With
approximately 80 acres of sports turf making up the 250 acre estate of Merchant
Taylors’ School, the key word for Grounds Manager Richard Ayling when it comes
to maintenance is ‘efficiency’.
Delivering that
efficiency when it comes to topdressing is a Rink 2020 dropdresser from Redexim
– purchased originally for the purpose of applying loam to the schools 11
cricket squares, but now demonstrating versatility for year-round applications
around the site.
Richard and his team of nine are
responsible for the upkeep of the surfaces, which alternate between summer and winter sports for use by both the pupils and a number of teams from the
community. “It’s a high usage site and the equipment we use needs to be able to
keep up with the tight turnarounds and renovation windows we have to work to” explains
Richard, who has been at the independent day school for 26 years.
“Every cricket renovation season,
we’re applying around 32 tonnes of loam dressing and our previous machine would
only hold a quarter of a tonne at a time so we needed something bigger to make
the job quicker and less labour intensive.” After researching the options
available, it was a Rink 2020 that fitted the bill – accurately and evenly
distributing dressings and offering a 2.0m3 hopper
capacity, equating to two tonnes of cricket loam per load.
“What we didn’t want with a bigger
machine is something that would result in increased compaction. The design of
the Rink, with its large rear tyres, effectively spreads
the weight so we pass over the squares and leave no marks. It’s incredibly easy
to use and adjust meaning we can simply load it up and go – getting the
operation done, quicker and with improved quality of distribution.”
Thanks to its ability to accurately
adjust the spreading thickness, once cricket renovation season is complete in
early autumn, the Rink will then switch to hold sand and/or topdressing
soil for in-season dressing and repairs to the football pitches and lawned
areas. “What was initially purchased as a solution to one specific problem, has
become a versatile machine which we use in different ways throughout the
maintenance calendar. It’s been a fantastic addition to our fleet.”
