aerators for lawn

[peter lena 8,589]

just some info related to the spiker aerators , I had the dozer plow sitting on , to lubricate it . there are 2 aerators , same design , one is 28" wide across top of 6" channel steel , the other is 40" wide across 6" channel steel , cut  welded 6"channel on it side to bottom of top channel , making a mount for pillow block flange bearings , to hold thru width axels , made up 10"x 4" spikers cut / welded from 4" x 3/8 thick flat bar steel , drilled hole for axel mount thru spikers . spikers just spin with movement , upper channel steel frame makes good spot to lay heavy chain for spiker soil penetration . been using these more than 30 years. often tandem them , have ball hitch front and back , makes for easy hook up , unweighted tow while cutting grass , breaks up thatch , weighted tow , not cutting grass for aeration , break up clay in lawn . feeds birds . working in a weld shop , with lots of metal scrap , this was a no brainer , bombproof , also did a stainless mailbox , about the same time , sch40 cement filled swing arm for suspended mail box , titanium swing mounts , lets it swing with impact , still there , back in the day , pete  

[Maxwell-8 4,275]

Nicely done Pete

Question, do Aerators work well? I have been thinking about buying one, but haven't seen a good use for one

[peter lena 8,589]

@Maxwell-8  find they definitely open up the soil , reducing a hard clay packing  that exists in my area , notice worms and bird feeding , lawn grows better evenly , recently stopped a lawn service , and I can notice the improvement . did a lot of double pulling with heavy chain , that really softened up the lawn . from what I  have seen  of  European lawns and grass, its very lush and thick . you may not have the need , pete 

[ranger 1,748]

3 hours ago, Maxwell-8 said:

Nicely done Pete

Question, do Aerators work well? I have been thinking about buying one, but haven't seen a good use for one

I have a couple. In the UK the general view is that they give up to a 30% increase in grass/hay yield in pastures, etc. Here is one of them.

 

[peter lena 8,589]

@ranger like I  said to @Maxwell-8 , hay and grass yield in fields , is different ,  with regular animal fertilizer , you are at a great advantage . I  just have a lawn around my house , years back had a 15 yd truckload of  topsoil harrowed into my clayed lawn , made a total difference .  find it easy to just drive around with a weighted aerators , its effective for me , lawn always looks better , always change my cutting pattern also , grass just looks better , thanks , pete

[ri702bill 8,296]

8 hours ago, peter lena said:

always change my cutting pattern also

And it does work well - my back yard is on a hill - not good to do this with a K series - but I will occasionally get ambitious and cross cut it at a 45 degree angle with the Honda walk behind. That helps to remove any tire pattern marks from the tractors.

Bill

[ranger 1,748]

10 hours ago, peter lena said:

@ranger like I  said to @Maxwell-8 , hay and grass yield in fields , is different ,  with regular animal fertilizer , you are at a great advantage . I  just have a lawn around my house , years back had a 15 yd truckload of  topsoil harrowed into my clayed lawn , made a total difference .  find it easy to just drive around with a weighted aerators , its effective for me , lawn always looks better , always change my cutting pattern also , grass just looks better , thanks , pete

@peter lena I think the main benefit aeration provides  is allowing easier access of oxygen, moisture, nutrients, etc to the roots of the plants, more so in clay type soils, whether its lawns, hayfields or whatever. It also helps with drainage of surface water if your lawn sees heavy traffic, and forms a ‘Hard pan’, ‘Spiking’ or aerating can help break through this. Another type of aerator is the hollow plug type, which removes and collects ‘Plugs’ of soil, leaving small holes which can be filled with top dressing or whatever. Never tried it so can’t really comment on this method. But I do agree with Pete, aeration of grass areas is well worth the effort, (plus more seat time, if you have a tow behind unit). Doug.

[Jeff-C175 7,199]

19 hours ago, peter lena said:

I had the dozer plow sitting on , to lubricate i

 

Ohhhhh... in that other thread, where you showed the pic of the plow on top... I thought that you had the aerator bolted to the plow frame and were using the plow for weight !

 

I get it now...

 

 

[peter lena 8,589]

@Jeff-C175  also use bush vacuum pump rotors , for weight , the vein slots in the rotors , just fit on the channel steel vertical edges . pete

[peter lena 8,589]

@Jeff-C175 , this is a bush vacuum pump rotor , this the 100 lb size also have a 200 lb , note how they just fit on channel steel raised edges , got them as scrap at work , pete

 

[ranger 1,748]

A couple of pics of my other aerator/spiker, not a heavyweight, 4ft wide, but has plenty of space to add weights. Also has depth control wheels, but not fitted at the moment. Included are a couple of pics of the hay paddock, torrential rain last night which flattened the grass, but not the buttercups. Doug.

Edited June 6, 2022 by ranger

[peter lena 8,589]

@ranger  picked up some old heavy used chain at the local  scrap yard , makes a perfect weight on that upper tray . you could add a few stand up bolts to trap some of the chain links , or some other tie down spot , simple easy weight for the lawn , thats a pretty aggressive  looking set of spikers , is that a grease fitting  2nd photo , axel end mount point ?  I  use chassis  grease on mine , spins very easily .  rip it up , pete 

[ranger 1,748]

@peter lena the spikes are in sections with grease nipples/zerks in each section. In the end is a cross bolt to retain the shaft. The spikes are part of a kit made by a company named schsupplies.co.uk, they make all kinds of kit for use behind garden tractors/quads, etc. You have a ‘tool carrier’ which accepts all kinds of things such as, spikes, splitters, rollers, de-thatchers, rakes, etc. all are mounted on the round bar, remove the bolt, pull out the bar, position the desired unit in place and re-insert the bar. I have the proper 48” tool carrier completer with a six row set of tines. These spikes are mounted on a homemade carrier, (not made by me), but are the correct ones for the other carrier. If you Google schsupplies.co.uk you can browse their catalog, all kinds of equipment, trailers, flail mowers, sprayers etc, nearly all suitable for lawn and garden tractors. Doug.

[peter lena 8,589]

@ranger thanks for the insight , all this stuff has different  manufactures  , from different times and  locations , like to take advantage of the old way of  everything , with no failures built in . anytime I  can modify or improve anything , and make it work easier and last longer too , I,M all in . pretty basic stuff , so a pillar block or flange bearing , along with good chassis grease , has just made it pretty bombproof . regularly tow my aerator , unweighted while cutting , since using them more often , my lawn overall , just looks better . Doug , thank you for the back an forth .  enjoy it , pete

[ranger 1,748]

11 hours ago, peter lena said:

@ranger thanks for the insight , all this stuff has different  manufactures  , from different times and  locations , like to take advantage of the old way of  everything , with no failures built in . anytime I  can modify or improve anything , and make it work easier and last longer too , I,M all in . pretty basic stuff , so a pillar block or flange bearing , along with good chassis grease , has just made it pretty bombproof . regularly tow my aerator , unweighted while cutting , since using them more often , my lawn overall , just looks better . Doug , thank you for the back an forth .  enjoy it , pete

@peter lena looking again at your aerators, they are very similar to my homemade flat roller, channel iron frame etc. The roll is an old gas bottle, bearings made from an old oak fence post, grease zerk in the bottom, (it always amazes me to see grease points located in the top of a plain bearing, whereby the weight has to be taken off the shaft before grease can be pumped in. Items such as rolls, etc).

I also prefer the older, more ‘bulletproof’ designs of implements, especially things that only get used once or twice a year. And thank you, Pete, for your promotion of the benefits of regular preventive maintenance, having spent much of my working life repairing/replacing machinery damaged by lack of care on the part of the operator, (air filter pre-cleaners, oil /coolant levels, and of course, grease points) it’s refreshing to see someone pushing the issue home! It’s also through your recommendation I bought the Lucas grease. Keep up your good work, this is a case Where I feel the, ‘Slippery Slope’ leads to better things👍 Doug.

 

Edited June 7, 2022 by ranger

[peter lena 8,589]

@Doug   morning , I too was in maintenance , was a  mechanical millwright , 30 years , every job was "  we need it now " , thats what makes you come up with ideas,  that and talking to the operators in the unit , find out who is doing what , who often cause issues , so they could go on , break , due to broken equipment  ! had a regular midnight plugged line , related it to the same operator , who turned  off steam tracing  !  he was  transferred out to a different area , problem stopped !  went to jack frost , sugar plant , NY .  they put a lot of their screw flight problems on , large HEIM JOINTS  , problems stopped , the heims  , were handling the  irregularities of the long screw flights  , angles , they were suspended off the floor , moving on their own !  no wonder things were breaking  on a solid mount !   good talking , keep it greasy , pete