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Kubota teams up for Guinness Six Nations

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Kubota teams up for Guinness Six Nations: The Welsh Rugby Union and Kubota dealer Hopkins Machinery Ltd have enjoyed a long and fruitful partnership, dating back to the 1960s when Cardiff Arms Park was still the home of Welsh rugby.

In 2005 the Newport-based dealership took on the Kubota franchise, and Kubota machinery has been an important part of the armoury ever since. Kubota tractors and RTVs fulfil various roles at Principality Stadium, home to international rugby tournaments including three World Cups and the Guinness Six Nations, which is set to thrill capacity crowds again this spring with the lifting of Covid-19 restrictions.

Kubota teams up for Guinness Six Nations

Kubota teams up for Guinness Six Nations

“Although we use pedestrian equipment on the pitch, Kubota tractors are essential workhorses for the Stadium,” explains Head Groundsman Lee Evans. “Our relationship with Hopkins Machinery is key – if ever we need parts, service or repairs or replacement machines, their support is second-to-none.”

Evan Hopkins concurs: “Having taken the decision to move into groundcare in 1995 and then taking on Kubota in 2005, Principality Stadium is an ideal sponsorship for us, with rugby being our national sport. It’s highly prestigious and gives us a fantastic hospitality opportunity.”

Paramount in the qualities of a tractor to be used in the Stadium is dependable reliability, and the 2016 Kubota STW 40 currently in use is a perfect example.

“It’s important that we can rely on the tractor to do a job and that it is straightforward enough for any of the three groundsmen to drive,” Lee points out. “It never lets us down.”

The tractor is fitted with a Kubota LA 454 ST front end loader, and tasks range from loading grass clippings from buggies on the pitch into a skip for collection by the local authority to pulling a harrow to maintain the artificial turf surrounding the pitch and positioning goalposts.

After a match, the STW 40 gets its moment in the spotlight, pulling lighting rigs onto the pitch

while the TV cameras are still rolling.

“The pitch is on a slight incline so the nine larger rigs, which weigh two tonnes, have to be towed on with the tractor. It’s labour intensive but a crucial job as the roof makes this the darkest stadium in Europe and the light helps the turf recover quickly,” he explains.

Stadium manoeuvres are also the role of another Kubota machine, with the RTV utility vehicle used to transport Terraplas sheets used to cover the pitch for concerts.

“We don’t need the RTV all the time, so it’s a great feature of the sponsorship that Hopkins Machinery can provide one on a short term hire for jobs like this,” comments Lee.

Hopkins Machinery has a dedicated hire fleet of more than 80 RTVs, used for everything from festivals and sporting events to winter maintenance contracts, so is well equipped to be able to help out.

“With a prestigious venue like this, we’re reliant on partnerships to help us deliver high standards in a busy programme, and we really value working with Kubota and Hopkins Machinery,” he concludes.

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A new era for battery-powered tools

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A new era for battery-powered tools: With the recent passing of the California Air Resource Board (CARB) measure to restrict new sales of landscaping equipment to be zero-emission tools, Pellenc is over 10 years ahead of the competition with a full range of battery-powered tools for the professional market.

Pellenc has spent over a decade designing and refining their range of ULiB battery packs, comprehensively testing with professional users worldwide and sharing the same core values as CARB to innovate towards a zero-emission future.

A new era for battery-powered tools

A new era for battery-powered tools

Within the report, it’s noted: “a commercial operator using one backpack leaf blower for one hour generates the same smog-forming emissions as a car driving 1100 miles. These new regulations will aim to reduce emissions of smog-forming emissions by 72 tons per day.”

Now is the time to find out more about the range of Pellenc batteries and grounds maintenance tools.

Following the successful launch at SALTEX 2009, Pellenc has quickly become the leader in professional battery-powered tools, with a range of batteries able to undertake a full working day on a single charge.  Productivity was brought to a new level, while reducing vibration, noise and Co2 emissions.

Pellenc have a tried and tested knowledge and understanding of what a true professional user needs to undertake the move from petrol to battery tools. That now includes a four-year warranty on all batteries within the range which gives peace of mind and confidence in equipment lasting the testing conditions of commercial use.

For more information on the California Air Resource Board report, please visit click here.

Pellenc is sold exclusively in the UK and Ireland by Etesia UK. For more information, or to book a no obligation demonstration, please visit www.pellencuk.com

You can also follow Pellenc on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram @PellencUK for much more news, reviews and insightful views.

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New mixture for 2022

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New mixture for 2022: In response to the increase in reported instances of Brown Patch in the UK football industry, DLF have undertaken a screening programme for the last two years to analyse the tolerance of different varieties.

The results of the trial highlighted the strong tolerance of certain DLF diploid varieties together with 4turf®, which now forms the basis of a J Premier 4Turf – a brand-new Johnsons Sports Seed mixture launching in 2022.

New mixture for 2022

New mixture for 2022

Brown patch is a turfgrass foliar disease caused by the fungus Rhizoctonia spp. All cool-season turf grasses are susceptible to potential attack by the fungus, however it has been found to be most detrimental to bent grass, ryegrasses, annual meadow grass and some fescue species. Attacks are often triggered by hot, humid conditions with an increase in cases identified on plants that are moist and/or have been over-stimulated with nitrogen-based fertilisers.

Samples of a particularly violent European strain of Brown Patch were harvested from a football environment and were studied at the MariboHilleshög Research AB laboratory in Landskrona, Sweden – specialists in Rhizoctonia fungi. More than 30 perennial ryegrass varieties – including nine 4turf® tetraploid perennial ryegrasses – were inoculated, with each variety then scored weekly for plant health. DLF were able to determine with confidence, the higher tolerance of the 4turf® varieties to Brown Patch, which correlates with the results seen in other disease trials.

Using the findings from the trials, Johnsons Sports Seed have launched J Premier 4Turf. New for 2022, it is the first mixture of its kind to combine the top-performing perennial ryegrasses from the trial to deliver improved tolerance to Brown Patch, together with the outstanding wear tolerance and visual merit of the original J Premier Pitch mixture. J Premier 4Turf takes full advantage of the most tolerant diploid and tetraploid varieties, with 20% 4turf® – formulated with 10% FABIAN and 10% TETRAGAME.

Following ongoing dialogue with the DLF technical team since early 2019, Head Groundsman at Reading Football Club Chris Last became the first to trial the new J Premier 4Turf mixture. In conjunction with the trial results, the objective was to deliver a mixture with even greater resilience, even faster establishment and improved wear tolerance.

“Having not used 4turf® before, it was interesting to see how well it thrived in our environment!” Chris explains. “We seeded, then sheeted and within just three days the 4turf® was up without the need for excessive levels of input. We were then cutting within a week. As the months progressed, myself and the team at DLF have been avidly observing the sward and how it copes with the issues – particularly disease pressure – at various times of the year. July has always traditionally been a hot-spot for Brown Patch, but last year we saw nothing at all. The additional resilience of the 4turf® has meant that even during high-pressure periods for Fusarium in September and October, any small signs have not turned into full outbreaks. Without question, we have retained far more overall coverage than we have in previous seasons.”

More details about the J Premier 4Turf mixture and a number of other new formulations can be found in the Johnsons Sports Seed catalogue, or by visiting www.johnsonssportsseed.co.uk

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Cutting unit maintenance for a cutting edge

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Cutting unit maintenance for a cutting edge: A Toro cylinder mower is an extreme precision tool and like with any precision tool, to ensure it delivers the best performance and results, looking after it well is essential. To make sure your mower delivers the best cut and ultimate finish, regular cutting unit maintenance and the use of genuine Toro parts go hand in hand.

Reesink’s Peter Biddlecombe, who works as Toro Aftersales Manager for Reesink’s South East branch, says calibration and backlapping are probably the two most important things you can do for your cylinder mower.

Cutting unit maintenance for a cutting edge

Cutting unit maintenance for a cutting edge

“For a cutting unit to perform well for the longest period of time without constantly being resharpened or readjusted, then maintaining the parallelism between the bedknife and the cylinder is key,” he says. “If those two components are sharpened, installed and working together properly, you’ll get Toro’s legendary performance from your cylinders for a long time.

“If your bedknife is too close to the cylinder, not only does it wear the blade and cylinder down faster, but the mower needs more power to propel it along. More power needed means more fuel used, and this is another cost on top of repair and more frequent replacement.

“You don’t want the distance of the cylinder to the bedknife too tight or too slack, there should be light contact, just enough to get a couple of bits of paper in. If it’s too tight, then the component will wear down faster. This means that the hydraulic and engine management system will demand more horsepower because there’s more resistance. Generating more power means you use up more fuel, so your fuel costs go up. The less contact you have, the less energy required from the power unit to drive them.”

Backlapping is another quick and easy method to help maintain the sharpness of the cylinder and bedknife between grindings without having to remove the cylinder and bedbar. Peter says: “Park your machine, turn it on, apply the desired lapping paste to the cylinder and set it to backlapping mode. The machine runs in reverse, the paste acts as a grinder and sharpens the blade.

“It’s always better to take the cylinder off and put it on a proper grinder and parallel the grinder to the cylinder, but backlapping is a quick way of maintaining sharpness between proper grinding. Backlapping only takes about 5-10 minutes. If you need to do it for longer you should really get it on a proper grinder.”

The performance of a cylinder mower depends on proper set–up and adjustment procedures, which means that just as important as having the best machine and parts there are, is to have the person who is caring for the machines understand the intricacies of how the components work together.

Peter confirms: “That’s the reassurance you get from working with a Toro service dealer. While others may be able to fix things for less because they have lower overheads and use non-brand aftermarket parts, we know we have to deliver a higher level of quality and show the value of that – highest level of customer service, the best parts, increased lifespan and access to the Toro knowledge network.

“When doing repairs, spending a little more on premium, genuine parts ensures the best performance. Cheaper aftermarket parts may save a few pounds upfront, but the chances are you’ll be buying another one far sooner than a premium part. And there’s always the chance that part may even damage other parts of the machine.”

If a cylinder mower’s unique characteristics are not understood and responded to, the end result will be a poor quality of cut and expensive downtime and repairs. But when properly maintained and operated, cylinder mowers provide a superior – one could say the ultimate – quality of cut.

To continue the conversation, get in touch via reesinkturfcare.co.uk, by phone on 01480 226800 or by email at info@reesinkturfcare.co.uk.

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Ventrac for Stellar Asset Management

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Ventrac for Stellar Asset Management: Stellar Asset Management, working in partnership with Ben Blackburn Golf, has purchased two Ventrac golf course maintenance equipment packages for their properties in Perth, Scotland and Hampshire in England.

Murrayshall Country Estate, situated in Scone near Perth features a four-star country house hotel and 28-holes of stunning parkland golf, while the recently acquired Bramshaw Golf Club has 36-holes of golf set in the beautiful surroundings of the New Forest near Lyndhurst.

Ventrac for Stellar Asset Management

Ventrac for Stellar Asset Management

Commenting on the new equipment, Ben Blackburn said, “Although these two golf courses are over 500 miles apart, they are similar in that they are both located in magnificent parkland settings. This brings its own challenges, especially when maintaining the woodland margins, and this where the Ventrac and its numerous attachments comes into its own.

“At Bramshaw the package comprises a selection of attachments including Power Broom, Power Rake, Stump Grinder, Trencher, Turbine Blower as well as two cutting decks; a Contour deck and Tough Cut.

This provides a range of equipment to ensure that the presentation on the Manor and Forest courses are at the highest level all year round to the benefit our members and visitors. We are also undertaking major drainage work this winter which the Trencher attachment, in particular, will help us to proceed this project at speed.

“Similarly, at Murrayshall the package, which includes two mowing decks, a Trencher, Power Broom and Snow Blade, will be used to maintain both the golf courses and the 365 acres of picturesque countryside that surround this flourishing country estate, located right in the heart of Scotland.

“It’s the versatility of the Ventrac that attracted us to this equipment; one compact tractor unit with multiple attachments ensures that we have a portfolio of tools to tackle most jobs at these facilities without the need to hire in additional machinery. This allows us to actively manage our golf businesses and enhance our facilities, adding value to the golfing experience.”

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