Tag Archive for: Jacobsen

Lochemse raise standards with Jacobsen

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Lochemse raise standards with Jacobsen: After greenkeepers and members became frustrated with the quality of cut and condition of the fairways at Lochemse Golf Club, head greenkeeper, Geert Olthuis, switched brands to Jacobsen and has used a Fairway 305 to turn things around.

No stone was left unturned by Geert in his search for a new fairway mower. He trialled five machines from different suppliers before the cut quality, and simplicity of the Jacobsen 305 was picked to elevate the fairways aesthetics and performance.

Lochemse raise standards with Jacobsen

Initially, Geert was sceptical about the mower specification compared to the machine he had been using, but he explains how his opinion was soon changed.

“When we saw the cutting finish, we couldn’t believe it because it was so good. I was unsure of the Fairway 305 when I first saw it because it only had seven blades and no groomers, but it cut better than our mower that had groomers and 11 blades.

“We were looking for a simple machine with a better quality of cut and higher capacity. We had demos of four other mowers but the 2.94m cutting width, cut quality and simplicity of the 305 really impressed us.

“Nicely cut fairways make a course better, but our members, and us as greenkeepers, weren’t happy with the results of our old machine, even when we were mowing three times a week. Now, we as greenkeepers and our members are very happy with our fairways again.”

The success of the 305 stems from its simplicity. It’s a machine that’s built to be reliable and gives operators unsurpassed productivity while providing an unrivalled quality of cut.

This cut quality comes from the five 66cm floating head cutting units that follow all contours and undulations to ensure an even cut on all areas. The floating head system works with the four-wheel-drive – provided as standard – which provides greater traction and causes reduced turf compaction.

Productivity is increased across the machine in several areas, including the cutting units that don’t require any tools to adjust the reel to bedknife. Quick changes from collection to rear discharge can be easily made using the adjustable grass discharge section, and for prolonged use, the radiator pack and hood have been optimised to increase airflow in hot, dusty conditions, preventing downtime due to overheating.

Because of the increased productivity of the 305, operators spend less time cutting the course, but operator comfort remains a priority. An arm-rest mounted joystick is used for all mower lift and lower functions, and a deluxe adjustable high-back suspension seat has been fitted for optimum operator comfort.

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Ransomes Jacobsen at Newcastle United

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Ransomes Jacobsen at Newcastle United: Since 2002 the pitches at Newcastle United’s Darsley Park training ground have been cut with Ransomes and Jacobsen mowers.

Currently, three LF570s and five Mastiffs are used to cut the 13 pitches that are maintained by head groundsman, Mick Curran, and his staff with two of the original Mastiffs from 2002 still in use.

Ransomes Jacobsen at Newcastle United

Through the years Newcastle’s ride-on fleet has graduated through the LF range, and it is the new features and excellent service from Ransomes Jacobsen dealer, Rickerby, that has kept Mick cutting with orange and green for almost three decades.

“I started off with the LF’s in 2002, and they’ve got better as the years have gone on,” Mick said. “On the newer model you can set the reel speed and forward speed, so if I think the lads are cutting too fast, I can peg them back, and that’s a big point. It helps with the consistency of cutting across the site, and the cut we get from the mowers is first-class.

“Reliability, quality of cut and being able to get spare parts easily has kept me using them for 17-years along with the service and back-up we’ve received from Rickerby which has been excellent.

“It’s very important for us if we get a break down in the summer when we’re cutting 24/7 that we can get a part or have it fixed as soon as possible. Nine times out of ten they’ll be out the same day sorting the problem, and that really is important for us.”

While the LF570’s are in action for the summer, once winter rolls around the Mastiffs take over. Like most training grounds, Mick is under pressure to keep the pitches cut and ready for use, and the warmer wet weather in September and October 2019 has highlighted the importance of having reliable pedestrian machines.

“The little club I started at had Mastiffs, so I’ve been brought up on them. It’s in wet conditions like we’ve had over September and October this year that the Mastiff’s really work well for us. The quality of cut is second to none, the finish has always been good, the blade setting and height of cut is dead easy to set, and the maintenance of them is easy as well.

“We need the reliability from the mowers because if you get behind it can be really difficult to catch up. We’ve had horrendous weather in these last two weeks, and the grass is still ticking away where you need to cut it twice a week. So, when you get that sort of weather this time of year, and you can’t cut for two or three days you start falling behind.

“In the winter, we put the LF’s away, they get cleaned down and serviced, and we get the Mastiff’s out. We use them in the winter when the grass isn’t growing as much, and you’re looking to avoid stressing the turf and using the pedestrian machines rather than the ride-ons is perfect for that.”

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Jacobsen at The Lensbury

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Jacobsen the complete package for The Lensbury: Multipurpose venues need quality, versatile and reliable mowers. And that’s why The Lensbury opted for the Jacobsen TR320 and GP400.

The four-star club, hotel and conference centre sits on the banks of the River Thames in Teddington, London, and hosts international rugby teams as well as professional club sides. There are also six grass tennis courts and ornamental gardens in the grounds of the hotel, all of which are kept to an impeccable standard by head of grounds and gardens, Peter Craig, and his team.

Jacobsen the complete package for The Lensbury

The rugby pitches are an essential part of The Lensbury. They attract the world’s best and need to look and play to their standards, so when the decision was made to get a new mower, Peter decided to trial every machine at his disposal before going for the TR320.

“I took a long time choosing the rugby mower because those pitches are the priority here from a turf management point of view, and that’s why we tried virtually everything before we made a choice,” Peter explained. “The quality of cut on the TR320 is good as is the adjustment of cut, and I’m glad that I made the choice I did.

“Price is obviously important, and the TR320 was competitive in that area. I looked at the Jacobsen and all the main mower brands. We were looking at all of the usual criteria, the quality of cut, the range of cut, the comfort, the noise and the width of the machine. The size of the boxes was another aspect I looked at because I wanted the biggest boxes possible to reduce the amount of time spent emptying them.

“Those were the main things along with the ease of use because we wanted it to be operator friendly. The back-up service is obviously a big part of it as well, and I’d never bought a Jacobsen before, so I didn’t know what it was like. When we’ve needed them, parts have arrived very quickly, and the service from Ernest Doe has been excellent.”

The TR320 is the perfect choice for The Lensbury because of its quality of cut, operator comfort and vertically folding units. The 1.83m cutting width can be reduced to a 1.63m transport width, with the reels lifting to a vertical position to make driving around tight areas, such as ornamental gardens, simple.

Although the pitches are the priority, the ornamental gardens and grass tennis courts are also paid close attention. While Peter’s mower criteria for this area was similar in terms of quality of cut and productivity, the need for a machine that could handle attachments was paramount for other maintenance.

For this, the GP400 was his mower of choice. It gets used to cut the ornamental lawns during the cutting season and for verti-cutting the tennis courts during the season, at the end of the season and during winter. Peter has high praise for the swing-out centre reel for making a “massive difference” when it comes to maintenance, and the ‘great’ quality of cut.

That great quality of cut comes from the TrueSet cutting units that allow operators to easily adjust the mower to ensure it has the optimum reel to bedknife setting, giving the perfect cut every time.

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Revised Highway 3 From Ransomes Jacobsen

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Revised Highway 3 From Ransomes Jacobsen: Ransomes Jacobsen will be showcasing the revised model of the Highway 3 triple cylinder mower on stand H090 at SALTEX 2019. 

The lightweight mower is popular in the commercial market and is well known for its high work rate, slope stability and manoeuvrability. To increase the mower’s already impressive output, drive train improvements have been made to boost the overall efficiency and compliment the Euro Stage V compliance.

Revised Highway 3 From Ransomes Jacobsen

The new drivetrain is central to the increased work rate and Ransomes Jacobsen director of international product development, Richard Comely is looking forward to exhibiting the machine at the Birmingham NEC.

He said: “SALTEX is a fantastic opportunity for us to showcase new products, network with customers and keep our fingers on the pulse of the sectors we sell into. Triplex cylinder mowers are still one of the most flexible and productive vehicles to cut grass with, and we will be showing a revised, Euro Stage V, Ransomes Highway 3 with a more efficient drivetrain at the exhibition.

“The Highway 3 is typically used on large areas for extended periods of time, so productivity is an important aspect of the mower. It was a case of improving something that was already performing very well, but the new drivetrain has made a difference and we’re very pleased with the outcome.”

Other machines on stand H090 will include the TR320 triplex mower, HR300 out-front mower, Cushman utility vehicle and the HM600 wide-area mulching flail mower. The latter utilises flail units which have been developed in a close collaboration between Ransomes and Müthing, an industry leader in innovative and trusted flail technology.

Revised Highway 3 From Ransomes Jacobsen

Ransomes Product Manager Lee Kristensen commented: “The partnership developed a highly productive and reliable mower that is capable of working in a wide range of conditions. The result has been a flail that matches the power output of the HM600 tractor, allowing users to cut down dense grass leaving an evenly spread after-cut finish every time.”

The HM600’s cutting capabilities come from the ‘M’ type carbide flails and ‘shark fin’ shredding bar. The floating cutting heads follow the contours of the ground while the unique action of the units cuts the grass multiple times as it travels around the flail head and mulches the grass while it breaks down before evenly spreading the clippings. Heavy duty rollers complete the fine turf finish. A temperature controlled reversing fan ensures the air intake screen is clear for optimum engine cooling and continuous function.

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Wassenaarse Choose Jacobsen

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Wassenaarse Choose Jacobsen: Perfection is the minimum requirement at Wassenaarse Golf Groendael in The Netherlands, and a new fleet of Jacobsen mowers will be contributing towards impeccable greens and immaculate fairways.

The exclusive nine-hole course is located between Wassenaar and The Hague and is known throughout The Netherlands for its fast greens and particular attention to detail, which have become prominent traits of the club.

Wassenaarse Choose Jacobsen

This new fleet of machines continues the association between head greenkeeper, Marco Wouters, Jacobsen and local dealer Pols Zuidland, and Marco considers his relationship with both to be a contributing factor behind his decision.

“Besides the reliability of the machines and the quality of cut, I would like to express that the continuous support of Pols Zuidland is equally important because without the right service we cannot do our job.

“The feeling of belonging to the Jacobsen family is also something to consider. I regularly visit the GCSAA Golf Show, and I meet a lot of Jacobsen staff who are always happy to talk through my questions. So, the support from both Jacobsen and Pols Zuidland was a reason to make another seven-year commitment and hopefully another seven after that.”

To meet the standards expected by the 350 members, Marco turned to Jacobsen’s renowned quality of cut and after-cut presentation. To achieve a daily stimp between 11 and 12 on the bent grass greens during the season, and around 10 during the off-season, he purchased two Eclipse 122 pedestrian mowers fitted with bi-directional groomer systems and one Eclipse 322 triplex with 15 blades.

For Marco, this combination of greens mowers met all of his requirements while offering that bit extra, as he explains. “One of the main reasons we chose the 122 is that we could install lithium batteries, which allows us to mow quietly in the mornings without disturbing the houses that surround the course. For presentation and practicality, the decision to choose the groomers was obvious because Jacobsen’s are known around the world for their ability to do a great job, for me, there is no other name/brand that’s doing it better.

“We aim to hand mow the greens seven days a week, but there are occasions when we can’t, and that’s why we got the Eclipse 322. Quality of cut was the main reason along with durability, but other features also helped us make the decision. Our course is situated in a drinking water reservoir and is environmentally prone to contamination, so being able to eliminate the use of hydraulic fluids and oil without having to sacrifice on cut quality is excellent for us.

“Another feature myself and my team love is the swing out centre reel. It makes the daily height of cut and bedknife adjustments much easier and saves a lot of time.”

A super light-weight SLF530 reel mower was selected for use on the fescue fairways for its exceptional after-cut presentation. At Wassenaarse, all fairways are cross-mowed and boxed off, with a clear definition between the fairways and rough at all times. Being able to adjust the units at the touch of a button has made achieving this definition easier along with the groomer system that is preventing the build-up of wet clippings and leaves falling into the grass sward.

Marco’s attention to detail doesn’t stop with the course and is applied to every machine that’s used on it. It is a common site to see golf buggies dressed in club colours and logos, but at Wassenaarse the machines get the same treatment because they are regularly seen on the course by members. All of the new mowers, three Cushman Hauler Pro’s, Smithco sprayer, bunker rake and XL roller have been sprayed black and had Groendael’s logo applied, and received a very positive reaction from members who have praised the uniform appearance.

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