Verti-Quake® breaks new ground for Parker Pitches

By Alistair May 10, 2019 06:12 Updated

Suffolk based sports-turf contractor Parkers Pitches is now well equipped to deal with even the most heavily compacted of surfaces, thanks to the purchase of a Verti-Quake® 2516 from Charterhouse Turf Machinery. The investment made in October 2018 by owner Will Parker, compliments his existing Verti-Drain® 7316, and sees the company prepared for a busy renovation season ahead.

Established by Will in 2015 and, supported by his father Tim and new team member Alfie, Parker Pitches offers a variety of maintenance services, along with consultancy and reporting to sports facilities throughout East Anglia. “By conducting Pitch Improvement Programme (PIP) site visits on behalf of Suffolk FA, I was finding that compaction was a major issue at many sites across the region” explains Will. “We can structure an effective aeration programme with our Verti-Drain®, but I decided that with an increasing number of football clubs coming to us for help, adding a linear aerator to our fleet would be a logical step.”

“We spoke to our local dealer, Adrian Brown at Tomlinsons, who showed us the Verti-Quake® and it was just what we needed. It’s effective when used in conjunction with the Verti-Drain®, but the wave action now gives us a different way of relieving compaction on the most heavily compacted of grounds.” For football pitches, Will now recommends 2 passes with the Verti-Drain® and 2 with the Verti-Quake® each year. However, the Verti-Quake® will also come into its own as Will approaches end of season renovations for football and rugby. “Fitting the Verti-Quake® with 20mm blades will create grooves for sand dressings, letting sand down into the soil profile while keeping drainage channels free and open.”

Final word from Will, “It’s a great machine that makes what could be a difficult job, quite a relaxing one to do. It’s well-built, quiet and easy to use – we trained Alfie on it and he was away in a matter of hours! As our workload continues to grow, it’s important we invest in kit to ensure we keep pace. With the Verti-Quake®, backed up with fantastic support from Tomlinsons, we’re doing just that.”