Campeys show quick and complete Turfcare solutions

Sue Meekenin Parks

Campeys show quick and complete Turfcare solutions

STAND DAB16

Raycam Speedresser 241.jpg

At Saltex 2004, Campey Turf Care Systems will display a full line-up of equipment designed to speed up and simplify major grounds maintenance tasks while ensuring high quality and playability.

Making its debut at the Show will be the Raycam Speeddresser 24, a bulk drop-spreader with a 2.4m (7ft 10in) spreading width, powered by tractors of 60hp or above. It joins the Speeddresser 18, which has a 1.8m working width and requires a 30-40hp tractor.

Also being shown for the first time at Saltex will be the Raycam Core Harvester, a tractor-towed unit that simplifies clearance after aeration work. Cores are gathered by guides at the side of the unit and collected via a floating head. An integral conveyor places the material into a 580-litre capacity, hi-tipping hopper.

Since their launch earlier this year, Raycam True Level vibrating greens rollers have aroused massive interest. Simply fitted in place of the cutting reels of popular greens mowers, they create a smooth, true surface and firm up newly seeded or turfed areas. A vibrating central roller evens out contours, while an outer roller simultaneously flattens any disturbed areas. The product can be used all year round.

Typical of the Campey line-up designed to maximise turf professionals' efficiency are the Dakota Turf Tenders. They enable groundsmen to move materials, top-dress, spread fertiliser and sow grass seed. Trailed versions are available, together with models to fit popular utility vehicles.

The top-of-the-range Dakota 440 trailed machine features a 4.2 cu yd capacity hopper and has an hydraulic swing-away conveyor to facilitate loading. The 420 trailed unit has a 2 cu yd capacity. The smallest version, the 410, has a 23 cu ft capacity is available as a trailed model or as an attachment for a John Deere Gator or a Toro Workman. New to the range is the economical 412, featuring the strong chassis of the 410 and the 420's hopper. It is designed for rear-disc distribution of bulk materials on all wide area sports turf.

Many turf professionals are implementing preventative management programmes using cost-effective Koro equipment, developed by a Dutch public sector parks superintendent. These dramatically improve waterlogged surfaces cost-effectively and without undue reliance on chemicals. Machines include the Koro Field Topmaker, which slices off the top ground layer to remove thatch and improve drainage, and the Koro Recycling Dresser, which breaks up compacted soil and recycles it as a ready-made top-dressing. The Koro Top Drainer rapidly creates drainage trenches and fills them with sand, while the Koro Sleepraam Harrow restores a level surface. For intensely used areas like soccer goalmouths, the 1.5m-wide Koro Culti-Roll relieves compaction without affecting levels. It tills soil to a maximum depth of 15cm (6in) prior to seeding.

To speed large-scale top-dressing operations, Campeys offer the Raycam Hi-Lift Trailer. The tractor-powered machine can carry more than 3 tonnes of material and is driven by the motive unit's auxiliary hydraulics. The articulated rear axle is raised quickly to discharge material from a maximum height of 1.4m (4ft 7in) into the operator's top-dressing unit, allowing work to continue unbroken without the need to fetch more material.

Richard Campey and his team will be on hand to explain and demonstrate these revolutionary machines at Saltex, which runs from 7-9 September at Windsor Racecourse

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