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Hunter I-80 impresses at London Stadium

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Hunter I-80 impresses at London Stadium: James Williams, Head Groundsman at the London Stadium, has praised the simplicity and efficiency of the new Hunter I-80 rotary sprinklers which were supplied by KAR UK.

Originally built to host London 2012, the Olympic Stadium, as it was formerly called, is now known as the London Stadium and is home to West Ham United FC – but that’s not all. The stadium also hosts UK athletics and concerts and has been a venue for the Rugby World Cup, The Race of Champions, Major League Baseball and the RFL Four Nations.

Hunter I-80 impresses at London Stadium

James, who started in the industry as an apprentice at Swansea FC, is now the man responsible for overseeing the maintenance of the pitch at arguably one of the most iconic stadia in the UK.

With a team of five, the young groundsman does a stellar job in keeping the pitch in immaculate condition despite the heavy usage but, ever the perfectionist, James is continuously looking at improvements he can make to raise the bar even higher. Therefore, when he felt that he wasn’t getting the best out of the previous irrigation system, he knew that it was time for a change.

James looked to see what was available on the market and it wasn’t long before a meeting with KAR UK was arranged. KAR is the UK’s leading wholesaler of irrigation equipment, and after admitting that he was hugely impressed with everything the company showed him, James’ attentions soon turned to a new Hunter Industries irrigation system which included the most technologically advanced commercial rotor on the market – the all-new I-80.

Engineered for sports turf, the I-80 is built with a robust, dirt-tolerant gear drive that offers the highest torque output of any rotor in the commercial sphere, and extends a radius range from 11.3 to 29.6 meters. The I-80 features a wide range of highly efficient, dual-trajectory, wind-fighting nozzles for highly efficient performance in a range of applications. It also provides total top serviceability (TTS) via its integrated, surface-mounted snap-ring for no-dig easy maintenance – something which James is particularly impressed with.

“It is just so simple – you can take off the turf caps and grow them in in a shed or under a light and then you can just put them straight back on. Even cleaning them is so much easier because you just whip them out like a normal sprinkler instead of having to dig them all out every time.”

James had eight I-80 rotors installed in the pitch and his system is further complimented by the ACC2 controller which is ideal for delivering advanced water management to meet the demands of large-scale commercial projects and the Roam remote – which eliminates the need to go back and forth to the sprinkler controller.

“This new Hunter system is so modern and advanced and the remote is brilliant,” he continued. “In the click of a button you can change the times of the sprinklers, so for instance, on a match-day we can water at half time as and when required.

“The ACC2 controller is also easy to use and that is what I wanted. I didn’t want it to be too technical because I want all of my staff to be able to use it as well as myself.”

James reported that the manager and players are pleased with the new system and he went further in explaining how he uses it in the run up to match-days.

“Obviously a lot of it is dependent on weather, but we tend to give the pitch around 8mm of water on a Thursday or a Friday to prepare the surface for a game. We will then give it a top up before kick-off and then again at half-time if it is required.

“I see it similar to the way you would build a sandcastle. If you use wet sand to build a sandcastle then it will hold it all together and you’ll have a good castle. If you use dry sand then it will just all fall out. It’s exactly the same with a football pitch – keep it wet and it will stay nice and firm and hold together.”

Hunter Industries is distributed in the UK by KAR UK. For more information, please visit www.karuk.com or www.hunterindustries.com.

You can also follow KAR UK on Twitter @KARUK_LTD for much more news, reviews and insightful views.

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Duncan Ross at Queen Elizabeth’s

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Duncan Ross at Queen Elizabeth’s: Queen Elizabeth’s Grammar School, Blackburn, aim to increase the use of their sports field using new primary and secondary drainage from Duncan Ross Ltd.

The pitches on the field are used every day throughout the school year and are home to two local football teams at the weekends, consisting of two adult teams and one junior section.

Duncan Ross at Queen Elizabeth’s

In the two years before the work, the pitches began to hold water during the winter months, preventing students using them regularly and causing fixtures to be called off.

Having recognised the issue, the school, through director of business and finance, Paul Atkinson, enlisted Professional Sportsturf Design (PSD) to carry out an initial survey of the site.

Paul explained: “There was an existing drainage system that had been installed several years ago, but it was no longer doing the job, and as a result, the pitches started to become unplayable in the winter. That then began to affect our students who couldn’t use them regularly and our income at the weekends because the fixtures would be called off.

“Now the pitches are looking fine, and we’re confident that they’ll be ready for the new school year. We did all the work in one go with a view to having them in operation for the academic year, which is the 2nd September 2019, and we’re confident that will be the case.

“Working with Duncan Ross has been very smooth. They stuck to the programme of works and kept us informed with what was going on. They worked well with our groundsman, and he was also kept informed about everything. He’s very happy, and he’ll start to mark the pitches out in the next couple of weeks, and he’s very confident that we’ll be playing on them in September. We’re looking forward to using the pitches all year round, especially throughout the winter months.”

The initial survey was done by PSD project manager, Mark Higgs, who recognised the need to install new pipe drainage to replace the older pipes that had become capped off over time. Secondary slit drains were also installed to make the pitches better equipped to deal with downpours and ensure water drained efficiently from the surface.

Duncan Ross at Queen Elizabeth’s

As well as the drainage work on the entire field, particular attention was paid to Pitch 1, the main match pitch, which had a layer of thatch. This pitch was fraise mowed with the Koro Field Topmaker to remove 85-90% of the existing vegetation before the pipe and slit drains were installed and the surface seeded.

Mark has now worked with Duncan Ross Ltd on a number of projects and commends Duncan’s ability to think on his feet and offer quick solutions when issues arise.

He said: “Duncan went to the site prior to the drainage installation and he had to dig down and prove some of the existing drainage. He phoned me straight away to tell me he’d found something that meant we had to adjust our specification slightly. What’s good when you’re dealing with Duncan is that he’ll improvise, he doesn’t just phone you up and say ‘that won’t work’, he’ll say ‘I’ve found this, it isn’t ideal, but I’ve thought about it, and this is how I think we can achieve the finish on the job’. That proactive approach makes the process a lot quicker and reduces any downtime, which means we’re able to meet our deadlines.”

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Allett’s electric avenue at SALTEX

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Allett’s electric avenue at SALTEX: Allett Mowers will be showing the latest battery powered mowers in the range on their stand K009 at Saltex and in the Eco Village.

The Uplift 86E is the new 82V li-ion battery powered stadium rotary mower, designed for debris collection after matches and built on the experience gained with previous models. It features twin contra rotating blades for a high lift cut and vacuum for increased efficiency, while a full width rear roller produces perfect stripes. The cutting width is 86cm (34”) and there is a single point, robust and effortless height of cut adjustment between 20mm – 50mm. A wide grass chute allows unimpeded grass collection and the moulded deck is constructed to optimize the airflow. The Uplift 86E power source is an 82V battery system which features four quick change battery docking stations and the mower can use any number of batteries from one to four. Batteries can be charged in 1.5 hours and they are interchangeable with the C34E in the Allett range. The batteries connect to a phone app via Bluetooth enabling the operator to check battery life, battery temperature and even the batteries’ location. There are three brushless motors for maximum efficiency and reliability, two powering the blades and one powering the rear roller. Using batteries as its power source the Uplift 86E is extremely quiet in operation with exceptionally low vibration for maximum user comfort and productivity.

Allett’s electric avenue at SALTEX

The Allett C34E on display is a large area walk-behind electric cylinder mower. Utilising the latest Lithium-ion battery technology it’s designed for quiet operation in sports stadiums, training grounds and for prestige lawns. One of the Allett range of eco-friendly professional mowers, it has all the power to run a series of interchangeable cartridges to verticut, rake, aerate and brush as well as mow with strong striping and an impeccable cut. Operation is easy with variable speed control of the cylinder and roller. The mower features extremely low Hand-Arm vibrations. Touch button control gives instant half speed reduction for controlled turning and manoeuvring around objects. Using battery power, there is no petrol with its associated storage and management issues. The C34E batteries are interchangeable with the Allett Uplift 86E eco-friendly battery powered mower.

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Relationships renewed at Glasgow Golf Club

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Relationships renewed at Glasgow Golf Club: Founded as a members club in 1787, Glasgow Golf Club is proud of its heritage as the ninth oldest golf club in the world. The club jointly operates its heritage parkland course at Killermont on the outskirts of the city and its championship Gailes Links Course on the Firth of Clyde at Irvine in Ayrshire.

Between them, course managers Brian Dickson at Glasgow Gailes and Stuart Taylor at Killermont have nearly 70 years of experience leading their respective greenkeeping teams. They have recently re-established their working relationship with local John Deere dealer Nairn Brown Ltd of Busby by investing in a John Deere Financial deal for new course maintenance equipment worth more than £1 million in total, spread over five years.

Relationships renewed at Glasgow Golf Club

The finance package, a mix of mostly contract hire plus some finance lease, includes John Deere’s PowerGard Maintenance and Protection Plus service and repair plans, which provide comprehensive, budgeted cover for the full five-year period.

A total of 19 John Deere machines plus a Tru-Turf greens roller were initially delivered this summer, with the greater number going into Glasgow Gailes. These include E-Cut hybrid electric triplex greens mowers plus PrecisionCut walk-behind greens mowers and fairway mowers, tees & surrounds and TerrainCut rotary rough mowers, two ProGator utility vehicles equipped with amenity turf sprayers (one featuring a Rogers covered spray boom), XUV Gators and 4R Series compact tractors.

“We’re constantly arranging demonstrations of various manufacturers’ machines to see what’s available on the market and keep up with the latest technology,” says Stuart Taylor. “John Deere has made a lot of changes and adaptations in recent years to make jobs more efficient, such as the A Model mowers’ TechControl display, rear roller power brushes on the reels and different size cutting heads to suit ground conditions and undulations better.

“The 2653B utility triplex mower, which we use with 30in heads for cutting round bunker edges in particular, has had some big changes to make it easier to operate, including the SpeedLink quick adjust cutting units for really fast height of cut changes. The quality of cut is very consistent and the mowers hold their cut without needing to make lots of adjustments.

“Greasing the mowers with groomers fitted used to be quite awkward, but John Deere has made the machines easier to service now. The sprayer is also easier to attach and detach as well as to operate, using the automatic rate controller.

Relationships renewed at Glasgow Golf Club

“As the customer we need to look at the bottom line very closely, and we found the John Deere Financial package very straightforward as well as competitive. It provided an excellent paper trail, and everything was laid out clearly with nothing hidden away – this made a big difference. John Deere may not make everything we need, but we’ve been able to mix and match and get the best deal for the club.

“We already knew Nairn Brown is first class at providing prompt service and repairs when necessary, and John Deere’s overnight parts delivery is second to none. When you’re dealing with a big contract like this one, it’s also important to build the right relationship – you need to be flexible, accommodating and to work together. Build in the right machines and backup service, and the whole package just looked to be the best and most attractive option.”

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Armorgard arrives in strength at SALTEX

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Armorgard arrives in strength at SALTEX: Armorgard is a  leading innovator for solutions that improve safety, productivity and efficiency. The selection of products at Saltex represents the Armorgard range of unique engineered tool vaults, van boxes, site boxes and other site storage.

Every product is exclusive to Armorgard and built on a strong foundation of security, with the highest reputation for strength, reliability and effectiveness. Landscapers, greenkeepers, groundsmen and contractors will find the Armorgard StrimmerSafe Rack upright storage system the ultimate protection for what are the most commonly stolen power tools. The multi-purpose rack keeps your brushcutters, hedge cutters and chainsaws under high security with twin 5-lever deadlocks, and the rack can be bolted to a wall for additional security.

Armorgard arrives in strength at SALTEX

Flambank FB2 is an ultra-tough, lockable vault for storing hazardous chemicals and flammables, specially designed to comply with all relevant COSHH regulations. TuffBank TB2 is a new and improved version of Armorgard’s best-selling tool and equipment storage solution, with hardened steel plates and anti-jemmy features making it virtually impossible to break into. Enhancement includes SlamStop for safety and PowerShelf to turn the product into a secure charging station.

The COSHH compliant Forma-Stor is a quick-assembly, modular storage unit purpose-designed for safe storage of hazardous substances on site. The flat-packed unit can be constructed in around ten minutes and features 30-minute fire resistance, air vents and a fully welded sump to prevent leaks into the environment. Anyone looking for a cost-effective, secure container for storing and transporting hazardous fuels and chemicals will find Armorgard’s TransBank is purpose-built for the task and meets full HSE regulations. Protection from theft, fire and leakage is secure with this heavy-duty steel plate container.

Also displayed at Saltex will be a FlamBank FBC4 which can be seen on the Tudor Environmental stand. All the products featured are designed by Armorgard’s great team and you’re invited to see for yourself on stand K189

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