Landscape & Amenity Product Update July 2017

Tree officer survey shows need for government action

The Arboricultural Association recently completed a survey of UK tree officers to assess the impact that local authority funding constraints are having on the standard of tree care and the day-to-day ability of tree officers to fulfil their roles.

There is a critical need for specialist arboricultural expertise within local authorities. This is essential for the implementation of policies which protect and nurture trees, and covers areas such as planning, highway street trees, housing, parks and open spaces.

Recent anecdotal evidence has suggested that the important role of the local authority tree officer is increasingly under threat from cuts to local government budgets.

“One way or another all of us in arboriculture work with tree officers and yet their role is in danger of erosion,” said a spokesman for the AA. “The tree officer role is diverse, but within the planning system, their

role is to scrutinise planning application submissions to a local authority in respect of trees and this will regularly include wider landscaping provisions. They also have a statutory duty to consider the making of tree preservation orders and administer the associated applications and Conservation Area notifications.

“The role of tree officers is a technical and professional field demanding highly specific knowledge and is not a function that can be readily undertaken by those not qualifi ed to the same degree.

“There are instances where the role of professional tree officers has been discarded, but more frequently other responsibilities are being attached to the post, such that the officer is faced with a challenging conflict of time apportionment. If the role of tree officers continues to be diluted it will take no imagination to realise that the spatial and

Conference shows power of landscape profession

The Landscape Institute’s 2017 conference, titled Landscape as Infrastructure, was held at Manchester Metropolitan University last month.

President Merrick DentonThompson introduced the conference with a rallying cry to the profession.

“We need to think very carefully about how we connect with the public,” he said. “What we really are after is a cultural shift. We are in a unique position at the interface between people and natural systems.”

He also talked about the fact that although the focus is often on urban areas, rural Britain is facing many of the largest problems, with loss of water and air quality and, in particular, problems with soils.

“The biodiversity and mineralised content and restoration of our soils is of top importance,” he said. “We are dealing with soils every day, but do we deal with the science and biodiversity of soils?

“We are very good at fluffy feathery things, but not so good at doing something about actual science. Every commission for transforming landscape must ask, what is the biological quality and what can I do to improve it?”

He added that the way for the profession to have influence is to show how it can shape significant issues of today, such as childhood obesity and the health and care of the elderly.

environmental qualities of urban and rural landscapes will suffer.

“Many take our national landscape for granted, but it is under increasing pressure. LAs have a pivotal responsibility and this can only be achieved effectively by dedicated and professional tree officers.

“What is clear is that these issues need to be addressed at the highest levels for any action to be sufficiently wide-reaching and effective.

“The AA therefore intends to use the full findings of the survey to inform its own strategy and to petition central and local government and associated organisations concerning the actual and potentially major negative consequences to our urban forest and the wider environment if the professional, impartial and essential expertise of tree officers continues to diminish.”

Arboricultural Association Enquiry 1

key findings of the survey include:

• There are 418 principal councils in the UK. Of the total 163 responses received from the survey, 83% of tree officers considered that the ongoing austerity measures had adversely affected their ability to do their job well.

• In terms of what was causing this negative impact, 72% felt that a combination of reduced

staff capacity, and reduced support functions such as administration and enforcement, had the greatest effect.

• Tree officers were also concerned that reduced budgets for training and continued professional development (CPD) were having a detrimental effect on their ability to carry out their work effectively.

Fairhaven achieves GEO certificate

Fairhaven in Lancashire has joined an elite group of sustainability-minded clubs.

The Lytham St Anne’s club has been awarded GEO certification possessed by golf clubs in 40 countries. GEO certification acknowledges clubs that have done the most to promote sustainability at their course.

Fairhaven achieved GEO Certified status via the OnCourse programme. James Hutchinson, BIGGA’s sustainability executive, completed an ecological management plan for the club and said: “It was a pleasure to assist such an environmentally minded golf course through the OnCourse section and then on to the consequent GEO certificate.”

Fairhaven hosted an Open qualifying event during June and professional golf has been played there since 1934. Among the rare and protected species of flora found on the site are marsh helleborine, large flowered hemp nettle and creeping willow.

BIGGA Enquiry 2

Amphitheatre-style seating for historic park

Leading manufacturers of street furniture, Furnitubes, designed and supplied 250 linear metres of timber-topped seating platforms for Dreamland, located in the seaside town of Margate, Kent.

The historic amusement park recently underwent a multi-million pound redevelopment, including a main stage to host music events for up to 15,000 people.

Iroko timber platforms were added to various lengths of concrete blocks, forming an amphitheatrestyle setting. It is proving to be a popular resting point for

day-to-day visitors, as well as offering seating provision for the main stage.

Furnitubes Enquiry 4

The

Landscape Institute Enquiry 3

The knowledge and expertise that exists within the UK’s landscape and groundscare professions is so often taken for granted in our country. It is timely that both the Arboricultural Association and The Landscape Institute have highlighted this in recent weeks.

The AA through a tree officers’ survey shows a worrying trend to either ignore or get rid of their expertise. It also paints a sobering picture of what will happen if we lose this wealth of knowledge.

The LI’s annual conference shows how the profession can and do have a positive and significant impact on our communities. It also highlights how we need to celebrate and promote this impact more effectively. The same is true in groundscare and our quarterly Professional Groundscare supplement this month highlights how the UK continues to lead the world in developing and maintaining high quality surfaces and facilities. Our Best of British spotlight also shows the home-grown companies with a worldwide reputation for excellence. We also have spotlights on grass cutting, line-marking and top dressers and spreaders. Elsewhere we look at the urban environment and our regular machinery and product round-up, industry news and views. Ignorance of the world class skills and experience that exist within our industries is nothing new. But it is high time we started to shout louder before it is too late.

Paul Groves, Editor

Versatile GreenMech EcoCombi 150 helps wildlife trust

knew we needed something multifunctional,” explains Nathan.

SALTEX launches new 2017 campaign

Organisers of SALTEX have launched their new 2017 campaign, which features the distinguished heart-shaped logo formed of grass complete with the words – Your IndustryYour Show.

To help power a biomass boiler which heats the visitor centre, the Trust invested in an EcoCombi 150 chipper/shredder from GreenMech.

Formed in 2002, and the fourth largest in area, WTSWW looks after just under 100 nature reserves in Carmarthenshire, Glamorgan, Pembrokeshire and Ceredigion.

Helping Nathan is a team of up to 30 volunteers, whose main remit is to support WTSWW in managing the various habitats on its reserves which include grasslands, wetlands and woodlands.

“We carry out a lot of woodland management throughout the year but also deal with a variety of other materials. When the biomass boiler was originally installed the plan was the power it with common reed so when it came to looking for a chipper, we

“Whilst undertaking some research, we were recommended the EcoCombi 150 from GreenMech. Julian Cullis came to demo for us and it dealt with a variety of materials fantastically.”

The EcoCombi 150 combines the versatility of both a chipper and a shredder, designed with power, strength and versatility in mind. It has the capacity to deal with 150mm of clean timber and a shredding section for up to 50mm of organic material contaminated with soil, stones and green wet waste.

It was thanks to the Sustainable Development Fund, provided by the Pembrokeshire Coast National Park that they managed to receive the funds to purchase the EcoCombi 150, which is now supported by local GreenMech dealer Powercut.

This year, the show floor will be bursting with everything a visitor needs to increase their efficiency and improve operations.

More than 220 leading manufacturers and suppliers have already confirmed their attendance to showcase an extensive range of products and resources and visitors can expect to see the industry’s newest advances and compare the full array of equipment, products and services.

Learning LIVE, SALTEX’s world-class educational programme, guarantees to offer a wealth of new knowledge to delegates as well as boosting

their CPD points. Throughout the programme over 100 industry experts and leaders will share important information that can ultimately help a visitor further their career. SALTEX also offers its visitors free advice and guidance on specific turf challenges through the IOG regional pitch advisors on hand.

SALTEX 2016 saw a number of unique show features all designed to assist and help develop those within the industry - the Young Groundsmen’s Conference provided an ideal opportunity for young people looking to advance their career; Pathology and Soil Science LIVE allowed visitors to look in detail at the symptoms of turfgrass fungal disease problems; and the SALTEX College Cup - an academic test of turf management knowledge for students enrolled at UK colleges, helped to raise the level of academic prowess in the industry.

These features have again been confirmed for SALTEX 2017 and are set to be even bigger in size and offering.

From show features, to educational topics, the show is continually evolving with the people of the industry in mind. Each year a large team of dedicated show organisers undertake strategic planning to ensure that the show remains fresh, vibrant and essentially everything a visitor and exhibitor expect it to be.

Growth is a key word as show organisers strive to get people all over the world talking about SALTEX and the industry. Visitors from over 45 countries attended SALTEX 2016 and its social media campaign for 2016 boasted a reach of over 1.1 million users across Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIN.

Each year more and more grounds care professionals and

manufacturers from around the world come in record numbers to immerse themselves in two days of unparalleled interaction.

SALTEX 2017 will be held at the NEC, Birmingham on 1 and 2 November 2017. For more information visit www.iogsaltex.com

SALTEX Enquiry 7

Alan Ferguson leaves role with the FA

In a preparted statement, the FA said: “Following a further restructure of the Operations Division, The FA and Alan Ferguson, Head of Grounds & Estates, have mutually agreed to part company.

“The FA’s pitches are highly regarded throughout the game, having won several industry awards in recent years, and everyone at The FA would like to wish Alan well going forward.”

Mr Ferguson released a statement through the FA and said: “I’d like to thank The FA for the opportunity to practice at two top venues. I have really enjoyed my time at both St. George’s Park and Wembley Stadium, where I have been fortunate to work with a great group of people.

“I would like to thank both the playing and non-playing staff throughout The FA for the support you have given the grounds teams over the past 6 years. I also thank the various partners who have supported all projects and allowed us to develop both venues to a high standard.”

“Finally, I would like to pay specific tribute to my grounds staff for their tireless work all year round and wish everyone at The FA the very best wishes for the future.”

The FA Enquiry 9

The Wildlife Trust of South and West Wales (WTSWW) is one of 47 Wildlife Trusts across the UK.

GreenMech Enquiry 8

Alan Ferguson, the high profile Head of Grounds & Estates with the FA, has left his role at St George’s Park and Wembley Stadium, by mutual agreement.

Fields in Trust launch Impact Report

Fields in Trust has published its Impact Report for 2016, highlighting key achievements of the organisation’s work over the last year.

It was a year which saw the spotlight focussed on parks and green spaces through a Parliamentary Inquiry and the publication of new research findings.

“Last year was an important year for parks and green spaces,” explains Fields in Trust Chief Executive, Helen Griffiths. “Our primary research on Centenary Park in Rugby demonstrated the value parks and green spaces bring to people’s lives.

“Data from the Heritage Lottery Fund’s State of UK Public Parks 2016 reported the stark figure that 50% of all local authorities have

sold or transferred management of parks and green spaces in the last three years. So we welcomed the announcement of a Parliamentary Inquiry into the future of these vital community spaces and actively contributed to it.

“During the year we were pleased to continue with our work to protect parks and green spaces both through our ongoing Fields in Trust protection projects and through our World War I commemorative programme, Centenary Fields. Along with our programme partners, The Royal British Legion, we were delighted to welcome our President, HRH The Duke of Cambridge to dedicate Kensington Memorial Park as a Centenary Field during Remembrance Week.

“Supporting the parks and green spaces we protect in perpetuity is an

Amenity Forum looks to keep Britain moving

Keeping Britain Moving is the title of this year’s Amenity Forum conference and the programme announced promises to be as topical and relevant as ever.

This major conference has very much become the must attend event for all involved or having an interest in weed, pest and disease control matters in amenity.

It also can appeal to a wider audience for those just wanting to understand more about this

important and diverse sector. The conference will be held on Thursday, October 12, at the Pirelli Stadium, Burton on Trent.

The title - Keeping Britain Moving - has been chosen to align with the Forum’s ongoing and very successful campaign to communicate to the wider public the important and essential nature of weed, pest and disease management and why it impacts upon every UK citizen.

Amenity Forum Enquiry 17

Perennial funds new horticultural traineeship

Perennial, the UK’s only charity dedicated to helping all horticulturists in times of need, is delighted to confirm a new partnership with West Dean Gardens, part of The Edward James Foundation, a charitable education trust located on the 6,400 acre West Dean Estate in West Sussex.

It is the first Perennial funded traineeship to be agreed at West Dean and further strengthens Perennial’s existing portfolio of fully funded placements for students of horticulture.

The new trainee will assist in the day to day cultivation,

maintenance and development of the gardens.

Working under the acclaimed Gardens Manager Jim Buckland, the successful candidate will receive paid, high quality on-the-job training which includes an appropriate RHS qualification by day release at a local horticulture college.

The funding is provided through Perennial’s Lironi Training Fund, established in 2009 with a generous legacy left to Perennial by Miss Joan Lironi.

Perennial Enquiry 18

important strand of our work to help ensure these spaces are used and loved by their local communities. Our dedicated team of Development Managers are always on hand to offer advice on field management; signpost opportunities for financial support and help sites improve their facilities.

“Parks and green spaces are made meaningful through their

use and we are delighted by the number of organisations and individuals who continue to support Have a Field Day in their local communities. We have recently introduced the Actice Spaces programme to help increase the use of these spaces for sport and exercise.

“Actively and vocally championing the role of parks

and green spaces both through our own research and the work of other organisations and institutions is important. We want to ensure the future of these spaces and we are committed to growing this area of activity.

“The work of Fields in Trust is made possible by the support of our many partners and generous

funders and we are enormously grateful to each of them.

“In 2016 we recognised the changing landscape and challenges faced by parks and green spaces, so we began to develop a new organisational strategy to guide us into the future.”

Fields in Trust Enquiry 16

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yourindustry,yourshow 1and2November2017

NECBirmingham

Europe’s largest annual event

Discover the latest product innovations

Connect with industry suppliers and partners

Network with national and international peers

Get expert advice on your specific turf challenges

Stay up to date with the latest groundscare trends

Listen and learn from industry thought leaders

Further your career with free advice and guidance

Celebrate achievements at the IOG Industry Awards

FREE admission. To register visit www.iogsaltex.com

Green-tech supply urban tree planting materials

Glasgow Fort Retail Park is one of Scotland’s largest and most popular ‘out of town’ shopping destinations with 100 outlets and parking for 2,500 vehicles.

Award-winning commercial landscaper Grace Landscapes won the landscaping upgrade contract which included landscaping vast borders across the site and planting of 12m tall semi-mature Birch trees and native Pines, to echo the surrounding Scottish woodlands.

Green-tech supplied everything required for the successful planting and development of the trees, shrubs and overall planting scheme which included sixty tree anchoring systems and irrigation systems.

More than 1000 tonnes of Greentree top soil, Green-tree Intensive Roof Garden Substrate and Greentree Amenity tree soil was also supplied for the planting of the trees and throughout the entire landscaping scheme. Shrubs in the borders surrounding the shopping complex were top dressed with the 210m3 of bark mulch that Greentech also supplied.

Darren Hardman, Regional Contract Manager (NE), Grace Landscapes said: “This is a prestigious project and one which we were proud to have won. We

have worked with Green-tech for many years and they always offer us appropriate and helpful advice, fast and accurate delivery and competitive prices. Greentech always has the items in stock and can delivery quickly to site. We will be using them for phase 3 and have no hesitation recommending them.”

Head of Green-tech Sales Richard Gill said: “We have a great relationship with Grace Landscapes and it was a pleasure to help them on this project. They always involve us early on which gives us time to explore the most suitable products to fit the job and the budget they are working to. Their work is always outstanding and we are proud to have been involved in such a prestigious project.”

The landscaping for this highprofile development has been well received and Grace Landscapes has recently commenced Phase 3 of this project. They have confirmed that Green-tech is their preferred supplier.

Enquiry 23

Mobilane Green Screens used on first ‘green bridge’

Highways England has installed its first ‘green bridge’ as part of the new £192 million A556 Knutsford to Bowdon dual carriageway, and has used Mobilane Green Screens as part of the innovative new feature.

The new ‘green bridge’ has been built to provide a safe crossing for wildlife. Paul Garlick of Mobilane. “Green Screens are wire security fences upon which ivy has been cultivated. In total 88 1.8m high screens

were purchased and installed by Costain. These screens feature Hedera Helix Woerner and powder coated steel posts.

“Green Screens have a wide range of uses for domestic, public sector and commercial applications including housing developments, schools, hospitals and car parks. Many local authorities use them on roadside verges.”

Mobilane Enquiry 21

TYM tractors debut at the Game Fair 2017

Reesink Turfcare is bringing TYM tractors to the 59th Game Fair in Hertfordshire on 28 to July 30 2017 for the first time.

The event, which is billed as the nation’s largest celebration of the Great British countryside, draws a large crowd of people from the woodland and forestry, estate management and gardens sectors. It is this that makes TYM’s presence at the fair “an excellent fit” according to TYM sales manager Steven Haynes.

“TYM is a brand well recognised as a good addition to the maintenance equipment used on farms, National Trust land, large gardens and estates and schools, colleges and universities,” Steven says. “The range we’re bringing to the fair is popular with our customers in these sectors and we

think will be well received thanks to their lightweight but powerful capabilities, ease of use and economy.”

Reesink Turfcare, the UK distributor of TYM, is bringing five tractor models to The Game Fair. While the full TYM range extends from 25 to 105hp models, the five on display will be the TS25, T293, TE40, T353 and T433, which forms the sub 50hp range, all suited for rural countryside applications.

All feature hydrostatic power-steering for effortless manoeuvrability, a tight turning circle and a four-wheel-drive front axle for greater traction where needed.

Enquiry 22

Sandtex provides a uniform finish for uneven surfaces

The outstanding qualities of Sandtex Trade High Build Textured Decorative Coating deliver a long-term solution for the protection of buildings, capable of ironing out surface level imperfections at a stroke.

Ideal for covering fine cracks and regulating repaired and uneven surfaces, this advanced masonry product offers exceptional coverage and flexibility, providing both a decorative

Composite wood decking chosen for caravan parks

Decking distributor Evabel Sundecks has tapped into the top trend of Composite Wood decking for caravan parks, thanks to Composite Wood Company.

An experienced supplier of PVCu decking, Blackburn-based Evabel Sundecks recognised that there’s a growing number of park operators who want a natural timber effect without the hassle of ongoing maintenance.

“PVCu has been a popular choice for caravan decking, railings and balustrades, but there are many parks – especially inland – that prefer the look of timber to fit in with woodland surroundings,” says John Evans, Sales Director at Evabel Sundecks.

“When we met Composite Wood Company, we saw straight away that this was a product that brings the best of both worlds. It has the strength, longevity and low maintenance of PVCu decking but it looks like natural timber.

“It’s the right product at the right time, and we see lots of potential as caravan parks, schools and many more businesses see how impressive Composite Wood decking is.”

and protective textured coating with the reassurance of 15 years’ durability, independently certified by the British Board of Agrément.

Along with a long-lasting finish, the paint is formulated to maintain its good looks with anticarbonation properties which protect concrete and metal from atmospheric erosion.

Green-tech

Sandtex Enquiry 114

Evabel Sundecks

Snickers LITEWork working clothes for summer

A change of season means a change of focus on what you wear on site. That’s why Snickers LITEWork garments can help you keep your cool when the heat is on.

The newest LITEWork Trousers, Shirts, Shorts, T-shirts and Jackets are working clothes have all the features and functionality of Snickers’ other Next Generation working clothes, but without the heavier weight fabrics.

Just like high performance sportswear, they are superlight, quick-drying garments – with Mechanical Air Flow and moisture transport featuresthat keep you looking good and feeling cool wherever you are on site in warm weather.

Enquiry 27

Johnsons plant takes Silver at National Plant Show

Johnsons of Whixley Garden Centre Sales, part of the Johnsons of Whixley Group, has enhanced its reputation as one of the UK’s top growers by winning Silver for one its plants at the National Plant Show New Plant Awards.

Johnsons’ Veronica Moody Blue Sky Blue was awarded the Silver Medal in the Herbaceous Perennials category at the National Plant Show, held at Stoneleigh Park in Warwickshire.

Hosted by the Horticultural Trade Association, the National Plant Show is recognised as the UK’s largest horticultural show for garden centre plant buyers.

Johnsons’ Silver medal follows a Bronze in 2015 for their Berberis Thunderbolt, and a Silver last year for their Geranium Miss Heidi.

Johnsons of Whixley Enquiry 29

How to successfully maintain a green roof

Maggie Fennell, Technical Green Roof expert at Shropshire-based Boningale GreenSky, says that there is one question that needs answering before any green roof maintenance plan is designed or implemented and that is – how is it supposed to perform?

Understanding what objectives a green roof is supposed to achieve is the key to maintaining it successfully. She says that there are some basic principles that apply to any green roof; like making sure the plant-free areas stay plant-free, all drainage outlets are kept clear and it is watered well during the first 9 weeks establishment.

One key area becoming ever more important is aesthetic performance on overlooked roofs, so Maggie advises that an understanding of what the green roof should look like is important - the right planning and choosing the best growing medium and species for the environment are the key factors. Many extensive roofs are not overlooked by the building occupants, so a ‘natural’ or wild look is often acceptable.

In order to ensure a resilient and diverse plant coverage, removal of aggressive, invasive weeds, especially woody or grassy species is also important on both aesthetic and biodiverse green roofs. However, in

Traffic resistant pointing for stone sett driveways

reality Maggie says that the species diversity of extensive green roofs will often naturally diminish over time’, so reviews of successful vegetation in relation to client requirements are recommended.

Boningale GreenSky is the award-winning green roof division of Boningale Nurseries and a member of BALI and GRO.

Boningale Enquiry 26

Another prestige stone driveway securely jointed by pointing the 100mm rumbled magma granite setts, has been completed with GftK’s ‘stateof-the-art’ wet-slurry applied, self-compacting and nonstaining, vdw 850 jointing mortar from NCC Streetscape.

This unique material is rapidly becoming the UK’s market leader in natural stone sett paving jointing, as it is in Germany today.

On this project it was selected by the natural stone specialists, PDG Groundworks, because it provides extremely strong and durable joint installations subject to frequent vehicular traffic, making it especially

suitable for driveways and highways applications.

The vdw 850 jointing mortar is capable of accommodating frequent and heavy vehicle traffic loads and in service also prevents weed growth or boring insect infestations, plus it is resistant to de-icing salts, freeze thaw action, pressure jet-cleaning, and even to mechanical street sweepers.

GftK’s vdw 850 jointing mortar also has additional advantages for both contractors and owners in its application, because it can be applied in the cold and during wet weather, even in the pouring rain.

NCC Streetscape Enquiry 30

New UK importer for DFSK commercial vehicles

DFSK, the high value light commercial range is back in the UK, following the appointment of a new importer and distributor.

Vehicle Import & Distribution Ltd, has been established by Bassadone Automotive, which also owns the UK importer and distributor of SsangYong 4x4 cars and light commercials, SsangYong Motor UK Ltd.

The setting-up of the new company will be overseen by Doug Lincoln, operations director. With its head office and logistics centre in Luton, DFSK vehicles will arrive through the company’s own import reception and preparation centre at Portbury Docks, near Bristol.

The range, which will go on sale this summer, will initially comprise four models. The C31 single cab minitruck, C32 double cab minitruck, C35 panel van, and the C37 minivan. UK prices have yet to be announced, but expected to start from below £10,000.

All DFSK vehicles meet the latest emissions requirements, and are powered by 1500cc Euro 6B petrol engines.

Ford secures fleet deal with council

Ford has been selected by HTS (Property & Environment) Limited to provide 70 vans to join their fleet, making up one third of the company vehicles, with Ford vehicles now accounting for over 99 per cent of the total fleet.

The vehicles will be used by HTS (Property & Environment) Limited, a new organisation set up by Harlow Council to provide a range of environmental and property maintenance services around Harlow.

Services include council house maintenance and repairs, street

cleaning and public space landscaping. HTS has chosen a combination of vehicles from across the entire Ford Transit range. The larger Transit, which includes two chassis cabs with tipper bodies, and Transit Custom models are fitted with Ford’s new EcoBlue 2.0-litre diesel engine.

The Transit Connect and Transit Courier vehicles are both fitted with a 1.5-litre diesel engine and both meet EU Stage Six emission standards. Ford Enquiry 31

Snickers

An integrated materials solution for sporting excellence

Aggregate Industries has successfully supplied more than 15,000 tonnes of aggregates and specialist sand and 1,100 sqm of commercial hard landscaping to Oriam, Scotland’s National Sports Performance Centre in Edinburgh.

Constructed in the parkland setting of Heriot-Watt University’s extensive campus in the west of the city, the £33m multi-sport Centre includes a full-sized indoor pitch with seating for 500, top-level grass and synthetic outdoor pitches, a high performance strength and conditioning centre, a high performance medical centre and hydrotherapy pool, fitness centres and studios and support services.

Partnering with main contractor, Bowmer & Kirkland, Aggregate Industries was able to offer an integrated materials supply

solution, supplying 5,600 tonnes of 6mm and 580 tonnes of 10mm single size aggregates, 4,633 tonnes of Levenseat ProPitch 25™, 3,884 tonnes of ProPitch Rootzone and 400 tonnes of ProPitch 20 as well as 1,100 sqm of Charcon Andover Washed premium block paving in Anthracite Charcoal.

Andover Washed paving was chosen for its flexible design capabilities and sustainable qualities, containing up to 50 per cent recycled and reclaimed materials, whilst the Anthracite Charcoal colour option was the ideal choice to complement this new prestigious modern facility.

Oriam is the performance base for both the Scottish FA and Scottish Rugby Union, as well as the sportscotland institute of sport (East), Basketball

Scotland, Scottish Handball, Scottish Squash & Racketball and Scottish Volleyball.

Providing athletes, coaches and officials with the facilities to create an exceptional performance environment, Oriam aims to reaffirm and strengthen Scotland’s sporting credential and put the nation firmly on the world stage. It will also be open to the wider public, inspiring future generations of Scots to aim for sporting excellence.

Aggregate Industries Enquiry 35

Langford Direct adds Cerama Pave to portfolio

Langford Direct specialises in bringing Suds compliant permeable paving solutions to both the commercial and residential markets. We are proud to announce that in addition to our patented Sudstech system and our Trailflex surfacing we are now the sole U.K distributors for Cerama Pave the first truly permeable paving block on the

U.K market. Cerama Pave has a porous structure allowing water to pass completely through the body of the block, rather than through a channel created between them.

All our products utilize recycled materials and have been rigorously tested and proven in the market place especially against freeze thaw. We are proud to be

specified for many prestigious projects such as Transport for London (super cycle highway), NHS (Nationwide), National Trust, Crossrail, Councils and housing trusts.

www.langforddirect.co.uk

Langford Direct Enquiry 34

Jacksons Fencing secures impressive new school

Northwood School is a new £35 million educational facility in the London Borough of Hillingdon.

Jacksons Fencing was specified by Lizard Landscape Design to manufacture and install a range of perimeter security applications for various parts of the school site to meet very distinct requirements.

A key reason for specification was the easy availability of technical documents and product brochures.

Having this material freely accessible makes the specification process smoother for architects, designers and specifiers as they are able to collate product information quickly and draw firm conclusions on the best solutions for each site application.

Jacksons’ Barbican Imperial®, Euroguard, Featherboard and Hit & Miss style fences and gates were supplied and installed at the school to cover both the external perimeter and inner compounds.

The boundary of the school was secured with Jacksons Barbican Imperial fences and gates with finials to provide both the aesthetic looks and protection desired. On a different part of the Northwood site there was a

need for a solution to prevent unauthorised access to the bottom of a fire escape. To adequately secure the area, the company’s Euroguard Flatform style of gates were installed to provide a noticeable deterrent while incorporating a push pad for emergency egress.

Jacksons’ Featherboard timber fencing compound products were used internally to provide a clear boundary between the main school and service yard.

The second phase of the development will involve the installation of boundary fences to the school’s new sports fields.

Jacksons Fencing Enquiry 37

Plaswood presents new contemporary seating designs

The new, 100 per cent recycled Plaswood Edge bench introduces a maintenance free and sophisticated product range which combines versatility with outstanding long life properties, stylish designs, together with sweeping contemporary lines, for both outdoor and indoor settings.

Mike Baxter, External Affairs Director at RPC bpi recycled

products, which produces the Edge, says flexibility is the key to success: “Plaswood has always appealed to customers looking for value for money over the lifetime of the product; it doesn’t rot or degrade, and neither does it need painting annually, so it really is a case of fit and forget. In this way, it has a clear edge over wooden structures – especially in wet or outdoor environments.

“The new designs are refined, simple to install and are also ideal for indoor or outdoor use, especially when sited in damp or humid locations such as for swimming pools, locker rooms and gym changing facilities.”

All Plaswood products are manufactured in the UK from 100 per cent recycled plastic; they are also fully recyclable.

The new Edge bench uses components assembled from one size profile, resulting in an elegant but solid structure, which can either be placed as an individual piece, or positioned together in a variety of shapes.

Plaswood Enquiry 36

Summer additions for Natural Paving Products

Natural Paving Products is excited to announce a new addition to its high quality artificial grass range, Luxigraze, as well as three new additions to its Vitripiazza porcelain paving collection.

Adding to its hugely popular range of high-end Italian vitrified porcelain products, the company has added Anno Grigio, Anno Grafite and Anno Biscotto, which together form the new Anno ‘Trade’ range.

Like the rest of the Vitripiazza range, the three new products

offer natural beauty, with wonderful shade variations and are available in 600mm x 600mm single sizes.

This product range is aimed at the design-focused customer who desires a quality product at an affordable price; Vitripiazza is one of the highest quality porcelain product on the market. The stone is highly durable and resistant to attack from moss, mould, salt and pesticides. What’s more, the flagstones are frostproof, virtually non-absorbent as well as being easy to clean.

Natural Paving Products has also added a new 30mm luxury artificial grass product to its Luxigraze range.

Luxigraze 30 Luxury is a dense, soft product designed to provide a beautiful realistic looking lawn created with soft, yet hardwearing yarn the product delivers a natural texture with a luxurious feel. This makes it particularly suitable for children to play on as well as being pet friendly.

Speaking on the new additions, Group Sales & Marketing Director,

Malcolm Gough commented: “Luxigraze and Vitripiazza represent two of our most successful product lines, which have proven incredibly popular since we launched this year.

“We want to give users of these collections more options and these new additions do just that. Both lines represent the highest quality product available on the market and now give users even greater scope for creative landscape design.”

Natural Paving Products Enquiry

41

Pot Company lights the way

A recent addition to the The Pot Company’s range is outdoor lighting. The options available mean this is a really versatile collection that can be incorporated into a range of projects with varying themes. Customers can choose from 400mm and 600mm high light columns and three ornate patterns for letting light through.

The finish can be either corten steel, galvanised steel or powder coated aluminium in any RAL colour. These tight light columns include a LED light fitting and a waterproof connector. See more landscape features at www.thepotco.com

The Pot Company Enquiry 40

Refurbished paving still looks good as new eight years on

The traditional granite sett paving of the historic Hitchin Market Square in Hertfordshire, was refurbished and repointed with GftK’s vdw 850 Paving Joint Mortar eight years ago.

Faced with the prospect of having to lift and re-lay the whole square, at huge cost, the Local Authority and their Consultants undertook some tests and decided to have one last roll of the dice with what looked like a very promising product: GftK’s vdw 850 from NCC Streetscape Ltd.”

Like many old town centres and market squares, this is a very demanding environment for paving, particularly the pointing, due to multiple heavy duty loadings and all sorts of different traffic

and exposure, plus the frequent mechanical street cleaning.

However, this time the project was not only successful, but also completed on time and on budget, because work could continue and be completed using vdw 850, even despite the wet weather and low temperatures throughout (carried out in November), which would have made any cement based or single-pack pointing mortar useless and doomed to failure.

Streetscape Enquiry 42

NCC

ECB first to trail hybrid pitch in cricket

The England Cricket Board in conjunction with SIS Pitches has taken groundbreaking steps to install two SISGrass wickets at the National Cricket Performance Centre in Loughborough.

The ECB are the first to install a trial wicket using SIS Pitches’ latest innovation in the world of hybrid surfaces, SISGrass Universal.

Combining speed, mobility and laser precision, SIS Pitches’ game-changing hybrid pitch system, SISGrass Universal, is the latest addition to the company’s award-winning technology.

The pitches combine a majority of natural turf grass with around 5% of twisted yarn. In football, that has led to considerable improvements in stability and durability and is being used in the Luzhniki Stadium for the 2018 World Cup Final in Russia. Now the ECB are able to investigate whether there could be equivalent advantages for cricket, especially for the recreational game.

Chris Wood, the ECB’s PitchesConsultant, explained:

“This goes back several years to a conversation I had with Darren Baldwin, the Head Groundsman of Tottenham Hotspur.

“The majority of Premier League venues now use hybrid pitches, and even to the casual observer of football, I think it’s obvious that those pitches have been of a far more consistently high quality, around all clubs and throughout the season.

“That is because introducing a relatively small amount of artifi cial twisted yarn greatly improves the stability of the surface underfoot, and allows the sward to endure the long football season with a consistent playing performance.

“We have had to wait to apply this technique to cricket –there have been semi-hybrid pitches, but using artificial turf with cricket loam infi ll rather than natural grass. But now SISGrass have developed a new, more compact stitching

unit than has been used for football. We took the machine to Loughborough last week and have laid one pitch on the square and another in the outdoor nets.

“We’ve used a straw-coloured yarn, rather than the brighter green in use in football, to make it look as authentic as possible. They still need to be seeded and enhanced, but we hope they will be playable in the near future.

“Possible advantages are increased durability of pitches for matchplay and practice, with prolonged uniformity of grass cover.

“It is fitting that we have installed the pitches at Loughborough, as our centre for innovation around cricket.”

Phil Blackwell, SISGrass Director in the UK, added; “It is very exciting to be partnering with the ECB on this project.

“SISGrass Universal has already made a big impact on the industry across all sports that

benefits of hybrid pitch systems in the past. We have managed to combine all of the qualities of our flagship SISGrass product and make them accessible to all.”

SISGrass Universal is an advanced reinforced turf system featuring patented fibre injection technology, utilising yarn that is tested to FIFA recommendations, which offers increased surface stability, more playing hours and faster recovery than 100% natural grass surfaces.

Just 1.20m wide, 2m in length and weighing a maximum of two tons, SISGrass Universal offers flexibility of stitching at every location quickly and accurately, with different depths, spacing or size using precise laser guidance, making it the perfect solution for groundskeepers who are challenged to maintain uniform grass quality in highwear areas.

SIS Pitches

Enquiry 45

Terra Brush gives club additional polish Zaun’s Duo Sports fencing for new AGP

A golf club celebrating its bicentenary this year has taken delivery of a double width Wiedenmann Terra Brush.

Scotscraig Golf Club is the world’s 13th oldest course and was founded in 1817 by members of the St Andrews Society of Golfers. Just 15 minutes north of St Andrews, it features a championship course in a traditional loop, influenced firstly by Old Tom Morris and later by James Braid.

Course Manager, Chris Barnard, and his greenkeeping team of five

have newly finished an intensive two year renovation project which reinstated many original features of the famous links and heathlands layout. Chris Barnard said: “We’ve wanted a brush for a while. Last year we improvised and fashioned one ourselves but it didn’t quite do the job.

We chose the Terra Brush with folding wings, and yellow bristles, the firmest ones, because it suited our situation best.”

The Wiedenmann Terra Brush comes with four rows of bristles, two rows aligned perpendicular to the direction of travel and two in a zig zag formation, making it ideal for intensive and even brushing.

On large area such as fairways, the wings can be deployed to extend the working width to 3.95 m.

A Liverpool arts college is enjoying a new state-of-theart football pitch after it was opened by a former Premier League referee and the Everton Ladies captain.

Chris Foy joined Michelle Hinnigan and her first team coach, Andy Spence, to open St John Bosco Arts College’s new £1m floodlit third generation (3G) artificial grass pitch (AGP) and changing room pavilion.

A £637,245 grant from the Premier League & The FA Facilities Fund made it possible to build the 3G AGP and pavilion, which will be used by Everton FC Centre of Excellence and local grassroots clubs, community groups and primary schools.

Through this project, the school worked in close partnership with the Football Foundation and Liverpool FA to establish a fiveyear Football Development Plan

to increase female participation by over 40%.

ETC Sports Surfaces collaborated with long term sports fencing partner Zaun to put in the 3G AGP surrounded by Duo Sports fencing, which will host a new 11v11 mid-week floodlit league throughout the winter months.

Chris Foy said: “Grassroots sport in Liverpool is better off thanks to the investment in this new pitch and changing room. St John Bosco will serve as an important sports hub in its community, with provisions for people of all ages and abilities to play sport just for the pure enjoyment of it.”

Everton Ladies secured a place in the Women’s Super League in 2017-18 just last Friday, when the FA announced them as the preferred bidder to take the place of Notts County, who went out of business.

Captain Michelle Hinnigan, who is also a PE Teacher at St John Bosco, said: “It is really important to have quality facilities at the grassroots level because this not only helps youngsters to maximise their potential, but give whole communities a focal point to come and enjoy playing sport with their mates.”

Zaun Enquiry

47

Wiedenmann Enquiry 46

Barenbrug updates equestrian mix

Grass expert, Barenbrug UK, has added RPR—the self-repairing ryegrass seed—to its equestrian sports mix, following trials at world-renowned show jumping arena, Hicksted.

The updated mix was created as a bespoke product for the venue, in an effort to provide consistent conditions for its international riders—even in heavy rain.

Sam Horner, Barenbrug, says: “By adding RPR (Regenerating Perennial Ryegrass) to the mix, new BAR SPRINT RPR is able to spread into surrounding areas to fill gaps in sward, literally regenerating itself.

“Specifically designed for race courses and polo pitches, it’s perfect for any equestrian sports venues with heavy traffic, looking for faster establishment and stronger growth with a more traditional appearance.”

Barenbrug Enquiry

GoGreen Energy shines for the Owls

Andy Thompson, head groundsman at Sheffield Wednesday FC, has reported excellent results since using Sherriff Amenity’s GoGreen Energy bio-stimulant.

GoGreen Energy is a concentrated bio-stimulant, formulated to assist plant health and relieve stress symptoms in a wide variety of amenity turf situations.

Containing seaweed, plant sugars, simple carbohydrates and a specially selected full package of trace elements, GoGreen Energy provides optimum results when grass is stressed. The low NPK analysis, complemented

by suitable wetting and spreading agents, makes this an ideal component of any turf maintenance programme.

Andy applies 60 litres of GoGreen Energy on a fortnightly basis or when using it the day before a match he applies 40 litres.

“GoGreen Energy has performed incredibly well and has given us a shine on the surface that is aesthetically pleasing - especially for a night time kick-off,” says Andy.

“It has taken away some of the stresses the plant gets from a football match, the pitch has

played better with a lot less scars forming and the rooting seems to have significantly improved.”

In addition to the great results from GoGreen Energy,

Andy was quick to praise the customer service he receives from Sherriff Amenity.

Sherriff Amenity Enquiry 49

50

Club prepares course with help from Headland

Cosby Golf Club Head Greenkeeper, Thomas Flavelle, is in the process of preparing the course for a sward conversion programme.

To help him get the course best prepared for the change he has been working closely with Andy Lane of Headland Amenity. Previously called the Narborough Golf Club, it was founded in 1895 and today offers a challenging and picturesque parkland course set in the heart of the Midlands.

Thomas intends to embark on a five-year project to achieve a 50/50 (or better) Bent to Poa split. To give the Bent seed the best chance, Thomas has enlisted the help of Headland to assist with a feeding and soil preparation programme.

“Andy came in and we discussed my aims and objectives and he then created a nutritional regime around this. Following the results of some soil samples we began a full Headland programme on the greens, tees, approaches and fairways.

“When I started at Cosby we struggled with some hydrophobic areas on some of the greens and improving those areas was one of my first tasks.

Andy suggested we use a combination of TriCure AD and Turf Complex which quickly improved the drainage and drydown characteristics.

“We’ve continued to use TriCure AD on a monthly basis and have cured the hydrophobic areas

and seen no new areas form. Another great product that we apply before big maintenance tasks in spring and autumn is C-Complex 4-3-4. The high humic acid content is excellent for encouraging root and shoot development which is ideal after aeration work.”

Thomas faces the challenge of managing three different green constructions at Cosby; sand based, clay push-ups and one USGA spec green, but trusts the

Headland products to work for them course wide.

The club also uses Headland’s Weathercheck service and follow Mark Hunt’s WeatherBlog which provides an invaluable source of information.

They’re currently awaiting the results of some soil analysis which could signal the start of Bent seed applications.

Headland Amenity Enquiry 51

Agripower expertise rings true school

After a competitive tender process via sports facility design consultants MUGA-UK LTD, Agripower was appointed as the main contractor for a manjor project at Notre Dame School in Surrey.

The scheme was to build a fullsize synthetic hockey pitch alongside four tennis courts, a sprint track with associated fencing and fl oodlighting.

Synthetic success at Bloxham School

Tom Hall, deputy head groundsman at Bloxham School in Oxfordshire has reported excellent results from using SISIS equipment to maintain the school’s two synthetic sports surfaces.

As well as a plethora of grass sports pitches, Bloxham also features two synthetic surfaces, and to maintain these; the grounds team relies on a range of SISIS equipment.

“We use two pieces of SISIS equipment to maintain our synthetic surfaces - the SSS1000 Sweeper and the SISIS Twinplay Implement Frame, complete with a straight and zig-zag Brush,” said Tom.

The SISIS SSS1000 is a tractor mounted sweeper which can be pulled by any machine. There are

no tools required for the adjustment of the brush or the angle of the draw bar and to make storage easy the draw bar lifts to an upright position. With an aluminium hopper with stainless steel mesh, any infill that is collected when using the machine is returned back down to the surface leaving it free from contamination of debris.

The SISIS Twinplay tractor mounted implement frame can be fitted with several attachments for the maintenance of synthetic surfaces and Tom chooses to attach the SISIS straight brush and the SISIS zig-zag brush – which he claims “do exactly what they are supposed to.”

Synonymous with exceptionally dependable, durable equipment and an excellent after sales service, SISIS is the brand most groundsmen are turning to for all their synthetic turf maintenance – and Tom claims he wouldn’t hesitate to recommend the products. SISIS

Reesink enjoys first year success as Toro distributor

Reesink Turfcare is marking its first year as Toro distributor following the acquisition last July by Royal Reesink N.V. of the turfcare activities of Lely in the UK, Ireland and Denmark.

And it’s been a successful 12 months, built on a strong legacy.

That’s according to managing director, David Cole, who says: “Reesink Turfcare began life with a great legacy in place.

Lely had an excellent record as distributor of Toro turf machinery and irrigation products in the UK for over 30 years, and Reesink brought with it 60 years’ unrivalled experience as Toro distributor in the Netherlands.

“While no guarantee of success, it provided a solid start; and when The Toro Company and St Andrews Links signed a longterm partnership agreement

under our new watch it spoke volumes about the trust and commitment the ‘home of golf’ had in Reesink’s supply structure and the service and support we offered.”

David Cole says that, since the acquisition, Reesink has enjoyed healthy sales, while market and revenue performance have been good and client retention has been excellent. The business has been steered down a new path, with big changes put in place including a new name, structure, direction and systems, as well as new website; and customer reaction has been extremely favourable, he reports.

Tribute was paid to staff for the way in which they embraced change and stepped up to the plate to make things work smoothly for the new company

and customers, headed by achieving the first phase of a necessary operating system changeover in only four months, instead of the routine 18 month expectations for such projects.

Investment in the business was said to have been an essential part of its growth in year one. A new Scotland service branch was opened to add value and build relationships with customers in Scotland; and the significant investment was made in the

company’s IT infrastructure, projected to provide live data analysis to deliver a more proactive customer response.

Reesink believes this will result in a future business that’s healthier across all departments and product lines with everything including machinery, irrigation, tractors, aeration, parts and aftersales care synchronised to serve customers better.

Reesink

Replay Rejuvenation process pays dividends

Ecclesall Lawn Tennis Club in Sheffield has enlisted the help of Replay Maintenance to bring some much needed TLC to its 4 artificial grass courts to bring them back to a safe and playable condition.

Replay’s unique Rejuvenation process uses compressed air to remove the contaminated top layer of infill; restore the pile to vertical and fill again with new clean infill.

Thanks to the club choosing 15mm pile when the courts were installed, the tests conducted by

Replay showed that there was still a good amount of life left in the carpet.

After the Rejuvenation process the courts were back to an asnew condition.

Replay will now visit 4 times a year to ensure the club has great looking courts for the foreseeable future. It has also extended the lifespan of the club’s original investment much further.

Replay Maintenance Enquiry 56

Turfcare Enquiry 57

Graham Longdin, Director of Agripower, commented:

“It was imperative that we completed the majority of the works without causing any disruption to the pupils and for the facilities to be ready for the new academic year. With careful planning we managed to achieve our goal.”

The importance of making sure there is no fall in standards

Autumn maintenance is vital and one should have a maintenance programme devised in advance – even if you have a tight window, seize the opportunity to carry it out.

The summer months would have seen heavy play on the golf course; that and the increasing pressure from members will see greenkeeping teams sometime facing great limitations as to when they can carry out renovation.

The first task on a greenkeeper’s list, according to Jeremy Vincent of Trilo is to scarify. “A light scarification programme, with regular slitting wlll keep the surface well-draining and open and control the level of organic matter.

“The effect is to allow the grass plant to breathe and grow far more effectively and give a better root development, all of which will help no end.”

The Trilo VCU120 Verticut is perfect for small flat grass areas, such as greens and tees and is entirely mechanically driven with no hydraulic hoses and therefore no risk of hydraulic leaks. The machine has a working width of 1.2m and is built from one rigid frame.

When it comes to fairways there may be more material to take off so the trailed Trilo VCU150 scarifier is more suitable.

It can follow contours and also turns in the working position,

which is useful on irregularly shaped fairways.

Nick Darking of Charterhouse agrees: “The first step is to consider the soil preparationnew seeds need to be delivered into a well aerated rootzone and not into thatch.

“The Graden CSI, Contour Sand Injection unit, is a fantastic multi-tasking piece of kit. This machine scarifies up to a depth of 40mm and then uniquely backfills with kiln dried sand behind the scarifying blades. The clear benefit of this is that everything is done in one pass, saving huge amounts of time which is important when working to tight deadlines.”

Picking up the thread, Ian Barnett of DLF/Johnsons Sport Seeds says: “Once the ground is prepared, the autumn months give the very best overseeding opportunity. It’s essential that greens, tees and worn fairways are oversown with a good quality seed mixture.

“Overseeding with bent grasses is particularly good in the autumn as they’ll benefit from the increased soil temperature. They are best dimple seeded onto the surface or dusted in with a light top dressing.”

The traditional mixture used in golf greens is a combination of fescues and bent or indeed pure blends of each species. Ian again, “over recent years newer purpose bred varieties have offered more choice than ever before. Even newer is the introduction by DLF of ProNitro, a seed coating which provides slow and quick release N directly to the developing root as the seed germinates.”

The Redexim range of overseeders encapsulates a variety of working widths, hopper capacities and delivery methods – all of which are fully adjustable for any required seed density. A popular choice with golf clubs is the Verti-Seed.

MP653XC IN A CLASS OF ITS OWN

The Redexim Verti-Seed has been a fundamental piece of kit in a fi ve-year species exchange programme at Broadstone Golf Club.

The programme began in 2015 to convert the greens to predominately bent cultivars with the aim of reducing chemical and water applications to make the greens more manageable and in better condition year-round.

For this, they chose Johnsons J All Bent, a really fine mixture. They purchased the Redexim

Verti-Seed on the back of recommendation from their course consultant Gordon Irvine, who’d achieved good results with the machine on other courses. With such a fine seed, the disc spacing of just 40mm on the Verti-Seed allowed them to deliver the quantity of seed they wanted, at very close spacings.

They conducted two passes at 10 grams per square metre, once in September and another in October and were delighted with the germination achieved.

The Ransomes MP653XC is powered by a 65 hp Kubota, turbocharged common rail diesel engine.

Intelligently controlled to run the direct drive hydraulic systems it has the capacity to increase productivity by up 25%.

It’s 4.3m cut width can cut up to 2.5 acres an hour more compared to traditional 3.35m batwing rotary mowers. www.ransomesjacobsen.com

Vinny Tarbox of MTD says that the simplest way to give the new plant a better chance to establish is to increase the height of cut and to move over from triplex mowing to cylinder mowing during the slow growing period.

“The use of a pedestrian unit such as our Cub Cadet Infinicut,” Vinny says, “is overall much more discretionary as the operator can select those areas of turf that are weaker and ‘lift back’ on the unit.

“The Infinicut also offers the option of moving the bedknife

further forward effectively reducing the BCD of the unit. This is an excellent way of limiting stress on the plant particularly if rooting is shallow.” Andy Russell of Headland Amenity says maximising plant health going into and during the autumn period can have a positive effect on reducing the incidence of turf disease.

“The now well-established Headland ‘20/20/30’ mix of specific plant hardeners and elicitors has shown excellent results and forms the backbone of many late season management programmes,” he

adds. “The aim is to reduce the effects of disease occurrence by promoting a healthy, strong plant, which is more resistant to infection.”

Headland have also been appointed by Bayer as a key partner to bring the newly launched fungicide Exteris Stressgard to the UK market. Containing a brand new chemical group, the fi rst in almost ten years, Exteris Stressgard will feature prominently as part of Headland’s disease control strategy heading towards the autumn/winter period.

Lytag tees off for relaunch of new drainage material

Aggregate Industries has strengthened its Lytag offer with the relaunch of Sportag, a sustainable, lightweight drainage material.

Made from Lytag’s groundbreaking secondary aggregate, Sportag is an ideal solution for land drainage applications due to its rounded shape and material properties.

With a hydraulic conductivity 10 times that of natural aggregates, the product is particularly suited to golf courses, including slit trenches, gravel banding and Shelton Systems, as well as sports pitches.

Sportag’s secondary aggregate composition also allows for a 30% moisture retention rate, ensuring a healthier and more consistent facility. Reduces drought stress in hot or dry weather. Alongside this, the product’s 40% void ratio helps aid longevity, improving aeration and allowing roots to penetrate further.

Steve Curley, General Manager from Aggregate Industries, said: “Having an effective drainage system in place will not only help future proof a pitch or green but also helps to ensure playability is possible regardless of season or weather conditions.

“Indeed, this has been a big factor in why Sportag has been so widely used on golf course greens and fairways. Relaunching this product gives us an ideal opportunity to reinforce the many benefits of using a secondary aggregate as a land drainage solution.

“Importantly, too, our Lytag lightweight solution is really leading the way when it comes to improving efficiency and reducing environmental impact in modern construction practice.”

A secondary aggregate and half the weight of standard aggregate, Sportag saves on natural resources, offering greater sustainability and reduced landfill. Its round and lightweight nature also means that it is easily handled, flowing easily into position.

In production for more than 50 years, Lytag lightweight aggregate is made from the fly ash generated by coal fired power stations.

The revolutionary technology transforms the fly ash into small round pellets, which are then heated to 1,100°C. This creates a very hard pellet with a honeycombed internal structure of

interconnecting voids within the aggregate, making it structurally robust yet lightweight.

The pellets formed are rounded in shape and range in size from 14 mm down to fines and can then be used as a superior, consistent, lightweight aggregate that is up to 40 per cent lighter than natural aggregate.

Years of experience ensures smooth running at Leamington Spa

Contributing Editor Laurence

Gale travels to the Royal Leamington Spa Bowling Club (RLSBC) at Victoria Park to meet Head Greenkeeper Michael Finch and the team responsible for hosting Bowls England Men’s and Women’s National Championships.

The facility at RLSBC has five bowling greens to accommodate the demanding fixtures and competitions held annually at Victoria Park.

This facility is owned and managed by Warwick District

Council, who employ the services of Idverde a large grounds maintenance contractor, who won the contract to manage and maintain much of the authority’s parks and open spaces, which includes Victoria Park.

Idverde took over the contract in 2013 and as part of this contract Ideverde took on all the existing greenkeeping staff, Head Greenkeeper Michael Finch and his assistant Tim Rouse and one seasonal worker Darren Povey Michael has been in post for the last nine years and has spent the last five years training up his

assistant Tim. Like most highprofile sporting facilities, there is a lot of planning and preparation to ensure the playing surfaces are fit for purpose.

Q: You have a small core team, how do you manage to create international class facilities?

A: I work closely with the Council, Bowls England and the STRI to ensure his maintenance programme and regimes are delivering the desired outcome of consistent and smooth playing surfaces throughout the playing season.

Paul Woodham Agronomist from the STRI comes in on a regular basis, especially during the major competitions and monitors the performance of the greens in terms of smoothness, levels, firmness and moisture content.

As with most natural grass surfaces it is the work you do as part of your end of season renovations that set up the greens for the forthcoming playing season.

Q: What sort of annual programme do you put together?

A: We keep renovations consistent, using a tried and tested method of hollow coring with 12mm diameter tines, topdressing with 4.5 tonnes of 80/20 Rufford number 3 root zone, scarifying and seeding in two passes with a Barenbrug fescue / bent mix of seed per green. It usually takes us nine days to renovate all five greens.

We then apply a pre-seeding autumn fertiliser 5:0:15 to help invigorate some growth, especially while temperatures remain high to aid recovery.

Throughout the winter months we will keep sward height between 7-8mm, aerate using solid tines and keep the surface free from any debris.

A formulation of liquid iron and some trace elements will be applied during the winter months to keep the plant ticking over and help harden it up.

Come February early March we will then apply a lawn sand to control any moss. We lightly scarify the greens using a SISIS 600 scarifier and Dennis cassette FT mowers, top dress with some more 80/20 dressing and over seed to complete his spring renovations.

Depending on the condition of the greens, if deemed necessary we will enlist the aid of the Graden Sand injector to firm up the greens applying around 18 tonnes of Chelford 30 dried kiln sand into the five greens.

Q: The playing season is very busy at Victoria Park, how do maintain top quality surfaces?

A: During the playing season, it’s all about attention to detail, taking more time to set up the mowers, ensuring they are kept sharp and cutting at a consistent height of between 4-4.5mm. Greens are mown daily, double cutting on occasions, and use a turf iron prior to matches.

A regular aeration programme, using a combination of sarell rollers and solid punch aerators is implemented to reduce surface compaction and allow better air movement within the soil profile.

Tournament height of cut is set to around 3.5 mm to give the greens more pace, however, this is a short-term strategy and once the tournament is finished the HOC is raised back to 4-5 mm

A balanced feeding regime is put in place using granular and liquid

formulations throughout the growing season, beginning with a slow release 16:0:16 product in April, followed by regular liquid feeds every four to six weeks to maintain colour and vigour. When Michael took over, the greens where getting in excess of 130 units of nitrogen per year, which he deemed excessive so, after reviewing and changing the feeding programme, he is now down to 75 units of N.

Q: The British weather is unpredictable at the best of times, what else do you do to help the playing surfaces?

A: We make good use of the fully automated pop up watering system to keep the greens watered and help with the application of growth retardents, fertilisers and fungicide products.

The greens are mowed daily using a Baroness LM56 11 bladed cylinder mower, we also use the FT Dennis cassette mower for verticutting and mowing. It can take up to hour to both mow and turf iron each green.

Taking mowing to extremes

Jane Carley takes a look at the growing trend for remote control machinery.

Remote control mowers have become increasingly popular for a range of grounds maintenance task, and offer solutions for vegetation control in some unusual settings.

McConnel offers six different models including Robocut which features a choice of 20 attachments including a cutterbar, rotary and flail heads and a stump grinder. Equipped with a 40hp Isuzu diesel engine, Robocut can tackle slopes of up to 55 degrees, while its 150m range enables operators to work outside hazardous and hard-toreach areas; it is said to be up to 25 times more productive than manual cutting.

The flagship Robopower is a 140hp unmanned tractor with front and rear three-point linkage and PTO, which can tackle slopes of up to 45 degrees.

UK Sales Manager Jon Webb comments: “McConnel’s remote control range has proved popular all over the world with machines working successfully everywhere

from Norway to New Zealand, Poland to Papua New Guinea. We offer the largest range, the most versatile machines, more than 25 specialist attachments from stump grinders to snow blowers, and a worldwide dealer support network.”

The company’s remote control machines have been sold into a wide range of applications. Andy Wright, of Shropshire voluntary group Whitcliffe Common Association says:

“In half a day the Robocut achieved what would normally have taken us weeks of voluntary work to carry out on a muddy riverbank and several steep hillsides.”

Phil Liverton, contractor and plant hire specialist adds: “It’s extremely useful when cutting on slopes or in potentially hazardous areas and has proven very popular with my hire customers.”

Howard Tenens Ltd provides tailored storage solutions with over 3,000,000 square feet of warehousing across the UK.

Pip Turley, the proprietor of PT Landscapes, is responsible for the groundscare of Howard

Tenens premises in the southwest of England, and has recently purchased a Spider remote control mower.

“Many of the properties in the Howard Tenens portfolio are sunken below the original ground level to mitigate their impact on the surrounding area,” he said. “This results in grassed banks and slopes to be maintained. I have been contracted to Howard Tenens for over 20 years and I’ve always used brushcutters to keep the grass banks presentable. This was becoming more time consuming as they opened more facilities in the southwest.”

“Howard Tenens contacted TH White Machinery Imports and they came down with a selection of machines for me to demo. I’d already discounted tracked vehicles, so when I saw the Spider, I was literally, blown away; it’s an amazing piece of kit! One bank at their depot in Sharpness used to take between 3-4 days to cut with brushcutters; now it takes less than a day.”

“The finish is also much cleaner, not to mention the health and

safety benefits – significantly reduced noise pollution during operation, no hand/arm vibration issues and no awkward standing on slopes with excess strain on hip, knee and ankle joints. Also no possibility of the rollover accidents risked with ride-on machines.”

Irus has been building mowers in Germany since 1928, with their first remote mower in 2003.

UK importer Pete Loxston comments: “As a consequence of this long history, the Irus range of remote mowers and tool carriers are one of the most developed on the market.”

Irus machines have been used in extreme situations from reservoir banks to railway embankments, where vegetation must be controlled without compromising operator safety.

The range starts with the wheeled Quatrak with either pneumatic or steel spike wheels.

Pete

is one of the lightest, and most stable. remote tracked machines on the market.

Probably the best known in the range, the Deltrak is now on version 2.5, powered by a 38hp Kubota engine. Coming into the UK this year is the Twin

50hp high

mounted tool carrier, which follows the Irus policy of balance and stability on slopes. A wide range of mower decks can be mounted – the Quatrak and Evotrak with fl ails or disc mowers and the Deltrak 2.5 extending to forest mulchers and the Humus safety head.

comments that the Evotrak

performance dual

Irus

Spider

McConnel

Ransomes batwing rotary mowers are a cut above

The lightest mower in its class due to its ground up design and use of high strength steel, the MP493 batwing rotary benefits from significant fuel savings as a result of its reduced weight.

The 49hp Kubota engine falls outside the European Stage IIIB emissions legislation making it less complex to maintain.

The most obvious difference with MP495 is the choice of Magna 250 fixed head cylinder cutting units for general maintenance work and Sport 200 fixed and floating head cylinders for high quality turf maintenance. However there is over 70% commonality between the two.

The operator controls feature the same pedal arrangement as the latest Ransomes Highway 3, Parkway 3 and HR300 and the same control unit, which includes a display screen providing realtime feedback plus diagnostic and regular servicing information. An optional road legal lighting kit is available and positioned

not to impede visibility to the cutting units.

Also available in the MP Series of mowers is the more powerful 65hp Ransomes MP653 and MP653 XC batwing rotary mowers, and the MP655 cylinder mower.

Ransomes Enquiry 68

Pegasus continues to get better with age

Trimax Mowing Systems spent 12 months in R&D developing the new-look Pegasus S4, the exceptionally low-maintenance trailed rotary, in order to cut the number of grease points by 15 per cent.

Trimax believes the investment in the Pegasus S4 will save users around £700 a year –and it also comes with Trimax SteadFAST Sealed Spindles which need no maintenance at all.

On longer grass, the cut finish is unparalleled. Trimax has focused exclusively on mower innovation for 35 years.

Now 15 years old this year, the Pegasus has established itself as the benchmark in widearea mowing for parks, estates, airports and turf farms. Available in 4.9m and 6.1m widths, the S4 is Trimax’s second-largest trailed mower.

Trimax Enquiry 70

Premium finishes guaranteed with Wessex

Reduced budgets and less frequent mowing cycles mean that the local authorities require a machine that will cut and mulch lush grass without untidy swathing, as with a rotary mower.

The Wessex FRX-150 and the FRX-150-H (hydraulic version) outfront flail mowers will do just that, whilst it also gives an

exceptional, premium finish on sports turf. The latest addition to the Wessex ProLine family is the new FRX-150 front mounted flail mower designed to suit most leading brands of out front power units with PTO drive.

Designed to withstand serious contractors use, the FRX-150 is a perfect match for the highly

manoeuvrable power units so popular with the council and local authority contractor.

Wessex International Enquiry 67

STM-SCAG V-Ride earns its stripes

The “V-Ride” stand-on mower is in the range of SCAG mowers supplied by STM Co Ltd in the UK and parts of Europe.

It finds a lot of popularity for its being a small and nimble machine, ideal for intricate work.

Available with a variety of widths and deck choices, the

compact size of the V-Ride gives it an additional benefit of fitting compactly on a trailer.

The machine’s versatility means it can also be used as a walk-behind as well as a ride-on mower.

STM Enquiry 69

Turf growers make swift work of mowing thanks to Major

Albar Landscapes Ltd is a commercial landscaping and turf growing company based just outside Glasgow specialising mainly in large commercial projects, including prestigious house builders and commercial developers.

“We supply our clients with the highest quality turf, grown by ourselves in the most fertile soil in central Scotland,” explained Gordon McMurdo, a director at Albar Landscapes Ltd.

“We have over 400 acres of turf which we grow on an annual basis which needs to be maintained.”

Gordon and his team at Albar Landscapes Ltd use a Major 5.5m Swift Roller Mower for all

the mowing of their turf. “We use the Major Roller Mower for reseeds and just prior to the turf going out the door. The finished cut is excellent,” he said.

“When we looked at this machine the main reason we went for it is because it is shaft driven. There are no belts involved so therefore when we send guys away off site they don’t have problems with belts slipping or breaking,” explained Gordon.

Another feature that impressed Gordon was the blade system. The Major Roller Mower range is supplied with a fixed or swinging blades and it is the customers choice what system to choose, depending on the mowing conditions or finish required.

“One of the most important things when buying a machine like this is the finished cut that you get on the grass. When we had this demonstrated we were very impressed with it. Since we bought the mower, it’s proved to be ideal for our business,” concluded Gordon.

Major Equipment Enquiry 71

The grass is always greener

Grassed areas are essential to the growth of many industries, providing some of the finest sporting surfaces.

However, as budgets get tighter and industry professionals become busier, the expanding mowing season is taking its toll across the industry more than ever.

Kubota’s extensive mower range has been designed to make light work of a range of groundcare tasks, rooted in the brand’s reliability, fuel economy and outstanding versatility.

“For those looking for a powerful ride-on mower for heavy-duty use, Kubota’s F Series range is a popular choice, particularly among local authorities looking to cut down on running costs,” said Adrian Langmead, Kubota UK’s Groundcare Business Development Manager.

“The F Series is powerful, precise and efficient, whilst the maintenance and service back up from Kubota’s extensive dealer network means contractors don’t need to worry about labour-intensive maintenance or servicing, guaranteeing minimum downtime.”

Kubota’s popular F3090 and F3890 models offer professional performance, equipped with Kubota’s leading diesel engines, fabricated durable mower deck,

as well as its HST transmission for quick response.

The company’s zero turn mowers are another firm favourite for those who demand exceptional maneuverability and expert handling, especially when working in areas where obstacles are commonplace, such as parks or woodland courses. Kubota’s ZD zero turn mower series is complete with independent steer levers, which gives the mower a 360° turning radius, making cutting around trees, posts and other obstacles an easy one-pass operation.

“The ZD range comes equipped with an array of other top features including Kubota’s unique jack on the ZD326 for easier mower deck access, a tricut system for efficient cut and a one-dial cut height adjustment, with collection available on the GZD models,” added Adrian.

Boasting exceptionally low vibration levels, smooth PTO, deck lift operation and shaft driven blades, the G Series delivers effortless operation and outstanding performance. With ample horsepower, the G Series mowers feature water-cooled Kubota ETVCS diesel engines ready to take on the toughest commercial jobs, whilst offering a cost effective solution.

Kubota Enquiry 76

Too steep to walk?

The Gekko from innovative, multi-award winning German manufacturer Koppl, is available through PSD Groundscare and means you can now choose whether to operate your mower via walk-behind or remote control.

The Gekko is a robust and reliable solution for banks mowing that is suitable for heavy use in tough working conditions including areas that are difficult to reach via the easy to use remote control function.

Benefits include:

• High performance and multiattachment capabilities

• Powerful 23 HP petrol engine

• Remote control range up to 300m

• Capable of working on slopes up to 45°

• High ground clearance and low centre of gravity

• Cutting edge innovations including revolutionary twistgrip steering.

Koppl have been manufacturing since 1896 and produce an extensive range of implement carriers (5.7hp – 23hp) and attachments including sweepers, rotavators and mowers to suit individual specific needs.

PSD Groundscare Enquiry 74

Hayter’s Osprey 46 mower range

Hayter, maker of the finest mowers, launched a new range of four-wheeled mowers this spring - the Osprey 46.

As first shown to Hayter Dealers at SALTEX 2016, the new range comprises of a Push and an Autodrive model – both fitted with Briggs & Stratton engines, and will be available this April.

Designed for a “typical” UK family lawn, both Osprey 46 mowers have a 46cm cutting width and feature versatile 3-in-1 capability, with cut and collect, mulch and rear discharge as standard.

Easy to manoeuvre and use, a single lever adjustment offers

seven cutting heights between 25 and 70mm, and the 55litre grassbag that can be lifted through the handle-bar with ease.

Hayter Marketing Manager Julie Dommett said: “The Osprey 46 four-wheeled range is an excellent choice for customers either owning their own patch of lawn for the first time, or for homeowners deciding it’s time to make the move to their first petrol mower.

“Either way, the Osprey 46 has been designed to cater to those

New version of space-saving Toro SmartStow unveiled

Toro has announced the release of a new model of the innovative SmartStow mowerthe fi rst petrol mower that can be folded and stored vertically without having to drain the fuel and oil.

The new SmartStow (model 20961) now has rear-wheel drive, an Automatic Drive

System and Recycle on Demand as standard. These new features just add to the unique ability of the SmartStow to store vertically with no petrol or oil spills, reducing the mower’s storage footprint by 70 per cent.

Toro Enquiry 77

wanting to buy a good quality mower, but on a smaller budget.

“We know it’s not uncommon for people to choose a mower that actually doesn’t meet their needs and later end up being disappointed with their purchase.

This is why we recommend new customers visit their nearest Garden Machinery Specialist to help make a purchase decision they’ll be pleased with for many years.”

Hayter Enquiry 75

To Russia with love from Allett

When Allett say they supply high quality reel mowers to some of the world’s most famous sports grounds, they have reinforced it with their Russian distributor, Unisaw.

The magnificent Fisht Olympic Stadium in Sochi Olympic Park was constructed for the 2014 Winter Olympics and was the venue for the opening and closing ceremonies.

The 40,000 capacity stadium has recently been converted into what is now the open-air football Fisht Stadium for the 2017 FIFA Confederations Cup and 2018 FIFA World Cup.

Allett is the mower choice for the stadium which now has two Allett C34 machines, two Buffalo, two RM34 Rotary Mowers and an Allett BJB42 tractor mounted scarifier.

The machines have been supplied by Unisaw, Allett’s Moscow based distributor. The Allett C34 professional mowers were selected based on their design for sports turf surfaces, where low weights and a great finish are paramount. The easychange C-Range cartridge head is an integral part of the machine, enabling fine turf mowing, verti-cutting, slitting, brushing, scarifying and sorrel rolling.

The Allett Buffalo is a true ‘allrounder’ capable of producing a first-class finish across a wide range of grass types and mowing conditions, even in the wet. With its wider cut and low weight the Buffalo 34 is the machine for maintaining large, sensitive turf areas and is the choice of many of the world’s largest football clubs.

Chosen by the Russian groundsmen at the Fisht Stadium, the Allett mowers have been put to work to create the finest pitch for the championships. The finish that has been created is loved by all and has invited such comments as:

Complementing the maintenance of the fi nest grass surface is the Allett RM34 which was designed around feedback from stadium groundsmen, to develop a rotary mower with a full width rear roller to produce perfect pitch stripes.

The twin contra-rotating blades and high lift system vacuum speedily and efficiently, providing busy grounds staff with greater capability in the post-match clear up, and for mowing higher when grass is being grown in.

Allet Mowers Enquiry 82

Rise of the robots

Miimo from Honda is the ultimate time and labour-saving solution for those wanting a beautiful lawn, every day, but can’t or would prefer not to cut it themselves.

Miimo cuts little and often, typically mowing just 2-3mm of grass at a time, several times each week, meaning less stress on the grass and more healthy growth.

Clippings are so small that they do not need to be collected and

are dispersed into the lawn root system, breaking down quickly to act as a natural fertiliser.

Miimo is self-charging, powered by a high-performance lithium-ion battery. It navigates the garden through an intelligent combination of controls, timers and real-time sensory feedback, working within a boundary wire around the perimeter of the garden.

Honda Enquiry 80

Council chooses Toro T4240 for multi-site use

East Cambridgeshire District Council maintains approximately 70 hectares of open space, and having recently become responsible for even more sites across the area, has invested in the portable Toro T4240 highoutput cylinder mower to manage a multitude of sites.

The council’s team leader, Tim McCreadie, opted for the T4240

in particular because it was one of the ‘lightest’ mowers he came across, making it easy to transport between sites safely: “We decided to invest in the T4240 thanks to its transportability. As the machine is lightweight, and its outer units can fold neatly out of the way, it’s easy to tow from site to site, which is important to us as we cover a wide area geographically.”

He adds: “With a local village college, secondary school and sixth form putting their confidence in us to deliver their grounds maintenance needs, we’ve invested in the T4240 at the right time. The mower is perfect for these sites due to its wide width of cut and we’ve found its cutting cylinders provide a superior quality of cut to rotary mowers, giving a lovely finish to school sports surfaces. An added bonus is that it looks really smart and professional to our customers too.”

The machines safety features also appealed to Tim, he says: “I think it’s great that the mower protects the operator from harm by cutting out the engine when they leave the machine. The roll bar is also of good quality and easy to move up and down.”

Tim explains why he chose Toro this time round: “We explored different options but Toro came out on top for good value and high performance, as well as offering one of the lightest mowers on the market for what we wanted.”

Award-winning aftermarket support from Toro’s sole UK distributor, Reesink Turfcare, also factored into Tim’s decision to buy the machine. He says: “[Reesink representative] Danny Lake has been particularly helpful throughout the process. It’s reassuring to know that the company will go the extra mile for its customers and that its HQ is only an hour’s drive away from us.”

Cutting edge innovation from Grillo

button height control. Its latest 48hp Yanmar diesel engine supplies enormous torque at low rpm pushing the cut grass into a twin speed turbo.

The hi tip 1400ltr grass box has a disperser inside for even grass compaction in all weather.

Reesink Turfcare Enquiry 81

New distributor for Ventrac

Price Turfcare, a newly established business founded by Ransomes Jacobsen’s former International Sales Director, Rupert Price, has been awarded the UK and Ireland distribution rights for Ventrac all-wheeldrive compact tractors.

Ventrac’s versatility offers over 30 different attachments and

combined with their patented Mount System (which takes less than a minute to attach or detach attachments) provides a compact power pack with maximum performance and versatility for many different sectors within the groundscare industry.

Price Turfcare Enquiry 86

Spider machines continue to impress

Specially developed for mowing in challenging, high slope environments, Spider remote-control mowers are available now from T H WHITE Machinery Imports.

Spider slope mowers are perfect for a wide range of applications involving steep, uneven or sometimes dangerous terrain.

The machines are ideal for canal paths, airfields, reservoirs, landfill sites, motorways and railway embankments, brush clearance, cemeteries, golf courses, national heritage sites and more.

Operators can maintain a safe distance from any dangers and these light-weight machines

are able to operate on inclines of up to 40 degrees. Add the integrated hydraulic winch and this increases to a market-leading 55 degrees.

The two standard models are the Spider ILD 01 and Spider ILD 02. Both feature patented 360-degree unlimited steering, forward and reverse 4wheel drive, an integral mulching kit, low fuel consumption and fantastic manoeuvrability. These units are also compact and easily loaded into vans for transportation.

The remote control technology can operate from a safe viewing distance of 150 feet and a Spider can tackle grass as thick as 2 inches. Spider also offers a third semi-commercial model

– the Mini, giving mower hobbyists the chance to try out this technology in large gardens and private estates. The Spider ILD 02 can be purchased with an

its usage even further.

Grillo provides versatile solutions

Grillo manufacture a varied range of mowers encompassing walk behind and ride on machines.

The company are well respected for build quality and also the outstanding performance of their machines in the wet.

Two hydrostatic pedestrian machines and no less than 10 ride on rough cutters are

offered including the latest AWD models.

The latest professional mower is the FD 2200TS out-front featuring 4 wheel drive, a huge 1400 ltr grass collector with hi tip, twin speed turbine and 155cm cutter deck. With Grillo you are safe in the knowledge of truly outstanding products.

Enquiry 88

Etesia launches Bahia Joyride

Etesia UK has announced the launch of the Bahia Joyride – a unique ride-on mower controlled by a joystick or via GPS for autonomous operation.

Working in partnership with FeBroLift GmbH, the Bahia Joyride is operated exclusively by a joystick: some of its features, such as automatic emptying of the grass box (optional) or start/stop of the machine and cutting deck controls are all controlled from the central joystick control unit.

The joystick control can be installed on the right or left hand side of the machine ensuring that the ride-on mower can be used by people with reduced mobility and also by experienced professionals.

Les Malin, operations director of Etesia UK explains: “We started from a standard Bahia with a Briggs & Stratton, Kawasaki or Honda engine on which we installed a joystick control as well as a servo motor for the steering and another servomotor for the forward drive, which

enables users to control the machine with a simple joystick with all the controls within easy reach: blade clutch, initialisation to start and authorisation of mowing in reverse.”

The functions are simple:

• A steering control to go left or right;

• A steering control to go forward or backward;

• Starting the blades is located at the front of the joystick with a short press to turn on or off;

• An initialization button to calibrate the joystick when the machine is started;

• Mowing permission in reverse, to force the blades into operation when moving backwards with the machine.

The Etesia Joyride retains all of the features of a standard Bahia model. The compact design is ideal for multi-tasking and easily adapts to every terrain, every grass cutting situation and every task. The pocket-size cut and collect mower, at just 0.82m wide and 1.98 m long,

features an incredibly tight turning circle and is able to nip into every nook and cranny as well as being able to be easily transported in the back of a van or on the back of a trailer.

Etesia Enquiry 89

optional snow plough widening

TH White Enquiry 87

All engine variants of the Etesia Bahia are available for the modular specification.

Countax and Westwood dealers Spring into action

Customers purchasing a new Countax C/B or Westwood T/F garden tractor from participating dealers will be offered a free 300 litre Powered Grass Collector (PGC) worth £525 (S.R.P inc VAT).

That’s the offer being made by Countax and Westwood dealers together with Ariens Company. The promotion was developed in conjunction with the Ariens Dealer Advisory Council, and

is devised to maximize retail activity for the spring season.

To claim their free PGC, customers need only to present a voucher when they purchase a new Countax C/B or Westwood T/F series. The voucher can be claimed from either the Countax or Westwood website. The promotion runs until May 31 2017.

Countax Enquiry 92

Infinicut mowers help perfect stunning pitch designs

You may be thinking that John Ledwidge, Head Groundsman at the King Power Stadium, has achieved ‘pitch perfection’ with the spectacular pitch designs he is now famous for.

However, John is always looking for the tool or technique to help them up his game – and now he has two Cub Cadet Infi nicut™ 34” mowers to do just that.

“When I arrived in Leicester we needed kit, and we needed it there and then. Following years of hard work and investment into the club we’re now in a position to refine what we do,” explains John.

In June 2016, as part of a 5 year plan to refine and upgrade their machinery fleet, John added the Infinicuts from MTD to his portfolio.

“Mower design doesn’t seem to have changed in forty years, but this is a ‘state-of-the-art’ product and over and above what we’d been used to. We spoke to Vinny and John at MTD who were happy to adapt the machine to totally suit our specific requirements and all this together made it a nobrainer for us. We’ve not looked back since.”

They use the Cub Cadet Infinicut units solely on the stadium pitch, although they are intending on swapping the cassettes in their triplex mowers over to SMARTCut’s to maintain the cut quality throughout the facilities surfaces. When it comes to some of the more intricate pitch designs John says the Infinicut becomes the preferred machine to use. “The ‘Infini’s’ give us the option to slow the unit down to deliver the fineness and accuracy

we need when working on complex patterns.”

The 34” Cub Cadet Infinicut boasts a unique fl oating head mechanism that is independent of the traction drive, ensuring ground pressure is spread between three rollers, as opposed to two as seen on fi xed head units. This helps to regulate weight transfer and minimise plant stress during routine cutting operations which is particularly beneficial where maintaining fibre integrity is paramount, such as on DESSO

GreenTek signs agreement with Agronimer

GreenTek, world leaders in greens care systems and accessories, has announced a new collaboration agreement with Agronimer for the distribution of their products in Spain.

Agronimer, based in Murcia, Spain, have been John Deere’s official dealership for more than 45 years, with five dealer centres covering up to one third of the Spanish territory.

The deal will introduce GreenTek’s world famous brands such as the Thatch-Away SupaSystem, True Surface Rollers and Aero Quick to the Spanish John Deere portfolio.

offer the highest quality greens management solutions,” explains Mike Stott, GreenTek’s Global Sales Manager.

“We are really pleased to offer the Spanish market our worldrenowned GreenTek products, such as the Thatch-Away SupaSystem and Sarel Rollers.”

“Greenskeepers in Spain can now expect the best innovations on the market, from verticutting, rolling, aerating, grooming, brushing or spiking, we have responsive solutions to cover everything.”

David Fernandez, Head of the Agronimer golf division, said:

“The quality and exclusivity of their range of accessories is the cherry on the cake for us.”

The deal highlights GreenTek’s ongoing commitment to provide quality turf maintenance solutions across the world, as the company now has over 50 global distributors across mainland Europe, USA, Japan, Australia and beyond.

GreenTek has been successfully manufacturing innovative greens care systems since 1969. Their solutions are not only limited to golf courses as the applications are very diverse with markets also including football, rugby, hockey and cricket pitches, baseball fields,

Another plus point for John was that it can be driven purely electrically, especially as battery power technology continues to improve. “Petrol driven types, with their noxious fumes and high levels of noise and vibration, seem to be on the way out with battery power being the way forward for the industry. Using the Cub Cadet Infinicut™ all but eliminates both noise and fuel emissions and offer a financial reward as well.” Infinicut Enquiry 93

GrassMaster Hybrid systems.

Dennis pedigree is assured

Glenn Davies, grounds manager at Bloxham School in Oxfordshire has claimed that he chooses Dennis because of the “strength, history, quality and durability” of the mowers.

Set in the beautiful countryside of Oxfordshire, Bloxham School is an independent coeducational day and boarding school for students aged 1118. Although the school is best known for its academic success, Bloxham also boasts a superb sporting programme which is complimented by first-class facilities.

Glenn oversees the maintenance of around 40 acres of sports fields which includes seven rugby pitches, four cricket squares, one football pitch, one hockey pitch and two grass tennis courts. With over 400 pupils attending the school and playing sport on a regular basis, as well as the facilities being used by local and county sporting teams – it is safe to say that the pitches have a high amount of usage.

Helping Glenn and his team keep on-top of such heavy usage is the Dennis G860 cylinder mower, which they use on a variety of different sports surfaces.

“The Dennis G860 is a great bit of kit,” says Glenn. “We use it for cutting the cricket squares,

for cutting the grass hockey pitches, both rugby and football pitches, and when we have county fixtures or cup games we will box off the cricket outfields because this gives it a much faster, truer surface so the ball will carry quicker.”

“In my opinion the G860 is one of the best machines you can get and with the interchangeable cassette system, it is extremely versatile.”

As Glenn says, the Dennis G860 features an interchangeable cassette system, and with a simple one minute changeover, users have the option of fitting eleven different types of heads including scarifiers, verticutters, brushes, spikers, and slitters as well as six or eight bladed cutting cylinders.

“In terms of the cassettes, we are particularly impressed with the scarifier, and we will use it lightly through the season so we can make sure we keep the

thatch down to a minimum and the grass stood upright.”

“The brush is also a very useful cassette to have. We’ll use this throughout the season to keep the squares nice and clean, but we will also put the brush in after we’ve done a deep scarify in the autumn and the spring. This drags up all the grass the machines haven’t been able to pick up and it will also pick up all the debris and take it away. So when you put your top dressing down, you have got a clean, flat base to start with.”

“You just can’t beat the Dennis machines,” says Glenn. “There are other machines on the market but Dennis has got a pedigree that nobody can argue with - for me, it speaks of strength, history and durability. They’ve been around for a long time, they always deliver, and most groundsmen you talk to will favour a Dennis above anything else.”

Dennis Enquiry 97

John Deere at the cutting edge

John Deere lawn care equipment is engineered to combine outstanding performance and reliability with ease of use, comfort and control.

The extensive range means there is a John Deere to suit every garden or area of grass, whatever its size, shape or type.

With 17 different models and a wide range of sizes and features, John Deere lawn tractors offer the ultimate experience in grass

maintenance. The X350R lawn tractor features a 107cm (42in) rear discharge heavy duty mower deck, designed to allow a clean flow of grass cuttings for excellent cut quality even in normally difficult long grass.

Ztrak mowers deliver on-thespot turning, using easy to operate control levers and fast efficient mowing. John Deere’s TANGO E5 Series II robotic mower features a powerful Lithium-Ion battery that enables

it to cover grass areas up to 2200m2 (about half an acre), mowing in a random pattern within an easily installed concealed boundary wire.

John Deere’s walk-behind mowers offer a wide choice of size, power and high performance features across the company’s extensive line-up. Cutting widths range from 40cm up to 54cm.

John Deere Enquiry

98

The Infinicut line of precision mowers was designed to be useradjustable to match the conditions of any given day. From the dynamic return floating head mechanism to the variable clip speed, height of cut adjustment, moveable bedknife and swappable dual power source, the Infinicut provides more functionality than any other pitch mower. Combine that with today’s highly technical approach to pitch construction and unpredictable microclimates, the Infinicut ensures a healthy turf while providing an unrivaled quality of cut.

From the BeamRider mechanics the MAQA was born

Kombi Classic unveiled by Fleet Line Markers

Fleet Line Markers has launched the new Kombi Classic.

The latest pedestrian line marking machine guarantees ease of use, whilst producing quality, well-defined lines with adjustable widths.

Developed by Fleet’s innovative in-house team, the new Kombi Classic includes a number of key functionalities to aid hassle-free line marking.

As standard, a 25 Litre paint tank, an anchor point for marking circles and the adjustable toolless quick fit wheeled knib for excellent line definition.

Additional features include heavy duty adjustable stainless steel handle bars to suit all users, with an on/off switch that can be positioned to suit the operator.

water from the rear tank through the nozzle assembly, saving both time and costs.

Managing Director of Fleet Line Markers, Iain McGuffie, said: “At Fleet Line Markers Ltd we pride ourselves on creating innovative line marking machines and paint

that guarantee excellent line marking for all Grounds staff.

“The new Kombi Classic is no exception - producing quality results on all surfaces, including natural grass, concrete, asphalt, wood, artificial grass and EPDM rubber tracks.”

The new Kombi Classic officially launched at the beginning of June 2017 and to date has received excellent feedback from customers across the UK.

Fleet Line Markers Enquiry 100

Pairing technology and practicality to deliver savings in both labour and time, the pioneering MAQA line marking system uses GPS technology to reduce the time it takes to initial mark by a massive 75 per cent.

Athletics tracks and circles have never been easier with Fleet Line Markers’ innovative system.

Mike Lewis of High Ground Maintenance has said: “I can initial mark a full sized football

pitch in 20 minutes, on my own. The results have left us speechless.”

The MAQA has a free life time guarantee and free software updates, with a variety of templates that make it the ultimate line marking tool. At a low entry price of just £2,000 GPS line marking is now affordable for everyone.

Fleet Line Markers Enquiry 101

The machine also eliminates any risk of pump and nozzle blockages by flushing clean

Andy Murray paints his courts in Wimbledon colours

Wimbledon and Olympic gold medal hero, Andy Murray, is also proprietor of the prestigious five star Cromlix House, a converted Victorian mansion located in Kinbuck, Scotland.

As homage to his Wimbledon success he painted the hotels tennis courts in the official Wimbledon colours green and purple.

It just so happened the paint used to achieve this unique colour combination at the hotel was in fact from the same manufacturer who produces the Centrecoat Centre-Court Premium Tennis Court paint, supplied by Promain.

Along with the traditional colours of green and red, the same unique colour purple, as

well as the blue that is growing rapidly in popularity, are also colours supplied by Promain.

Centrecoat Centre-Court Premium Tennis Court Paint is a hard-wearing, single pack, water based, easy-to-apply, polyurethane & acrylic blend paint coating that is suitable not only for contractors, but also competent DIYers also. It provides a tough, durable, friction and impact resistant tennis court coating that has the correct slip resistances to allow the correct pace and speed of play as set by the ITF –International Tennis Federation.

It is manufactured to comply with the high standards set by the ITF and meets the tough

requirements of SAPCA’s Code of Practice for the Painting of Porous Macadam Tennis and Netball Courts.

Since word has spread about Andy Murray’s unique Wimbledon green and purple tennis court, it has caused a lot

of demand for tennis court paint in the same unique colours, which Promain can now offer in the shape of the Centrecoat Centre-Court Premium Tennis Court Paint.

Promain Enquiry 102

Android-based Supaturf SWOZI raises the bar

GPS-guided linemarking has further advanced with the announcement of the Generation 3 SWOZI from Vitax Supaturf.

Launched to wide acclaim at SALTEX 2015, the Supaturf SWOZI marked a quantum leap in the speed and efficiency of linemarking, with turfcare professionals able to mark out a football pitch in an average time of just 30 minutes.

The technology already allows sports contractors and site-based grounds professionals to mark out far more pitches in a day than when using traditional machines.

Generation 3 SWOZI features upgraded control system, electronics and communications, using a Windows-based app now

ported to Android, introducing variable or constant rate paint outflow to give users more flexible work patterns.

The new terrain compensation module (TCM) boosts line quality and further eases marking out, while strip mowing is now available through the Android app store for loading on to the rugged, waterproof Samsung Galaxy Active 8-inch IP67 display tablet fitted to the latest version.

Users can now swap seamlessly between GPS with SWOZI RTK base to RTK app or to laser tracker without changing equipment or hardware.

Vitax Enquiry 107

First in line, every time

Impact Hard Surface paint is the professional’s choice for fast, efficient, spray marking or Duraline Hard Surface paint, which can be applied using a spray marker, brush or roller.

It is recommended for marking lines on tarmac, concrete, asphalt and similar hard surfaces.

For Synthetic pitches there is a choice of Impact colours for frequent multi-use over marking or Duraline Synthetic paint for longer lasting lines. This formulation is recommended for sand filled, sand

dressed, rubber crumb, synthetic and hybrid surfaces.

Ready to use paints mean no added water, no mixing and are time saving with fast starts, fewer stops and a quick finish.

All formulations are available in a range of vibrant colours. Applying paint through the iGO spray markers and using the unique cone nozzle engineering will ensure a precision delivery of paint to the target surface.

Rigby Taylor Enquiry 105

On course for line marking

Training provider Lantra has designed a course for anyone who wishes to learn how to correctly set out sports markings from scratch across a wide range of sports, including running tracks.

The course - Initial Sports Line Marking - is suitable for both novice and experienced delegates.

The course introduces the basic competencies for setting out sports markings from scratch, preparation and application. It emphasises the efficient, safe and legal aspects of line marking and the basic skills required. Key aims include interpreting the rules

of the sport when setting out and marking out, understanding and reading the required dimensions of the sports pitch from a diagram and providing safe working practices and environment when marking out.

The course will enable groundscare professionals to be competent in the use and maintenance of marking machines and understand the cost effective best practice of different types of materials available and to be able to calibrate them correctly.

Lantra

Enquiry 106

Grassline line marking paints offer more for less

Grassline line marking paints are forever mindful of the increasing costs of sports pitch maintenance.

With that in mind, Grassline have launched a triple initiative which gives every customer the opportunity to acquire a Challenger transfer wheel line marker completely free of charge.

A Challenger line marker can be purchased individually at £299.95 and two bottles of Grassline Heavy Duty line marking paint concentrate supplied free of charge.

If a Challenger line marker is purchased with a half pallet of 25 x 10 litre Grassline Heavy Duty paint concentrate, then the cost of the marker will be halved to £149.97

If a Challenger line marker is purchased with a full pallet of 50 x 10 litre Grassline Heavy Duty paint concentrate then the marker will be supplied completely free of charge.

The Challenger marker is an all metal construction, manufactured in the UK with a 20 litre tank, the option of 50, 75, 100 or 125mm marking wheels and pneumatic land wheels as standard.

“We know that money is tight for many existing and potential customers and yet they continue to strive on a weekly basis to produce impressive pitches. Hopefully this initiative will help in some small way,” explained Haley Slater-Wells, Grassline Director

Grassline Enquiry 108

Award winning performance from Linemark

Groundsmen around the world trust Linemark’s Impact Line Marking System to deliver outstanding results time after time.

Impact uses 89% less water than traditional line marking paints and typically costs 48% less to purchase.

Its high whiteness has become a standard feature of many of the world’s most discerning sports arenas and can be used on all surfaces - grass, hard surface and synthetics.

Over the past 20 years, Linemark has been a world

leader, developing line-marking products for the largest distributor in the UK and currently exporting to 34 countries, worldwide - on five continents.

Rigby Taylor is Linemark’s exclusive UK distributor, who supplied Linemark paint used in

all 43 venues for the last Rugby Union World Cup.

On the Queen’s 90th Birthday, Linemark won its second Queen’s Award - International Trade 2016.

Linemark Enquiry 110

Intelligent line marking from Rigby Taylor

Intelligent One – the world’s first GPS-controlled robotic line marking system that can automatically mark out a football pitch in just 30 minutes - is now available to UK sports clubs, schools, contractors and local authorities from Rigby Taylor.

Already being used in Denmark by professional football clubs, Intelligent One has been undergoing constant trials in the UK since being announced to UK audiences at last year’s

SALTEX show. Now, after further development, the innovative line marking system is available commercially.

Intelligent One connects to positioning satellites via a sophisticated Leica GPS system and is operated via a tablet by entering pitch dimensions with two fixed points. The pitch can then be marked - including centre circle, D and corner areas, as well as the penalty spot - without any further operator involvement.

Designed for use with Rigby Taylor’s award-winning Impact Integrated Paint Technology, Intelligent One is programmable between pitches on the same site and can mark multiple pitches from one battery charge.

Initially designed for marking grass football pitches, Rigby Taylor is now also investigating its use for other sports and playing surfaces.

Rigby Taylor Enquiry

Keeping it simple with Raycam from Campey

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The Raycam LM3010 liquid transfer Line Marker from Campey Turf Care Systems is a simple and easy way to apply painted boundary lines and markings to turf.

What sets this line marker apart from the rest is that it only marks the leaf/plant and not the soil. This means that when it comes to greening out the lines for remarking, it is an easy task to remove existing colour and reline with greater precision and less time.

While the Raycam Line Marker is light and effortless in operation,

it is also a robust piece of kit and delivers a clean, crisp professional look to any pitch.

The lines are produced by transferring the marking liquid from the 20litre hopper to the 10 cm wide marking wheel by a grooved rubber roller, giving even and accurate lines. Other features include adjustable tubular steel handles, pneumatic tyres, and adjustable flow rate and a front roller for marking up to a post or flag.

Campey Turf Care Systems Enquiry 111

The Ultimate in budget grass marking machines

The SPORTSMARK ULTIMA is the first real advance in transfer wheel line-marking for many a decade, and truly moves the most popular form of grass line marking into the 21st century.

Firstly, the important bits that get wet – the tank and the marking wheels- are made from fully recyclable moulded polyethylene. This allows it to be very light to handle and more curves and tighter corners, give a modern look combined with a robust durability that will never rust.

The 20 litre moulded tank will mark 2 full football pitches, has a deep rim to minimise splashing, and a paint sump to maximise pick-up and eliminate waste. There is an adjustable mud scraper

on the marking wheel, and the wheel base is both long and wide, which makes the SPORTSMARK ULTIMA very stable and the markings extremely accurate.

Pneumatic wheels for added grip are standard, and 50mm, 75mm and 100mm marking wheels versions are available when ordering

And we will include 2 x 10Litre container of our Grass line HD line marking paint (worth £45.50 +vat retail) for you to try FREE

All at the unbeatable price of £288.00+vat including delivery UK mainland.

ECOLAWN ECO250 top dresser introduced by Blade Machinery

A walk-behind, self-propelled, broadcast spreader, the ECOLAWN ECO250’s controls and levers are ergonomically designed for comfort, control and accessibility, allowing for quick and easy, on-the-go adjustments.

It features a polythene hopper with steep, smooth sides to eliminate material bridging, the hopper also features a conveyor system and agitator to maintain steady flow of material to the dual reverse spinner head mechanism, for a consistent and even 180-degree spreading width.

The ECO250 is powered by a Honda GX160 engine coupled to a 6.1 reduction drive, the

lightweight design (150 kg) has a highly maneuverable (4-wheel design), allowing it to handle wide-open lawns and turf areas with speed and ease.

Efficient and cost effective the ECO250 top dresser will spread all types of bulk-material including screened compost and most pellet products.

Rink Topdresser joins the Royal Cinque Ports GC

Any machinery that can save labour and time is a welcome investment for any club, especially the Royal Cinque Ports Golf Club in Kent which has such a packed schedule of maintenance and play.

In March this year they took delivery of a Rink DS3800 bulk topdresser from Charterhouse

Turf Machinery to help. The club has been the host of many high-profile events since its formation in 1892. This year is no exception with Course Manager James Bledge and his team hosting the largest amateur foursomes tournament, the Halford Hewitt, in April and then in July the Final Qualifying event for The Open.

“Though a team of 9 sounds like quite a big team, the golfers expectations are really high so with our maintenance regime, time is of the essence. When it comes to topdressing we have a small topdresser which we use on the greens but this involved 2 guys filling it by hand – a hugely tiring task. If we wanted to do all the greens and approaches, that’s 33 tonnes of sand shovelled by hand!”

One of James’ closest friends, Lee Strutt at the Royal Automobile Club, purchased a Rink DS3800 last year and organised with Charterhouse to transport it to Royal Cinque Ports for James to demo.

“I’d commented on it when I’d visited the RAC and having it to try just confirmed that it was exactly what we needed. With this we can fill our smaller unit and topdress all the greens in under 4 hours, getting out and

Leeds unites with GKB Machines

GKB Machines have supplied Leeds United Football Club with two new sports ground renovation and maintenance machines.

The fi rst of these is the GKB Combinator, which the club is using for fraze mowing on the

training ground surfaces, with the whole of four First Team and Academy pitches being treated in April 2017 and four more in May.

“We had seen the Combinator working before and it was an easy choice to make,” says

Elland Road Head Groundsman, Kiel Barrett.

“They are straightforward machines with easy blade changes from fraze mowing to scarifying and ideal for our natural, non-reinforced surfaces. It’s lighter and well suited to our

50hp tractor, with a good, wide working width.”

The Combinator combines frase mowing and verticutting in one machine, with the easy removal of the complete upper layer of unwanted turf. With the ground prepared Kiel and his team can seed the areas, returning the natural grass surfaces over eight to ten weeks to normal growth.

Kiel had also been looking for some time at sand spreaders and saw the GKB Sandspreader as the ideal machine for sand top dressing of the pitches all year round. GKB produce several versions of sand spreader, trailed and mounted, with hopper capacity from 1m3 to 4m3. They suit a variety of purposes, evenly distributing materials, such as sand and mulch on sports pitches, with variable spread widths and depths.

GKB Machines Enquiry 118

round without being caught by play. I worked out how this equated to time and labour savings and that really sealed the deal.”

The Rink DS3800 is the largest model in the Rink range offering a spreading width of up to 15m, spreading thickness of up to 15mm and a hopper capacity of 3.8m3. It’s also available with an optional cross conveyor which James uses to feed the smaller topdresser and also for work on the course’s bunkers.

“This unit is big and beautiful –here it’s all about productivity and getting the job done quickly and efficiently. The Rink has also freed up my guys who I can now put to other uses elsewhere. All of this made the purchase a no-brainer and it really has been a great addition to our fleet.”

Spaldings introduce new spreaders and sprinklers

Spaldings has introduced a range of SPYKER heavy duty commercial push spreaders.

The line features the option of stainless steel frames and hoppers and they are matched with metal gear systems and durable hardware.

ACCU-WAY (a SPYKER innovation) supports the proper consistent distribution of material being applied. Adjustable in seconds ACCU-WAY assists you in preventing overspreading and striping of turf.

Spaldings has also introduced an extensive new range of GEKA sprinklers. With outstanding

precision manufacturing the end user is given a high quality sprinkler for medium and high density watering for many professional applications.

Spaldings Enquiry 119

Blade Machinery Enquiry 116

Charterhouse Turf Machinery Enquiry 117

Mini-Topper helps promote recovery

The Bannerman Mini-Topper Is designed to apply Top Dressing quickly and evenly on small to medium sized high wear turf grass areas and residential lawns.

The spreading drum is wheel driven and has a spreading width of approximately 60cm.

A variety of Top dressing products can spread using the Bannerman Mini-Topper from screened composted through to fine silica sand. The hopper has a capacity of 100 Lt. Ideal for BSI PAS 100 soil conditioner.

Top Dressing with good organic matter after over seeding will ensure a quicker germination of the grass seed and less loss of seed through birds feeding. This will promote recovery speed and produce a denser grass sward.

Calibration is achieved by adjusting the front brush in between the hopper and drum, opening or closing the distance between the drum and the hopper controls the flow rate of the product.

Machinery Enquiry 122

EvenSprey Club eases spray duties

A host of improvements to the walk-behind EvenSprey 250 from Vitax Supaturf make the new Club model a must-have for grounds professionals keen to apply fertilisers and other turf treatments accurately and economically.

Used by award-winning grounds professionals to help maintain sports and amenity areas in prime condition, UK designed and developed EvenSprey boom sprayers have transformed the application of liquids, dramatically improving operational convenience.

Already a popular addition to the pitch maintenance fleet, the 250 just got better, with the Club even easier to use and allowing greater

coverage than its predecessor thanks to increased battery size.

The refashioned handlebar design provides smoother movement across the turf, while the more powerful 9Amp rechargeable battery gives the grounds team valuable extra spray time.

Repositioned, fully encased motor and tidier hose boosts streamlining on the lightweight Club and the bigger lid on the 25l tank aids refilling.

Like the 250 model, the EvenSprey Club still comes with 1.5m spray boom (1m pass), Shurflo pump, pneumatic tyres and optional spray lance. Vitax Enquiry 124

The Dakota 410 puts out the perfect spread at links

Links courses often offer exceptional settings for the game of the golf, and Portmarnock Hotel and Golf Links proves that in every way.

The course was the first Links to be designed by three-time Irish Open winner, Bernhard Langer, who worked alongside architect Stan Eby on the course, which is set in the old estate of the Jame-son whiskey family in St. Marnocks.

The man in charge of maintaining this aesthetically outstanding course is links superintendent, Fintan Brennan, and the Dakota 410, from Campey Turf Care, is one tool used by him and his team in the pursuit of continued excellence.

“The greens maintenance operation is very important to a course and we decided to use the Dako-ta 410 to enhance ours,” Fintan explained. “The spreader offers a lot of variation in terms of the spread rate and what materials can be used, and that allows us to tailor our operation quickly and easily.

“Because the rate is set using an electronic calibration system we know that the exact amount we want to use is going on the greens, as both the belt and disk speeds are adjustable, and that results in the perfect application.”

The Dakota 410 at Portmarnock is specially designed to be body mounted on the John Deere ProGator. It will handle both wet and dry materials, allowing light to heavy dressing and can easily be loaded with a 1.8m wide tractor bucket. It features accurate and easy to operate calibration is easy to fit and service. The dual spinner discharge system delivers a wide and accurate spread pat-tern.

The light weight of the machine (645kg approx.) reduces the chance of compaction, whilst its size makes it easier to transport around the course, allowing for a quicker operation.

Campey Turf Care Systems

Enquiry 125

The Eliet Eco-Cure is the complete solution

The Eliet Ecocure combines 4 lawn care operations in one machine.

These are, rolling, aerating, topdressing (sand, compost, lime) and brushing.

The Ecocure can be easily attached and pulled by a ride-on mower or a quad bike. This machine enables you to treat your lawn both efficiently and cheaply, whilst also having a low maintenance cost.

It is beneficial that the Eliet Ecocure rolls as this will level out any unevenness within your field or lawn.

By aerating the area, it is less likely that sports players will become injured, whilst improving the drainage capacity and allowing roots to grow more freely.

Topdressing allows you to change the soil composition in the top layer, restore nutrients and organic substances to your grass as well as adjust the acidity gradient.

Finally, brushing allows the top dress materials to be immediately swept into the lawn.

PSD Groundscare

Top dressers kept simple on purpose

Since its re-introduction to the UK markets by AllezGrow Ltd, Noblat has updated its most popular model, the DR900.

Now featuring four wheels instead of two, the ground pressure is kept to a minimum, ensuring minimal ground disturbance even when fully loaded.

Combined with a simple design, wide belt and hopper, this dresser will be at ease on greens and sports

Enquiry 123 surfaces, spreading wet sand, loams as well as rubber crumbs.

The Noblat DR900 is available in three versions - from the one lever does it all model, to the electric control the DR900. Manufacturing de-mount as a drop spreader, with capacity ranging from 400 to 4000L depending on the model, Noblat covers a wide spectrum of applications

AllezGrow Enquiry 126

Blade

SCH is proud of its heritage

SCH (Supplies) Ltd, the Suffolk based estate and garden machinery manufacturers have never been shy to promote the fact that they are a British and proud company.

Designing and building their machinery in rural Suffolk for over thirty years, they are the kind of company who so often manage to buck current trends. Having survived two recessions and continuing to be a manufacturing success story, they say the first half of this year looks like it is going to break all previous records.

They are also winning more and more orders from dealers outside of the UK – in particular, Sweden and The Netherlands.

Sporting excellence made in

Cumbria

SIS Pitches has many years’ experience in delivering natural turf pitches and synthetic turf pitches to some of the greatest names in sport as well as to schools, colleges, universities, sports clubs and local authorities.

SIS Pitches has offices in the UK, Ireland, Russia, Turkey, Holland, Middle East and Angola.

SISGrass has also been installed at the training grounds of Chelsea, Hull City, Fulham, Athletic Bilbao, FC Barcelona and the National Football Centre at St George’s Park, home of the English FA.

It is a FIFA Licensee, a World Rugby Preferred Turf Producer and a certified FIH manufacturer.

SIS Pitches are part of a framework agreement to provide the design, manufacture, installation and maintenance of artificial grass pitches.

The agreement is in support of the Rugby Football Union (RFU), Football Association (FA), Sport England, England Hockey and Football Foundation (FF) capital investment programmes.

SIS Pitches Enquiry 131

Team’s cunning Vixens, the quiet option

Team ‘Vixen’, the quiet, efficient and highly manoeuvrable selfpropelled sprayer, has gained considerable popularity with green keepers and grounds men and can now be spotted at leading golf venues in its original 120 litre format with 3m folding booms or the new 150 litre option with 4m booms.

The Vixen is fitted with a 24v battery powered axle with variable forward and reverse drive and low ground pressure tyres equally at home on the fairways or sloping banks. Battery levels are displayed on the hand control and recharging is quick and simple with the recharger supplied.

The folding boom triple nozzle assemblies and ‘break back’ sprung protection against contact with stakes or trees. It can be used with full width application or half width with one boom folded and nozzles switched off.

The 23 LPM diaphragm pump offers reliable and fully adjustable application rates. A polythene tank with wide, filter protected filling facility completes the robust design.

Optional extras include foam bout marker, hand lance and hose kit. ‘Driftmaster’ detachable 2m

covered boom is also available, minimising spray drift and complete with folding ends to follow contours.

The latest models include an improved layout of handle mounted sprayer function switches, increased boom lift height and improved access to spray valves and filters.

Vixen is just one of Team’s amenity range which includes pedestrian ‘push a longs’, quad and tractor mounted models and de-mountable options.

For further details please contact the sales office at Team Sprayers on 01353 661211 or visit www.team-sprayers.com for a short video.

Team Sprayers Enquiry 130

Rich heritage puts Wessex out front

Wessex International’s groundcare equipment has a rich heritage stretching back over many decades, with roller mowers, out-front flail and rotary mowers, leaf and multifunctional collectors forming today’s range.

From mowers for the professional market to toppers, paddock sweepers, rotary mowers, trailers, winter maintenance equipment and ATV equipment, Wessex have it covered through a dedicated dealer network.

Whether you are taking care of a small area of grounds or acres of land, Wessex’s groundcare

solutions can help to make maintaining great looking grounds much easier.

Wessex has developed the range of compact tractor attachments to feature equipment which you can rely on to be tough, durable and hard working. Wessex understand the importance of knowing that your machinery won’t let you down, and when you invest in products from Wessex, you can feel confident that you are investing in premium quality.

Wessex International Enquiry 134

Innovative engineered solutions and products groundscare machinery

Howard Marshall Engineering Ltd is a medium sized business based in Nottinghamshire that has provided engineering solutions to dealers and operators of groundscare machinery for over 20 years.

The company’s engineering expertise ranges from undertaking bespoke projects and designing solutions to meet individual customer requirements across a range of industries.

The Papplewick-based team consist of qualified engineers, technicians, and fabricators. HME engineers use the latest computer aided design software to generate 3D models from ideas which are usually made into a prototype before being passed to the fabricators to go through the manufacturing processes.

HME use efficient manufacturing and painting processes that minimise waste and maximise output.

Over the years HME have established a high reputation for quality amongst their dealers and customers and now distribute their products through a dealer network throughout the UK and the rest of Europe.

HME have also used their diverse range of expertise to complete projects for popular and world famous British television programs including Top Gear and The Grand Tour. In addition to engineering and manufacturing, HME offer specialist servicing and technical support to several other manufacturers.

Howard Marshall Engineering Enquiry 135

A premium homegrown business

Hayter has been designing and producing premium quality lawn care products at its headquarters in Hertfordshire since 1946 – celebrating its 70th year in business in 2016.

Hayter products are used by homeowners and professional contractors all over the UK. With a choice of electric and petrol products in a range of sizes, there’s a Hayter mower suitable for most gardens.

Hayter are proud to be part of the Made in Britain campaign and to have continuously held the

Hayter Enquiry 136

Marshalls is the UK’s leading supplier of hard landscaping products and has been supplying superior British natural stone and innovative concrete products since the 1890s.

www.marshalls.co.uk

Royal Warrant for supply of horticultural equipment to Her Majesty the Queen since 1960.

GreenMech lead the way with UK chipper design and manufacture

GreenMech are proudly the UK’s largest chipper manufacturer, not only at home but also in greater Europe.

They put their success down to the quality and effectiveness of their products - all of which are produced in-house at The Mill Industrial Park base in Worcestershire.

Sales Director Martin Lucas explores how being passionate supporters of British Manufacturing has been a fundamental element of the GreenMech brand since its inception.

“Manufacturing has taken place at The Mill Industrial Park for over 50 years, when Turner Engineering began the design, development and building of flail mowers and agricultural machinery,” he explains.

“GreenMech was founded in 1993 and since then Chairman

Tony Turner, assisted by his son Jonathan since 2002, have invested heavily in creating the factory which exists today.

“Recent investments have seen the factory site expand by over 50%, with new state of the art equipment in the areas of steel cutting and folding, as well as the ShoPaint and ShoFab inhouse shot blast and powder coating systems.

“Within the last 12 months we have effectively introduced a ‘Lean’ process in fabrication and production which has successfully resulted in reducing lead times to nearly half, from 13 weeks to just 6-8 weeks.

“By producing the vast majority of component parts and manufacturing the units at our base gives us ultimate control over the quality of our output as well as every cost incurred along the way. This enables us

to not only introduce a range of quality, value-for-money products into the chipper market, it also provides us with the flexibility to take on board, and incorporate, customer feedback into functional reality.

“Our innovative range is now available in over 30 countries worldwide, with exports making up 60% of our total business.

“In the UK we are committed to the dealer route to market and

currently have 16 dealers with 27 depots nationwide.

“We are immensely proud of our growth and expansion over the last two decades and are confident that our innovative approach and willingness to invest in both our people and our facilities will ensure a positive long-term outcome for our marketplace.”

139

Lloyds leads the way

Lloyds has always worked closely with turf professionals responsible for the maintenance and general upkeep of a whole range of sports surfaces, including those used for golf, rugby, football, cricket, tennis and bowls.

The company manufactures and supplies quality robust products some well-established, some new, all engineered to give outstanding performance and trouble free service.

Leading products include a range of Paladin pedestrian mowers, Leda Gang Mowers, Top Dressers, Maredo Turfcare Systems, Greenline Flail Collectors and Buffalo Turbine Blowers.

Hunters Precision Grinders

has become a Division of

Lloyds. Grinding is not only an essential part it is arguably the most important part of the turf maintenance programme and will now be available with the full support of Lloyds & Co of Letchworth.

Enquiry 138

A champion approach leads to world class products

With a rich history of successful manufacturing heritage, Marshalls plc is a proud British manufacturer.

With manufacturing roots stretching back to the 1890’s, the company has an unrivalled legacy within the hard landscaping arena, therefore it was a natural progression for the company to join the Made in Britain movement.

Made in Britain supports British manufacturers with the Made in Britain marque, helping buyers at home and abroad identify and choose British-made goods.

The not-for-profit campaign is bringing together all British manufacturers to champion skills, craftsmanship and innovation.

Marshalls Group Marketing Director Chris Harrop felt so passionately about what Made in Britain is trying to achieve, he joined their Board of Directors and was appointed Chairman in June 2017.

Chris Harrop, Marshalls Group Marketing Director and Made in Britain Chairman, said: “I’m really excited to be joining the organization at this point in its story. There’s never been a more important time for British

manufacturers to get their provenance marketing strategy right, and make it really work for the business. Made in Britain is uniquely placed to galvanise all of the UK’s makers together with the experts they need, to help them win business here and abroad.”

Board member David Osborne said: “Having Chris join us will be tremendous for members of Made in Britain at every level. We’ve made great strides forward this year but there’s so much more we can be doing to promote British manufacturing with the marque.”

Marshalls has a huge range of British manufactured products across both its Domestic and Commercial product offering, spanning iconic British Yorkstones such as Scout moor

and Moselden, to innovative new concrete products such as the Housebuilder Product Package, which features all the landscaping products a Housebuilder could need on a new scheme, be that drainage, paving, kerbs or edgings.

Although traditionally regarded as a concrete manufacturer, Marshalls also produces a collection of Landscape Protection products manufactured across multiple sites within the UK. These range from specifically designed kerbing to deflect vehicles, all the way up to steel and stainless steel crash-tested products that defend people and places from hostile vehicle or terrorist attack.

Marshalls Enquiry 141

A natural solution for outdoor spaces

Based in Sheffield, the Timberplay journey started 14 years ago when Managing Director Paul Collings recognised a need to create something different in the dysfunctional play sector.

Natural outdoor play was becoming a rarity, as was a high quality solution to the lack of freedom children had - just to play, be creative and learn, wherever they were and whenever they wanted.

Design is key in all Timberplay does to create imaginative and user-friendly public spaces with innovative street furniture, outdoor lighting, sports facilities and play equipment.

Timberplay has forged relationships with world class companies specialising in these areas. All products boast exceptional design and engineering.

140

GreenMech Enquiry

Lloyds

Timberplay Enquiry

Paving the way to success

Brett Landscaping and Building Products are part of the Brett Group, today one of the UK’s leading providers of construction and landscaping materials.

The company specialises in the manufacture and supply of high quality landscaping products as well as delivering comprehensive information to builders merchants, architects, local authorities, engineers and contractors.

Brett Landscaping has an extensive range of products to reflect your lifestyle.

Manufacturing a full range of concrete products, including block paving, permeable paving and natural stone paving, produced with highest quality materials, using up-to-date industry technology, you will be sure to find the perfect product for your driveway or garden.

All products comply with British and European quality standards and are CE Marked where applicable.

Brett Landscaping Enquiry

144

Red Rhino develops into market leader

This family run business from Grantham, Lincolnshire is the market leader in the UK and exports to every continent around the world.

The benefits of crushing and screening waste material on site rather than sending to landfill is driving the global demand with so many contractors for this Best of British product.

Waste materials such as concrete, bricks, refractory materials, glass, slag and asphalt plannings can now be crushed and re-used on site. When the cost of transporting the waste,

tipping, replacement raw materials, transportation of the new materials, tipping taxes and aggregates levies are all taken into account the financial benefits are huge.

The environmental rewards are just as important with less traffic, less noise, less dust and exhaust pollution.

A typical application for a Red Rhino 7000 Plus with waste concrete converted at the rate of 500 tonnes per day into a minus 50mm sub-base containing a high proportion of fi nes to aid compaction on roads and pathways.

The waste concrete is crushed and screened in one process using the crusher and the new 3-Way screener to create three finished products of 20mm clean aggregate, dust and oversize.

Tracked screeners are used to separate contaminated bulk

Combining the Best of British

Dennis and SISIS’ history can be traced all the way back to 1901 and 1932 respectively.

Designs on worldwide success

Sutcliffe Play designs and manufactures children’s outdoor play equipment, supplying local authorities, schools and early years settings, leisure and housing markets and communities worldwide.

The company specialises in creating tailor made, bespoke, children’s outdoor play equipment solutions.

As play equipment designers, it is always interested in looking for new innovative ways to create good, quality play opportunities. Sutcliffe Play’s design department has over 20 years’ knowledge, and experience, of working closely with customers to develop truly individual play solutions.

As a British manufacturer, it is very proud of the fact that all products are made at the company’s purpose built factory in the heart of Yorkshire.

Sutcliffe Play Enquiry 147

The first Dennis mower was produced in 1922 with a succession of new mowers being designed in the 1950’s including the Premier model.

SISIS developed its first pedestrian hand pushed aerator in 1934 and innovative new products continued to be designed and brought to market throughout the following years.

Howardson - a third generation family engineering business, bought Dennis in 1981 and applied their own expertise

which enabled the creation of the FT and G-series of mowers such as the G760 and G860 cassette machines.

In 2011, SISIS was acquired by Howardson to sit alongside Dennis as a division providing the groundcare industry with a truly comprehensive range of British manufactured products.

At the company’s headquarters in Kirk Langley, Derbyshire, Dennis and SISIS are committed to providing opportunities to the local community with a workforce consisting of employees who have many years of employment through to those on apprenticeship schemes.

As well as investing in their staff, the company has also invested in growing their operational facilities with state-of-the-art machinery and in 2016 opened a new dedicated on-site paint plantmeaning that every single Dennis and SISIS product that you see in every corner of the globe has been designed and manufactured from start to finish at the headquarters in Kirk Langley.

This is the birthplace of thousands of British made Dennis and SISIS products, which are not only relied upon by professional groundsmen at FIFA World Cups or prestigious sporting stadia, but also by volunteer groundsmen who tend to local clubs and grass roots pitches.

materials such as top soil, sand, gravel, aggregates, rail ballast, beach materials and subbase, creating clean, screened products at up to 80 tonnes per hour for re-use on many different applications.

The company, realising the importance of educating groundsmen and greenkeepers, also run popular seminars throughout the year.

No matter what the sporting venue, there is a Dennis and SISIS product for every groundsman and greenkeeper. The company is proud to be flying the flag for the UK turf care industry.

SISIS Enquiry 146

From world’s first to the world’s best

McConnel has blazed a trail for quality, innovation and technology since launching the first tractor-mounted hedgecutter back in the 1940s.

A multi-award winning company, McConnel offers the most comprehensive range of Power Arms, rotary and flail mowers and cultivation

machinery in the business with more than 100 different models and thousands of different build options.

The vast majority of McConnel machines and components are designed, built and tested inhouse at the company’s two UK production facilities, making the company one of the few

truly British manufacturing success stories.

McConnel machines can be found working in more than 40 different countries around the globe, with satisfied customers as far away as China and Canada, New Guinea and New Zealand.

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Telephone 01473 328272 sales@schsupplies.co.uk www.schsupplies.co.uk

Red Rhino Enquiry 145

McConnel Enquiry

Dennis

Three in one for council with Toro’s LT-F3000

Uttlesford District Council’s decision to opt for Toro’s LTF3000 flail when the need arose for a new grounds mower to tackle the area’s parks and open spaces is one that has made a significant difference to productivity and efficiency.

The LT-F3000 is expected to maintain 760,000 square metres of parkland and open spaces per month and Steve King, Uttlesford’s street services supervisor, says it was evident that the LT-F3000 was “more than up to the task” straight away as it began having “a notable impact on the efficiency of the workforce” within just two weeks.

Steve continues: “We’ve been using the flail for two weeks

now and it’s already having a notable impact on efficiency.

We’re finding the LT-F3000 is capable of achieving the same amount of work that we would otherwise have to bring three dedicated mowers in for. This level of versatility in one mower has significantly improved the team’s productivity rate.

“Our previous machine’s cutting width was 1.7m, but the new mower boasts a 2.12m cutting width, which has enabled us to cut down on operating times. We’ve also found that the flail’s three cutting units follow the contours of the ground better than our former single unit machine, resulting in a superb after-cut appearance.”

Innovative powerful and robust chipper-shredders

TS Industrie offers an extensive range of multi-vegetation chipper-shredders that will bring versatility, flexibility and efficiency to all your cutting and pruning activities.

Available in the UK from PSD Groundscare, the range of professional chippers also allow you to chip branches of an even larger diameter, suitable for forestry use and the Wood

Series of Chippers are equipped with Cutting Disc Technology to shred branches of up to a max diameter of 23cm (9”).

TS Industrie machines are either mobile, custom designed on road trailers or fitted onto tractors with PTO. All machines comply with the most stringent safety standards.

PSD Groundscare Enquiry 152

Malvern Hills puts Kubota’s latest RTV to the test

Kubota UK’s commitment to the environment has stepped up once more this month after the market leading machinery supplier donated its RTV-X900 utility vehicle to the Malvern Hills Trust, a charity that conserves the iconic, ecological landscape in Worcestershire.

The Kubota RTV-X900 has already become a major player for the Trust, helping its 20 volunteers and six field staff tackle the expansive and rugged landscape by carrying people and equipment efficiently across the vast site.

Community and Conservation Officer, Richard Vale said: “The Kubota RTV-X900 is great, because it allows us to access certain areas that we couldn’t before. We’re now able to maintain the hills easier and quicker, without disturbing any visitors or wildlife.

“Every time we use the RTVX900, we become more confident in its capabilities. The cab offers great protection while its compact characteristics make our presence on the hills very constructive as the machine offers high power without damaging the soft terrain. Anything bigger almost begins to reduce the positive effect we try to have on the environment.”

Kubota Enquiry 153

Etesia launches special offer on Donky

Etesia UK has announced that the Donky electric wheelbarrow is now available with a 10% price discount.

Lightweight, noiseless, no fumes and big savings on fuel - since its launch in 2015, the environmentally friendly Donky electric wheel barrow has quickly become a popular choice for those responsible for landscape management.

With a powerful 1700 W engine, electronic advance management and two driving wheels with an agricultural profile, the Donky has an impressive capacity to move in difficult terrain. Unlike nonelectric motorised wheelbarrows, users can enjoy up to two days of work without any harmful

pollutants – in turn helping to protect the environment.

Working and moving in complete silence, and not creating any noise problems for the surrounding area, the Donky electric wheelbarrow can move up to 250 kg or 180 L (400L with the boards) in one trip. With a tank integrated in the tray and a 1” valve, it can carry 85 L of water or liquid and a spray hose can be connected to it.

The Donky is not just comfortable, environmentally friendly and silent, it is also a true tool carrier; with its exclusive MRM tray and accessories, it will help you in a large variety of jobs throughout the year from cleaning, landscaping, snow removal, transportation of liquids and work

platforms. It allows the transport of bulky products (boards, cross member, closing fabric and reel), and provides a working surface at a suitable height. The Donky also features a tray emptying function which is achieved by a central lever, with unlocking and assistance.

This versatile machine can be used in many areas including building and landscaping sites, breeding farms, transport activities, snow clearing, green space maintenance, vegetable farming and plant nurseries.

Etesia UK Enquiry 154

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Reesink Turfcare Enquiry 151

Toro’s heavy-duty utility vehicle can bear the weight of the world

Strong enough to handle an impressive 3,185lbs payload capacity and capable of towing a whopping 3,500lbs, the heavyduty Toro Workman HDX-D 4WD is built to tackle the most demanding tasks with ease.

Whether you’re a landscape contractor, groundsman, or green space manager, this versatile utility vehicle has something for you.

This model is perfect for transporting heavy loads and can reach speeds of up to 19.8mph, so movement between jobs is easy and fast.

The vehicle itself can be transformed into a piece of equipment to further aid your work thanks to optional attachments and accessories, including: a Multi Pro Workman 200-gallon sprayer, a Topdresser 1800, a spreader, or a cab to give you protection from whatever the British weather throws your way!

The HDX-D 4WD is also particularly useful for climbing wet, steep slopes effortlessly. While its productive 50-degree steering angle makes manoeuvrability in tight spaces, such as turning around trees and benches, easy.

Despite its immense carrying load ability, this utility vehicle’s perfect weight distribution means a light tread, minimising potential turf damage and making it suitable for any environment. And thanks to an I-beam shaped

DeDion rear axle – automotive technology that isolates the engine, transmission and mainframe from all load forces to avoid overstressing these components the durable HDX-D 4WD can bear a tremendous weight without cracking under pressure.

Key features:

• Power: Kubota 3-cylinder liquid-cooled diesel engine

• Payload capacity: 3,185lbs (1,289kg)

• Towing capacity: 3,500lbs (1,587kg)

• Steering: Hydraulic power steering

• Fuel capacity (diesel): 22.7ltrs

• Transport speed: Variable up to 19.8mph (31.9km/h)

• Ground clearance: 7ins (18cm) with no load

• Warranty: 2 year limited warranty.

Turf triumphs over weather with TYM

The pitches at St Joseph’s College are regularly inundated with students from all over the country for tournaments such as its annual rugby festival, and they are popular for good reason: in the past six years the college has only cancelled one weekend of sport due to severe frost.

Brought onto the superb sporting facilities at St Joseph’s College to maintain this streak is a TYM T433 compact tractor, which tows an aerator for relieving compaction and aiding turf health.

Head Groundsman, Peter Hamilton, opted for the T433 based on a demo and a fellow

groundsman’s recommendation: “We organised demos of the TYM with other tractors with similar capacities and horsepower, and the T433 shone through as the best.

“A friend also trialed some TYM tractors and his view was you get a lot of tractor for your money, they’re efficient and good value for money – and that’s what we’re finding too. I would have no hesitation in recommending this machine to anyone else.”

The TYM T433 tractor is the perfect choice for aerating the pitches and relieving compaction, as it’s powerful enough to pull attachments such

as a deep tine aerator without damaging the turf.

Peter says: “In the winter months the aerator doesn’t come off the T433. As soon as conditions are right, which is normally around September, we aerate the rugby pitches every three weeks right through to the end of the season. This relieves soil compaction, prevents the ground from flooding and lets air, light and all the good stuff in.

The TYM T433, which was purchased as part of an order including a Toro Groundsmaster 3280-D and a Toro Reelmaster 5510-D, will do this by keeping the turf “healthy” says Peter:

Mow in any weather conditions with increased efficiency and minimum operating costs

Since its return to the UK market, Roberine has been promoting the R3 triple cylinder and F3 triple flail mowers to the John Deere dealer network through which the machines are supplied. Roberine has teamed up with Nottinghambased Howard Marshall Engineering Ltd, who have

supplied products and solutions to the John Deere network for nearly 20 years, to stock parts in the UK and support Roberine dealers with demonstrations and technical assistance.

The F3 brings new innovation in commercial flail mowing

with reduced operating costs, minimal down time for setup and servicing, and the flexibility to mow in varying grass conditions including thick growth, sports turf and parks and recreation grounds in all weather conditions.

It also has the lowest noise levels in its class which will benefit councils working on housing estates or public parks. The R3 is a refined cylinder mower offering the latest technology and choice of 8” or 10” blades.

Both machines are hydrostatic with permanent 4WD and there is also an option to have a reverse blow fan, another way of reducing maintenance down time, making the Roberine user and service friendly.

Roberine Enquiry 158

Northern Area Manager

Patrick Desmond mob. 07881 013044

Southern Area Manager

Tim Pinney mob. 07415 100557 Office 01480 401512 www.Kioti-uk.com

Summer savings on new Polaris ATVs

Polaris is running a summer saving on new Polaris Sportsman models, one of the world’s best selling ATVs, up to September 30 2017.

The Sportsman 570 boasts a powerful 44hp engine, loads of storage space and Lock & Ride® front and rear racks, You get the industry-exclusive durable steel frame and smooth, on-demand True AllWheel Drive together with

the capability to operate hard working Polaris accessories.

The Sportsman 570 EPS adds in Electronic Power Steering (EPS) as standard and the Sportsman 570 SP has EPS and Active Descent Control, the system that automatically engages on all four wheels when travelling down slopes, for optimum traction and control in hill work.

Reesink Turfcare Enquiry159

“The T433 will play an important part in Festival preparations by helping pitches to recover from heavy, daily use and giving them access to important nutrients.

“Meanwhile we’ll be using the RM5510-D to cut the pitches every day in the lead-up to the event and we will even cut the pitches in two directions the day

before

so they look as good as professional rugby pitches.”

Reesink Turfcare Enquiry 160

New dealership signing at Charterhouse

Six months on from his appointment as Central Area Territory Manager for Charterhouse Turf Machinery, Richard Lucas has made his first new dealer appointment in the form of Charlies Groundcare.

Responsible for the Shropshire region, Charlies Groundcare will be distributing the Redexim range of products for both natural and synthetic surfaces.

Based in the Midlands, Richard joined Charterhouse in November from a regional dealership where he gained experience with the Redexim range of products and developed a good insight into the products and marketplace in the area. His new role sees him take over responsibility for the dealers and sales in Central UK, as well as working together with some key customers. On his first dealer appointment Richard said, “Now

I’ve found my feet in this new role it’s good to be adding valuable dealer support within my area. The Charlies Groundcare team deliver fantastic sales, service and technical support and I look forward to working with them in the coming months to further enhance the offering to new and existing customers in this area.”

Charterhouse Turf Machinery Enquiry 186

New low drift nozzles for ProShield

ICL has announced that all bottles of ProShield – a barrier acting, pre and post-emergent non-selective herbicide, are now being supplied with low drift sprayer nozzles.

As part of the new product authorisation, which has been officially registered by the Chemicals Regulation Division (CRD), ProShield will now come with two low drift sprayer nozzles as well as a stewardship checklist attached.

The newly authorised bottles are registered through to 2020 and any individuals who possess old label stock will have until 31st March 2018 to use them up.

Many turf and landscape professionals have been benefitting from ProShield for a number of years now. Rainfast in one hour and providing rapid knockdown, one application is all that is needed. It is renowned for killing a range of problematic weeds and its barrier action prevents germination for up to six months while protecting

against re-growth on gravel and soft surfaces.

Although a huge success to date, Mark Pyrah - Landscape and Industrial Business Development Manager for ICL Turf & Landscape in UK and Ireland, believes that the new nozzles will have an even greater impact.

“With these new low drift sprayer nozzles, the operator will notice an immediate improvement,” he says. “The product will only affect the targeted area with minimized chemical drift. Not only will it make the task more effective but you are essentially getting more out of the product because there will be significantly less wastage.

“In such uncertain times in which a number of products are being removed from the market, it is vital that updates such as these are made to the packaging. At ICL we champion best practice and are always looking to make improvements that are in line with current legislation, to enhance an individual’s operations.”

“As an independent organisation, the Amenity Forum fully supports product stewardship and the importance of choosing the correct nozzle so that the product is applied exactly where needed for effective and economic impact,” he said.

ProShield has an ultra-low dose rate of 4.5 litres/ha and its waterbased, non-solvent formulation is classed as non-hazard and nonirritant to the operator. It can be applied with a knapsack sprayer and the new universal nozzles can be attached to existing equipment.

CONTROL

Professor John Moverley OBE, chairman of the Amenity Forum, also voiced his support.