Aera-vator

[CFar45]

Anyone have experience with an aera-vator, made by 1st products ?
Saw a used one for sale and was interested for general lawn aerating as well as possible overseeding, but this is the first I’ve ever seen one. Would be used in multiple soil types including clay and sandy….

 

[Halftrack]

In my opinion and from the research I've done-

As an aerator- the vibrating time aerators are a plus/minus machine. Yes, they penatrate the soil and leave a hole, but they compress the soil around the hole. Water and fertilizer absorption may improve, but again they are going into a hole with compressed sides. I went with a plug puller aerator and yes, you've got those goose turds everywhere but they will disappear after a couple of rains. I usually go over everything twice, shooting for 15 to 20 holes per square ft. At that point, just by walking over the ground , you can tell the difference. Moisture is your friend when pulling plugs.

As an overseeder: this is a minus/minus tool. The seeder behind the vibrating tines is dropping seed on either compressed soil or into a deep hole. The exposed seed is not going to germinate and the deep hole seed may germinate but never make it to the surface. An exception would be if the soil was very dry, the vibrating tines might fracture the surface enough to allow seed coverage. For overseeding, I would suggest a Land Pride, Woods, Toro, Olathe, Jacobson, or Rogers pto POWERED slit seeder. They will cut and place and compress the seed in existing lawns. Cut normal overseeding rates in half and hit it twice, with the second at a diagonal to the first.

 

[grmmrg]

Aeravators work best on very dry soil. Not so good on wet soil. When the soil is dry, it will shatter the soil to allow greater root growth. Greater meaning deeper. The down side of this, it really allows the soil to dry out at a much quicker rate than a coring aerator. So irrigation, rain is a plus. When using on wet soil, it basically wallers out a hole, compressing the soil around it, creating what you are trying to alleviate. For over seeding, some aeravators have seed boxes attached. If no seed box, spreading seed with a cyclone spreader or any spreader for that much, then running the Aeravator over it. Works great. On bare dirt, same procedure. For best results, the slower the better. I run an 80” on a John Deere 3046. Front weights are definitely suggested as these are very heavy. The rear roller can be adjusted to control depth. Also a hydraulic top link is useful to control depth as well. Hope this helps. I use mine on athletic fields as well as homeowner lawns. You can really feel a difference between an areas that you have been over and the ones you have not.Typically, I core aerate in the spring because it is wet, use the Aeravator during other times when it is dry. Hope this helps. Yes, I love mine.

 

[CFar45]

Aeravators work best on very dry soil. Not so good on wet soil. When the soil is dry, it will shatter the soil to allow greater root growth. Greater meaning deeper. The down side of this, it really allows the soil to dry out at a much quicker rate than a coring aerator. So irrigation, rain is a plus. When using on wet soil, it basically wallers out a hole, compressing the soil around it, creating what you are trying to alleviate. For over seeding, some aeravators have seed boxes attached. If no seed box, spreading seed with a cyclone spreader or any spreader for that much, then running the Aeravator over it. Works great. On bare dirt, same procedure. For best results, the slower the better. I run an 80” on a John Deere 3046. Front weights are definitely suggested as these are very heavy. The rear roller can be adjusted to control depth. Also a hydraulic top link is useful to control depth as well. Hope this helps. I use mine on athletic fields as well as homeowner lawns. You can really feel a difference between an areas that you have been over and the ones you have not.Typically, I core aerate in the spring because it is wet, use the Aeravator during other times when it is dry. Hope this helps. Yes, I love mine.

Thanks for this. No seed box on the used one I found and was thinking exactly what you described for overseeding. The used one I’m considering is pretty cheap, I think, so might just give it a go. Thinking about this for re/over seeding in areas of compacted soil. It sounds as if, unless really dry soil, these might be more detrimental? Or maybe just not helpful? Wouldn’t want to make my situation worse…

 

[CFar45]

Aeravators work best on very dry soil. Not so good on wet soil. When the soil is dry, it will shatter the soil to allow greater root growth. Greater meaning deeper. The down side of this, it really allows the soil to dry out at a much quicker rate than a coring aerator. So irrigation, rain is a plus. When using on wet soil, it basically wallers out a hole, compressing the soil around it, creating what you are trying to alleviate. For over seeding, some aeravators have seed boxes attached. If no seed box, spreading seed with a cyclone spreader or any spreader for that much, then running the Aeravator over it. Works great. On bare dirt, same procedure. For best results, the slower the better. I run an 80” on a John Deere 3046. Front weights are definitely suggested as these are very heavy. The rear roller can be adjusted to control depth. Also a hydraulic top link is useful to control depth as well. Hope this helps. I use mine on athletic fields as well as homeowner lawns. You can really feel a difference between an areas that you have been over and the ones you have not.Typically, I core aerate in the spring because it is wet, use the Aeravator during other times when it is dry. Hope this helps. Yes, I love mine.

Also… appears there’s no rear roller on this one. Deal breaker?