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PRODUCT NEWS |
Par Aide, manufacturer of golf course accessories, introduces the Accuform Profile Sampler. Developed to make extracting soil samples easier, the Accuform Profile Sampler yields an undisturbed soil profile 6 inches deep, 3 inches wide and ½ inch thick. An easy to use hinge allows users to view the root zone and thatch clearly with no screws or bolts in the way. The device’s design keeps the blades from separating when inserted into the turf and also makes replacing the sample after viewing easy, according to the company. Contact Par Aide, 888-893-2433 (www.paraide.com).
Caterpillar has launched its new B2 series of skid steer loaders and multi-terrain loaders that feature an improved operator station, an advanced hydraulic system and a range of standard features and options. The new line features six models of skid steers and two multiterrain loaders, all with pilot-operated joystick controls for reduced operator fatigue and increased productivity. Power trains supply high engine horsepower and torque, enabling part-throttle operation for lower sound levels and fuel consumption. An optional high-flow hydraulic system is available on three models for applications requiring maximum work tool performance, the company says. Contact Caterpillar, (www.cat.com).
The new TerrainCut line of rotary mowers from John Deere Golf includes the 8800 mower and the 7400 trim and surrounds mower. Both machines are designed to provide better hill-climbing and traction abilities with the company’s exclusive GRIP all-wheel-drive traction system that ensures hydraulic traction power is maintained at all times. Wheel slip is minimized by diverting hydraulic flow from slipping wheels to those with grip, the company says. With 43.1 hp for the 8800 and 37.1 hp on the 7400, the mowers feature turbo-charged diesel engines and are built to follow terrain contours with a double-yoke mounting system. The 8800 features five 21-inch rotary mowers and an 88-inch cutting span while the 7400 offers three 27-inch decks and a width-on-demand feature. Its reach system on both machines enables users to shift either the front right or left decks to a maximum of 15 inches outside the front tires for trimming around bunkers or hazards, the company says. Contact John Deere Golf, 800-537-8233
(www.johndeere.com).
Rain Bird Golf has introduced two new classes of variable frequency drive pump stations — water feature and intermediate flow. Available in flows up to 10,000 gallons per minute, the water feature pump station allows users to customize a golf course water feature’s appearance. These pumps also feature an energy-saving night run mode designed to keep water from becoming stagnant when the water feature isn’t running at full capacity. The intermediate flow pump station consists of single horizontal end suction pump stations built to boost pressure on golf courses with elevation changes or lake transfer needs, the company says. The intermediate flow pumps can also serve as the main irrigation pump station for smaller courses configured for flooded suction or suction lift. They feature flow rates of up to 750 gallons per minute. Both stations offer a full-color or backlit monochrome touch screen operator panel and a powder coating for corrosion protection. Contact Rain Bird Golf, 800-724-6247 (www.rainbird.com).
Spal USA recently launched an online retail Web site with access to its line of automotive products, fans, blowers and other automotive accessories. Available at www.spalusa.com, the e-commerce site is incorporated into the company’s main Web page. Visitors can access the store by logging onto the site and clicking on the “webstore” link on the home page. Complete with a shopping cart system that tracks purchases and allows for review before final purchase, the site offers product descriptions, pricing, downloadable engineering diagrams and recommendations for accessories. Contact Spal USA, 800-345-0327 (www.spalusa.com).
The Siphon King extension/replacement hose from King Innovation is the newest complement to its utility pump. The extension/replacement hose is easy to attach and designed for any size of Siphon King pump, the company says. Equipped with a 72-inch flexible hose that directs water away from the work site, the extension/replacement hose offers additional length ideal for irrigation valve boxes, meter pits, pipe trenches and other places where water accumulates. The hose evacuates water quickly and easily, the company adds. A hose coupler also accompanies the product to extend any existing pump hose. Contact King Innovation, 800-633-0232 (www.kinginnovation.com).
The first two-piece, lead-free golf tee has hit the golf market, according to PrideSports, maker of Insignia golf tees. Made with a patent-pending, two-color design, Insignia golf tees use less wood, generating 80 percent less waste than a traditional golf tee, the company says. The tees are produced using nontoxic, lead-free stain, making the tee environmentally friendly and safe for humans. The tees come in two sizes — 2¾ and 3¼ inches. Four color patterns are available, including red/natural, blue/natural, green/natural and cherry stain. Contact PrideSports, (www.pridegolftee.com).
Dow AgroSciences says it has received approval from the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services to reduce the buffer zone for its Curfew soil fumigant to 30 feet from occupied structures. The buffer zone was requested by Florida superintendents and other custom applicators, the company says, adding that the 30-foot buffer zone gives users more flexibility in critical areas such as tees and greens. Dow will now request a similar reduction in buffer zone distance in seven other states where Curfew has a Section 24(c) label — Georgia, South Carolina, North Carolina, Mississippi, Alabama, Louisiana and Texas. The Curfew Section 23(c) label allows application on fairways, roughs, tees and greens. Contact Dow AgroSciences, 800-255-3726 (www.dowagro.com).
A cross conveyor and swivel kit assembly attachment from Tycrop fits all versions of the company’s ProPass 180. Designed to add to the flexibility and functionality of the ProPass, the attachment can be removed and installed without tools using the company’s quick-attaching mounting brackets. The swivel rotates 180 degrees, thereby increasing its usefulness around the course, the company says. Weighing 140 pounds, the unit features a conveyor length of 65 inches and a belt width of 8 inches. Contact Tycrop, 800-845-7249
(www.tycropturf.com).
An online training module to educate superintendents about Trinity fungicide from BASF Turf & Ornamentals is now available. For current and future Trinity users, the new module, available at www.betterturf.com, offers use sites, key benefits, recommended turfgrasses and diseases controlled. Kyle Miller, the company’s senior technical specialist, gives interactive narrative, and a concluding quiz lets superintendents measure their comprehension of the subject. The company says it plans on launching more training modules targeted at lawn care operators and commercial growers later this year. Contact BASF Turf & Ornamentals, (www.betterturf.com).
The Greensaire 24 aerator from Jacobsen features new quad tine holders and a matching turf guard. The quad tine holders will remove nearly 12 percent of the greens area covered with each aeration, according to the company, which adds that removing the recommended 20 percent of greens area can be accomplished in two aerations using the Greensaire 24. The holes are also said to heal more quickly and be less noticeable in a shorter period of time. The quad tine holder kit includes new turf guard assembly for 1-inch by 1-inch spacing, a set of ½-inch ID coring tines and windrow attachment. Contact Jacobsen, 888-922-8873 (www.jacobsen.com).
Valent Professional Products announces its Stellar fungicide is registered by the EPA. A tool for Pythium disease control in turf, Stellar combines fluopicolide with propamocarb. The mode of action from the duo of active ingredients and the fungicide’s new chemical class make the product another resource for superintendents to use in chemical rotation, the company says. Contact Valent Professional Products, (www.valentpro.com/stellar).
GroundLinkx recently unveiled CourseVision Web, a Google Earth-based interface that provides instant visual reference and history of a golf course. The software adds a high-resolution GPS-corrected aerial photo of a golf course in addition to golf-specific tools, calculations, views and data to the standard Google Earth offerings. CourseVision Web is the latest of the company’s suite of software aimed at golf operations, including CourseVision Desktop, CourseVision 3D and Course-Vision Tournament. Contact GroundLinkx LLC, (www.groundlinkx.com).
The Toro Co.’s new Pro Force engine-driven debris blower features a turbine-style design that the company says offers more available air flow and greater debris-clearing air power. A single-piece, plastic nozzle is designed for durability and damage resistance, while an electronic governor supplies precise engine speed control, the company adds. A hand-held wireless RF controller provides the ability to start and stop the blower, adjust engine throttle up and down and rotate the nozzle 360 degrees from the seat of a Toro Workman or utility vehicle. Contact The Toro Co., 800-803-8676 (www.toro.com).
Ronstar Flo herbicide from Bayer Environmental Science is now registered for use in California, the company announces. A flowable product containing oxadiazon, Ronstar Flo is registered for use on dormant golf course, park and athletic field turf, plus on ornamentals and ground covers. The herbicide can be applied to newly planted and established plants and its use is particularly beneficial in new, shallow-rooted landscape plants, the company says. Ronstar Flo provides pre-emergence control of cheeseweed, common groundsel, common purselane, lambsquarters, oxalis, pigweed, spurge, goosegrass, crabgrass, annual bluegrass and more. The product, which can be tank-mixed with post-emergence products to control annual weeds, is available in containers with 3.17 pounds of active ingredient per gallon. Contact Bayer Environmental Science, (www.bayerprocentral.com).
Arysta LifeScience North America announces federal EPA approval of an expanded label for Disarm fungicide for control of dollar spot and large patch zoysiagrass in golf courses, lawn care, sports turf management and sod production. The company says that Disarm is the only strobilurin fungicide labeled for control of light-to-moderate dollar spot infestations and is ideal tank-mixed with systemic or contact fungicides for optimal dollar spot control and resistance management. Contact Arysta LifeScience North America,
(www.arystalifescience.com).
Kraken aquatic herbicide from Phoenix Environmental Care LLC includes the active ingredient triclopyr to control undesirable aquatic species, woody plants and certain annual and perennial aquatic plants, according to the company. Kraken’s mode of action is said to be effective on nuisance aquatic, wetland and ditch-bank species such as Eurasian watermilfoil, purple loosestrife, alligatorweed and Phragmites. Ideal for use in lakes, ponds, reservoirs, wetlands, nonirrigation canals, banks and shores, Kraken will be offered in a soluble liquid formulation with 3 pounds of active ingredient per gallon. Water treated with Kraken can be used immediately for swimming, fishing and watering livestock, the company adds. The product comes packaged in 2.5-, 30- and 120-gallon containers. Contact Phoenix Environmental Care LLC, (www.phoenixenvcare.com).
The new ProPlus Aqua-pHix from Profile Products LLC is a blend of chelated, buffered acid with a pH less than 1.0 to help manage hard water and highly alkaline soil, the company says. Safe for people, equipment and turf, ProPlus Aqua-pHix is said to decrease pH of soil solution to make it more chemically conducive to plant growth; flush unwanted salts; reduce bicarbonates in soil; make nutrients more readily available in soil solutions for plant uptake and conversion; facilitate complete nutrient use to minimize runoff into bodies of water; and loosen soils to improve water infiltration and promote root development. The product is available in three formulations — granular, spray and fertigation. Contact Profile Products LLC, 800-207-6457 (www.profileproducts.com).
The Sterling ET with flow control, a new specialized irrigation controller from Storm Manufacturing Group Inc., is designed to reduce water use and use several communication management technologies. The controller accurately disburses the amount of water needed without over- or underwatering, the company says, by using data sources to monitor real-time weather conditions and adjust its watering schedule accordingly. This model can accommodate Water2Save, a cellular-based service, and Weather Reach, a signal-based communication receiver. Both services update the controller with weather data regularly and allow users to access it through the Internet or a cell phone. Contact Storm Manufacturing Group Inc., 800-210-2525 (www.stormind.com).
Editor’s note: In the January 2008 issue of GCM, a measurement of a product was incorrectly made in feet instead of inches in a “Product news” listing. The following is the corrected version.
A new drag mat design from Cambridge International offers dramatic improvements in aeration and grooming of turf surfaces, the company says. The mat features an 11-gauge rod with a clinched edge instead of the conventional 13-gauge rod and smashed edge. These features increase the strength of the mats and prevent distortion, which eliminates snagging common in drag mat applications, the company says. A new, patent-pending rivet-free U-bar design provides a reversible mat with no rivets that dig into the turf. The drag mat is available in three styles: a traditional 1-inch-by-1-inch, a 3-inch-by-1-inch style for aeration, and a variable mesh style for high-sand-content applications. Contact Cambridge International, 877-485-0647 (www.dragmats.com).
Pest control decoys from Renzo’s Decoys are chemical-free, weatherproof and offer instant setup. Designed to clear golf courses and other areas of geese, other nuisance animals and their droppings, the decoys offer a safe, humane and effective method for eliminating unwanted birds and other critters from a property, the company says. Renzo’s coyote and red fox decoys can be hung from a branch or be freestanding with ground stakes that come included. Contact Renzo’s Decoys, 800-583-5416 (www.renzosdecoys.com).
New deep drip tree watering stakes from Underhill International are designed to help promote healthier trees on golf courses by applying water, oxygen and fertilizer directly to root zones, the company says. Available in three lengths — 14-, 24- and 36-inch — the 1-inch-wide stakes can be incorporated into an automatic irrigation system. All deep drip stakes include a slotted cap for easy drip line attachment, and the tapered heads offer a perforated lower shaft to maximize water and fertilizer saturation, the company adds. An internal filter is built to keep out rocks and dirt. Constructed from ABS plastic and equipped with a specially engineered ABS cap for sledge hammer installation, the stakes can be rotated periodically so roots can be broken up. The cap is UV-protected against cracking or weathering. Contact Underhill International, 866-863-3744 (www.underhill.us).
Standard Golf Co. releases its Magnum ball dispenser, a new range ball distribution system that it says eases the burden of ball management and range cleanup for crews by eliminating traditional range ball baskets. Instead, the system automatically distributes balls into disposable bags that hold up to 70 balls at once. Easily programmable, the token-based dispenser delivers the right number of balls each time and is customizable, the company says. Staff can select the number of range balls for small, medium or large orders. The device is programmable in 12 languages and can deliver custom messages to greet customers. The system features a 12,000 range ball and 2,000 bag capacity and a photo eye sensor to alert crews when the ball count is low or empty. An anti-jamming monitor is said to work through ball jams on its own before alerting maintenance staff. Contact Standard Golf Co., 866-743-9773 (www.standardgolf.com).
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