Tag Archive for: Machinery

Investment in training is investment in machinery longevity

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Investment in training is investment in machinery longevity: One of the greatest investments a customer can make in machinery is to invest in training according to Reesink Turfcare. And now there’s a new Electric Powered course meaning that no matter the power source, customers can get the best from their machinery.

Quality machinery is one of the biggest investments a club will make and needs to be safeguarded with proper training. A well-trained and attentive operating team will impact on running costs by catching things early and dealing with them at the most cost-effective point.

Investment in training is investment in machinery longevity

Investment in training is investment in machinery longevity

When it comes to mowers, Reesink offers three relevant training courses: Turfcare Mechanics to include cutting technology, the Safe Use of Ride-On Mowers and Reesink’s brand new Electric Powered Training.

Lee Rowbotham, service and training manager at Reesink UK, explains that having well-trained operators and mechanics can make machines go even further in both performance and longevity: “Reesink training provides customers with the confidence to operate and take care of their own machines so that operations can continue to run smoothly no matter what. It’s about investing in people as much as it is the machines themselves, but ultimately the two are always linked.”

With the rapid development of electric and hybrid technology, it’s important that skills and knowledge in those areas progresses at an equivalent rate so that technicians and dealers can better serve their customers and the Toro product. Hence the introduction of the new course.

Lee explains: “The Electric Powered Training course covers calibration and troubleshooting in Toro electric machinery, understanding how the electric system works and how each electrical component fits into the system. It is aimed at end users who currently have electric Toro products in their fleet.”

For diesel and petrol machines, Reesink’s Turfcare Mechanics course aims to instil confidence in troubleshooting, routine servicing and setting cutting units to manufacturers specification and can bring significant savings when it comes to machinery downtime. Lee says: “It’s surprising how the areas of maintenance that generate service time or bills such as lack of greasing, contaminated fuel or oil and blocked radiators or oil coolers are relatively easily avoided.

“The training Reesink provides teaches operators and mechanics how to keep their machines in a constant state of good condition so they can do a better job on the golf course all year round.”

The Turfcare Mechanics course, designed for dedicated workshop mechanics, also covers understanding Fault Codes and Level 1 Hydraulics and Electrics fundamentals to incorporate on board machinery diagnostics, Lee says: “This course allows clubs to take effective care of their groundscare machinery, meaning machines need less time in the workshop and can spend more time on the job.”

It’s not just in-depth maintenance knowledge that Reesink’s training provides, the Safe Use of Ride-On Mowers course ensures operators are well trained on equipment and find it easy and intuitive to use. This course is ideal for new starters, giving a practical and thorough overview of operating, checking and maintaining ride-on mowing equipment.

Reesink’s training doesn’t stop at mowers; also on offer is Reesink’s Professional Sprayer Operational and Calibration training for Toro sprayers.

Course material and assessment are included in the fees, and manufacturer backed certification is provided at the end. Each of Reesink’s courses range from one to two days of training and can be conducted on an individual basis or in small groups.

Find out more about these courses to help keep machinery performing to the best of its ability to deliver the very best playing surfaces by calling 01480 226800 or going online at reesinkturfcare.co.uk

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Cold weather tips for machinery maintenance

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Cold weather tips for machinery maintenance: With driest summer in 40 years and a ‘triple dip El Nina’ expected to bring continued dry, cold weather into the winter months, the best thing turfcare professionals can do is be prepared when it comes to machinery maintenance – and for that Toro Parts and Reesink Turfcare have got customers covered.

Weather scientists have confirmed the rare meteorological ‘El Nina’ could stretch Britain’s drought emergency into next summer, and a dry winter after a dry summer means maintenance this winter will be focused on taking care of machinery working on dry, hard, unrelenting ground.

Cold weather tips for machinery maintenance

Cold weather tips for machinery maintenance

Aerating, mowing and scarifying is tough enough during winter let alone when the ground is overly dry, which means machines will be given a particularly tough work out. Bent and damaged tines and blades will be an issue, so the best advice is to have replacement stock of these in the workshop to avoid delays to schedules and unnecessary downtime.

But which parts to choose? Michael Hampton, parts manager at Reesink Turfcare, says: “Customers should consider the same rigorous criteria for choosing parts as they do when choosing a machine. Things like performance, quality of cut, longevity and return on investment, all stand up for parts too.

“Using parts that aren’t Toro Genuine Parts, especially in a Toro mower, can seriously damage the machine, and even risk damaging the cutting units. Choosing cheaper, less efficient alternatives is a false economy and will likely cost you more in the long run.”

Whether it’s wet or dry, cutting time is reduced in the winter months, which makes it the perfect time to take an in-depth look at the cutting unit. Keeping on top of general maintenance of filters and belts ensures machines operate to full capacity when the grass begins to grow come spring and blades need to be kept sharp throughout the season.

With a blade for all seasons, choosing Toro guarantees not only a perfect fit but one carefully crafted to suit specific turf needs. For example, the ‘Atomic’ blades are best in the winter months, perfect for mulching up leaves or for use with a recycling deck to mulch the grass.

Again, it helps to have these sorts of things in stock but if space is an issue Reesink has customers covered with its comprehensive stock of parts, from the great value MVP kits, to blades, tines and filters. Toro line items are available for delivery at 24 hours’ notice anywhere in the UK, or by transatlantic air freight service.

This represents the kind of reassurance Reesink wants to give turfcare professionals: minimum downtime, maximum productivity and more customer service – all at no extra cost.

Speaking of reassurance, there’s also Reesink’s ReeAssure scheme which offers maintenance service plans to remove the unknowns and make planning easy when it comes to machinery servicing. With the ability to mix and match three different service plans across machines, keeping your machinery fleet in optimum condition has never been easier.

To stock up on Toro parts or for winter machinery maintenance advice, customers can get in touch with their local Toro Genuine Parts dealer or service centre or contact Reesink via reesinkturfcare.co.uk

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STIGA garden machinery

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STIGA garden machinery: With one of the largest specialist UK distributor networks for lawnmowers and hand-held garden machinery, all selling predominantly European manufactured equipment, STIGA is a major force in the British market.

The STIGA group spans more than a century of experience in the sector in the UK and is a leading producer of European designed and manufactured batteries for use within its mowers, garden ride-ons and hand-held powered garden products.

STIGA garden machinery

STIGA garden machinery

In addition to STIGA branded products the UK company also owns Mountfield and ATCO.  The STIGA brand in the UK market features an innovative, class leading battery powered range, with all products designed at the company’s Italian headquarters in Italy with manufacturing plants there and in Slovakia and China.

The UK headquarters in Plymouth is one of 14 commercial offices in Europe that oversee sales of STIGA garden machinery in more than 70 countries worldwide.  In the UK STIGA  is poised to become a major brand leader in battery powered garden machinery.

The ‘green-fingered’ engineering and design team in Italy is a leading force in developing battery powered equipment that will tick all the boxes as we strive for environmentally positive gardening across Europe.  The batteries are designed using the very latest technology to produce clean, efficient and easily rechargeable power.

“We are at the cutting edge of design in battery power for garden products,” says Gary Whitney, managing director of STIGA UK.   “Our ethos is always to be the best in the market and to achieve this our European R & D team has brought creative and exciting new innovations to British gardeners.  Products that make not just lawn mowing, but pruning, cutting, trimming and even cleaning easier and more environmentally secure.”

The perfect example of this is the new versatile SWIFT garden ride-on.  It is the world’s first battery powered rider with removable batteries that can be shared with a wide-range of hand-held garden products from within the STIGA range.  This includes strimmers, long reach pruners, hedge cutters, blowers and mowers.

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New lease of life for machinery fleet at Chorley Golf Club

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New lease of life for machinery fleet at Chorley Golf Club: Chorley Golf Club has got its 125-year anniversary off to a good start by updating its machinery fleet.

The course sits in 127 acres between Bolton and Preston, drawing players out of both major conurbations to be challenged while taking in prime views that extend as far as the Lake District and North Wales.

New lease of life for machinery fleet at Chorley Golf Club

New lease of life for machinery fleet at Chorley Golf Club

With both healthy membership numbers and a high number of visiting players, Head Greenkeeper Tony Grayson and his team of four – deputy John Cottam, Chris Riley, Stuart Angus, and Daniel Woan – are working to meet expectations every day.

“I try to produce the best course I can every day, as we have so many competitions”, he says. “It’s all about the presentation and of course – people want what they see on TV.”

Living up to the manicured greens and fairways seen on televised competitions is no mean feat in the north west of England, where consistent rainfall and clay soils present major challenges.

“The ground is very quick to get wet but also quick to dry as we are on a couple inches of topsoil and thatch on the fairways,” Tony said. “The Bunkers are really difficult to maintain in bad weather because the clay contaminates the sand and, although others might put in liners nowadays, on a limited resource it costs a fortune.”

Pests and diseases, particularly fusarium, anthracnose, worm casts and leatherjackets are an increasing challenge too, with many chemicals being taken off the market. Frequently warm and wet conditions make this pressure relentless.

Keeping the course in top condition takes attention to detail, and the team can afford little  machinery downtime. A breakdown can threaten to overwhelm the team so when they were handed the keys to a brand-new shed just before the first covid lockdown in March 2020, the impetus was there to invest in new machinery.

Tony said: “It had been difficult to invest in machinery because of the previous sheds in terms of their security and the environment – you don’t want to be keeping machines in damp conditions.

“We had an ageing fleet and the reliability, particularly of our previous rough mower, was going down. When you’ve got the grass growing like mad and a rough mower down, it’s difficult to manage.”

The team’s new shed now stores a John Deere 7500 fairway mower, a 9009A TerrainCut rough mower, an 8000A E E-Cut Hybrid fairway mower, a XUV86SM Gator, three 220SL SL PrecisionCut walk-behind greens mower and two 2500 greens mowers.

Tony said: “Looking at other brands, I found that John Deere, as well as being at the top, was offering value for money as well. Once I demoed everything, it was obvious what I was looking for. The machines are now specific to our course and environment so we can go out with more confidence, getting a nicer cut.

“The 8000AE is so versatile and it can even act as a backup fairways mower by quickly raising the height of cut. It is our key machine and the one that will make people notice in terms of the appearance of the surrounds and approaches. Now, the green-side bunkers are part of the surround and we’re able to cut around this area with the new machine, making the presentation so much better.”

For the majority of the new machines, Tony opted to use John Deere Finance. And with a strong relationship with John Deere’s specialist servicing dealer Balmers GM spanning  20 years, the team at Chorley has direct access to support to maintain the machines. For its flagship machine, the 9009A, Tony reasoned that an operating lease, whereby the team would only pay for the use of the machine, would be the best option.

“The club looked at the hours our machines were doing – and with the rough mower doing the most hours, we took it out on an operational lease as we have a lot of semi-rough, and will look to change after five years.”

Following a successful 2021 with summer on the greenkeepers’ side and armed with a new machinery fleet, Tony’s sights are now set firmly on future proofing the course – and the reliability of the new machines will be crucial to ensure this work can happen.

“Our aim now is to make the course longer by building a few more tee zones set right back onto the course’s boundaries to cater for an increasing number of golfers hitting the ball further. All this has to be done without disrupting golfers’ experience or making a mess with the heavier equipment required.

“Our industry isn’t without its challenges but investing in the machines has really given our greenkeepers more pride in their work, and the machines are doing a fantastic job at presenting the course in the best light.”

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Fueling the future of garden machinery

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Fueling the future of garden machinery: Leading power tool manufacturer Makita UK is offering end users the chance to get their hands on FREE LXT and XGT products with the purchase of selected cordless garden machines. With a wide selection of freebies on offer, the deal is perfect for professionals looking to start or expand their existing Makita cordless range.

Makita’s latest garden machinery promotion gives end users the chance to claim the highly sought after MR002GZ01 Bluetooth Site Radio (compatible with LXT, XGT and CXT batteries), or 18V LXT DMP180Z Inflator, or 18V LXT DUM604ZX Grass Shear with the purchase and registration of a huge selection of its leading LXT outdoor products – including blowers, grass shears, hedge trimmers, line trimmers, brush cutters, split shafts, lawnmowers, chainsaws and the Twin 18V DDG460T2X7 Brushless Earth Auger.

Fueling the future of garden machinery

Fueling the future of garden machinery

In addition, those who purchase selected XGT 40VMax outdoor equipment (including blowers, hedge trimmers, brush cutters, linetrimmers and more) can redeem a free MR002GZ01 Bluetooth Site Radio, or MP001GZ XGT 40VMax Inflator, or ML003G XGT 40VMax Work Light.

Kevin Brannigan, Marketing Manager at Makita said: “At Makita, we believe that the future of garden machinery is cordless – which is why we are offering end users the chance to introduce new cordless products into their armoury with our latest promotion.

“Our 18V LXT and XGT 40VMax outdoor equipment has been designed to offer professionals the power and performance needed to tackle any task with ease, without compromising on battery run time, user safety or productivity. With over 270 LXT products and 50 XGT models in our wider range, we are helping end users achieve a truly cordless jobsite.”

Makita’s latest redemption offer launches on 1st February and will run until 30th June 2022. Customers who purchase any of the qualifying models in this period will have 28 days to register their purchase and claim their free product.

For more information on the promotion and terms and conditions, visit: www.makitauk.com/redemption

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