Top Dressing Tractor

Connor O Neil of Waterville in Co.Kerry bought the first new John Deere 5R Series utility tractor from dealer Seamus Weldon of Killarney in 2009, and it made an immediate impact on his fledging business. Connor set up Rubber Pitches Ireland in 2008 after several years` reserch into pitch mangement system throughou Europe, and user his 100hp 5100R Tractor to top dress sport pitches with special material made by Cumb Rubber Ireland in County Louth. Made from recycled tyres, the ruber pellets are used instead of sand to help relieve compaction and improve drainage and root density on natural grass playing surfaces throughout Ireland. The Material has been independently tested by the Sport Turf Research Institute (STRI) in the UK, and has been shown to improve problem area on sport area pitches and enhance thier overall performance. Treating one pitch use the equivalent of around 6000 to 8000 tyres: the system is already established in Europe and US, but is still relatively new to Ireland. " I wanted to expand the operation of my landscaping company,and this developed from our existing top dressing business" says Conor O Neil. " Its an effective use of a wate product, with obvious environmental benefits. Rubber had advantages over sand, which will aerate the soil but can be abrasive at crown of the grass, whereas the rubber material will do the same aeration job, but can also cushion the grass against impact and wear" In work, the John Deere 5100R tractor carries an Acuspread top dresser and a Wiedenmann Terra Spike XP8 high-performance aerator " I specified the tractor with a front linkage, which is ideal as I can carry both implementsto the work-site at the same time and do both jobs with one machines" says Conor. "The tractor carries about 7 tonnes with ease when the spreader is full, and its`s very well put together. There`s lots of space in the cab, which is very quiet, all the controls are at your fingertips, and it has great visbility.  "The landscaping business has used John Deere mowers and other machines for many year, so we already had a good relationship with Michael Weldon from the dealership" he adds. "When i wanted to replace my previous make of Tractor, I did look at other manufacturers. and some machines were certainly cheaper, but I was sold on John Deere`s technology and reliability. The dealer service is just fantastic parts are availble on demand and if anything does go wrong, they`re here quickly to sort it out. I`m very happy with tractor and the back-up I get from Weldons."