A new approach to pitch-marking incorporating spray markers, will be launched by Pitchmark at the Saltex show at the NEC, Birmingham on November 1 and 2.
The Hybrid sports pitch line marker has been trialled by several Premier League clubs and comes with a lifetime warranty.
Pitchmark managing director Mark Rodman said the system offers the benefits of both a transfer wheel marker and a spray marker.
'A lot of stadia groundsmen use transfer markers for many good reasons,' he said.
'It's easier to lift the back wheels up to mark over intersecting lines, there's balanced weight and groundsmen like to walk slowly, with more control. With a transfer wheel marker you are using the same amount of paint on a pitch no matter how slowly you walk'
But the problem with transfer markers is that they only tend to coat the tips of the grass blades and are often double marked to make the lines bold enough. This can result in a trenching effect due to the continuous heavy weight of the front roller and the loss of grass coverage because of overdosing with paint.
The Pitchmark Hybrid is a three-wheeled sprayer which avoids the awkward manoeuvring over wet, intersecting lines that a conventional four-wheeled machine requires. It has a range of nozzles so users don't use too much paint and can still walk slowly.
The nozzles provide deep leaf coverage so users only need one pass and the line isn't cut out fully week to week. The thin coating of paint dries quickly so there are no issues with rain and watering.
The Hybrid uses a 12V 14ah SLA battery which gives up to provides hours use from one charge. The front discs act as the front wheel and wide, low ground-pressure leave less of a mark on the pitch.
The Hybrid also features adjustable line width to suit different competitions and goal post widths. Paint is contained in a 25L moulded tank and users can bleed the system into the paint tank for cleaner operation. The patent-pending Hybrid comes with a lifetime warranty, providing Pitchmark paints are used.
