SWITCHED ON TRADE DAY Makita launch 30 new products by TurfPro Editor, Laurence Gale MSC, MBPR
I was fortunate to be invited to a fascinating trade event last week which was well attended by a varied horticultural and landscape sector audience.
Last week I was fortunate to be asked to attend a Makita Trade day at the superb Walton Hall (Mercure) Hotel in Warwickshire, located just a stone's throw away from Shakespeare's birthplace. The Walton Hall Hotel & Spa is a 16th century Grade II listed building set in 65 acres of private grounds - an ideal setting for the day’s event.
This grand residence was once owned by famous drag artist and comedian, Danny La Rue, in the 70s. The Hall was then passed on through several hands before finally being acquired by the present owners who now run the hotel resort, which made for an impressive setting for this event.
Makita had kindly arranged overnight accommodation for many of the delegates, who had travelled far and wide, offering opportunity to network with fellow attendees. I spoke at length with Kevin Brannigan, the company’s marketing manager, finding out more about the event and what Makita had in store for us.
Kevin has worked for Makita for over 20 years and has seen many new products come to market. He was very excited about the new range of cordless garden products that Makita was launching at the event. Particularly as the day was attended by a varied horticultural and landscape sector audience.
Makita say its products are renowned for its build quality and performance, particularly the range of construction tools - which the building sector has taken as one of the industry’s standards.
With over 100 years of trading and manufacturing experience, Makita believes the key to its vision is the constant strive for innovation and development of new products. I was astounded to hear that the company has in excess of 270 products in its product portfolio that work with the 18v LXT battery platform covering both 18v and twin 18v (36v) – at this event Makita launched a further 30 new products.
Makita manufactures its tools in plants across the globe, from its headquarters in Japan to here, in the UK. Its Telford manufacturing plant is the only production facility for power tools in the UK and has been successfully running construction on many of our top line cordless power tools since 1991.
Makita's acquisition of Dolmar in 1991 has also meant that it has one of the strongest histories in the outdoor power equipment market and the plant in Germany constantly delivers tools worldwide to a high quality.
At the heart of its manufacturing process is the belief that for a good tool you need a good motor, and Makita makes every effort to make sure its motors are of the best quality. Makita sources what it describes as the absolute best raw materials and components in order to build the most powerful and efficient motors possible.
With the world going down a new path of renewable energies, Makita, like many other competitors, are embracing new battery and motor technologies to provide a more efficient and clean way of powering tools.
Makita now offers over 100 gardening tools:-
• 23 hedge trimmer options including 10 cordless • 25 line trimmers and brush cutter options including 13 cordless • 26 chainsaw options including 7 cordless • 9 petrol rotary lawn mowers • 4 electric (Cable) lawn mowers • 18 battery cordless lawn mowers • 2 electric scarifies • 3 battery grass shears • 11 blowers including 8 cordless options • 1 electric shredder • 2 cordless battery pack pruners • And more to come
The event started with a warm welcome and introduction to the day’s event by Mark Earles, Makita business development manager for garden machinery, who ran through a number of slides and spoke about the vast range of products Makita produces and highlighted the many new products we would be testing throughout the day.
L-R Mark Earles Business Development Manager Kevin Brannigan Marketing Manager.
The delegates were spilt into seven groups and were given the opportunity to try out the new products across seven workstations. There was certainly something for everyone to see and try out. I personally, was particularly drawn towards the mowers, line trimmers, blowers and hedge cutters as I tend to use these when maintaining a number of my clients’ gardens.
One of the first products I tried was the self-propelled DLM533 a 530mm (21") cordless lawn mower powered by two 18v LXT Li-Ion batteries in series. The new mowers will take four batteries to work as a dual fuel tank, which means for larger areas when the first pair of batteries run down, operators can simply flick the switch and change over to the second pair of batteries and continue working.
Recommended for lawns up to 2,300m², with a running time of around 30 mins (for each pair of batteries), it was light and manoeuvrable with easy handlebar controls and it runs very quietly. It cuts well and seemed very robust - however I would like to try it out on some more testing ground conditions.
I then visited the hedge trimming stand and caught up with one of the company’s demonstrators who showed me the new DUN500W - a 500mm cordless pole hedge trimmer powered by a single 18v LXT Li-Ion battery. I was very impressed with its cutting performance and the way it is easily handled. A very well balanced and light in weight (3.9-4.4 KG) hedge trimmer.
The next product I tried was the new cordless 36v LXT backpack pruning shears. The DUP361ZN, provides 36v of power and features a 2-stage blade opening adjustment which varies according to the size of the branch. The shear has a maximum cutting capacity of 33mm and a maximum blade opening of 54mm. The blade can be interlocked with the trigger providing smooth blade movement similar to that of a hand pruner. A newly designed, slim backpack harness provides comfort, while an arm band and cord holder prevent the connection cord from dangling around the operator’s body and from getting caught on branches.
Using two 5.0Ah Li-Ion batteries a run time of three working days is delivered, although branches and growth of wider diameter can reduce this slightly. The charge time of a 5.0 Ah battery using a Makita fast charger is 45 minutes and Makita’s intelligent battery technology heightens charge retention. Including the back-pack harness, this model has a net weight of 3.3kg, has low sound and low vibration levels.
The line trimmers and brush cutters were again neat, light and compact and offered a durable harness and battery pack system to extend running times.
Makita’s new models, the DUR369A and DUR369L, offer Active Feedback Sensing Technology (AFT) that shuts down the tool to protect the user if the rotation speed suddenly slows down along with Automatic Torque Drive Technology that automatically changes the cutting speed according to load condition for optimum performance. The 1kw motor is equivalent to a 33cc 2-stroke engine and Makita recommend professional users to consider the PDC01 back-pack battery system for extended run-times.
Finally, I tried out a couple of blowers - the DUB184 that has a running time of between 9 to 55 minutes depending on the power setting you have it set on, along with the DUB363 that has a running time of between 9 – 30 minutes. Both were very light and benefitted from low hand vibration and noise levels. Again, there are options to increase running times with the universal PDC01 battery back-pack system where the batteries are interchangeable within the back-pack rather than having an integrated back-pack battery system where the entire unit needs to be recharged, so again contractors can carry on working and downtime is reduced.
I was also impressed by the large range of power chainsaws now available. 36 in total, of which 20 models are electric / cordless battery operated. They come in various sizes and offer some great safety devices, particularly the instant stopping lock of the chain when you release the trigger.
Makita’s twin 18v brushless top handle chain saw LXT DUC306Z is a cordless top handle model powered by 18vx2 LXT Li-Ion batteries in series.
While on the subject of chainsaws, Makita had commissioned a Chainsaw Artist, Matthew Crabb to demonstrate his chain sawing skills during the event.
Matthew started his own chainsaw carving business in 2006. To begin with he produced small sculptures and portable art, inspired by his natural surroundings in Exmoor national park. As the business grew, he travelled all over the country demonstrating the carving process at shows and selling smaller pieces whilst producing commission work.
The final station was centred on the Makita construction industry’s national standard range of power tools. There are too many to count but all are very well made and do what they say on the tin.
There was something for everyone to see and try at the event and above all the weather was very kind to the organisers, with the sun shining throughout the demonstrations. I am sure, like me, all those who attended had an enjoyable experience and got to learn a lot more about the vast choice and range of Makita tools and applications on offer.
I would like to thank Mark and Kevin for inviting me and putting on a well organised event that certainly captivated the 100 plus delegates that attended.
This week's WEB ONLY story is that BIGGA says it has been estimated that 25% of small businesses don’t reopen after a serious emergency and they don’t want golf clubs to be on that list.
ETL, a Labosport Group company in Central Scotland, are now the official testing laboratory for The R&A, supporting testing for all professional and amateur event venues.
European Turfgrass Laboratories (ETL) a Labosport Group company in Central Scotland, have announced they now the official testing laboratory for The R&A, supporting testing for all professional and amateur event venues.
Sharon Singleton-Bruce, managing director of ETL said, “This is an amazing opportunity for the laboratory, and we are looking forward to working with The R&A’s agronomists, Alistair Beggs, Richard Windows and Adam Newton.”
Testing for The R&A includes several of ETL’s Golf Green Health Testing (GGHI) tests using bespoke sampling kits. This service is providing course managers and agronomists with data for the performance of their golf greens, including undisturbed infiltration rates, organic matter content at incremental depths and nutrient analysis.
ETL is A2LA-accredited in the field of “Geotechnical, Putting Green Materials” since 1997, with experience of testing venues from all over the world. They say tha adhering to the rigorous protocols of the accreditation provides the industry’s most reliable laboratory data.
Alistair Beggs, head of agronomy at The R&A said, "We are delighted to be partnering ETL laboratories, and we are looking forward to working with Charles and Sharon who are able to give us the supporting information and knowledge we need to ensure the venues we use are maintained optimally and provide first class surfaces for member and championship golf. “
Company recognised their overall Dealer of the Year for ‘Excellence in Customer Support’ alongside Outstanding Performance in Service, Skills and Parts.
Reesink Turfcare recognised its dealers at its annual Aftermarket Dealer Awards ceremony, which was held in February.
Recognising an overall Dealer of the Year for ‘Excellence in Customer Support’ alongside Outstanding Performance in Service, Skills and Parts, Reesink say the awards acknowledge the top performers in customer service across their UK dealer network.
The winners, from left: Nathan Bond, Oliver Landpower, Russell Revill, Revill Mowers, Mark Woodward and Kyle Muldoon, Cheshire Turf Machinery, Glen McVittie, Lloyd Ltd, Graham Hall, RedTech Machinery, Simon Burton and Martin Bell, Lloyd Ltd and Jason Revill, Revill Mowers.
The Dealer of the Year Award for Excellence in Customer Support was presented to Lloyd Ltd. While Cheshire Turf Machinery in Stockport was awarded for Outstanding Service, Lloyd Ltd for Outstanding Skills and Revill Mowers in Gloucestershire for Outstanding Parts.
David Jackman, Reesink’s operations manager, said, “As a distributor, we are focussed on the way we communicate with our customers and the way we deal with customer support. It’s why we work closely with our dealers and delight in awarding those who do more to offer the very best in customer service.”
Reflecting on the win, groundcare service manager Glen McVittie at Lloyd Ltd, said, “Winning these awards is a real reflection of our team and their hard work. At Lloyd Ltd, we are committed to both investing in our staff to realise their full potential and offering our customers the best possible service and results. We are thrilled to have had that recognised by Reesink and to have come away with the top prize for Dealer of the Year and the award for Skills.”
Runners up in the categories are The Mowershop in Northamptonshire for Service, Oliver Landpower in Hertfordshire for Skills, RedTech Machinery in Coventry for Parts and Cheshire Turf Machinery for Excellence in Customer Support.
Reesink awards those dealers achieving the best scores in keeping with its Service Level Agreement (SLA), which the company says benchmarks great customer service. Rated on quarterly Key Performance Indicators (KPI), within each of the three sections, the Dealer of the Year Award combines the KPI scores from all three.
David explained more about the scheme, saying “Over the years, we have continued to invest in our customer service and especially so in our after sales offering. One of the ways we showcase to our customers the quality of Reesink’s service is through our Service Level Agreement, which is adopted by all our Authorised Service and Dealer Locations. With this, customers can be sure that our excellent dealer network reflects Reesink’s core customer service standards, goals and considerations, and these awards are further proof of that.”
Mark Woodward, service director at Cheshire Turf Machinery, said, “By committing to following Reesink UK’s service level agreement, our service department has been elevated to the next level. To see the result of that acknowledged by winning the award for Service and finishing as the runner up for Dealer of the Year is extremely pleasing and a strong testament to the hard work of our after sales team.”
David concluded, “Over the years, we have continued to invest in our customer service and especially so in our after sales offering and to see that represented by the dealers so brilliantly means we are achieving in our goal to keep on improving the overall experience for all our customers.”
The Chicago Athenaeum Museum recently presented Cub Cadet with a Good Design award for its new XZ5 Ultima Series zero-turns - for 'innovative and cutting-edge industrial product design' in the tools category.
The Chicago Athenaeum Museum recently presented Cub Cadet with a Good Design award for its new XZ5 Ultima Series zero-turns - for 'innovative and cutting-edge industrial product design' in the tools category.
The organisers of the awards, which have been presented for 70 years, say they recognise “design of the highest form, function and aesthetic . . . a standard beyond ordinary.”
Phil Noble, divisional ,manager, Lawn and Garden, E.P. Barrus in the UK says, “These new XZ5 Ultima machines have been on sale in America which leads the market on zero-turns and have smashed all sales records. The sales have been so successful that they have not only increased the line-up of Ultima machines but have also had to increase the production lines to keep up with demand.
"Cub Cadet has been at the forefront of the zero-turn market in the UK because our tractors have enabled customers to have zero-turn performance but with traditional steering wheel controls. However, in the UK, lap bar tractors are becoming more and more popular, so we are excited to add these machines to our range.
"We showcased these machines at the end of last year and our dealers have really got behind them, our sales have already increased dramatically.”
Cub Cadet say the full journey of the XZ5 Ultima took six months, including input from 1,300 customers and more than 63,000 hours of engineering and testing.
“We knew we had something very special [on] our hands based on how the project came together," said Dennis Fowler, industrial design lead for MTD Products Inc. “We’ve already expanded the line up to reach new audiences for 2020, and we look forward to continuing our quest for innovation within this product line.”
Established in the 1980s, Hansa, a family run company, based in New Zealand, specialises in the design and manufacture of brush chipping and shredding equipment.
Hansa produces machines suitable for use by a landscaper, professional arborist or other commercial user - plus models for the garden at home.
Discussing the new acquisition, Peter Chaloner, managing director of Henton & Chattell, said “As ever, we’ve used our unique insight that we’ve gained from our extensive network of dealers across the country to find out what the demand is.
"Hansa products absolutely fit the bill for what people are looking for. We believe there is nothing else on the UK market that is this powerful and efficient, and the feedback we gained when we have introduced and demonstrated them to dealers backs that up”.
For large-scale, commercial applications there is the C21 and the C27, both featuring heavy-duty cutting disks. The C27 has a 360-degree turntable that allows feeding from any direction.
Domestic gardeners can choose between electric and petrol options with the C3E and the C4, both weighing 70kg. The C7 features a 6.5hp petrol engine and is suitable larger gardens. For landscapers the C13, with a 13hp engine is available.
Head greenkeeper, John Cunningham, praises new pedestrian mower which he uses to maintain the small, 9 greens course.
As the only golf course on the island, head greenkeeper John Cunningham works hard to keep the surfaces at the Isle of Skye Golf Club in first-class condition.
After joining in April 2019, John says he was quick to identify the need for a new pedestrian mower to maintain the small, but perfectly formed, 9 greens. After an impressive demonstration, John says it was a 22” Infinicut floating head mower or nothing.
Head greenkeeper, John Cunningham
The club’s coastal location, in the shadow of the Red Cuillin mountains, provides a picture-postcard backdrop for players of all abilities. “The greens are small and can be cut in under two hours, but I was keen to introduce some new machinery to make the process cleaner and improve the finish” explains John. After speaking with the committee and a friend at another course, John organised a demonstration of the 22” Infinicut.
“Oliver Hall from MTD Specialty Turf Products came in at the end of October and a few passes of the floating head machine over our practice putting green was enough to seal the deal. The cut quality was like nothing I’d ever seen and the range of TMSystem cassettes to go with it made this the obvious choice for us. I had other demonstrations lined up, but I told the Captain to cancel them – I was sold!”
John also purchased the SarelRoller, UltraGroomer and SMARTVibe cassettes from the TMSystem.
“On demonstration we cut the green to 5mm, UltraGroomed, re-cut and then followed up with a pass of the vibrating cassette. The lady secretary then came out to putt and was gobsmacked when her ball rolled straight off the green!” John collected his TMSystem cassettes and 22” Infinicut FL in person following a tour of the MTD factory in Sheffield.
“Together with an overall improvement in cut quality and finish we’ve already achieved a fantastic improvement in our greens speed. Over the winter period, where the ground became softer, the floating head coped impeccably with the subtle humps and hollows of our greens leaving not a mark on the surface.”
L-R: Richard Overton (Overton UK) & Robert Mitchell (md of Dublin Grass Machinery)
After successful demonstrations with Robert Mitchell, the Dublin Grass sales team, along with some of their customers, decided to invest in the range of demonstration mowers.
Richard Overton says he and Robert's father Stan go back many years which was a factor in taking on the range - combined with confidence in the knowledge that the commercial mowers have been in the UK for the last five years and manufactured in the US for 11 years.
Robert said, "Many of our customers have already bought smaller battery powered grounds maintenance equipment from us, but they are now asking us to supply large commercial electric mowers. With the Mean Green walk behind, stand-on and zero turn mowers we can now meet those requirements."
The Jensen team at Machinery Imports say there were delighted to return for the third year to Wiltshire College supporting a fundraising activity that has reached over £40,000 since December.
The Jensen team at Machinery Imports say they were delighted to return for the third year to Wiltshire College and University Centre in February, supporting a fundraising activity that has reached over £40,000 since December.
Bill Johnston of Jensen and Stuart Fry (5th from left) of T H White Groundcare with Wiltshire College staff
Delivered each year at the Lackham campus, Wiltshire College and Jensen join forces with Dorothy House to chip over 3,500 unwanted Christmas trees collected throughout January from the Wiltshire and Swindon area.
Dorothy House is a charity which provides end of life care and support for patients with terminal illnesses across Wiltshire and North East Somerset.
In January, their volunteers collected more than 3,500 Christmas trees, delivering trees to the Lackham campus where a Jensen A540 woodchipper, loaned free of charge from local Jensen dealer T H White Groundcare, was on hand to reduce them ready for upcycling.
Bill Johnston with Wiltshire College staff and students
The session was delivered by Bill Johnston, business manager for Jensen in the UK, partnered by Stuart Fry, area sales manager at T H White Groundcare, who not only managed the chipping of the trees but also demonstrated and taught safe industry practice to students and apprentices on Lackham’s Horticulture and Landcaping courses.
“Each year we are delighted to return and support this excellent fundraising initiative in partnership with Dorothy House and the team at Lackham” commented Bill.
“Not only do we help transform unwanted trees into something useful, we provide the students with valuable, practical experience in woodchipper use and safety, and help Dorothy House with their campaign which is always hugely successful and of great benefit in our wider community.”
Fran D’Argenio, Marketing Officer at the college, added, “Lackham’s Horticulture and Landscape Gardening apprentices and students benefited hugely from the workshop, chipping some 3,500 Christmas trees. The learners gained real hands-on experience and invaluable industry knowledge, as well as participating in a great effort for charity which raised over £40,000.”
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Greenworks, the world’s leading garden cordless products brand, plus Cramer, with its professional cordless range, will both be showcasing their latest products and green credentials at the very first UK Earth Day event - and you can register your attendance now.
Greenworks, the world’s leading garden cordless products brand, plus Cramer, with its professional cordless range, will both be showcasing their latest products and green credentials at the very first UK Earth Day event on 7th April at the Castle Bromwich Hall hotel, Birmingham.
As a sponsor of Earth Day, which is celebrated worldwide on the 22nd April, Greenworks will be launching the innovative new 48V lawnmower plus highlighting its whole range of battery-powered garden products. All are designed to be kind to the environment and easy to use.
Cramer will be demonstrating its 82V range designed for the most demanding users. Developed for the toughest jobs, this range offers optimal power and excellent ergonomics. Cramer’s 82V products are designed to provide professional power with no direct emissions of carbon dioxide.
Cramer’s battery-operated tools use brushless motors which require no maintenance and are lightweight. The 82V equipment delivers significant power and this optimal voltage means the battery cells do not always need to be fully powered, increasing their life expectancy. With Cramer you get full power, with green energy.
To register your attendance please contact: marketing@handydistribution.co.uk. You can also visit www.greenworkstools.eu or www.cramertools.com for more information on the range of battery products
Bernhard and Company have invested heavily in research and development to update their latest machines. The latest innovative features and technologies have been incorporated into their new products, improving the user experience.
Bernhard and Company have invested heavily in research and development to update their latest machines. The latest innovative features and technologies have been incorporated into our new products, improving the user experience by:
increasing the control and accuracy of the grind
improving the ease of use of the machine
enhancing the ergonomics and safety
increasing speed and efficiency of the whole grind process
The Express Dual 5500 is a fully connected reel mower system and is the world’s fastest and easiest to use reel sharpener. It now comes with a unique laser reel surveying system allowing for correction and high precision reel conditioning. The mowers can now be grounded in-situ, without the need to remove bedknives or rollers and this ensure there is a super-fast turnaround in the total grind time, from floor-to-floor (Greens units: 5 minutes, Fairway units: 15 minutes).
The new Anglemaster 4500 is the fully connected bedknife sharpening solution that works in perfect collaboration with the Express Dual 5500. It provides a fully customisable platform for your bedknife sharpening needs, giving the user full flexibility on how, what and the way they sharpen. The Anglemaster is the world’s most popular bedknife grinder because of its fast setup with repeatable consistent results however, it has now been upgraded with the latest innovation including:
A totally new control system
7.5” screen menu grinding programme
Contactless RFID technology
Wireless handset
Redesigned mounting bar with tri-magnet assist
Variable speed auto-traverse system
Bedknife grinder innovations that offer a faster setup with repeatable, consistent results.
