In early November 2020, you might have been lucky enough to have spotted WDC Parks and Green Spaces working in Abbey Fields. A tractor was pulling a machine that left parallel lines behind where it cut the soil. See the photos which were taken in Warwick of the tractor and machine in action and the resulting lines. The last photo was taken in Abbey Fields about 1 week after the work was carried out, and you can see just how quickly, after a little rain, the soil settles down.
This process is called Earth-quaking and is carried out regularly In Abbey Fields, normally annually, to de-compact the soil and help drainage. The machine used is called a linear decompactor and is designed to revitalise heavy wear areas by relieving soil compaction, improving aeration and removing surface water. It inserts vibrating blades into the ground. The vibrations shatter the compacted soil to reconstitute the natural tiny fractures that help drain the ground.
The Imants ShockWave, used for this task, is reputed to be the world’s fastest PTO driven rotary, linear decompactor. The ShockWave is designed for use on fine turf and sports fields.
