Cultivating new turf technologies

to drive the turf industry forward.

Farming an extensive acreage of turf, Rolawn supplies to the domestic, amenity, landscape and house building markets and considers consistent upgrades to its turf growing process part of its commitment to quality, its customers, and the environment.

The expertise and experience Rolawn have in turf growing informs and drives much of the pioneering technology that is developed at the company’s Yorkshire-based facilities. Expert engineers at Rolawn are kept busy, devising, and developing leading-edge equipment to address and adapt to the ever-changing challenges as they arise. In-house projects include producing the world’s largest turf pneumatic seed drill, developing the patented ProFresh system as a unique way to tackle sod heating and, what is believed to be, the UK’s largest turf roll harvester. As part of its growing fleet of vehicles, Rolawn has invested in an impressive line-up of sophisticated machinery including the Trebro AutoStack 3 harvester and a range of Fendt tractors. The machinery brings considerable benefits to production, particularly in improving Rolawn’s accuracy and efficiency.

Designed and engineered in-house, the Seed Drill Mark 2 has greatly enhanced Rolawn’s sowing process and is considered the secret to its seeding success. Specially selected, best quality grass seed is sown by the drill, using a multi-directional pattern to ensure weak spots are eliminated, providing a higher grade of turf. The drill’s dual seed application and its ability to level the ground provides unrivalled seed distribution which has resulted in improved establishment.

The pneumatic seed drill was entirely built by the Rolawn fabrication team and is believed to be the most advanced pneumatic turf seed drill in the country.

Described as “the most refined, high-production machine on the market,” the Auto-Stack 3 from Trebro is an important addition to Rolawn’s fleet as it offers innovative features that set it apart from others. Having already invested in the Trebro-TSR turf harvester, Rolawn is the first in Europe to have the Montana-made AutoStack 3, believing that it helps reinforce their commitment to quality and attention to detail.

The technology of this machine matches the ambitions of Rolawn, bringing the benefits of its many features, including sophisticated cutterhead accuracy and depth control, precise roll-up process, articulated steering for manoeuvrability, dual harvesting capabilities and improved weight distribution, which have allowed Rolawn to further increase productivity and build on the superior quality of the turf it grows.

Rolawn uses three Fendt 314 machines. The power to weight ratio and onboard tech-nology of the 314s offers improved accuracy when mowing, creating fewer scalpings and resulting in a betterquality product. With the aim of 60 hectares of mowing per tractor per day, this is now achievable with the flexibility and geared forward speed these Fendt machines offer.

Rolawn’s fleet also includes the Fendt 516 tractor, which incorporates revolutionary live, real time grass plant analysis linked by sprayer and applicator control systems. This technology allows Rolawn to optimise field outputs, such as fertilisers, which has led to marked improvements in quality with reduced environmental impact.

All the Fendt machines Rolawn operates have been specifically chosen to boost efficiency and offer better overall turf consistency. Its move to Fendt machines has been “a real eye-opener” for the business and it intends to add more to its fleet in the future.

“The consistent, superior quality of our turf is no accident. It is the result of years of research, refinement, and improvement” said Sales Director Jonathan Hill.

“We are meticulous about the equipment and technology we introduce, investing time and money to ensure each element introduced positively contributes to the turf growing process and the quality of the product for our customers.

“We stand behind each and every one of our products, we take pride in our turf and we’re confident that it’s the technology, processes and people we put in place that make our products so exceptional,” said Jonathan.