Cutting unit maintenance for a cutting edge

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Cutting unit maintenance for a cutting edge: A Toro cylinder mower is an extreme precision tool and like with any precision tool, to ensure it delivers the best performance and results, looking after it well is essential. To make sure your mower delivers the best cut and ultimate finish, regular cutting unit maintenance and the use of genuine Toro parts go hand in hand.

Reesink’s Peter Biddlecombe, who works as Toro Aftersales Manager for Reesink’s South East branch, says calibration and backlapping are probably the two most important things you can do for your cylinder mower.

Cutting unit maintenance for a cutting edge

Cutting unit maintenance for a cutting edge

“For a cutting unit to perform well for the longest period of time without constantly being resharpened or readjusted, then maintaining the parallelism between the bedknife and the cylinder is key,” he says. “If those two components are sharpened, installed and working together properly, you’ll get Toro’s legendary performance from your cylinders for a long time.

“If your bedknife is too close to the cylinder, not only does it wear the blade and cylinder down faster, but the mower needs more power to propel it along. More power needed means more fuel used, and this is another cost on top of repair and more frequent replacement.

“You don’t want the distance of the cylinder to the bedknife too tight or too slack, there should be light contact, just enough to get a couple of bits of paper in. If it’s too tight, then the component will wear down faster. This means that the hydraulic and engine management system will demand more horsepower because there’s more resistance. Generating more power means you use up more fuel, so your fuel costs go up. The less contact you have, the less energy required from the power unit to drive them.”

Backlapping is another quick and easy method to help maintain the sharpness of the cylinder and bedknife between grindings without having to remove the cylinder and bedbar. Peter says: “Park your machine, turn it on, apply the desired lapping paste to the cylinder and set it to backlapping mode. The machine runs in reverse, the paste acts as a grinder and sharpens the blade.

“It’s always better to take the cylinder off and put it on a proper grinder and parallel the grinder to the cylinder, but backlapping is a quick way of maintaining sharpness between proper grinding. Backlapping only takes about 5-10 minutes. If you need to do it for longer you should really get it on a proper grinder.”

The performance of a cylinder mower depends on proper set–up and adjustment procedures, which means that just as important as having the best machine and parts there are, is to have the person who is caring for the machines understand the intricacies of how the components work together.

Peter confirms: “That’s the reassurance you get from working with a Toro service dealer. While others may be able to fix things for less because they have lower overheads and use non-brand aftermarket parts, we know we have to deliver a higher level of quality and show the value of that – highest level of customer service, the best parts, increased lifespan and access to the Toro knowledge network.

“When doing repairs, spending a little more on premium, genuine parts ensures the best performance. Cheaper aftermarket parts may save a few pounds upfront, but the chances are you’ll be buying another one far sooner than a premium part. And there’s always the chance that part may even damage other parts of the machine.”

If a cylinder mower’s unique characteristics are not understood and responded to, the end result will be a poor quality of cut and expensive downtime and repairs. But when properly maintained and operated, cylinder mowers provide a superior – one could say the ultimate – quality of cut.

To continue the conversation, get in touch via reesinkturfcare.co.uk, by phone on 01480 226800 or by email at info@reesinkturfcare.co.uk.

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Power restored following Storm Arwen

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Power restored following Storm Arwen: When Storm Arwen brought severe gale force winds to parts of the North East, several communities were left cut-off and without power.

One of those determined to help was Managing Director of Forest & Garden Ltd, Gregor McArthur, who responded to a request from their local MP for support in the supply of emergency generators. With the assistance of some industry contacts, and supply of alkylate petrol from Aspen Fuel, Gregor and his team were able to restore power to more than 50 properties.

Power restored following Storm Arwen

Power restored following Storm Arwen

Hexham-based Forest & Garden Ltd offer the sale, supply and servicing of a broad spectrum of two and four stroke machinery, for the landscaping, contracting and construction industries. “As soon as we saw the appeal we offered our services, and the response was a resounding ‘yes please!’” explains Gregor, who is supported by a team of five. “We contracted in some electrical engineers and sourced some additional generators, the vast majority of which would run on Aspen Fuel.”

“With generators sitting outside of residential properties, Aspen was the ideal partner for the refuelling programme. As it doesn’t contain all the hazardous hydrocarbons of traditional pump fuel, Aspen provided the power with significantly reduced levels of pollution and noxious fumes which was so important. It’s really accessible can sizes, with a bespoke filler cap, also meant it was safe, convenient and flexible for the residents to store and use.”

When not assisting in recovery efforts, Gregor and his team utilise Aspen Fuel in their workshop. “I’ve used Aspen personally in various blends and formulations for more than 20 years so have seen first-hand the benefits that it can bring to both the operator and the machine. We use Aspen 2 and Aspen 4 for most repair and service jobs we undertake and, where we can, will supply any new machines with Aspen Fuel.”

As an Alkylate petrol, Aspen is virtually free from benzene, sulphur and many other harmful hydrocarbons along with being ethanol-free, meaning Aspen maintains engine performance and preserves the life of component parts which can be susceptible to failure. Gregor concludes, “It’s always good to be able to demonstrate the benefits of Aspen to new audiences. In the recovery work for Storm Arwen, we must pass on a big thank you to the team at Anglo American Oil Company for ensuring we always had supply of Aspen where and when we needed it most.”

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New appointment announcement

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New appointment announcement: Following the decision of John Moverley to step down as Chairman from the end of June 2022, the Board of the Amenity Forum is very pleased to announce the appointment of Peter Corbett as its Executive Officer from 1st July 2022.

As part of a review of its structure, the intention is to appoint a Chairman of both the Forum and the Board as a separate post drawn from its own membership. This appointment will be announced shortly.

New appointment announcement

New appointment announcement

Whilst John is stepping down from his current role, certainly for the time being, he will provide some support for Peter in the interim particularly in terms of government affairs and Kate Hopkins will continue to provide full administrative support and have responsibilities for communications.

Peter Corbett is an independent consultant with much experience within the amenity sector and strong technical knowledge. He is very much looking forward to the challenges ahead.

Jim Croxton, a Forum Board member, said ’’We are delighted to welcome Peter. During the 13 years in which the Forum has operated under its current structure, much progress has been made and it has a recognised key role across the UK in promoting best practice in the management of amenity and sports spaces. Peter is the ideal person to now take matters forward and move us into the next phase of development at a crucial time of change for the sector’’

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Andrew Donnachie joins ISEKI Scotland

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Andrew Donnachie joins ISEKI Scotland: ISEKI UK & Ireland has announced the appointment of Andrew Donnachie as its new Regional Sales Manager covering the Northern England, Isle of Man, Scotland and the Island of Ireland.

Andrew has joined ISEKI UK with 10 years’ experience in the groundcare sector having previously worked for machinery dealer Thomas Sherriff & Co in Scotland.  He brings with himself a wealth of experience across all sectors within the groundcare industry.  Having started work in Engineering at Thomas Sherriff & Co for the first 6 years, Andrew has a high level of technical knowledge and experience. This was followed by the last 4 years working in commercial machinery sales covering groundcare customers from the Lothians up to Edinburgh.

Andrew Donnachie joins ISEKI Scotland

Andrew Donnachie joins ISEKI Scotland

Andrew’s role at ISEKI will be to support the dealers in his area with advice and demonstrations, ensuring the customer purchases the best product for their needs so they can get the most from their ISEKI tractor or mower.

Commenting on the new role Andrew continued; “having been aware of ISEKI’s reputation for high quality, well-built machinery I am excited to be representing the company, I am looking forward to building good working relationships and helping the dealers with their customers.”

Managing Director of ISEKI UK, David Withers added; “I am delighted to have Andrew join us, the territory that he is taking over has seen huge growth over the last few years with sales in 2021 that were 75% higher than in 2017. We believe we can continue to grow at this rate and think Andrew will help drive this growth and get to our goal of doubling sales volumes within a 5 year period.”

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Toro deemed best again

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Toro deemed best again: The Roehampton Club in South West London has chosen, in an extensive and thorough look at the market, to continue its long-term relationship with Toro and distributor Reesink Turfcare with another five-year full-fleet exclusivity agreement.

The tender process started over two years ago as the venue, ranked as one of the top multi sports clubs in the country, trialled a wide range of machinery in all weather conditions.

Toro deemed best again

Toro deemed best again

Course and Grounds Manager Peter Bradburn explains the process: “Our long-standing relationship with Toro is an important factor in the process of choosing a machinery partner, but not a deciding one. What’s most important is that we get the best machines for all our turf-based facilities.

“We have a golf course, ten grass tennis courts, four croquet lawns and extensive gardens to consider in our decision-making, which is why it’s so important that we conduct rigorous trials and demos with a range of brands.

“The analysis took place over two years and included the summers of 2020 and 2021. This meant the decision was not pressurised and could involve the whole team. Fortuitously, this gave us one wet and one dry summer with the machines. The May, June and July of this year had more rainfall than the winter of the previous year, which is the total reverse of what you’d expect going into a summer, and to put the machines through their paces in such extreme conditions was a great test.”

Peter had numerous factors to consider: quality, adaptability, service expectations and price – and it wasn’t just his decision either, it included the opinions of the 20-strong grounds team too.

“Forefront in every decision we make is what is best for our members. Are we spending their money wisely and will they be pleased with the results? It’s also important to know if the fleet will deliver what is best for the team too. Lastly will CEO Marc Newey and the Board sign it off as best value for the club? So, it’s not just one person’s decision, yet it was a unanimous one – Toro was deemed the perfect choice for the maintenance of all our surfaces and for its superior functionality once more. And the deal all-in was best suited for us when it came to price and servicing support as well.”

When the new machinery arrives in early 2022, it will be a fleet to reflect the club’s environmental stance, says Peter: “We’re very conscious of climate change and are endeavouring to reduce our CO2 emissions.  With that in mind, new choices involved in this deal are the Greensmaster 3360 hybrid riding greensmowers, plus three electric STAR EV utility and people carriers from distributor Reesink. And there was no doubt that the Flex 1021 pedestrian mowers would be included again – they’ve been key to our greens conditioning and the close cutting of the Reelmaster 3575-D mowers have been involved in improving the fairways for years now.”

While it is a continuing relationship with Toro, rewarding high performing staff and introducing fresh talent is key to make the most of the new fleet. Peter explains: “In the autumn, we promoted David Howe to Head Greenkeeper to succeeed Ashley Allpress. David has proved himself as Ash’s understudy and Jamie Wright comes in as the new deputy head greenkeeper to support David and start the cycle again. Like most aspiring course managers, Jamie has done his journeyman training in the USA with an enviable year at Pebble Beach and his formative years at Sunningdale. The gardens team has been revitalised with the arrival of Sam Cumber, who was part of the crew who won Gold for Richmond-upon-Thames through the Britain in Bloom horticultural competition three years concurrently.”

All of these changes spearhead neatly in time for the Ladies’ Gold Challenge Cup. Returning after a COVID-enforced break, the event – which is older than the Masters – opens the Spring golfing calendar at the club, with tennis and croquet championships to follow.

Peter concludes by saying: “While it was not a foregone conclusion that Toro would be the machinery partner we committed to, the continuation of our history, even as personnel change, reflects a strong partnership between the two companies taking us to 15 years of working together.”

To talk to someone about how the Toro range would suit your course, call 01480 226800.

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