Tag Archive for: New

New Toro Fleet At Bradford GC

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New Toro Fleet At Bradford GC: If success is a fresh pair of eyes, then The Bradford Golf Club in West Yorkshire has well and truly succeeded since the arrival of its first Toro fleet.

Darrell Crowley re-joined the club as course manager in 2018, and one of his first big decisions was to choose the supplier from which he would source his new fleet, as part of the club’s commitment to continually investing in the course.

New Toro Fleet At Bradford GC

Having seen the difference and improvements that the previous Toro fleets had made since his return, it was an easy task. Darrell comments: “There have been Toro machines, among other brands, at the club since the millennium, but it wasn’t until 2006 that the first package deal arrived. I had recently started as an assistant greenkeeper at the time and the club wanted to move away from updating individual machines to getting a bulk amount of new kit from one brand to see what difference that made, and if that approach further improved the course.”

And while Darrell could see the immediate improvements the switch to a Toro fleet deal with Reesink Turfcare made to the overall quality and condition of the course, it’s coming back to the club now as course manager and seeing the long-term benefit that this has made when it really hit home for Darrell.

“The course is looking better than ever. It goes without saying each individual machine makes a difference, but of course only to its particular area such as the greens or tees, so to get a fleet of new machines to cover all areas of the course, well the collective improvement is simply striking.

“The board has been working tirelessly for the last twenty years to keep the club in the modern era, keep up with the latest machinery advancements and make it more self-sufficient, the first Toro fleet deal was a big part of that. It’s been so successful and made such a positive improvement to the course since that we have continued our relationship with Toro, and this is now our third lease agreement.”

And it’s an impressive fleet of Toro machines that have been brought on board. The fleet consists of like-for-like renewals of the Greensmaster TriFlex 3400, Groundsmaster 3500-D, and Workman HDX, plus three new additions in the Groundsmaster 4500-D, Reelmaster 5010-H and Multi Pro WM sprayer, which are already making a strong impression.

“The Multi Pro WM sprayer and RM5010-H are definitely my new favourites,” says Darrell. “The Multi Pro WM’s information centre gives us more accuracy and the hybrid drive system on the RM5010-H is really beneficial for fuel savings.

“The demonstration process for these two was great as well. Russell Groundcare were able to get us the machines we wanted quickly and then gave us the time to really test them out. They then worked closely with us to help supply the package once we were set on the machines for the fleet. The whole process from start to finish was seamless.”

Named 2018 West Yorkshire Golf Club of the Year by Your Golfer Magazine, the club is a popular destination for golfers and keeping the course up to standard has proved even more vital in recent years with the club undergoing a large development project. But the Toro fleet has been more than up for the job says Darrell.

“In recent years we have restructured several holes and undergone tree removal to help return the course back to its traditional moorland roots, this has been coupled with a major refurbishment of the clubhouse.”

With Darrell, the team and the board all having seen the benefits Toro has brought to The Bradford Golf Club, it’s likely Toro will continue to have a place at the club.

“What Toro provides is reliability, high quality of cut and high quality of build, all at a competitive price. I don’t think other brands can really offer the same, and if the quality is there, there’s no need for me to look elsewhere,” says Darrell.

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GreenMech’s New SURE-Trak

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GreenMech’s New SURE-Trak: GreenMech’s new pivoting track extension system has proven itself to be a real game changer for Scotland’s South West Arb.

With an increasing number of rail-side de-veg projects demanding work on steep embankments, the SURE-Trak’s ability to perform in even the most challenging of environments saw owner Stewart Ball taking delivery of the first SURE-Trak 19-28 woodchipper in the UK earlier this year.

GreenMech's New SURE-Trak

“When I established South West Arb five years ago, the first thing I purchased was a GreenMech SAFE-Trak chipper” explains Stewart, who now heads-up a team of 15. “My previous employer had been a longstanding user of the SAFE-Trak units and, having looked at other machines, when it came to working on embankments or challenging terrain, no other chippers came close.” After quickly adding a second SAFE-Trak to his fleet, Stewart then heard about the launch of GreenMech’s next generation track system, SURE-Trak.

Allowing safe traversing of slopes in excess of 35 degrees, the pivoting SURE-Trak assemblies allow each track to maintain contact with the ground independently, while following differing contours, to provide a surer footprint and improved stability. “When I saw what the 19-28 fitted with SURE-Trak system could do, it was a complete game changer. It can get absolutely anywhere and the ability to tilt the body means it’s now even easier and safer for the operator to feed in material, no matter the embankment angle.”

To help in the delivery of power line and railway contracts, Stewart was delighted to take delivery of his SURE-Trak 19-28 from local dealer Lloyd Ltd, in January 2019. “Not only can they reach any given location, but the actual chipping performance is second to none. The powerful rollers will pull in even the most awkward forked material for the disc blades to process. Keep these sharp and they won’t skip a beat.” Stewart concludes, “Since we’ve had the SURE-Trak, it’s been working on embankments that other chippers could only dream of getting to!”

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BASF To Launch New Farm Rodenticide

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BASF To Launch New Farm Rodenticide: BASF have announced the release of Storm® Ultra Secure, a brand-new rodenticide which will be available in August 2019. The product contains 25 parts per million (ppm) of the active substance flocoumafen and will be available in a variety of sizes to professional users* and farmers as well as the general public.

The preparation of crop stores to prevent infestations of rodents and other pests is crucial. Rodents consume and spoil stored produce, spread disease to humans and livestock, attack growing crops and damage buildings. Preparing storage facilities on farms requires planning and an integrated pest management approach. Buildings should be cleaned, tidied and thoroughly checked prior to being regularly baited. This will help remove rodents before harvest and continued baiting will prevent infestations during autumn and winter. It is therefore essential for farmers to find the right product that has high efficacy and palatability.

BASF To Launch New Farm Rodenticide

Sharon Hughes, Global Technical Marketing Manager, for BASF explains. “Since second generation rodenticides were released in the 1970s and 80s to combat rodent resistance to the early anticoagulants of the 1950s, a complacency about rodent control has developed. It is believed that all second-generation actives have a high rate of efficacy and that rodents have little to no resistance to them. However, this is not the case because rats have already shown resistance to difenacoum and bromadiolone.”

Resistance is only one factor in the efficacy of a rodenticide. Palatability is an equally important consideration. The strength of the active is irrelevant if the rodent is not attracted to eat the product. It is therefore important to have an active that rodents are not resistant to and a product that is highly palatable to ensure a sufficient quantity of the active is consumed.

In laboratory trials conducted by BASF, rats were offered the choice between a controlled nontoxic food source and Storm Ultra Secure. The results showed that some rats chose to consume high quantities of the product even when nontoxic food was available. Sharon explains “Palatability is measured by the amount of the rodenticide consumed divided by the amount of the controlled diet consumed. The standard for most block baits range between 0.5 and 1.5”.

In laboratory tests with Storm Ultra Secure, BASF recorded quantities as high as 11.3 being consumed by rats and even the lowest levels were at least 2. This shows that the rats were consuming at least twice the normal dosage, with many choosing to consume much higher quantities of the rodenticide than normal. This proven palatability demonstrates that the new 25ppm bait is more effective than many 50ppm baits currently on the market.

Sharon concludes, “It is clear that rodents will continue to adapt, but none have built a resistance or tolerance to the flocoumafen active in Storm. By making Storm Ultra Secure more palatable we have created a 25ppm product that farmers can use to effectively control rodents on their farm.”

Rodent activity should be monitored all year round and farmers should look for signs of rats and mice at least weekly especially before harvest.

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New App For Groundsmen

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New App For Groundsmen: The Premier League, The FA and Government’s Football Foundation are ramping up efforts to improve the quality of grass pitches in England with the launch of the Football Foundation Groundskeeping Community app.

The new platform provides a resource of expert advice for grounds staff, enabling them to connect with peers, discover new tips and tricks and share advice on best industry practice. Users can seek guidance from the IOG’s Regional Pitch Advisors, who are available to answer questions and update members on changes to industry standards.

New App For Groundsmen

The system is entirely free to use and will feature regular new content, with videos from high-profile groundskeepers, such as Wembley Stadium’s Karl Standley, case studies and the latest in groundskeeping techniques.

Developed in partnership with the Institute of Groundsmanship (IOG) and run through Hive Learning, Europe’s leading peer learning platform, the site represents the latest step of the Football Foundation’s Grass Pitch Programme, which aims to ensure every affiliated football fixture in England is played on a quality football pitch.

Karl Standley, Wembley Stadium Head Groundsman said: “Whether it’s Wembley or your local community football pitch, groundkeepers all face the same challenges.

“I think it’s great that we can now all come together on this new platform to share these challenges and help each other find solutions. We are all aware of the importance of improving the state of pitches in this country and this is a great step to making a long-lasting difference.”

Geoff Webb, IOG CEO said: “This is the culmination of over five years of work within our partnership with both the Football Foundation and The FA via the Grounds and Natural Turf Improvement Programme and will complement the invaluable pitch-maintenance service that the Regional Pitch Advisors provide for volunteers at grassroots football clubs.

Dean Potter, Director of Grant Management at the Football Foundation, said: “The majority of community football is played on grass pitches and it’s a priority for us that we are able to sustain this.”

“We know how important football facilities are in transforming lives and bringing communities together and this platform will enable us to build a new groundskeeper community that will provide huge benefits for people across the country.”

For more information, go to http://thefa.hivelearning.com/groundskeeping.

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KAR’s New Irrigation Rotor

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KAR’s New Irrigation Rotor: KAR UK has unveiled the new Hunter ST-1700V Turf Rotor which offers unrivalled high-performance irrigation for synthetic surfaces.

The ST range of Hunter irrigation products, which are expertly designed to cool and clean synthetic turf sports surfaces, have long been a market leader. Simple to specify, contractor-friendly to install, and easy to service and maintain for the end-user, the Hunter ST System is the first and only cost-effective, fully integrated solution designed to exceed the unique and specific needs of the synthetic turf irrigation market.

KAR's New Irrigation Rotor

Now, KAR UK – distributor of Hunter Industries irrigation equipment, has revealed that the renowned ST portfolio has been further strengthened with the addition of the new ST-1700V Synthetic Turf Rotor.

Simplicity is the key to the ST-1700V as it integrates Valve-in-Head (VIH) capabilities and a Total-Top-Service (TTS) design to simplify installation and maintenance.

Performance wise, the ST-1700V is unbeatable. Key benefits include:

  • TTS design provides convenient no-dig servicing without the need to cut into the synthetic surface
  • VIH configuration makes installation fast and easy
  • Heavy-duty internal gear drive provides years of reliable operation
  • Includes all the features and benefits of the popular ST-1600 rotor

KAR's New Irrigation Rotor

The ST-1700V rotor is now available exclusively in the UK and Ireland from KAR UK.

For more information, please visit www.karuk.com or www.hunterindustries.com.

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