Product News

Club Car has new Cafe Express SE

Club Car says its new Café Express SE was designed for hilly courses with lots of hungry and thirsty golfers. The latest member of the Cafe Express line of mobile merchandising vehicles comes with a more powerful engine and industrial-grade tires to make it easier to transport food, beverages and merchandise on the most challenging of terrains.
 
The new model is built on a modified Club Car Carryall 295 SE aluminum I-beam frame and chassis and is equipped with a 23-horsepower Kawasaki engine. The SE model complements the Café Express (11.5 hp, 351 cc) and Café Express Deluxe (13 hp, 400 cc) clvehicles, which are manufactured in collaboration with Carts of Colorado.

The beefiest member of the Café Express family also comes with 23-inch, 6-ply industrial multi-surface tires.

"If you can’t get your mobile merchandising vehicles to your golfers, you’re losing revenue," said Mike Packer, vice president of worldwide sales. "This vehicle is designed to be able to go wherever your golfers are."

The new vehicle also provides additional space for trash, a second beverage dispenser and more storage space. Similar to the Cafe Express Deluxe, the SE model has 16.6 cubic feet of cold storage space with in-wall foam insulation and 3.3 cubic feet of consumable ice storage. Contact www.clubcar.com.

Turfco TriWave walking seeder available

Turfco has taken the innovations developed for its TriWave 60-inch tractor-mounted overseeder and applied them in a new and unique way to a smaller, self-propelled machine.  The company says the result is a walking seeder that increases the success of seeding operations while being easy to operate, adjust and maintain.
 
"When we launched the TriWave 60-inch overseeder in 2006, we almost immediately began getting requests from customers for a smaller, self-propelled seeder for green surrounds, tee boxes and other jobs around the course where a tractor-mounted seeder couldn't reach," said Scott Kinkead, executive vice president.  "The walking seeder fills this niche beautifully, and it's the only seeder available that can seed an entire surround in one pass, without pulling the blades out of the ground, without tearing the turf." 
 
Turfco engineers combined the unique qualities of the company's patented WaveBlade design with precise alignment of the drive wheels on the TriWave Walking to achieve the ability to turn while seeding, with minimal disruption to existing turf.  The WaveBlades are mounted on two, 18-inch wide patented independent floating seed heads capable of precisely following the ground contour, even in uneven terrain, for unmatched consistency in seed placement depth.

The seeders are powered by a Vanguard 27-horsepower V-twin engine from Briggs & Stratton. Contact http://www.turfco.com, or call 800-679-8201.

Par Aide offers Accuform profile sampler

Par Aide, the worldwide leader in providing the highest quality, innovative golf course accessories, introduces the new Accuform profile sampler.

The company says that the exclusive design of the ampler makes extracting soil samples easier than ever.  It produces undisturbed soil profile 6 inches deep, 3 inches wide and a half-inch thick.  A hinge allows user to easily view the root zone and thatch clearly, with no screws or bolts to get in the way.  Its innovative design keeps the blades from separating when inserted into the turf and also makes it easy to replace the sample after viewing. Contact a local Par Aide distributor http://www.paraide.com.

BASF Turf Talk blog launches

BASF Turf & Ornamentals has launched BASF Turf Talk, a blog developed to provide an online forum on industry issues, trends and regional happenings for the company and the turf community it serves. 

"The immediate nature of blogging gives us an opportunity to address turf professionals’ latest issues and successes," said Toni Bucci, Ph.D., BASF Turf & Ornamentals business manager. "This innovative forum also helps show both the personality and the depth of our diverse team. We’re hopeful it facilitates peer-to-peer discussions about industry challenges and opportunities."

Turf professionals can visit the blog to read and react to sales specialists’ field reports nationwide, Bucci's outlook for 2008, and tips on reading a product label, among other entries. Regular content will cover industry news, events, people and solutions, as well as technical expertise to help mitigate turf issues. For more information visit www.betterturf.com and www.betterplants.com.

EZ-Screen 750 offers value

Argus Industrial Co. has introduced its all-purpose screening machine, the EZ-Screen 750. The single-deck, portable vibratory screener has a built-in conveyor, an industry first in this size category, according to Argus.

It offers a 4- by 7-foot screen box with a tipping grizzly and is powered by an 18-horsepower Kohler V-Twin gas engine, with optional diesel. It also features EZ-Screen's patented non-hydraulic Kinetic Screen Drive that delivers optimum screening power, with fewer moving parts, better reliability, more productivity and greater economy.  But the company says its best feature is the price tag--$28,500. 

Contact 866-745-5828, http://www.ez-screen.com/.

Husqvarna acquires access to McCulloch brand name

Husqvarna has signed an agreement with Jenn Feng Co. for acquisition of the company's operation in outdoor products. This gives Husqvarna access to the McCulloch brand in the North American market. Husqvarna already owns the rights to this brand in the rest of the world.

Jenn Feng, a listed Taiwanese company, is a leading producer of chainsaws and trimmers for the consumer market. The product offering also comprises lawn mowers, high-pressure washers and generators. In 2007 the operation to be acquired reported sales of approximately $120 million, of which more than half referred to Europe. Chainsaws accounted for 50 percent of sales. The company has about 1,250 employees, and production is mainly based in China.

"Jenn Feng products will complement the Husqvarna range of handheld outdoor products for the consumer market," said Bengt Andersson, president and CEO. "The operation is a very good fit with Husqvarna, and offers substantial opportunities for increasing sales of Jenn Feng products through our global sales organization. McCulloch is a well-known brand that will be a good complement to our other brands in North America."

Otterbine releases new next generation diffused air system

Otterbine Barebo Inc. has released its next generation of diffused aeration system, the Air Flo 2. Developed in response to demand for a premium quality diffused aeration product, the new provides aeration while maintaining the natural appearance of a water feature.

Diffused aeration systems induce oxygen into water features by producing air bubbles at the pond bottom which transfer through the entire water column effectively mixing bottom and top waters breaking up thermal stratification.

Features include:

• Gast piston compressors allow for operating depths up to 40 feet
• Self-cleaning dome diffusers or traditional air stone diffusers
• No electrical connections in the water
• Shore-mounted cabinet
• Clean-air intake system
• Energy efficiency
• All-inclusive two-year warranty
• Flow rates and oxygen transfer rates independently tested
• Electrical and safety approved by ETL, ETL-C and CE
• Corrosion-resistant materials

Available in both 60HZ and 50HZ in single phase, the Air Flo 2 is safety tested and approved by ETL, ETL-C and CE. With an extensive distribution and service network established both domestically and internationally, Otterbine is able to provide quality service throughout their entire product line. Leasing options are available in the continental U.S.

Gateway Tire & Wheel opens new warehouse

Gateway Tire & Wheel Group has opened a third distribution warehouse in Lakeland, Fla., to supply and support southeast customers that have been serviced by warehouses in Litchfield, Ill., and Phoenix, Ariz.  The facility in Florida will reduce delivery time and cost. Contact 863-644-7300.