... with pipes dragged in three at a time With the development of Fibrelastic in
recent years, Carl had to perfect new methods of handling it. “We had to redesign some of our machinery and equipment so the material would go through it, again working closely with Mansfield Sand. I have also found that working with the weather is a key factor; there are critical times when water needs to be available to help work the material down. It’s all been part of the learning curve, and we can now, typically, complete a renovation in seven to ten days.”
Investment in machinery to undertake all this work is “substantial”, although Carl is reluctant to discuss figures. “Let’s just say it is frightening!” he says. His fleet includes a large number of John Deere tractors to pull the various implements, and a huge transporter to
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Michael Curran and Carl Pass inspect the work to date
move machinery from one site to another.
“Newcastle United have been excellent customers for the past four years,” says Carl. “We installed the first fibrelastic pitch in the country at St. James’ Park back in 2007, two at the training ground in 2008, and have been contracted to build a third for use by the first team. It will mirror the stadium pitch and also have undersoil heating to ensure it remains playable in the depths of winter, thereby reducing the need to train on the stadium pitch.” “The first task was to glyphosate (weedkill) the existing vegetation, allowing ten days for the grass to die, before beginning the job of removing the top 15-20mm of the pitch, power harrowing to restore levels, adding new materials and overseeding,” explains
Carl. To help make the job of installing the undersoil heating pipes easier, Carl made the decision to shockwave the pitch to a depth of 350mm to help reduce the drag on the mole plough used to install them. “I employed the services of another contractor, Ken Pryor & Sons, who specialise in the installation of undersoil heating systems. Ken and I have worked on many pitches together.” “Around three hundred 25mm diameter pipes were installed the full length of the pitch, dragging in three pipes at a time. They were laid to a depth of 250mm and 250mm apart. As soon as they were installed and pressure tested, we were then able to complete the necessary work to complete the pitch.” “The pitch already had a fully automated pop up irrigation system
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