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A
t one point in the not-so-
distant past, the Toro Sand
Pro
®
, while at the top of its
game, may have spent a little more time
resting in the shop than working on the
course. But all this has changed. The
Sand Pro 3020 and 5020 models recently
underwent some major modifications
and upgrades. Now with improved
hydraulic capabilities, more ground clear-
ance, steerable front-end attachments
and under-a-minute attachment changes,
the new and improved Sand Pro 3040
and 5040 are ready to hit the market.
From Good To Better
To make changes to these reliable
bunker-management machines, Toro
went straight to its customers. With
hands-on test sites set up across the
nation, golf course superintendents,
assistants, technicians and operators had
the opportunity to spend a few hours
examining—and trying out—the new
features and changes.
“Since we are replacing a product
that is number one in its field for
quality, we wanted to make sure
that we understood what our
clients did and did not like,”
explains Greg Janey,
marketing manager
for the Toro Sand Pro. “First, we decided
that this product could improve overall
with a Quick Attach System that allows
anyone to change attachments in under
a minute without any tools. This is
compared to over an hour with the
older models.”
“Also, we decided that the chain design
on the 3020 for the steering wasn’t as
reliable as we would like, especially in
these harsh sand and dirt environments.
So we completely got rid of it. The new
3040 has a gear design that is completely
sealed from the environment and its
harmful elements. Even better, the
5040 has new hydraulic power
steering.”
Taking into consideration
customers’ varied needs, comments
and concerns, Toro took the
under-utilized Sand Pro and made
it more functional and easier to
use. This way, customers can be
more productive—
accomplishing more
with less.
Scott Cochran,
golf course
superintendent at
Ballantyne Country
Club, a 130-acre
Rees Jones-
designed
course in Charlotte, North Carolina,
is already making plans for a more
productive day with the new Sand Pro
models.
“We constantly strive to exceed the
expectations of our members and have
spent probably 40 percent of our time
on bunkers this year,” Cochran describes.
“We currently use the older Sand Pro
models, and we operate them 5 to 6
times a week from 2 to 5 hours a day on
our daily maintenance.”
The golf course is characterized by
rolling hills, beautiful lakes, magnificent
views—and 95 well-manicured bunkers;
however, the hilly terrain occasionally
causes bunkers to wash out during
heavy rainstorms.
“Our bunkers tend to catch some
run-off during big rain events, but with
our Sand Pros we’re able to put them
together again fairly quickly,” Cochran
says. “It will be even easier with the new
Sand Pro.”
Cochran adds: “I feel like the best
machine on the market was the 5020,
and I didn’t think Toro could improve
on it. But they have.”
New, Improved Sand Pro
®
Bunker Rakes
From Good…To Better…To Best
4
“Toro really listened to what
we asked for and delivered the
improvements. I feel lucky that
they asked for my input.”
– Scott Cochran, Golf Course Superintendent,
Ballantyne Country Club, Charlotte,
North Carolina