ECHO’s resounding success at SALTEX

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ECHO’s resounding success at SALTEX: ECHO put on a real show at Saltex with their range of commercial products for groundscare and landscaping professionals.

The stand largely featured the ECHO X Series line of products which redefine standards with low weight and high power. Two new products in the series were introduced, the ECHO CS-2511WES rear handle chainsaw and ECHO’s latest and most powerful backpack blower, the PB-8010.

ECHO’s resounding success at SALTEX

“We had  ECHO’s busiest ever Saltex over the two days this year,” says Matt Wilson, AriensCo UK Sales Manager, “with great interest in the X Series and 50v battery products we displayed. Visitors to the stand were knowledgeable and the sales leads were good quality.”

Power to weight ratio is where the emphasis lies in the ECHO CS-2511WES professional chainsaw, the lightest and most compact rear-handle chainsaw in the ECHO range. Handling it at the show, visitors were surprised at its light weight. At just 2.6kg (dry weight), it’s ideal for use over long periods without fatigue and yet, with its premium-grade ECHO two-stroke engine, it packs a powerful output of 1.1kW.

The ECHO PB-8010 backpack blower is built for professionals and offers industry-leading power and performance. The 79.9cc engine produces an air volume of  1818m3/h, an airspeed of 94.5m/sec (211mph) and a blowing force of 44N and yet it weighs just 11.2kg with its ergonomic, lightweight frame.

Also featured on the stand at Saltex were ECHO’s ground-breaking high torque brushcutters, with a 1:2 gear reduction ratio, delivering up to 50% more torque at the cutting head compared to previous models. ECHO offers a two-year professional warranty on their petrol and 50V battery tools.

AriensCo distributes the ECHO products across the UK through a network of authorised dealerships. To find out more about ECHO power tools go online at www.echo-tools.co.uk or call 01844 278800.

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GKB to showcase reliable products at BTME

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GKB to showcase reliable products at BTME: For the 5th year running, GKB will be attending the BTME 2020 show to showcase their range of machinery. The show will be taking place on 21st – 23rd January at the Harrogate Convention Centre.

Visitors can expect to see the Sandfiller, Sandspreader and Combiseeder on display at the show and will be impressed with the versatility on turf surfaces throughout the season.

GKB to showcase reliable products at BTME

With last year’s show seeing nearly 9,000 visitors from turf managers, golf club owners and industry decision-makers, the BTME 2020 is a great event from networking opportunities to seeing the latest innovation in the turf maintenance industry.

From perfection from the green until the tee and the perfect combination of maintaining and improving drainage systems, to discovering a fast and efficient way to seed or overseed your golf course. GKB Machines will be encompassing everything you need to maintain your golf courses during the year. Like the much loved Sandspreader enabling you to distribute a great variety of materials, GKB is proud to be presenting a range of our impressive, durable maintenance machines at the 2020 show, perfect for your golf course.

Tom Shinkins, Operations Manager, said “BTME is a great opportunity to exhibit our products for the golf sector.”  Tom adds, “The amount of course managers that attend the event for networking and educational needs is growing year on year and it’s vital that we are there at the show.” Visit us on stand Purple 406 to book your demonstrations.

For more on GKB Machines and their impressive range of machinery for natural, hybrid and synthetic turf, visit www.gkbmachines.com or contact us on 01778 348864.

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Farol use new Foley Company Grinders

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Farol use new Foley Company Grinders: Farol Golf and Turf Machinery Limited has purchased a Foley Company Accu-Pro 633 with Accu-Touch 3 Control and an Accu-Pro 661AT bedknife grinder to bolster their essential grinding operation.

Grinding is an integral part of the company’s business and is fundamental to what they offer to the golf and leisure industries. Their current relief grinder, an Accu-Master 650, has proved popular with technicians and was one of the reasons they decided to go with Foley again and continue working with ProSport UK Ltd. www.prosportukltd.com

Farol use new Foley Company Grinders

When it came time to decide on new grinders, after-sales manager for golf and turf, Oliver Longden, consulted with the technicians and appraised the Foley machines against others on the market.

“We had a look around at what else was available, but there was nothing comparable for what we need to do,” Oliver explained. “Our guys are already familiar with the Foley machines, and we’ve had a good history with our Accu-Master. We’ll continue using it alongside the Accu-Pro 633 during the peak grinding season because it still does exactly what we need it to.

“The most significant benefit with the 633 against other manufacturers is being able to relief grind correctly. We can relief grind any units without having to make massive changes to the machine, whereas with other manufacturers you must take a part off or swap something over and it all takes time.  With the Accu-Pro you can switch from 7 to 11 to whatever number of blades, easily and quickly.

“Once it’s set up everything is automated so the guys can get on with stripping down the next unit while it’s working, because you don’t have to keep coming back to it to make adjustments.

“The training function was another big plus for us. We sometimes get new technicians who haven’t used the machine before. It’s a very good feature because it shows them a step by step set-up and how to work it, so anyone can jump on it straight away and get going.”

The Accu-Pro 633 uses Accu-Touch 3 Control to fully automate spin and relief grinding. It features the automatic reel selector and cylinder height stop which automatically locates the reel for a fast and easy spin and relief grind in one quick set-up. Pre-set relief angles are easily identified on the relief angle adjuster, allowing technicians to effortlessly grind the correct angles and achieve proper clearances for each reel type.

The simplicity of operating the Accu-Pro 633 is mirrored in the Accu-Pro 661 AT bedknife grinder and was another important consideration for Oliver.

He said: “The selling point for us is that it’s a very simple and easy machine to use. We needed a machine that all the technicians with varying skill levels could use. Someone who has little experience of grinding can work just as well as someone with 20-years’ experience, and that ensures consistent quality. And again, once it’s set up and going, you can leave it to do the job and get on with other work, and that’s really the beauty of it.”

Farol recognises that when it comes to cutting, it is ultimately the blade’s that do the job. To achieve the best cut possible, they need to be sharp and restored to how they function best, which is by relief grinding them back to the original manufacturer’s own specification.

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Fentons of Bourne win award

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Fentons of Bourne win award: Fentons of Bourne, Price Turfcare’s local dealer for Lincolnshire and the East Midlands, won the Best Allied Trade Stand award at the Midlands Machinery Show held at Newark Showground on 20-21 November. 

The Midlands Machinery Show is one of the fastest-growing annual events in the agricultural sector, bringing together farmers, agricultural contractors, and suppliers in a friendly and relaxed business environment. Over 300 exhibitors were displaying products and service in the covered halls, with the larger products situated outside on the showground.

Fentons of Bourne win award

Fentons of Bourne in conjunction with Price Turfcare, created a demonstration area where visitors could see displays highlighting the versatility of the tractor unit and associated attachments. The demonstration arena featured two Ventrac all-terrain compact tractors and 14 different attachments including a selection of mowing decks, trencher, stump grinder, blowers, power brushes, power rakes and more.

Glen Bellamy, managing director of Fentons said,

“We were delighted and surprised to win this award. At mid-afternoon a team of show organisers turned up, mid-demonstration, and presented us with the award. Rupert Price and his team put in a lot of effort to make the demonstrations meaningful for the attendees and there was considerable interest in the products. The Ventrac was probably the smallest machine on display amongst all the large agricultural machinery, but it certainly punched above its weight.”

Rupert Price added,

“We were invited to attend the show in conjunction with Fentons and it was too good an opportunity to pass by. It gave us some brilliant exposure for both the product and the brand to a new audience and that was our main aim. However, it did more than that; we came away with demo requests and the icing on the cake was winning the award.

“Although tiny by comparison to some of the huge tractors and other agricultural equipment, the visitors readily appreciated the design features of our machine and the fact that it can generate such consistent power from a sub-25 hp engine. I think they were also impressed with its manoeuvrability and versatility.

Definitely a very good event for us and it made two days standing outside in the cold, well worthwhile.”

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IOG award for Callum Allsop

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IOG award for Callum Allsop: Award sponsors Toro and Reesink Turfcare, an official UK Toro distributor, are delighted to announce Callum Allsop from Leicester City Football Club’s Belvoir Drive training ground has been crowned the Most Promising Sports Turf Student of the Year at the 10th annual Institute of Groundsmanship (IOG) Awards.

Having worked in the turf industry for 10 years, Callum was recognised for his dedication to the industry and education. As well as leading a team of nine as head groundsman at Leicester City Football Club’s Belvoir Drive, Callum is also currently undergoing studies for his Level 3 in Sports Turf Management.

IOG award for Callum Allsop

“I got involved in the industry volunteering at my local club at 14 and really enjoyed it,” says Callum. “Since then, I’ve worked my way up and worked hard to get to where I am, and education has been a large part of that career progression for me.

“I strongly believe that in order to be successful, you have to make sure that every piece of work you do is always done to the best of your ability and that you should strive to learn more. Always ask questions and stay interested in what you’re doing, and you will reap the benefits from that.”

Callum was presented with his award by Reesink’s national key accounts manager, Alastair Rowell, in front of an audience of 650 leading groundscare experts from the UK and Europe. And when it comes to gaining the benefits of winning the award, he wants to use his new platform to inspire others as well as improve himself.

“I think currently in the industry, more needs to be done to encourage younger people,” he says. “That’s why awards like this are important, because it’s vital to raise awareness of the career and educational opportunities available to young people. In fact, at Leicester we’re looking at the possibility of going into schools to speak about the careers in groundscare as many young people aren’t fully aware of what they might be able to achieve in this industry.

“Personally, winning this award has been a great experience, and the highlight for me has been meeting so many top professionals in the industry. I hope winning this award at such a key point in my career will open up more opportunities for me in the future.”

Marketing manager at Reesink, Rochelle Bedford, says: “Sponsoring this award is just another demonstration of ours and Toro’s long-term commitment to the development of the industry and our investment in the careers of young people; a hugely important undertaking for us. It’s wonderful to see Callum has achieved so much in his career already, and we hope the award helps him to progress his career further and inspire more young talent like himself.”

The awards, which took place on 31 October at the The Vox at the Birmingham NEC, recognise leadership, innovation and outstanding achievement across every aspect of groundscare and highlight the progress of young, student grounds professionals. And Reesink and Toro are proud, as ever, to play a part in giving a platform to the best and brightest young people in the industry through the sponsorship of such an important award.

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