what should I choose for an aerator ?

[Dick Calland]

A landscaper told me I would have better luck renovating my lawn (former pasture land in clay soil) with an aerator. I have 2-1/2 acres of lawn. I have both a BX series Kubota tractor and a Cub Cadet/Mitsubishi 7532. The landscaper told me I should be able to rent an aerator to use with my tractor but none of the local rental places seems to be able to help. Does anyone have recommendations for brand & model if I choose to buy an aerator ?

 

[rjwerth]

There are many companies out there that make them. Here is a link to the Woods:
Woods Equipment Company - 48'', 60'' & 72'' Pluggers - PL Series

Just be sure to use a PLUG aerator and be prepared to add a whole lot of extra weight to it so the spoons sink in to your desired depth (4" will get it done). Just for reference, I use about 250lbs on my 42" aerator. Units like the one linked above are obviously much heavier to begin with, but they will still require another 600-1000# of added weight.

 

[arsenix2001]

I have a woods pl72 and the quality is outstanding but they have a price to match. I run about 700lbs additional weight bringing the total to around 1200lbs, enough to lift the fronts of my gl3540 without the suitcase front weights. I actually just got her all hooked up about an hour ago, going to plug about 10 acres tomorrow and overseed/fertilize.

 

[Carykong]

I have a Woods PL60 plugger that I use on my rugby club's property to help invigorate the turf. Tow it with a TC35. The Woods line of plug aerators are expensive especially when you factor in the degree of use in regard to 2.5 acres but the PL series is the real thing. Rent v Buy is always a debate with plug aerators especially if your gear is only for personal use on small plots.

 

[LHS Inc]

A landscaper told me I would have better luck renovating my lawn (former pasture land in clay soil) with an aerator. I have 2-1/2 acres of lawn. I have both a BX series Kubota tractor and a Cub Cadet/Mitsubishi 7532. The landscaper told me I should be able to rent an aerator to use with my tractor but none of the local rental places seems to be able to help. Does anyone have recommendations for brand & model if I choose to buy an aerator ?

I got a good deal on a Frontier CA 2060E model and I really like it alot, does a good job. Its a 60" model 3pt hitch. It was used but still new as the previous owner couldn't get into any of his properties with it so he traded it in. Those spoons never touched the ground. I tried it out since it was labeled used and I liked the job it did.

The E model has 6 spoons instead of 8 on the more costly models. It pulled out alot of nice plugs and I couldn't see where I would need an 8 spoon model. I read where the 8 spoons tend to ride on top as the 6 have time to penetrate deeper before the next one comes around. Don't know if thats true or not but it made sense to me.

I had some old tractor weights that fit on it and that took care of the weight needed for penetration. Probably about 250 lbs + -.

It has a heavy frame so it should last me as long as I want one.