Core Aerator

[jeffinsgf]

I highly recommend against rolling the lawn. It will cause more problems (notably compaction) than it solves. Get some loam and fill in any really low spots as required.

On a recent (rare) golf outing, the cart bounced around a bit in the fairway...

I got off on the hardware and completely forgot about this point. Hazmat is exactly right. Don't roll. Aerate and topdress.

 

[jesseb3@att.net]

Try this: TurfVent 48" Heavy-duty 3-point Hitch Aerator - GEMPLER'S

I purchased one last year and add about 300#'s to the weight tray. Works well and seems to be good quality steel. Grease fittings are located on the axel and spoons are hardend steel. Also, doesn't weigh so much that it can only be moved by the 3PH...about 120# w/o any weight added. Not too bad a price compared to the Woods or other brand name 3PH attachements.

At first glance, I thought it looked more akin to a Brinly, but after checking, it is more rugged than that. Did you get it with the three point hitch, or did you get the pull model? My only fear is whether or not it will last. Does it throw plugs well?

 

[jesseb3@att.net]

Jeff and Hazmat,

I have never rolled, nor aerated a lawn (ok, a long time ago, I spike aerated, but let's pretend I didn't make that mistake.)

Anyway, I'll have to concede to your experience. My yard has about 2+ acres of grass. By mowing with the Kubota, and even with the little POS that I had, I end up with ruts over time. Not ruts that you can see, but if you run the tractor across the "grain", you notice the washboard. I wish the answer was "mow the other way occasionally", but that isn't practical, unless I get a zero-turn mower... I was researching those last week, so I am tempted, but I digress.

Another, area of my lawn actually gets visible ruts during the spring (standing water, the whole nine yards), and I need some way to flatten that without destroying the grass.

What do you think my options are? When you say "top dress", what do you mean? Does it require a new implement?

Thanks
Jesse

 

[Volfandt]

This 40" el-cheapo did a pretty good job after I added a 4th cinderblock. I gives a pretty consistant 3" plug and doesn't seem to tear the turf up too bad in turns. I wouldn't recommend it for commercial but seems OK for residential use. And it gives my retired 856 something to do twice a yr too.

 

[lawn_king]

Do you think that my BX2350 would lift that unit high enough? It is a beast.

I'll have to look at the specs closer to see how much that weighs, and what my BX is rated for. What $ ballpark do you think a used PL should be in? Being one of the most expensive models out there, I'm not sure that you could entice me. It IS a really nice unit though - no doubts there!

The pl 60 weighs 450 lbs. It has 96 tines. You need to put 700 lbs on the weight tray to get good depth, i think it would be too big for a bx?

 

[jesseb3@att.net]

The pl 60 weighs 450 lbs. It has 96 tines. You need to put 700 lbs on the weight tray to get good depth, i think it would be too big for a bx?

Wow, I guess that many tines holds up 450 lbs without digging in? Yep, I better pass on that! I don't want to mess around with 1150 lbs!

 

[redhawknc1]

I was thinking of a Woods Gill pl60 for my L2800. Love the Woods stuff, but can't seem to pull the trigger on the new PL60. A lotta money for homeowner use. Did find a used (like new but faded) Woods Gill 5' pulverisor a few weeks ago. Good deal, really like it! Never have seen a used PL60 around here!

 

[lawn_king]

I like landpride implements but the woods was super heavy duty and i was after a serious commercial use aerator! The landpride was well built as was the millcreek and the turfco, but the woods was a battleship and had 2 more axle gussets than any other unit!

 

[jeffinsgf]

...

What do you think my options are? When you say "top dress", what do you mean? Does it require a new implement?

Thanks
Jesse

Jesse,

I feel your pain on the ruts from mowing in the same track. I'll get to the fix options in a minute, but first, is it possible to offset your paths every few mows? That might help.

Here's how I would address your issue. #1 get a good aerator (sounds like you're already convinced of this). Cut the grass as short as you can without scalping. Bag it if you have a bagger. Run the aerator up, down, back, forth and at 45 degree angles -- that's right 4 passes --- tons of little holes and a yard full of plugs. Now the fun part, get off your tractor, grab a garden rake and pull most of the plugs into your ruts. Don't worry about looks at this point (Ha! your yard is going to look like a war zone at this point), they break down pretty fast -- just fill up the ruts loosely. Give the yard a few days to relax. The grass in the ruts will seek the sun through the plugs. The plugs will start breaking down -- particularly if you are lucky enough to get a little rain, or if you're ambitious enough to create some rain with sprinklers.

Now to topdressing. Topdressing is nothing more than spreading material over the whole yard. I try to do my yard twice a year with compost and sand -- most of the time both, sometimes one or the other. You want to spread it pretty thick. 1/4 inch is not too much for compost. I generally don't spread sand more than 1/8" at a time. Spreading can be as low tech as dumping piles with your FEL and leveling with a rake or as high tech as a topdressing spreader. Here are a couple links.

Earth & Turf - America's Compact Topdresser Company

Turfco

I have an old Turfco Mete-R-Matic that I bought as a rusted pile of junk off eBay and rebuilt.

Here's what you need to keep in mind throughout your project. Up is always better than down. Mashing out your ruts is down, and down is a synonym for "compacted". Building up with additional material lets you smooth out your yard at the same time you amend the soil.

 

[StrangeRanger]

Wow, I didn't realize a rig to simply poke holes in my lawn could be so expensive! I'm guessing the CFO isn't going to be authorizing the purchase of one in the near future. Dang it!
j