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Cobra launches Mow For Your Mind campaign

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Cobra launches Mow For Your Mind campaign: Leading lawnmower manufacturer, Cobra, has launched its Mow For Your Mind campaign, in support of mental health charity, Mind.

As part of this and the brand’s commitment to helping mental health causes, Cobra is donating 10% of the total sales of one of its most popular models between 4th and 15th May to mental charity, Mind. The award-winning MX3440V cordless lawnmower has been chosen as the ‘Mow For Your Mind’ mower, to help gardeners enhance mindfulness while mowing the lawn.

Cobra launches Mow For Your Mind campaign

Cobra launches Mow For Your Mind campaign

Managing director of Cobra said: “One in four people will experience mental health problems, which really is quite shocking. However, it’s been proven that gardening and spending time outdoors can significantly help boost mental health and aid wellbeing. As one of the biggest names in garden machinery in the UK, we feel it is our duty to help and to support Mind with the amazing work that it does. As well as the financial support we’re pledging from the sales of our Mow For Your Mind mower throughout Mental Health Awareness Week in May, we’re also actively encouraging gardeners to take time to enjoy the wider benefits of gardening and mowing the lawn, such as how it gives you chance to take time out from the busyness of modern life, reduces stress levels, improves mood and even gives a better night’s sleep!”

Cobra dealers are encouraged to help promote the campaign to boost donations to the charity, and are being supported by Cobra with showroom POS, swing tickets and totem poles being provided to aid promotion to customers.

The MX3440V cordless 40V lawnmower, which has been selected as the “Mow For Your Mind” mower for 2022, retails at £232.99. It offers five cutting heights ranging between 25mm and 75mm, easily allowing adjustment throughout the year to provide for healthy grass during every season. With a 34cm/13” cutting width, it is ideal for small to medium gardens, and offers compact storage too.

The MX34440V is part of the extensive battery powered garden machinery range from Cobra, which includes not only lawnmowers but also hedgetrimmers, leaf blowers and grass strimmers that are powered by rechargeable lithium-ion batteries that are interchangeable throughout the range. The battery can be fully charged from flat in 85 minutes, giving the MX3440V a run time of up to 30 mins – the perfect amount of time to take in nature and boost mental health.

For further information about Cobra, please visit www.cobragarden.co.uk and to find out more about Mind and the work the charity does, visit www.mind.org.uk.

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Recharge your garden

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Recharge your garden: Imagine a battery: powerful enough to drive lawn mowers, intelligent enough to automatically recognise whatever garden tool or machine it’s in, and versatile enough to tune the power to match it!

That’s exactly what Mountfield‘s new E-Power 20V technology has delivered. Designed, developed and produced by STIGA engineers specifically for the Freedom 100 range. Available in both 2Ah and 4Ah capacities – this 20V battery helps make every day gardening jobs easy!

Recharge your garden

Recharge your garden

Innovative E-Power battery that does the thinking for you
At the heart of the 20V battery lies a Smart Tool Recognition System. This battery management microchip optimises the performance of the battery to each tool by analysing the electrical resistance. It then adjusts the power output and current levels accordingly – constantly balancing charge and discharge rates with the temperature to maximise the battery’s storage ability, longevity and run-time.

Achieving the perfect size-power-safety balance 
Expertly designed, the lightweight battery unit…

– Is small enough to handle power easily and efficiently, but big enough to ensure maximum airflow.
– Has Lithium Cobalt Oxide cells that are carefully spaced to allow sufficient cooling.
– Has a charging terminal protection that offers even greater safety thanks to the smart long-life transistors which open to isolate the terminals if an alert is activated.
– Has energy saving power indicator lights that also mean the battery’s charge is only displayed when the status button is pressed, meaning 100% of the charge is preserved to power the garden tool.

Tested for the ‘real world’, not just to pass the standard test
Like all Mountfield batteries, the E-Power 20V system is tested at a full, ‘real-life’ usage current. This goes far beyond the common, but less demanding, Industry Standard test of only 300 charges at 20% of the ‘real-life’ usage current.

Testing methods that stipulate that E-Power batteries are still going strong after 600 charges – the equivalent to an owner running down and recharging the battery twice a week for six years. In actual gardening terms, that’s 30 lawn mows, five tree-pruning sessions or 30 leaf-blowing occasions!

Whatever the tool, whatever the job, this cost-effective, convenient and adaptive 20V battery performance is something none of Mountfield’s main competitors in this price segment have come close to matching.

Easy Mows it
Easy Blows it
Easy Cuts it
Easy Trims it
Easy Prunes it

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Makita puts the power in your hands

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Makita puts the power in your hands: Makita UK has expanded its powerful XGT 40VMax range of machines to offer professional users even more high-power products to aid their efficiency and productivity on site.

LS003G XGT 40VMax 305mm Brushless Slide Compound Mitre Saw

The new LS003G has been designed for high precision and consistent smooth cutting. It has an LED lamp that casts a helpful shadow of the saw blade onto the workpiece, acting as an accurate cutting line. The LS003G delivers an impressive no-load speed of up to 3,600rpm and has a maximum mitre range of 60° to 60° (L-R) and bevel range of 48° to 48° (L-R). For maximum versatility, the LS003G’s rail forward design means that the rear of the machine can be placed close to the wall, and the subbase supports a wide workpiece.

Makita puts the power in your hands

Makita puts the power in your hands

For improved safety, the LS003G also features Makita’s Auto Start Wireless System that automatically connects the LS003G to compatible dust extractors via Bluetooth so that when the machine is in use, the dust extractor automatically runs.

AS001G XGT 40VMax Brushless Dust Blower

The AS001G is an incredibly versatile machine and can be used across a range of tasks including tool maintenance and cleaning, inflating and deflating inner tubes, blowing dust away from equipment and cleaning air conditioner filters thanks to its blower and vacuum modes. For increased usability, it delivers a maximum air volume of 1.1m3/min, sealed suction of 10.3kPa and air pressure of 20.6kPa. With four air volume options to choose from and one touch nozzle replacement, it is easy to adjust the tool to suit the task in hand.

The AS001G also includes a filter to prevent foreign matter from being sucked in and damaging the tool.

VC001GL and VC003GL XGT 40VMax L-Class Dust Extractors

With Makita’s powerful XGT 40VMax technology at their core, the VC001GL and VC003GL dust extractors deliver impressive output that is equivalent to corded alternatives. Both machines can house two XGT 40VMax batteries so that when the first battery runs out of charge, the second one automatically kicks in to keep the machine running for longer. To improve productivity further, the VC001GL and VC003GL have large tank capacities of 8-litres and 15-litres respectively, preventing the need to regularly down tools to empty the dust bag.

With numerous power options available, including ‘high power’ and ‘quiet’ modes, users can easily select the most appropriate setting for the application. The VC001GL and VC003GL can also be used for both wet and dry vacuum cleaning, providing professionals with a solution for every job. For wet vacuuming, the machines benefit from IPX-4 water resistance rating.

The VC001GL and VC003GL’s quiet operation means they can be used in occupied premises with minimal disruption to the building’s occupants.

CW001G XGT 40VMax Cooler/Warmer Box

The CW001G is the perfect jobsite companion. This 20litre cooler and warmer box has seven temperature settings ranging from -18oC up to 60oC, to either cool or warm food and drink items, for year-round usability. It also features a bottle opener and USB output port for charging mobile devices. For ease of transportation, the CW001G has large 100mm caster wheels and a carry handle with grips for added comfort.

The CW001G can be powered by four sources, so it can be easily added to any tradesperson’s Makita collection. Users can choose from using their XGT or LXT batteries, or a car DC utility socket, or an AC adapter.

Kevin Brannigan, Marketing Manager at Makita said: “At Makita, we are dedicated to offering tradespeople a wide range of cordless solutions to suit any job or on-site need. Our XGT range of products are ideal for those looking expand their existing Makita cordless toolkits with a selection of even more powerful models suited to higher demand applications.”

To find out more about Makita and its products visit: www.makitauk.com

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Test your pedal power with Infinicut at BTME

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Test your pedal power with Infinicut at BTME: If you’ve ever considered yourself as a bit of a cyclist, be sure to make a pit stop on the INFINICUT® stand at BTME 2022 for a true test of pedal power – all raising money for BIGGA’s Benevolent Fund!

Once you’ve taken the challenge, take a breather and check out some of the other highlights on stand Red 272 including the TMSystem™ collection of cassettes for grooming, mowing and maintenance and some new innovative products from the INFINICUT® stable.

Test your pedal power with Infinicut at BTME

Test your pedal power with Infinicut at BTME

The Greenkeepers Benevolent Fund is the official charity of BIGGA, assisting current or past members and their dependants with financial support and practical help during difficult times. A voluntary donation will permit entry to the ‘Pedal Power vs Battery Power’ challenge – to see if competitors can generate enough power (500 watts) to enable the operation of both the traction and cutting unit of an INFINICUT® mower. The bike set-up is designed to illustrate why it is critical for an electric mower to be running as efficiently and accurately as possible, keeping resistance to a minimum to avoid wasting energy.

A leaderboard will be kept of all the attempts across the three days, with a prize awarded to the person who generates the highest reading.

The full selection of cassettes from the renowned TMSystem™ will also be on display. 12 cassettes make up the range, which coverts fairway and triple greens mowers into multi-use units for complete turf refinement. Using the universal chassis, and appropriate adaptor kit, the TMSystem™ replaces OEM cutting reels with application specific cassettes for grooming, mowing and maintenance.

The TMSystem™ is also an integral part of the INFINICUT® mower. Since last on show in Harrogate, a number of innovative new features have been added to design and operation of both the FX and FL ranges, designed specifically with the golf market in mind.

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Maximise workshop efficiency: Relief grind your cutting units

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Maximise workshop efficiency: Relief grind your cutting units: Ian Robson, of ProSport UK Ltd, the UK & Ireland Importer/Distributor for Foley Company, explains why relief grinding maximises the performance of reels by giving a factory finish every time.

Avital question for a workshop manager is how to maximise efficiency and minimise labour and maintenance equipment costs. One area to achieve excellent savings is to look at how you maintain the sharpness of your cutting units.

Maximise workshop efficiency: Relief grind your cutting units

Maximise workshop efficiency: Relief grind your cutting units

Firstly, why is having sharp cylinders (reels) that are the correct shape so important anyway? The answer is obvious – unhealthy turf brings a whole host of other issues which are costly to correct.

Therefore, prevention is a far more economic approach than a cure.

A huge amount of research and development has gone into designing a cutting unit to produce the cleanest cut possible with the least amount of fraying and tissue damage to the plant. The result is that all manufacturers of grass cutting equipment supply new units with relief ground edges.

WHY RELIEF GRIND?

Tests carried out by leading manufacturers have established that relief ground cylinders stay on cut up to 3 times longer than spun ground ones and require less horse power to drive the unit, resulting in greater fuel efficiency and less stress on the hydraulic power systems. In addition, a relief ground cylinder will withstand the abrasive effects of top dressing far better than one spun ground because the relief edge on both the bed-knife and the cylinder allows the top dressing to clear the cutting blades easily, helping to prevent the dulling effect seen on spun only units.

Continual relief grinding also decreases the squeezing and tearing of the grass as the units get dull, and most importantly it allows the cylinder to be returned to a factory specification perfect cylinder as quickly as possible.

The overall cleaner cut achieved by relief grinding gives a better after-cut appearance, increased recovery rate due to the clean cut of the grass and reduces the stress on components because less horsepower is needed to drive the cylinder.

As a reel wears flat and loses shape (becomes coned), more stress and strain is put on the cutting systems.

A 5-gang cutting unit with relief can require up to 4.5 HP (5 x 0.88HP = 4.5HP) to drive the cutting units therefore a 35HP engine has 30.5HP remaining to drive the rest of the traction system. A 5-gang unit which has been spun ground only, can require up to 13Hp (5 x 2.59HP = 13HP) leaving only 22HP to drive the rest of the traction system.

Maximise workshop efficiency: Relief grind your cutting units

Maximise workshop efficiency: Relief grind your cutting units

So, it has been established that relief grinding your cutting units saves you money not only by reducing workshop maintenance time with far fewer grinds but also through a reduction in fuel costs and replacement parts.

It is also important to acknowledge what relief grinding does for a reel. By removing metal from the trailing edge of the blade it forms a relief angle, which reduces the contact area of the cutting edges, resulting in less friction, longer wear life.

Typically, when a new mower is delivered the reels will be a perfect cylindrical shape. Over time the blade naturally loses shape, and the sharp edge it arrives with becomes flat and dull, often meaning the reel is no longer a perfect cylinder from end to end. This is referred to as ‘coning’ and a natural point for grinding to take place. The decision then sits between touch-up and spin grinding, or relief grinding.

If there is sufficient relief still on the reel then a quick touch-up is fine but once more than 50% of the relief has gone my advice would be to relief grind again and remove any coning. Failure to remove the coning will eventually be seen in an uneven cut appearance of your turf.

Foley machines are set-up for both choices, and some models, such as the ACCU-Sharp, ACCU-Pro and ACCU-Master, have automatic grinding pre-sets and adjustment systems to decrease time and labour.

But, the main question mentioned at the beginning comes back; how to get the most out of your workshop resources by choosing the most effective method to sharpen your cutting units. The answer is to trust the manufacturer’s judgement and return the reels as close to the original factory standard as possible, and for that, relief grinding is the best option. The bonus is this method also maximises performance and gives the best cut.