Terra Spike™ GXi8 – the new jewel in Wiedenmann UK’s crown
The new jewel in the Wiedenmann UK crown has to be the unprecedented Terra Spike GXi8 which was launched at Saltex.
The new Terra Spike GXi8 is 40 cm wider than its sister machine, the GXi6, giving it a working width of 1.8m which means it can cover a spectacular 5800m²/ hour at 110 mm square hole spacings. This unparalleled combination of effective working depth and speed will revolutionise aeration of fine turf and sports fields.
Add to this its teutonic precision and quality of its output, and you have a high achieving machine that will turn the head of every turf professional.
When the Terra Spike GXi6 was launched in Sept 2007, it staged its own revolution by doing away with the need for two machines: this wider GXi8 is over a quarter more productive again.
Sales Manager at Wiedenmann UK, Chas Ayres explains:
"The shallow machines normally work to a maximum depth of 120 mm, which is fine; they are fast but depth is restricted. The deep aerating is normally done by a machine which is slower and doesn't core particularly well because of it. When the GXi6 came along it was a combination of the two - the best of both worlds if you like. It copes with depths down to 250 mm, but it has the speed of the shallower machines. It does away with the need to spend money on two machines - so is much more cost effective -needs only one tractor and reduces labour time considerably."
"The GXi6 is acknowledged to save professionals up to 60% time spent on maintenance. Doing the maths, the GXi8 is more than 28% wider - so that's at least 75% of time saved.
"That can mean at least one more green worked in the same session, sometimes more. Greenkeepers and groundstaff are hugely pressured to have their facilities ready for play. This is a significant time saver for those still using shallow machines and for those where speed is of the essence," he said.
Indeed everything about the GXi 8 marks it a winner.
Its German engineers have created a truly world class aerator that excels at the highest performance levels yet has operator safety at the heart of its development. Take for example its multi rib belt drive system, designed so it produces optimum force flow. Its balanced crank shaft, sprung-loaded headstock -the VibraStop-and PowerPacks are part of the anti-shock anti vibration system built into the machine. These protect the machine, the tractor and, crucially, the operator. They also contribute to the longevity of the machine by minimising maintenance.
The GXi8 also employs the Quick Set system altering depth, kick and heave angle with one tool-free, central adjustment.
Within the "dirt zone" the only consumables are the tines; the buffers and springs enjoy a long lifetime. Unlike shallow working machines, solid tines are available from just 5 mm right up to 20 mm wide. Coring tines start at 5 mm and go up to 17 mm wide. By using a variety of tines in combination, soil decompaction and soil exchange can be done cost effectively using only one machine.
The Terra Spike GXi 8 comes with rear roller and PTO shaft as standard. It fits tractors from 35 hp to 60 hp and brings the number of deep fast aerators in the Wiedenmann Terra Spike range to ten.