Tag Archive for: Fleet

Replay expands UK operations with Kubota FC3-221e Fleet

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Replay expands UK operations with Kubota FC3-221e Fleet: One of the UK’s leading synthetic surface maintenance specialists has further strengthened its operation with the addition of five Kubota FC3-221e units, equipped with an out-front artificial brush.

Emerging from the pandemic with rapid growth and new investment, Replay Maintenance are now well placed to service the needs of close to 1,000 facilities nationwide – with the functionality and efficiency of the new Kubota fleet continuing a legacy of more than two decades of reliable service from their Gianni Ferrari units.

Replay expands UK operations with Kubota FC3-221e Fleet

Replay expands UK operations with Kubota FC3-221e Fleet

With customers ranging from schools and universities, MOD bases, leisure centres and private sports venues, Replay have doubled their workforce since 2020 as the company continues to secure major contracts throughout the UK. “Over the years we’ve learned exactly what we need from our equipment, to keep the growing operation working effectively” explains Managing Director Nick Harris. “Our machines need to be powerful enough to perform, but light and portable enough to transport easily and simple to operate enabling our field teams to work independently.”

Replay found a perfect match with Gianni Ferrari units but welcomed Kubota’s acquisition and subtle evolution of the product line – with the five Kubota FC3-221e machines working as part of a total fleet of 16. Working closely alongside Kubota’s product development team, the FC3-221e’s have been adapted to fully meet the needs of the artificial market, ensuring Replay keep operational consistency across the fleet, avoiding retraining of staff and ensuring a seamless transition for customers.

“Kubota really listened to our feedback to make sure the FC3-221e’s tick every box for us. They’re reliable, efficient and robust enough for the daily cleaning, decompacting, brushing and infill-redistribution on sand-filled, sand-dressed and 3G pitches” Nick says. “The new units retain all the same important performance characteristics, with the added bonus of some adaptations to make for a more comfortable ride and visually more attractive machine.”

With demand high, the plan is to renew more machines over the coming years, with the Kubota FC3’s central to the growth of Replay’s new localised, regional hub strategy. In addition to their core maintenance offering, new services such as their ‘Lift and Recycle’ programme are leading the industry in a sustainable, ‘cradle to grave’ approach. “With innovation, investment and Kubota technology, we’re in a fantastic position to continue setting the benchmark for synthetic surface management in the UK.”

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Dyrham Park elevates standards with new fleet

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Dyrham Park elevates standards with new fleet: After seven years as Golf Course Manager at Dyrham Park Country Club, Dan Szwajbak knows exactly what his course, and team, need to perform at their best.

With an 18-hole private members course, practice facilitites and regular weddings and events, presentation is demanded year-round – making reliability, performance and aftersales support absolutely criticial. Delivering on all fronts is a new suite of equipment installed in August 2025 by George Browns.

Dyrham Park elevates standards with new fleet

Dyrham Park elevates standards with new fleet

The club, located in Barnet, had long relied on the same brand of cutting equipment, however, when the cut performance and aftercare no longer matched their needs, Dan felt the time was right to explore other options. “A mower is a mower, but a big part of the buying process is knowing that the people selling it can really support you afterwards” he explains.

Through previous demonstrations and a delivery of hand mowers by George Browns, Dan and the team became confident with both the dealership and the Baroness brand. “The price point is good and the machines offer us more in terms of cut quality and reduced maintenance.” This led to the most recent delivery of an LM311 triple greens mower, an LM551 fairway mower and GM2810 for roughs in the summer of last year.

The impact, Dan says, was almost instant. “We were getting feedback from the members about the noticeable improvement in cut and presentation and, from our side, we noticed the bed knives staying on cut much longer – even through the winter and on heavier ground – reducing the downtime for us which is important as a small team with no dedicated mechanic.”

The greens mower is out daily through the spring and summer, fairways are cut three times a week and rough cutting is completed on a two-day cycle. Also delivered, and quickly becoming the main mode of safe transportation of team members, materials and hand-held equipment around the site, are a pair of Kubota RTVX1110’s.

In addition to machine performance, importantly, the whole process has been smooth and hassle-free. “We haven’t had any complaints. Thanks to the support of David Fisher at George Browns, the transition for the team has been incredibly straight forward.” He summarises, “When you’re spending significant amounts of money, aftercare is hugely important and with George Browns we have the reassurance that the support is there should we ever need it. The machines are excellent with the service to match!”

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The Show Goes On with Kubota Fleet at The NEC

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The Show Goes On with Kubota Fleet at The NEC: A fleet of 30 G261 units from Kubota’s G-Series are helping to keep waste and facilities services on track at one of the country’s leading exhibition centres. The delivery from Hunts Engineering to The NEC Birmingham in March 2025 was well received by Darren Hawkins, Head of Soft Services, and a large team of OCS Group operatives who are now benefitting from Kubota comfort, convenience and reliability across the NEC, Vox Conference Centre and BP Pulse Arena.

OCS Group have been responsible for cleaning, waste, cloakrooms, portering and the wider estates at the NEC Group’s venues since 2012. Encompassing five venues in total, the need arose to replace the vehicles which are pivotal to the maintenance operation at three of the campus’s busiest sites. “We narrowed our search down to two brands before speaking to Richard Lucas from Hunts Engineering who brought us a Kubota G261 on demonstration” explains Darren. “We really put the machine through its paces, determined to find the limits of its capability and quite quickly discovered it could deliver everything our previous machines could with the added benefit of fantastic support from Richard and the team.”

The Show Goes On with Kubota Fleet at The NEC

The Show Goes On with Kubota Fleet at The NEC

With a couple of additional bespoke features – such as the fitting of amber safety beacons – to ensure the G261’s were fully fit for purpose, the first delivery of 20 units was made in March 2025, later joined by an additional 10 in July. “Their main task is to tow 1280 litre bins to various points, collecting litter and other waste during event build ups and breakdowns. As the old saying goes ‘the show must go on’ whether we’ve got machines to collect the litter or not so reliability is critical for us. So far, the Kubota’s haven’t missed a beat.”

The reliability of the fleet of G261’s reaffirms the sentiments of the NEC Estates Team, who have benefitted from the trusty power and performance of a Kubota M5-092 for the last 18 months. “It was the positive feedback from the Estates Department that really spurred me on to look at smaller machines in the Kubota range” Darren adds.

Depending on the event calendar, it’s not unusual for 20 or more of the G261’s to be out working on any given day. “The team have all received training on their operation which has made the transition relatively seamless, and hopefully means we’ll be able to better protect our investment.” Moving forwards, a combination of in-house monitoring and routine maintenance and servicing by Hunts will ensure the venue can continue to depend on the performance of the G261’s for years to come.

Steve Cartmell, NEC Group FM Contract Support Manager added, ““The teams’ choice of working with Hunts to provide Kubota machinery has ensured that the services OCS provide across our site can continue with improved reliability, fuel efficiency and user safety features, making the operation from event to event seamless.”

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Arabella Hotel Golf & Spa upgrades Club Car fleet

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Arabella Hotel Golf & Spa upgrades Club Car fleet: Club Car®, global industry-leading manufacturer of small-wheel, zero-emissions electric vehicles, has delivered a new fleet of golf carts to the prestigious Arabella Hotel Golf & Spa in South Africa.

Located on the beautiful Western Cape, the 5-star resort received 56 lithium-ion Tempo vehicles to enhance the golf experience on its magnificent Peter Matkovich-designed 18-hole championship course, consistently ranked in the top ten courses in the country.

Arabella Hotel Golf & Spa upgrades Club Car fleet

Arabella Hotel Golf & Spa upgrades Club Car fleet

The vehicles, delivered by AFGRI, the official Club Car distributor in South Africa, have premium features such as Comfort seats and Visage GPS connected technology.

Bevan du Plessis, Golf Manager at Arabella Hotel Golf & Spa, said: “We have many international guests, the majority of whom use a cart, and it’s essential we offer a product in keeping with the high standards of the resort. The new fleet has really elevated the golf experience. The carts not only look great but offer a smooth and enjoyable ride.

“Club Car’s Visage system has been particularly beneficial, allowing us to track cart locations, monitor pace of play and protect the course year-round, ensuring optimal playability for every visitor.

“The service and support from Club Car and AFGRI has also been exceptional,” du Plessis added. “This is our third fleet of Club Car vehicles, and they continue to exceed our expectations for quality and performance.”

Nicolas Le Glas, Club Car Regional Manager Middle East and Africa, said: “Arabella Hotel Golf & Spa offers its guests a world-class experience, and we’re proud to play a part in that with these new vehicles.”

Club Car’s highly-acclaimed Tempo golf car is used by many of the best golf venues around the world.

It delivers outstanding hill-climbing power and acceleration, and has many customisable options including colour, seats, storage, wheels and programmable drive modes to maximise performance.

For more information on Club Car visit: www.clubcar.com

For more information on Arabella Hotel Golf & Spa visit: https://www.southernsun.com/arabella-hotel-golf-and-spa  

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New fleet delivery and irrigation update

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New fleet delivery and irrigation update: Coventry Hearsall Golf Club has been a Toro machinery customer for 13 years and a Toro Total Solutions customer for seven. As the club takes on another machinery renewal agreement with Reesink Turfcare, it provides an update on what it’s like to be exclusively Toro.

The machinery deal is on a five-year rolling contract and although the set up was inherited by Course Manager Chris Low when he joined midway through tenure three years ago, it wasn’t one he had plans on changing.

New fleet delivery and irrigation update

New fleet delivery and irrigation update

“I’ve worked with Toro before and being with the same brand for machinery and irrigation makes everything really easy,” says Chris. “The main components of quality, reliability, and performance are applicable to both and having one point of contact, good back up and support and the power of competitive finance in addition means it’s a hard deal to beat.”

The latest fleet deal comprises greens, tees and fairway mowers and utility vehicles, and the biggest change to the fleet set up is bringing in walk-behind mowers – the Toro Greensmaster Flex 1021 – for greens, tees, collars and run-offs. This is, says Chris, a “conscious decision to move away from ride-on mowers for these areas. We think the level of control and precision they will bring to these smaller areas will elevate their aesthetic.”

Work starts on a bunker programme as soon as the architect’s approval is in and some of the machinery choices reflect these changes to the course. “We’ll be creating shorter mowing areas and the machinery investment and selection had this in mind,” Chris continues. “It was felt the Greensmaster TriFlex 3420 and Reelmaster 3575 in particular would work well in these new areas.”

As the first club in the country to upgrade to Toro Lynx central control system and a combination of Infinity, T5 and T7 sprinklers using Reesink Hydro-Scapes’ fixed term finance for irrigation, Coventry Hearsall has been enjoying hassle-free, precise watering application ever since.

“In terms of maintenance all we’ve had to do is replace one decoder in seven years, that’s it,” Chris explains. “It’s been so easy to scale – we’ve doubled the coverage on the approaches and have more run-off areas. We wanted the capacity to expand as needed and the set-up has allowed us to do that. It was undoubtedly the right choice.”

Chris finished by saying it would be wrong to underestimate the power of a Toro Total Solution: “Regular investment in the machinery and an irrigation system that allows for consistent year-round coverage does not go unnoticed by the members. They are happy and membership is full.”

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