Steve Bullman

2024 saw a number of new additions to the team at Ashridge Golf Club. Together with a new Course Manager in the form of George Little, just two months later was the arrival of a ChipMaster 220 TMP (CM220TMP) woodchipper from GreenMech. Purchased to keep on top of routine woodland maintenance, it’s delivery in September was incredibly timely as - set among thousands of acres of National Trust-owned woodland – the team braced for the impacts of a wet and blustery winter season. Heading up a team of 10, George joined Ashridge in July following seven years spent at the nearby Dunstable Downs Golf Club. One of the main responsibilities of his new role was to take charge of the heavy woodland, lending itself to the popular tree-lined 18-hole course. “The team would be keeping on top of routine pruning and general removal of old or unsightly branches but, without our own chipper, would stack these up in piles awaiting the availability of a hire machine” George explains. “To stop these backlogs the club decided to invest in our own woodchipper and opted for the CM220TMP from GreenMech.” Promising maximum chipping output with minimal investment, the CM220TMP is driven by the PTO shaft and uses its own hydraulic oil to power the rollers. It combines a large 9” capacity with a small, light footprint – something that’s incredibly important for George. “We’re always conscious of avoiding traffic on particularly sensitive areas, so rather than loading brash and timber into trailers and transporting it, we can now take the GreenMech to the exact location and chip. Reducing the risk of damage, it also speeds up the process by 300%.” “We knew the machine would be helpful, but in a few short months we’ve used it a lot more than we thought we would to the point that I’d go as far as to say we now couldn’t live without it!” Alongside routine pruning of the boundaries, which George says it’s been brilliant for, the CM220TMP also came to the rescue of a number of silver birch that fell victim to the winter storms. “Again, we had the ability to hook up the chipper and take it exactly where it was needed, to quickly and easily deal with the damage.” “It has definitely impressed us and has undoubtedly brought improved productivity to our woodland work.” He adds, “We’ve also had a good experience with dealers Avant South East Limited and GreenMech’s Neal Hussey who delivered a thorough induction and has been on hand to help us with any questions. It’s, overall, been a very positive addition to the fleet.”

An FSI B21 stump grinder is proving that compact certainly does not mean a compromise in efficiency and performance for Joe Baker of JB Tree Services. With the majority of jobs coming from residential customers in and around Trowbridge, his recently purchased FSI B21 gives him the manoeuvrability to tackle stumps in tight and restricted spaces as well as providing full control over his work schedule compared to the trepidation of relying on hire machines. After working as a tree surgeon for Bath Council for six years, Joe started working for himself full-time in 2021. Commercial and council work for Trowbridge Town Council remains a key part of his offering, but he explains that the majority of demand for him and his team of two comes from residential customers. “These sorts of customers are looking for a ‘one stop shop’ - if they’re having a tree removed, they also want the stump dealt with on the same day.” “I started off hiring a stump grinder as and when I needed one, but found they’d turn up used and abused, nearly always blunt. The time was definitely right to invest in our own machine that would be well maintained and available whenever we needed it.” While no stranger to stump grinders, Joe had no prior experience of an FSI, but admits it took little convincing that the brand was the perfect solution! “We had the slightly bigger FSI B31 on demonstration from GA Groundcare Ltd and the first thing we noticed was the outstanding build quality. The whole team had the opportunity to use it and all agreed that of all the various makes and models they’d used, in operation, this was by far the best.” Decision made, the pedestrian FSI B21 stump grinder joined the machinery fleet in August 2024. “There’s a lot to like about this machine, with a lot of features bringing newfound efficiency to stump removal.” He explains, “Firstly, the 14hp engine delivers impressive power. The turntable feature is brilliant in terms of operator comfort, the safety bar allows us to disengage the cutter wheel for safe and unhindered movement around the stump. The hill-hold system which is unique to FSI is another gamechanger – blocking any forward wheel motion and allowing us to pull the machine backwards to easily navigate ramps, steps and uneven terrain.” “The peace of mind of being able to fell a tree in the morning and having the FSI B21 to hand to grind the stump in the afternoon is brilliant, seeing the machine in high demand since we’ve had it. The back-up from GA Groundcare has also been excellent. We can’t fault the machine or the service we’ve had from start to finish.”