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Royal Birkdale Gets Ready For The Open

May 18, 2017/in Events, Press Release/by Steve Mitchell

Royal Birkdale gets ready for The Open. Royal Birkdale Golf Club in Southport hosts the 146th Open Championship this July, which will be the 10th time it has been held at this stunning links course north of Liverpool. Since the first Open here in 1954, the course has been, alongside Royal Lytham, the most regular venue […]

New DX17Z Mini-Excavator Launched By Doosan

May 17, 2017/in Machinery, Press Release/by Mike Isherwood

New DX17Z Mini-Excavator Launched By Doosan. The new DX17Z mini-excavator from Doosan is ideal for rental and urban construction sites with limited space. It is designed for all types of applications that require frequent mobility, compact size, powerful performance and a comfortable working environment for continuous work on confined space sites. The 1.7 tonne DX17Z is a […]

Royal Birkdale Gets Ready For The Open

May 18, 2017/in Events, Press Release/by Steve Mitchell

New DX17Z Mini-Excavator Launched By Doosan

May 17, 2017/in Machinery, Press Release/by Mike Isherwood

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Royal Birkdale Gets Ready For The Open

May 18, 2017/in Events, Press Release/by Steve Mitchell

Since the first Open here in 1954, the course has been, alongside Royal Lytham, the most regular venue for the Championship other than St Andrews. Royal Birkdale will also be hosting the final of the R&A Nine Hole Championship on the Saturday before The Open.

As course manager for the past 22 years, this will be Chris Whittle’s third Open at Royal Birkdale, following two more when he was course manager at Muirfield and deputy at Royal Lytham. Chris has never worked on anything but links courses, and his experience of balancing the demands of the golf course with those of the land’s SSSI status is unparalleled.

Although he says the course set-up for 2017 will be very much the same as it was for the last Open here in 2008, there have been a few recent changes to the course maintenance equipment fleet supplied by local John Deere dealer Turner Groundscare of Tarvin in Chester, whose area sales manager Ian Roberts has been looking after Royal Birkdale on both the sales and service side for over 22 years.

Eight new 180SL walk-behind greens mowers have now replaced the previous 220C models, and have been joined by two new A Series machines, an 8000AE hybrid electric five-gang cylinder mower for the surrounds and an 8800A rough mower. Additional tournament support machinery and staff will be provided for The Open as required.

“Since the last Open at Royal Birkdale in 2008, we have worked very closely with Chris and his team to provide the key greenkeeping staff with technical training at John Deere’s Langar HQ, as well as specialist onsite training. This has been designed to help them become self-sufficient in all the main aspects of machinery servicing and maintenance, and understand how to optimise machine performance,” says John Deere territory manager Marcus Morris.

“This ongoing partnership between the club, John Deere and Turner Groundscare helps us all to achieve the best possible results where they matter, out on the course.”

On the newest machines in the fleet, which also includes greens/tees and fairway mowers, Chris Whittle says: “The new 180SL walk-behinds were recommended to me by John Deere and Turners when it came time to replace the older models, so we got the dealer to send us one on demonstration and it basically sold itself.

“The narrower working width means we get very accurate contour following on our undulating greens, and at John Deere’s suggestion we’ve also had them fitted with groomers, which we’ve never used before. These help to maintain the quality of cut and finish we’re looking for.

“We only use the 8800A rough mower on the semi-rough, as we never cut the rough at Royal Birkdale,” he adds. “This is generally used to mow at two heights, one at around 35mm and the other at around 70mm – it’s a Birkdale thing! We might widen this area from five to 10m if required for tournament purposes. Other than that nothing’s really changed much at all.”

Two new electric TE Gator utility vehicles have also been added to the fleet this year, which now includes three heavy-duty Pro Gators. One is equipped with an HD200 low-profile amenity turf sprayer, one with a cargo box and one with a Dakota top dresser. Aside from the course equipment, the main aspect of running an Open championship that has changed massively in Chris’ eyes is how much bigger the tournament has become – particularly the infrastructure that envelops the event, which had already started to go up on the course in late April.

“I went to Royal Troon last year and it was a real eye opener,” he says. “We always get plenty of experienced greenkeeping support for our team behind the scenes, though, and this year will be no different. All the Open venues send a representative, plus we have a mix of local course volunteers, R&A Scholars and our own Royal Birkdale Artisan Golfers on hand to help get the extra work done. In addition, BIGGA will be providing volunteers to rake bunkers with each match during the Open.

“There’s always a real family atmosphere around the course during the tournament, probably even more so this year as it will probably be my last Open. There will be people that I’ve worked with before at other courses, and some I’ve employed – one lad’s even coming over from Pinehurst Resort in the US, he’s from Southport originally and was a trainee here. It will be hard work, as usual, but I’m really looking forward to it, and to another successful Open at Royal Birkdale.”

New DX17Z Mini-Excavator Launched By Doosan

May 17, 2017/in Machinery, Press Release/by Mike Isherwood

The 1.7 tonne DX17Z is a Zero House Swing (ZHS) mini-excavator offering easy transportability and more functionality than a Zero Tail Swing (ZTS) mini-excavator, in that ZHS fully protects the front upper structure corners within the swing circle. As a result, ZHS functionality provides 320° of free rotation while working close to any object.

Best-in-Class Stability

The stability of the Doosan DX17Z is best-in-class compared to all other ZTS machines on the market as it is based on the following features:

• A retractable undercarriage – when fully retracted, the undercarriage allows the excavator to go through narrow spaces; and when fully expanded, it provides optimum stability for the excavator − especially when working over the side. Expansion and retraction are simple and easy via an electric switch on the control panel.

• Long dozer blade (optional) – as well as helping to perform dustpan operations, the optional long dozer blade also significantly improves front stability, enabling the operator to make full use of the breakout forces the DX17Z can deliver.

• Easy-to-operate durable blade extensions.

The extra stability is essential for making maximum use of the exceptional digging forces and lifting capacities available in the DX17Z. Optimum stability is achieved by fully expanding the retractable undercarriage and using the long dozer blade. With the firm foundation of optimised stability and lifting capacity, the DX17Z offers the highest versatility in operating a wide range of attachments.

With best-in-class stability, the DX17Z is ideally suited to picking up and placing heavy items with safety. In addition, the DX17Z can be supplied with an optional certified ‘object handling device’, which consists of:a boom load holding valve, arm load holding valve, hooking device and overload warning device.

The superior dumping height of the DX17Z makes loading trucks an easy process, while the reach at ground level means the operator does not have to reposition the excavator as often as other machines when digging.

Incorporating the architecture of a 2 tonne class hydraulic system, with a combination of variable piston pumps and a gear pump, the DX17Z’s unique hydraulic system makes the best possible use of the engine’s power. Fast cycle times, combined with smooth control of class-leading breakout forces, provide maximum productivity. Boom and arm cylinder cushioning – also unique in this machine class – enhance the overall smoothness of the workgroup.

Superior Operator Comfort

Comparing favourably with larger excavators, the DX17Z provides superior operator comfort for working hours at a time with protection, cover and excellent visibility provided by a large and spacious canopy; easy entry and exit; convenient space for the operator’s feet with ergonomic fold-away pedals; a flat floor for easy cleaning; smooth joysticks; access to all controls and cup holders.

The premium control panel makes it easy for the operator to access all vital information: auto engine shut-down, auto glow plugs countdown, auto cab lights switch-off, audible alarm (in case of malfunction) and the RPM meter. A battery kill switch helps prevent battery drain when storing, and is an effective way to prevent theft. An automatic slew brake ensures safe parking and transportation.

The DX17Z has a standard operating weight of 1749 kg and a maximum digging depth of 2249 mm. In accordance with European transport regulations, the maximum towable weight for a BE license is 3500 kg. With a transport weight of less than 1.65 tonne, the DX17Z is towable on trailers for 2200 kg of total weight. Transportability is made even easier with the integrated upper-structure tie-down points. An automatic slew brake helps facilitate safe parking and transportation.

Highly Robust and Easy to Repair

The use of highly durable materials ensures the DX17Z is highly robust and easy to repair. The design features are tested under extreme conditions – the heavy steel gauge covers and tailgate provide class-leading durability and peace of mind while working. Features include two-piece blade cylinder hoses to simplify replacement in case of damage; wrenchless hydraulic hose technology to help prevent leakage; proven boom and dipper-stick design; protected top-mounted boom cylinder; oversized cylinders for long lifetime performance; a new paint and surface treatment process for durability and extra residual value and a reinforced expandable undercarriage to maximise rigidity.

Thanks to the large steel tailgate and openable side cover, all components for daily maintenance are easy to access, keeping downtime to a minimum. Daily maintenance and service points are conveniently located for easy and immediate access. The side-by-side coolers are easy to clean. Simple diagnostics are used on the DX17Z, with error codes displayed on the control panel and service tool connection. The floor panels can also be removed rapidly for service purposes.

Half Sized Blog Element (Single Author Style)

Half Sized Blog Element (Multi Author Style)

Royal Birkdale Gets Ready For The Open

New DX17Z Mini-Excavator Launched By Doosan

Royal Birkdale Gets Ready For The Open

New DX17Z Mini-Excavator Launched By Doosan

Full Sized Blog Element (Big Preview Pic)

Royal Birkdale Gets Ready For The Open

New DX17Z Mini-Excavator Launched By Doosan

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