Professional Groundscare July 2017

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

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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

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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