Landscape Contractor switches to Pellenc battery power in aid to combat White Finger

Hand-Arm Vibration Syndrome (HAVS), also known as White Finger, is a condition affecting nerves and circulation caused by vibration. The effect is cumulative – each exposure can worsen the condition. Harm can be caused by as little as 15 minutes of exposure per day for some hand-held tools.

In an effort to reduce this condition, one Yorkshire based contractor has switched their fleet of petrol-powered hand-held tools to the battery power of Pellenc.

Eco Garden Maintenance (EGM) was set-up by Stuart Brogdan twelve years ago and is a company that is committed to protecting the environment and wildlife habitat as well as enthusiastic about organic products and principles.

When the time came to choosing new hand-held equipment for their landscape maintenance work, it was Stuart himself that extensively researched the market to look at alternatives to the heavy 2-stroke petrol products he had always used.

“I had been suffering from White Finger and back problems for around five years,” explained Stuart. “I was looking for a ‘greener’ alternative to the petrol tools we were using and came across the Pellenc brand on the Landscape Juice website. As I read more reports and looked at all of the facts and figures, I became more and more intrigued and so organized a demonstration.

“I was instantly impressed not only by the weight of all the machines I tried, but also the power that came from them. From that moment, I knew that I needed them – not only because the vibration levels are far lower than the petrol equivalents, which enables me to keep White Finger under control, but because the battery is strapped to my back, the weight of the tools is low enough for me to complete a full day’s work with no aches or pains”. A range of tools consisting of an Excelion brushcutter, Helion hedgecutter, Selion C20 chainsaw, Treelion pruning shears and Airion vacuum blower all powered from a Poly 5 battery was ordered for everyday use by the forward thinking maintenance company.

The low noise coupled with no obtrusive fumes sat well with EGM’s eco-friendly strategy. Built around the tools are their other optional services – the company proudly uses organic fertilizers, composting and soil improvement.

“The low noise of the products has two main advantages. The first is the obvious noise reduction for the operator and the second being the clients where we work. Since we’ve purchased the Pellenc tools we’ve had many comments from clients saying how quiet we are. We’ve also been known to be outside working as early as 6am in the summer months!”

With over 20 years agricultural and horticultural experience, EGM work across North Yorkshire for clients ranging from large residential country properties to care homes and industrial estates and since purchasing the equipment from dealer Lloyd Limited, has become totally committed to the Pellenc brand.

“I certainly wouldn’t go back to using petrol power now. As well as the eco-friendly benefits, the savings made on purchasing fuel and carrying fuel cans around with us on the job mean that a major health and safety issue has immediately been removed.”

The exceptionally low levels of vibration, weight of the products, guarantee of use with no odour, with no starting problems and no filling of a fuel tank means that any of the Pellenc range of products can be used continuously for a whole day without exceeding the legal maximum ELV for Hand-Arm Vibration.

New Bahia MKM from Etesia – The next generation mulching mower

With recycling a top priority for today’s environmentally conscious landscaper, Etesia has launched a new member to the Bahia family of ride-on mowers.

The Bahia MKM is equipped with a bio-cut 85cm cutting deck and offers a very high mulching performance. The MKM also inherits the robustness, reliability, comfort, excellent ergonomics and exceptional compactness of the Bahia range of mowers.

The new Bahia MKM can recycle as it cuts, chopping the grass clippings into extremely fine particles before returning them to the turf to decompose naturally. This mulch acts as a conditioner, feeding nutrients to the growing plants, plus its high water content provides essential moisture for the lawn during hot, dry spells. It’s quick, clean, environmentally-friendly and with no clippings to dispose of, mowing time is reduced.

PERFORMANCE
Compact, tenacious, flexible and multi-tasking, the Bahia MKM adapts to every terrain – A truly go-anywhere mower. A pocket-size ride-on mower, at just 0.90m wide and 1.73m long, the MKM features an incredibly tight turning circle, able to turn into every nook and cranny and can be easily transported in a van or on a trailer. The automatic gearbox allows users to go forward, stop, reverse, accelerate and brake all instantaneously and in complete safety. With its low centre of gravity, the MKM gives users excellent stability.

The MKM’s 30/70 weight distribution on the front/rear axles make it a highly stable mower that masterfully copes with slopes. A Profiled bio-cut 85cm deck and blade produces high quality mulching, whilst the lawn profile wheels give maximum lawn protection.

COMFORT
The Ideal driving position, high-comfort seat, controls on dashboard, silence and safety – with the Bahia MKM, discover a whole new world of well-being. Dashboard controls include electric starter, blade controls and hour-meter. The mower requires only the lightest touch for easy driving. From the driver’s adjustable, ergonomic seat, you have a perfect view of your working environment and all of the controls are within easy reach: cutting height selector, forward/reverse pedals, parking brake.

Safety first: Noise level under 100 dB (A), petrol tank with overflow catcher, built-in blade brake, several safety switches, the MKM complies with machine directive 2006/CE.

The easy life: A hose pipe fitting makes cleaning the cutting system quick and easy, whilst the tool-free access to the engine allows for easy maintenance thanks to quick access to all mechanical parts.

Robustness: Mechanically welded load-bearing chassis, Ø 60mm, epoxy finish with built-in strapping hooks, cutting deck especially constructed to resist long term wear under the various mulching conditions. A Step steering column cover and dashboard cover in EPP (expanded polypropylene) with its hardwearing, anti-skid properties, ensures this mower is a mower for all seasons.

Efficient: With a hydrostatic drive transmission with the engine power coming from a Kawasaki FS 481 16HP and over 90% centred on drive and blade transmission, coupled with oil changes at 50 hours then every 200 hours ensure that this new mower has been built with the user in mind.

VERSATILITY
From mulching to long grass cutting, the built-in deflector to mow long grass with side ejection can be completed. On the Bahia MKM, it is particularly easy to use, thanks to a simple system of clips, without the need tools or other spares. The deflector is retractable in the event of shock.

A Snow blade is also available as optional extra allowing users to clear snow from their paths and pavements fast. The Multi-purpose garden trailer (MRM) is the ideal Bahia accessory, making garden maintenance incredibly easy.

Robot mower gives Rovers a cutting edge at The New Lawn

Forest Green Rovers had a cutting edge for their recent final home game of the season with a new addition to the team – the ETMower from Etesia.

The robotic mower puts Forest Green Rovers in the same league as Bayern Munich, who also cares for pitch and planet using the same revolutionary technology. The state-of-the-art robotic mower uses GPS technology to automatically mow the pitch – saving groundsmen up to 50% of their working week or over 100 days of labour – and even sends a text if it runs into trouble.

Powered from 100% green electricity from solar panels on The New Lawn stadium roof, the eco-friendly mower will trim the club’s carbon footprint as well as the grass, and can be used for other sporting facilities such as rugby and cricket as well as landscape operations.

Forest Green Rovers is becoming a test-bed for the Sustainability in Sport foundation which has been established by FGR Chairman Dale Vince and former-Manchester United player Gary Neville – demonstrating the best green tactics to recommend to sports clubs across the UK.

The club has already scored several green goals by installing solar power on the stadium roof,  recycling pitch water via a water harvesting system and launching the first ever meat-free (and low carbon) football menu.

Etesia has chosen Forest Green as the UK pioneer for their fleet of emission-free pitch equipment. Forest Green Rovers Groundsman Stuart Ward is no stranger to innovation and is working towards creating Britain’s first organic football pitch at The New Lawn stadium. Last year, he also became the first person in the Britain to trial Etesia’s Bahia M2E electric ride-on mower, an innovation now being tested by the Church Commission in Westminster.

Ward said: “It’s really exciting to be trialling these products, the robot saves me time and there’s no more dirty fuel or noise to deal with.

“At the moment, we are a Blue Square Premier club, so my time is always stretched. The time I used to spend mowing can now be utilised tending to the pitch in other ways to make it the best possible surface for the players.”

The new robotic mower will even help the club reach its target of creating a 100% organic pitch, by creating organic mulch which fertilizes the pitch as it works. Etesia General Manager Les Malin said: “We feel FGR are setting the best example for other clubs, not just in football but in all sports. Forest Green Rovers is the first football club in the country to use electric and robotic mowing for its pitch.”

The last home game of the season against Darlington celebrated another step forward for ‘game changing’ green innovation in sport, and the potential doesn’t stop there. Etesia hopes that Forest Green’s pioneering approach will spread across UK industry, leading to some surprising comparisons between the pitches, farms and gardens of Britain and Bayern Munich FC.

There are three models in the range – the ETm44 for work up to 5,000m², ETm65 for work up to 9,000m² and the ETm105 for work up to 20,000m². Robot mowers reduce the cost of grass maintenance considerably, not only in terms of labour and maintenance costs, but also by cutting your energy bill. Mulch mowing is 100% natural: it does away with the need to gather up, store and dispose of the cuttings, it fertilises the soil, and it helps the lawn to stand up to drought conditions. CO2 emissions are much lower than for conventional powered mowers.

Etesia’s Pro 46 – the professional’s choice

The upkeep of domestic and amenity turf is a huge source of business for Surrey based contractor Bates Garden maintenance. Reliability of mowing equipment is essential for this work. The contractor, who works across Woking, Guildford and the rest of the Surrey area has the Etesia Pro 46 to handle part of the weekly cutting routine.

Professional end users looking for a rugged pedestrian mower designed to withstand the rigours of commercial use, need look no further than Etesia’s range of pedestrian mowers. Terry Bates, MD of the contracting company explains: “We mainly use the Pro 46 on domestic and commercial jobs where there are groups of  lawns that are on different levels, terraced, up steps or on slopes of which there are a few we maintain. We always use the pro 46 when we have laid a new lawn and it’s time for the first cut because it is light enough to not ‘pull’ any joints apart and always gives a sharp looking cut”.

Pro 46 rotaries are lightweight and easy to transport, making them ideal for use with mobile grass cutting teams. Handlebars adjust for operator comfort and fold for storage and transportation. The cutting height adjustment on each wheel provides a range of settings to suit most applications.

“We use the mower every week to maintain the gardens on a private residential road one day a week. All the rear gardens are terraced into a hill with lawns level with the roofs of the houses which is hard work but the pro 46 has helped massively.

“The pro 46 is well built, solid and reliable. We do own other mowers that fit that description but none we enjoy using as much”.

The single blade Etesia Pro 46 has a 5hp 160cc Honda petrol engine. Cutting width is 46cm, the detachable grass box with ‘full’ indicator has a capacity of 52 litres, and overall weight is just 37kg. Low vibration and noise levels meet all EU legislation and individual wheel height can be adjusted from 25mm to 88mm. There are six models in the range, with options including a mulching facility.