Leicester City Football Club has purchased a SISIS Brush-Pro ride-on brushing system for all regular synthetic surface maintenance at the club’s Belvoir Drive training ground. The machine which has been specifically designed for the maintenance of synthetic surfaces is used on the full size 3G pitch as well as the 80m x 60m indoor pitch.
Synthetic sports surfaces require a good maintenance programme in place from day one. Failure to regularly remove dirt, leaf debris and other detritus from the surface leads to contamination of the infill, which in turn prevents rainwater from draining freely through the carpet.
Leicester City’s Head Groundsman Ed Mowe has combated the problem of infill contamination at an early stage in the life of both synthetic pitches at the training ground, by regularly using the SISIS Brush-Pro. The system consists of a pair of mid-mounted oscillating brush units for periodic aggressive maintenance and three rear mounted brushes for more regular maintenance.
“I’ve used SISIS equipment for many years and have always found them to be reliable, easy-to-use and well-built products”, explained Ed. “Our synthetic surfaces are less than a year old and we wanted to be able to keep the regular maintenance of both pitches in-house. We researched extensively to see what products were available for our needs and the new re-designed Brush-Pro is the ideal machine for what we need.
“The oscillating brushes clean the top layers of rubber infill whilst ensuring an even distribution across the surface and help the carpet fibres stand up which keeps the pitches looking fresh and playable for the players when they can’t use the natural pitches”.
The SISIS Brush-Pro has been designed for maximum manoeuvrability and operator comfort which features an electric start, hydrostatic drive for forward/reverse and its brush combinations - oscillating for thorough periodic work and rear mounted brushes for routine frequent work which cause less compaction than more conventional drag brushes available.
“We couldn’t use a tractor and attachment because of access to the pitches through a gate and we also wanted to keep outside machinery off the surface as we didn’t want mud brought on to it. There is nothing else like it available on the market and means any of the grounds team can jump straight on and use it.
“Both synthetic pitches are heavily used by the academy players and also the first team. Because of this machine, we don’t have to rely on a contractor and can use it for our regular routine maintenance whenever we need to”.
The working width of the rear brushes stretch three metres meaning that the Brush-Pro uses fewer passes than conventional drag brushing causing less compaction to the surface. These can fold for transportation between different sites and ease of storage. The unit is powered by a powerful Honda GXV390 engine and includes a tow hitch suitable for use with the SSS1000, a one metre wide sweeper and rotary brush for use on synthetic turf surfaces to remove debris.
For further information or a no obligation demonstration, please contact SISIS on 01332 824 777 or visit www.sisis.com.
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