Landscape & Amenity Product Update December 2018

Product innovation sets the tone for a successful year

SALTEX 2018 provided a clear indication on the state of the industry as a whole with a significant proportion of the 300plus exhibitors launching new products and services.

Innovation was very much one of the key words of the event, with innovation being evident across the board, from the major machinery manufacturers, to the turf care specialists and hard landscaping sector.

At this year’s two-day event, Sherriff Amenity’s PrecisionPro, a dedicated spots turf app designed to help users measure, calibrate and apply granular products, was named winner of the 2018 Innovation Award.

The longlist for the award highlighted the rich diversity of product innovation we saw at SALTEX and indeed which has been evident across the whole industry throughout 2018.

Block Blitz, the list included launches from Trimax, Lantra, PSD Groundscare, TH White Machinery Imports, Allett Mowers and Etesia.

It also featured McConnel’s new ROBOCUT (pictured), an all-terrain remote-control work platform that boosts safety, productivity and efficiency.

The range comprises two new models, ROBOCUT RC56 and RC75 which surpass all expectations with an exciting new ground up design which incorporates the very latest advancements in technology.

The new models boast more power, an advanced feature set and a revolutionary control system for greater output, safety and control.

Another finalist in the SALTEX award was the unique superduty utility, the Outcross 9060, which featured on Reesink Turfcare’s stand.

do the work of multiple machines in one compact package.”

Powered by a 59.8-horsepower Yanmar liquid-cooled diesel engine, the Outcross can tow up to 16,000lbs and has an optional cargo bed that can hold 4,500lbs of materials. It simplifies operation, optimises power and brings the option of dozens of attachments to perform hundreds of tasks.

SALTEX

The new autonomous TinyLineMarker (TLM) from Rigby Taylor at SALTEX 2018 proved so popular that two companies ordered TLM units at the show.

TLM has been developed for hands-free initial and overmarking – and it is fast, simple to operate and light and easy to transport.

site. Once stored, the lines are never lost.

Initial marking of a standard size football pitch takes less than 20 minutes, including all perimeter lines, penalty boxes, the ‘D’, centre circle, corner angles and penalty spot - all with just one touch on the tablet control without the operator having physical contact with the machine. Even pitches with fixed post sockets can be marked.

lines that last longer than other paints. TLM is able to mark football pitches (any length/ width), and rugby union and league pitches, as well as multi-lane athletic tracks, tennis, lacrosse and American football pitches.

From EGO Power Products’ POWERLOAD Line Trimmer (a new line trimmer with a fully automatic line re-loading system), to a series of paving joints and sealants from A new industry report, commissioned by the Ornamental Horticulture Roundtable Group (OHRG), to establish the total size, breadth and contribution of the UK’s ornamental horticulture and landscaping sector, has revealed that landscape services generated a total of £11.6bn GDP contributions in 2017. That amounts to a staggering 47.9% of the total GDP footprint of the sector (55% of which were direct contributions worth £6.8bn).

J eff Anguige, national sales manager for Reesink, said:

“It combines the best elements of a tractor with a utility vehicle and delivers a machine that can group, is now calling on government officials to give meaningful support to landscaping in the UK. BALI Chief Executive Wayne Grills said, “Finally, BALI and its members, who have been providing professional landscape services since the early seventies, can now see the true extent of what the landscape services industry contributes to the UK economy every year.

Combining the latest GPS technology with Rigby Taylor’s award-winning Impact ready-to-use paint, TLM takes the input of pitch line dimensions and multiple pitches via an App and repositions them to best fit the

Multi-billion pound industry must be taken seriously

The British Association of Landscape Industries (BALI), a member of the commissioning

“Landscape services also supports 278,300 jobs, of which 196,300 are directly employed which is 53% of the total

ornamental horticulture and landscape employment market.

“Establishing the size of our industry will add considerable weight to our government lobbying through a series of ‘asks’ that are detailed in a soon-to-be-published APPGHG Inquiry into Horticulture report to which BALI has also made a significant contribution.”

BALI

TLM operators have virtually no contact with the ready-to-use Impact paint either, as a flow tube is simply inserted into the paint container and the machine is ready to produce bright white

Playground closures go into freefall

The Association of Play Industries has completed new research to update figures showing that playgrounds continue to close at an alarming rate.

In April 2017, the Association of Play Industries Nowhere toPlay report first uncovered the state of playground decline in England, revealing the closure of hundreds of playgrounds.

Now the API has once again asked local authorities to disclose

current and planned playground closures and found by 2020/21 there will have been a decrease in spend on play facilities of 44% since 2017/18, and local authorities estimate a decrease in their spending on playgrounds of £25m by 2021.

• Full details of the report can be found in our Play & Activity supplement on page 11.

API

Machinery, Plant & Vehicles

Latest products & case studies.

SALTEX Review Rounding up a successful 2018 event.

Hedge & Verge

Jane Carley’s report on the latest innovations.

Two significant events have taken place this Autumn which served to show just how important our industry has become to the UK. The first was the new report commissioned by the Ornamental Horticulture Roundtable Group (OHRG) which revealed that landscape services generated a total of £11.6bn GDP contributions in 2017.

The report and the staggering figures it has provided reinforces the long-held belief that our industry is seriously undervalued by central government and its massive contribution to the UK economy largely remains hidden.

BALI, the Arboricultural Association and several other leading organisations were quick to highlight the importance of the report’s findings and will be using it as evidence in lobbying for greater recognition and support from the Government. The OHRG report makes for promising reading, as did taking a wander around the NEC for SALTEX 2018. It wasn’t just the visitor numbers, the extra exhibitors or the packed out seminars that were significant. The large number of new products and services launched at the two-day event by both long-established companies and organisations and newcomers to the industry points to a healthy state of affairs for the industry. As R&D budgets continue to be safeguarded, companies are investing heavily in the future with these launches, which can only signal good news for the industry as a whole.

This month we have our Play & Activity supplement, providing a mix of news and product information for this vibrant sector. We also have a spotlight on Hedge & Verge mowing from Jane Carley and our usual product insights.

IOG Industry Awards celebrate the very best in UK groundsmanship

More than 650 of the UK’s and Europe’s leading groundscare experts from both the professional and volunteer sector, as well as dignitaries from the governing bodies of sport and influential sports administrators, have honoured the expertise, dedication and passion of the grounds profession at the Institute of Groundsmanship (IOG) annual Industry Awards.

Celebrating its 10th Anniversary, this year’s sell-out event at the Hilton Birmingham Metropole hosted by talkSPORT radio presenter Mark Saggers, recognised leadership, innovation and outstanding achievement across every aspect of groundscare – from grassroots pitches to professional stadia.

The prestigious awards ceremony also celebrated the quality standards of groundscare achieved in public and private sports venues, and highlighted the progress of young/student grounds professionals as well as entrants’ environmental considerations.

From an entry that equalled last year’s record-breaking nominations, the winners of the 2018 IOG Industry Awards are:

Toro Most Promising Sports Turf Student of the Year Matthew Skingle, Coventry City FC.

Commenting on the high standard of award winners,

IOG Chief Executive Geoff Webb, says: “Having this year suffered extreme weather conditions, with the winter’s ‘Beast from the East’ through to this summer’s unprecedented record heatwave, the climate has tested groundsmen to their limits.

“It has not been easy, yet we

Rigby Taylor/Top Green Young Grounds Person of the Year John Wright, Southampton FC.

AMS Volunteer Sports Grounds Team/Person of the Year Crowborough RFC, East Sussex.

National Governing Bodies’ Community Sports Club Grounds Team/Person of the Year Stanningley Sports & Amateur Rugby League Club, Leeds. The National Governing Bodies of sport (NGBs) award is cosponsored by the AELTC (All England Lawn Tennis Club), ECB (the England and Wales Cricket Board), The FA (Football Association), the LTA (Lawn Tennis Association), the Premier League, the RFL (Rugby Football League), RFU (Rugby Football Union) and Sport England.

Public Sector Sports Ground Team of the Year Gavin Jones Ltd (Aspire Defence, Project Allenby/Connaught), Surrey.

Bowling Grounds Team/ Person of the Year Burleys (Crouch Bowling Club, East Sussex).

SCH Supplies Best Managed Artificial Surface of the Year Scotstoun Stadium, Glasgow.

Ransomes Environmental and Ecology Strategy Award Forest Green Rovers FC, Gloucestershire.

have seen how fantastic our profession is and, against all the odds and on a daily basis battling against the elements, this year’s awards had a fantastic array of nominees who have all achieved very high standards.

“I applaud everyone and thank them for their efforts in creating amazing playing surfaces.”

National Governing Bodies’ Professional Multi-Sports Ground/Facility Team of the Year Bath Recreation Ground.

The National Governing Bodies of sport (NGB’s) award is cosponsored by the AELTC (All England Lawn Tennis Club), ECB (the England and Wales Cricket Board), The FA (Football Association), the LTA (Lawn Tennis Association), the Premier League, the RFL (Rugby Football League), RFU (Rugby Football Union) and Sport England.

Headland Amenity Professional Cricket Grounds Team of the Year Warwickshire CCC, Edgbaston.

John Deere Professional Horse Racing Grounds Team of the Year

Lingfield Park Racecourse, Surrey.

CubCadet INFINICUT Professional Tennis Courts Grounds Team/Person of the Year Devonshire Park, Eastbourne.

ICL/Syngenta Professional Rugby Football League Grounds Team of the Year Leeds Rhinos (Leeds Rugby).

Kubota Professional Rugby Football Union Grounds Team of the Year

Scottish RFU (BT Murrayfield Stadium, Edinburgh).

SISGrass Professional Football Grounds Team of the Year (English Leagues 1 & 2, National League, National League North/South, Scottish Championship & Leagues 1 & 2, Ireland & Wales Professional Leagues) Rotherham United FC.

SGL Professional Football Grounds Team of the Year (Premier League, Championship and Scottish Premier League) Leicester City FC.

Redexim Charterhouse/ Kubota University/College Grounds Team of the Year University of Leicester.

Growth Products Independent School Grounds Team of the Year St Joseph’s College, Ipswich.

International Ambassador of the Year Jonathan Calderwood, Paris Saint-Germain FC.

Ransomes/DLF Johnsons

Alex R Millar Award – chosen from the outstanding winner across all award categories Gary Barwell, Warwickshire CCC.

Special Recognition Award

Mike Hunt and Adrian Morgan, Lord’s Cricket Ground.

GrassMaster Solutions

Lifetime Achievement Award

Peter Dury, who, among many other achievements in sports turf throughout the country, is credited for developing the Pitch Performance Quality Standards that are today’s de facto standards for both natural and artificial playing surfaces.

GrassMaster Solutions Outstanding Achievement Award

Carl Pass and Steve Prinn

Carl Pass is head of Premier Pitches, a company that works at all levels of the game on pitch renovations and reconstructions, as well as aeration, fertilisation, seeding and spraying. Throughout, he says, the aim is to create the very best playing surfaces and to enhance the standards that

•

• AMS (Automated Managed Services)

• CubCadet INFINICUT

• DLF Trifolium

• ECB (England & Wales

Growth Products

Headland Amenity

• ICL

• John Deere

• Johnsons Sports Seed

• Kubota

• LTA (Lawn Tennis Association)

• the Premier League

• Ransomes

• Redexim Charterhouse

• RFL (Rugby Football League)

• RFU (Rugby Football Union)

Rigby Taylor

• SISGrass

• SCH Supplies

• SGL

• Sport England

• Syngenta

• GrassMaster (Tarkett Sports)

• The FA (The Football Association)

• Top Green

• Toro.

can be expected from natural grass pitches.

Now retired as a turf grass lecturer at Askham Bryan College, Steve Prinn is an independent consultant who is skilled in sports surface management. As well as a whole host of City and Guilds accreditations Steve also holds a Master’s degree in sports turf and turf grass management.

A special award, for Outstanding Leadership of the IOG, was presented to IOG Chair David Teasdale.

The 2018 IOG Industry Awards are sponsored by:

AELTC (All England Lawn Tennis & Croquet Club)

Cricket Board)

Outstanding out front performance.

F90 Series:

Snickers Workwear climate control underwear

The Snickers Workwear Baselayer clothing uses hightech breathable fabrics for ventilation and body moisture transport for consistent

warmth and comfort. The seamless designs are available in 37 5 ventilating technology as well as polyester and merino wool to suit different types of work in a variety of cold weather conditions.

The cutting-edge FLEXIWork and LITEwork designs and fabrics will keep you warm and dry - so you wont get cold, wet and shiver.

All the garments are made from quick drying, lightweight fabrics that come with special ventilation features to control and regulate the heat from your body.

Search is on for oldest working Woods machine in UK

Simon Richard Ltd, UK Agents for the Woods Equipment range are hoping to find the oldest and still working Woods model in the country, from their Batwing, Rotary, Finishing mower, or Seeder models.

Simon Richard said: “Since taking on the Woods range in early 2017 we have been amazed by the number of extremely old but still fully functioning machines we have become aware of.

“Machines like Batwings at 18 years old and single Rotor machines at 20 years. We even have come across a triple Finishing Mower at 30 years of age. We are now asking owners to send us a picture

of their machine at work, the serial number and their name and address.”

The owner of the oldest working machine will win a Woods 20 ton log splitter. Please email simon@simon-richard.co.uk for an application form which should be with us no later than the end of February 2019.

Simon Richard

Green-tech protect 29,500 newly planted trees

Bantycock Quarry, a gypsum quarry operated by Saint-Gobain Formula has recently undergone a tremendous revival to preserve the environment and create an ideal habitat for a diverse range of wildlife.

Glendale, a professional green service company who manage and maintain green environments were awarded the contract to regenerate 25 acres of the worked-out quarry area into native countryside.

Proposals were developed by landscape architects DRaW (UK) Ltd and agreed with the local authority to encourage biodiversity and enhance the landscape at Saint-Gobain Formula’s Bantycock Gypsum Quarry. The brief was to restore and revitalise the land by turning it into woodland and grassland, creating habitats for wildlife through the planting of 29,500 trees and seeding a newly created wildflower grassland area.

Glendale turned to Green-tech for the necessary landscaping

supplies which included tree shelters, stakes, compost and fertiliser. In total, 26,000 tree shelters and stakes and 1,200 bags of compost and fertiliser were supplied for this project.

Green-tech is the leading UK supplier of landscaping essentials. Our tree and shrub shelters and stakes aim to aid trees towards better initial establishment, survival rate and protect the trees from being damaged by wildlife.

The trees, which were planted during the 2017-2018 planting season, have been specially selected to attract a mix of wet woodland and native woodland species and will provide important habitats for birds and wildlife, while contributing to the region’s biodiversity targets across the 25-acre part of the site.

It is planned that the woodland area will be extended further as other parts of the wider site are restored

Foamstream delivers a multi-surface cleaning and weeding solution

Weedingtech is finding that more and more of their customers are using their patented hot-foam system, Foamstream, not only for weed control but also as a multisurface cleaner.

This has proven to be of particular use when it comes to cleaning and maintaining outdoor spaces like parks, playgrounds and schools.

The biodegradable foam is made from natural plant oils and sugars and is therefore 100% safe to use in any environment. Combined with hot water, the foam acts as a layer of insulation ensuring that the heat from the hot water is not lost to the atmosphere.

Due to this, Foamstream delivers a cleaning solution that is effective on a wide variety of different materials. It is not only able to kill weeds and unwanted vegetation safely and effectively,

it is also able to remove moss and algae from many different surfaces, such as wood, rope, metal and rubber.

Foamstream can even be used to remove gum and graffi ti and is effective in any kind of weather. Furthermore, the hot foam will also kill any bacteria it comes in to contact with, further helping to clean and sanitise those areas being treated.

This multi-functional foam, when combined with a multitude of quick-release lance options, makes Weedingtech’s Foamstream system even more of a one-stop maintenance tool.

It’s easy to use for operators and safe to use around children, pets and the environment, allowing you to clean the whole park in one easy swing.

Weedingtech

Green-tech

Snickers

Reesink’s comprehensive training programme grows in 2019

Two new hands-on machinery mechanics courses have been added to Reesink Turfcare’s industry-leading training offering for 2019.

The two new courses, Air-cooled Engines and Basic Electrics and Hydraulics, have, says head of turfcare training at Reesink Neil Adams, been added according to demand: “With these two courses we’re going back to basics.

“There’s so much technology used in machinery maintenance now with diagnostics tools and the like and while that is incredibly helpful, our customers are telling us they want to learn the foundation of these subjects such as how to do a complete engine strip down. Both courses offer a solid start for those new to the industry and a fantastic refresher course for those with a few more years under their belt.”

The one-day Air-cooled Engines course covers understanding the operation and function of a fourstroke engine, learning how to identify components and operate in-line diesel injection and petrol fuel systems, and diagnosing and repairing common faults associated with modern engines.

The two-day Basic Electrics and Hydraulics course includes understanding and reading electric and hydraulic symbols and schematics, how to use and

demonstrate safe practices with electrical instruments and test equipment and how to diagnose and repair electric and hydraulic systems failures effectively. In addition, battery operation and construction,basicelectrictheory including Ohm’s Law, electrics and hydraulics safety and hydraulic oils and contamination procedures will also be covered.

Further information such as dates, which start in February for Air-cooled Engines and April for Basic Electrics and Hydraulics, can be found at www.reesinkturfcare.co.uk.

Reesink’s biggest range of vocationaltrainingforland-based disciplines is delivered with Lantra, the national awarding organisation. Alongside that is City & Guilds training and Toro and TYM manufacturer-backed turfcare machinery training.

Reesink Turfcare

Take a break with Makita

The new Makita cordless coffee maker is expected to become the most prized possession of all construction trades and outdoor contractors.

The DCM501Z coffee maker is compatible with both CXT and LXT Makita Lithium-Ion batteries and features dedicated battery ports.

Weighing just 2.2kg, with an 18V Makita battery, and complete with carry handle, the DCM501Z can brew 260ml of coffee on a single CXT 10.8V –12VMAX battery or a 3.0Ah 14.4V battery; 320ml of fresh coffee on an 18V 3.0Ah battery, and up to 640ml of coffee on an 18V 6.0Ah battery.

7The coffee maker comes complete with a dedicated cup, with capacity of

240ml coffee, and is designed to fit in the machine without leaving a gap so protecting against splashing or entry of dirt and dust. Commercial cups up to 90mm high will also fit the machine.

Heritage litter bin boasts integral fire extinguisher

Leafield Environmental has launched an automatic fire suppression system for its popular Square Heritage litter-bins.

Should a fire breakout inside a bin, the device activates by a sacrificial bulb that bursts at a given temperature, releasing a powder discharge from an extinguisher. Extensive tests have shown the device to be extremely effective in putting out fires before they “take hold”, with bins remaining fully serviceable after the fire has been extinguished.

The optional extinguisher unit is fitted neatly within the twin skin of the bin hood. It is barely visible from the outside and does not interfere with the passage of litter. Discharged extinguishers can be removed and replaced easily, thanks to quick-release mechanism of the holder.

The Company recommends that a regular emptying, inspection and maintenance programme should be instigated to ensure the extinguisher remains serviceable or has been discharged and needs replacing.

The Square Heritage is an exceptionally strong bin, rotationally moulded from medium density polyethylene. It has four large apertures to allow easy ‘walk by’ access and is equally suitable for internal or external use. Apertures may be blanked off where a location dictates it.

Leafield

First professional ‘onboard’ battery range

Pellenc, the world’s leading expert in battery-powered tools for maintaining landscapes, has launched the first truly professional ‘on-board’ battery range – The Pellenc Alpha range.

The Pellenc Alpha range sees two new batteries (P260 and P520) which can be directly fitted to the tools or fitted to a new harness.

Comprising the Helion Alpha hedge trimmers and the Excelion Alpha grass strimmer, two tools which use the latest on-board

batteries, the 260 and 520, it was designed to bring together ergonomics and efficiency. With all of these features, the range has what it takes to convert the last of the professionals who are hesitant to abandon petrol powered tools.

All Pellenc batteries and tools come with a three-year commercial warranty and are distributed in the UK and Ireland exclusively by Etesia UK.

Etesia UK

ACTIS

Simple, economical mounted sprayer with tank capacities from 100 to 400 litres.

See our amenity sprayer range at www.kuhn-amenitypro.co.uk

Makita

New Green-tech Trade Centre opens up in North Yorkshire

Expansion plans from Skarper

Skarper are expanding in Europe to cope with additional sales from the UK Market

Skarper is set to increase production in Europe through December and January to cope with growing demand for their products, the new production lines will soon see new models rolling through as the research and development teams have announced a new compact

chipper for 2019.

Jim Upson, from Skarper UK, said: “We are in regular contact with Skarper in Europe regarding new model development. We are planning a trip to Skarper HQ early2019toseetwonewmodels and several new accessories that are coming out soon.”

Upson Mowers

UltraScape is king of the hill at beauty spot

UltraScape’s BS 7533 Compliant Mortar Paving System has been used as part of the refurbishment of Crescent Hill in North Yorkshire.

Wilf Noble Construction, the chosen contractors for this exciting development, used ProBed HS fine bedding mortar, Pro-Prime slurry primer and Flowpoint rapid set grout to install paving along Crescent Hill – a street that connects the local town to the beautiful 5-mile golden beach and along the seafront promenade.

Every product in UltraScape’s Mortar Paving System has been independently tested by an UKAS accredited laboratory to assess their performance abilities

UltraScape

Landscape supplier Green-tech has opened up a Landscaping Trade Centre.

The Green-tech Trade Centre will sell everything needed for commercial landscaping projects and customers will benefit from discounted trade prices.

The Green-tech Trade Centre will be open from 7am on weekdays. It is located within the Rabbit Hill Country Store on Rabbit Hill Business Park; just off the A168 southbound, near Boroughbridge in North Yorkshire. There is plenty of free parking outside the Centre for quick and easy loading.

Trade Centre Manager Frankie Helliwell said: “This is a really

exciting development for Greentech. There is nowhere locally for estate owners and landscape gardeners to purchase and collect professional strength products.

“We will be selling over 6,500 different landscaping products and customers can just call in from 7am and collect what they need for their job without worrying about minimum order value or waiting for delivery.

“There will also be a collection service available during the weekend. We are located just off the A1 so it’s a really convenient location for customers.”

It’s a crime not to prime

Priming is an important part of any paving installation but is something that is often overlooked.

Neglecting to include a primer, such as UltraScape pro-prime slurry primer, can have disastrous consequences for your project and as a result the reputation of your business.

UltraScape pro-prime is a slurry

primer manufactured to meet the demanding requirements of BS 7533. Suitable for use with all paving types including stone and porcelain pavers, UltraScape pro-prime is simple to use and is proven to increase adhesion, preventing failure and prolonging the life of your project.

UltraScape

The project required paving to be installed on a steep incline which made choosing the perfect suite of products challenging.

Long Rake Spar acquires Brett’s dried aggregate business

Long Rake Spar has announced the acquisition of the dried aggregate business sector from Brett’s Specialised Decorative Aggregates, the leading supplier of Durite, Flintag and associated dried products to the UK’s resin and flooring industry.

The acquisition of this established product range enables the company to offer a more extensive product portfolio which broadens our offering into the more specialist industries of internal and external flooring.

As a key supplier of dried aggregate granules to the resin surfacing industry, Long Rake Spar sees this acquisition as not only a great opportunity to strengthen its market share, but also that of its contractors, who can now broaden their product

Green-tech

Long Rake Spar

Two Toro firsts launched by Reesink Turfcare

AT SALTEX 2018 Reesink

Turfcare debuted Toro’s, and the industry’s, first super-duty utility vehicle, the Outcross 9060, and the brand’s new 12ft pull-behind rotary mower, the Groundsmaster 1200.

Both machines are designed to ensure groundsmen can do a lot more, with less, and have innovation at their core.

Jeff Anguige, national sales manager for Reesink, says: “The launch of the Outcross 9060 marks the first of its kind to be purpose-built for the management of fine turf. It combines the best elements of a tractor with a utility vehicle and delivers a machine that can do the work of multiple machines in one compact package. It generated interest on stand and its presence resonated across the show, while also being shortlisted for the Innovation of the Year Award.”

Powered by a 59.8-horsepower Yanmar liquid-cooled diesel engine, the Outcross can tow up to 16,000lbs and has an optional cargo bed that can hold 4,500lbs of materials. It simplifies operation, optimises power and brings the option of dozens of attachments to perform hundreds of tasks.

Following hot on the Outcross’s heels for making the groundsman’s life easier is the Groundsmaster 1200 pull-behind rotary mower. What’s interesting about this new machine is that it is, says Toro, a pull-behind more than worthy of being called a Groundsmaster such are its capabilities.

Productivity is high with a 12ft wide cutting width thanks to three decks which flow with the contours of the terrain for example and dual full width rollers which leave a wellgroomed after-cut appearance.

The height of cut can be adjusted from 0.5 to four inches, and its wing decks folded up to create a narrow 86-inch transportation width making it easy to get from site to site. Plus, the transport

wheels feature a torsion axle and integrated torsion spring which means it can do its job smoothly and comfortably for the operator

Rain Bird’s smart controller

Rain Bird’s TBOS II BT bluetooth battery operated irrigation controller suits applications where mains electricity is unavailable.

It can be mounted on the majority of Rain Bird valves and the bluetooth feature allows configuration of the controller by smartphone, making it very costeffective and user friendly.

Parks, roadsides, landscape projects, construction sites and housing developments are typical applications. It is a highly durable solution, vandal proof, designed to resist harsh environments and with its IP68

rating is 100% waterproof and fully submersible. The 9V alkaline battery has a life of about one year. It’s available with 1,2,4 or 6 stations.

Rainbird

Trimax unveils ProCut Series 4

World leading New Zealand mower manufacturer Trimax has lifted the veil on its new ProCut Series 4 - the latest evolution of the ProCut model, one of the stalwarts of the Trimax range since 1985.

The highly anticipated ProCutS4 made its UK debut at the IOG’s Saltex event in November. It brings fresh modern looks, better performance and new features, yet retains many of the aspects that set the original ProCut apart from other products.

ProCut mowers have taken a significant worldwide market share for mowing parks and reserves, estates, school grounds, sports fields, race tracks and airfields.

Designed with simplicity, performance and reliability at its core, the ProCutS4 comes in four cutting widths. All can match the finish of cylinder mowers in many conditions while completely out-classing them on rougher terrain. They can stripe, spread clippings with no windrows, perform exceptionally in wet conditions, cope with rough ground and debris, cut cleanly at high ground speeds and mow in reverse.

The Series 4 contains a number of new patented innovations unique to Trimax Mowers, including LocTEK Stubless Roller System, RapidSET Height Adjustment and SteadFAST Sealed Spindles. All designed to offer outstanding performance and maximum uptime.

The ProCut S4 has retained the LazerBladez cutting system, first introduced in 2004. Lazerbladez are fabricated from steel alloy that can be hardened more that normal spring steels for longer life without losing the toughness essential in commercial mowing operations.

Deep underbody clearance and a body profile that sweeps up and over the rear roller allows clippings a more open discharge path. This helps lower the horsepower requirement and produces a more even spread in heavy conditions.

This fantastic new model has already taken the market by storm following it’s unveiled at Saltex 2018. For more information or to see how this machine could transform your green areas, give Trimax a call on +44 (0)1933 652235!

Titan continues to provide a superior edging solution

EverEdge Titan steel landscape edging has been a staple of the EverEdge range for over a decade.

Made in a variety of heights, thicknesses and finishes, EverEdge Titan is the perfect product where a stronger or deeper edge might be required.

In 2018, sales of the Titan range rocketed as the versatility of the product became more commonly known.

Throughout the year, EverEdge Titan has been used in projects of all shapes and sizes. From creating a traditional parterre to edging a new asphalt pathway,

such as in the picture, Titan is built to do it all.

Flexible and strong, EverEdge Titan is the perfect product for edging in public spaces such as parks, historic houses and public buildings.

As with anything in life, the key to installing EverEdge Titan is good preparation. Ensure that the groundwork is done before installation and EverEdge Titan can be quickly and easily installed using a simple bolt together system and fixing spikes to hold the edging in place.

EverEdge

Reesink Turfcare

Trimax

Makita launched new split-shaft LXT multi-tool

Makita launched a 36v cordless multi-tool system for landscape maintenance operations in February together with a range of quick-fit attachments including the newly introduced brush cutter and linetrimmer in addition to the cultivator, pole saw, hedge trimmer and lawn edging tool.

The pole extension allows even greater reach for the Pole Saw and Hedge Trimmer.

With the move to battery powered grounds maintenance machines becoming ever more popular, particularly at the demand of municipal authorities and public bodies, Makita

offers a range of 18v tools and, more recently, an expanding inventory of twin 18v machines to give 36v power.

The power and run-time performance of the 36v Brushless motor makes the latest tools fully comparable on power and performance to petrol engine machines, while being highly sustainable with low noise and emissions.

The new DUX60Z is powered by two Makita 18v LithiumIon batteries in series to supply energy to the 36v DC motor drive system.

Kubota updates B Series compact tractors

For smaller hectare users looking to purchase a new compact tractor in 2018, in March Kubota UK unveiled a new and improved B Series range that will leave them spoilt for choice.

The market leading manufacturer of groundcare equipment has introduced its new B1 (standard spec) and B2 Series (premium spec) tractors, which supersede its existing B Series range of compact tractors.

Adrian Langmead, Groundcare Business Development Manager for Kubota UK, said: “Our B Series has been one of the most popular compact tractors on the market for years based on its performance, reliability, comfort and ability to cross different markets. The B1 and B2 Series capitalise on this even further, with a host of enhanced features to benefit our end-user customers.”

Kubota

More mowing with less fumes

In the summer of 2018, the EGO Power Plus range of SelfPropelled Mowers were unveiled.

Using a 56-volt lithium-ion battery, the industry’s most technologically advanced, means you get a mower with no petrol fumes, just unrelenting performance. They’re easy to start needing only a push of a button, so no more problematic pull chords.

They are significantly quieter than

petrol mowers and have a far lower running and upkeep cost.

Running up to 50-minutes on a single charge, the 52cm SelfPropelled Mower (LM2122E) can tackle lawns up to 1000m2. And because they are fitted with an independent, variable speed self-propel motor you can take the effort out of pushing and choose to cut the grass at a pace that suits you.

Jacobsen showcases the new AR series and TR series

In January 2018 at BTME the new Jacobsen AR and TR series, which replaced the existing AR-3, TR-3 and Tri-King machines, made their debut.

Created with usability in mind, the new machines are built on a common platform, and are offered as standard or premium models.

The AR321 (standard model) and AR331 (premium model) are 3WD rotary triple mowers featuring 24.8hp Kubota diesel engines.

The TR320 (standard model) and the TR330 (premium model) are triplex cylinder mowers.

As one of the groundcare industry’s major manufacturing companies, Textron Golf will also be showcasing other mowers and aeration equipment from Jacobsen plus Cushman utility vehicles, Iseki tractors and turf maintenance equipment from the Turfco and Ryan brands.

Jacobsen

Technology breakthrough keeps STIHL at cutting edge

In the Spring of 2018 the STIHL Group unveiled the new STIHL MS 500i chainsaw, which represents another world-leading innovation in the company’s long history of developing cutting edge breakthroughs.

Together with the many additional design optimisations, there is a substantial increase in operator comfort with the next generation chainsaw.

The reduction of gyroscopic forces provides the 80 cm³class high-performance professional saw with dynamic manoeuvrability, which is a

particular advantage during limbing. This makes the professional big timber harvester easy to handle in all disciplinesfrom felling to cutting to length.

The MS 500i has exceptional starting behavior and provides optimum engine power right from startup. The engine does not need a carburetor, since the fuel metering is done using a sensor, and automatically adapts to the different operating conditions, no matter what the altitude and ambient temperature.

Makita

STIHL

EGO Power

Obesity warning as playground closures go into freefall

New research shows that playgrounds continue to close at an alarming rate despite the government’s claims that they are tackling childhood obesity and mental health problems.

In April 2017, the Association of Play Industries Nowhere toPlay report first uncovered the state of playground decline in England, revealing the closure of hundreds of playgrounds.

Using the Freedom of Information Act, the API has once again asked local authorities to disclose current and planned playground closures and found:

• By 2020/21 there will have been a decrease in spend on play facilities of 44% since 2017/18

In 2016/17 local authorities closed 63 playgrounds and in 2017/18 a further 70 playgrounds have been closed.

• Since 2014 local authorities have closed a total of 347 playgrounds across England.

• There will be a decrease in spend on playgrounds of over £13m each year on average across England.

• Local authorities estimate a decrease in their spending on playgrounds of £25m by 2021.

API Chair, Mark Hardy, says: “Something we all took for granted –safe, local and free spaces in which to play – is disappearing.

“Our latest research shows a very worrying picture indeed and, unless action is taken now, it seems we are in danger of losing playgrounds. Let’s not forget that when a playground is neglected and closed it is often lost forever.

“The impact on the NHS of childhood obesity, poor fitness and mental health problems is

sizeable. One of the root causes is that children are not playing outside as freely as they once did and this is partly because of the lack of local, high-quality and safe areas available for them to play in and socialise.

“A relatively small investment by government could have huge

UK Children’s Commissioners stand together for right to play

To mark the UK’s annual celebration of play – Playday 2018 – all four children’s commissioners from England, Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales stood together to support the importance of children’s play as an essential aspect of childhood as thousands of

children across the four nations attend organised Playday events.

Koulla Yiasouma, Northern Ireland Commissioner for Children and Young People, Bruce Adamson, Children and Young People’s Commissioner for Scotland, Sally Holland, Children’s Commissioner for Wales and Anne Longfield OBE Children’s Commissioner for England are urging everyone to play their part in ensuring the creation of the best possible opportunities for all children and young people to embrace their right to play.

The four commissioners are calling for:

• All adults to consider how they can help children and young people across the UK have time, space, permission and support to play, both in their family life and in their community.

• Organisations to think about whether they are doing all they can to empower and involve children and young people to have a say in ideas and decisions that affect their rights – including their right to play.

• Governments and statutory agencies to actively promote and protect children’s right to play through the provision of adequate resources.

The four national UK play organisations, Play Wales, PlayBoard Northern Ireland, Play England and Play Scotland are calling on everyone – parents, grandparents, carers, childcare providers and support staff across the UK to help celebrate and promote the importance of play for all children.

Playday

social and health benefits for years to come.

“Outdoor play is essential to children’s development. They need playgrounds to develop vital social skills and these community spaces have a central role in children’s physical and mental health.

“In the midst of an obesity epidemic and a mental health crisis we are calling on the government to make a significant and sustained investment in our playgrounds before it is too late.”

API

Local authorities supported to innovate

The government has announced a new programme to develop local solutions to childhood obesity that can be shared across the country.

The government is asking local authorities to apply to its Trailblazer programme, in partnership with the Local Government Association (LGA).

The 3-year programme forms part of the second chapter of the government’s childhood obesity plan, launched in the summer, which included the aim to halve childhood obesity by 2030. One

All councils will be invited to apply to the programme and set out their proposals. Up to 12 local authorities will be supported to develop practical plans, and in spring next year 5 authorities will be selected.

Trailblazer local authorities will be on the programme for 3 years. During that time they will be given expert advice to help realise their plans, as well as £100,000 per year in funding to support this. Successful approaches to reducing childhood obesity will be considered for shaping national policy.

New guide

Proludic Wicksteed RoSPA

Winner of the 30th anniversary Springer competition.

Minister unveils centenary Blue Plaque.

to keeping children safe and active.

Official opening of new Creative Play playground remembers little Alfie

The family of a brave little boy whose battle against a rare cancer inspired his parents to set up a charity in his memory have officially opened a new playground at a Kent pub which has been a big part of their lives.

The Sir Stanley Gray pub in Pegwell Village, Ramsgate, has invested £60,000 in a sunken ship-themed playground – the only one of its kind in the UK –which has been designed and manufactured by outdoor play experts, Creative Play.

Family members of two-year-old Alfie Gough, whose wake was held at the pub after he lost his battle with neuroblastoma back in 2010, were on hand to mark the official opening of the new play area.

Frank Thorley, who owns the pub along with a number of other sites which form Thorley Taverns, played his part in helping to raise money for Alfie’s parents, Sarah and Dean, when they were in the process of trying to fund treatment in America prior to their son’s death. And he has continued his support for the couple, now living in Vancouver, Canada, since they launched The

Alfie Gough Trust which helps children fighting cancer.

Frank says Alfie’s battle touched the hearts of the community and he was delighted that his family members could come down to the pub and give the new play area their seal of approval. To mark the occasion he pledged a further £200 to their cause.

Each Creative Play playground is designed to suit the client’s specifications, depending on their budget and location. The equipment is designed and manufactured in Chester by the company’s in house teams, who use state of the art equipment and each specialise in timber, plastic or metal.

Creative Play’s own teams install all of the equipment and surfacing to meet the requirements of the client and their own rigorous quality standards.

Rob Williams, area manager at Chester-based Creative Play, said the project was his most challenging to date but also the one that has given him the greatest satisfaction. He said: “I went down to meet with Frank and at the time they were

renovating a vast area of the pub and had an idea of a theme.

“We looked at having a bit of a traditional playground but with a modern twist so that’s why we went for the sunken ship as the area is by the sea.

As well as the ship there are little islands around it with a treasure chest, play tower and tunnel. The ship has slides and climbing nets. It was a very diffi cult project. The area of the build is at the bottom of the cliff so there was no road access.

“We worked with Frank who organised cranes to lift everything down to the site. It was quite a challenge but once we overcame that the build was completed within three and a half weeks. We had pretty cold weather during the build and had to soldier on in high winds, but I’m delighted with the outcome. It’s amazing. It’s one of the best I’ve done.

“Thedesignoftheshipistheonly one in the country – you won’t fi nd it anywhere else. Given the challenges with the logistics of the build it was a very rewarding project to complete. It’s been wonderful to use its official opening to raise awareness of Alfi e’s terrifi c charity which is clearly so well thought of in the local area.”

Alfie’s mum Sarah, 40, who is also mum to Harry, six, and Louis, four, with husband Dean, visited the new play area during a recent visit home and has thanked Frank for all his support over the years.

The Alfi e Gough Trust raises funds so other families can have access to the same services.

Creative Play

A deserving winner of Proludic’s 30th anniversary Springer competition

The Ripple Retreat, the brainchild of Lynne and Ian McNicoll, and built and managed by the charity ‘Its Good 2 Give’, was designed to help heal and offer respite for families.

The main aim is to provide support to young cancer patients and their families while undergoing treatment.

The couple have created an amazing place for young cancer patients to stay and escape the daily challenges of their illness and enter a calm and caring environment in an otherwise difficult time.

The Retreat is situated on the shores of Loch Venachar, near the Trossachs National Park.

Designed by award winning architect Tony Kettle, who also created the Falkirk Wheel, The Retreat is sympathetically rooted to the shoreline, with a majestic backdrop of Scottish pine adding to the amazing views.

Lynne and Ian wanted to provide the brave children with a fun environment which would bring families together, so they can enjoy time together away from their usual surroundings. Proludic were delighted to help and provided The Ripple Retreat with playground equipment for all the visitors to enjoy.

The young patients are often not able to attend a public park and this equipment has enabled them to enjoy what their peers get to experience.

As part of Proludic’s 30th Anniversary competition, The Ripple Retreat were also one of the12luckycustomerstoreceive a ‘Puppy the Dog’ Springer, installedforfree,forthechildren and their families to enjoy.

Lynne and Ian have been overjoyed with the happiness the Proludic play equipment has provided to the many brave young patients who visit.

Proludic

Playdale Playgrounds’ MD features in business leaders list

Playdale Playgrounds’ Managing Director, Barry Leahey MBE has been named in the ‘World Beaters’ category of the LDC’s Top 50 Most Ambitious Business Leaders list, supported by The Telegraph newspaper.

The ‘World Beaters’ category features business people who have taken their businesses into new and untested international markets which takes courage and perseverance (particularly

in unsettled times). Barry is featured alongside a diverse group of fellow ambitious and dynamic business leaders.

Barry, who lives in Samlesbury, Lancashire is the 43-year old MD of Playdale Playgrounds.

He’s taken six-hundred flights in the last eight years to broaden Playdale’s original UK-only focus and look to the international market.

Equipment designed and built by the company is now featured in more than 20,000 play areas across 49 countries. Approximately half of all equipment manufactured in their factories in Haverthwaite and Ulverston is shipped overseas. Turnover has tripled under his leadership, and Barry has the ambition to turn the firm into the global market leader.

Playdale

Blue plaque unveiling by Secretary of State for Health & Social Care

It was 100 years ago that Charles Wicksteed made the first swing and so began manufacturing play equipment from his Engineering Works in Digby Street, Kettering.

Having donated Wicksteed Park, the first children’s play park for the community, Charles Wicksteed went on to manufacture exciting and appealing play equipment.

To celebrate the life of Charles Wicksteed a blue plaque was unveiled by the Rt Hon Matt Hancock MP who is Secretary of State for Health and Social Care. Now trading as Wicksteed Playgrounds, the play, sports and fitness equipment manufacturing company, based on the original site, is still the leading outdoor play company in Great Britain.

The event took place under a misty, grey sky but the light patter of rain on Wicksteed umbrellas did not dull the sense of excitement and occasion. Lord Howard, Chairman of Wicksteed, also welcomed The Mayor and Mayoress of Kettering and other notable guests to the ceremony which marks a feel-good celebratory story to commemorate a local benefactor

and a company which has been going strong since it fi rst opened its doors as an engineer in 1876.

Theoccasionwasgreatlyenhanced by the presence of several staff whohavebeenwiththeCompany for over 40 years and a large number of others who have been thereformorethan25years.

Oliver Wicksteed, great grandson of Charles Wicksteed and ChairmanofWicksteedPark,was also present as were members of theKetteringCivicSociety

Whilst this event commemorated Charles Wicksteed and his great contribution to Kettering it also recognises a company which is constantly evolving and consistently producing innovative, imaginative and exciting products and design services for today’s competitive market.

This blue plaque – fi xed to the brick wall of the factory founded by Charles Wicksteed in 1876, is a fi tting tribute and one of which he would be immensely proud.

Wicksteed

Tennis the first priority for London park transformation

The redevelopment of tennis courts in a London borough park are the first priority in a 15-year masterplan.

The London Borough of Hounslow’s planning committee approved Gunnersbury 2026 in January 2016 to unlock the potential of sports facilities at Gunnersbury Park – with tennis courts the first priority and a new indoor community sports hub.

Essex-based ETC Sports Surfaces has completed the eight outdoor tennis courts with floodlights, while the sports hub is scheduled to open in summer 2019.

ETC worked alongside Zaun Ltd, who manufactured and supplied 414m of 3m high Duo6 Advantage tennis sports fencing with six single leaf gates and two divider fences with a central 3.5 m wide walkway between courts.

Zaun’s Advantage tennis court fencing system can withstand heavy use with a 42.85mm x 200mm twin wire mesh pattern that won’t let balls through yet allows a great view of on-court action.

It offers better whole-life value than chain-link fencing, which is easily cut with pliers for unauthorised use, and deforms quickly when people lean against it.

Ten grass football and rugby pitches, four cricket pitches and two full-size 3G artificial grass pitches with floodlights are also planned.

Gunnersbury Park, jointly owned by Hounslow and Ealing councils, features one Grade I listed and one Grade II listed Georgian mansions, as well as many historical buildings all set within the stunning community park.

The site is undergoing major transformation since the councils secured two grants from the Heritage Lottery Fund in 2014 to overhaul the museum and make major improvements to the park landscape.

The aim of the project is to transform Gunnersbury Park

Funding for social action projects

Sport England has announced two more awards from our Potentials Fund for 10-20-year-olds.

Whether it’s local surfers helping young people to improve their emotional health or a youth club acting as a springboard for social mobility – the latest funding awards are aimed at getting young people involved in social action.

More than £400,000 has been split between two projects through our Potentials Fund.

The fund was set up in December 2016, along with our Opportunities Fund, as part of Sport England’s new volunteering strategy. With a total of £3 million to be allocated to help 10-20-year-olds get

involved in volunteering, the first recipients of awards were announced a year ago. The remainder of the fund – made up of match-funding from the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, and the Big Lottery Fund – is being awarded to The Wave Project and UK Youth.

In total, 37 projects have been given awards from our Potentials Fund. The Wave Project began as a pilot in Cornwall, using local surfers to work with young people, teach them how to surf and, in the process, reduce anxiety and improve their emotional health.

While UK Youth is a network of more than 5,000 youth clubs across the country which engages

young people in physical activity and uses social action to improve their lives.

A concept that Sport England’s executive director of sport, Phil Smith, is a great admirer of: “Through social action young people can help others get active and benefit themselves in lots of ways; social action can do wonders for job and career prospects, mental health and making friends.

into a sustainable, high quality public space that serves the local community. The plans include the creation of a diverse mix of culture, heritage, events, sports and recreational activity to add to a rich history that the councils want to preserve.

Zaun

“That’s why we pledged to support the #iwill campaign and made volunteering and social action a key part of our strategy.

“We’re delighted to be helping these two projects enable more young people to be the catalysts for change in their neighbourhood.”

Sport England

Pedestrian training, swimming lessons and updated PSHE needed

All children at Key Stages 1 and 2 should receive pedestrian safety training – including real-road environments and modern-day scenarios such as mobile phone distraction –according to a new national accident prevention strategy for England.

As part of the strategy, schools and local authorities are being urged to teach pedestrian safety and promote safe and active travel to tackle serious injury on the roads.

Safe and active at all ages: a national strategy to prevent serious accidental injuries in England, published by RoSPA, also calls for the inclusion of accident prevention within any new compulsory health education curriculum, and urges that every child should have the opportunity to learn to swim and receive water safety education at primary school.

There are also recommendations to support the role of early years practitioners and health

The strategy aims to achieve a step-change in the delivery of evidence-based accident prevention programmes across England, promote safe and active lives and reduce the burden of serious accidental injury on society.

Its 25 recommendations for action address the major dangers faced by people across their life course, from birth to older age, and wherever they may find themselves –in their own homes, at work, in education, on the road, or during leisure pursuits.

Representatives of the following organisations participated in the National Accident Prevention Strategy

professionals in working with families to address the safety of under-5s, particularly in the home where they are most at risk of accidental injury.

The strategy, which has been developed by a wide range of partners including Public Health England and the Royal College of Emergency Medicine, seeks to address the rising number of accidental deaths in England and the heavy toll these place on the health and social care services, as well as the personal heartache that serious unintentional injury can cause.

Errol Taylor, RoSPA’s chief executive, said: “Serious accidental injury to children is a significant health issue that often gets overlooked as a public health issue – in England each

Advisory Group, under the chairmanship of the Rt Hon Stephen Dorrell: Public Health England; Association of Directors of Public Health; Blackburn with Darwen Council; Faculty of Public Health; Institute of Health Promotion and Education; Institute of Health Visiting; Royal College of Emergency Medicine; Royal College of Nursing; Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health; Royal Society for Public Health; University of Nottingham; and University of the West of England. Contributions were also made by RoSPA’s national committees, including the National Safety Education Committee.

year, an average of 132 children aged 0-14 die, and more than 100,000 are admitted to hospital – but this doesn’t have to happen.

“For under-5s, the home is the key area of concern from an accident point of view, and it is vital that there is support and training for practitioners working with young families. Road safety becomes increasingly important as children get older – as children gain more independence their risk of being injured as a pedestrian grows, particularly around their transition from primary to secondary school. Safer road environments are vital to encourage safe and active travel, but we must also ensure that we are providing our young children with the skills and knowledge they need to stay safe on the road.

“To prepare them for their lives ahead, schools must also provide safety education with a ‘learning about safety by experiencing risk’ approach to promote resilience. We must not wrap our children in cotton wool – instead, we need to provide them with the real-world skill of recognising and assessing risk as they start to make their own decisions.

“Despite swimming and water safety being a statutory requirement at Key Stage 2, we know that 45 per cent of children aged 7-11 cannot swim the required 25 metres. This has to change if we are to prevent the 300 accidental drowning deaths that happen in UK waters each year.”

ECB approves Notts Sport’s monofilament grass surface

Notts Sports pioneering new cricket surface NottsGrass Ultra has been recognised by the ECB as a component in the ECB Approved Non-Turf Pitch System.

Incorporating a state of the art texturised monofilament yarn brings huge advances in cricket surfacing technology and catapults cricket surfacing into the 21st Century.

Combining the NottsGrass Ultra with proven non-turf cricket systems combines the best of traditional system technology with new surface and fibre advances and sets new parameters for how a cricket surface & system performs.

Creating consistent performance is at the heart of all our research & development for cricket systems and NottsGrass Ultra has been developed to maintain performance at all times. This ensures that coaches and players are confi dent that ball to surface interaction will be as consistent as possible resulting in better teaching, coaching and playing experiences.

Independent laboratory test results show that the NottsGrass Ultra fibre maintains critical performance characteristics for longer when compared to previous NottsGrass surface technology. This significant development will provide coaches, players and customers with improved playing performance over a much longer period of time which, in turn, creates more realistic and consistent performance throughout the life of your cricket facility.

By creating this advantage, life costs will also reduce because

performance is maximised for longer, meaning resurfacing and remediation works will be required with less frequency maximising your strategic investments in cricket facilities.

Lord’s Cricket Ground and leading independent schools have already chosen NottsGrass Ultra for their cricket facilities, with many more schools and clubs contacting the Notts Sport cricket design specialists to discuss how Notts Sport can provide their club or school with state-of-theart cricket technology.

Notts Sports

eibe’s Shakespeare plays with a difference

No Macbeth, no Hamlet, but plenty of Midsummer Night Dreams at the delightful Shakespeare Infants in Hampshire this year, as the school upgraded its playground, courtesy of eibe Play. With a broad based curriculum, the Eastleigh school focusses on six key learning values: thinking, independence, creativity, spirituality, collaboration and emotional intelligence.

Each one is represented with a puppet which helps the

children to develop those learning values throughout their junior school journey.

With the right play provision essential to their integral ethos, eibe worked with Head Teacher, Jane Skinner, to install some new equipment, maximising the space and featuring some fabulous wooden equipment, all upgrades from our the original scheme in 2001. Key products include new Balance Beam, Dinghy Play Boat, replacement eibini bench slats and a Mayan Chair.

At a cost of just £4,000 the refurbish will certainly prove a wise investment for Shakespeare School, with products that are built to last and come with longlife warranties.

Thankfully, despite a few issues with the hard ground due to the extremely hot summer, we managed to avoid a potential Comedy of Errors; in fact in the end, it was Much Ado about Nothing.

eibe

RoSPA

SALTEX a success for Ransomes

SALTEX 2018 was another success for Ransomes, the Ipswich-based manufacturer of turf maintenance equipment.

The Ransomes stand had good footfall on the opening day of the show which continued well into the second day.

The main attraction on was the new Ransomes HM600; a batwing flail mower built in collaboration with Müthing. Other notable machinery on stand was the popular MP Series and the new-look Cushman 1600XDR-2, as well as a range of turf equipment from Turfco and Smithco.

Ransomes sponsored the SALTEX College Cup for a third successive time. The competition, introduced by the IOG, is a national studentled sports-turf challenge that took place on the first day of SALTEX.

The competition was an academic test of turf management knowledge for student competitors who were enrolled at colleges throughout the U.K. on relevant courses of study. The winners of the competition were Bridgwater & Taunton College

based in Somerset, who ended CAFRE College’s two-year SALTEX College Cup reign.

The winning team have been offered the prize of helping to prepare the Wimbledon courts before the Wimbledon Championships in July 2019.

Commenting on SALTEX 2019, Karen Proctor, Director of Global Marketing at Ransomes, said: “It was another successful show for us. It’s always a fantastic opportunity to network, meet current and potential customers, and to showcase our latest machinery to the industry. We had lots of good leads as a result of attending SALTEX 2018 including many demonstration requests for the new HM600, which was great to see.

“We are proud to have sponsored the SALTEX College Cup again this year; congratulations to Bridgwater & Taunton College who were deserved winners. We remain committed to investing in educational and professional development to support the future of the turf industry. A big thumbs up to the IOG for another successful SALTEX.”

Successful showcase from PSD Groundscare

PSD Groundscare, the leading distributor of professional groundscare machinery had a great few days exhibiting at SALTEX 2018.

Specialists in supplying high quality and high performing equipment for use in groundscare and forestry management, PSD showcased a number of exciting new and existing innovative machines from market leading manufacturers AS Motor, Eliet, Koppl and TS Industrie.

TS Industrie, leaders in green waste shredding technology previewed the future with

the Puma remote control tracked shredder offering more efficiency, in green waste shredding.

Also showcasing was the New Turfaway 600 turf cutter from Eliet. For major lawn renovationthatrequirescomplete reconstruction, it is essential to remove old turf.

The AS Motor AS1040 YAK ride-on flail mower which was shown for the fi rst time at SALTEX.

PSD Groundscare

ISEKI UK make its show debut

Hayter and Toro enjoy continued success

Hayter, makers of high-quality mowers, and Toro, a global leader in turf and landscape maintenance equipment, saw another hugely successful year at SALTEX 2018.

ISEKI UK & Ireland exhibited for the first time at SALTEX 2018 and displayed the established range of ISEKI compact tractors and ride-on professional mowers.

On the stand were the ISEKI SF450, a class leading out-front mower with a 1300 litre capacity collector, which can tip at a height of 2.1 m. Also the SXG 326 mower was displayed, an

example from the extensive SXG range of mid-mount mowers.

The range topping ISEKI TG6675 Power Shuttle featured alongside the compact but powerful ISEKI TM3267, complete with midmounted deck and front-end loader, a truly versatile machine for sports turf and amenity use.

ISEKI UK

Following a fantastic response at the Show in 2017, the popular lawn care brands have returned to SALTEX to showcase new and exciting products for 2019, including the Toro Grandstand stand-on mower and the Harrier 48 and 56 Pro models by Hayter. Revealed to the public for the very first time were Hayter’s

new Harrier 48 and 56 Pro –both welcome additions to the Harrier rear-roller mower range, renowned for its turf striping. The new designs also feature an all-new cast aluminium cutter deck and the innovative CrankSafe Blade Brake Clutch (BBC) system, which combines the ease of use of a BBC and the proven reassurance of the Friction Disc system, providing the customer with a lifetime warranty against crankshaft bending through impact.

Ransomes

Hayter

Allett building on experience

Allett Mowers launched the new Uplift 86 stadium rotary mower at SALTEX 2018.

The new mower is built on the experience of the previous model, coupled with the feedback of groundsmen. This is an altogether solidly built, tougher machine with its stainless steel fabricated cutter deck and three piece, full width, steel roller.

Allett has created an 86cm/34” solid and dependable stadium rotary mower in the Uplift 86. Twin, 18” contra rotating blades produce a high lift cut and vacuum for increased efficiency, making it the ideal mower for debris collection after matches. The 90 litre grass bag capacity means fewer trips to empty cuttings.

As you would expect with Allett, the rear roller produces the most perfect stripes. The cutting height is micro adjustable between 1.5 and 7.5cm (0.5in – 2.3in) and among the new features is an HOC front locking kit and lower handle stiffening.

The Uplift 86 features a five speed heavy-duty gearbox, with cast aluminium housing and steel gears, which allows the operator

to select a comfortable forward speed with greater control in small, intricate areas.

Allett also powered into the new age of electric mowers with the C34 Evolution, large area, walk behind cylinder mower.

The latest Lithium Ion system battery technology in the C34 Evolution drives the future of mowing systems for sports stadiums, training grounds and prestige lawns, without compromise and with all the attributes of the Allett heritage.

The battery system will power the 86cm mower, without a reducing performance, for over six thousand square metres (1.5 acres) per charge and changing batteries takes less than thirty seconds. While the battery drive and chassis design are brand new, the C34 Evolution is fully compatible with Allett’s turf maintenance system.

There’s plenty of power to drive interchangeable cartridges to scarify, rake, aerate, brush and verti-cut and it takes less than one hour to recharge batteries.

Mowers Enquiry 70

One award presented, and one received, for Cub Cadet

A duo of awards topped off a fantastic week for the Cub Cadet team at IOG SALTEX 2018, one given and one received.

The annual IOG Awards Event, which saw Devonshire Park Grounds Team proudly collect the ‘INFINICUT Tennis Grounds Team of the Year’, was followed by the announcement that the company’s exhibition stand had been crowned ‘Best in Category’. During the evening, recognising outstanding achievements

throughout the industry, it was down to MTD Specialty Turf Products Managing Director John Coleman to present the accolade to Danny Negus and his team. On arrival at the show the following morning John was delighted to find a certificate of his own, the ‘Best Stand in Category’ for open space 60m2 plus. One of eight designed and built by agency PAN Publicity, a pleased John said: “SALTEX turned out to be a fantastic show with attendees from across the

industry coming to talk to us. This year we moved to a new, larger position at the front of the halls so we wanted a stand that would really make a statement.

“Our agency, PAN, came up with the design and we couldn’t be happier with how it worked for us. Getting the recognition for our efforts capped off a hugely successful week.”

Cub Cadet

Machinery Imports brands celebrate another successful year

The team from T H WHITE Machinery Imports were delighted to support the IOG and attend the 2018 SALTEX event again, held at the Birmingham NEC.

With an open space stand of 175m2 visitors to the stand were able to see a range of machinery from the Ferris, Wright, Spider and Jensen brands all in one place, with a large team on hand to answer any questions and talk to visitors about the machinery on display in detail. Taking centre-stage on the stand was a large suspension demonstration unit from Ferris. Featuring a Ferris IS®2100Z on top, the suspension unit was able to show visitors exactly how the patented Ferris IS suspension technology works on uneven terrain, with staff able to explain in more detail the benefits of the suspension on comfort, productivity, safety and machine longevity.

Launching at SALTEX was the new Ferris ISX®800Z, a 27hp petrol engine zero-turn mower with 52” rear-discharge deck, which garnered much interest

throughout the show. The real innovations in the ISX®800Z were clear for all to see, introducing a new-to-the-industry double wishbone suspension system for an even smoother ride, as well as double belt drive system under the deck for extreme reliability and extended belt life.

Also launched at the event was the new prototype X Line from Spider, their smallest commercial mower to date at just 1m3 with an integrated winch enabling mowing on slopes and dangerous terrain up to 55°.

Displayed on an angled stand, visitors were able to see the X Line in detail and up close, before it officially enters the market in the UK from Spring 2019 onwards. Other models on display included the ever-popular Spider ILD01 and low-profile 2SGS, designed for mowing under and around solar panels.

From Jensen, the original woodchipper brand established in Germany in 1884, visitors were presented with a selection of 3 popular chippers from the range including the A530

petrol towed machine, which at just 750kg can be towed with a standard, full UK driving licence.

The A530L Diesel model was also highly popular at the show, alongside the exciting A530XL tracked chipper, which with a 150mm capacity and powerful 37hp diesel engine can make light work of timber and brash, clearing up to 15m3 per hour.

The Jensen tracked system which can come either as fixed, adjustable or independently

adjustable ‘Spider’ tracks, offers unrivalled stability and access for those harder-to-reach spaces such as slopes, embankments, uneven or unstable terrain.

Finally, visitors were welcomed to by representatives from the Wright team, who flew over from the USA specially, to see a range of Wright stander mowers including the Sport I and Stander I.

T H White

Allet

Raft of new products unveiled by Rigby Taylor

Rigby Taylor launched a host of products, including two cost-saving new line markers that utilise GPS technology, an innovative grass seed mixture that produces unrivalled rates of carbon sequestration and an exciting development in spot weed control using electricity.

As well as the new Tiny Line Marker, on show for the first time was the Armaline GPS ride-on line marking system for multiple, high-speed pitchprecision line marking. Designed for connection to and controlled by a customised John Deere Gator 855D XUV utility vehicle with auto-powered steering, the unit delivers precise initial and over-marking of lines for a wide range of sports pitches.

The set-up is quick and easy with the iPAD Pro App. From pre-loaded line marking plans, the GPS steering provides the most accurate way to initial and over-mark multiple surfaces with Impact paint. Programmes are available for football, rugby union and league, athletics

running tracks and more. With variable speed that is operatorcontrolled, line marking can be undertaken at 10km per hour or more, for example.Supplied as part of the package, the Gator has a road homologation kit and can be deployed as a conventional utility vehicle for a wide range of grounds maintenance tasks.

SALTEX was also the launch pad for Rigby Taylor and its seed-breeding partner Top Green to follow up on their successful development and introduction of tetraploid grass seed technology with a range of Carbon4Grass (C4G) mixtures that exhibit unmatched rates of carbon sequestration.

The launch follows a study that revealed significant differences between grass species and cultivars in their capacity to store and sequester (lock-up) carbon within the leaves, roots and soil profile. The differences in the proficiency of individual cultivars to sequester carbon proved significant and, as result, led to the creation of the new mixtures.

Rigby Taylor’s C4G mixtures combine increased levels of carbon sequestration potential with desirable amenity characteristics for a range of sports and landscape situations. For example, low maintenance, slower growing cultivars with higher carbon ‘scores’ have been identified to help reduce the impact of tasks such as mowing, which contributes to the carbon footprint.

Rigby Taylor’s weed control expertise also took a new turn at the exhibition with the showcasing of the RootWave Pro system for the spot control of weeds using electricity to ‘boil’ the weeds inside out from the

root upwards. Generating heat directly within the weed ensures than no energy is wasted and that treatment of the complete plant, including the roots, is controlled. Using electricity to boil the water in the plant cells means that the heat is generated internally and is therefore much more energyefficient than using hot water, steam or foam.

The RootWave Pro system includes control unit, transfer/ earth cables plus lance and electrodes, and its is powered from a standard 8.75kva generator. A single tank of fuel can run the system for a day.

Rigby Taylor

SKARPER ESTATE PRO chippers launched

Two new models from SKARPER have been unveiled at SALTEX 2018 - the T90 ESTATE PRO and T120 ESTATE PRO.

The first thing you notice are the flotation turf tyres, these won’t sink on soft ground so you can take them off road during the winter months, the adjustable tow bar means that you can put them behind a quad

bike, Tractor or 4 x4 and maintain the perfect working angle.

Jim Upson, of SKARPER UK, explained how reliability has become a key feature of the chippers: “If we get it right first time, our customers can get on with the work they need to get done - efficiency is key to modern business and especially

to landscaping professionals as they have limited time in the chipping season due to shorter days and inclement weather. Our goal is to provide the best chippers on the market at competitivepricesforLandscape and Arb professionals.”

Aquatrols solutions on display

Aquatrols is the world leader in the development of cutting-edge soil surfactants and other specialty technologies that maximise the use of water and inputs in the sports turf, agricultural and horticultural markets.

With the introduction of the world’s first commercially available soil wetting agent in 1954, Aquatrols created an entirely new product category to address the world’s water problem.

In the 60 years following, they have continued to lead, developing innovative technologies to address inefficiencies in the growing environment and maximise grower inputs.

This year at SALTEX, Aquatrols showcased solutions for all soil types including sand based rootzones using Aquavita Technology, along with proven water management tools;

Zipline, Primer Select and Dispatch Sprayable and bio-nutritional product; Attain which aids soil health. Aquatrols

Upson Mowers

Cutting through maintenance choices

Local authority budget cuts and changes to environmental schemes can lead to stout growth making tough work for hedge and verge cutting machinery, but specialist manufacturers offer heavy duty equipment to cope with the most demanding workloads.

The Major offset/inline verge mower is designed for heavy duty use. Suitable for mulching grass, clearing crop residue, prunings and hedges, the pivoting headstock delivers precision cutting, from +96deg to -45deg either fully offset or inline behind a Category 2 tractor.

The offset mower benefits from Major’s patented blade system where blades retract upwards to prevent damage to the gearboxes and driveline in the event of hitting an obstacle. The roller system follows the most undulating ground to give an even finish every time. The Major offset mower is available in 1.4m and 2m working widths.

Shelbourne Reynolds has added the new HC1600 flail head for its HD700 and HD800 hedge trimmers, designed to meet the need for a single-rotor unit to produce a neat one-pass finish

on three-year growth which will last longer and produce a better mulch of cut material than a twin rotor machine. Fitted via a quick-guide hitch system, it can be specified on new machines or retro-fitted to existing ones.

With a 1.6m cutting width, the centrally-mounted HC1600 incorporates a new 150mm diameter double-ended rotor tube, driven by a larger diameter motor pulley shaft with end greaser. The tube is 25 per cent bigger than that on standard Shelbourne heads, and provides 65 per cent better yield strength. Mounted on 60mm bearings and with external grease points, it provides a faster tip speed for the 30 ‘T’ or competition dropforged flails, which work in conjunction with a shear bar. The rotor is protected by a 3mm steel hood with extra internal gussets

and double-skinned nose which can be hydraulically opened/ closed, with rams incorporated into the side panels for protection.

“The hydraulic front nose option is one we think will be particularly popular,” suggests Mr Smith.

“It enables users dealing with three-year growth to open the front of the head and allow more material to enter for processing in one pass, and then close it when working on lighter growth.”

The HC1600 head will initially be available as an option on HD800 series machines in lieu of the standard 1.2m head.

New technology

Bomford’s latest variable forward reach arm, the Buzzard Telescopic VFA has a reach of 7.25–8.0m but can also operate at much closer working parameters, giving the opportunity to cut close in to the tractor.

With a 125 litre per minute cutting system producing 74hp at the cutting head, the Buzzard Telescopic VFA offers a choice of drive systems used on the Buzzard range, and can run a variety of cutting attachments, in addition to the standard 1200 Pro Cut cutting head, such as 1.52m flail heads, rotary heads and saws.

The advantage of the Tele VFA arm system is the ability to cut alongside the tractor cab, improving the driver’s view of the head through the side window. This eases the strain on the operator when being used for prolonged periods of time, says Bomford. The arm can travel up to 2.1m forward, and rearwards of 1.1m, allowing the cutting head to be placed behind the rear tractor wheel for use in confined areas.

Control of choice is the ICS fully proportional box for maximum operator comfort, and accessories such as warning arrows and debris blowers can be specified. Standard features include Parallel linkage, oil cooler, arm float and head float, cutting head transport bracket, hydraulic breakout and LED road lighting.

New from Ryetec for the 2019 season are the Mini Multi-Use offset verge and bank mowers. A development of the MultiUse mower for larger tractors, the Mini Multi-Use range offers a similarly robust mower but designed to suit compact tractors.

“With this type of machine where the heaviest part, the mowing head, can be used completely offset it is important to match it to the tractor’s lift capacity and wheelbase to ensure stabilitythe Mini Multi-Use is available in a light and heavy duty version and in three cutting widths. This gives a range of weights from 260 to 390kg to suit compact tractors from 20 to 45hp and above, with cutting widths of 1.2, 1.4 and 1.6m,” explains Ryetec’s Mark Harrison.

The Mini Multi-use can mow directly behind the tractor, or hydraulic offset of 130cm can move the head to a fully offset

position, so the tractor does not drive on the grass to be cut, ideal for verges, woodland rides and overgrown areas where it is not always possible to see obstructions hidden in the undergrowth. The mowing head can also pivot with a floating hydraulic ram, allowing mowing to 50deg down a bank or ditch side or lifting to +90deg to trim hedgerows and bushes.

Designated MUML (Light) and MUMH (Heavy duty) the main difference is the flails, MUML machines operated with Ryetec’s light weight delta cast hammer flail which offers a cutting capacity up to 25mm and a fine finish. A hammer flail which can cut woody material up to 50mm in diameter is used on the MUMH; both machines feature a full width height adjustable rear roller and ejection of the cut grass over the rear roller for an even spread of cuttings.

Also now available across the full range of Ryetec’s compact

side arm flails is a new electronic joystick single lever control system. The Ergo stick system offers a single lever operation in a compact unit designed to offer a comfortable and easy to use control which can be finetuned to suit personal taste. The Ergo stick’s top is hand-shaped with a roller switch for head angle control from the operator’s thumb and simple movement of the hand for second arm and main boom operation.

Specialist options

Maintenance work in difficult locations, with restricted access or health and safety issues such as steep slopes or traffic require amenity managers to think outside the box. Pedestrian, remote control or tool carrier mounted flails all have their strengths when the going gets tough.

There’s a diverse range of hedge and verge maintenance available to tackle a variety of vegetation, so look at the task in hand and consider all the options suggests Jane Carley.

The Ventrac 4500 compact tractor has numerous attachments

Shelbourne Reynolds

Major

Blaney

Rytec

that can tackle inclines of up to 30 degrees, suitable for hedge and verge work.

The recently introduced Boom Mower is the perfect tool for cutting back hedges, shrubs and small trees, says importer Price Groundcare. The reciprocating cutting head, with a reach in excess of 2.74 metres, features a double action 91.4 cm sickle bar with an auto-levelling system, which keeps the head at the desired angle of cut for consistent operation. Its out-front mounting system improves visibility for the operator.

Its cutting head can also be operated in a vertical position and has the capacity to trim light woody material so it can be used for hedges, roadside verges and footpaths.

The Ventrac 4500 and ToughCut deck allows large areas such as roadside verges to be mown quickly and efficiently. It can be adjusted to three cutting heights from 76-108 mm.

For angled verges, such as motorways and reservoir embankments, STM has two main machine configurations to offer.

The pedestrian SCAG SWZ machine is available with a twin rear wheel set-up on the driving wheels, giving increased grip, wider footprint and effectively a lowered centre of gravity. This is an established and popular approach to such conditions, with many units sold per year for use by councils, estate management providers and hire companies.

SWZ pedestrian mowers are available with 90, 120 and 130cm rotary cutting decks, and the twin wheel attachment is an optional extra, as is also flail cutting at 76, 90, and 120cm widths.

The RoboFlail remote control mower is an alternative approach from STM – especially for steeper verges and health and safety sensitive areas. The unit can be operated from 300m distance, and the twin-track configuration allows for tight turning in between cutting operations. RoboFlail machines come in diesel and petrol formats with 120cm rotary or flail cutting head options.

McConnel’s Robocut range includes two new models, the RC56 and RC75 with more power, new features and control system for greater output, safety and control.

Engines from Hatz GmbH deliver 56hp and 75hp, and have been developed specifically for working on gradients of 55 degrees. Fuel efficiency has also increased by 20%, coupled with 100% increase in fuel capacity enabling up to eight hours of operation between refills.

A new common chassis design provides a lower centre of gravity and 50/50 weight distribution for maximum stability and control in challenging terrain. Fully integrated, dual roll-over protection bars, quick access lifting points and dedicated accessory mounting points also come as standard.

New features include a programmable attachment floatation system, StaySafe flailhead hood control for highway mowing, digital display for customisation of machine settings and keyless start technology for improved safety. Daytime running lights aid visual orientation at a distance, and Robocut also features high intensity LED work lights and four integrated LED strobe lights with pre-set ECE compliant sequences.

The new remote control unit features a high visibility digital display including machine engine RPM, engine temperature and signal strength.

Robocut’s new Robo-Ready battery dock simultaneously stores and charges one of the two remote control battery packs for a quick and convenient change over in field

Fully enclosed body panels protect the power unit from damage when working in harsh environments whilst also keeping out grass and debris; gull-wing style side panels provide quick and easy access to the engine bay.

For the first time GPS Autosteer will be available, developed in conjunction with Trimble, enabling operators to control cutting to an accuracy of 25mm from up to 150 metres away, eliminating wasteful overlaps with each pass.

The new power plants enable wider 1.6m and 1.9m flailheads to be fitted and the 1.3m grass, forestry and mulcher heads remain available.

Specialist bank tractor manufacturer Reform Werke has launched the Metron P48 RC, described as the first radiocontrolled equipment carrier with true hybrid drive.

Simon Richard, UK Sales Agent for the Reform range says: “Metron’s concept is based on a 48hp Kubota petrol engine powering a generator which supplies energy to the battery pack and the electric wheel motors. The generator also has a direct drive to mechanical front PTO shaft, allowing Metron to operate all attachments mechanically.”

Control is via a radio hand-set with integrated colour display and a working range up to 400 metres.

The hybrid drive also allows the Metron P48 RC to operate purely electrically. If more power is required, the petrol engine can be switched on quickly and easily.

Permanent all-wheel drive to four same size wheels, low centre of gravity and five different steering modes combine to give optimum slope capability.

Metron’s compact dimensions and 1000kg weight make it is easy to transport and operate in tight conditions.

Kilworth Machinery offers the Procomas range of flail arms, which director Mark Parnham says are a good match with the BCS Valiant tractors for specialist vegetation management.

“The BS82 side arm flail hedge cutter fitted to a Valiant V650 Reversible tractor is very

useful for sites with restricted access. The BS82 swings from left to right hydraulically and can be used in either direction, so is ideal for fitting to a reverse drive tractor. Used in this way the operator has full sight of the flail head in front of him or her. It’s also handy when working canal towpaths as the flail can be swung over the water when passing under the low bridges.”

The BS82 is suitable for grass and hedge cutting on banks and verges and for general estate maintenance.

Designed for tractors up to 60hp, rotor speed is 3000rpm

and control is via a bank of four levers or electronic switch box. Weighing in at 535kg, the mower has a reach of 4.3m, and is fitted with an 80cm flail head as standard; optional 1.0m flails or 1.2m cutterbars can be specified.

Choice of suppliers

A number of lesser known companies offer extensive ranges of hedge and verge maintenance machinery, which can offer good value, especially for compact or simpler machines. Many of these manufacturers produce extensive ranges of farm equipment, so will have established dealer networks with the peace of mind offered by comprehensive parts and service back up.

McConnel

Kilworth

Renowned for their strength and reliability, the Maschio range of flail mowers can take on most jobs, with their large hammer flails being robust enough to mulch up pretty much anything the verge has to offer.

Offering one of the largest ranges on the UK market, there is a model to suit just about every application with working widths ranging from 1m to 6.2m, says importer Opico.

The flail mowers have the capacity and ability to create a fine residue at a fast rate whether they are cutting long grass or twigs and branches, increasing the speed that residues are broken down and mulched, whilst also enabling a large amount of ground to be covered in a working day.

This is vital for contractors such as Northamptonshire-based Darsdale Contracts Ltd, who added a Maschio Bufalo 280 flail mower to their armoury in September 2017.

Managing Director Adrian Riley explains: “We needed a robust machine that could easily handle 60-70mm thick scrub routinely, to help us clearing fence lines overgrown with briars and hedgerows. The Buffalo is a well-built flail, that is heavy enough to handle whatever we throw at it and it is an integral part of our work on a weekly basis. We needed the flail for hard-core work and the Buffalo handles it well, without getting damaged which is vital to keep our fast-moving contracting work in operation.”

Models in the range include rear mounted machines, front and rear mounted and left and right offset mowers. There are also a host of features incorporated into every model to make use and maintenance, easy and safe.

The front or rear mounted Bufalo and left or right offset Giraffa and the larger Giraffona are particularly designed for amenity use cutting verges and hedges and for ditch mowing.

The Bufalo extra heavy duty front/rear flail mower is available in 2.5m, 2.8m and 3.1m working widths and is suitable for tractors up to 200hp.

Available as a left or right hand build offset machine, the Giraffa is a medium duty rear flail available

in 1.6m, 1.85m and 2.1m working widths and suitable for 40-100hp tractors. It can work from inline behind tractor to fully offset to the side and can be angled down for ditches (65°) and up to vertically (90°) for hedge sides.

The extra heavy duty Giraffona is available in 2.1m, 2.3m and 2.6m working widths and is suitable for 120–200hp tractors. Of similar design to the Giraffa, it has a double skin body and patented long life bearings.

Flexibility is key Kuhn Farm Machinery offers a range of hedge and verge maintenance machinery, starting with the Agri-longer with 4.3 and 4.8m reach with 1.2m flail head, suitable for tractors of 70hp. There’s a choice of cable or electronic joystick control.

Offering greater reach of 5m and suitable for tractors of 80hp, the Pro-Longer has electronic four function joystick control as standard.

Using Kuhn’s Optiview parallelogram pivot-mounted arm for extended vertical and horizontal reach and increased arm rigidity, the Multi-Longer GII has a reach of 5.7m and matches 90hp tractors.

Top of the range Pro-Longer GII also uses the Optiview arm and has a more powerful cutting head, with a tractor requirement of 100hp.

The company also offers the Spring-Longer and TBE/TBES ranges of offset arm verge shredders which can be front or rear mounted, with a choice of tools from spoon flails to articulated hammer flails.

BPR horizontal axis shredders can also be front or rear mounted and are from 2.10 to 3.05m working width.

A relatively recent addition to the ranks of hedge and verge maintenance suppliers, Weaving Machinery offers several ranges.

Agrimaster in-line machines have a special cutting action which throws material over the top of the roller, keeping the cutting rotor clean and leaving a neater cut.

The Agrimaster XL is designed for trimming roadside verges, ditches and embankments suitable for tractors from 2030hp. With right hand operation the XL can be used behind the tractor or hydraulically offset to operate outside the tractor rear wheel. The cutting head can be angled from vertical for siding hedges to 45deg downwards into ditches at the touch of a lever. A hydraulic safety breakback system prevents collision damage. Working widths are 1.3-1.8m.

Suitable for general use on a 60100hp tractor with Cat II linkage, the Agrimaster KL270 takes the place of a 3m topper. It features a fixed counter knife, paddle flails and a rear roller and has a working width of 2.7m.

To tackle hedges, the Agrimaster Giraffe using a reciprocating blade which drops trimmings to the floor rather than throwing them, making it ideal for use in parks, schools and public areas. Only a small compact tractor is required which gives access to confined spaces and it gives a clean, tidy cut and finish, says Weaving Machinery. With a cutter bar length of 1.2m, maximum sideways reach of 3.3m and a maximum cutting height of 4.6m, specification includes cable control, right hand cut, oil flow control and safety bracket.

Suitable for tractors from 25–50hp operating in large gardens and public areas such as parks,

Case study

Mower shows Synergy with council

With over two million square metres of grass verge in Crawley Borough Council in West Sussex County, it’s important for West Patch Team Leader Karl Garnham and his team to have tools that are efficient, reliable and deliver results. “Grasscutting is a large-scale operation –all verges are cut from midMarch to early November according to a set schedule,” Karl says.

Pressure to control costs means grounds care staff look for ways to increase machine utilisation.

The Major Synergy rotary mower fits the bill, designed for use with outfront ride-on mowers in 1.75m and 2m widths, it has a three-rotor cutting deck and is said to be deal for sports grounds, roadsides, schools, parks and other fine turf applications.

“We use four Synergy decks cutting on average 40-acres of grass,” continues Karl. “They’re very versatile – we use them around the housing estates and then mow the cricket fields on the same machine.”

“The roller on the rear gives a nice striped effect. We have had very positive feedback from residents about that”

the Agrimaster Compact comes with sturdy cable controls, parallel arm linkage and head float. It is available in versions from 3.2m reach with 80cm head to 5m reach with 1.2m head.

Fellow newcomer Blaney Agri now offers a range hedgecutters, from the Compact trimmer to a telescopic Contractor machine with 6.5m reach. For those who have special requirements and want a different combination of features, Blaney can tailor machines for a custom build.

The Blaney Compact hedge cutter is equipped with a cutterbar trimmer, featuring a low friction, self-lubricating design designed to be easy to drive, reducing wear and associated maintenance costs. It is ideal for smaller or compact tractors for lighter hedgecutting tasks where a flail head is not required, and can be operated by older tractors with limited oil flow, says the company.

There is a choice of control options for the Agri, Agri Pro and Contractor Series, including ‘Soft Touch’ proportional controls developed in response to customer demand and designed to be more responsive to improve finish and user comfort.

As well as manufacturing hedgecutters, Blaney has developed an excavator cutting head designed for optimum manoeuvrability to allow for cutting in closer proximity to the hedge. Blaney can manufacture these cutting heads to suit any make/model of digger; they are equipped with a special hydraulic ‘Powerbox’ that ensures the rotor is running at the right speed and protects the head hydraulic motor from any imbalances in the system.

“The biggest advantage is the Synergy’s mulching blade system - we find it altogether a better cut than a flail,” Karl comments. “We’ve hit drain covers and rather than shearing the blade, it’ll spin back on itself, re-right itself, and commence cutting again.” With fewer wearing parts – about half those of a typical flail mower – the Synergy’s unique driveline keeps maintenance costs low.

Produced from Strenx 700 high-strength steel which is stronger yet lighter than steel traditionally used in machinery manufacturing, the reduced weight of the Synergy mower decreases power and fuel consumption without diminishing durability.

“The Synergy is easy to use and it’s easily manoeuvrable. It’s safe, too. Overall the deck’s proved to be a really useful bit of kit,” Karl says.

Cutting hedge technology from STIGA

STIGA has been one of the UK’s leading lawnmower and gardening tool manufacturers for over 50 years and they recognise the importance of maintaining a neat garden hedge at this time of year.

There are now three cordless hedge trimmers in the Stiga range, which offer a quiet, lightweight modern option.

Depending on the size of your garden and the task in hand you can choose from a hedge trimmer in the 24V, 48V or 80V battery range, powered by high performance Lithium-Ion batteries with long lifespans. Easy to use and low maintenance, get all the benefits of a battery without compromising on performance.

And for those desiring a more ‘petrol head’ hedge trimming experience Stiga have two superb powerful petrol options to choose from, lightweight, powerful and easy to start.

The SHT 24 AE Hedge Trimmer , SHT 80 AE 80 Volt Hedge

Trimmer and SHT 48 AE Hedge Trimmer within the STIGA

battery range are the perfect match for any untidy hedge in your garden. These lightweight handheld tools offer total freedom of movement with no power cords to get in the way.

The perfect choices for professionals or those who simply want a professional finish to their hedge include the lightweight, powerful and ergonomic SHP 60 Hedge Trimmer which is powered by a reliable, easy to start 24.5cc 2-stroke engine. This trimmer is designed to provide excellent cutting performance and is perfectforgardenhedges,shrubs and general untidy growth.

The SHT660K Hedge Trimmer is powered by a lightweight, reliable and easy to start Kawasaki22.5cc2strokeengine.

The 60cm double reciprocating blades will make light work of cutting growth up to 28mm in diameter. A comfortable working position can be easily selected with the twist-grip 3 position rear handle.

The ride-on brushcutter with remote control functionality

Mowing on steep verges and difficult terrain has always been a challenge for the machine operator and the AS 940 and AS 940 XL ride on brushcutter, available from PSD Groundscare, have been especially developed

for this demanding application. With ride-on brushcutters, steep slopes can be mown conveniently and economically. However, there are always areas where mowing is very unpleasant or unsafe for the operator, including

steep terrain, roadsides, loose substrate, mowing under trees and bushes, along hedges and even areas around wasp nests. AS Motor have the solutionthe AS 940 Remote Control which offers all the benefits of

the standard AS 940 but with the option to convert to remote control with a 300m range when required.

PSD Groundscare

STIGA

Honda leads the rural crime revolt with allterrain tracking

Honda has partnered with security specialist Datatool to tackle the rising issue of rural crime.

The industry-first campaign will see all new Honda ATV and Pioneer utility machines purchased after 1st November 2018 fitted with state-of-the-art tracking equipment free-ofcharge.

Customers will have the option of adding on Datatool’s TQA-approved TrakKING Adventure package, which uses GPS chip set technology to offer theft protection, instant notifi cations and full journey history logging. The only cost to the customer is a nominal monitoring subscription of £9.95 per month or £109 for a year (incl VAT).

A key safety feature in the Datatool package is the ‘G Sense’ impact alert notifications, which use a highly-sensitive 3D accelerometer to detect rollovers or high g-force impacts and alert an emergency contact via SMS –ideal for those working by themselves in remote locations.

The system also includes location-based alerts, which automatically send a notification

when the vehicle leaves a specified area.

To celebrate the partnership, Honda is offering Pioneer customers a half-cab for just £999 (excluding VAT) outrighta saving of up to £880 - until the end of March 2019. Comprising a hard roof, glass windshield, hard rear panel and windshield wiper/washer kit, the option adds additional comfort and usability to Honda’s versatile utility vehicle.

Honda has also launched a selection of competitive finance offers for its class-leading ATV and Pioneer utility vehicle ranges. This initiative aims to make purchasing a new machine easier and more convenient than ever before. For example, the Pioneer is available through dealers nationwide at 0 per cent APR Representative HP from 1 November 2018.

With a minimum 20 per cent deposit, this initiative spreads the purchase cost into manageable monthly payments over two years, with a final balloon payment at the end.

Simon Richard ground care range attracts attention

A recent joint A-Plant and Land & Water event to showcase products available to the Environment Agency was used by Simon Richard Ltd, along with Loxston Groundcare to demonstrate the value of the Reform bank tractor, Muthing flail and Woods Equipment ranges.

The Metron’s concept is based on a 48hp Kubota petrol engine powering a generator which supplies energy to the battery pack and the electric wheel motors. Metron can also have other power sources such as Hydrogen cell, when available. The generator has a direct drive which drives the

mechanical front PTO shaft, allowing Metron to operate all attachments mechanically. Control at up to 400 metres range is via a powerful, ergonomic radio hand-set with integrated colour display.

Simon Richard

Holiday park makes the switch to TYM

Despite being loyal to another machinery brand for the past 18 years, Smytham Holiday Park in Devon, has made the switch to TYM and purchased a new T353 tractor, to ensure they have the best machine for the large park’s needs.

A demo of the T353 was organised by Devon Garden Machinery (DGM for the familyrun park.

“We were able to organise a free, onsite demonstration within a week of first discussing the T353, as TYM’s distributor Reesink Turfcare delivered really quickly,” comments DGM sales dealer, Robert Read.

“Tony was impressed by the tractor as soon as he saw it, it’s a great size for the holiday park environment.”

The T353 is already being put to good use. Along with keeping the park in top order, the tractor has been used to move a 12-footwide caravan, weighing five tonnes, offsite.

With a high base specification, the T353 is suitable for a wide range of tasks such as transportation, ground preparation and seeding and mowing, it’s clear to see why the compact utility tractor is nicknamed a ‘multi-tasking marvel’.

The easy-to-use controls allow effortless switching from task to task, while an excellent turning radius and powerful rear lift capacity of 1200kg, makes the tractor more than capable of small and large jobs.

Considering all that, it’s no wonder the T353 was found to be the best option for Smytham Holiday Park.

TYM

New Toro ProCore 648 headlines stand at skills show

The Playing Field Maintenance Sports division of States of Jersey has been so impressed with its new Toro ProCore 648 aerator that it made the machine the star of its stand at the Jersey Skills Show at Fort Regent in October.

The division was attending the show to encourage a career in sports turf maintenance, says Steve Landick, playing fields manager of the division for States of Jersey.

And what better way to visually represent the work the division does at the show than the ProCore: “We work closely with sports organisations, clubs

and schools to grow sport in Jersey and we’re working on developing an integrated system that supports grassroots sports and its development to provide a pathway for performance athletes to go on and represent us in events such as the Island Games and the Commonwealth Games. Having a talented sports turf maintenance team is essential in achieving that.”

The ProCore 648 is widely considered to be one of the most important tools there is when it comes to aeration, with many Premiership football clubs happy to use the machine just ahead of a game, the finish is so good. There’s little heave, and it can

be depended upon to deliver all year-round aeration.

Steve, who attended the show with the division’s current apprentice Peter Ahier, says: “The ProCore is a new addition to our fleet of machines and has debuted on the Island’s cricket squares and bowling greens. The whole division has been very pleased with the way it has performed, it’s a great purchase.”

They say a picture is worth a thousand words and seeing is believing so to have the ProCore on stand will have helped bring to life Steve and Peter’s chat about what a career as a groundsman is like, showing those visiting

the show the type of quality machinery they’ll be in charge of as they potentially strive to keep the island’s sporting surfaces in the best possible condition.

Reesink Turface

Honda

Urban meadow flower success leads to enlarged displays

The “fantastic” success of Hever Castle’s use of Rigby Taylor’s Euroflor urban meadow flower seed mixes has spurred the Kent-based stately home to not only increase the number of areas that will be planted next year and existing plots enlarged, but it has also led to additional, similar projects off-site and the potential launch of a retail scheme which could see the flower seeds being offered to visitors.

Sitting on an estate covering over 400 acres, including an adjoining golf course, the project initiated by Hever Castle Golf Club head greenkeeper Rob Peers to “encourage visitors to both the golf course and the estate to fully enjoy and be immersed by and engaged with the complete site” has, he says, “been an overwhelming success”.

After carefully choosing a number of strategic areas for meadow flower seeding, some by the golf course and others between the course and the estate, a variety of Euroflor mixes (from Top Green, the largest seed producer in Europe) were selected; mixes identified as ‘best fit’ options in terms of colour and height, as well as in texture and form.

The chosen mixes were: Flora Britannica – 26 species including Black Medick, Viper’s Bugloss and Red Clover; Rainbow annuals –14 species including English Marigold, Tickseed and China Aster; Posy (cut flower mix), comprising 12 species; Sarah Bouquet – 30 species; Peace (white), six to eight species; Honey – 12 species including Borage, Cosmos and Baby’s Breath; and The Souvenir 100% Red Poppy mix.

Rigby Taylor

New face in the north for DLF/ Johnsons Sports Seeds

To support their continued investment, growth and increase in sales, DLF Seeds have announced the appointment of Alistair Eccles. Joining the amenity team as Regional Technical Sales Manager for Scotland and the North, Alistair’s new role will see him working closely with both customers and

distributors, providing advice and support on the Masterline and Johnsons Sports Seed ranges.

Alistair has a wealth of industry experience in many different areas of agronomy, grass seed and turf production.

DLF Johnsons

Award winning sustainable products a best seller for Tildenet

Following their most successful GLEE yet, Tildenet Gardenware are reporting huge interest in their expanded range and the award winning innovative new products synonymous with the brand.

The Haxnicks range of biodegradable Bamboo Pots and Seed Trays were judged the Best New Product in the Growing Accessories category,

against strong competition and the enthusiasm at the show has translated into substantial orders from both existing customers and also a record number of newly established accounts.

Buyers have been impressed with the sustainability focus of many of the new products and the breadth of the Tildenet offering –over 6000 products across a wide range of categories - securing

them firmly as the Home of Quality Brands.

Tildenet are strong supporters of the moves within the industry to address the issues surrounding the excessive use of plastics and continue to focus on developing products and practices which will reflect that in the coming seasons.

Tidenet

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