GROUNDSKEEPING
CHARTERHOUSE KIT
HELPS GLASGOW
ACADEMY
TACKLE BOTH NATURAL & SYNTHETIC
MAINTENANCE
a combination of a Charterhouse
slitter and Verti-Drain®.” Upgrading
their machine roughly every seven
years, Robert’s latest model – the
7521 – was delivered by local dealer
Hamilton Brothers.
“It was the 2.1m working width
and the range of tine options that
really appealed with the 7521. We
can go out with solid tines working
at depths of up to 16” through the
winter months alongside our slitter,
then incorporate.some hollow coring
between March and September. This
gives us ultimate flexibility to react
to ground conditions and adjust
penetration and heave accordingly.”
By keeping on top of routine
maintenance, Robert has also been
impressed with the reliability of the
Verti-Drain®. “They’re well-built and
easy to operate and maintain – with
all of our Verti-Drain’s® we’ve never
had any issues with breakdowns.”
With a fleet of natural and synthetic
machinery from Charterhouse
Turf Machinery, Head Groundsman
Robert Cheape is well equipped to
maintain the four separate sites that
make up The Glasgow Academy. He
has recently taken delivery of his
third Verti-Drain®, a 7521, for the
regular aeration of the eight grass
rugby pitches, while an X-treme
Clean is ensuring the playability
and safety of their four artificial
surfaces.
With facilities for cricket, ladies and
men’s hockey and tennis, it is the
rugby section that is best known
– with Glasgow Academicals RFC
celebrating their 150th anniversary
in the 2016-17 season. “Our rugby
pitches see a lot of play, from both
external clubs and the 1400 pupils
of the academy” explains Robert,
who has been at the school for 36
years. “Weather permitting, we carry
out aeration once a month, and
for over 20 years that’s been with
On the club’s two full-size astro
hockey pitches, together with their
two ¾ size MUGA surfaces, it’s a
trusty combination of brushes
from the Charterhouse synthetic
collection used alongside the
X-treme Clean 1200. “We brush once
a week and then follow up with a
monthly pass of the X-treme Clean.”
Using horizontally rotating brushes,
the X-treme Clean lifts the pile and
agitates the infill - removing dirt,
debris and compaction. “As with all
of our Charterhouse kit, it’s efficient,
reliable and does exactly what you
want it to. We’ve used it for years
and will be happy to do so for many
more to come.”
www.charterhouse-tm.co.uk
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