Service Schools at STI

I hope everyone had a great Christmas & got to spend some time with the ones that are closest to you. STI was closed all week last week, but reopens this week (although we will be closed January 1). I want to remind everyone of the Service Schools we have coming up in the next couple months for both irrigation & equipment.

Our Commercial Equipment Service Schools that will take place in Richmond are January 6-8, as well as March 3-5. The topics for each day will be as follows:

• January 6 (Tuesday): Advanced Troubleshooting
• January 7 (Wednesday): Next Generation Multipro Spray Systems
• January 8 (Thursday): Next Generation Walking Greensmowers (2100)

• March 3 (Tuesday): Outdoor Power Equipment Electrical Systems
• March 4 (Wednesday): Outdoor Power Equipment Hydraulic Systems
• March 5 (Thursday): Reel Technology (New Technicians Course)

The full list of STI's Commercial Equipment Service Schools classes along with program descriptions can be found HERE. To sign up, follow the link to our CALENDAR & click on the date of the class you wish to attend.

We will also be hosting Golf Irrigation Service Schools at STI. Our class in Richmond will be held on Wednesday, February 11 & will be directed by Brad Petersen & Brandon Proctor. They will be covering topics such as:

• Electrical & Controller Troubleshooting
• Wiring & Grounding Issues
• Radio Communications
• Central Control System Overview
• Hands-On Sprinkler Repair Demonstrations
• Open Discussion for any specific repair/troubleshooting issues you may have

To register, follow the link to our CALENDAR & select the date for your class. Remember to sign up before January 5th for our "Early-Bird Special" where you will receive $10 off your registration fee.

Everyone have a Happy New Year & I look forward to working with all of you in 2015!



REGISTER TODAY!



Merry Christmas!

STI will be closed all week from Monday, December 22 through Sunday, December 28. We will be re-opening next Monday, the 29th. I hope everyone has a Merry Christmas & gets to spend some quality time with family!

All I'm giving you this week is some December Updates from STI. Have a great week & I will have something new up next Monday!

Toro's New Radio Interface Unit (RIU)



Toro Radio Interface Unit (RIU)

This week I want to go over Toro's new Radio Interface Unit (RIU) & the Marketing Program that is being run with its release. The new RIU combines the functions of the OSMAC Base Station and Hand-Held Remote Interface (HHRI) into one single unit. This new unit provides improved performance & reliability, and also allows users to make area-based manual irrigation commands with Lynx.

With the release of the new units, Toro is running a special program where the dual radio RIU-02 will be available to existing OSMAC customers at a special price of $4,445 (more than half off normal price). You will be able to replace your old base station & also have the added benefits & features of the new unit for a great price.



Along with the special price being run on the RIU-02, existing SitePro customers who purchase the RIU-02-SPECIAL will also be eligible to purchase a Lynx upgrade at special reduced prices as well. I have already been out discussing the benefits & features of upgrading to Lynx, & this provides another great way for you to make it happen. Contact me for what prices & discounts you can get with this deal.

This program offers a great opportunity for existing OSMAC users to improve your system reliability, take advantage of area based functions, and comply with the FCC narrowband mandate (if you haven’t already).
***Program will end when 100 units of RIU-02-SPECIAL are sold or on April 30, 2015, whichever comes first--so hurry before it's too late!

I have already discussed this great deal with several of you, and will continue to visit & make sure everyone is aware of this deal while it is available. If you are interested in taking advantage of this program, or just looking for more information, be sure to give me a call (You can also click on the caption under the picture to follow the link for more information).

I hope everyone has a great week & I hope you get the rest of your Christmas shopping done early! I appreciate everyone taking the time to check my blog for updates & hope you will continue to do so!

STI is now Distributor for Spectrum Technologies

Today, I want to take a little time to discuss a new line of products that Smith Turf & Irrigation will be taking on. We are excited to announce that we will now be your source for all Spectrum Technologies products, including the TDR 300 & WatchDog Weather Stations. Many of you are already familiar with these products & the ability they have to help fine-tune your irrigation & maintenance programs.

The most popular & well-known product from Spectrum in the golf industry would be the FieldScout TDR 300 Soil Moisture Meter. I know I have seen these at many of the courses I've visited & I know how good of a tool these are. The portable TDR 300 gives you instantaneous readings of the root zone soil moisture & allows you to figure out what your ideal moisture level is & also the point where the turf begins to wilt. The TDR 300 is equipped with an internal data logger to that can be set up with FieldScout software on your computer. This is a great tool to help you dial in on exactly where you do or don't need to put water out & can help you to prevent problems before they happen. For more information on how you can perform your own "NEW Irrigation Soil Moisture Audit" WATCH THIS VIDEO.

TDR 300 Soil Moisture Meter

Another line of Spectrum Technologies products that STI will new be selling is the WatchDog Weather Stations. They have many different models & options that you can customize for your needs. These stations measure key parameters such as light, air temperature, relative humidity, rainfall, wind speed, & wind direction. All of the data can be logged so that you can run detailed reports to help you make informed decisions in your maintenance programs. Check out the full line of WatchDog Weather Stations available HERE.

In addition to the products discussed above, we can also offer any of the other products & tools from Spectrum Technologies such as the Field Scout TruFirm Turf Firmness Meter or the FieldScout TDR 100 Soil Moisture Meter. Visit Spectrum's website to view their full line of products & be sure to contact me if you are interested in any of these products.

One last note for this week--I wanted to make sure to congratulate the following STI salesmen for receiving the 2014 President's Award of Excellence for Outstanding Sales & Performance: Andy Clarkson, John Crain, Ben Peters, Brad Comer, & Marty Bahen. Great job guys!

I hope everyone has a good week & be sure to check back every Monday for new posts.

Toro Irrigation Marketing Programs

I hope everyone had a great Thanksgiving last week & got to spend time with families. I know I had some good food & watched some good football as well (Go Hokies! 11 straight wins against the Hoos & headed to their 22nd straight bowl game). I will be heading to our headquarters in Charlotte all week for sales meetings, but I wanted to get out some more information on programs I want to make sure everyone is aware of for this year.

Last week, I talked about the sprinkler programs that Toro is running which included the Buy 3 Sprinklers, Get 1 Free & Buy 4 Conversion Assemblies, Get 1 Free. There are a number of other programs that Toro offers for irrigation products in addition to the sprinkler programs that include:

• Control System Upgrade Program: Buy 10 Satellites, Get 1 Free
• Applies to Network VP & OSMAC satellites
• Network LTC+ to Network VP Satellite Upgrade Kits: Buy 2 Satellite Upgrade Kits, Get 1 Free
• Applies to Model #118-0038 (Upgrade Kit Includes Faceplate, Power Distribution Board, & Cable)
• TouchNet Upgrade Program: Upgrade to from TouchNet to Lynx for 50% off List Price
• Radio Interface Unit (RIU) Program: New Base Station (RIU-02) for OSMAC users at special list price of $4,445 (Normally sold at $10,200)
• SitePro customers who purchase RIU-02-SPECIAL will also be eligible to purchase Lynx Upgrades at special program prices
• I will go more in depth & have more information on this program in future posts
• TurfGuard Program: Buy 2 Sensors, Get 1 Free
• Great program for existing TurfGuard customers to continue adding to your course

The following finance programs are also available:

• Financing Program (Golf Irrigation Products): 36-month Interest-Free Financing available on Toro golf irrigation products
• $5,000 minimum amount financed
• All current Toro Golf Irrigation Products eligible
• Control System Upgrade Programs not eligible for no-interest financing
• Financing Program (Twilight Golf Lighting): 24-month Interest-Free Financing for Toro Golf Lighting Products
• $5,000 minimum amount financed

I will be making a point to discuss these programs with you all, especially when you have the ability to take advantage of one of them. These are a great way to help you make upgrades around your golf course while getting some help financially & I hope that all of you will jump on these opportunities. If you have any questions regarding specifics of any of the programs offered by Toro, please let me know so that I can further explain the details of each program.

As I stated above, I will be in Charlotte for almost all of this week, but I will still be answering phone calls & emails so let know of any way I can help you. Have a great week!

Sprinkler Market Programs from Toro

It's Thanksgiving Week & a great time for everyone to take a breather from work & relax with family. Before taking off at the end of the week, I wanted to get out another post with some important information about the marketing programs I can offer through Toro. Many of you are probably familiar with the Buy 4-Get 1 Free Sprinkler program that has been offered in the past. Starting this year & available immediately will be a Buy 3-Get 1 Free Sprinkler Program. Most importantly, the Toro Infinity Sprinklers will be included in this deal along with the Flex Series Sprinklers. I know many of you have already tried a few Infinity Sprinklers & many more would like to try them, so this deal makes the perfect opportunity to install the new Infinity Sprinklers. For more information on the Infinity CLICK HERE.


Toro Infinity Sprinklers

In addition to the program involving complete sprinkler heads, Toro is also offering a Buy 4-Get 1 Free Conversion Assembly Program. In the past, this has been Buy 5-Get 1 Free that many of you have taken advantage of, so I hope everyone will continue to use this program. One thing to keep in mind with this deal is that it will only include adjustable/part circle assemblies, not full circle assemblies.

I will continue to remind everyone about both of these deals throughout the year, but I wanted to make sure to let everyone know about them as early as possible. If you have any questions about either of these programs or need clarification as to what is or isn't included, please give me a call.


I would also like to thank everyone who came down to the Carolinas GCSA Trade Show in Myrtle Beach this past week. It was a great turnout & we enjoyed seeing several of you that made the trip down there. We will look forward to seeing more of you in Fredericksburg at the VTC Trade Show in a few months.


STI booth at Carolinas GCSA Trade Show in Myrtle Beach

I want to wish everyone a Happy Thanksgiving & I hope to be talking or meeting with all of you soon!



Updates from Toro

Well it looks like the cold weather is officially here, and probably here to stay. I know many of you are shutting down your irrigation systems for the year & blowing them out in anticipation of the cold. I wanted to take the opportunity today to let everyone know about some of the updates & changes from Toro as far as irrigation products go:

• Toro has combined the 800 Series Sprinklers & DT Series Sprinklers into one family of sprinklers called the FLEX Series. The thought behind this was to simplify the catalog of products by now offering two families of sprinklers (Infinity & Flex) as opposed to three. As far as what it means for all of you...not much. The sprinklers themselves have not changed, only the part numbers. More than anything I just wanted to make all of you aware of the change so when you order an 855 and a FLX55 shows up, you'll know why.
• Toro has also decided to stop producing complete sprinkler heads with NPT inlets and use ACME thread only. Toro will still be producing Riserless Bodies with NPT inlets, which you can then insert a conversion assembly into to get the complete head. I know many of you still use the NPT, so you will have several options when ordering new sprinklers:
1. Order the standard ACME heads along with an adapter to fit on your swing joint to go from NPT to ACME (#G302-015 or TOA39-015 for 1.5", G102-010 or TOA39-010 for 1")
2. Order riserless bodies (FLX50-06-2 or FLX30-06-2) along with the conversion assemblies (ex. FLX55-6-5154). This will end up being the same price as a complete head.
3. Replace the swing joints to have ACME outlets
• As with the NPT sprinklers being discontinued, Toro has discontinued the production of Normally Open Hydraulic & Check-O-Matic Sprinklers. You can still order the riserless bodies (FLX50-01 or FLX30-01 for NO, FLX50-02 or FLX30-02 for COM) and add the conversion assembly.

CLICK HERE for the link to Toro's website to see all the sprinkler options. And as always, you can get in touch with me for any clarification on any of this.

One final note for the day is that we will be hosting a Golf Irrigation Service School in Richmond on February 11. There will also be sessions in Charlotte (February 4) and Nashville (February 18). This is a great opportunity to learn about troubleshooting issues ask any questions you may have. The Richmond class will be run by Brandon Proctor & Brad Petersen. You can click on the link below the flyer to register on STI's website.

                                

                                      CLICK TO GO TO THE CALENDAR & REGISTER

 

We are on our way to Myrtle Beach for the Carolinas GCSA Conference & Trade Show. If you are down there be sure to come by the STI booth & see us. Have a great week!

Introduction

Welcome,

I want to first thank everyone for taking the time to visit my new blog, and I hope that it won't be your last visit. I decided to start this blog simply as another avenue for communicating with all of you, my customers. I plan on using this page to help keep everyone up to date on all the happenings with Smith Turf & Irrigation and Toro's irrigation products. I will be posting on current projects, new product information, changes & updates, troubleshooting tips, and marketing programs everyone should be aware of. My goal is to make one new post per week, so you can get into a habit of checking the blog every Monday or Tuesday for any new information I may have up. In addition to the information posted each week, I will be putting special deals that will only be available through this blog (to give everyone some extra incentive to read what I have to say).

I don't plan on using this as a substitute for visiting any of you, but more as a supplement to my visits & meetings. I feel that this is a great way to get important information out to everyone at one time, and I hope that you will all take advantage of this. I welcome your feedback and I want to be sure to be posting on what y'all find relevant or helpful so feel free to comment, tweet, text, or email me your thoughts or ideas. I hope this will be a useful tool for everyone & I look forward to working with all of you!