3/30/2017 8:03 AM
Question,
How many of you have something like the Toro Prosweep, JD TC1225 or something similar to pick up cores? Pros and cons?
My take from long ago, we were able to secure a TC125 at my last course, it really came in handy because when we aerated we were short staff during our dates (our on campus student workers had gone home and we hadn't hired our summer help yet). But when I was doing the math to justify the expense for the two times a year we would use it, my numbers just for greens use, it would take 8 years to equal the return on investment it would save in man hours. Luckily for us we able to say we could use it on tees, our football and other athletic fields, and of course when I mentioned campus, it was approved. (We learned later, that it would not work picking up the leaf and pine cone debris on campus, but hey it was too late to send it back). The other issue back then was we didn't have Turf Pride core collectors behind our aerator, which now makes the clean up job so much easier then pushing plugs and picking them up.
We are possibly looking at one at our current facilities, 3 golf courses where we would share, the only benefit I see since we have a Turf Pride core collector now is it would free up a couple of guys that we could send to mow.
I guess I'm looking for some feedback on how much it is getting used, do you consider it a luxury piece of equipment of essential? I like the idea, but with the shape of our current equipment fleet, is it the best purchase with our resources?
Thanks!
Mel
Melvin H. Waldron III, CGCS, Horton Smith Golf Course, City of Springfield/Greene County MO