Tow Behind Plug Aerator For A Healthier Lawn
Sunday, October 19th, 2008As I mentioned in one of my previous posts, lawn aeration was on my list of things to do. I think I mentioned that I was going to purchase a plug aerator next Autumn. Well, as with many things I say I am going to do in the future, this got done a little faster than expected.
The reason I couldn’t help myself was the great deal I got on the aerator. I checked a few places online and kept coming up with the same price everywhere. Then, I found the same aerator that everyone else was selling, over at Ace Hardware for less than half the price. I called the local Ace and had them order it for me. The guy told me the reason for the cheap price was that the warehouse was discontinuing them.
I was a little surprised when the hardware guy rolled the aerator out in a box. I wasn’t aware that I was going to have to assemble the thing. I mean, how many parts could there actually be?
Lawn plug aerator parts
It doesn’t look like too many parts, but all the small ones are in the small boxes. It took about an hour and a half to put together. This was one of those projects where, if I didn’t have the instructions, I would still be working on it. It wasn’t a difficult job, just methodical.
The unit looks very good when it’s all together. I was pretty excited to hook it up to the tractor, because I like attachments. I also wanted to see all those little plugs of dirt get spit out by this little contraption.
John Deere X300 and a tow behind lawn plug aerator
In order for the machine to operate correctly, it needs some weight on top of it. I used about 10 one foot by one foot pavers and some bungee cords for this.
The aerator works great, but is a little clunky when in action. I didn’t expect the bounciness of it. I guess that is the way it has to be…it’s riding on 24 tines, getting thrown all over the place. It made a whole heck of a lot of holes about 2 1/2 inches deep. You can’t really see the plugs because the grass is not that short. If I cut it short, you would see them.
Next up, lime treatment and winterizer fertilizer.
