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GXi8 HD a difference at Banchory GC

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GXi8 HD a difference at Banchory GC: Three years ago, an Aberdeenshire golf club with a keen focus on ecological, environmental and sustainable best practice, chose a Wiedenmann Terra Spike GXi8  HD deep aerator. It was the first purchase made by the then newly appointed course manager at Banchory GC, Richard Mullen.

“Aeration needed to be done quickly without compromising standards.  The GXi8 meant we could reduce operator time, reduce fuel and importantly use just one machine,” said Richard Mullen.

GXi8 HD a difference at Banchory GC

Banchory GC sits on the banks of the River Dee, in the heart of Royal Deeside. In the last year the club has received huge plaudits for its biodiversity initiatives in creating both an excellent golfing surface and a welcoming habitat for nature.

“We didn’t start off as a GEO certified golf course when the aerator arrived and we certainly weren’t sustainable. Now three years down the line we’re getting better. The fungicide usage has been reduced by half and we haven’t used any insecticides at all in that time,” he continued.

“We’re like a links course inland. We share many characteristics of a links course.  We’ve sandy soil and the terrain has been naturally formed.  It’s maybe not the largest of courses but the GXi8 goes everywhere; wall-to-wall if you like, fairways, greens, tees, approaches; it misses nothing.

“On any modern course, golfers hate the sight of holes. Frequently it’s so clean our golfers are unaware we’ve actually been out.  If your golfers aren’t noticing holes then that’s a huge bonus. Instantly you’ve got more options. “

Wiedenmann’s GXi8 HD offers a patented Advanced Tine Control (ATC) system. ATC controls the entry point of the tine into the turf. All moving parts of the system like springs and heave linkages are positioned behind covers at the front of the machine away from the workings and ‘dirt area’. Wear and tear is reduced and the covers help quieten the machine.  The centre of gravity being closer to the tractor makes it exceptionally stable.   The tines on the GXi are nearer to the front roller ensuring a uniform job as the spiking action is exceptionally precise and accurate.  Constant hole-spacing is maintained even at high fast forward speed so when following the contours of the ground the quality of work does not falter.

“In a year the GXi8 can be out about 50 times but all the while helping the soil biology of our site.  It’s not uncommon for us to give the greens two passes, using 14mm solids, one at 5mm with 75mm centres and then 200mm deep with 10% heave at 50mm centres. Any oxygen can then be used by plants roots and soil microbes during respiration while carbon dioxide is released allowing nutrient uptake”

Richard, working with just two other colleagues, has made huge strides which have been welcomed by the local community. Already in 2019 Banchory has been a finalist in the 2019 Golf Environment and 2019 inspiring Aberdeenshire Awards.

“With a small team you appreciate the versatility and the ease of use of the GXi8.  There’s nothing time consuming about the machine at all. You can be doing fairways with 20mm tines then later in the session be on greens with 8 mm tines. Switching tines is super-fast. Indeed if we had a different type of deep aerator I don’t think we would get half the things done that we achieve at the moment.  It makes that big a difference to us.” concluded Richard Mullen.

Local dealer Fairways GM supplied the club with their Wiedenmann aerator. Banchory GC also has a Wiedenmann Super 500 and Whisper Twister in its fleet.

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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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Ransomes Jacobsen at Newcastle United

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Ransomes Jacobsen at Newcastle United: Since 2002 the pitches at Newcastle United’s Darsley Park training ground have been cut with Ransomes and Jacobsen mowers.

Currently, three LF570s and five Mastiffs are used to cut the 13 pitches that are maintained by head groundsman, Mick Curran, and his staff with two of the original Mastiffs from 2002 still in use.

Ransomes Jacobsen at Newcastle United

Through the years Newcastle’s ride-on fleet has graduated through the LF range, and it is the new features and excellent service from Ransomes Jacobsen dealer, Rickerby, that has kept Mick cutting with orange and green for almost three decades.

“I started off with the LF’s in 2002, and they’ve got better as the years have gone on,” Mick said. “On the newer model you can set the reel speed and forward speed, so if I think the lads are cutting too fast, I can peg them back, and that’s a big point. It helps with the consistency of cutting across the site, and the cut we get from the mowers is first-class.

“Reliability, quality of cut and being able to get spare parts easily has kept me using them for 17-years along with the service and back-up we’ve received from Rickerby which has been excellent.

“It’s very important for us if we get a break down in the summer when we’re cutting 24/7 that we can get a part or have it fixed as soon as possible. Nine times out of ten they’ll be out the same day sorting the problem, and that really is important for us.”

While the LF570’s are in action for the summer, once winter rolls around the Mastiffs take over. Like most training grounds, Mick is under pressure to keep the pitches cut and ready for use, and the warmer wet weather in September and October 2019 has highlighted the importance of having reliable pedestrian machines.

“The little club I started at had Mastiffs, so I’ve been brought up on them. It’s in wet conditions like we’ve had over September and October this year that the Mastiff’s really work well for us. The quality of cut is second to none, the finish has always been good, the blade setting and height of cut is dead easy to set, and the maintenance of them is easy as well.

“We need the reliability from the mowers because if you get behind it can be really difficult to catch up. We’ve had horrendous weather in these last two weeks, and the grass is still ticking away where you need to cut it twice a week. So, when you get that sort of weather this time of year, and you can’t cut for two or three days you start falling behind.

“In the winter, we put the LF’s away, they get cleaned down and serviced, and we get the Mastiff’s out. We use them in the winter when the grass isn’t growing as much, and you’re looking to avoid stressing the turf and using the pedestrian machines rather than the ride-ons is perfect for that.”

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Big turn out for Ariens at SALTEX

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Big turn out for Ariens at SALTEX: AriensCo returned to Saltex this year with several professional zero-turn models from their range, including the new ZENITH 60 mower.

The company says the show was exceptional for its number of visitors to their stand and the quality of the leads taken, which will be passed on to the dealer network. The Ariens zero-turns also drew a great deal of attention from prospective dealers interested in selling both the professional and domestic machines.

Big turn out for Ariens at SALTEX

“We had a large number of dealers come to the stand to talk about the market for zero-turns,” says Ariens Area Sales Manager, Richard Williams, “and end-users and contractors wanting to know about the potential benefits of using the machines. It was the first time we have shown the new Zenith, which is one of the zero-turn mowers we are manufacturing in the UK.” Ariens is the only zero-turn manufacturer in Europe and made the decision to produce a number of models in Britain based on the fast-growing demand experienced over recent years.

“Users are drawn to our zero-turns for their comfort, durability and above all, cost-effectiveness,” says Richard, “their speed and large deck sizes make a very big saving in time and that in-turn contributes substantially to the cost of the machine.” These features and benefits very much apply to the all-new Ariens ZENITH 60 which is designed for the professional who wants everyday use from their mower. It offers commercial-grade features and outstanding performance with its large 152cm (60”) cutter deck and faster ground speed. AriensCo points out that this commercial quality, the durable industry-leading steel frames and high performance apply across the entire Ariens range of zero-turn mowers.

Also on show at Saltex were two new Ariens concept machines. These were very well received, enjoying a great deal of positive feedback from visitors to the Ariens stand. These machines are currently being considered for the European market. Ariens zero-turns are manufactured in their UK plant. The complete range of products, including walk-behind mowers and snow throwers, is sold through approved dealers.

For more information visit ariens-uk.com or call 01844 278800.

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