Steve Bullman

Aspen, the original alkylate petrol pioneers, are returning to SALTEX this November with their range of alkylate fuels for two and four-stroke engines and an initiative not to be missed. Visitors to stand M055 can learn how Aspen enhances engine performance and reduces the negative impact on both the operator and environment with a chance to then trial it for themselves - and get their money back if they change their minds! Founded in 1988, Aspen has long been improving the operating environment for landscapers, arborists and groundcare professionals. Alkylate petrol is formed from the gasses which are produced when refining oil. The alkylation process involves tuning those excess gases into a liquid alkylate, before combining them with some additional components to create a finished fuel which is significantly purer than traditional petrol. Content of harmful and hazardous hydrocarbons and polyaromatics (PAH) is close to zero with Aspen, reducing Benzene emissions by up to 108 times! The cleaner burn achieved with Aspen also helps to maintain engine performance, reliability and preserve the life of engine components that can be susceptible to clogging or failure when running on conventional pump fuel; especially if equipment has been left in storage for any significant period of time. Those wishing to experience the Aspen difference for themselves can now try the fuel, risk-free, with a new money back guarantee launching at SALTEX 2022. Subject to a bulk purchase, operators can use Aspen in their own working environments with the confidence that, if they don’t notice the significant improvements to sustainable working practices, they can return the unused fuel. “People may think that all petrol is the same, but when people give Aspen a go, they quickly see the benefits it can bring to all aspects of the task at hand” comments Business Development Manager Axel Hildebrand. “The reduction in toxic fumes and the elimination of the ‘blue haze’ is particularly beneficial for those operators using hand tools or working in confined spaces, and we’re confident that as soon as operators give Aspen a try, they won’t look back.”

Moorland Treescapes can definitely say they have experienced the ‘GreenMech evolution’, with the delivery of an EVO 165D the latest in a sizeable list of different models Owner Simon Stockton has used over the years! Sitting proudly on his fleet alongside a QuadChip 160P, both woodchippers are busy on a daily basis, making light work of a heavy schedule for the small family-run team. Simon established Moorland Treescapes almost 20 years ago, and for most of that time he has turned to GreenMech to supply chippers to suit his broad range of domestic and commercial tree works. “As our workload adapts, what we need from our woodchipper fleet changes. This means that over the years we’ve had three QuadChip’s, a 19-28 SAFE-Trak, ArbTrak 200 and then more recently, a tracked machine from the GreenMech EVO series” explains Simon. “With each machine you notice little tweaks to the design and functionality but with the EVO, it was like a whole new machine!” Due to a reduction in embankment working, Simon has recently switched from a tracked EVO 165DT-45LE to the road tow EVO 165D. “This is proving to be a brilliant piece of kit for us. Improvements have been made to simple things like the manual override control which means that the infeed will continue to pull material through and not leave you standing in and amongst brashy or thorny material. All of the basic service points are accessible and centralised greasing makes that process really quick and easy. On top of those practical things, I think the EVO’s just look great too!” With the EVO 165D tackling a lot of commercial work around Staffordshire and Derbyshire, including large-scale projects on behalf of BT, the QuadChip 160P is bringing its own benefits to the day-to-day domestic jobs. “The QuadChip with the rotatable turntable is great for jobs on the kerbside. The ability to turn the chipper to be able to feed material from the pavement is brilliant for operator safety and means we don’t have members of our team working in the road.” “In addition, we have always had fantastic service from GreenMech and our local dealer Global Sales because the nature of this industry means that things do inevitably go wrong. In my book it’s not the problems that matter, it’s how a company resolves them and Global have always been brilliant in helping us when they arise.” Simon concludes, “As there is only four of us, having equipment that does a good job and is backed up with brilliant support is like having an extra member of the team!”

Hot sun and dry weather welcomed a record 23000 visitors and 300 exhibitors to APF 2022 which took place on the 22-24th September at Ragley Estate, Alcester, Warks. Visitors flocked through the gates full of excitement and anticipation after the four year wait since APF 2018 caused by the pandemic. Exhibitors were delighted with the attendance and reported excellent sales with one saying they took over £3 million of orders over the three days. The new traffic management system worked perfectly and visitors commented on the ease of getting both in and out of the show, despite the record numbers. Over £80 million of machinery was on show during the event and much of it had ‘Sold’ stickers on it when it left. 850 local school children and their teachers, as well as groups of university students, were given guided tours to learn all about a modern working woodlands and forests and the possible exciting career opportunities that exist. Exhibition Secretary Ian Millward commented “We are absolutely delighted at how successful the show was. We have been deluged with emails and comments on social media from both visitors and exhibitors about how good the show was and how much people enjoyed it. It makes it all worthwhile. It is a huge credit to our team of staff and contractors, many of whom were new to the show, that they come together for the first time in 4 years and put on a show of this scale, complexity and quality. People cannot believe that the APF show has no full time employees, just a team passionate about the forest and arb industries. I would like to offer our thanks to all our sponsors who enabled to stage so many events and competitions” New features such as the UK open tree climbing and British Open fencing Championships attracted big crowds. The World Poleclimbing and European Chainsaw Carving Championships continued to be big crowd pleasers with one carving attracting a show record of £5500 at auction. Full competition results can be found in the Competition and Events page of the website Dates and location for APF 2024 are to be announced shortly For more information contact APF Exhibition Email: [email protected]. Tel: 01428 723545 Website www.apfexhibition.co.uk