Tag Archive for: Hit

QuadChip a hit for Tai Tarian

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QuadChip a hit for Tai Tarian: Tai Tarian are one of the largest social landlords in Wales, responsible for over 9000 properties across the Neath Port Talbot County Borough.

A dedicated Arb team make up one of seven in-house grounds maintenance teams, looking after the borough’s green spaces. With over 7000 trees under their remit, a QuadChip 160 from GreenMech is keeping the team on track, providing ultimate flexibility for kerbside working.

QuadChip a hit for Tai Tarian

Martyn Davies, Senior Neighbourhood Coordinator, spearheads the team which was set up in 2012. “The very first job was to source the machinery we were going to need to cope with the variety of tasks of materials we were going to be handling. Access when turning up to narrow car-lined streets is one of our biggest headaches but having seen the full 360o turntable on the QuadChip 160, we quickly decided it was the right chipper for us.”

With the majority of domestic tree works taking place in restricted-access and/or kerb-side locations, the manoeuvrability and flexibility of the QuadChip sees it in use five days a week. “With the QuadChip, we can turn the chipper 90o to the road and bring brash from the gardens of properties and feed it straight into the chipper, with the chips going straight into the back of the tipper – it’s brilliant! We then recycle this material around trees and put it to community use, creating pathways and borders.”

So impressed with the versatility it delivers, Martyn has exchanged the chipper like-for-like three times, taking delivery of his newest model in January 2020 from their local dealer, Powercut (Wales) Ltd. “The back-up support we get from them is fantastic and was another crucial factor in why we chose this machine.” Final word from Martyn, “As we now embark on a new tree planting programme, the workload for the team is only going to increase, but we’re safe in the knowledge that with the QuadChip we’ve got a robust and reliable chipper at our disposal to tackle the tasks at hand.”

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PRO 34R a hit at Colliers Park

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PRO 34R a hit at Colliers Park: Dylan Thompson, grounds maintenance manager at Colliers Park, believes that the Dennis PRO 34R far exceeds every other rotary mower he has used in the past.

The former Sheffield Wednesday FC assistant head groundsman has been in the top role at Colliers Park for six months now and is already making his mark. With all eyes on the FAW’s brand new development centre, Dylan and his two members of staff are helping to maintain the two natural turf pitches and the synthetic pitch to the standard expected by a national footballing body.

PRO 34R a hit at Colliers Park

The FAW left no stone unturned in the launch of Colliers Park and Dylan found himself in the fortunate position of receiving an arsenal of brand-new turf maintenance products – two of which were Dennis PRO 34R’s.

“To be honest, the PRO 34R was the machine I wanted most and this was based on my previous experience of using Dennis Mowers,” he said. “I had heard about it on social media and I spoke to other people in the industry – I heard so many good things about it and to not hear anything negative whatsoever was obviously a massive positive.”

The Dennis PRO 34R is a 34” (860mm) rotary mower which has been designed to help groundsmen achieve an aesthetically pleasing appearance and desired playing surface. It is ideal for sports pitches and lawns producing the enviable ‘Dennis Stripes’ while a powerful vacuum flow collects debris quickly and efficiently.

The angle of the cutting deck and twin blades can be easily adjusted using a single ‘click adjuster’ ensuring the mower is suitable for changing conditions and meeting groundsmen’s requirements.

“It’s very impressive – I was expecting it to be good but not this good!” continued Dylan. “The clean-up is absolutely fantastic no matter if it is wet or dry and it sucks up so much into the grass collection box. It is also quick so we are saving time – we are normally going on speed setting 3 which is the perfect speed for us. We have tight turnarounds so the size of these mowers is ideal because you can get so much done in little time.

PRO 34R a hit at Colliers Park

“We try to use them after every usage but we actually use them during the week as well. It has surprised me as to how good the front brush is. If there is any dew in the morning, then it will take that straight off and it can also pick up any leaves. The finish they leave is really good and you can hardly tell the difference in cut between this and a cylinder mower.

“The PRO 34R’s are probably our most used machines and I can assure you that this isn’t just your standard rotary mower – it is far better.”

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 Twitter @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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Toro a hit at Robin Hood GC

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Toro a hit at Robin Hood GC: Robin Hood Golf Club in Solihull has come on board as a Toro fleet customer for the first time as course manager Luke Dennis attests to Toro outperforming other brands across the UK and beyond.

With a career that has seen him work on championship courses hosting major tournaments such as The Ryder Cup, across the UK for European tour events at the Belfry, Forest of Arden and Slaley Hall and further afield to Sweden for the Scandinavian Masters, as well as working in machinery parts maintenance, Luke certainly has an in-depth perspective when it comes to golf course machinery.

Toro a hit at Robin Hood GC

“I have the benefit of having experience working on the maintenance of machinery parts and as course manager which means I can look at a machine from two different perspectives – what it requires for upkeep and how it operates,” says Luke. “And my experience has shown me on both fronts that Toro outperforms and outlasts the competition.”

The club has had a mix of machinery up until now and the difference in having a full Toro fleet of high-quality, durable machines is palpable. And it came as no surprise to Luke when extensive demonstrations for the club’s new fleet, organised by Reesink Turfcare’s Jon Lewis, beat out the competition.

“In particular the Reelmaster 3575 really stood out,” says Luke. “The after cut appearance achieved with the perfection brushes is the best I’ve ever seen despite unfavourable weather conditions at the time of the demo.

“We also opted for the Reelmaster 3100 with groomers to enhance the semi rough. Although quite an unusual decision, so far we have received amazing feedback on the definition and quality of the ball lie achieved, which allows a cleaner impact to the back of the ball for golfers.”

With Robin Hood Golf Club now 126 years old, the parkland course of Harry Colt design is a well-regarded golfing venue near Birmingham, and its recent addition of a full Toro fleet comes as the next step in its ongoing development.

Over the last ten years, there’s been a substantial investment to help reconstruct and modernise the course, and the Toro package deal is the cherry on the cake, explains Luke.

“The full Toro fleet means we have reliable, high quality machines, which allow us to present the course to a high standard week-in week-out for our members and visitors,” concludes Luke. “And I’m pretty sure we will continue to see the course improve with Toro on board.”

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RTC A Hit At St Mirren

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RTC A Hit At St Mirren: To keep on top of the maintenance of a newly-laid 4G astro surface at their Ralston Training Complex, St Mirren FC have purchased an RTC unit from Charterhouse Turf Machinery.

For the facility’s sole Groundsman, Alan Michie, it has improved both the efficiency and speed of regular surface brushing.

RTC A Hit At St Mirren

Forming part of the 3.7 hectare site, the artificial pitch is home to first team and academy training throughout the week, and matches at the weekend. “Just before the 4G pitch was open for play in September, I was very pleased to find a new RTC brush unit from Charterhouse land at my door” explains Alan, who has been running the training ground for the last two and a half years. “We had previously used a tractor and brush combination which wasn’t the most practical – timely to set up and, being in one of the wettest areas in the country, often meant I was unable to get out at all.”

“The Chairman and Head Groundsman at the stadium had been in talks with Ian Lauder of Charterhouse and decided the versatility and simplicity of the RTC was a perfect fit to keep on top of the regular maintenance. Ian came in to do some training with me, but it’s so simple to use, it’s fantastic. If I’m struggling for time, the guy who looks after our youth department will go out and brush for me. He finds it therapeutic!”

The convenience of a self-contained unit means Alan can easily keep up with the regular maintenance on the high-wear surface, brushing on average five or six times a week. The RTC brushes fold to allow storage and access through gaps as narrow as 90cm, although when deployed, the unit will cover an impressive 200cm in one-pass. “I can also use the tow bar on the back to take other tools out with me that I use for work on the natural grass pitches. It pulls a small trailer no problem.”

Proving itself to be a real multi-purpose machine, Alan adds, “it does a fantastic job of levelling off the pitch, spreading the rubber well to prevent compaction. The ongoing maintenance of the unit is also very simple. For me, it’s crucial that the maintenance is simple, but effective. For this, the RTC is ideal.”

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Toro A Hit At Radley College

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Toro A Hit At Radley College: Four years ago, Radley College welcomed a new Toro fleet of Groundsmaster and Reelmaster mowers to the independent boys’ school in Oxfordshire. As the facilities continue to grow we hear how Toro has performed during its tenure.

There’s a lot of pressure on Radley College’s grounds team. Not only does it have the upkeep of some of the most extensive and finest public school sporting facilities in the country on its hands, but with the school increasing the number of bursaries and scholarships for the first time in its 172-year history, the sports facilities are expanding too.

Toro A Hit At Radley College

Luckily, grounds manager Adam King and the 19-strong team in the estates department, including groundsmen, greenkeepers and gardeners, have the benefit of a Toro fleet of Groundsmaster and Reelmaster mowers working across the 14 rugby pitches, 10 cricket squares and football pitches, three astroturf hockey pitches, tennis courts and a nine-hole, par 34 golf course.

The College’s latest fleet joined four years ago in a significant lease agreement with Reesink,

Adam says: “With more to do, the biggest benefit from our Toro fleet in the last four years is how it’s saved us time, allowing us to be more efficient and productive. Having two Reelmaster 3100-D mowers for the weekend cutting of the cricket outfields and aprons has been particularly beneficial.”

As the school gears up for a new boarding house opening in 2020 and the expansion of the sporting facilities to accommodate, the reliability of the fleet as well as its time-saving aspects has not gone unnoticed by Adam.

“We chose this combination of machines with specific work in mind and they’ve not only delivered on that but more. We’ve built more natural and artificial sports surfaces into the equation and got them into play. Plus, there have been no problems running the fleet, no breakdowns or issues.

“The lease agreement with Reesink allowed us to have new machines straight away, while also covering winter service, and all at a fixed cost. We were able to manage our budget and benefit from new and upgraded equipment at an important time in the College’s history.”

So, what’s next for Adam and the team? “We were at BTME to take in the new technology and product development on offer, and I was most interested in seeing lightweight three-wheel fairway mowers and greens mowers which we haven’t specifically had before. Plus, there’s been developments in engine size and I’ll be interested in seeing the effect of that on our surfaces here.”

Since then, Adam and the team have trialled the Toro Reelmaster 3555 and 3575 mowers across the School, based on which Adam concluded they are the “best bits of new kit I’ve seen in a long time and versatile enough to be multi-sports mowers”.

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