Trends and News on Sports Field Maintenance Operations and the Community. Tru Mark Athletic Field Marker
provides tips and notes on field marking equipment and operations, trends in the sports turf industry and
future trends impacting the local community.
Given the formulation of the DuraStripe Aerosol Paint I would not apply this material to a living tree, especially one that keeps its needles from year after year. I’m afraid the absorption of the material by the needles would be destructive to the tree.
The Aerosol Chalk product would be a better temporary solution, however we do not make this formulation in a green or turf green color.
What I might suggest is finding an arts and craft or hobby store, Office Max, Office Depot, Staples that sells Tempera paint. This paint can be used on many different surfaces and is removable. It comes in powder or paste. I would dilute the material to a one to one ratio and apply using a pump-up hand sprayer that is used by turf companies.
A bulk latex field marking paint product could also be used for covering the tree with little adverse impact. Also you consider a bulk chalk solution but at this time a green color is not being offered by Tru Mark Athletic Field Marker. You would apply the bulk paint and chalk using a pump-up or airless sprayer after being diluted.
Finally another product solution you might consider is a turf colorant. A turf colorant is typically used on dormant grass during the non-growing and dry seasons. This product is diluted typically to 10-20 to 1 ratio and has a longer duration then traditional turf paint. It can be applied using a pump-up or airless sprayer after dilution.
Customers continue to evaluate time versus supply cost savings when selecting products and services for their sports complex operations. Some customers are willing to pay more per applied gallon of field marking to eliminate their paint mixing operations.
A majority of field marking marking paints are formulated to support different dilution ratios to achieve the lowest cost per diluted gallon while ensuring sufficient coverage and brightness.
Some of the field marking equipment requires some amount of paint dilution due to viscosity of the paint and the lower pressure pump technology.
Shipping costs also have an impact on field marking paint selection since avoiding the transport of water which can be added locally and mixed makes since for many customers.
There are more customers looking for convenience and saving time as part of paint mixing operations, in many cases eliminating the need to spend time diluting field marking paint before application.
Tru Mark Athletic Field Marker has been testing a field marking paint formulation that is designed to be ready to use directly from the manufacturer, no additional water required and subsequent paint mixing prior to use.
The SwitchBack Cheap Seats Ready to Use (RTU) formulation is for immediate use. The sports field marking paint has anti-settling agents to minimize the solids from separating from the mixture while stored in 5-gallons pails.
Cheap Seats RTU sports field marking paint is ideal for 12-volt low pressure low volume diaphragm pump technologies that typically operate near the 45 psi range.
Field Marker Testimonial--Model E-100 Line Striper
A customer for 5 years remarks about his Model E-100 walk-behind 12-volt diaphragm pump field marker. Rob, from Sisters, Oregon recently stated, "We continue to make good use of the striping machine we have, and know the school district still has theirs as well."
As a supplier, manufacturer and distributor, of field marking equipment we continue to request feedback on our equipment and service to improve the customer's field marking operations. Many times we have recognized the need to upgrade our product line through upgrade kits and time saving redesigns of our equipment. Also this customer interaction has helped us increase the number of products we've development as well as the number of turf related products that others manufacture and we resell.
With more and more emphasis and future trends placed on green energy technology we believe the 12-volt diaphragm pump technology (battery recharging operations) in conjunction with our ergonomic design and durable manufacturing parts and processes will thrive in the marketplace for the foreseeable future. This will become even more important as we believe legislative pressure will be applied to reducing the use of aerosol paint can methods in the future, e.g., the German manufacturing industries having to replace the use of aerosol paint applicators for adding safety strips on their floors and equipment (unconfirmed but stated by industry representative).
These parts are not used to complete the assembly of the RS-500 and RS-500F Self-propelled Rider Field Markers. The mower deck is removed with all parts intact and shipped as a complete item at approximately 105 pounds. This unit sells new for over $500.
The Briggs and Stratton charging system is upgraded to a 16 Amp charging system on all RS-500 units so the standard 10 Amp charging system is excess to our needs. These parts sell for over $100 new by a distributor. These excess items are being offered through an eBay 7 day on-line auction.
Although only one item is being listed for sale on eBay there are several items available. Please contact us at TruMarkAthletic@gmail.com to purchase either of these items.
Also at this time we are offering a used RS-500F unit that was used for 2 years (4 seasons). The unit has been serviced by ourselves and a Snapper/Briggs&Stratton distributor. If you are interested in this opportunity at half the price of a new unit please send us an email, TruMarkAthletic@gmail.com, for further details.
What's the difference ...natural turf paint vs artificial turf paint?
Most synthetic turf paints are formulated to stick to the different synthetic turf fibers, e.g., nylon, polypropylene, polyethylene. Also many of these synthetic turf paints are designed to be removed using a special cleaning agent which is formulated for their respective ingredients.
If you use a standard natural turf paint on synthetic turf it will start flaking off as soon as it experiences foot traffic because it doesn’t have the binders/adhesives in the formulation.
Here's a new technology that benefits the sports turf industry and makes for safer field of play. Raptor Nails--Engineered Polymer Composite Nails--are relatively mower and landscaping equipment safe.
They are similar in dimension to a 60 penny nail (6 inches in length and 1/4 inch in diameter) at 1/5th the weight and are not susceptible to corrosion and oxidation.
Manufactured by Utility Composites Intl, Ltd, these nails are UV resistant, and virtually unaffected by chlorine, acids and solvents such as gasoline and oil with about twice the tensile strength of nailed wooden connections.
Dr. Dave Minner, Iowa State University Turf Grass Extension Educator, performed a field trial to learn the effects of herbicide application (broad leaf control) associated with the seed germination.
This test did not follow recommended label instructions, off-label application, on 5 different products.
He was trying to determine whether there were adverse impacts to seed germination and plant growth.
Dr. Minner is looking for time saving steps to help sports turf managers because of the limited opportunities and time to establish a new seed bed, reseed/overseed areas of turf while still controlling broadleaf weeds.
His findings showed that there were almost no impact to seed germination when herbicide is applied at the time of seeding. Two products showed some impact to seed germination when the herbicide is applied 7 days after seeding. There were no noticeable impacts to the seedings at 14 and 21 days after seeding with herbicide application.
A local tarp and awning company, Norfolk Awning Co., 710 W. Norfolk Ave., Norfolk, NE 68701, (402) 371-0440, Ron Skiff, was consulted on the proper material and procedures to be used. He asked that a sample of the material be provided so he could match the patch material and the correct adhesive cement.
roller for creating a uniform pressure across the patch,
flat solid surface, and
cleaning material to include towel(s) and cleaning solution such as Simple Green.
Procedures followed to complete the tarp repair:
access the bottom of the tarp surface,
identify and clean the surface of the tarp with water (and cleaning solution),
create patch (rounded edges),ensure plenty of overlap to the damaged area,
apply adhesive cement to both the tarp and patch(rough side if available),
apply patch and then compress from center to outside edge using a roller if possible, ensure you have the solid flat surface under the tarp so the patch is applied evenly,
let adhesive cure for 15 to 30 minutes,
check workmanship.
Do not limit the amount of adhesive applied to both the tarp and patch. The rolling device will remove excess adhensive when pressure is applied from the center to the edge to the patch.
Plant Growth Regulator in Field Marking Paint Saves Time
Dr. Dave Minner, Iowa State University Turf Grass Extension Educator, shows how Syngenta's Primo MAXX, turf grass plant growth regulator (PGR), added to field marking paint can save your staff time painting sports field lines. Review more images from the turf plot trail photo album.
The turf grass trial reflected three conditions, diluted paint applied with no Primo (the control), 1/2 ounce of Primo per diluted gallon of paint, and 1 ounce of Primo per gallon of diluted paint. The turf trail started on June 7th and results witnessed June 24th by conference attendees.
The turf was mowed twice a week during the 17 day period (approximately 5-6 times).
Results indicate that sports turf managers can save time by not having to stripe sports fields as often as normal, 14-21 days versus the traditional 7-10 days.
The image shows that the center stripe area has no Primo added to the paint, while the striped line on the right has 1/2 ounce of Primo per diluted gallon of paint and the left line has 1 ounce of Primo per gallon of diluted paint.
Sports Field Layout Tools Work On BlackBerry Devices
Tru Mark Athletic Field Marker desktop sports field layout tools can be used on BlackBerry mobile smartphone devices.
Tru Mark business operations recently updated to a BlackBerry Curve 8900 which is protected by an OtterBox Defender case.
So why is this so important you may ask?
Well, BlackBerry devices run an an application that supports .xls extensions, better known as Microsoft Excel spreadsheets. The particular application we are using is the Sheet to Go (spreadsheet) version of the Documents to Go by DataViz, Inc., www.dataviz.com/upgrade.
Again, why is this significant?
Several years ago Tru Mark developed several sports field layout tools using traditional functions implemented in a MS Excel spreadsheet. Please check out the following website pages for more details. Soccer Field Layout Tool http://www.athleticfieldmarker.com/SoccerFieldCalculator.html Lacrosse Field Layout Tool http://www.athleticfieldmarker.com/LacrosseField.html Rugby Pitch Layout Tool http://www.athleticfieldmarker.com/RugbyField.html
OK, now we can use the desktop sports field layout tools on a mobile smartphone device. You can now calculate field dimensions and their associated intersections (staking positions) right on the field of play. This is especially important if a desktop calculation needs to be changed on the fly.
Once you have down loaded the sports field layout tool template (.xls file) to your desktop filing system you are ready to download the file to your Blackberry device. Using the BlackBerry Desktop Manager application you'll select the Media Manager option [Start], then select Devices (right side of selection window) under the Connected Devices. Go through the file selection process using Add to Library option then navigating to the stored .xls file, select file and click on Add. Next select the folder under My Devices (lower portion of the application window) and copy file to the BlackBerry Device (I used the media card location and created a folder called datafiles) using the "copy without conversion" option.
After completing all your synchronization steps you are ready to access your Blackberry device and the associated data file (sports field layout tool). From you main menu locate the Sheet to Go application and start the application. After start up verification/registration you can Open a file by navigating to the .xls file name stored on the BB device.
The data input fields work similar to an MS Excel operation. Navigate to the data cell, select Menu button, then select Edit Mode and enter your field dimension for that particular cell. Once you accept this entry the calculations are automatically updated just like on the desktop.
It helps to have printed spreadsheet available to verify all the cell locations and resulting intersection calculations. What is nice is you can save each different layout dimension with a different file name to quickly recall this spreadsheet for further changes and review purposes.
Please provide us feedback on this mobile smartphone application and spreadsheet operation. We are always looking for ways to help you save time.
All Skills Day Camp - University of Nebraska Baseball Academy
Each summer the University of Nebraska Baseball Academy conducts several Day Camps in various towns throughout the state of Nebraska. Day Camps are All Skills Camps on the road. Day Camps run from 9am – 3pm. This camp is open to 7 year olds through High School seniors. If you are interested, please contact Renee Brinkmann at the Nebraska Baseball Office (402) 472-2269 or rbrinkmann@huskers.com. She would be happy to discuss the details of this summer camp in Norfolk.
Come meet some Nebraska Baseball players and coaches. Husker Baseball souvenirs are available on-site.
Camp cost is $55. Save $5 by registering on-line at http://www.bigredacademy.com Renee Brinkman, Nebraska Baseball Academy at 402-472-2269 Tammy Butterfield, Theisen Construction at 402-371-4564
Check out the field maintenance operations which include the Tru Mark provide Wind Weighted Tarps for the pitcher's mound (18 ft.) and home plate (26') area.
Some of the Tru Mark products we offer are used for a variety of purposes that we didn't originally foresee.
Here's an example from a customer that is responsible for marking a cricket pitch in the United Kingdom. Here's his story on how these sports field marking whiskers are being used to help save time setting up their cricket pitch.
"I help with the ground on a cricket pitch.
The "square" has 20 wickets side by side like a bowling alley surrounded by the oval outfield. Each wicket will have a set of stumps (three bits of wood sticking up) that need to be centered. When we start the new season we have to painstakingly remap these and ensure that they are all square again etc. This can take us 2-3 days, and we will also need to do it several time during the season as the paint fades etc.
We thought it would be a great idea to use the whiskers to mark the square out at the ends so that we can just find the tufts and go from there.
Each "wicket" is 66 feet long and 10 feet wide and must be lined up correctly (otherwise it looks a mess!) and as there are only two of us volunteers, anything we can find to reduce time is welcome."
Check out the STMA program and brochure (1.4 MB PDF file) for the 6 state STMA sponsored event. Thursday June 24th includes Five Concurrent Educational Activities as well as the Trade Show 1-6PM to include a BBQ Dinner included in the trade show area. On Friday June 25th there will be two concurrent educational session hosted in both the AM and PM.
Check out the latest equipment and supply items featured by Tru Mark Athletic Field Marker as well as other sports turf equipment firms.
Tru Mark will be feature demos of temporary field marking supplies to include aerosol chalk and bulk liquid chalk solutions that don't require any special cleaning solutions. A perfect marking solution for synthetic turf applications where cleanup must be a minimum task.
Also Tru Mark plans to display their three field marking 12 volt diaphragm pump technology solutions, RS-500F with the latest upgrade kits, E-100 with improved pump access and intake line upgrade kit and EZ-70, the most current model introduction.
We continue to receive interesting questions to problems that customers ask about that typically can be solved using our products. Here's one of the more recent questions that we answered.
"We are in need of a system to paint a circle on the ground with a diameter of approximately 20”. This could either be paint or lime or similar but must be environmentally friendly. The circle must be completely filled in and have well defined edges. They are to be used for aerial mapping targets. We would need some way of dispensing this quickly. We would need it for someone on foot who would only have one hand free, and to also use on a quad. We would be looking at creating approximately 40-50 targets each time. Would you have anything that fit’s this description, or any ideas if we had to get something custom made?"
And here is how we answered their challenge.
Here are a couple suggestions that I can offer. 1) Depending on how long you want these “targets” to last you could decide on the aerosol chalk (more temporary, yet eco-friendly) or EcoStripe water based paint (more long lasting yet environmentally friendly. 2) These products can be applied by hand in an inverted fashion after shaking. I would design a sleeve (similar to a beer can flexible insulating sleeve) and attaching a string/cable of the desired length with a spike or ballast device to mark the center of the circle. 3) A center point is fixed and then the aerosol product is applied following the stretched string in a circle. 4) While someone is scribing a new circle another team member can be filling in the previous painted circle.
The aerosol can of chalk or EcoStripe will cover close to 50 square feet. At about 2 square feet per target you should be able to cover those 50 targets with 2-4 aerosol cans.
The standard T-tip applicator provides for a nice uniform spray fan that works well for establishing a crisp boundary line.
There is a spray wand applicator which will reduce the bending over. This tool typically costs in the neighborhood of $25.00. The string arrangement would still work for this operation.
If you need a more permanent target then I would suggest the Durastripe aerosol field marking paint that can be used effectively on grass, rock, debris, etc. This is considered a permanent marking paint.
If an aerosol can not be used because of the pressurized can then you can use bulk acrylic latex paint or liquid chalk, dilute the paint at 1 gallon of water to 1 gallon of paint. You can put the diluted liquid in a manual pump-up sprayer used for herbicide or pest control. Also you could use a battery operated backpack sprayer. The liquid chalk will dissolve much quicker than the acrylic latex field marking paint.
One gallon of diluted paint/chalk should cover 100 square feet or 1-2 gallons of diluted paint/chalk.
The objective of the study was to examine the survival of S. aureus on infilled synthetic turf systems and natural turfgrass under different environmental conditions and to evaluate the effectiveness of various control agents applied to the synthetic turf in both indoor and outdoor situations.
The report concluded "Commercially available antimicrobial treatments as well as detergent significantly decreased the survival rate of S. aureus present on these natural grass and crumb rubber infilled synthetic turf indoors although every experimental unit inoculated tested positive for the presence of S. aureus for the first 4 hours and a number were still positive 9 days after inoculation."
The report stated, "It is difficult to draw conclusions regarding the effectiveness of various treatments in an outdoor environment because the bacteria do not appear to survive very long under these conditions whether treatments were applied or not, but both detergent and fabric softener applied to the surface around the time of bacterial inoculation seem to reduce S. aureus survival somewhat. Exposures to UV light and higher temperature seem to be the most effective disinfectant under the conditions of this experiment."
Twelve references were cited in the report besides a regime of 10 indoor and outdoor treatments to include: Untreated control, Low rate S. aureus, High rate S. aureus, antimicrobial 1 hr prior, Surfactant 1 hr prior, Antimicrobial 25 days prior, A+S 25 days prior, Kentucky bluegrass, Detergent post, and Detergent 1.5 hr prior.
The Ultimate Frisbee sport, not called Ultimate, is growing across the country, at the high school, collegiate, and community levels. A recent Ultimate Frisbee article in the New York Times reflected the growing sport for woman.
The field of play has its own field marking requirements which is published in the 11th edition of the Official Rules of Ultimate, page 16, Appendix 1. The field of play is a rectangle, 70 x 40 yards (64 x 34 meters) with a 25 yard (23 meters) end zone depth. There is a 3 meter and 5 meter boundary line for participants and coaches, and then the spectators and equipment respectively. http://www.upa.org/files/11th_ed_Final_3_6_07.pdf
To help stake out and stripe an Ultimate Frisbee field of play you can use the soccer field layout tool to establish the corners of play. I would recommend using the overall size of the boundary, specifically the 5 meter spectator boundary as the "field of play", then use the goalie box dimensions for the 3 meter boundary and the soccer penalty box for the primary field of play dimensions (70 x 40). The soccer penalty kick spot can be used for the Ultimate Field Marks.
A Blackberry Curve smartphone was used to capture about 15 seconds of video coverage. A desktop tool, Free Studio Manager, was used to convert the 3GP file format and to crop the video stream.
The equipment used included a Graco FieldLazer (3 years old) without the paint shields installed, Tru Mark SwitchBack CheapSeats field marking paint diluted 1 gallon of paint to 1 gallon of water, Tru Mark Heavy Duty String Winder with 1500' of braided twine, a 300' nylon tape measure to help mark the arcs in the pits, and several stakes.
A total of 7 gallons of diluted paint was used. There were 8 arcs striped on each of the 5 pits. The boundary lines were double striped.
It is always great to get a parts order from an existing customer. It is even greater when they add a short testimonial about your product.
Recently a customer made a replacement parts order and added in the comments section of the on-line order the following statement.
"We have had our E-100 [athletic field marker] for about 14 years and it continues to work well. Thanks!" Phil, QMFA Field Manager
As part of our customer follow-up activities we try and give the customer an opportunity to make a short response to how their equipment is performing and asking for feedback on how we can make the product perform better and increase the ease of maintenance and operations.
In many cases we'll try and post these testimonials, nothing is better than word of mouth advertising and we feel this is the next best thing to a face to face or phone call endorsement.
The Model E-100 athletic field marker was the industries first 12-volt diaphragm pump technology back in 1995. The steel construction with powder coated and zinc plated finish has made this a long duration field marking equipment item. Even after the luster has worn off customers continue to use this versatile, easy to maintain, and ergonomic designed unit through many changes in volunteers and field operation managers.
Tru Mark Athletic Field Marker introduced a bulk liquid chalk temporary field lining solution for synthetic turf fields that does not require a special removal agent.
While Tru Mark offers an aerosol chalk solution customers were looking for an airless sprayer application product that was only temporary without the need for any cleaning agents.
SwitchBack Liquid Chalk field marking material is formulated without the typical acrylic latex resins and performs like traditional field marking chalk used on baseball and softball diamonds. Once the product is applied and dries it will hold up similar to marble dust or calcium carbonate on a skinned area of a diamond. The product can be easily removed with an abrasive action such as scuffing your shoes over the line and then rinsing with water to remove any shadow effects. The product will naturally dissolve over time from traffic, rain and irrigation methods.
Liquid Chalk is sold in 5-gallon pails and is diluted on a ratio of 1:1 with water, for every gallon of liquid chalk you add a gallon of water. The product can be applied without dilution but will require an airless pump that can product at least 900 psi at the pump.
The reference photo album reflects the demonstration of the the product on three different synthetic turf surfaces. The Liquid Chalk was applied after a 1:1 dilution ratio, allowed to dry for 1 hour which it was dry to the touch, then removed with a shoe scuffing operation and then rinsed with water over the scuffed area.
This product has many of the same characteristics of Tempura which is used in the art industry.
In most cases the price increases represented a 5% or less increase.
More of the field tarps and protective covers now include shipping and handling charges in the overall price. This is also the situation on aerosol cans for natural turf paint, aerosol chalk, and aerosol removable paint for synthetic turf.
Once again the frigid cold weather in the Midwest reminds us of spring and warmer weather and greener vistas.
Each spring and fall season Tru Mark Athletic Field Marker makes special offers that customers are sure to take advantage. This year is no different with two special offers.
When purchasing a non-wind weighted tarp for that baseball or softball field there is a special price offer on the sand bags, both the 10# and 20#. There is a 15% price reduction when purchasing a set of 8 sand bags at the time of the non-wind weight tarp purchase. These UV protected bags with a carry strap are sure to make the grounds staff and coaches happy when placing and removing a tarp.
Obtain an AED for Your School Sports Field Activities
Besides helping save school students, help provide live saving tools and training for your staff, sports event spectators, field and facility operations through the Scholastic AED Program.
The Josh Miller HEARTS Act will establish a grant program through the Department of Education that will provide schools with funds for lifesaving AEDs and AED/CPR training.
"AEDs are the single most effective treatment for those suffering a sudden cardiac arrest. By ensuring that schools have access to these lifesaving devices, we can prevent needless deaths in communities across the country."
As a recipient of the Cintas Scholastic grant program, you will receive access to the nation's most comprehensive AED program. Each grant recipient school with receive a ReviveR™ AED at no cost- a $1495 value. In addition, Cintas will also perform a free site assessment that will help you identify optimum locations for your AED, as well as provide information from which you can develop an effective Emergency Response Plan (ERP). Once you are ready to begin your program, your AED will be delivered, expertly installed and tested by a Cintas First Aid & Safety representative.
Tarps and Protective Covers--New Products & Pricing
New products and pricing are available for Aer-flo Inc. products, manufacturer of wind weighted tarps, protective covers for turf, sidelines, and track surfaces.
A 2009 addition is the non-wind weight tarps, major league style (round) which are replacing the wind weighted "standard" tarps (octagon shaped). These new tarps come in sizes 18', 20', 26', and 30' diameters. These tarps come with grommets that are spaced every 36 inches. The standard color is forest green while custom colors are priced at 10% more than the standard color pricing. Consider the Tru Mark Sand Bags for holding these tarps in place, the 10# and 20# weather protected bags with inserts and a carrying strap make for quick and safe placements.
Custom sizes are available for both the non-wind weighted and wind weight tarps.
Aer-flo does offer custom logos for their tarps and protective cover products. These logos are now printed on material (vinyl) that is then heat welded to the underlying material whether it is a tarp or protective cover. This far superior printing and attachment method will ensure long duration of bright colors and material performance.
To get a custom logo quote please send an image of the art work, JPEG preferred format(.jpg) but others are usually accepted (.bmp, .gif, .pdf) as long as there is sufficient detail. Custom logos add 10 business days to the manufacturing process. For estimating purposed these custom logos will be priced at $4.00 per square foot or less depending on size and detail. Send a price quote request to TruMarkAthletic@gmail.com.
Turf Equipment Suppliers Increasing Prices--Graco FieldLazer and LineLazer
Over the last year we've seen the price of commercial parts increase as well as raw materials used in the manufacturing of finished goods.
Graco posted new prices for their product lines effective January 1, 2009. The line striping equipments line experienced approximately a 8.5% increase from last year. Graco has published an approximate 5% discount on suggested retail prices for the first three months of the year.
Tru Mark has added several Graco FieldLazer common replacement parts and accessories to the web site. Check out the 30 inch spray tip extension for those custom turf painting operations such as custom stencils and sideline numbers. Also, the following items are being offered spray guard, intake screen, easy out filter, throat seal, and RAC 5 spray tips.
Additional research is being conducted to consider the amount of water being used in turf grass application around the country compared to row crop operations in the US.
Turfgrass is the single-largest irrigated crop in the United States, three-times more than corn. It’s more important to help conserve the water supply than to keep turfgrass green year round.
Youth Sports Associations Outsourcing Field Marking Operations and Supplies
With continued growth of larger sports complexes many youth associations are finding it harder to find volunteers to do the field marking. In many cases the associations may be using community owned property that is maintained except for the field striping operations.
Tru Mark Athletic Field Marker is experiencing more youth sports associations, especially soccer and football, purchasing field marking equipment and supplies and then outsourcing the labor to other parties. The equipment and supplies are turned over to the outsourced service provider who in many cases is a retired or semi-retired community member with ties to the association. Some are outsourcing the complete operations with a private lawn care or landscaping firm.
Tru Mark's easily operated and maintained field striping equipment provides a great return on the investment in both time and paint supply savings. The field marking systems feature safe low-pressure low-volume 12-volt diaphragm eco-friendly pumps. Tru Mark field markers reduce the tendency to over apply paint yet ensure crisp long lasting painted lines no matter the terrain. Tru Mark has a field marking solution whether it is a walk-behind or self-propelled riding unit.
Tried of trying to square up a youth sports field. Tru Mark developed a desktop field layout tool using a Microsoft Excel spreadsheet. Over 1,000 satisfied soccer field users have experienced the quick and accurate calculations for all the intersections on sports fields. With these figures in hand and two tape measures an individual can quickly stake out any sized field. Add the Heavy Duty String Winder with cordless drill attachment to your field tool kit and save hours getting a fields lined with fewer people.
Many youth associations are using Tru Mark field marking whiskers for easy identification of different sized fields. These colorful multi-6” strands of nylon are visible yet do not interfere with play, striping nor mowing operations (mowed off to grass height). With a 6” nail they are held in place after driving them into the ground. Marking whiskers come in packages of 25. This marking method along with the all zinc plated steel field line anchor make for quick work in locating field intersections.
Youth associations are turning to field tarps and protective covers to reduce wet field condition for tournament play and condensed game schedules. A small investment in wind weight tarps for diamonds and turf protectors are increasing the number of playing events with much better field and sideline turf conditions. The time saving wind weighted tarps reduce the need and time necessary for using sand bags and stakes.
These youth organizations are finding that custom field stencils add value to their fields for both players and spectators and in many cases are paid for by sponsors. Tru Mark will provide a no cost estimate for a custom field stencil when providing a good quality image for layout and manufacturing purposes.
Jeff Bruce covered some of the critical decisions in installing a new synthetic turf systems. There are four primary areas that a customer should ensure is part of the project, 1) hiring an engineer that is familiar with the soil types and synthetic turf installation in your area, 2) ensuring that an experience construction company with establishing a base for the turf carpet has been hired, 3) a reputable turf product has been selected for the environment and type of play expected, and 4) an experienced turf installer that has a reputation of not having to come back for repairs on seams.
Graham Hayes stated that because many of these fields are installed between Memorial and Labor Day the crews on site experience tremendous schedule pressures. It is imperative to have a knowledgeable inspector on site to verify compliance with specifications, e.g, soil base is laser leveled, rock base meets particle size and depth and is packed, sand infield mixture with crumb rubber, trenches are properly filled and packed, amount and type of glue used, etc.
They re-emphasized that the synthetic turf fields are not maintenance free and require activities to maintain their warranty clauses.
Many of the existing turf problems are attributed to poor base construction, in appropriate infield material application and mixture, not maintaining the appropriate infield depth (turf fiber laying over thus wearing much quicker and being exposed to UV which degrades them), allowing problem seams becoming a big maintenance issue, etc.
It was highly recommended that during budgeting for a turf system that yearly maintenance be included, possibly a maintenance contractor visiting on-site at least yearly and be done in conjunction with the general contractor's annual site visit.
Over the past 5 years several paint manufacturers have developed field paint formulations for synthetic turf application, permanent and removable. Along with the removable field marking paint these companies have developed removal agents to help with cleaning of the paint from these turf fibers. The challenge comes on the paint removal process which includes labor and tools to make this as cost effective as possible.
We've identified some equipment that is being used as well as a typical process, i.e., spray on removal agent, agitate the turf, and rinse with water, repeating this process as necessary. With more and more multipurpose turf fields being installed and users wanting to utilize these fields for different sporting events there is an increase in paint application and removing maintenance operations. Unless you operate a professional facility your resources are limited. Volunteers don't necessarily like to be out brushing the turf to remove paint.
Some customers want a very quick removal product without much cleaning activity. Right now the lowest cost product with the least manpower cleanup expenditure is aerosol chalk. You apply this material just like aerosol field marking paint using an inverted can and an aerosol striper. Once the product dries in performs like traditional field marking chalk (calcium carbonate or marble dust). Removal involves dragging the line with your feet or brushing with a short bristle brush and rinsing with water to remove the dust residue.
For turf paint removable and permanent products you have several options depending on the longevity and traffic requirements along with the cleaning agents that are developed for the particular paint manufactured.
Now to some of processes and product examples available for turf paint removal.
The challenge is to use a cost effective piece of equipment that reduces manpower and still does a good job. Most field maintenance operations already have a utility vehicle so a tow behind cleaning unit would seem to be a good solution. The product will have a sprayer to apply the removal agent with a storage tank, a turf brush that has a rotary motion, and a sprayer to apply a rinse with a storage tank, with a power unit to support these operations. What is your idea and solution?
We receive some interesting challenges over the years. Many of website visitors have thoughtful questions that we might not have considered before. This one might be a more typical question from someone not familiar with field marking operations. Here's the dialogue followed by several suggestions.
"We are a little Chamber of Commerce putting on a fund raising Pasture Putting and Picnic event featuring 9 Miniature Golf holes, each decorated by local businesses. We are going to rent a "lime spreader" machine from AA rentals that use some kind of chalk product, to mark the edges of each "hole". AA rentals has told us they don't sell the chalk or powder or whatever the product is called that goes in this walk behind spreader. I can not find anyone locally who sells the chalk, if that's what it is, or paint. Can you help me? We don't need that much, we only need it to last a day."
Our response:
We don't have any of the "chalk" (calcium carbonate or marble dust) on hand. It will normally run around 10-20 cent a pound or up to $10.00 per 50 pound bag.
Please check with a local baseball or softball program in a nearby community. You'll probably only need 1-2 50 pound bags.
Another option is using an aerosol chalk product. If you don't have a aerosol field striper then you can probably do it by hand unless you want to be really uniform. This product has the same properties as the spreader type chalk, yet it is dispensed like other aerosol paints. When figuring on how much to purchase plan on using one aerosol can per 200 to 300 linear feet.
A little longer lasting water based aerosol product is now available. More and more municipalities are concerned with soil and water contamination so this is another safe solution to consider.
The more traditional aerosol field marking paint may be an option. After the grass has been mowed 2-3 times the residual paint will be clipped off.
We are using the Tiny-Tach, standard model with reset feature, TT226R-2C, by Design Technology, Inc. This easy to implement unit can be connected to an engine using existing housing bolts/screws, a standard grounding wire for a common connection point, and a RPM sensing wire that is wrapped around the spark plug wire. We use this Tiny-Tach tool to verify that we are generating sufficient RPMs for battery charging in support of our 12-volt diaphragm pump operations. This is a valuable tool for Briggs & Stratton distributors and small engine repair specialists as it is offered in their B&S distributor catalog. Here are a couple features that make this a sure bet for small engine operations:
Simple hour meter with tachomter that is just 1.5" tall by 3" wide
RPM to 9,990 (we were looking for 3,600 RPMs on the B&S engine)
Reset for the hour meter so we could transfer to other units as necessary
Updates every 2.5 seconds
Standard wire length is 6 feet for flexibility in securing the unit
Have you found yourself in a situation where you could use more light on a subject while needing your hands free to accomplish important tasks? Here's an innovative product using new LED and battery technology while incorporating a familiar spring loaded clip solution, called the Clip N Lite system by Moneke Gear.
Everyone with a tool box, glove box, vehicle trunk, fishing boat, camping gear, repair and handyman shop will find an application for this very versatile and light weight solution to putting light on your target without having to use your hands.
Every turf manager, golf superintendent, and lawn care specialist should have this tool issued to them when working in tight spaces, having limited daylight, and poor indoor lighting conditions. This product may be even more valuable than a traditional treble light when working in confined spaces.
How about for you anglers looking for night crawlers at night wishing you had both hands free to capture and safeguard that precious fishing bait.
Master craftsmen in the plumbing, carpentry, electrical, and HVAC business will find many uses for this light weight tool.
All Boy Scouts should be equipped with this very handy device for those late night bathroom breaks, land navigation skills at night, and reading your scout handbook while in the tent before the next big day's merit badge events.
What makes this product so innovative and valuable to just about everyone?
The Clip N Lite Hands Free LED 5-Ultra Bright White is Moneke Gear's most popular style offered in a black case with 5 ultra bright white LED's, 3-way switch, low beam emitting (3 LED's angled down 35 degrees) or high beam with all 5 LED's emitted.
The low beam shines as a floodlight emitting a 10-foot circle at 20 feet and the high beam shines at a 15-foot circle at 20 feet.
The well made clip provides clear line of sight when mounted below the bill of a cap, or clip the system to provide direct or indirect lighting.
Clam shell packaged product includes 2 high performance CR2032 lithium batteries, 2 spare batteries and Moneke's unique battery storage case.
48hour battery life with 10 year shelf life
10,000hour LED bulb life
Dimensions 3 3/8” Length x 2” wide / weight 1.5 oz
I found the best pricing for this time saving LED system at WalleyeFishingLure.com, home to Nebraska Custom Tackle.
We continue to receive positive feedback on our soccer field layout tool.
The original tool was built using the MS Excel spreadsheet formulas and focussed on starting with a center line through the center of the two goals and the center of the field.
Please send us an email at TruMarkAthletic@gmail.com and we'll gladly send a link so you can download this latest upgraded soccer field layout tool to your desktop (we will not share your email address!).
Soccer Facility and Field Operations Tools & Equipment
Have you ever visited another soccer facility and picked up some great operational tips?
Tru Mark Athletic Field Marker recently visited the Portage Soccer Complex at 4422 Bishop Rd., Portage MI 49002. This community facility has been well designed and maintained with excellent field drainage, a central building for registrations, meetings, concessions and facility operations and maintenance, and hard surface parking with curbs. Field operations are primarily conducted by some dedicated volunteers, the ones I met were Vern Genisio and David Rice.
With delivery of a Tru Mark self-propelled Model RS-500F Vern Genisio is incorporating another time and supply saving tool to his operations. He mentioned that the complex had invested in a new tractor to handle their aeration duties as well as their new pull behind mower. They recently invested in a deep tine aeration with sand top-dressing service to help with a two fields that weren't draining as well as expected.
Storage is always a challenge at most sport facilities. The Portage Soccer Complex has some well thought out and installed tools to help with their daily operations and year around storage requirements. From soccer goal nets to tool storage the facility personnel have integrated some space and time saving features.
Review some additional images of the Portage Soccer Complex and the RS-500F Field Marking Operations. See how easy the unit is filled with field marking paint, the foot pedal operations, the floating paint shoe assembly in action, and "making a straight line in less time".
Eliminate Spills From Drink Containers -- DrinkBib.com
Tried of cleaning up dugouts, sidelines, locker and conference rooms where the water and drink coolers and coffee maker have left their trails. Drink Bib saves time and minimize messes from drinking dispensers that drip their contents.
A very practical and easy to use tool that grounds keepers, facility managers, conference organizers, and caters are sure to find helpful with different events and drink dispensing operations. Check out some of the pictures for this clean-up saving and wet floor prevention drink bib molded plastic device.
The Drink Bib is made of a durable plastic that can be easily hand washed and will last through many uses. The Drink Bib is available in two colors, clear and black.
This innovative product could be used for fund raising activities as well as promotional and advertising opportunities.
Try out the Drink Bib and catch those messy drips.
Multi-functional standard and heavy duty metal drag mats solve traditional challenges with new design solutions.
Tru Mark Athletic Field Marker introduces the toughest Drag Mats in the sports field maintenance industry. These drag mats are an adaption from the conveyor belt manufacturing industry.
There are several unique construction designs introduced to help solve the traditional tasks of Baseball and Softball Infield Grooming, Landscaping, breaking down Turf Aerator Cores, Seed Bed Preparation, Dew Removal, and Grass Field Designs for special events. These innovative design solutions include: - One piece rivet free U-bar design allows for true reversibility - Larger diameter rods increase drag mat strength and resists distortion - Unique clinched edge design minimizes snagging and breakage, and - Galvanized steel for longevity
The metal drag mats come in standard and heavy duty options. Standard size drag mats allow for a package delivery to continental US addresses.
Do you have a special requirement, then let us know as we can build to your specifications. Just send an email to: TruMarkAFM@eSelling4u.com with a subject title of Drag Mat Custom Specifications and your special needs to include your zip code for a total cost proposal including shipping and handling.
One of the first eco-friendly aerosol paints for natural turf application was introduced by Tru Mark Athletic Field Marker. For those youth sports organizations and facility managers requiring a more environmentally friendly aerosol paint application this newest water based product will meet the challenges. Tired of seeing traditional aerosol paint burning the grass then try Eco Stripe aerosol field marking paint. Besides the traditional white, Eco Stripe comes in blue, red, and yellow.
Each 20 ounce can holds 18 ounces of product and can be dispensed through the standard T-shaped spray tip using the traditional aerosol paint striper, spray wand, and by hand. The product normally ships within 2-3 days of the order if not sooner and 12 can case orders are delivered by FedEx Ground service. Check out the Eco Stripe water based aerosol Paint Product page to download a Material Safety Data Sheet (MSDS) (PDF format). Larger quantities can be shipped by common carrier to reduce your per case costs. Contact TruMarkAFM@eSelling4u.com for a large quantity price quote.
Do you need to upgrade your aerosol paint striper then consider the Sharp Stripe All Terrain unit with over-sized pneumatic wheels and axle bearings.
The 2008 new year brought another round of Tru Mark product introductions, the newest sand bag barrier products. The two new additions were created based on customer feedback and requirements.
The 35 pound Inter-Lock Barrier (IB) sand bag is a modified 10 pound sand bag as if two had been sewn together. This new design improves the stacking integrity of multiple sand bags. This increases the barrier affect to the ballast material from environmental contamination thus allowing for multiple uses without suffering from growing organisms. The vinyl laminated fabric is even stronger than the earlier sand bag versions. It is easy to clean up and store. The 6 inch carrying strap allows for quick and easy relocation. Because of the side by side design this sand bag is ideal for holding down a soccer goal by laying it down with the center of the bag parallel and overlapping the horizontal ground bars.
35 Pound Sand Bag, 14" wide x 25" long plus 6" nylon web carrying strap. Two separate compartments provide interlocking capability when bags are stacked. Two inner plastic bags for securing on-site material within the bag before closure. Velcro closure at carrying strap end. The fabric material consists of a yellow vinyl laminate. When filled the sand bag is 22" long by 10" wide by 3.5" thick.
The 55 pound barrier sand bag was specifically designed for protecting a standard 35 inch wide doorway from encroaching water conditions. The additional weight allows for holding heavier objects in place.
55 Pound Sand Bag, 10" wide x 38" long plus 6" nylon web carrying strap. Inner plastic bag provided for securing on-site material within the bag before closure. Grommet and Velcro closure at carrying strap end. Fabric material is red aqua marine. When filled the sand bag is 36" long by 6.5" wide by 5.5" thick.
What is one of best turf shoes on the market? My vote is for the LawnGrips product line introduced over 2 years ago.
I was able to see the product for the first time at the annual 2006 STMA conference trade show. Representatives had several shoe models on hand for show visitors to try on. Although they didn't have the model on hand I was able to verify my shoe size at the show. I ordered a pair of 2001 Pros size 9 and have used them almost non-stop for two years.
This model appears to have been replaced by the ProLite 6" model.
In our business I have the opportunity to demonstrate our field marking equipment to prospective customers. The LawnGrips are part of my tool kit when out on the turf. They are used all day whether on the grass and skinned areas of ballfields or at our warehouse and office operations.
I really appreciate the higher ankle protection, both in the turf environment as well as in the warehouse operations. There has been very little noticeable wear on the sole. The padded soles are the most comfortable shoe that I've every worn, and I really like my Saucony Shadow 6000 that I've been buying for over 20 years. The LawnGrips kept my feet dry and allowed my feet to breath sufficiently to avoid wet socks. They have suffered several coats of paint over the course of a field striping season, yet were easy to clean up with soap and water (warm) and a strong bristle brush. They basically looked new again after the cleanup process.
Since I've overused/abused these LawnGrips, see Tru Mark photo album, they have shown some breakdowns, namely the uppers started separating from the soles and the internal padding especially around the heal starting breaking down. When the uppers separated I received my first cold bath since purchasing them when going through a shallow drainage ditch. The heal area although worn has not cause any blisters.
This is the best investment I've every made on a pair of shoes, even beating out my Lucchese Ropers hand made cowboy boots that I've owned for over 20 years.
Aer-Flo Product Introductions at 2008 STMA Conference
Aer-flo continues to add new products to their sports turf cover offering. On the trade floor show of the annual 2008 Sports Turf Managers Association Conference in Phoenix, AZ, Jeff Mondor, Sales Director for the Sports Field Products introduced their latest product, Landing Zone Ballasted Pit Cover. This latest product is the integration of the wind weighted and turf protection technologies to help protect long and triple jump sand pits.
Also introduced this past year is the heat welded banners to the turf protection products to include the Bench Zone Sideline Turf Protectors.
Printing on products are now being offered by the company to help support sports programs through avenues such as advertising and team spirit.
The annual 2008 Sport Turf Managers Association conference in Phoenix, AZ continues to highlight companies introducing new products. Cambridge, Inc. introduced several different drag mats to the sport turf industry. Cambridge International, a manufacturer of industrial conveyor belts, has solved several typical problems with drag mats.
Mike Truitt, Director, Turf Mat Technology, explained how unique clinched edge design minimizes snagging and subsequent mat breakage. In addition the new one piece rivet free u-bar design is truly reversible. Also the Cambridge drag mats feature larger diameter rods which increase mat strength and resist distortion.
The drag mats can be custom built to customer requirements from the following specifications, mesh in a standard or heavy duty 1" x 1", strip size in 3/8" x .050 or 1/2" x .062, rod size 11 gauge or 6 gauge, and weight in 1.89 or 3.65 lbs/sq ft respectively. The custom mat options include standard or heavy duty, woven mesh, flexible or rigid, with or without bars, standard or heavy duty bars, 1" x 1" or 3" x 1" openings, chain or rope attachments, and widths from 6" to 200".
Refer to several of the different drag mat images from the conference trade show display.
