Tag Archive for: SP100

GKB SP100 improves accuracy and efficiency

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GKB SP100 improves accuracy and efficiency: The Course Manager at Longniddry Golf Club in East Lothian has praised the versatility delivered by their new GKB SP100 topdresser, following its delivery in September 2022.

Replacing an older, heavier unit that was difficult to manoeuvre around the 18-hole links/parkland hybrid course, the SP100 mounts onto their existing ProGator for fast, accurate and efficient dressing of the greens, tees and approaches.

David Drummond joined as Longniddry Course Manager in May 2022, and after a quick assessment of the machinery in the shed, the GKB Sandspreader was one of the first investments to support him and his team of five. “Our previous topdresser was showing signs of age and as a bigger unit that needed a heavy tractor, it wasn’t really suited to our current requirements. With this is mind, I spoke to local dealer Thomas Sherriff & Co about a vehicle-mounted unit” explains David. “Because we only have one utility vehicle, whatever we went for needed to be easily demountable and while I’d not had first-hand experience of the GKB machine before, we looked at it and were instantly impressed.”

“It’s a great set-up, very robust and the controls are all nice and simple. One particular feature we really like is the ability to adjust the distance of the spinning discs on the SP100 which gives us more control over the amount of dressing we apply.”

Offering a range of adjustable parameters, the SP100 is the smallest unit in the GKB Sandspreader range but doesn’t compromise when it comes to capacity – offering a 1m3 hopper which David says has significantly improved the efficiency of the operation. “The hopper is really easy to load using our compact tractor and can hold a good amount of material which results in fewer re-loads, saving all-important labour time.”

David continues, “The SP100 was out on the very first day it was delivered and has so far carried out operations on the greens, tees and approaches and moving forwards it’ll be critical to our ongoing maintenance programme.” He explains that the SP100 will be in use for spring renovations in February and following this it’ll be out at least once a month until October – possibly even conducting some work on the fairways.

“We’ve been really pleased with both the machine and the service and support we’ve received from Sherriff’s throughout and after the purchase process. The team and I now look forward to putting it through its paces in the very busy season ahead.”

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GKB SP100 top of the topdressers

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GKB SP100 top of the topdressers: To support their rapid and continued growth, Garsons Group Ltd have been investing in equipment to help them deliver contracting and maintenance services to the full spectrum of sports surfaces.

One machine that joined the fleet and has now become their ‘go-to’ for topdressing is the GKB Sandspreader – and while perhaps it wasn’t quite ‘love’ at first sight, Director Gareth Davies says it was definitely ‘the perfect fit’ at first sight after spotting the SP100 at BTME!

GKB SP100 top of the topdressers

GKB SP100 top of the topdressers

“Straight away, I could tell that SP100 was a great size machine that would suit the variety of work we do” explains Gareth, who has spent 25 years working in the groundcare industry and established Garsons as a limited company three years ago. “We’re conducting renovations, reconstructions and ongoing maintenance for winter sports pitches, cricket and golf courses so need something with a large enough hopper capacity to be efficient, but not too big that access to certain sites may become compromised. The Sandspreader ticks all the boxes.”

Gareth opted for the mounted SP100 model and, since its delivery in the spring of 2021 from local dealer Ernest Does, he estimates they’ve applied in the region of 4000 tonnes of sand with it. “The hopper is the main benefit for us. The SP100 holds 1m3 of material at a time meaning we can apply over 100 tonnes in a day which is critical when the team are working to tight deadlines. It’s also really easy to use and adjust for lighter or heavier applications when needed. We use it primarily for football and rugby, but this year we used it on a cricket square for the first time and it did a brilliant job.”

The GKB SP100 is the smallest unit in the Sandspreader range, with larger models offering up to a 4m3 hopper capacity. The material is transported from the hopper to the adjustable metering valve via an internal conveyor belt, before being efficiently and evenly distributed via the double disc hydraulic spinners. As well as trailed and mounted formats, GKB also offer the SPM model, which features a side material handler for the convenient filling of bunkers or trenches.

“Another big thing for us, has been the support and customer service from GKB, which has been excellent throughout. Tom Shinkins is always on hand for advice and, when we needed some additional parts recently, he was able to get them to us in under 24 hours which is the kind of back-up we need as we drive our business forward.”

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