Tag Archive for: New

Royal Reesink’s New Partnership

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Royal Reesink’s New Partnership: Royal Reesink has joined forces with Vincent Achten to create TurfTroniq, a company that will develop and deliver the technology for automated steering of Toro mowers to the UK and Ireland.

The collaboration with Vincent, who has more than a decade of experience in robotising mowers, is in response to customer interest for automated steering for Toro. TurfTroniq has developed two types of system, both have been supplied to customers in Europe and ongoing  trials continue: the Assisted Mowing System (AMS) is an advanced mowing aid and the Robotic Mowing System (RMS) is a fully automatic system which enables the machine to mow independently.

Royal Reesink's New Partnership

David Cole, managing director of Reesink Turfcare UK, says: “We’ve watched with interest the progress of this technology so far and it’s ever-evolving. TurfTroniq has developed a real understanding for where GPS control technology is, how it works and what needs to happen to deliver a reliable, safe and quality product to our customers.”

AMS automatically lowers the mower units and follows the pre-programmed mowing lines. All the operator has to do is turn the machine in front of the cutting line and the system takes over. There are several potential benefits to this approach, says David, predominantly that it can be used for training operators and eliminating ‘fairway creep’, raising the standard of the operator, their productivity and enhancing course presentation.

“AMS can be set-up by an experienced operator for a junior member of the team to complete the mowing to an extremely high standard,” David explains. “It gives the operator mowing experience, allows for machine familiarisation and helps with training. The skills of the more experienced operator can then be redeployed to more challenging and technical work rather than time consuming wide area mowing. And because the machine can follow exactly the same route each time, it eliminates ‘fairway creep’ and ensures the definition of the fairway remains the same cut after cut.”

The RMS meanwhile is a fully automatic system to enable the machine to mow independently using 3D camera technology to quickly detect obstacles in its path. David says: “This is a technology some of our customers tell us they are interested in and want to understand more about in terms of its potential place within their own particular maintenance regimes. With a focus on increased productivity through minimal overlap and repetitive mowing results, there’s no doubt a role for it in the turfcare maintenance of tomorrow. We look forward to engaging with customer opinion to understand further what place this emerging technology has for them in a practical sense and that’s where TurfTroniq is right now.”

Over the past several years, the systems have been installed on Toro fairway mowers and have been extensively tested and, according to TurfTroniq, proved to be very reliable. Systems are working in the field and continue to undergo rigorous testing in daily maintenance operations. Both systems are easy to use, and the progress of the machines can be monitored live with any smartphone.

This collaboration to develop GPS mowing technology for Toro mowers with Vincent’s experience supported by Reesink’s distribution network for the UK and Ireland, will ensure that Toro customers will soon be able to benefit from assisted and automated steering. Roon Hylkema, director of Royal Reesink B.V, concludes:” The market is ready for this innovative technology and we are delighted to be able to make it available in the UK and Ireland.”

For more information, visit: reesinkturfcare.co.uk

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Barenbrug’s New Winter Sports Blend

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Barenbrug’s New Winter Sports Blend: Elite Sport from Barenbrug is the new number one rated Winter Sports blend. The top-performing product blends perennial ryegrasses for the renovation and construction of winter sports pitches.

Cultivar trials at the Sports Turf Research Institute (STRI) under the British Society of Plant Breeders (BSPB) protocol analyse the performance of sports perennial ryegrasses under intensive wear pressure in line with a winter sports season.  The trial plots are sown in spring, and a “wear simulation machine” is applied from autumn through to the following spring.  Individual cultivars are replicated three times and scored for traits such as Visual Merit; Live Ground Cover; Shoot Density and Recovery; each scored on a scale of 1-9 (9 is highest).

Barenbrug's New Winter Sports Blend

A ryegrass cultivar must be subjected to three successive wear trials (sports seasons) to be listed in Table S1 of the annual publication “Turfgrass Seed” (aka “the STRI/BSPB booklet”).  Table S1 represents a ranking of Mean scores (the combined average of Visual Merit and Live Ground Cover) of approximately 100 perennial ryegrass varieties.

Elite Sport features four of the top-six cultivars in the S1 table and contains 40% by composition of the new #1-ranked Europitch (Mean = 8.1).  Overall, the product blend has an outstanding Mean score of 7.92.  This score translates into Elite Sport being the industry-leading performing product for winter sports use in the UK.

In addition to performance underwear, the blend has other traits of interest to grounds managers of elite winter sports surfaces.  Barcristalla (25% of the mix) is ranked #1 in the top-60 listed varieties for dark green colour and has exceptional Drechslera leaf spot and Fusarium (Microdochium) tolerance (source: turfgrass-list.org).  These two factors are particularly important to stadium environments under intensive disease pressure and the scrutiny of high-definition TV cameras.

Three of the four varieties have also been put their paces at Barenbrug’s dedicated UK research station, Cropvale, in Worcestershire.  Here, wear simulation is monitored using Digital Image Analysis (DIA) to objectively analyse performance.

Elite Sport is being successfully tested in pilot form at Heart of Midlothian FC, following a full pitch reconstruction in the summer of 2018.

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New Hydroponic Turf System

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New Hydroponic Turf System: Capillary Concrete, best known as the supplier of golf’s most scientifically advanced bunker liner product, has launched a revolution in golf turfgrass management. 

Capillary Concrete, best known as the supplier of golf’s most scientifically advanced bunker liner product, has launched a revolution in golf turfgrass management. The Hydroponic Turf System offers course managers the opportunity to make huge reductions in the amount of water needed to maintain high quality turfgrass, while at the same time promising major increases in turf health.

New Hydroponic Turf System

The system uses the capillary properties of Capillary Concrete to enable both drainage and irrigation from below and to precisely regulate the moisture content of the turf’s rootzone. 

Martin Sternberg, Capillary Concrete inventor and CEO, said: “The system divides the turf into two areas of equal size. A control basin automatically oxygenates and pumps or drains water between the two areas on a regular schedule. The system is powered by a small solar panel and the water levels in the turf profile can easily be adjusted.” 

The Hydroponic Turf System enables massive increases in gas exchange below the top four inches of the rootzone – the area which conventional aeration methods do not adequately service. Because carbon dioxide molecules are heavier than those of oxygen, the system pushes out the heavier molecules and sucks oxygen into the turf profile by raising and lowering the water table. It also delivers optimal levels of nutrients directly to the rootzone. 

Sternberg said: “We have been researching this application of our technology for five years, and the results are remarkable. Irrigating from below virtually eliminates evaporation, and our tests show up to 85 per cent savings in total water used under our Hydroponic Turf System. Irrigation costs can be lowered by up to to 30 per cent, and the level of gas exchange in the rootzone can be increased by an almost unbelievable 6,000 per cent. Using hydroponics in this way will increase the lifespan of tees and greens, it will help superintendents deliver superior turf from dryer surfaces with lower maintenance costs and a much smaller environmental footprint.” 

Capillary Concrete is currently looking for golf clubs to participate in a pilot programme to adapt the patented Hydroponics Turf System to local conditions and climates. Pilot partners will receive the new system, and also comprehensive support services enabling them to install, test and evaluate the benefits of the system for tees and greens.

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Avant Tecno Introduce New 800 Series

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Avant Tecno Introduce New 800 Series: The completely new 800 series from Avant Tecno is the largest and most powerful loader series from the Finnish manufacturer. It pushes the limits of compact loader’s performance with 1.900 kg lift capacity and 3,5 m lift height. Still, its dimensions – width 1,5 m, length 3,4 m, height 2,2 m and weight starting from 2.500 kg – and articulated design make the 800 series a very versatile and powerful compact loader.

There will be two models available to start with:

  • Avant 860i with Kohler KDI 1903 TCR 42 kW/57 hp common rail turbocharged diesel engine, EU Stage V and US Tier 4 final compliant.
  • Avant 850 with Kubota V2403 36 kW/49 hp diesel engine, destined for markets outside the scope of EU Stage V and US Tier 4 final emission standards.

Avant Tecno Introduce New 800 Series

Hydrostatic transmission with a hydraulic drive motor on each wheel together with two drive speed areas is a familiar feature of Avant compact loaders.  Max. drive speed of the 800 series is 30 km/h and auxiliary hydraulics oil flow for attachments is as high as 80 l/min.

Telescopic loader boom is standard feature on 800 series as well. The boom extends and retracts hydraulically 825 mm and gives a max. lift height of 3,5 m to the hinge pin. This enables loading on trucks with high sides, on mixer feeder wagons etc. – and unloading from high level. The hydraulic self levelling system keeps the load automatically level when lifting and lowering the boom.

The 800 series is equipped with Avant quick attach system for attachments – other systems like Euro 3 will be available as an option. The hydraulic hoses of the attachments are coupled with the multi connector, which allows easy connecting with a single hand movement – in all conditions.

Avant 800 series has a certified ROPS/FOPS open cab as standard, in addition an enclosed heated cab is available as an option. This DLX cab mounts on the chassis of the loader with anti-vibration mounts, which guarantees excellent noise and vibration isolation.  Efficient heating and ventilation and large windows further improve user friendliness. The DLX cab can be equipped with air conditioning as well.

The comprehensive Avant attachment range – over 200 attachments – is available for 800 series also. This makes the 800 a very versatile and useful machine for many different customer groups: landscaping, construction, property maintenance, agriculture, various material handling jobs etc.

Avant 800 series will be introduced at the bauma 2019 exhibition in Munich, Germany on 8.-14. April. Avant stand at the bauma is FN.1020/5.  Projected production start is in the fall 2019.

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Wilkinson Sword’s New Ultralight Collection Products

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Wilkinson Sword’s New Ultralight Collection Products: Gardeners looking to breeze through this season’s gardening tasks needn’t look any further than the Wilkinson Sword Ultralight collection. The range delivers strong, expertly crafted and stylish garden tools in a comfortable, featherweight package that weighs up to 50 percent less than its traditional counterparts.

Following the initial success of the Ultralight range, Wilkinson Sword found there was an overwhelming demand for a wider collection of lightweight tools for tasks all around the garden. This prompted a further enhancement of the cutting range as well as an expansion into cultivating tools. As a result, the range now features a total of 15 products for pruning, cultivating, hedge care and lawn care.

Wilkinson Sword's New Ultralight Collection Products

Digging in the garden can often be a laborious job, but by using the new Ultralight Digging Spade, this once backbreaking task is made easy. This spade has a serrated edge that allows you to break up the soil and dig with ease and is strong enough to cope with heavy loads, despite weighing up to 40 percent less than a traditional digging spade.

Essential for planting, potting and weeding, the Ultralight Trowel and Ultralight Hand Fork feature rust-resistant stainless-steel heads which easily glide into the soil. The ergonomically-designed handles have been shaped to sit comfortably in hand whilst working.

Ideal for clearing leaves and hedge clippings from the lawn, the new Ultralight Adjustable Lawn Rake will help keep the garden free from debris and weighing just 810g (30 percent lighter than a standard garden rake), this minimises strain on the gardener. In addition, it has a raking width which can be adjusted from 19cm to 56cm, making it perfect for working under and around shrubs and borders. This tool can also be compacted down for easy storage.

Other new additions to the Ultralight cultivating tools include a Garden Rake, Dutch Hoe, Edging Knife and Shovel.

The cutting range has also been further enhanced with two new pruners. The Ultralight Bypass Pruner and Ultralight Anvil Pruner have high carbon steel blades which can cut through stems up to 15mm thick. Thanks to the reduced weight, hand fatigue is significantly reduced, making these easier to use for longer periods of time. Another new addition is the Ultralight Single Handed Grass Shear, which has a 360-degree full swivel blade to cut lawn edges perfectly and is up to 30 percent lighter than standard hand grass shears. These tools join an already popular cutting range including hedge shears and tree cutters.

Another new addition is the Ultralight Single Handed Grass Shear, which has a 360-degree full swivel blade to cut lawn edges perfectly and is up to 30 percent lighter than standard hand grass shears. These tools join an already popular cutting range including hedge shears and tree cutters.

Each tool within this collection is significantly lighter than standard gardening tools, yet they still provide the quality, strength and cutting excellence you would expect from this trusted brand.

All Wilkinson Sword garden tools carry the reassuring Wilkinson Sword 10-year guarantee.

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