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Lawn Care Legends Back At SALTEX

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Lawn Care Legends Back At SALTEX: The Lawn Care Legends networking event for landscapers and gardeners will be returning to SALTEX 2019 – which takes place on 30 and 31 October at the NEC, Birmingham.

The Legends will be back in full force and will be even bigger with hundreds of attendees expected and over £2500 worth of prizes to be won.

Lawn Care Legends Back At SALTEX

The online Facebook group provides a daily opportunity for all landscapers and gardeners to showcase their work and knowledge and ultimately support one another. It consists of nearly 5,000 members featuring solo operators, small to medium size business owners, professionals and aspiring volunteers.

After celebrating a hugely successful SALTEX 2018, the group has seen a meteoric rise in popularity. Since last year’s event the group has been invited to host a networking event at the Green Industry and Equipment Expo (GIE) in the USA and an increase in machinery reviews, factory visits and interviews with key industry experts are readily available through the group’s social networks and an all-new online TV channel will be launching in 2020.

Founder of Lawn Care Legends, John Ryan, revealed that the group’s membership has significantly increased and that a number of landscapers and gardeners will be travelling from afar to attend the networking event at SALTEX 2019.

“Our membership base keeps rising and I’m expecting a huge turnout at SALTEX this year. Members will be travelling to the NEC from Greece, Ireland, Northern Ireland, Norway, France and Canada. You don’t have to be a member of the Facebook group to join us at SALTEX – in fact I would encourage anyone who is involved in landscaping or gardening to come along and participate because they could really benefit from the networking event.”

“Our aim is to help and support anyone involved in the industry,” he said. “So, we are planning to include information on marketing your business, pricing a job and how social media is a growing part of the industry.

“We are also very passionate about mental health issues too. Since being in the industry I have seen just how much it impacts daily lives. Over the past year, we have been encouraging members to openly talk about their struggles and to help one another.”

After a complimentary lunch at the networking event on Wednesday 30 October, the Legends will be hosting their annual awards ceremony. The competition, which is open now, has been created to celebrate the outstanding work of landscapers and gardeners. The Legends are encouraging everyone in the industry to submit up to three pictures which showcase the quality of their work.

The pictures can be posted in the Facebook group (www.facebook.com/groups/lawncarelegends) or through Twitter and Instagram by using the hashtag #LCLSALTEX19. A shortlist will then be created and the winners will be announced at the event.

The prizes will include:

  • Shaft drive lawnmower
  • Professional hedge trimmer
  • Multitool kit
  • Aluminium adjustable tripod ladders
  • Bluetooth noise cancelling ear plugs
  • Strimmer line spool rack with line cutter

Lawn Care Legends LIVE will take place on 30 October at 2:00pm in concourse suites 22 and 23 by the SALTEX entrance.

Visitors can register to attend SALTEX for FREE via the website – www.iogsaltex.com

Follow SALTEX on Twitter @IOG_SALTEX and Facebook – www.facebook.com/IOGSALTEX

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GM3 At West Herts 50 Years On

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GM3 At West Herts 50 Years On: The first Toro Greensmaster 3 ride-on mower was sold to the West Herts Golf Club in Hertfordshire in 1969. And fifty years later the GM3 is back at the club where it all began, united with the person who sold it all those years ago.

Rochelle Bedford, marketing manager at Reesink Turfcare, the sole Toro distributor in the UK for golf and sports fields equipment and irrigation products, says: “As Toro celebrates its centennial milestone serving the golf industry across the world, it encouraged us to look back at how it all began for Toro in the UK.

Andy Smith – Course Manager and John Cockburn – (former) Oliver Landpower

 

“We discovered that the very first GM3 sold in the UK was still going 50 years later! Also uncovered was the club that bought the machine and who sold it!”

The person in question, John Cockburn, tells us how it all came about: “I was working for Flymo in 1968 when I was told we’d be receiving a prototype of a new machine to trial and debut at a three-day exhibition in Meyrick Park in Bournemouth. That machine was the Toro Greensmaster 3.

“I was working with two demonstrators, Graham Pooley and Geoff Urquhart, at the time and seeing as none of us had used the machine, we decided to ask Meyrick Park Golf Club, which neighboured the exhibition centre, if we could trial the machine there. They kindly said yes, so early in the morning of the first day of the show we cut all the greens at the club to see how the machine performed.

“We were all really impressed, and with a better knowledge of how well the machine worked we cleaned it down and returned it to our show stand. We were able to demonstrate the machine with more confidence and got good feedback from customers.”

And it was this positive response which led to Flymo ordering 14 machines when they launched, the first of which John promptly installed at West Herts Golf Club. Many things have changed over the years, but there are some constants. Installation training upon delivery and the brand’s reputation for producing long-lasting, reliable mowers to name just a couple.

John says: “The machines proved to be extremely reliable, doing a first-class job and quickly building up a good reputation. We easily sold all 14 of the GM3 mowers in that first year, along with others that followed.”

Andy Smith, course manager at West Herts Golf Club since 1993, says it was a ‘blast from the past’ having the GM3 back at the club: “Seeing the GM3 really took me back to how things used to be. West Herts is a Toro club through and through. From the very beginning it recognised the quality of Toro and all these years later, we still consider it to be the brand to be beaten.”

In the early-80s Lely UK, as now Reesink, took over the distribution of Toro and what has built up since is a reputation centered on reliability, durability and support, says David Cole, managing director of Reesink.

“The Toro Greensmaster 3 was an innovative ride-on product born from Toro’s established golf focus and it projected the brand into the UK as a producer of high quality, innovative golf equipment. Since then a mutual trust has developed between our customers, us as distributor and Toro which can be truly viewed as a partnership. We’re extremely proud to have represented Toro and its product values for so many years and we thank our UK golf customers for their long-standing loyalty, confidence and trust.”

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PSD’s Landscaping Solutions At SALTEX

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PSD’s Landscaping Solutions At SALTEX: PSD Groundscare are giving visitors to Saltex the opportunity to view a fantastic range of innovative, time-saving solutions to assist with a host of landscaping requirements including the launch of the next evolution in green waste shredding from innovative Belgium manufacturer Eliet, that follows the proven Eliet shredding principle and gives improved functionality and performance.

From the management of long grass and banks mowing, general turf care or the disposal of green waste from the maintenance of trees and hedges, the PSD range of niche specialist landscaping equipment has an unrivalled range of products, all designed to improve productivity and performance in a multitude of grounds maintenance and turf care operations.

PSD's Landscaping Solutions At SALTEX

Showcasing on the stand will be a range of high-quality machinery to manage the challenge of long grass and banks mowing including the New Taurus 2-wheel tractor with optional remote control functionality from innovative German manufacturer Koppl. This addition to the range is popular with local authorities and contractors and is capable of operating on slopes up to 120% (50°) and is equipped with the Köppl Easy-Drive as standard. A new feature is the finger joystick control on the handlebar, which can be used to conveniently (both forwards and backwards) control the shift of the implement’s centre of gravity.

Visitors will also be able to view the AS Motor AS 1040 Yak ride-on flail mower with benefits including a flail rotor drive which diminishes the need for path overlap and guarantees high work rates, reaching 6,800 m²/h and, making it a highly efficient alternative to traditional rotary mowing.

For efficient lawn and turfcare maintenance, PSD will showcase a number of machines that expands the Eliet range; including the Turfaway 600 turf cutter, which is highly effective for major lawn renovation and complete reconstruction. Its’ unique concept allows the user to quickly loosen a complete layer of turf with precision, in to 60 cm wide sods. In addition, visitors will be able to view the new Eliet self-propelled C550 scarifier, with a collection feature which gathers discarded material into narrow rows for easy disposal, reducing the cleaning-up process time by 50% and the DZC600 Pedestrian overseeder which is fast becoming the machine of choice of groundsmen and contractors when renovating sports turf or ornamental lawns.

PSD also offer a comprehensive range of debris clearance machinery including the lightweight and agile AS30 E battery powered weedbrush from AS Motor, a timesaver when it comes to removing weeds on uneven surfaces such as cobblestones, along walls and kerb stones, and in narrow areas. With a quiet rechargeable battery drive, the machine is highly effective in residential areas and hospitals, where noise can be a concern.

PSD also offer a range of innovative green waste shredders, capable for dealing with material up to 6 inch with wheeled, tracked and trailed models.

Chris Gibson (Managing Director) of PSD Groundscare said:

“We are exceptionally excited about our attendance at Saltex this year, and we are very much looking forward to unveiling our innovative new products. We believe that the new additions to our range will ensure we continue to be able to offer machinery that revolutionise groundscare and maintenance.

“Saltex is the perfect place for the unveiling of the exciting new machine from Eliet, as it is arguably the industry’s show stopper event. It’s part of our ethos to speak to our customers face-to-face wherever possible and with over 8,000 attendees expected, it will be the perfect platform to show what PSD Groundscare has to offer”.

PSD Groundscare will be exhibiting on stand G120

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STIHL’s Pro Products At SALTEX

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STIHL’s Pro Products At SALTEX: STIHL will be showcasing an array of new products at this year’s Saltex exhibition, the UK’s largest event for the grounds care sector, offering professional users more options than ever before to tackle the toughest jobs.

Taking centre stage will be a preview of STIHL’s new RMA 765 V PRO mower, which will be the latest addition to STIHL’s expanding range of high-performance professional models. Packed with innovative features, the new cordless mower is designed with a 63cm magnesium twin blade cutting deck, height adjustable front wheels for zero turn, and variable speed, controlled via the digital cockpit. In addition, the solid mono handlebar ensures users can empty the tough fabric 80-litre grass catcher box with ease.

STIHL's Pro Products At SALTEX

Visitors to the stand will be able to see up close the new MSA 220 C-B, the most powerful cordless chainsaw in the STIHL range. Powered by a 36 V Lithium-Ion battery, the new saw comes as standard with the STIHL exclusive 3/8” Picco Super 3 (PS3) full chisel saw chain with a guide bar length of 35cm/14”. The powerful MSA 220 C-B makes quick work of any task and guarantees consistently high-quality cutting performance for felling, snedding, firewood processing and much more, regardless of the battery charge level.

The new STIHL BR 800 C-E will also be on display, the latest addition at the top of the range of innovative and high-performance blowers. Producing an impressive blowing force of 41N, the 80cc STIHL 4-MIX® engine runs on a fuel-oil mix just like a 2-stroke model and offers the benefits without the compromises of 4-stroke power. The STIHL 4-MIX® engine provides fast acceleration, more power, added torque, and lower noise during operation to complete jobs quickly and more easily. In addition, the engine offers reduced emissions and increased fuel efficiency.

To make getting up and running even easier, the BR 800 C-E is designed with a convenient starting system featured on the side of the machine, allowing users to re-start the blower while wearing it. The simplified starting system also features an automatic choke reset and a switch position on the control handle that is always ‘ON’, ensuring that the professional user can start the BR 800 C-E with ease.

For more information please visit www.stihl.co.uk.

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Toro On Board At Chigwell GC

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Toro On Board At Chigwell GC: Chigwell Golf Club in Essex has taken delivery of its second Toro fleet as it proves itself a winner in the eyes of its membership.

For a golf club managed by its membership, investment in the course is central to achieving a happy collective says course manager Jeff Foulger: “We have an active membership who are very much involved in the decision-making of the club, along with the board of directors and general manager Ben Driver. When the members were presented with the five-year plan for the course, which had been put together by a special committee made up of members and included further investment in Toro machinery, the membership agreed it by a landslide. The plan highlighted the positive difference Toro machinery had made and would continue to make to the course.”

Toro On Board At Chigwell GC

And not just that, but when you consider the main points of the plan, which includes maximum course playability all year round, quality greens, tees and fairways, and bunker maintenance and improvement, alongside the usual course management and maintenance work, it’s clear to see that Toro is integral to all.

Jeff continues: “We need Toro on board to help us tackle the plan, there’s no two ways about it. There’s a lot to do but it’s all achievable with the seven-strong team we have here and a reliable fleet of equipment on board.”

And joining the club in this latest fleet deal, delivered by Reesink Turfcare, is a Toro TriFlex 3420, Groundsmaster 3500-D, three Greensmaster Flex 2120 pedestrian mowers, two Greensmaster pedestrian mowers, a Workman MDX-D utility vehicle and a Pro Force debris blower.

With a CV including top international clubs it’s a role Jeff, who joined the club three years ago, is taking in his stride. “This role at Chigwell Golf Club sees me return home and come full circle career-wise. Not only is it my home club, but it’s where I started my career.”

And it’s a career which has taken him all over the world to the likes of Augusta National Golf Club in Georgia, USA and K Club in County Kildare, Ireland, and Jeff continues: “I’m really excited to be back where it all began, I can’t wait to bring some of the different aspects and ideas I’ve learnt from some of the best clubs in the world to my home club.”

Chigwell Golf Club has also undertaken a major course review with the original course designers who have made recommendations for improvements, while retaining the fundamental character of the course.

Jeff concludes: “The board of club directors has prioritised available revenue for the continued development of our course, which is regarded as our prized asset. That’s an exciting position to be in and one of great responsibility, but with all the right partners on board such as Toro and Reesink, it’s entirely achievable.”

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