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By Mike Beardall in Industry on 29th Sep 2009 10:00
Speedcut Contractors of Oxford have been making good use of their Gwazae deep-probe aerator, which has been in action at racecourses and on sports surfaces, including golf courses, across Britain.
The machine, one of only a few available in the UK, provides deep soil and subsoil decompaction through the injection of compressed air.
Speedcut finds the speed and depths achievable with a Gwazae invaluable in relieving soil pans and deeper compaction, particularly around areas of high impact on racecourses, especially those depths beyond the reach of traditional machines such as the Vertidrain or Groundbreaker.
Wincanton and Market Rasen racecourses have both received Gwazae treatments from Speedcut during renovation work.
"We have had remarkable results with the Gwazae," says Speedcut contracts manager Barry Pace. "As well as deep decompaction the surface is left virtually undisturbed which is ideal for sport situations. It also allows traditional machines like a Vertidrain to work far more efficiently, achieving depths not possible before and providing relief where this was happening."
The tractor-trailed machine, manufactured in New Zealand, was launched at IOG Saltex three years ago and has since gained a formidable reputation as a solution to heavily compacted sports surfaces.
The Gwazae decompacts soil to a depth of up to 700mm using a probe and compressed air. It breaks the soil structure apart creating fissures through the soil profile while leaving the surface virtually undisturbed, with just a neat insertion point left. The remaining small hole can be filled with drainage material or just left to heal over.
Soil improvement materials can also be injected into the soil during the process such as Seaweed, gypsum and wetting agents.
The Gwazae can cover relatively large areas quickly and, depending on conditions, can cover up 12,000 square metres a day.
The machine is ideally suited for soil decompaction of the following:
· Sports pitches
· Golf fairways and greens
· Racecourses
· Parkland and amenity areas
· Equestrian facilities
· Tree base decompaction
· Orchards and Vineyards
· Land re-profiling and remediation
· Festivals and major event re-instatements
Read more articles in Industry, by Mike Beardall or from September 2009.
