Tag Archive for: Renovations

Reaping the rewards of renovations by AMS

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Reaping the rewards of renovations by AMS: AMS Contractors have been praised for their role in a multi-year project to improve the quality of the sports surfaces at St Mary’s University in Twickenham.

The team visited in early 2024 to re-grade and fully renovate the second of three football pitches at their Teddington Lock Sports Campus, where the university are still reaping the rewards of last year’s renovation work with enhanced pitch appearance and performance.

Reaping the rewards of renovations by AMS

Reaping the rewards of renovations by AMS

Overseeing the 30-acre campus, which includes sports pitches, athletics facilities and amenity areas is Grounds Manager David Ember. He explains that a combination of location and high usage is driving the current facility improvement programme. “The three football pitches, rugby pitch and practice facilities operate at over 90% capacity with mid-week games, as well as fixtures at the weekend for commercial and community teams. With a number of local clubs already calling Teddington their home, and other notable venues like The Lensbury nearby, we felt the time was right to invest in our surfaces.”

David spoke with AMS Contractors who undertook the first phase of the works in April 2023. “They did a pitch levelling operation which involved fraise mowing the top of the surface off, power-harrowing, dressing, raking and levelling the surface before re-seeding and beginning the feeding programme. The whole project went swimmingly and, with a little help from mother nature, the results were fantastic!”

“Come the end of the season, the pitch had withstood the pressures of the high wear – even the goal mouths, which tend to be the telltale areas, had retained coverage.”

With one pitch renovated, AMS returned at the end of April 2024 to commence works on the next. “This pitch had always been problematic with significant undulations and steep hollows which risked injury to the players. The process was similar to that conducted previously, with the addition of laser-grading to ensure we achieved optimal, pin-point accuracy with the flattening and finishing.”

Though the weather wasn’t as kind this time around, it didn’t dampen spirits… or results! “AMS had three operatives on site every day, including Myles Strange who was involved in every stage of the project and still checks in regularly to make sure everything is on track.” David adds, “When you see the team arrive on site, with quality equipment that looks well maintained it all helps to instil confidence in what will be achieved. What was really appreciated was AMS’ willingness to juggle their schedule to get our job done at the right time, in the right conditions. This undoubtedly helped the end result, which is fantastic once again.”

“We’re now find ourselves in a position where the quality of the pitches is better than the infrastructure we have to support them, so reviewing things like our irrigation systems is the next step. We’ll then speak with AMS again about bringing similar improvements to the rest of the surfaces on the site.”

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Redexim Revolutionise Hybrid Renovations

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Redexim Revolutionise Hybrid Renovations: Redexim are pleased to announce the launch of the Scarivator – a new tool, ideal for contractors, that promises to revolutionise the maintenance of hybrid sports pitches.

Recognising the increasing popularity of hybrid systems, the Scarivator has been specifically developed to remove unwanted rootzone material, loosen soil and ensure a smooth, level surface without damaging the synthetic fibres.

Redexim Revolutionise Hybrid Renovations

Redexim Revolutionise Hybrid Renovations

Hybrid surfaces naturally become compacted over time, which necessitates effective renovation to maintain performance and longevity. This process now begins with the Scarivator, designed to loosen the uppermost layer of the surface.

Embodying the very best of quality, reliability and Redexim engineering, the Scarivator features two horizontal beams equipped with angled spring tines to work into the surface at adjustable depths of up to 35mm (1.38”). The beams reciprocate each other to agitate and loosen the organic material and soil without the risk of synthetic fibres wrapping around the rotor. The result is an unparalleled renovation solution that ensures costly replacement and repairs can be avoided, and the lifespan of the system is extended.

The Scarivator comes with a 2.13m working width, infinitely adjustable working depth and adjustable tine angle for varying degrees of aggressiveness. Its streamlined specification is the result of many years of rigorous testing in collaboration with hybrid carpet manufacturers and contractors, especially those in the UK, which now sees the Scarivator as the ultimate maintenance choice not just for hybrid surfaces, but natural turf and the decompaction of heavily worn artificial carpets.

In the field, the Scarivator has proven to be a perfect partner to the Redexim Turf Stripper, loosening the upper profile and allowing the Turf Stripper to extract more of the rootzone from deeper down in a single pass. It is also an effective solution for regular in-season raking, etching away at compaction and pan layers and creating a tilth to optimise the results of natural and hybrid renovations.

Visitors to GroundsFest will be among the first to see the Scarivator as it makes its global show debut on the Redexim stand, OSA230, this September. For more information, please contact your local Redexim Regional Partner or visit www.redexim.com

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Autumn renovations made easy

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Autumn renovations made easy: Autumn renovations are par for the course and Reesink Turfcare provides the chance to get ahead in the game with Toro and AgriMetal bringing the perfect solution with state-of-the-art aeration and leaf clearance equipment.

Renovation is an essential part of course maintenance; repairing damage from the summer, bolstering surfaces for the winter and keeping the course clear of leaves and debris is a demanding job, but it can be made easier with the right machinery.

Autumn renovations made easy

Autumn renovations made easy

Here’s where Reesink Turfcare steps in with a selection of machinery from some of the brands it distributes, as David Timms, national accounts manager, explains: “Autumn is crucial for repairing the damage done during summer, preparing the course so it can get through the winter without too much damage and is ready to go in the spring. We have what greenkeeping teams need to do that.”

Aeration work will be key. Relieving some of the compaction in the top surface and removing thatch, allowing the land to drain better and encouraging seed germination and grass growth, and as David says: “the best partner for that work is the Toro ProCore 648s, also widely known to be the most efficient pedestrian aerator on the market.”

It’s not only a fast worker with a 122cm aeration swath that lets it aerate up to 18 greens in seven hours, but its unique design with the wheel located in front of the aeration heads means operators can make pass after pass without running over cores or freshly aerated turf, preventing damage and making cleanup easier.

With aeration work taken care of, it’s vital to make sure falling leaves don’t undo all the good work. As the old grass recovers from summer and the seeded areas begin to get their roots down, don’t risk leaves smothering the grass, allowing moss to take over and thatch to form, as well as creating the perfect micro-environment that is conducive to disease occurrence.

Toro’s ProLine H800 is productivity and efficiency personified. It clears leaves and other organic debris from the tees, greens and fairways quickly into a 810 Litre capacity system in one pass. Meanwhile Toro’s Pro Force debris blower clears grass clippings, leaves, chaff, and other debris from fairways, clubhouse grounds, fence lines, paths, and other paved areas farther and faster — in little time.

AgriMetal’s lightweight PTO driven blowers are a great option for shifting large quantities of debris. There are three attachments of varying horsepower that can be attached to the back of a tractor and can work in the worst of conditions without marking or compacting the turf. All models benefit from the lighter weight impeller increasing air flow output whilst reducing load on their drive belts. Quieter, more powerful and kinder to the tractor.

David concludes: “Getting the turf in the best possible position now ready for spring is the best time spent this season. And with the right equipment there’s no reason for this to be difficult, stressful or time-consuming.”

To learn more about how Toro and AgriMetal can help you to get ahead of the game with your renovation plans this autumn, visit the website reesinkturfcare.co.uk, call 01480 226800 or email info@reesinkturfcare.co.uk

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Ranger for pitch renovations

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Ranger for pitch renovations: With the end of the season soon upon us and the all-important pitch renovations starting, Reesink Hydro-Scapes has just the ticket for uncomplicated, effective and responsible irrigation for the UK’s football pitches.

For those clubs who need a simple update and are looking for a cost-effective way to upgrade and improve their irrigation system over time without big hardware changes, a two-wire controller from SRC could be the answer.

Ranger for pitch renovations

Ranger for pitch renovations

Two-wire decoders are rising to become the industry standard. Robert Jackson, division manager for Reesink Hydro-Scapes, considers why: “Resources – water and staff – is limited; the weather’s never been hotter, there’s more to do, teams are smaller and the last thing these clubs need is a big hardware change.”

“Customers value the control and independence a quality two-wire system affords. Two-wire systems started out as a way to save money on wire, but now, through technological improvements, they are recognised and valued as an effective irrigation solution, and their stock is rising.

“Grounds staff know the areas they want irrigating back to front and are happy to key in the time manually around a pitch. They’re aware they may need to expand the system in the future and the capacity of the SRC Ranger Controller 4000 D will afford them what they need.”

So how easy is it to convert your favourite controller to a two-wire system? In most circumstances, the traditional outputs of any conventional controller can be wired into the two-wire converter.

This saves wire, labour and money. For example, the installation of a two-wire system is often up to a third less time than installing a multi-wire system.

This can allow you to connect up to 100 stations on a single converter, while also operating up to ten programmes simultaneously. Cable faults of such a system are easy to diagnose and there’s minimal fault-finding equipment needed. The diagnostics assist with fault-finding and reduce the time taken to pinpoint the problem.

Robert continues: “Some turfcare professionals just don’t want all the additional features and gizmos. They want simple irrigation that’s easy to use and highly effective. So, if your management style is that you’re prepared to monitor flow management manually by telling the system what to do with a precipitation calculation you’ve worked out yourself, the SRC Ranger controller is more than worth considering.”

So, when it comes to considering the options, the SRC Ranger Controller 4000 D from Reesink should be top of your list. It’s stocked for immediate dispatch, simply contact Reesink on 01480 226800, email info@reesinkturfcare.co.uk, or visit reesinkturfcare.co.uk.

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Plain Sailing Renovations For Sportsfields

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Plain Sailing Renovations For Sportsfields: To sit alongside Sportsfields Ltd’s aims to adopt the industry’s most innovative technology, they have added a Koro FIELDTOPMAKER (Koro FTM)  with Terraplane Rotor to their fleet.

Since 1991 Sportsfields has evolved from their beginnings in agriculture and landscaping to become a leading specialist in sports pitch construction and maintenance. To do this company founder, Geoff Collins, has continually embraced the latest technology to enable his highly trained workforce to deliver the exacting standards required in today’s market.

Plain Sailing Renovations For Sportsfields

To match the needs of the company’s client list of professional and amateur clubs, schools, colleges, local authorities and specifying architects Geoff once again turned to Campey Turf Care Systems and the new Koro FTM.

“We have had Koro’s before and have added the new Koro FTM to the fleet with its Terraplane rotor,” he said. “It’s a fantastic machine and makes an exceptionally clean job of ‘planing’ the surface and it’s particularly requested by groundsmen wanting to remove poa as part of their end of season renovations.

“The new Koro is faster and appears to cope with even more difficult conditions with ease and that is down to the development of the machine.

“Equipment has become more technical and job specific to achieve the tolerances demanded by the local authorities and private architects, groundsman etc from amateur and professional club levels. We work at all levels to all budgets and find the knowledge and demand for high standards is there from the Premier League down to the primary schools questioning why they can’t play on the field because it’s flooded again.”

Using the Terraplane Rotor is the most efficient to subtract poa from the surface with the carbide tipped blades ensuring all organic build-up is removed, leaving a clean and level surface. The advancement in technology that Geoff always strives to meet is clearly evident when it comes to the enhanced Koro FTM.

The new angled cross conveyor has been introduced to move material evenly with perfect belt tracking with front and rear roller blades contributing to the cleanest pass available on the market.

The weight and balance have been analysed resulting in a lighter, steadier machine with the redistribution of weight using a removable 100kgs meaning a much smaller tractor can be used to run the Koro FTM. This is because the centre of gravity has been shifted towards the tractor making it easier to lift. Even when the weight is removed the machine still has improved balance against previous models.

For more information, visit: www.campeyturfcare.com

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