Tag Archive for: Track

VMS keep operations ‘on track’

VMS keep operations ‘on track’: One of the country’s leading de-vegetation contractors have explained why woodchippers from GreenMech are their go-to choice for safety and versatility in rail, waterway and commercial clearances.

Currently running a mixture of EVO 205D SURE-Trak and 19-28 SAFE-Trak models, the team at VMS have not only been impressed with performance but the technical guidance and back-up support too, claiming their experience to date has been second to none.

VMS keep operations ‘on track’

VMS keep operations ‘on track’

From humble beginnings in November 2017 where VMS began operations with two vans and a single woodchipper, their unique ability to undertake even the most complex of arboriculture projects has seen significant growth and expansion into three depots across the Midlands, North and Northwest. “From the start, the GreenMech’s with their industry-leading SAFE-Trak platform set us up on the right track for embankment working and tasks in remote locations where other brands and towed models simply weren’t up to task” explains Business Support Manager for VMS, James Harris.

“Together with accessibility and brilliant build quality, the GreenMech technology which enables each leg of the SAFE-Trak to be independently operated resulted in optimum slope safety for the operators and outstanding performance of the chipper itself.” As their reputation and customer book continued to grow, VMS have not only expanded their depots and ground team, but also their fleet of GreenMech’s – now utilising four SAFE-Trak 19-28’s and more recently adding three new EVO 205D SURE-Trak’s to their day to day operations.

The EVO 205D SURE-Trak extends the legacy of the iconic 19-28, combining an aggressive 8” chipping capacity with unrivalled climbing ability thanks to a pivoting track base which allows each track to be raised or lowered independently on the move. Powered by a 50hp Kubota diesel engine, the model includes horizontal rollers and a 6-blade heavy-duty flywheel promising to make light work of bulky brash and timber.

James adds, “The pivoting SURE-Trak system has come into its own on some of our key contract work with the river and rail networks, with its extra power not going unnoticed. Particularly in the rail sector, we’re working to tight timeframes to get the work complete – the EVO 205D’s can handle the huge amount of material we need to process.”

The tight timeframes also mean that the equipment needs to deliver reliable service and be backed up with professional support when required. “The availability and supply of parts are notoriously challenging at the moment, yet with GreenMech we’ve never had an issue in six years! If we need something, it’s often on site in a day or two which makes such a difference operationally. We also now hold an impressive number of parts in stock so sometimes issues can be rectified on the spot.”

He adds, “On the odd occasion where mechanics have been unable to resolve a problem, GreenMech have even gone as far as loaning us a machine to ensure we’re able to get contracts complete. Everything with the chippers and the service are a fantastic fit for what we need.”

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Calderdale Council keeps line marking on track

Calderdale Council keeps line marking on track: Resource management, time and consistency were all factors that needed tackling at Calderdale Council, and the Turf Tank One has addressed them all.

Senior Technical Officer Samantha Ward had retirements in her line marking team, which meant losing over 60 years of experience. Temporarily, Samantha utilised members of the gardening group to mark out the running tracks and football, rugby and rounders pitches needed in the borough, but she was always looking for a solution.

Calderdale Council keeps line marking on track

Calderdale Council keeps line marking on track

“I thought there must be a better way to utilise resources that didn’t involve additional recruitment and the time it takes to provide full training,” Samantha explained.

“Our line marking team were impressed by the time that Turf Tank would save and the way you could plot the pitches. We knew from there that our gardeners could focus more on their traditional jobs whilst people like me who are technically minded could work with the Turf Tank robot.”

Redistributing resources had an immediate positive impact on the team, with timesaving and line accuracy next in line. Savile Park is one of the Council’s busiest pitches, with athletics, football and rounders all hosted at the site. Previously it took staff an entire day to line a 400m running track, whereas now it takes less than two hours.

” Savile Park, is a multiple-game site, and it’s much easier to mark out now. Once we set a template on the Turf Tank, we can pretty much set up each sport, football, running tracks, rugby, and rounders, and let it go.

” Every time it goes out, it’s in the right space, and it’s accurate.

“Our time is precious, and the running track we’ve marked out today now takes just under two hours with one person and the Turf Tank, so we have pretty much smashed the time in terms of the full day. Because of that, the Turf Tank has recovered a lot of time for our staff to do other things on the sports pitches and around the borough.

“We have also saved time with initial marking of football pitches, probably a week and a half every time we mark out, which is invaluable time.” .”

A video with Calderdale Council can be found here

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Snow track adapter kit for Corvus

Snow track adapter kit for Corvus: Corvus Off-road Vehicles has introduced the Camso 4S1 snow track adapter kit for the Corvus Terrain DX4 range of 4×4 utility vehicles.

The timely introduction offers Corvus owners and anyone considering a Terrain next level performance for all conditions. Corvus says the track kit offers a unique level of ride quality, performance and durability in any application including deep snow, swamps, marshes, mud and boggy conditions.

Snow track adapter kit for Corvus

Snow track adapter kit for Corvus

The kit is one of a range of accessories available for The Corvus Terrain.

For more information you can call 01597 810188 E-mail: sales@bossorv.co.uk Web: www.bossorv.co.uk

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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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A Track Set for Records

A Track Set for Records: The Tokyo Olympics 2020 is at last upon us, the delay as a result of Covid-19. While the world’s best athletes had extra time to prepare, did you ever stop to wonder about the preparation that went into the track to guarantee all athletes a safe and fair opportunity to break records?

Sports Labs was the entrusted independent testing institute responsible for the in-situ performance testing of the track at the National Stadium in Tokyo and this article will give insight into what was required.

A Track Set for Records

A Track Set for Records

The purpose of testing is simple – to certify the venue is safe for all athletes and the surface will provide the ideal platform for athletes to excel. The focus was on the surface which needed to be designed and installed to support the athlete over short and long distances.

World Athletics has a quality program to protect the integrity of records and to ensure they will be ratified only if the track conforms to a stringent series of safety and performance tests.

The Tokyo track is the National Stadium and it is registered as a Class 1 venue, one that has been both in-situ performance tested as a surface and also had a dimensional survey carried out to verify the slope, distances, and ancillary infrastructure are adequate.

There are two types of certifications for tracks.

Class 2: A dimensional conformance survey used to prove the accuracy of the line-markings for position and distance.

Class 1: A measurement conformance survey to prove the accuracy of the line-markings for position and distance and testing of the running surface, as laid, to prove compliance with the performance requirements.

For an international competition or meets such as the Olympics, Rule 140 recommends Class 1 certification. It means the product used must be registered and certified as well as the facility after installation.

But before ground is broken or a track is laid, the process requires a manufacturer to have the track product laboratory tested. These include tests at varying temperatures to ensure the product shows compliance in different climates.

The Italian manufacturer and installer, Mondo S.p.A., installed the MONDOTRACK WS-TY at the National Stadium in Tokyo.

The responsibility for Sports Labs was to certify the performance testing of the surface, which looked for the following:

Visual Imperfections
Ensuring a facility has no defects such as delamination, uncured areas, or irregularities. This is important for athlete safety but also important when televised in high definition for elite competitions.

Slip Resistance (≥47 Wet)
A measurement of underfoot friction, a very important part of an athlete’s performance and foot/surface interaction during Gait. The surface texture plays a key part in providing the underfoot friction in dry or wet conditions.

Total and Absolute Thickness Depth
With more than 200 total thickness measurements taken at the venue to check the areas of minimum, maximum, and deliberately thickened areas, this tends to be more consistent in prefabricated products. Absolute thickness is also measured in the laboratory from extracted site samples and is a measurement considering 50% of the texture.

Force Reduction (35-50%)
This is a measurement of how hard a surface is compared to calibrated concrete. It is also referred to as Shock Absorption. Using the Berlin Athlete, it can’t be too hard or too soft, Most importantly, it must be consistent.

Vertical Deformation (0.6 – 2.5mm)
This is a measurement that also uses the Berlin Athlete. It utilises linear vertical displacement transducers to ascertain how much the surface deforms under impact.

Evenness (6mm/3mm)
Evenness is measured with a calibrated 4m straight edge to ensure a track has no surface deviations greater than 6mm in both the longitudinal and lateral direction. This test is focused on user safety to remove the risk of undulations and tripping hazards. A 1m straight edge is also used with a tolerance of 3mm.

Tensile Strength & Elongation
This test is to ensure the polymer, binder and all components are set and cure adequately. It is important to protect the life expectancy of the track and the tolerances vary for product type porous (≥0.40MPa/40%) or non-porous. (≥0.50MPa/40%). Samples are extracted from the site and tested in a Sports Labs laboratory.

Drainage
No surface water should be above the texture of the track after 20 minutes of free draining.

Conditions for New Records

Every athlete has their surface preference, but a track that is consistent in depth, shock absorption, and underfoot friction is ideal. Elite athletes commonly lean toward a track that has high energy restitution and sits closer to the minimum tolerance for Shock Absorption and Vertical Deformation.

Future Innovation

User feedback and athlete perception is becoming more important to manufacturers. Technologies that work to categorise feedback are becoming more widely available, including athlete feedback apps, built-in track sensor technology, and wearable technologies that collect multiple streams of data. Developments may come from test methods like the inclusion of Energy Restitution or refined tolerances on existing tests. This might be needed as innovation, manufacturing, and installation techniques drive forward.

The world is watching the Olympics and the remarkable stories of success coming out of Tokyo. Sports Labs is humbled and honoured to play a role in this historic event.

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Track Turf Pests This Summer

Track Turf Pests This Summer: The new Turf Pest Tracker will follow the timing and movement of the adult life cycle stages of key turf pests this summer, to get a better picture of when and where the pests are flying.

The GreenCast website enables all turf managers and agronomists to report activity of the main chafer species and crane fly, using their phone, tablet or computer. Sightings are instantly recorded on maps, giving the chance to visually check out the level of pest presence reported in any local area.

Track Turf Pests This Summer

Turf Pest Tracker is supported by an on-line pest identification and lifecycle guide, along with information to tailor an effective Integrated Pest Management programme.

Chafer grubs and leatherjacket soil pests can result in severe damage to turf roots and surface quality, along with extensive damage from their predators uprooting turf.

Highlighting the value of Turf Pest Tracker for the industry, Syngenta Technical Manager, Glenn Kirby, said: “Accurate identification and knowing your target soil pest life-cycle is essential for an effective integrated control programme and optimum timing of controls.”

He believes live tracking of adult pest activity will give a valuable early warning of potential soil pest activity and where problems may strike.

“Changing climatic trends have blurred the historic east/west split, which typically saw chafers more prevalent the east and leatherjackets more common in the west.

Track Turf Pests This Summer

“Also, changes in weather patterns – along with the adapting life-cycle of the insects – have further complicated predicting pest activity.”

Glenn pointed out that last season, for example, the intense heat and dry conditions appeared to delay the emergence of crane fly – the adult stage of leatherjackets – for up to a month later than the July/August norm. Crane fly were even reported emerging and on the wing in October, making it difficult to target control of resulting larvae.

“The more people that get involved with Turf Pest Tracker, the clearer the picture the industry will have to tackle the issues,” he added.

Turf Pest Tracker is available to report and view insect activity on the Syngenta GreenCast website, www.greencast.co.uk Updates and information will be regularly shared on Twitter: @syngentaturfuk #PestTracker

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