Tag Archive for: Hit

Honda’s new Miimo robot mowers about to hit the market

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Honda’s new Miimo robot mowers about to hit the market: Susan Lindsay reports on Honda’s latest robot mower launch from its facility in Germany.

I’m off to Germany again and this time my destination is the Honda academy in Frankfurt. Having landed at the airport I am whisked along the autobahn. The German autobahn is a federally controlled highway system with no mandatory speed limit. We reach over 150mph and before you can say “Mercedes”, we are at our destination for the day’s events.

Honda’s new Miimo robot mowers about to hit the market

Honda’s new Miimo robot mowers about to hit the market

The Honda academy was built in 2009, amid the global recession. Honda were clear-thinking and freethinking enough to push on with this development when other companies were shrinking in fear of what the future looked like in the light of the financial crisis at that time.

The academy offers product training including new models, systems, maintenance, repairs and diagnosis. Non-technical elements also take place with communication, leadership and management training.

There is a dynamic area of 10,000m2 tarmac of 280m length and a training area for motorcycles and ATVs.

Press gathered from the UK, Italy, France and beyond, all eager to see the new Honda wireless robotic mower, the Miimo range.

The new wireless models Miimo 1500i and Miimo 2200i will eliminate the need for physical boundary wires. The user can map mowing zones and adjust areas to allow for evolving layouts.

The models have antenna-free network RTK systems, combining a high-performance RTK GNSS chip with 4G cloud connectivity.

The app interface is easy to use and allows you to draw a mowing area to fit your cutting needs. Honda’s car parking sensors work to ensure that obstacles are avoided with care, and the model can harmonise with the customers living/ working space.

Honda’s new Miimo robot mowers about to hit the market

Honda’s new Miimo robot mowers about to hit the market

With the massive rise in technology improvement and developments, Honda aims to minimise the feeling of overwhelm that the customer might experience and develop models in a timely fashion to stay in line with current needs and wants.

The autonomous and intelligent mower has capacity for high runability on uneven ground and slopes. The team is working on bringing out new additions in 2027 with all-wheel drive to ensure exceptional slope handling performance and outstanding agility on steep lawns.

Honda promise to service all customer categories, minimise burden and eliminate operating hassle. Their prediction that customers are going to want to spend less time cutting, remains to be seen. While smart technology has its advantages, is there really anything that can replace the human ability to achieve a high, fine tuft result?

I once worked at a world class golf course where for one summer, they cut a tartan pattern into the surrounding lawns within the five-star hotel grounds. Now, while this may be a niche market, can a robotic mower achieve the same results? Having worked alongside the greenkeepers maintaining this design, they would say “let them do it!”.

Some of the key features and functions of the Miimo models include multiple mowing patterns, including a chess-board style layout. So, maybe tartan isn’t as far off as I might have first thought. With high waterproof performance, the new models meet IPX5 standards and maintain high cutting performance in wet conditions.

This is a good thing for the Scottish market also!

Since the original Miimo launch in 2012, over 170’000 units have been sold and 99% were sold to the Europe market. The revenue last year was 144 billion Euros and Shin Yasui, General manager of power products says, “Honda’s robotic lawn mower business is a key pillar for future growth”.

Products will be manufactured at Honda’s dedicated facility in France. This facility celebrates its 40th anniversary this year. It is Honda’s largest production site for engine-powered lawn mowers and supplies Europe as well as Global markets.

The Miimo series is a commitment to Honda’s global vision for creating carbon neutrality by 2050 and contributing to a more sustainable future.

The Miimo wireless models will be available in Europe from spring 2026.

The Dennis ES-34R is a Hit at Haileybury

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The Dennis ES-34R is a Hit at Haileybury: Andy Richards, Grounds Manager at Haileybury School, has praised the Dennis ES-34R battery-powered rotary mower for its sustainability, quiet operation, and exceptional performance.

At the prestigious independent school in Hertfordshire, which boasts over 500 acres and 180 acres which are sports facilities, Andy has been using the ES-34R across a variety of playing surfaces and is delighted with its versatility and environmental benefits.

The Dennis ES-34R is a Hit at Haileybury

The Dennis ES-34R is a Hit at Haileybury

“In my sixth year as Grounds Manager here, I oversee a large site with a team of 11,” Andy explained. “Our school is renowned not just for its academic excellence but also for its impressive co-curricular programme, particularly sports. From rugby and football to hockey, ensuring our pitches meet high standards is crucial. The Dennis ES-34R has played an important role in that.”

Sustainability is a key focus at Haileybury, and Andy was drawn to the ES-34R’s eco-friendly credentials. As a battery-powered mower, the Dennis ES-34R significantly reduces emissions and noise pollution – two factors that are especially important in a school environment.

“Quietness is massive for us,” said Andy. “Exams seem to be constant, so the ability to work without disturbing students is invaluable. Sustainability is also hugely important to the school, and the ES-34R ticks both boxes. On top of that, it’s incredibly user-friendly.”

The ES-34R is built for precision and ease of use. Its 34-inch cutting width, contra-rotating twin blades, and low chute design ensure exceptional collection performance in both wet and dry conditions. The mower’s advanced LCD control panel provides operators with real-time feedback, allowing them to adjust settings such as ground speed and blade speed to suit different conditions.

Andy and his team have found the mower versatile enough to use year-round on various surfaces.

“We use the ES-34R on football and rugby pitches during the winter and then switch to cricket squares in the summer. It’s great for cleaning up after matches or tidying wickets—it’s incredibly versatile,” Andy explained.

With ultra-low noise levels, minimal vibration, and rapid charging, the ES-34R offers significant advantages over traditional petrol mowers. For Andy, the cost savings and low maintenance requirements were standout benefits.

“The ES-34R is much more user-friendly than petrol mowers, and the savings on fuel alone make it worth it. Plus, it’s low-maintenance and reliable, which is so important when you’re managing as many pitches as we are.”

Andy has relied on Dennis mowers throughout his career but the ES-34R is the first battery-powered Dennis machine he has used.

“The electric range is a real step forward. The team at Dennis even adjusted it to cut down to 8mm for me so I could use it to cut the cricket squares. I’m quite fussy about my equipment but I’ve used Dennis my whole career. I believe in the brand; I believe in the mowers, and I think they are the best on the market. I can’t ever see myself changing to anything else.”

For Andy, the ES-34R represents the future of sustainable grounds management without compromising performance.

As Haileybury continues to set the bar for excellence both on and off the field, the Dennis ES-34R is helping Andy and his team maintain pitches that match the school’s reputation – all while championing sustainability.

For further information or a no obligation demonstration, please contact Dennis 01332 824 777 or visit www.dennisuk.com

For more news, reviews and insightful views, you can follow Dennis on X and Instagram @DennisMowers and like the company’s Facebook page – www.facebook.com/DennisMowersUK.You can also view the latest Dennis videos by visiting www.youtube.com/DennisMowers

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Campey’s BM50 proves a hit

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Campey’s BM50 proves a hit: Launched earlier this year at BTME 2022, the new Campey BM50 fixed blade verti-cutter has been out on demo with a resoundingly enthusiastic response.

The reaction to the BM50 has been so strong that companies such as Turf Tonics have opted to purchase their demo unit on the spot. Videos showing the clean and easy operation of the machine in action have also gathered interest and demo requests on social media.

Campey’s BM50 proves a hit

Campey’s BM50 proves a hit

The verti-cutter is available in 1.56 m and 1.8 m working widths and the depth 0 – 40mm, adjustable in 0.5mm increments. Working at 0.0 mm means there is no contact with the soil with just thatch being removed, whilst working at the greatest depth will scarify deeper, removing huge amounts of debris. This makes the machine perfect for use during the season to provide light thatch and debris clearance, and for when a thorough deeper lay of organic matter needs to be removed.

Due to the fixed blade system, it does not require the complete disassembly of the transmission and rotor, but only of the worn blades. The high-performance rotor guarantees excellent work in all circumstances, even when the blade’s cutting edge is not in optimal condition. In the standard version, the blades are made of HARDOX material with a thickness of 3mm and spaced 30mm apart. Optional 2 mm and 3 mm tungsten tipped blades are also available.

The BM50 1600 model can be operated using a 25 HP tractor, whilst the larger 1800 requires a 30 HP tractor for operation.

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Gullane and Toro partnership to hit 25 years

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Gullane and Toro partnership to hit 25 years: Gullane Golf Club in Scotland and Toro certainly have history. With the latest deal taking it to 25 years, it’s a partnership claimed to have produced putting surfaces as close to perfection as nature will allow. 

That accolade was made about the effect of the Greensmaster TriFlex Hybrid 3420 mowers on the course for the Scottish Open three years ago and with a new machine in the club’s last order, clearly the Toro effect continues.

Gullane and Toro partnership to hit 25 years

Gullane and Toro partnership to hit 25 years

“Toro gave us the attention to detail to create near-perfect conditions. It always has, and it’s why this latest deal takes our relationship to a quarter of a century,” says course manager Stewart Duff.

With three 18-hole courses, Gullane No. 1 carved into ancient links turf, Gullane No. 2 sweeping down to a nature reserve, and Gullane No. 3 with views across Aberlady Bay to the Firth of Forth and beyond, it’s no wonder the club is regarded as one of the most picturesque golf spots in the world. And with a state of the art short game practice area, driving range and children’s course as well, Toro certainly has a lot of area to cover when it comes to maintaining the course. Helping with that is the Groundsmaster 4700-D, which is a like-for-like replacement in the last order from Toro distributor Reesink Turfcare.

Stewart explains: “We split our Toro fleet between the courses as we have so much ground to cover, but there are a couple of machines we use across all three; the Groundsmaster 4700-D is one of those machines. With a cutting width of 12.5ft alongside a high-powered engine it’s incredibly productive.”

And it certainly gets put to good use at Gullane, says Stewart: “In the growing season we have the machine in use five days a week across all the courses, doing three times the amount of work compared to our machines that just work on the one course. So the 4700-D that we had in our last fleet for four years, actually did the equivalent of 12 years’ worth of work – but even then, it was still going strong when we signed the new agreement.”

Joining the Groundsmaster 4700-D and the Greensmaster TriFlex Hybrid 3420 mowers in the last fleet purchase was the Toro Workman utility vehicle and ProPass 200 topdresser.

Stewart continues: “We’re constantly looking at small tweaks we can make in order to get the best possible results and improve the courses for all, and Toro plays a big part in that. For example, we opted for the two Reelmaster 3550-D fairway mowers as the smaller sized cutting units allowed us to follow the contours better, which results in a better quality of cut. The slick tyres on the machines also prevent any turf damage when turning.”

Included as part of Gullane’s tournament support fleet in 2018 were Toro’s GTX electric utility vehicles and they certainly impressed Stewart with him saying at the time he’d be changing his utility vehicles to be Toro based on his positive experience. The arrival of three Workman utility vehicles in the last order sees Stewart true to his word and it sounds as though Toro will be around for many more years to come at Gullane.

Stewart concludes: “The team and I are delighted to have Toro here at the club for another five years; although realistically that’s more than likely going to be another 10 years. We really do feel as though we have the best possible machinery for the courses and with a club that wholeheartedly supports that relationship, I can only see us continuing to invest in Toro in the future.”

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Procore 648 a hit at Muir-Of-Ord

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Procore 648 a hit at Muir-Of-Ord: Muir-Of-Ord Golf Club, located a few miles north of Inverness in Scotland, has chosen to invest in Toro for the first time, purchasing a ProCore 648 pedestrian aerator to enable quality aeration across the whole course.  

Head greenkeeper, Darren Hexley, explains: “We’ve never had Toro at the club before, but once our old aerator was reaching the end of its life, we seized the opportunity to improve the course with Toro. We’d been working with a tractor-mounted aerator and were keen to get a pedestrian aerator so we could access more areas of the course.”

Procore 648 a hit at Muir-Of-Ord

Procore 648 a hit at Muir-Of-Ord

Years of research, customer input, testing and attention to detail went into making the ProCore 648 the most productive and efficient walking aerator on the market, something Muir-Of-Ord is now experiencing.

“We noticed a difference from just the demonstration,” says Darren. “Staff and golfers have commented on the improvement that can be seen already. As a pedestrian aerator, we no longer have to drive over greens, and with no tyre tracks it’s a much cleaner job. But the biggest thing is that we’ve been able to cover areas of the course we weren’t able to before, such as slopes and the backs of bunkers. The benefits of this is huge. With just one Toro addition to our fleet we’re able to vastly improve the course.”

Darren is no stranger to the quality and results from Toro having previous experience with the brand, he says:  “I’ve used Toro before at previous clubs, and indeed the ProCore 648, so it was no surprise that it proved itself here to be a brilliant piece of kit. We could instantly see the benefits of the ProCore 648 over our old kit.”

It’s not just the improvement to the course that matters though. As a club with only three permanent staff members working on the course maintenance, having efficient and reliable machinery is vital. Something the ProCore 648 certainly delivers on.

“With only three of us on the greenkeeping team, having efficient and reliable machinery is very important and goes a long way,” says Darren. “The ProCore 648 will allow us to get out first thing in the summer and cover more ground than we could with our tractor-mounted aerator in the same time. The variable speed setting also really helps with that – it provides a consistent speed for a more even application.”

With the club’s only Toro machine having made such a difference to both the productivity of the staff and the quality of the playing surface, it seems only natural Darren is now wanting to bring more Toro on board.

“Once we’re in a position financially to make further machinery investment, it is certainly my preference to look to Toro. It would be great to invest in some of the latest technology, in particular one of Toro’s hybrid mowers.”

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