AH75 the solution to excessive first cuts

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AH75 the solution to excessive first cuts: With the impending difficulty some green space professionals will soon be experiencing from a delayed first cut, many are turning to the Etesia Attila AH75 brushcutter as a solution. 

The Etesia Attila AH75 brushcutter offers ride-on performance in a pedestrian machine and has been designed to work in the toughest of conditions. This powerful workhorse effectively deals with clearing vegetation from a wide variety of sites – long grass, weeds, bracken and brambles on woodland paths or orchards. Ease of operation and manoeuvrability ensure total efficiency and high output.

AH75 the solution to excessive first cuts

AH75 the solution to excessive first cuts

At a time when many will be facing excessive first cuts, green space professionals – particularly those working for local authorities and landscape contractors, will find the Etesia Attila AH75 a cost-effective solution. At just £3,200 plus VAT, this reliable and powerful machine has been proven to outperform many of its counterparts at a fraction of the price.

The Attila AH75 is powered by the Honda GXV 390 engine and fitted with a T3 transmission combining differential lock and front wheel locking system with a simple height of cut adjustment from the new handle bar design which allows movement into offset for use on slopes.

Efficiency

  • Heavy-duty brush cutting (up to Ø30)
  • Mowing on the most difficult slopes (up to 20°) thanks to the hydraulic transmission with a differential lock
  • Two idlers that can be locked without a tool for improved stability on slopes
  • Possibility to fit two wider rear wheels as an option
  • Cutting height adjustment with three positions from the new handle bar design
  • Handle offset control from the operating position with three working positions and one transport position

Comfort

  • High manoeuvrability thanks to the hydraulic transmission – three forward speeds and one reverse speed
  • Differential lock can be engaged without interrupting movement
  • All operating controls are available from the operating position for convenience and safety
  • Central handle bar that allows easier access to low controls (parking brake, forward transmission bypass, engine starter), with full protection for cables
  • Parking brake for safe immobilisation
  • Anti-vibration rubber handles

Ruggedness

  • Machine can be moved into vertical position to gain access to the cutter blade for maintenance and cleaning
  • Maintenance-free hydrostatic transmission with forced-air cooling, integrated expansion vessel
  • Flail blades: reversible, protect the blade transmission system, low maintenance costs
  • Rugged and reliable engine: Engine crank shaft mounted on bearings.

A full two-year commercial warranty comes as standard.

You can view a video of the machine in action: https://youtu.be/LDpj7a013Ys

For further information, please contact Etesia UK on 01295 680120 or visit www.etesia.co.uk.

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

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Greenkeeper shares 40 years of memories

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Greenkeeper shares 40 years of memories: A dedicated greenkeeper thought to be one of the longest serving in the industry is celebrating spending 40 years at the same golf club.

Terry Wharton joined Haydock Park Golf Club in April 1980 as a young man and is now head greenkeeper

He said: “The 40 years have gone quickly and I’ve been very fortunate to spend most of my working life in a beautiful landscape, working with good greenkeepers and staff trying to raise the standards and the playability of our course.”

There have been plenty of changes since he first took up his role at the club.

“The early years saw limited machinery on the course, with most surfaces cut with hand machines, except for fairways and rough that were cut with tractor and gang mowers,” he said.

“The top-dressing facility of a self-contained hopper supersedes the tractor, trailer and wheelbarrow that in the early 1980s you’d be lucky to dress greens with 20 tonnes throughout the year, against 120 tonnes delivered in a two-month period in the spring at the present time.”

With the advancements in technology and more televised golf events, Terry has seen many changes during his career.

He said: “The golfers’ desire for better surfaces has seen the staffing levels raised at most clubs compared to the early years, with busy clubs realising the work programme for the day needs to be completed quickly and efficiently before the golfers start their round, with only the basic tasks being completed early afternoon. This point can be shown with our start times in the summer of 1980 – we had an 8am start with a 5pm finish against present start time 6am with a 2pm finish, allowing the greens team to complete most of the course set-up before the course gets busy.”

Terry said his favourite part of the club was its members, remembering one in particular.

He said: “We’ve had some real characters playing the game at Haydock Park, none more so than Jack Padoue, who was one of the ‘old guard’.

“On arrival at the club one Monday dinner, Jack was met with builders in the men’s locker room.

“Jack looked surprised, ‘how dare they work’ on the day he played, and it may affect his preparation on setting up for his four ball. Jack’s four ball was run to military precision and woe betide anyone getting in Jack’s way!

“So the builders were told by Jack what was expected from them – he wanted a ‘quick clean efficient job and by the way turn that radio off, don’t you realise you’re working at a private members’ golf club?’

“The builders came across Jack a few more times before they finished the work and were met with the same abruptness.

“On the builders completing the locker room Jack realised his key wouldn’t open his locker. On further inspection someone had accidentally spilled some super glue into the lock, we wondered who….”

Stephen Nicholson, the club’s business manager, paid tribute to Terry’s loyal service.

He said: “Wow, 40 years – that’s longer than I’ve been on this planet. It’s a feat that’s rarely matched these days, with more and more people opting to move from position to position to progress their careers. Terry’s loyalty has been at the heart of his longevity here.

“Alongside this what I am impressed with the most about Terry is his enthusiasm to continue to learn and develop.

“We’ve sent him down to Oxford to see how a different style of greenkeeping works, we’ve updated our systems so he now has a computer in his office, has access to Word, Excel and email whilst updating everything in the cloud along with an online planner in the form of Turfkeeper that tracks all shifts, financial planning of stock, seed, fertiliser applied etc.

“It’s great that Terry continues to push for more and we look forward to continuing to work together for the next 40 years! You are a credit to the club, your profession and your family. Once this crisis is over we will no doubt have a proper celebration for Terry – in the meantime, thanks again for all that you do and keep up the great work.”

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Zero-turn versus ride-on lawnmower

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Zero-turn versus ride-on lawnmower: Zero-turn mowers are rapidly growing in popularity among domestic users in the UK. What is leading amateur gardeners to follow the professionals away from traditional ride-on lawnmowers to the benefits of zero-turn mowing?

A major factor is the speed of operation and time-saving associated with zero-turns. Are we to believe a zero-turn can chop the time spent cutting the grass by half, with effortless mowing around obstacles and tight spaces?

Zero-turn versus ride-on lawnmower

Zero-turn versus ride-on lawnmower

Firstly, what is a zero-turn mower? It may seem an odd question to ask when there are now so many working away across the UK. But with the ubiquitous garden tractor having been around for so long, to many people the term ‘zero-turn’ still may not mean a lot. Opinions are rapidly changing, led by early adopters, and the arguments for using zero-turn mowers are becoming indisputable.

Zero-turn refers to the turning radius of the mower. A zero-turn can turn on the proverbial sixpence, in other words in its footprint. Now among many professionals, this operating characteristic has been known for a long time and is one reason for the fast growth in UK sales for commercial zero-turns. The same zero-turn technology has also been built into lawnmowers to suit homeowners and their budgets. We’re seeing a shift away from the comparatively inefficient, slow lawn tractor towards growing popularity in domestic users for the virtues of zero-turn mowing. The features and benefits apply equally to the residential user and the professional operator.

Driving a zero-turn mower is easy. You simply push the right steering lever forward and the left lever back to make a left turn or push the left steering lever forward and the right steering lever back to make a right turn. The steering levers allow your zero-turn to make manoeuvres in its own footprint. Slow and gradual operation of the steering levers makes the machine move slowly and gradually in any direction. Operating the steering levers quickly and more aggressively makes your mower turn more sharply and drive faster. With zero-turn mower technology, the operator has total control of the manoeuvres. Driving a lawn tractor through rows of uncut grass is like manoeuvring into a parking space. Turn, reverse, turn again and finally straighten out. Being limited in turning radius there’s a lot of forward and backward movement on your lawn resulting in a non-uniform, messy cut pattern and extra time spent mowing.

Zero-turn mowers make tight turns at any angle and in any direction. At the end of your cutting row make a one-eighty degree turn, align your mower to the crisp edge left by the path just mowed and drive forward. This smooth motion eliminates the need for unnecessary backing and with a roller fitted to the machine you preserve those stylish stripes left behind by single-pass mowing.

Fine, we now know how to drive a zero-turn but what other benefits should drive us towards change from tradition? Zero-turn mowing is fast. You can whizz around at 5-8 mph, and at the end of the line do that one-eighty degree turn, align the deck edge with the row you’ve just cut and keep on going. You’ve reduced the cutting time by 50% over mowing with a lawn tractor. For some, whiling away the hours doing three-point turns on the garden tractor, at the end of every line, may suit on a lazy Sunday. But as our lives get busier, and time-saving becomes more critical, wouldn’t it make a difference if your time cutting the grass was halved? Increase the cutting deck size and you cut even more time off the work.

Another factor in your choice of zero-turn over garden tractor is comfort. With a zero-turn, the plush seat and armrests complement the controls that are all positioned in ergonomic and easily accessible locations, so you can simply enjoy the ride. Zero-turns are also generally more durable, built with thicker steel, and a fully welded tubular frame design, much stronger than the traditional C-channel frames of lawn tractors.* With options for deep decks made from fully fabricated steel, cutting decks are more durable and promote maximum airflow. Fabricated decks on zero turn models are aerodynamically designed so grass is pulled toward the blades and clippings are discharged evenly. The result is a superior cut quality without stragglers or clumps.

*Based on Ariens zero-turn mowers

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PM36 serves up competition-ready courts

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PM36 serves up competition-ready courts: As a sole Groundsman, Robin Wilcox has his work cut out looking after the 19 courts and 5 croquet lawns that make up East Dorset Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club (EDLTCC).

On the sites nine grass courts, DLF’s ProMaster 36, and its tolerance of low cutting heights, has given Robin the advantage – freeing up time for the other tasks which keep the courts and lawns competition ready.

PM36 serves up competition-ready courts

PM36 serves up competition-ready courts

One of Robin’s key goals when he joined EDLTCC two years ago was to bring the grass courts up to standard required to be selected, once again, as a host for the qualifying stages of The County Cup. “Over the years the courts had accumulated layers of thatch, so we could have gone down the road of scarifying and adding additional loam, but we decided to go for a full renovation.” During his first year at the club, Robin skimmed off the top layer, cultivated, levelled and seeded with Masterline PM36 perennial ryegrass mix.

“A great combination of warmth and rain in the late summer/early autumn of 2018 meant the courts were green in under three weeks and I carried out the first cut at six weeks – everybody at the club was amazed at the germination. Our artificial and clay courts took the strain while the grass courts were under renovation but when they re-opened for play in 2019, there was a new wave of members wanting to play on the grass and they coped, and recovered, from the high levels of wear very well.”

The decision to go for a pure-rye mix gives Robin the playing and resistance characteristics he requires, even under close mown conditions. “Because of my workload, I have to split my time between the artificial courts, grass courts and lawns so this means I am limited to mowing just twice a week. With the PM36 mix, it is hardy enough to cope with going as low as 5mm without any detrimental impact on turf quality.”

While a final decision by the LTA is expected at the end of May, at the time of writing the County Cup remains in the tournament calendar and the improvements Robin has achieved sees EDLTCC chosen as a host venue, after a few years absence. “It’s fantastic news for the club.” Robin concludes, “Everybody is delighted with the results of the renovations – the PM36 has delivered great quality courts fit for top level play once again.”

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Vintage Toro cuts like a dream

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Vintage Toro cuts like a dream: Some eBay finds are just pure gold. In this case, a vintage circa. 1971, unused and undoubtably collectable Toro 21” Greensmaster pedestrian mower, which cuts like a dream. 

The listing was won by Toro’s Student Greenkeeper of the Year Award 2018 winner Dan Ashelby’s dad, Mark from Mark Ashelby Grounds who has spent 25 years in sports turf management and knows a good deal when he sees one.

Vintage Toro cuts like a dream

Vintage Toro cuts like a dream

One of the precursors to the hugely successful and enduring Toro Greensmaster 1000 greens mowers range, Dan says of his Dad’s win: “We couldn’t believe it when we saw the listing. The machine was bought new by a cricket club in the early 1970s but never used. It’s in mint condition with no wear anywhere. It came with the original user manual and the original stickers on the engine. The red paint is still freshly painted like new on the cutting reels!

“It was bought as a collectible and is too good to use, but we couldn’t resist setting it up and giving it a quick one-off outing on a bowling green. And she cut like a dream.”

Greenkeeping is in the Ashelbys’ blood with Dan’s greenkeeping education beginning at a young age. His father was head greenkeeper at Gatley Golf Club and Dan has been helping out around the course since he was eight years old. Since winning the Toro Student Greenkeeper of the Year Award in 2018 and benefitting from a once-in-a-lifetime six-week worldclass certificate programme at the University of Massachusetts Winter School for Turf Managers prize, Dan has achieved head greenkeeper position at Hartford Golf Club in Cheshire.

He says: “Greenkeeping is definitely a shared interest Dad and I have. Things like this recent eBay find are good fun and it’s great to bring a bit of its history into the family. I’m a big Toro fan and love using the new machines at work, so it’s been great to have the opportunity to see and use one of the very first Toro machines to arrive in the UK, which was well before I eventually did!”

So, what’s next for this rare vintage find? Dan says: “The rest of its life will be much like that of a classic car, enjoying the occasional run out on a nice sunny day!”

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