AeraVATOR - A Review

Kentucky bluegrass, Fescue, Rye and Bent, etc
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bolson32
Posts: 203
Joined: May 27th, 2021, 10:10 am
Location: St Paul, MN
Grass Type: Northern Mix
Lawn Size: Not Specified
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AeraVATOR - A Review

Post by bolson32 » October 7th, 2021, 11:25 am

So let me start off by saying, I know core aeration is generally frowned upon on this forum and I would say I'm mostly in agreement with that.

However, as some of you know my lawn has some serious compaction issues and it really is quite a bumpy ride when mowing. In scouring the land of the internet I came across a tool called an aeravator which some of you may or may not have already heard of. Essentially it uses solid tines and vibrates when they roll into the lawn. This eliminates the issue of cores pulling up dormant weed seeds and generally making a mess. They're pretty widely used on golf courses, and sports fields where compaction and bumps are a major issue. I was hoping that it would help alleviate some of the bumpy ride in my lawn.

Here are a couple of videos of them if you're interested. They come in a 3pt version, tow behind, ventrac, and grasshopper attachments.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nGDWgS0Mrik

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MWRmbYQq4O4


Pros:
The compaction relief is incredible. My lawn went from being able to audibly knock on it(Morph has seen the video!) to spongy when I walk on it.

It won't disturb your established lawn at all. It does punch holes, but it has a roller behind it that does a pretty decent job of closing them back up.

If you were going to do a full reno, I think it would be a great way to prep and smooth your seedbed. If you have any dead or bare spots it will pretty much completely turn those areas.


Cons:
I don't think it's going to do anything to appreciably make my lawn less bumpy. It probably would, if it was done a few times a year, over a couple of years.

They're expensive, and not a lot of services have them.

Same as the "pro" point...if you have bare spots it will tear them up. So you will have to pop down a little seed in some spots.


Conclusion: A really cool and pretty incredible piece of machinery. There is a used one for sale near me that I was considering buying, but I wanted the test run first. Given I don't think it's going to do EXACTLY what I want it to do, I don't think I'll pull the trigger on actually purchasing one right now. If I decide to actually do a full reno or I have a bunch of money burning a hole in my pocket, I might change my mind in the spring. I have a sneaking suspicion that the one for sale near me now will still be there in the spring.

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