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Reduce the effects of exhaust emissions

June 15, 2021/in News, Press Release/by Louise Challiss

Reduce the effects of exhaust emissions: You may think that if you’re operating petrol-powered equipment, particularly in poorly ventilated spaces, that exposure to harmful hydrocarbons is largely unavoidable. Benzene is just one of the many hydrocarbons found in conventional pump fuel and exhaust emissions, often considered the substance most dangerous to human health. However, there […]

Kubota M7132 treads lightly for ODS Parks

June 15, 2021/in News, Press Release/by Jane Carley

Kubota M7132 treads lightly for ODS Parks: Seeking a tractor with ample power and weight to operate its equipment, yet still tread lightly enough to protect turf and playing surfaces, Oxford-based ODS Parks opted for a Kubota M7132 supplied by George Browns. That was almost three years ago, and with over 2,000 hours under its […]

Reduce the effects of exhaust emissions

June 15, 2021/in News, Press Release/by Louise Challiss

Kubota M7132 treads lightly for ODS Parks

June 15, 2021/in News, Press Release/by Jane Carley

Full Sized Blog Element (Big Preview Pic)

Reduce the effects of exhaust emissions

June 15, 2021/in News, Press Release/by Louise Challiss

Reduce the effects of exhaust emissions: You may think that if you’re operating petrol-powered equipment, particularly in poorly ventilated spaces, that exposure to harmful hydrocarbons is largely unavoidable.

Benzene is just one of the many hydrocarbons found in conventional pump fuel and exhaust emissions, often considered the substance most dangerous to human health. However, there is an alternative in the form of Aspen Alkylate petrol – switching to which can reduce benzene emissions by up to 108 times!

Reduce the effects of exhaust emissions

The Control of Substances Hazardous to Health Regulations 2002 (COSHH) regulations advise against benzene exposure completely, but where this cannot be reasonably achieved, there are steps that can be taken to adequately control exposure as far as is reasonably practicable – and certainly below the workplace exposure limit (WEL) assigned for benzene of part per million (ppm) of air averaged over an 8-hour period. One way of doing this could be switching from traditional pump fuel to Aspen.

An Alkylate petrol, Aspen is made using only the cleanest Alkylate components that occur when oil is refined. This process involves combining excess gases from the distillation of crude oil and from the cracking plant, resulting in a liquid alkylate. Once some additional components are mixed in, the result is a finished fuel which is significantly purer than traditional petrol, with content of harmful aromatic hydrocarbons such as benzene and polyaromatics (PAH) close to zero.

Being virtually free from benzene, as well as sulphur and many other harmful substances, using Aspen Alkylate petrol improves the health and performance of your equipment, the working conditions for the operator and significantly reduces the harmful impact your machinery makes on the environment. Aspen is also ethanol-free, which improves reliability, maintains engine performance and preserves the life of component parts which can be susceptible to failure when running on conventional pump fuel, especially if it has been left for any extended period of time in storage.

Aspen is available in a range of unit sizes (5L, 25L, 60L and 200L) and in both pre-mixed 2-stroke and 4-stroke varieties.

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Kubota M7132 treads lightly for ODS Parks

June 15, 2021/in News, Press Release/by Jane Carley

Kubota M7132 treads lightly for ODS Parks: Seeking a tractor with ample power and weight to operate its equipment, yet still tread lightly enough to protect turf and playing surfaces, Oxford-based ODS Parks opted for a Kubota M7132 supplied by George Browns.

That was almost three years ago, and with over 2,000 hours under its belt, the tractor has more than lived up to expectations.

Kubota M7132 treads lightly for ODS Parks

“We looked for a tractor that offered enough stability to handle our hedge cutter at its 6m full reach,” explains Jo Huntley, parks operational supervisor with ODS. “Though it also has to work on fine turf and other delicate sportsground surfaces without leaving a mark.”

As the contracting division of Oxfordshire City Council, ODS carries out a wide variety of grounds maintenance works, and contracting, in and around the city of Oxford. Within the team’s remit is the responsibility for 90 parks, and a further 1,000-acres of countryside sites, plus cemeteries and urban grass verges, so the team needed reliability, comfort and practicality.

“We looked at several makes, specifications and warranty packages,” explains Graham Dix, operator with ODS. “And the M7132 stood out with its 500-hour service intervals, and five-year/5,000-hour warranty. With a set of BKT turf tyres, we found the Kubota provided an ideal combination of stability and low ground pressure for our requirements.”

Equipped with an LM2605 loader, Mr Dix says the tractor has to perform as an all-rounder, though ODS has no requirement for Premium spec or the stepless KVT transmission.

“I could be towing trailers, lifting and loading materials or using grounds maintenance kit such as a 5m-wide flail mower, turf slitter, reseeding equipment, fertiliser spreader, sprayer or hedge cutter,” he says. “With 130hp boosting to 150hp, there’s more than enough power to pull our 12-tonne trailers, and I have the flexibility to use economy PTO with powered equipment, which saves fuel.”

Equally advantageous is a 50km/h road speed.

“With contract services taking us beyond Oxford City, having a 50km/h transmission is really useful – it reduces non-productive time when we’re travelling between jobs,” says Graham. “And the powershift gearbox’s auto-shifting function reduces fatigue when crossing the City.”

He adds that front axle suspension and cab suspension also makes long days more enjoyable, and the ability to quickly reposition the steering column using a foot-activated lever makes getting in and out of the cab more convenient.

“Plenty of air vents provide a decent flow of cool air around the cab, the visibility is good, and there’s no shortage of room in the cab,” he says.

“The tractor also has some really neat features, including a pto guard that unclips to provide better access when hitching up powered equipment; the rear lift capacity is superb; and the external linkage controls on the rear wing are smooth and progressive,” he says.

However, he says that the loader’s cycle times, plus the top link design and location of the spool couplings could be improved.

“The US-built loader has large rams, so it is very powerful, but lacks speed,” he comments. “I’d also like to see spool couplings that are angled outwards, so it’s easier to connect hydraulic hoses, and a more secure mounting for the top link would help when I’m not using the rear linkage.”

“That said, I’m extremely pleased with the Kubota M7 tractor,” he adds. “It does all that we need, and clocking up around 1,000 hours/year, its reliability and fuel efficiency has been very good.”

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)

Reduce the effects of exhaust emissions

Kubota M7132 treads lightly for ODS Parks

Reduce the effects of exhaust emissions

Kubota M7132 treads lightly for ODS Parks

Full Sized Blog Element (Big Preview Pic)

Reduce the effects of exhaust emissions

Reduce the effects of exhaust emissions: You may think that if you’re operating petrol-powered equipment, particularly in poorly ventilated spaces, that exposure to harmful hydrocarbons is largely unavoidable.

Kubota M7132 treads lightly for ODS Parks

Kubota M7132 treads lightly for ODS Parks: Seeking a tractor with ample power and weight to operate its equipment, yet still tread lightly enough to protect turf and playing surfaces, Oxford-based ODS Parks opted for a Kubota M7132 supplied by George Browns.

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