I've got the same rig as you do. I went to HD and bought the Brinly 40" Plug aerator. I think its fine for residential/once a year use. Don't over think it. It will hang on the wall 364 days out of the year.

Don't over think it?!?! Isn't that the whole point of internet forums? ;-)

I'm concerned about durability because I will very likely end up sharing the aerator with two neighbors. We swap tools from time to time and I expect this will become a swapper. Nobody likes that crappy feeling you get when you break another guy's toy. I don't to risk putting them in that position by adding a flimsy aerator to the community tool chest.

I passed the Brinly because many reviewers seem to think the side-mounted handle is a drawback. What's your opinion on that?

Thanks

p.s. How's that Forester holding up?

I bought the Precision 48" from Lowe's and my little JD LX178 (15 HP Kaw. with a K60 Tranny) pulls it in my very clay soil with no problems whatsoever (I put ~160 lbs on it) uphill or down. It looks identical to the picture they are showing as a Swisher on their website currently (does one company make the other?). It works great. I had planned on buying the smaller one (less room in the garage) but this was the only one they had left and they gave me a 20% discount since it was the floor model (free setup).

I just looked at the Swisher aerator on the Lowe's website. It looks EXACTLY like the Agri-Fab aerator I bought there 4 years ago. The only difference I see are the color of the wheels.

Had I not been able to buy mine on closeout for $80, I wouldn't own one. It sits in my shed (in the way...) 364.5 days a year. It barely fits through my 5 foot wide shed door. It's heavy and was a PITA to put together. Plus, if you really want a good aeration job, you'll have to make about 4-5 passes to equal 1-2 passes with a professional aerator because the tines are spaced pretty far apart. I also think aerating is a bit over-rated and you can do more good just by changing your mowing/watering/fertilizing habits.

Since you intend to throw it into the community-use pool, I'd suggest collecting some money and purchasing a commercial aerator like a Bluebird or similar.

P.S., most damage I've heard of happens when backing up. The tongue can't take much compression load and ends up buckling. I've never had it happen, but I can see how it happens.

One thing I will point out the relates to a number of tow-behind implements including aerators.

Therde are times you will need to back up. In many cases the design of tow-behind equipment is more than adequate for towing, but not backing up.

I recently broke a lawn sweeper, and did some reversible damage to a spike aerator.

Just another thing to consider.

I'd go with the Brinly. Brinly is probably the oldest and most trusted names in tow-behind garden tractor implements. I bought the 40" Brinly plug aerator at Home Depot about two years ago. It's great. There is really no reson for a residential user to buy the 48", it will just take up another 8" of your shed (the 40" is already a big, clunky thing to store). And for what reason? To save you 20 minutes when you aerate your yard twice a year?
No complaints about the handle. I can easily drop it from wheels to tines from the seat. To raise it, I just turn left until I can reach the handle and pull it forward, also without getting out of the seat. I keep it loaded up with two cinder blocks which I filled with quickrete and set in two iron handles for easier handling. I think this year I'll add a third. As far as backing up goes, my grandfather always said the shorter a trailer is the harder it is to back up. Backing up with the aerator is entirely possible, but will really test your skills. The only way I could see you damaging it is if you jacknife it and keep backing up. But why would you do that? If you can back up an aerator (more than ten feet), I think you could back up just about anything.
The most difficult thing I've ever had to back up was an 80' long (folded) CH-53 helicopter with a JG-90 tow tractor and a 10' long tow bar (pivots at the tug's pintle and the aircraft's nose wheel) into a spot five feet bigger than the aircraft, sideways in the hangar. Backing up the 40" aerator is about the same level of difficulty--albeit on a much smaller scale.
I have to disagree with the recommendation to go in with your neighbors on the purchase a professional aerator for community use. I share mine with two of my neighbors and it does the job. IMHO a commercial aerator would be a collossal waste of money. For the same amount of money you could buy the Brinly and put the rest toward a tow-behind propane pig-roaster to enjoy a pig-pickin barbecue on your lush green lawn with your neighbors. That's what we'd do in Carolina anyway.

If you lived where I do you would understand why aerators are necessary. Just mowing with a tractor can turn a lawn into hardpan with all the clay we have. I do go over mine 3-4 times, but I have less than an acre so with the 48" swath it doesn't take long and I am one of the weirdos that actually enjoys tooling around with the tractor. I pull the tines out of the ground when backing (doesn't happen much if you plan your attack). If the Swisher is made by the same company as the Precision, you should have no problems with it. I have heard they are a pain to put together (mine was already put together), but once again, when did using all those tools in the garage become a bad thing?

I gawked at the Swisher and the Agri Fab for a while and the only visible differences I found are what appear to be different bolts and the lift levers. Both levers are mounted in the middle, but one bends right while the other bends left. (No, I am not tailor.)

The Brinly gets painted purdy green and sold for too much money. However, the fact that Deere is willing to put their name on it is worth... I dunno... a ham sandwich.

Thanks for the warnings about backing up. Turns out I have jack-knifed my 10p cart while working between the trees in the back of my property. (No damage.) Actually, one of the few things I dislike about the 4WS is that the fulcrum point when reversing is 'live'. Just takes some getting used to.

Tomorrow I will visit Lowes and the orange flea market to see if they have these models in stock. I shall dazzle some minimum wage-earning kid with my aerator-connoisseur demeanor and see where I get.

Thanks!

I like the Agrifab. The company stands by their product and sells replacement products. After two years, I noticed one of the bushing was missing. I ordered a few to replace it and have a few on hand. You can easily replace the coring knives aften a few years if they get dull. You don't get that kind of support from a knock off.

I wasn't talking about jackknifing the trailer in order to buckle the tongue. It happens when you try to back up and one side of the aerator has more resistance than the other. Now, in addition to pushing on the tongue, you're also trying to twist it because one side doesn't want to move as easily as the other. Eventually, the tongue buckles and turns into a pretzel because it really wasn't designed for that load. There are past posts about the topic and I imagine more will come this spring when aerating season begins.

As for aerating in general, it does a great temporary job. However, those holes fill back up with more of your clay soil and you're right back where you started unless you do something in addition to just aerating.

I've found that proper watering (1" of deep watering once a week) along with mulch mowing and using "organic" fertilizers (compost, feed meals, alfalfa pellets, cracked corn, etc.) help the health of the soil. When you have healthy soil, the worms, bugs and other life do the aerating for you as well as feed your grass and prevent "thatch" and build-up of clippings.

So, like I said, once I focused on treating the real problem (soil health) and not just the symptom (compaction, thatch, disease, weeds, etc.) I found that most of my other lawn related symptoms went away as well. Had I learned this earlier, I wouldn't have spent the money on the aerator which I don't use anymore. Hindsight is always 20/20.

The Aerator Pledge

I will not over-think the purchase.
I will think when using it.
I will always raise the tines/spoons when reversing.
I will not spend too much for a seldom-used tool.
I will be back with questions about pig smokers!
I will pass along this advice to neighbors.
=)

At this point, I should probably confess that I am not a big fan of yard work. I bought the JD primarily for mowing and leaf collection (because using the tractor saves me time to do other things - like post on the Internet). Since I've got it, I am branching out into snow removal and the simpler aspects of lawn care. 3-4 times a year with an aerator is maintenance I can handle. I don't doubt that proper care in the first place will likely reduce (if not eliminate) the need for the aerator, but I'd rather not jump into a lawn care hobby with both feet.

Aerating can benefit healthy soil, too. Organically maintained turf can also suffer from soil compaction. Normally, soil compaction results from foot or vehicular traffic (this includes LTs and GTs). Here's a link for more info:

Aeration

Sports field and golf course groundskeepers often aerate high traffic areas twice or more per year. IMO, if you really want good lawn advice, follow groundskeeper's recommendations. They make their living maintaining healthy, good looking turf. If they don't produce, they get fired.

-Deerslayer

I just now traded my aerator for four bags of "organic" fertilizer. Problem solved. Thanks for all the help!

Metal,

Congratulations. I think you'll find that rather than buying more band-aids, it's better to find and fix the problem that made you need the band-aids in the first place.

However, I think you got shorted on the deal. I can get 4 50 lb. bags of alfalfa pellets or cracked corn for about $30.

Don't fall into the trap of thinking that the entire U.S. has the same soil composition as Washington (I see it quite often here). What works for you doesn't work everywhere and assuming that you are the only one that has heard about organic fertilize and utilizes them is being a little arrogant or naive.

I wish you luck with your aerator.

There are other ways to "aerate" a lawn that take much less effort in the long run. You just have to be willing to think "outside the box."

You should check out the lawn care forum if you have questions about lawn care. I learned what I know there, so I couldn't possibly be the ONLY one that knows about it.

Aside from the anti-compaction aerator funcion, I also aerate before fertilizing. Is it necessary? Probably not, but the results are pleasing.

I have a Brinly which works great for me. It was more expensive than the Agri-Fab, but seemed more heavy duty. I use 6 30lb concreet blocks on mine and the tractor tows it without a problem.

{{gwi:318275}}

Here's another option:

Here is a link that might be useful: Mow-Aerator

Holy Cow !!! It looks like something you would see in a "Mad Max" movie.

Golly. That'll give the moles a headache.

To bring closure to the thread, I ended up going with the Lowes unit. After all this drama, the decision came down to Lowes having one in stock and selling it to me for an off-season price.

Yeah varmint 304, maybe they ought to call it the....."Mole-erator"

donc-One thing you might want to do is put something under the concrete blocks so they don't slide around and scratch up the aerator. I use the non-slip toolbox liner mat and it works very well.

I use four six gallon gas cans on the aerator. I put them on the aerator empty and drive over to the water faucet and fill them up. Works great and puts alot of weight on the aerator.

Would it cost more to fill those 4 six gallon cans with gas than to buy the aerator? Would it be a tougher decision on which brand of gas to use than which brand of aerator to buy? maybe thats why you use water, but those gas cans were probably at least 6 bucks apiece.
I wonder if those gas cans filled with water will have a longer life span than the aerator? Sometimes the simple just becomes difficult, whatda ya think?

Steve2ski,

boy are you on a roll today! Must have been a tough holidays for you.

But you did get a laught with this one.

I hope all is ok dude.

Steve2ski is funny. Thinks alot like my Italian wife of 45 years. Those four plastic gas cans bring much pleasure in my life driving my wife nuts over the cost of wasting money on the yard. She was really happy when I purchased a Conquest the day I sold the business. Such waste. Boys and their toys.

Just doing alot of odd jobs(very necessary but not fun)right now, getting ready for the spring rush for the landscaping business. Kind of makes some issues look different to me. Some of my competitors are plowing snow, I kind of lost interest in that years ago after spending a couple of years on the night shift in a Pisten Bully PB170.
Gotta have something to laugh at even if it's me. Springs coming.

For a side trail trip into some deep....uh...snow
for those who don't know

Here is a link that might be useful: Sno fun for some