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Rapid ROI on Capillary Bunkers

Rapid ROI on Capillary Bunkers: Last year, the six-course Landings Club, in Savannah, Georgia, installed the Capillary Bunkers liner on its Magnolia course, as part of a large-scale renovation with Arnold Palmer Design architect Brandon Johnson. And director of ground and projects Chris Steigelman says the results are already showing the wisdom of that decision.

“We have dabbled with various bunker drainage techniques across our courses, though none of them apart from Magnolia have wall to wall liners,” he says. “But part of the goals of the renovation project was to reduce our bunker maintenance workload. Brandon’s designs called for the bunker surface area to be reduced by 50 per cent, and with the Capillary Bunkers liner, the amount of time we now spend on bunker sand maintenance has gone down dramatically.”

Rapid ROI on Capillary Bunkers

Rapid ROI on Capillary Bunkers

The new-look Magnolia has retained the steeply flashed bunker faces that the course previously had, and Steigelman says that the liner has played an important role in making the design work effectively. “We get around fifty inches of rain a year, and in the summertime we often get thunderstoms coming from out of nowhere and dumping a huge load of rain on us,” he explains. “Previously, every time we got a big rain, the bunkers were destroyed, and I had to put several guys on rebuilding them for several days. Now, that doesn’t happen.”

The club started the renovation project in March 2021, with the Capillary Bunkers installation starting in June. The bunkers were finished in August, and the course reopened – hosting a Korn Ferry Tour event in its first week – at the start of November. Georgia-based contractor Todd Godwin Construction handled the work.

Steigelman says the benefits of the Capillary Bunkers technology have already been made very clear. “We operate two golf courses out of the Magnolia maintenance facility, the Marshwood course as well as Magnolia,” he says. “We got hit by two tropical storms, one on a Sunday night at the end of June: seven inches of rain, four in an hour and a half. It trashed the bunkers on Marshwood, to the extent that we had to spend $25,000 dollars on new bunker sand. The bunkers on Magnolia were like nothing had ever happened. It was incredible. I took our board out there and said to them ‘This is what you’re paying for’.”

“I’m very grateful that we chose Capillary Bunkers, because of the ease of installation. During the build, it was raining every day, and so we wouldn’t have been able to install some of the competitor products. But the guys were just out there laying the concrete and then putting plastic sheeting over it to help it dry!”

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EVO 165DT keeps S P Tree & Landscaping on track

EVO 165DT keeps S P Tree & Landscaping on track: Wiltshire based S P Tree & Landscaping have recently taken delivery of a brand-new EVO 165DT woodchipper from GreenMech, to keep pace with growing demand from commercial customers.

After running a GreenMech SAFE-Trak unit for several years, Owner Steven Parker decided to invest in the 6” EVO 165DT to benefit from increased processing power – on par with the performance of their existing 8” road-tow machine!

EVO 165DT keeps S P Tree & Landscaping on track

EVO 165DT keeps S P Tree & Landscaping on track

With a client base ranging from domestic customers to commercial outfits, parish councils and building firms, S P Tree & Landscaping often require a tracked chipper for speed and ease of access. Steven explained, “I looked around at the tracked offerings from various manufacturers and was almost ready to commit to another brand when Ashley Stevens of GA Groundcare Ltd demoed the EVO 165DT for us. I was really impressed by the brute strength and performance of it, which, combined with the after-sales support we’ve always had from GA Groundcare Ltd, sealed the deal.”

The addition of twin-drive horizontally extending tracks makes the EVO 165DT the perfect ‘go-anywhere’ woodchipper. The track system provides ground clearance of 194mm and a tracking speed of 3.2kph to provide the operator with optimal manoeuvrability and stability when working on uneven ground. As with the other models in the GreenMech EVO series, the 165DT features a wide infeed chute, twin horizontal feed rollers and a heavy-duty flywheel which delivers unparalleled processing power for a machine in its category.

“The work that’s gone into the new EVO range is evident” Steven explains. “A lot of thought around the design and the accessibility of all the controls has made the EVO 165DT incredibly user-friendly – all of my team love using it. The position of the infeed controls in particular make a huge difference, and the ability to reverse bulky material out is great. Compared to our SAFE-Trak, it’s also smaller and lighter to navigate when on site.”

He adds, “Since we took delivery of this machine in September 2021, it’s processed everything we’ve needed it to and performance-wise, it’s been keeping up with our 8” woodchipper which is seriously impressive.”

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Moving on up with the Razor Ultra

Moving on up with the Razor Ultra: The Dennis Razor Ultra cylinder mower is helping the ambitious Rykneld Bowling Club to progress in the right direction.

Rykneld Bowling Club, based in Derbyshire, boasts an impressive history that stretches back to 1918.  It is an exciting and progressive club that promotes participation of the whole community in the sport of crown green bowls.

Moving on up with the Razor Ultra

Moving on up with the Razor Ultra

It is arguably one of the best clubs in the county and has its sights set even higher.

“As a club we are on the move upwards, and we need the very best equipment to ensure we have a fantastic green,” said committee member Malcolm Holden.

It is for this reason that Rykneld Bowling Club now boasts a brand-new Dennis Razor Ultra cylinder mower.

Superbly balanced and ideal for bowls greens and other fine turf surfaces, the Razor Ultra has an operating width of 560mm (22in) and an 11-blade cutting cylinder for a perfect finish.

An ultra-short wheelbase ensures easy manoeuvrability and excellent performance, even on undulating surfaces. The Dennis Razor Ultra also encompasses the simple ‘no tools required’ click height adjusters for quick and easy operation.

This unique mower has certainly made a difference according to Malcolm.

“We had a couple of old cylinder mowers, but they just could not do what the Razor Ultra does,” he said. “The main benefit is that it has a groomer on it which lifts up the grass before it cuts, and that is really important because the speed of the green is very high on the list of priorities for our top-class bowlers.

“We did look at other mowers, but we know a local greenkeeper from a club five miles away who has a Dennis Razor Ultra, and he was singing its praises. When Dennis Mowers came to do a demo, Howard, who is a groundsman here, thought it was his birthday!

“We’re all absolutely delighted – it is a fabulous piece of kit, and we use it three times a week during the season – Sunday, Tuesday and Friday.

“The Razor Ultra has helped us to get rid of a lot of the horizontal growing grass and the players have noticed a big improvement – the feedback we are getting is that the green is running better than it ever has.”

Aside from being impressed with the product, Malcolm was quick to praise the customer service he received.

“Dennis are absolutely superb,” he said. “We had the Razor Ultra on order and while we were waiting for it, our old mower stopped working, we panicked because we had a competition coming up. We spoke to Dennis, and they sent a loan machine out to us the very next day. It was fantastic customer service, and that goes a long way in my opinion.”

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 and Instagram @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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Shining a light on improved productivity

Shining a light on improved productivity: Makita UK has added two new cordless tower lights to its wide range of lighting solutions. The DML813 and DML814 are the perfect additions to any jobsite during the darker months, providing the illumination needed for safe working this winter.

Having fewer daylight hours to work with is one of the biggest challenges that tradespeople face during the winter months as, without proper light, the same level of productivity simply cannot be achieved. However, with Makita’s new cordless tower lights, professionals can keep working safely for longer.

Shining a light on improved productivity

Shining a light on improved productivity

The DML813 and DML814 18V LXT Cordless Tower Lights feature 12 daylight white LEDs that deliver up to 3,000 lumens and mimic natural daylight for maximum user visibility. With three settings to choose from, professionals can easily adjust the output to suit the working conditions, and both models include a memory function that will turn the light on in the last setting used, for increased efficiency. What’s more, the DML814 features three light heads that can be pivoted independently, which is ideal when larger work areas need illuminating.

Both the DML813 and DML814 are height adjustable (from 125-224cm), making them suitable for use at ground level and at height. The tripod stand is easily operated using a lock-release button – and it can be secured to the ground with screws or pegs for maximum stability. At the end of the day, the DML813 and DML814 can be neatly folded up for simple storage and transportation.

The DML813 and DML814 have also been specifically designed for use on construction sites and are IP55 certified for weather and dust resistance. They also feature a padlock hole for the battery, to help protect against theft.

Kevin Brannigan, Marketing Manager at Makita said: “We are delighted to expand our leading 18V LXT platform with two new site lights. At Makita, we are dedicated to ensuring that professionals have access to the tools that they need to work productively and efficiently – and the DML813 and DML814 will help them to do just that.”

The DML813 and DML814 join over 270 products in Makita’s LXT cordless range. To find out more about Makita and its LXT platform visit: www.makitauk.com.

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Ransomes focuses on value

Ransomes focuses on value: The world’s first mower manufacturer, Ransomes, is cutting a path to electric-powered commercial and municipal mowing under the Any Less Costs More campaign and its largest brand investment this century.

Ransomes’ new mission and vision are focused on providing short-term and long-term benefits to customers, consumers and the environment. The digital investment, unabated by covid, comes through a new web presence, which will provide an industry leading digital offering, whilst on the turf, the target of electric lithium powered commercial mowing has been firmly set for launch in 2022.

Ransomes focuses on value

Ransomes focuses on value

For everyone involved in the process, including Ransomes Marketing Manager, Adam Underwood, this has been an opportunity to speak to customers about what matters most to them and deliver value under the Any Less Costs More banner.

Adam explains: “We want people to be confident when they are sat on a Ransomes mower that they are sitting on the benchmark for commercial and municipal mowing. It’s very important for people to understand the value of incredibly specialist machinery, and we certainly are that. So, the Any Less Costs More campaign is really about the lifetime value of our products and how it pays to invest in us. It’s worth investing in the 200 UK-based specialists on-site at our factory, it’s worth investing in UK manufacturing, and it’s worth investing in machinery that is compliant with clean and green power.

“You know exactly where your products are coming from, and you also know that you’re going to get superior support from a dealer network that has sold our products in some cases for half a century or more.

“Getting that message out is important, but listening is even more important. We spent the last year engaging with consumers, dealer customers and colleagues to understand what Ransomes means to them and what great will look like for the next five and ten years for the brand.”

Throughout early 2021 Textron focused all mower manufacturing on Ipswich, and that has created a space where the sole focus is on building fine turf machinery. For Ransomes, this year provided the opportunity for 15 million test hours of lithium battery technology to be integrated into their commercial mower range.

“We’re excited about developing new technologies, and Ransomes will borrow a lot of the expertise from other brands within Textron,” Adam explains.

“As a result, we will be able to safely put technology that will be good for the environment, good for everybody and most importantly, gets the work done into our Ransomes products.

“We’re also celebrating the fact that all of our products are Stage V compliant. We feel those clean, green engines are worth shouting about and are important as we look forward to launching electric lithium technology and implementing it safely into the municipal and commercial market in 2022.

“You’ll see at our shows, events and launches throughout 2022 that we are going to be expanding our range into electric lithium technology, and in other parts of the business, we have already got turf machinery out cutting in environments that are a commercial or municipal setting.”

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