Tag Archive for: Big

Big Plans For TinyLineMarker

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Big Plans For TinyLineMarker: The extraordinary levels of savings in time, resources and therefore money forecast by the investment in Rigby Taylor’s robotic TinyLineMarker (TLM) line marking machine will not only see Doncaster Metropolitan Borough Council’s Street Scene team achieve a return on investment measured in months, but the new-found efficiencies will also enable the operation to offer ultra-competitive line marking to sports facilities currently outside of the council’s remit.

With the maintenance of 92 pitches under their care, the Street Scene team – led by Operations Manager Darren Bisby – was formerly taking four man-hours (two men) to initial line mark each pitch (predominantly football) each week with the conventional 3/4/5 triangle method and string, using a total of eight men in four vehicles.

Big Plans For TinyLineMarker

Now, with TLM, one man is able to deliver the borough-wide service for line marking, taking just 20 minutes to mark a pitch – and Darren even suggests that a standard pitch can now be mowed and marked in less than an hour.

So, with 2,392 scheduled overmarkings across the pitches, 797 man-hours will effectively be put back into the Street Scene operation. With teammates released to perform other income-generating duties, the TLM operator can also now get on with other tasks during his visit – such as litter picking, goalpost strimming and divotting – while the robot is in action.

In addition, one vehicle has been removed from the fleet – saving several thousands of pounds on lease costs and around £900 on annual fuel plus any maintenance and repair costs.

Lightweight and easy to transport, TLM utilises the latest GPS technology with RTK receiver and antenna that connects with global satellites and mobile network connections. It takes the input of pitch line dimensions and multiple pitches via an App and re-positions them to best fit the site using Google Maps. Once stored, the lines are never lost, even if they disappear if a pitch is not used for any length of time.

Initial marking of a standard size football pitch ( by the Street Scene operator) takes less than 20 minutes, including all perimeter lines, penalty boxes, the ‘D’, centre circle, corner angles and penalty spot all with just one touch on the tablet control. Even pitches with fixed post sockets can be marked.

TLM is able to mark football pitches (any length/width), and rugby union and league pitches as well as multi-lane athletic tracks, tennis, lacrosse and American football pitches.

Today, each Street Scene pitch is marked every fortnight, with the paint being applied to grass rather than a burned-in line. “Because with TLM the lines will never be lost, a pitch can be rested or a line can be ‘mowed out’ without the need to re-string and measure and mark from scratch,” says Darren.

“To be confident of achieving the quality of line to fit our business model, we are now using a different paint dispensing nozzle (orange) to deliver 2.37 litres of paint per standard pitch based on 12 minutes spray time. This is more paint [approximately 25%] than before (using a red nozzle) which, depending on operator speed, used around 1.5 litres of paint.

“However, the red nozzle was applied when weekly marking burned-in lines – so, it is much more cost-effective to apply the paint at a higher rate to achieve a fortnightly schedule.

“We are continuing our use of Rigby Taylor’s ready-to-use Impact paint, which has proved that it produces bright white lines that last longer than other paints.”

After a three-year apprenticeship in groundsmanship, Darren joined the Council in 1985, continually progressing up the career ladder until his appointment last year as Operations Manager with a wide remit that includes street cleaning, playground repairs and graffiti removal as well as groundscare.

His investigations into the feasibility of using TLM mirrored the work he did when the council invested in iGO walk-behind line markers some years ago. This delivered tangible savings compared with conventional wheel transfer machines. This latest move, he adds, is a great example of how Street Scene and its operators have the willingness and flexibility to change – for the better.

“The move to TLM not only means huge efficiency and financial savings but it also generates more job satisfaction for the team; no longer are people required to monotonously line-mark every week.

“Another benefit of TLM is that we tick an environmental box by not having to burn-in lines (which do effectively create a ‘dent’ in the playing surface) and with one less van in the fleet have reduced our carbon footprint, too. Also, the robot does exactly what you ask it to do, without tea and lunch breaks!

“In the future,” Darren concludes, “TLM will likely also be applied to running tracks and for marking out our summer sports events (for example, javelin areas) and there’s no reason why we shouldn’t be offering line marking to other sites on a commercial basis.”

For more information, visit: www.rigbytaylor.com

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Make Light Work Of Big Spaces

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Make Light Work Of Big Spaces: Versatile and strong, the STIGA Tornado robust side discharge tractors can handle a variety of terrain, from private playing fields, paddocks, vineyards, orchards to undulating lawns in any season.

With hydrostatic transmission as standard and powered by Briggs & Stratton or Kawasaki high performance engines these mowers provide superior cutting with top mulching performance. Side discharge comes into its own in longer grass conditions and leaves a uniform finish where the grass has grown too long to mulch.  The mulching plug can easily be fitted allowing efficient recycling of grass clippings returning valuable nutrients into the soil

Make Light Work Of Big Spaces

Top of the range is the Tornado Pro 9118 XWS, featuring 4 wheel drive and is powered by a twin cylinder Kawaskai FS691V engine; built to tackle heavy duty tasks and challenging terrain.  The cast iron front axle and large heavy duty 121cm cutting deck with three untimed blades is driven using premium quality pulleys and a Kevlar reinforced belt that has been designed for intensive use.  The fully floating deck is constructed from steel that is 25% thicker than usual along with lateral structural reinforcements and 6 anti-scalp wheels.

The large 15 litre rear mounted fuel tanks give the freedom to operate for long periods without the need to refuel.  The selection of seasonal implements ranging from poly rollers, carts, sweepers and snow blades make these tractors extremely versatile; making light work of big spaces

For more information about the STIGA Tornado range please visit our website www.stigalawnmowers.co.uk or visit your local STIGA dealer.

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Ranger Brings Stars To The Big Screen

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Ranger Brings Stars To The Big Screen: “Camera rolling. Sound rolling. And ACTION!” When it comes to expertly setting the stage for movie stars and sporting legends, the Polaris RANGER EV is perfectly at home in the limelight. The film experts from HS-DynaX5 Cam Solution use this versatile, purely electrical all-rounder for TV productions as well as live broadcasts of top sporting events. With its quiet and locally emission-free electric motor, the RANGER EV offers unbeatable advantages on set. Equipped with HS-DynaX5 Cam Solution’s special camera system, a RANGER even stole the show itself at the NAB Show in Las Vegas, the world’s largest broadcast fair.

As a real all-rounder, the Polaris RANGER copes with every job. On-demand all-wheel drive means it’s at home on any terrain. What’s more, this versatile side-by-side boasts state-of-the-art technology and excellent production quality. More than a million buyers worldwide have already opted for a RANGER – meaning the off-road specialist has set a new record as the most successful Polaris series ever. In 2018 the model celebrates a special anniversary: It’s been 20 years since the RANGER first began inspiring workers, recreational drivers and sports enthusiasts around the globe. The utility vehicle (UV) has regularly demonstrated its enormous versatility over the past two decades. One current and particularly impressive example of this is the RANGER EV with electric motor: The team from HS-DynaX5 Cam Solution use it to expertly set the stage for stars from the big screen, television and sport.

Ranger Brings Stars To The Big Screen

“No exhaust fumes, no engine noise – this makes the Polaris RANGER EV perfectly suited to the film set,” explains Reiner Ellwanger, Managing Director of the Sinzheim-based company. Reiner Ellwanger is a true pro of the film business and specialises in professional tracking shot solutions. His RANGER EV has an ultra-modern, gyro-stabilised camera system that is operated from the passenger seat and is worth the equivalent of a fancy detached home. “Normally, if we were to drive alongside the protagonists during filming, engine noise would of course be a real nuisance. With the RANGER EV this simply isn’t a problem,” stresses Ellwanger. Another important plus is the emission-free motor. “We also use the RANGER EV at sporting events, from marathons to mountain bike races to horse riding. Here we get very close to the athletes with our camera. Thanks to the electric motor, the athletes are not exposed to exhaust fumes.” The RANGER EV is equally adept at mastering off-road shoots and applications with flying colours: “With its on-demand all-wheel drive, the Polaris offers us completely new possibilities in eventing, for example. We can effortlessly ride alongside the horses’ obstacle course. This allows us to provide viewers with breathtaking, varied shots and at the same time save on additional cameras.”

While the Polaris RANGER is usually making sure others show their best side, at the beginning of April it put itself in the limelight at the world’s largest broadcast show in Las Vegas: “The NAB Show is where the who’s who of the scene come together. We exhibited an identically constructed RANGER there, and the response was phenomenal. We had to answer all sorts of questions about the vehicle,” recalls Reiner Ellwanger.

The Polaris RANGER is currently available in a variety of different versions and with a number of seating solutions. Customers can choose between different vehicle configurations for use on snow, sand, in wooded areas or rocky mountain regions. The RANGER EV is propelled by a modern, 30 HP, 48V induction motor. Thanks to on-demand all-wheel drive and the VersaTrac Turf Mode – where the rear-axle differential distributes the power to the two rear wheels as needed – the versatile UTV will reach its destination even on rough terrain and is gentle on the ground at the same time. In addition to the electric version, Polaris offers petrol and diesel engines for the RANGER that are powerful and efficient in equal measure.

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Flood Water Just A “Big Puddle”

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Flood Water Just A “Big Puddle”: Tim Packwood, head groundsman at Worcestershire CCC, has seen plenty of floods during his 29 years on the club’s staff. This one, he says, is just a “big puddle”.

With the county’s first home game of the Championship season just three short weeks away, New Road’s location on a floodplain has come back to haunt the Pears again, with the overflow feeding back across the ground to leave 95 per cent of the outfield lying beneath floodwater up to four feet deep.

Flood Water Just A "Big Puddle"

While the sight of his square completely underwater may be familiar to Packwood, to the outside world it remains inconceivable that first-class cricket will be played on one of those very wickets when Nottinghamshire visit in Division One on April 27.

However, the man in charge of getting the ground fit for competitive action is defiant.

“It is a flood but you look at it and as a groundsman you just think of it as a big puddle,” he told The Cricketer on Friday, as he looked out on the flooded outfield.

“That’s how I’d see this compared to most floods.

“The worst ones have had the roads closed and it’s been up over the roof of the marquee.”

The Worcestershire groundstaff need a minimum of two weeks to get the playing surface ready for that opening game, leaving seven days for the outfield to dry up.

Providing there is not an abundance of sediment left on the square, the mop-up job should be fairly routine.

If that is not possible, the match will be relocated to the Worcester Royal Grammar School nearby.

Packwood’s biggest irritation seems to be the hokey-cokey of machinery, which had only emerged from storage earlier in the week before having to be packed up again days later.

“Most of the lads have been on the groundstaff for quite a long time now and they know the floods are one of those things. You can’t do anything about it; if we could stop it we would,” he said.

“You don’t want it at this time of year but I’ve seen many a flood. You build a cricket ground on a floodplain, you take the rough with the smooth.

“As soon as it does start to go up, we’ll be doing our best to make sure we have something ready for April 27. Everybody would still like to make sure the game is still on here.

“It’s entirely down to Mother Nature now. We don’t flood directly from the river, being on the floodplain all the water backs up over the fields and we are the last stop.

“Although the river is starting to drop, it’s got to drop enough for all the ditchwater to go off. It could be done by Sunday, it could even linger around for another week.”

Provided the water subsides, the flood could even benefit Packwood’s preparations, as ridiculous as it sounds, with the weight of water compressing the wicket and aiding in the rolling process.

Still, the clean-up is hardly ideal so close to the new campaign.

Packwood points out, however, that he is not the only one battling the elements in the wake of a winter full of heavy rain and snow.

“Every county groundsman at the moment is working against it. Hats off to every groundsman,” he said.

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Industry Award Brings Big Benefits

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Industry Award Brings Big Benefits : The Toro Student Greenkeeper of the Year Award, which is now in its 29th year, is recognised and respected across the greenkeeping industry for discovering the most promising talent in the country, thanks to the support of the profession’s college lecturers.

Here we speak to John Millen, sportsturf tutor at Plumpton College, someone who has witnessed firsthand the benefits of a student being nominated and winning the acclaimed award:

Industry Award Brings Big Benefits

“I have nominated a student most years I have been a lecturer and that’s more years than I care to remember! There are plenty of good reasons for this. To start with the award generates career interest and that’s something I wholeheartedly support. I think more needs to be done to push greenkeeping as a viable career option and this is one way to do that.

“It’s also a positive way to promote the college. It’s important for students coming into college to see the success and recognition of their course peers and be confident that their college is going to support them too, in any way it can. I believe being consistently attributed to such an award as a nominator will attract more people to the course and college.”

This year was the first year that the award had opened up nominations to employers, and having been a course manager himself for many years, this is a development John welcomed.

“I think of this industry as one big family; we all play a part in supporting the next generation, nurturing them and helping them achieve their goals. As such I don’t think it makes a difference who nominates the student, it’s just important that we all keep spotting the talent and not assuming someone else will.”

In fact, this year’s winner, Nick Machin, was nominated by his employer, the course manager at Royal Cinque Ports Golf Club, a decision supported by John as Nick’s lecturer at Plumpton College. David Cole, managing director of the award sponsor Reesink Turfcare, reiterates: “This year’s winner Nick didn’t just prevail through his own efforts, but through the support of his employer and educators. Nick has benefitted from the excellent support of his employer and we are pleased to recognise Plumpton’s important influence on his career to date. It’s a successful combination.”

Not only has John been a lecturer and a course manager, but he was also chairman of the British and International Golf Greenkeepers Association (BIGGA) in 1994, so it goes without saying that anything developing the profession of greenkeeping is a good thing in his eyes. “Education and training are paramount in any industry, no matter whether you are fresh out of college or, like me, decades into your career,” he says.

With the paid-for prize of a scholarship to the University of Massachusetts, which consistently ranks in the top 100 of The World’s Most Innovative Universities, for the winner and a trip to the Golf Industry Show in America for the student and nominator, there’s huge benefits at stake here, as John confirms:

“Having been to the show as a result of one of my nominations, I can vouch that it’s an incredible show; the learning experiences, whether you are a lecturer or employer, are fantastic and well worth the application form!”

For more information, visit: reesinkturfcare.co.uk

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