO is a huge benefit because when we get to the end of a run, when spiking for example, the PTO shuts off by itself, we turn the tractor around, lower the spiker back down and the PTO restarts again.

“In addition, the lift capacity is a great feature – being able to lift over 1.5 tonnes is huge for us.”

As Daniel says, users of the TG6507 benefit from the innovative dual-clutch IQ gearbox, combining the ultimate comfortable automatic operation with the advantages of manual gear changes. Specific to the IQ range of TG tractors the Headland management controls are also perfect when working with turf maintenance implements. The PTO Stop/Start function allows you to stop the PTO when the link arms are raised for ease of operation. PTO Stop in reverse lifts the arms to a pre-set height if reverse gear is selected to prevent any damage to implements. These are fully adjustable.

Also impressing Daniel is the TG6507’s superior lift capacity of up to 1600kg, offering users the opportunity to run implements without the need to increase the size or horsepower of the tractor.

Daniel further explained how the ISEKI tractor fits into his maintenance programme.

“Most of the time the tractor has the spiker on it, certainly at this time of year because we are frequently spiking tees, fairways, greens, and approaches. We spike a lot in the summer too and when we hire a scarifier, this will also be attached to the tractor. In autumn we have the leaf collector on there, as well as being able to swap over quickly to the blower when we need it.

“Reliability wise, the tractor has been brilliant. It has done everything we wanted it to, and I would highly recommend it.”

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Makita UK marks 50 years

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Makita UK marks 50 years: Makita UK is celebrating 50 years of trading in the UK. With over 100 years of heritage and since entering the UK market in 1972, Makita UK has been at the forefront of innovation and delivered a wide range of high-quality, durable tools that tradespeople across the country can rely on to tackle any job.

2022 marks the 50th anniversary of the opening of Makita’s first UK office. For half a century, the company has forged a strong presence in the UK with a national network of distributors and merchant partners, as well as investment into four purpose-built Factory Service Centres and training facilities throughout the UK.

Makita UK marks 50 years

Makita UK marks 50 years

Makita is recognised as a market leader in the power tool market having built a reputation for delivering best in class, quality products for professional (and personal) use, to cover a wide range of construction sector applications as well as garden maintenance, landscaping and grounds maintenance tasks.

With over 100 years of experience, the company’s dedication to and investment in product development has resulted in a vast range of cordless machines that deliver the flexibility and safety needed for regular, professional use. Today, the company offers over 270 LXT and 50 XGT cordless models in its portfolio – a huge collection of highly durable machines that can tackle any task. With long battery life and short charge times, the LXT and XGT ranges ensure faster and more efficient work.

Kevin Brannigan, Marketing Manager at Makita said: “We are delighted to be marking our 50th year of trading in the UK. We are incredibly proud of what we have been able to achieve since 1972 – and the vast array of cordless products and new technologies that we can offer tradespeople to aid their productivity and efficiency on site.”

To mark its 50th anniversary, Makita UK will be announcing a number of exciting promotions and product launches throughout the year.

To find out more about Makita UK and its wide range of cordless products visit: www.makitauk.com

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Don’t slow your mower down

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Don’t slow your mower down: If there’s one season above all that your Toro mower can’t afford to be anything other than performing at its optimum, it’s summer. But with different Toro rotary blade designs for different times of year, which one ensures the ultimate productivity for the busiest season?

Just like your Toro mower is no ordinary machine, Toro blades are not ordinary blades. Toro not only makes precisely engineered blades to fit the cutting deck perfectly, but carefully crafts a blade type to better serve seasonal turf needs.

Don't slow your mower down

Don’t slow your mower down

All Toro blades have sharpened cutting edges at both ends and a sail area that’s curved up to create airflow. Depending on the purpose of your mower and the design of the cutting deck, the blade sail will adjust to create more powerful airflows. These varying airflows will whip the grass blades upright to expose them to the cutting edge of the blade for a clean cut, then send the cut grass neatly out the discharge.

And moving into summer, the ‘low Sail’ (flat) blade is a good choice, working well in drier and dusty conditions and leaving a good quality of cut when used regularly.

Michael Hampton, purchasing and sales process manager at Reesink Turfcare, explains: “There are different blades available for different tasks beyond the ‘standard’ blades that the machine comes equipped with and each type of rotary blade is different for the specific cut required based on the time of year.

“The hard graft from the spring season means now’s the time to replace the blades before heading into the busiest time of the year. The no/low sail blades are a good choice because they have reduced discharge velocity of clippings and lower power consumption too.”

When it comes to rotary blades, if there’s a moral to its story then it’s is to never underestimate their importance. So, when swapping out blades, don’t use non-genuine parts in your Toro mower, they can cause delays with unexpected wear and breakages. Toro’s superior designed blades are designed to fit perfectly, making for a better cut, which produces healthier grass for an improved after-cut appearance.

Michael concludes: “A blade is not just a blade; they do different things for different applications. Whether the grass is long, short, coarse or fine, Toro blades work better, harder and longer. And Toro blades are engineered to perfection and fit perfectly.”

As always, parts are delivered within 24 hours of ordering, where stock is available. Contact Reesink at info@reesinkturfcare.co.uk or call their Turfcare Parts team on 01480 226854.

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