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Jacobsen helps Hamilton Park race ahead

April 28, 2021/in News, Press Release/by Juliet Liddell

Jacobsen helps Hamilton Park race ahead: Track Manager, Darren Bissett, says Hamilton Park’s turf will be more than ready for the start of their flat racing season scheduled to begin in May. “Course maintenance wise, we are on schedule with the first cut of both the track and the lawns due within the next week, […]

Christmas all year round with Pellenc

April 27, 2021/in News, Press Release/by Lucy Nicholls

Christmas all year round with Pellenc: The battery-powered Pellenc Prunion pruning shears have proved to be instrumental in helping one of the UK’s largest Christmas tree growers. Tayside Forestry has been producing Christmas trees in the heart of the Angus countryside in Scotland for nearly 60 years. The company produces approximately 80,000 Christmas trees each […]

Jacobsen helps Hamilton Park race ahead

April 28, 2021/in News, Press Release/by Juliet Liddell

Christmas all year round with Pellenc

April 27, 2021/in News, Press Release/by Lucy Nicholls

Full Sized Blog Element (Big Preview Pic)

Jacobsen helps Hamilton Park race ahead

April 28, 2021/in News, Press Release/by Juliet Liddell

Jacobsen helps Hamilton Park race ahead: Track Manager, Darren Bissett, says Hamilton Park’s turf will be more than ready for the start of their flat racing season scheduled to begin in May.

“Course maintenance wise, we are on schedule with the first cut of both the track and the lawns due within the next week, assuming conditions prevail,” said Darren.

Jacobsen helps Hamilton Park race ahead

Darren joined the team at Hamilton Park from Ayr Racecourse exactly 12 months ago, and his first year in the job could hardly have been more unexpected.
In June 2020, a delayed and shortened fixture list got underway, with eleven race meetings successfully staged behind closed doors by the time the season concluded at the end of September.

One huge positive for 2020 was that local grounds care dealer, Fairways GM, delivered two new Jacobsen mowers – the HR500 Rotary Mower for the track and the TR320 for Hamilton Park’s extensive fine turf areas.

“The machines were ordered by my predecessor after several very positive recommendations. They’ve worked fantastically, and I’m genuinely very impressed at how effective they are. The HR500 has great width at 3.5 metres which allows us to cut the whole track with just five circuits in around 2.5 hours. It makes quick work and leaves a very clean cut. The room that you get in the cab is exceptional; really spacious, so it’s great for the operator. Also, once you are finished, it’s incredibly easy to maintain.

“In March, we will probably only cut the track once a week until it gets a bit warmer and soil temperatures rise, however, come May we’ll have increased that to at least twice a week. Over the summer months cutting increases to three or four times a week as the fertilisation programme takes effect.

“During the racing season, we like to cut the day before a fixture and then again 48 hours afterwards. Height of the cut is set at 6cm for the next month or so, and when racing starts, we’ll allow it to grow a bit longer before cutting it to around 9cm. Changing the height of cut on the decks takes around half an hour, and it’s a case of moving just ten pins, so it’s very straightforward.

“Away from the track, our lawns are a great backdrop for weddings and events as well as racedays, and hopefully, this summer they will see a lot more visitors. Because it’s been a bit milder these past few weeks, the lawns are starting to grow. The TR320 delivers an exceptionally fine, effective cut, and it is so good at striping the lawns and leaving a professional finish – everything is really level. We cut the track and the lawns on the same day, so there will be times when we are cutting lawns four times a week throughout the summer.

“Last year, sadly, we were unable to welcome racegoers and event guests alike, and so we’re working hard to ensure the grounds will be at their spectacular best for when we can open our gates to the public once more.”

Rob Hogarth, Fairways GM’s Area Sales Manager, said: “The HR500 can cut all day long. Robust and smooth, it has built in consistency delivered via a feature called Automated Assist Drive, so no matter the conditions, the finish remains clean and sharp. The big cab that Darren likes gives the operator a superior view of what’s going on out-front; controls are positioned exactly where they are required, so you can also be extremely precise. The TR320 is good in tight spaces and challenging terrain. It’s a wizard at stripes, so it is great at keeping locations pristine and interesting, a nice touch for important wedding photography.”

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Christmas all year round with Pellenc

April 27, 2021/in News, Press Release/by Lucy Nicholls

Christmas all year round with Pellenc: The battery-powered Pellenc Prunion pruning shears have proved to be instrumental in helping one of the UK’s largest Christmas tree growers.

Tayside Forestry has been producing Christmas trees in the heart of the Angus countryside in Scotland for nearly 60 years. The company produces approximately 80,000 Christmas trees each year on 500 acres of prime land and its clients include large retail businesses, wholesalers and garden centres. It also sells directly to the public from the farm throughout December, turning its farm shed into a Christmas tree forest and light show.

Christmas all year round with Pellenc

Adam Robinson is the Farm Manager for Tayside Forestry and oversees the growing and the selling of the Christmas trees. He explained how the centrepiece of every home during the festive period takes a lot of hard work and dedication.

“Nordmann Fir and Fraser Fir are the main crops that we grow, and we have about 1.1 million trees in the ground,” he said. “We will normally take the trees out of the field in their seventh year, but we have to carefully nurture them along the way.

“During the process we let them grow and develop their root system and once they have got to a certain height (approximately thigh level) we will continue shaping the tree to make sure they have that beautiful Christmas tree shape.

“In particular, we carry out bottom handling on the trees,” continued Adam. “The purpose of this is to keep the bottom ten inches of the tree clear of branches so that people can get the Christmas trees into the stands. This is where the Pellenc Prunion comes in.”

The Prunion pruning shears are ideal for growers looking for the most powerful, lightest and most innovative tool on the market. Its grip fits any hand, and its large cutting diameter makes it incredibly comfortable to use. The numerous innovations of this pruning shear make it indispensable for professionals seeking either freedom of movement with the 150P pocket or the possibility to alternate tools with the 250 battery, which allows users to connect two Pellenc tools simultaneously.

Tayside Forestry purchased five Prunions with the 250 batteries from Pellenc distributor Agrovista Amenity and Adam revealed that they have made a huge difference to operations.

“Previously we used to have an air compressor and a lot of hose to do this job, but it was costly and took a very long time – we needed a solution,” he said. “Now, with the Pellenc Prunions we are so much more agile – you don’t have to have an air hose cable following you round or an air compressor.

“The team moves more freely and simply walk around the trees – the job is now completed in a much quicker time. One of the main reasons for purchasing the Prunion is because many of our fields are located on steep hills and it can get to where all the other equipment just cannot.

“There are quite a few settings and operating modes which is really handy. For example, if you are in a field with big branches at the bottom of the tree, you can adjust the settings to open the shears wider; and you can be sensitive on the trigger or aggressive depending on the task. It is a very precise tool.”

Adam estimates that last year the five Pellenc pruning shears were used for somewhere between 167 and 189 hours, and never once did the battery power fail the Tayside Forestry team.

Christmas all year round with Pellenc

“The team can be out in the field cutting with them constantly from 7am-5pm,” continued Adam. “Not one set has ever run out of battery on us – you could easily get two days’ work out of them.

“Originally, they were just purchased for bottom handling, but we have found a lot of other uses for them like clearing old fields, bottom handling very old trees, they can be used alongside marking trees, collecting branches and making Christmas wreaths.”

After working hard throughout the year, Adam sent the Prunions for an annual service at the expert Pelllenc technical centre in Edinburgh.

“I was very impressed with the service and it was all part of the warranty agreement,” he said. “I simply dropped them off locally to Agrovista Amenity and all five Prunions were back within a couple of weeks with new blades and in excellent condition ready to be put to work again.

“I’ve used electrics for quite a number of years for pruning and these are the best set I’ve ever come across,” Adam continued. “They are practical, easy to use, cost effective and function very well. They have proved to be an exceptionally good purchase.”

Pellenc products are exclusively distributed in the UK by Etesia UK.

For further information, please contact Etesia UK on 01295 680120 or visit www.pellencuk.com

You can also follow Pellenc on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram @PellencUK for much more news, reviews and insightful views.

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)

Jacobsen helps Hamilton Park race ahead

Christmas all year round with Pellenc

Jacobsen helps Hamilton Park race ahead

Christmas all year round with Pellenc

Full Sized Blog Element (Big Preview Pic)

Jacobsen helps Hamilton Park race ahead

Jacobsen helps Hamilton Park race ahead: Track Manager, Darren Bissett, says Hamilton Park’s turf will be more than ready for the start of their flat racing season scheduled to begin in May.

Christmas all year round with Pellenc

Christmas all year round with Pellenc: The battery-powered Pellenc Prunion pruning shears have proved to be instrumental in helping one of the UK’s largest Christmas tree growers.

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