Jacobsen has introduced a new biodegradable hydraulic fluid, GreensCare Plus, which has the same performance characteristics as the current GreensCare oil, but with a significantly longer lifespan.
GreensCare Plus is totally synthetic oil, which takes the original concept and extends the working life of the oil even further, up to three times longer than original GreensCare and equivalent grade petroleum-based products. Another factor is that it can directly replace petroleum oils providing enhanced wear protection, cleanliness as well as improved longevity. It is available for almost every Jacobsen product and comes in five gallon pails.
The original GreensCare range has been designed for and used exclusively by Jacobsen since 1997 and has been a factory fill product since 2002. It’s a non-toxic product, made from renewable North American grown seed crops, which outperforms standard petroleum-based hydraulic fluids and eliminates the risk of long-term turf problems and environmental contamination.
Standard hydraulic fluid spills on turf burn the individual blades of grass on impact, soak into the soil and down to the rootzone causing lasting problems because mineral oil doesn’t degrade. This contamination lingers and inhibits new growth, not only for the grass plant, but also other plants and animals.
Should as leak occur, GreensCare rapidly breaks down into safe, natural components after the area has been flushed with water. In a matter of days, the product disappears allowing the turf to recover.
Michael Verguldi is the maintenance manager at Rivercrest Golf Club in Phoenixville, PA and has been trialing GreensCare Plus for more than two years.
“We’re a relatively new golf course and are very environmentally conscious,” he says. “We use Jacobsen’s GreensCare biodegradable hydraulic fluids for that reason, and because turf damage is reduced if we have a leak or a spill.
“With the new GreensCare Plus synthetic fluids, we only had one leak in two years and it did not streak. With traditional transmission fluids we’d have to take out the soil if we blew a hose. I accept that GreensCare has a price premium, but I’m willing to pay more for a quality product with a longer working life.”
Commenting on the new fluid, Britton Harold, Jacobsen’s product manager for parts and accessories said,
“GreensCare Plus has been formulated to provide longer-lasting performance, while retaining all the inherent benefits of the original GreensCare range. With its improved lubricity and higher viscosity it reduces wear in individual components and overall systems, resulting in reduced maintenance costs, which can only help the bottom line.
“Customers tested this new fluid at their own courses and in their equipment for over a year; in every analysis undertaken to understand the life of the product, GreensCare Plus by far outperformed petroleum-based oils and also our current GreensCare. It’s not just biodegradable, which makes it different or better, it’s a better fluid, period!”