Lawn Aerator - Which One to Buy?

• 

  donbot on 01/09/2022 - 10:36

  +1

  What size lawn are you talking you've got to do?

  • 

    PTG Benny on 01/09/2022 - 10:42

    I would estimate 150sqm2

• 

  Cheaplikethebird on 01/09/2022 - 10:40

  +1

  You can get upgrades for the tines on the Cyclone here - https://www.tines.com.au/product/19mm-cyclone-aerator-non-cl…

  • 

    PTG Benny on 01/09/2022 - 10:43

    I did see that thank you, I just wonder if the actual product works. I could always buy it from Bunnings and just return it if it doesn't work the way it should

• 

  AndyC1 on 01/09/2022 - 10:53

  +2

  Hire one as you will only use it for one day every 6 to 12 months.

• 

  redvaldez on 01/09/2022 - 10:58

  +1

  Frankly unless you are buying something mechanical, I just don't think it would be worth it. If you can comfortably use a non-mechanical aerator, then I would argue whether your lawn even needs aerating. I have a basic dethatcher at home (Ryobi electric) but I haven't seen any similarly priced aerators that I would consider. Better to put the money towards hiring one imo.

  • 

    PTG Benny on 01/09/2022 - 11:47

    What are your thoughts on the Ryobi scarifier? I did notice Bunnings have these and I have 6-7 other Ryobi skins so plenty of batteries around.

• 

  ihbh on 01/09/2022 - 11:31

  What additional functionality does a manual aerator have over a garden fork?

  • 

    PTG Benny on 01/09/2022 - 11:46

    +1

    I find a garden fork just pushes the soil into the ground whereas a proper aerator would pull the plugs out of the ground.

• 

  donga100 on 01/09/2022 - 11:59

  You shouldn't need to aerate your soil every year. Once you do it this year try adding some seasol and raking some sand in.

  • 

    PTG Benny on 01/09/2022 - 12:06

    +1

    I did a full lawn reno last year and did the above, I used a Seasol Wetting Agent and plasterers sand to fill in the holes.

    I have heavy clay soil so I just find it compacts quite easily with minimal foot traffic.

• 

  2jzzzz on 01/09/2022 - 12:24

  You want something that removes plugs cleanly, not compact the soil around the spike.

  Just hire a good one from Kennard's and pay the fee.

• 

  Stewardo on 01/09/2022 - 12:50

  Facebook marketplace, pay a guy to aerate lawn with the proper equipment. Then you don’t have another thing filling up the shed.

• 

  JimmyF on 01/09/2022 - 13:26

  I have considered hiring a motorised lawn aerator each year and getting a few neighbours on board to share the cost but I wouldn't mind a manual one that I can use 2-3 times a year.

  After manually doing it a few times, this would be the best option! Find a 'friend' or a neighbour to share the cost with.

• 

  87percent on 01/09/2022 - 14:55

  All I can tell you is DONT get those ones with a big wheel on the bottom and the spikes. They don’t pierce ground enough

• 

  lakes_8 on 06/09/2022 - 16:09

  Bought the new cyclone one and my soil keeps getting clogged in it… I'm guessing the moist soil is to blame and not the aerator?

• 

  nswnotill on 06/09/2022 - 18:47

  A decent application of gypsum (20 Kg bags available from Bunnings) would do the same job. Say around 0.5 Kg/Sq.m application.

• 

  Andy01 on 06/09/2022 - 18:59

  Bunnings seems to have a newer more costly Cyclone one with side eject tines;

  https://www.bunnings.com.au/cyclone-3-prong-lawn-aerator_p03…

  Compared with this cheaper one that seems to have top eject tines.

  https://www.bunnings.com.au/cyclone-tubular-steel-lawn-aerat…

  Has anyone tried this $69 version ?

  • 

    Andy01 on 10/09/2022 - 17:52

    +1

    Well, I bought one of the Cyclone side-eject aerators from Bunnings, reduced from $75 to $69, and tried it for the first time today. It has 3 tines that are 16mm OD and the ID (hole) is about 10mm. The side-eject slot starts about 60mm from the tip of the tine. These tines are similar to the smallest "after-market" Cyclone tines (for the top eject model) available from Turf-tines.

    I have 20 year old Sir Walter buffalo grass so well established and some pretty thick/heavy runners etc. At the back the soil is not great - get below the topsoil and it is either a soft sandstone or heavy clay.

    I found that it seemed to well fairly well. I did have to clear the holes every 10 minutes or so, which was quite easy to do with a medium sized screwdriver. The main thing that blocked the holes was if I had chopped off a particularly chunky piece of the grass runner (it seemed to jam the hole a bit) or if I had gone deep enough to get into the heavy clay or sandstone.

    The only other aerator I have used is those silly spiked sandals from Bunnings, so I can't compare this with other tined aerators, but I thought that it worked OK. I am sure that some of the more expensive models (costing $175-220, not $69) probably work a bit better and might remove slightly larger plugs, but I think this was OK for the price. I am sure it worked far better than the sandals because I could actually see the holes left by it.

    So, comparing this Cyclone at $69 with a top-eject Cyclone at $46 plus a set of after-market side-eject tines costing $54 delivered ($100 total) or a side-eject model costing $175-220, I would think that this might be decent value-for-money.

    It doesn't seem to be available at many/most of the Bunnings stores on Brisbane's southside, but there was a few stores that listed stock.