Recommended Machinery for Croquet Clubs

To maintain croquet lawns it is important to have the right equipment. I can personally recommend the products below which are in day-to-day use by croquet clubs. Thanks to my trade connections I am able to supply croquet clubs at preferential prices that should be better than you find anywhere else - otherwise let me know.

Ev-N-Spred Fertiliser Spreader

The EV-N-SPRED® 2050P is a joy to use. It has a 3 metre spread width with the fertilisers that I supply. It features a 3-Hole Drop Shut-Off System and heavy-duty gearbox which ensures an even application of all granular materials with professional results. The fingertip rate control provides easy control and balance of material application unmatched in the industry. It has a rustproof 36kg capacity hopper and 25cm pneumatic stud type tyres and very smooth operation. It is delivered fully assembled, with a folding handle, the 2050P will be ready to go from box to lawn in seconds and stores easily.
Features:

36kg Hopper capacity – rustproof poly construction
EV-N-SPRED® 3-Hole Drop Shut-Off System
45kg Load bearing capacity - what the frame will support
10"/25cm pneumatic stud type tires on rustproof poly rims
Epoxy powder coated chassis
Heavy-duty High Speed Gearbox

Bout markers help to ensure even coverage. The system used for spraying shown at the bottom of this page also applies to granular spreaders.
I am a trade supplier Even-Spred products, contact me for further information and preferential Croquet Club prices.

How to calibrate your spreader - click here

Sarel Spiker

The Sarel Spiker is 900mm (36")wide) and can be towed by a suitable lawn tractor such as a Countax or Westwood. Although the spiker is heavy it can be easily manoeuvered for storage by swinging over onto the small roller. By using a couple of wooden blocks the spiker can be neatly stored against a wall.
The spiker aids water / air penetration, greatly improves root growth, for use when seeding and general turf maintenance. Each large spiked section is 11” in diameter, calculated to avoid ‘tearing’ of the turf. The tensile steel spikes are 1/4” in diameter, and 1 1/3” in length. Each spike is replaceable, held on with a large nylock nut. Also coupled to the unit is a 4.1/2” diameter roller for transportation across hard surfaces.
I can supply a 600mm width (24 inches) fitted with a handle for pedestrian use if you don't have a lawn tractor.

Improved air exchange between the soil and atmosphere
Enhanced soil water uptake
Improved fertiliser uptake and use
Reduced water run off and collection
Reduced soil compaction
Enhanced heat and drought stress tolerance
Enhanced thatch breakdown

I am a trade supplier of Sarel Spikers , contact me for further information and preferential Croquet Club prices.

Allett Tournament Mower with Trailing Seat

This is a superb precision fine turf mower with integral groomer. It is ideal for maintaining croquet lawns and will mow to as low as 4mm. The groomer lifts lateral grass and dead material immediately before cutting and produces a faster surface without having to reduce the cut height. The improvement in speed depends on the grass type and surface but is usually between half to one Plummer. The machine is powered by a Honda GX120 engine and is equipped with Allett’s fast and accurate micrometer-type cutting height adjustment. The cylinder is 120mm in diameter with 10 blades with 486 cuts per metre at all speeds.
Allett produce a special "Duncan Hector" version with a trailing seat and large grass box for customers of Duncan Hector Turf Care. It is not available through to retail dealer network. The advantage of the seat is that there is a better rolling affect which helps to create a flat surface.
This machine is a joy to use and has independent control of cutting blades and forward drive. The handles are floating which means there is little vibration transmitted to the operator.
The Allett is as used at croquet clubs including Letchworth, Newport, Wrest Park, Colchester, Chichester, Blewbury and Tyneside. A single pass takes about 30 minutes per lawn..

I am an Allett trade supplier to croquet clubs. Contact me for further information and preferential Croquet Club price which competes with any source and includes free on-site operator training by Allett..

New Allett Tournament mower at Newport CC

New Tournament 24 at Colchester Croquet Club

Leigh Bowers of Allett delivered a new Tournament mower to Colchester CC. He trained the operators and showed how to set the blades and groomer reel.

Sprayers

Pedestrian Sprayer

Enduramaxx Towable Sprayer

Sprayers are used for applying liquid fertiliser, growth regulator, wetting agent, moss killer, weed killers and pesticides. The normal dilution rate means that 50 litres is applied per lawn. With soluble iron and worm control products 100 litres is usually applied. Some of these products do require Pesticide Certification. I can provide further information and suggestions which will help to keep your club within the regulations.
The easiest way to spray is with a towed sprayer. Excluding preparation and clean down, the actual spray time for 50 litres is 9 to 10 minutes with a towed sprayer.If you don't have access to a lawn tractor I recommend a pedestrian sprayer. I have been unable to find a standard pedestrian sprayer with a large tank capacity. For this reason SCH manufacture a special custom built sprayer suitable for croquet clubs. This has a 70 litre tank, pneumatic wheels and a 4 nozzle fold back boom with a spray width of 2.4 metres.
The Enduramaxx towable sprayer has a 90litre capacity and a spray width of 3 metres. It has an on-board pump (8.3 litres per minute) which is driven by the tractor battery. There is also an intergral hand spray wand for spot spraying.
I am a trade supplier of SCH and Enduramaxx sprayer - contact me for special Croquet Club prices.

Spraying fertiliser at Letchworth CC. The boundary boards are painted alternately with single and double marks spaced 3 metres apart (the width of the spray). The spraying is done in two passes to ensure even coverage. In the first pass you drive mark to mark and the second pass between the marks. The single and double marks make it easy to discern the correct target from 70 yards away ie the length of two lawns.