TRAINING & EDUCATION
Peter Todd, Estates Manager at Royal Norwich Golf Club
Daily maintenance
With the amount of maintenance that is recommended to be carried out, either daily or on a regular basis, it’s no wonder that knowing the ins and outs of maintenance after completing relevant training is so helpful.
“In order to keep standards high, you have to keep your machinery in top notch condition, and paying attention to parts maintenance is your first point of call in order to do that. There is a tendency to push the majority of machinery maintenance into the off season when there are fewer jobs to do around the course and cutting frequency has decreased, and while it does provide the time to do the machine’s ‘MOT’ if you like and a full service and deep clean, you’ll never regret paying attention to your machinery and parts maintenance throughout the year.”
130 PC December/January 2020
Some daily checks are simple and take up little to no time. Checking for fluid leaks and damaged hose units can be carried out with a cursory glance and investigated further if required, whereas interlock switches, braking, steering and instrument operation are normally checked the moment the operator drives from the shed. Checking oil levels, air filter and tyre pressures becomes routine and takes little time to do. It is possible, with some greens machines, that a difference of 1 psi in the tyre pressure will give a 0.25mm mismatch, which is visible to the naked eye. At the end of a day’s work, it’s also worth taking the time to wash units down with low- pressure water - lubricate to purge any water and top up the diesel tank to minimise any condensation forming in the tank overnight.
Whilst these checks may be simple to
make and any adjustments needed quick and easy to implement also, when you start to look at what is needed to ensure the highest quality of cut possible, the maintenance can become more complicated and time consuming.
Ensuring the quality of cut
One of the most important daily checks is to verify the unit is on cut. This will reduce the
risk of damage to the cylinder, excessive wear on the moving parts, and give a better quality of cut. There are so many variables that can affect quality of cut and it is important to understand all factors involved.
Bedknife to Cylinder adjustment
Both the cylinder and bedknife’s cutting edges need to be straight and sharp, so grind as necessary and back lap little and often. The cylinder should be adjusted to the bedknife so that it pinches paper when placed between the two, and cuts paper when it is passed over the bedknife into the path of the cylinder. This is one of the most effective preventative maintenance practices.
It is also particularly important in the winter season to keep up bedknife maintenance. With wet grass and earthworm castings in the autumn and winter, keeping blades sharp becomes more difficult. When blunt blades can also increase the risk and spread of disease in your turf, there’s an added reason to ensure the proper maintenance of your machinery parts in winter.
Attitude adjustment
‘Attitude’ refers to the bottom of the bedknife and the ground plane under the cutting unit. A large angle is referred to as an aggressive bedknife attitude. The opposite applies to a small angle and, in this less aggressive set-up, the bedknife can be riding on the turf. This is one of the first places greenkeepers should look when troubleshooting aftercut appearance issues.
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