Tag Archive for: flexibility

Framlingham College achieve both flexibility and finish

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Framlingham College achieve both flexibility and finish: Less than a month since its delivery, the Head Groundsman at Framlingham College claims the Progressive TDR-X contour mower has exceeded the expectations of him and his team.

Jason Wright explains how the TDR-X is ticking the boxes of build quality, manoeuvrability and high standard of finish since taking charge of the cut and presentation of close to 80 acres of college grounds.

Framlingham College achieve both flexibility and finish

Framlingham College achieve both flexibility and finish

Once part of the castle estate, Framlingham College now comprises of two sites – the main college catering for students aged 13-18 and the Prep School, four miles down the road at Brandeston Hall, taking pupils from the age of three. Sport plays a big part in the student experience at both sites, with Jason and his team of three full-time grounds staff maintaining athletics, cricket and hockey surfaces in the summer, then switching to rugby during the winter months.

After encountering some age-related faults with their previous mower, the time came for Jason to explore the alternatives. “We wanted something that would be quicker, easier and cheaper to maintain while still giving us a quality finish” he explains. “We demonstrated various makes and models but agreed that the Progressive was the most manoeuvrable and would be the most versatile to use on both our sports and wildlife areas. It also suited us weight-wise to work alongside our existing tractor and fleet of equipment.”

The Progressive TDR-X, exclusively available from Vanmac UK, features three independently floating decks which promise to closely follow undulations, delivering a total cutting width of 3.2m and easily adjustable cutting height range of between 10mm and 85mm. Along with other machines in the Progressive range, the TDR-X features Pro Lift-N-Turn™ technology, which enables the operator to temporarily lift the decks with the PTO still engaged, increasing overall productivity.

“Tomlinson Groundcare Ltd delivered our TDR-X at the end of June and after some very good training, we put it to work straight away. We’ve found already that set-up and changing the height of cut takes less than five minutes to do, where previously this would have taken half an hour. We’ve also used it in the wet with impressive results which wouldn’t have been feasible before.” Jason adds, “In addition, it gives us the ability to lift the height to maintain our rough areas which has been another plus – the versatility we have with this as an all-around machine versus our previous fine turf mower.”

“People have been commenting on how well presented the site is, which is a big compliment for the Progressive, given the rise in quality we’ve achieved since switching from a cylinder to a rotary cut!”

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New Automower® offers productivity and flexibility

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New Automower® offers productivity and flexibility: Last year, Husqvarna announced its new virtual boundary technology EPOS and that the company was going to pilot test it on selected markets. After successful testing during the spring and summer, the first ever Husqvarna robotic mower with virtual boundary technology, Husqvarna Automower® 550 EPOS, will now be launched.

Husqvarna – global leader in robotic lawnmowing – is now, after months of thorough testing internally and with customers, launching the new high capacity Husqvarna Automower® 550 EPOS robotic mower. Its satellite-based virtual boundary solution offers new levels of flexibility, convenience and performance for areas up to 5,000 m2.

New Automower® offers productivity and flexibility

New Automower® offers productivity and flexibility

The pilot of the Husqvarna Automower® 550 EPOS robotic mower with virtual boundary technology included 100 robotic mowers in four countries. It was, for example, tested at Royal Djurgården in Stockholm, the Ullevi Stadium in Göteborg, Munich Airport, La Seine Musicale in Paris and at a baseball stadium in New York.

Gunnar Björkman, Park Manager at Royal Djurgården, a park with more than 15 million visitors each year, tested the Husqvarna Automower® 550 EPOS robotic mower during the spring and summer. He said: “The main benefits we saw from testing the Husqvarna 550 EPOS robotic mower was the easy installation and the flexible area management which allowed us to create temporary stay out zones when lawns were being used for events or closed off for other reasons. With robotics using virtual boundaries we can use robotics for 75% of our mowing, compared to 25% previously.”

At the “Planten un Blomen” park in Hamburg, a Husqvarna Automower® 550 EPOS robotic mower was installed in collaboration with Elbgarden OHG on a demanding public area of 1,200 m2. The test area is located in direct connection to a footpath and an artificial lake, where events such as the music-accompanied water light games take place. Matthias Olinski, head of the “Planten un Blomen” park in Hamburg, was impressed by the performance and flexibility of Husqvarna Automower® 550 EPOS.

He said: “It offers many advantages over conventional mowing technology, especially in terms of flexibility. We no longer have to plan whether we have enough staff for mowing. This offers more time for other work like grooming or bed care. Via the app, we can manage when the robotic lawnmower should run or pause. During organised events, for example, we can easily adapt the mowing work to the respective situation – very practical and user-friendly.”

Husqvarna’s virtual boundary EPOS technology is a high-precision satellite navigation system that delivers an accuracy of 2-3 centimetres, giving the user a new level of flexibility and offers a robust and flexible installation on areas with an open sky.  The virtual boundaries also enable aerating and scarifying without breaking physical wires and the user can change boundaries and transport paths from their phone. With the Precise Area Management feature, several work areas can be defined with different timers and settings, including cutting height. It also makes it possible to create temporary stay out zones.

Kevin Ashmore, UK Manager of Husqvarna Professional commented: “We are extremely proud to bring the new Husqvarna Automower® 550 EPOS robotic mower to the market. Utilising Husqvarna’s EPOS technology, it offers a sustainable and cost-efficient solution that simplifies maintaining large green spaces. Being battery powered it emits no fumes and the light weight of the mower and low electric energy consumption reduce its carbon footprint.”

Operating with low noise levels, it is suitable for environments that require some degree of noise control – for example at golf courses, football stadiums or in urban areas such as city parks. For a convenient user interaction, as well as easy maintenance and handling, it is possible to monitor and control Husqvarna Automower® 550 EPOS through the Automower® Connect and Husqvarna Fleet Services™ apps.

Husqvarna Automower® 550 EPOS will be available from May 2021 and costs £5,199 inc. VAT for the unit and £1,099 inc. VAT for the reference station. The reference station can serve multiple machines.

For more information, visit the Husqvarna website: https://www.husqvarna.com/uk/lawn-garden/professional/professional-robotic-mowers/epos/

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LockStar label update gives users more flexibility

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LockStar label update gives users more flexibility: ICL has announced an update to the UK label of its residual herbicide, LockStar, which will provide users with more effective and flexible weed control.

The label update includes extended use of the product meaning that LockStar can now be applied all-year round instead of the previous limited window between February and June.

LockStar label update gives users more flexibility

LockStar label update gives users more flexibility

This will provide contractors and grounds managers with the opportunity to adapt their approach and give them greater control over weed growth.

Previously, LockStar could only be used on natural surfaces not intended to bear vegetation.

However, the new label update grants the use of the product on amenity vegetation (around). This will allow for the herbicide to be applied in a wider range of situations and be used in areas such as around the base of unsusceptible shrubs, trees, plants and other amenity areas. Full details on plant species can be found at www.icl-sf.co.uk

LockStar controls a broad spectrum of weeds for up to four months and allows for professional and safe weed control. The innovative formula contains diflufenican and iodosulfuron-methyl-sodium – which is the first new weed control active ingredient to be released in the UK for many years.

When applied pre germination LockStar creates a dual barrier on the soil surface preventing weed growth and establishment. To control weeds that are already present, LockStar can be tank-mixed with glyphosate or a fatty acid.

LockStar, available in a 500g pack, uses the latest generation of water dispersible granules, the product quickly dissolves in water and remains in solution in the spray tank for a minimum of 24 hours.

Compared to conventional weed management programmes, LockStar keeps surfaces clean and weed-free for longer, as well as reducing the number of applications and amounts of herbicide required.

LockStar should be applied at a rate of 500g/ha.

Please contact ICL on 01473 237100 or visit www.icl-sf.co.uk or www.icl-sf.ie if you are in Ireland.

For more news and insightful views, you can follow ICL on Twitter @ICL_Turf

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