Sports field drainage
With increasingly intense rainfall becoming the norm, groundsmen now
have a greater responsibility to ensure that their playing surfaces
are in good order. An effective drainage system is the key to this,
and these days its importance cannot be under estimated.
Pipe drainage is a primary drainage system and generally installed in
two parts. Laterel drains installed at regular intervals will intersect
with main drains of a greater diameter. From the main drain, the rainwater
can be channelled to a suitable runoff point or outfall.
Souters Sports Ltd have an extensive range of machines to install land drainage schemes.
AFT Wizz Wheel 75
The AFT Wizz Wheel is a powerful high speed slit trencher. Using tungsten carbide teeth it can dig up to 2,000 linear metres per hour, set at 50mm wide. Using a conveyor system, spoil is removed to a trailor running alongside the Wizz Wheel, reducing labour costs and allowing for easy disposal. The Wizz Wheel can run up to 135mm wide trenches. thus enabling it to be utilised for pipe drainage systems.
Shelton Super Trencher
The Shelton Super Trencher is PTO driven and can dig trenches up to 200mm wide and to a depth of up to 750mm.
AFT 100/ AFT 45
The AFT 100 tractor mounted trencher is ideal for installing pipe drainage
systems.
The AFT 45 is more lightweight, with both machines designed specifically
for sports turf applications.
Both trenchers offer neat and economical high speed trenching.
Secondary drainage
Sand slitting, Sand banding and Gravel banding are popular forms of secondary drainage, aimed at further improving the performance of a piped drainage system. These secondary drainage channels run perpendicular to the piped drainage system and provide a passage for surface water to get into the piped system, and thus into an outfall.
Sand slitting
For this operation Souters Sports Ltd have invested in AFT Wizz Wheels and Shelton Super Trenchers. These powerful trenchers are used to install intense drainage systems by excavating 50mm wide by 250mm deep slits, backfilled with gravel and topped with sand or rootzone. The Koro Topdrain is similar in concept; excavating sand slits 40mm wide by 200mm deep at 500mm spacings, cutting three trenches simultaneously,with backfill to surface levels with sports sand free drainage sports sand.
Sand and gravel banding
A new form of secondary drainage, the Blec Sand Bander injects laboratory
tested sand into 200mm x 25mm slits at 250mm centres, again, these run
perpendicular to existing piped drainage systems and cause minimal surface
disruption.
The Blec Gravel Bander is a similar concept to the aforementioned sand
bander. An independant groove of between 6mm and 35mm is created through
the plough, and immediately backfilled with clean 2-5mm grit or lytag
material.
With good maintenance practices, these systems can remain efficient for four of five years and are a cost effective way of improving the drainage performance levels.
