11 minute read
Product showcase
PRODUCT SHOWCASE
NATURAL & SYNTHETIC TURF MAINTENANCE
WIEDENMANN Little and often works best
With aeration happening differently for everyone this season, Wiedenmann UK and its dealers are ready to help.
Having come through one of the wettest starts to the year and then only benefiting from a short period of dry weather prior to lockdown, plans and flexibility have been turned upside down.
“Little and often” still seems to be the preferred choice of aeration programmes. Wiedenmann UK offers a huge variety of tine options to accommodate the “little” including 5mm, 8mm, 10mm, 12mm, 16mm, 20mm and 25mm solid tines.
For those wanting to hollow core, and use multi tine heads for finer work, the Terra Spikes can be fitted with multi tine
holders. Each multi tine head can hold up to 12 solid needle tines or coring tines in sizes 6mm, 8mm, 11mm, 12mm and 17mm inside diameters.
With regards to how often, if time is not on your side, the range of belt driven Terra Spikes can help. Several models achieve output of a hectare of surface with the classic 2x2 pattern within a normal working day. A fast machine is capable of exploiting even the narrowest window of opportunity, so in prevailing weather the decision to “go” can be taken at short notice.
Use “heave” action as your friend; all machines cause a certain amount of heave, even shallow pedestrian models. With some machines you can set the heave differently relevant to depths, speed and soil types that are being worked on. A clean pattern and surface will be down to the conditions and how appropriately you have set the machine relevant to what you are trying to achieve.
wiedenmann.co.uk
MAJOR Major keeps students moving
Sport is an important part of the curriculum at Blundell’s School in Tiverton, Devon, which has nine cricket squares, 10 rugby pitches and five football fields. Keeping these facilities at a high standard is head groundsman Graham Cox and his team.
Blundell’s School recently bought two new Iseki TG6495 50hp compact tractors and a Major 4m Swift trailed roller mower. “We chose what we consider the best for our purposes – equipment that gives greater performance and efficiencies,” explained Graham. “We liked that the Swift was gear-driven, meaning there were no belts that would need adjusting.”
The Major Swift is a 4m trailed roller mower that folds to 2.4m for transport. It is constructed using Strenx 700 MC structural steel, which is lighter yet stronger than ordinary steel. The reduced weight minimises ground compaction and its rollers mean it leaves a clear striped finish in all conditions.
“This year, we were able to get onto the grass six to eight weeks earlier than historically because of the Swift being lighter and trailed,” says Graham.
www.major-equipment.com
GKB Dressing to impress
The Ecodresser from GKB Machines offers grounds managers the ability to dress natural grass sport pitches in a costeffective way.
Often sports pitches need more aeration, especially when wanting to create the best seeding conditions. The GKB Ecodresser enables this in one simple operation. Developed in the 1990s with the Council of Rotterdam, the GKB Ecodresser removes the need to buy and spread dressing. Extracting the desired dressing soil from the existing upper level, it uses this to bring the overall cost down.
Combining multiple operations into one, the GKB Ecodresser is a reliable machine for maintenance of sport pitches. With the combination of cutting discs, coulters and fixed tines, the turf is intensively aerated whilst the dressing is applied to the upper layer and the sub layer is also being aerated.
Offering the ability to level imperfections too, the machine carries recycled dressing onto the conveyer belt and scatters it in the desired area. This creates excellent seeding conditions, improves drainage conditions and enhances the rooting. To ensure minimal operating damage to the turf, the GKB Ecodresser is equipped with a cutting roller. These adjustable blade rotors extract soil from the upper layer and the heavy-duty rotor is protected with slipping clutches on each blade flange.
Ensuring the aeration of the upper layer are the coulters, which are spring-loaded to remove the risk of damage from stones that may be present. There is also the option to equip the GKB Ecodresser with a stone screen and collection tray.
JOHN DEERE Six of the best
Following the launch of John Deere’s first commercial electric battery-powered walk-behind mower, the PRO 43B, at SALTEX 2019, another six new rotary machines are available for 2020.
John Deere commercial walk-behind mowers are capable of mowing grass areas up to 5,000m 2 depending on the model. They are designed to be easy to operate and transport and are highly manoeuvrable, even in difficult areas or around landscape features and other obstacles.
An additional battery mower, the variable speed PRO 54VB, and its petrolpowered version the PRO 54V, replace the 10-year-old JX90CB and JX90C, while the entry-level PRO 43 replaces the C43 push model. Two more variable speed PRO models, the 47V and the 53MV mulching mower, have been updated from previous versions, and the PRO 52SV is a newcomer
SCH Brushing up
The SCH Mounted/ Towed Folding Brush (MFB/TFB) consists of three sections of brushes with a generous ground contact width of 152mm (6in) and overall working width of 365cm (144in). The outer two sections can be folded up to reduce the working width to 122cm (48in) to access smaller areas. The folding mechanism is essential during transport and storage.
The three-point linkage mounted version can be raised at run ends and lifted to reverse into corners. The towed version comes with detachable transport wheels for moving to and from the artificial surface or natural grass pitch.
The MFB and TFB robust steel casing will last countless seasons, and the brushes can be easily replaced when worn.
to the range. Each mower’s working width in centimetres is indicated by the model number and cutting heights are easily set by a central lever.
The electric mowers’ new Powerhead carries two rechargeable lithium-ion batteries and switches automatically to the second battery when the first one is empty. John Deere’s proven TurboStar System delivers reliable precision mowing and collection performance, whatever the weather. Other standard features on the commercial mowers include a corrosionresistant, steel-reinforced aluminium chassis including front protection for extra durability, a large capacity fuel tank on the petrol powered models and a proven AntiVibration System (AVS), which reduces the level of exposure to hand-arm vibration.
www.deere.co.uk
SISIS The Osca goes to Warwick School
Once Warwick School had decided to invest in a new synthetic pitch, grounds manager Duncan Toon ordered a SISIS Osca 3 tractor-mounted oscillating brush to maintain the new surface effectively.
Duncan was tasked by Warwick Independent Schools Foundation to significantly improve the sports surfaces used by all its four schools. He says: “I came across some videos of the Osca in action and after much research I felt it was the one machine which stood out.”
The SISIS Osca is a tractormounted powered oscillating brush with a 1.9m working width. The two brushes stand up the carpet fibres and redistribute the infill, minimising compaction on the surface and improving its performance – giving consistent playing characteristics while preventing pile damage caused by reduced infill levels.
Duncan says: “The Osca’s oscillating brushes are the best feature. Not only do they get rid of compaction but they also provide a fantastic finish. Thousands of pupils play on this pitch so maintaining it effectively is important for player safety but you can’t forget about presentation. The Osca ticks both boxes.”
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AGRIA Hope for slopes
A company which specialises in commercial and residential grounds care across north east and central Scotland is one of the first adopters of the Agria 9600 remote hybrid bank mower.
Morrice Diplexcito, general manager at Proserv, opted for the 112cm wide version of the Agria 9600. Three of Proserv’s grounds maintenance team of 12 received training from Agria UK’s lead instructor, organised by dealer, Fairways GM. Morrice says: “Everyone on our team was fine with it, it felt safe, even on the steepest banking. Our operators could stand securely on flat ground well away from risk. And that’s principally why we got it, to prioritise health and safety. Previously, we could only strim complex sites partially. This cuts forward and back, mulches and will see us tackling terrain previously out of reach, meaning our operators will be able to make an even better job while keeping out of harm’s way.”
The Agria 9600 features rubber caterpillar tracks and a low centre of gravity which help it work on 50-degree slopes. The operator uses a joy stick on a light, hand-held LED display control panel to manage all device functions. The display shows travel speed, cutting height, hours of operation, the battery charge status, the radio signal strength and an on/off switch.
A hybrid drive concept means the Agria 9600 combines a petrol engine with being electrically driven. This set up is therefore more environmentally friendly than hydraulic systems.
www.agria.de/en-gb
CHARTERHOUSE Charterhouse kit keeps The Glasgow Academy on top
With a fleet of natural and synthetic turf care machinery from Charterhouse Turf Machinery, head groundsman Robert Cheape is well equipped to maintain the four sites that make up The Glasgow Academy. He has recently taken delivery of his third Verti-Drain, a 7521, for the regular aeration of the eight grass rugby pitches, while an X-treme Clean is ensuring the playability and safety of the four artificial surfaces.
With facilities for cricket, women’s and men’s hockey and tennis, it is the rugby section that is best known – with Glasgow Academicals RFC celebrating its 150th anniversary in the 2016-17 season. “Our rugby pitches see a lot of play, from both external clubs and the 1,400 pupils of the academy,” explains Robert. “Weather permitting, we carry out aeration once a month, and for over 20 years that’s been with a combination of a Charterhouse slitter and Verti-Drain.” Robert’s latest model – the 7521 – was delivered by local dealer Hamilton Brothers.
“It was the 2.1m working width and the range of tine options that really appealed with the 7521. We can go out with solid tines working at depths of up to 16in through the winter months alongside our slitter, then incorporate some hollow coring between March and September.”
On the academy’s two full-size astro hockey pitches, together with two ¾ size MUGA surfaces, it’s a combination of brushes from the Charterhouse synthetic collection used alongside the X-treme Clean 1200. “We brush once a week then follow up with a monthly pass of the X-treme Clean.” Using horizontally rotating brushes, the X-treme Clean lifts the pile and agitates the infill – removing dirt, debris and compaction.
DENNIS Multi-purpose Dennis G860 proves its worth
Matthew Hallam, head groundsman at Notts County FC, says that the Dennis G860 cylinder mower has been a saving grace after the club was unable to carry out end-ofseason renovations.
When he started his role 18 months ago the club was on the verge of relegation and a change of ownership was looming. This, along with other unforeseen circumstances, prevented end-of-season renovations. Regular maintenance has been key to keeping the pitch in good condition.
“The Dennis G860 has really helped us,” says Matthew, describing how the its interchangeable cassette system has helped. “We have the Spring Tine Rake, the Verti-Cutter, the Brush and the 8-Bladed Cylinder – it is like a four-in-one maintenance machine. In the summer, we were verticutting as much as we could because we had a thatch issue, and since then we have constantly brushed the pitch and raked the algae off the top. If we didn’t have the G860, these problems would have intensified. The finish it provides is excellent. We feel the Dennis G860 is the best on the market.”
www.dennisuk.com
TORO Fine tuning fine turf
The Toro ProStripe 560 is particularly favoured by football grounds for its clean, smart striping and cutting patterns into the grass. It is equipped to cut lower than most rotary mowers and specifically designed for use on fine turf where accurate height setting is crucial.
Cutting height is adjusted via a spring-loaded lever within a range of 13 to 60mm and, thanks to Toro’s MatchCut technology, can be adjusted in 3.6mm increments. The MatchCut technology is also useful for post-game clean-up. Grass is lifted, cut and cleanly collected as a result of improved airflow created by a unique blade, grass bag and deck design.
Powered by Kawasaki’s commercial grade four-cylinder engine and with speeds ranging from 1.9 to 3.2mph, the ProStripe 560 is not only fast, with customers reporting they can cut a pitch in 40 minutes, but there’s a speed for most mowing conditions too and one that can be matched to the preference of the operator.
