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The Aspen alternative

August 20, 2021/in News, Press Release/by Louise Challiss

The Aspen alternative: From September 2021, regular grade unleaded petrol (95 octane) in the UK is changing. To help in the Government’s target of reducing carbon emissions, ethanol content will increase to 10% (E10) from the 5% (E5) currently available on pump. While this is not an issue for modern petrol car engines designed to […]

Top-Brush leaves tip-top finish

August 19, 2021/in News, Press Release/by Louise Challiss

Top-Brush leaves tip-top finish: At Windlesham Golf Club in Surrey, brushing is becoming a regular, year-round operation following the purchase of a Redexim Top-Brush in December 2020. Bought initially to aid the dispersal of worm casts, Assistant Course Manager Graeme Roberts has also discovered the benefits the Top-Brush can bring to course presentation and moisture […]

The Aspen alternative

August 20, 2021/in News, Press Release/by Louise Challiss

Top-Brush leaves tip-top finish

August 19, 2021/in News, Press Release/by Louise Challiss

Full Sized Blog Element (Big Preview Pic)

The Aspen alternative

August 20, 2021/in News, Press Release/by Louise Challiss

The Aspen alternative: From September 2021, regular grade unleaded petrol (95 octane) in the UK is changing. To help in the Government’s target of reducing carbon emissions, ethanol content will increase to 10% (E10) from the 5% (E5) currently available on pump.

While this is not an issue for modern petrol car engines designed to be operated with E10, users of garden and grounds machinery now face and increased risk of experiencing reliability issues attributable to the increased ethanol content.

The Aspen alternative

Ethanol is a renewable bio-fuel that can be mixed with unleaded petrol in various grades and, when burnt, produces fewer emissions. It is anticipated that the switch to E10 will remove 750,000 tonnes of carbon dioxide from the atmosphere and, for those with modern machines designed to handle E10 fuel, few problems are expected during day-to-day operation. However, ethanol is a solvent that is damaging to plastic and rubber and is the ingredient often responsible for ‘gummy deposits’ left behind once the fuel has evaporated. The additional ethanol content therefore threatens to shorten the service life of certain system components and contribute towards the poor running of small power equipment.

In addition to issues with reliability, ethanol also reduces the storage life of petrol, through the binding of moisture which then acidifies – in turn, leading to problems for owners who use their machinery infrequently or store them for long periods of time. Many manufacturers, including Stihl, Husqvarna and Honda recommend that fuels containing ethanol should be consumed within a 30-day period in order to minimise the risks.

Being free from ethanol as well as benzene, sulphur and many other harmful substances, Aspen Alkylate petrol offers a clean alternative for both 2 and 4-stroke engines – improving the health and performance of your equipment, the working conditions for the operator and significantly reducing the harmful impact your machinery makes on the environment. The increase in purity compared to traditional pump petrol means Aspen can also be left in fuel tanks for many years without degrading.

While the introduction of more ethanol into regular petrol will reduce environmental emissions, and E5 petrol will remain available in the ‘super’ grade (97+ octane) at some larger filling stations, the remaining emissions and overall impact on operator and machinery health is still substantially more hazardous than those operating with Aspen fuel.

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Top-Brush leaves tip-top finish

August 19, 2021/in News, Press Release/by Louise Challiss

Top-Brush leaves tip-top finish: At Windlesham Golf Club in Surrey, brushing is becoming a regular, year-round operation following the purchase of a Redexim Top-Brush in December 2020.

Bought initially to aid the dispersal of worm casts, Assistant Course Manager Graeme Roberts has also discovered the benefits the Top-Brush can bring to course presentation and moisture removal – playing a core role in maintaining plant health.

Top-Brush leaves tip-top finish

Nestled in the Surrey countryside, Windlesham offers a championship parkland golf course shaped and maintained by Course Manager Leigh Powell, Graeme and the team of 9, that provides a test to golfers of all abilities. “Because of the heavy soil profile of the course, and the ongoing reduction in chemicals, it became apparent that we needed to find a solution to the issues we were experiencing with worm casts over the autumn and winter months” explains Graeme. “We had the Top-Brush in on demonstration for a week and were so impressed that we bought the demo unit from our dealer, Lister Wilder.”

“The Top-Brush gives us a sustainable way to stay on top of casts, and at 6m wide it is quick and effective at covering the fairways, leaving a high-quality finish while staying ahead of the golf.” When worm cast season died down, the Top-Brush was then utilised twice weekly for brushing ahead of the mowers – to remove dew and dry the plant out, improving the quality of cut and reducing the clumping of clippings. “The fact that the brushes can change rotational direction is really handy. We tend to run them in the opposite direction of travel to stand the plant up more effectively but if we’re working on smaller areas, we can simply change the brush direction as we move backwards and forwards.”

As well as changing brush direction, working depth can also be adjusted, making the Top-Brush a versatile tool for a light surface brush – suitable for clearing dew, incorporating topdressing material or removing clippings – or a deeper, more aggressive surface agitation to effectively rid large areas of organic matter. “We’ve been really pleased with how it has been removing dead material and debris from the sward, thereby helping to improve the plants growing environment without having to use more invasive and time-consuming techniques.”

For the latest industry news visit turfmatters.co.uk/news

Get all of the big headlines, pictures, opinions and videos on stories that matter to you.

Follow us on Twitter and Instagram for fun, fresh and engaging content.

You can also find us on Facebook for more of your must-see news, features, videos and pictures from Turf Matters

Half Sized Blog Element (Single Author Style)

Half Sized Blog Element (Multi Author Style)

The Aspen alternative

Top-Brush leaves tip-top finish

The Aspen alternative

Top-Brush leaves tip-top finish

Full Sized Blog Element (Big Preview Pic)

The Aspen alternative

The Aspen alternative: From September 2021, regular grade unleaded petrol (95 octane) in the UK is changing. To help in the Government’s target of reducing carbon emissions, ethanol content will increase to 10% (E10) from the 5% (E5) currently available on pump.

Top-Brush leaves tip-top finish

Top-Brush leaves tip-top finish: At Windlesham Golf Club in Surrey, brushing is becoming a regular, year-round operation following the purchase of a Redexim Top-Brush in December 2020.

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