CHARTERHOUSE SCHOOL in Surrey has taken delivery of a new 1.5metre BLEC Multivator – the all-in-one decompacter, soil recycler and topdresser.

Grounds manager Dave Roberts says: “It is the ideal machine for our natural turf pitch requirements. We are delighted at the way our new machine is performing.

“We have sandy soil here and the soil recycling aspect of the machine means we do not have the impact of buying in so much topdressing.

“We have started renovating the football pitches, will then do the rugby pitch and do the cricket outfields at the end of the season.”

The Multivator has a unique chassis design with quick hook-up rear attachment system which turns the Multivator into a multi-use machine carrying out a wide range of tasks achieved with only one drive unit. Decompacting, soil recycling and topdressing all in one pass.

Other options available are groundbreaking - leaving a clean undamaged surface achieved by fitting the optional smooth curved blades.

There are five models available in different widths – three for mid-range tractors and two heavy duty for higher HP tractors. All units are equipped with overload cam clutch and the heavy duty models also feature long-life side gear drive with forward and reverse rotation.

The standard Multivator has rotating tines which cut grooves up to a depth of 200mm and take out the rootzone, while a following brush puts the recycled material, plus the sand, back into the grooves leaving a clean finish.

Dave Roberts has been Charterhouse grounds manager for over five years and was formerly head groundsman at Southampton FC.

“We have a wide variety of different natural turf pitches to deal with here and the Multivator is proving a very useful machine to cope with the demands of them all,” he says. Gary Mumby, managing director of BLEC, says: “We are delighted that Dave has chosen a Multivator – it has been designed with hard-pressed ground managers like him in mind.”