JRCO Aerator on a Walker: Anybody used one

[Mowingman]

Anyone got any experience using the JRCO aerator that fits on a Walker? I would like to hear how good it works before I buy one.:)

[walker-talker]

just curious mowing man,

I am in the market for a pull behind aerator for my Walker also (actually in the fall I will be). What are the price on those from JRCO, or do they have a website? I had been looking at the Ryan's tow behind (not sure if that will hook up to the Walker?).

9 holes per sq foot, 400lbs and 4" coring depth!

MATT

[2 man crew]

http://www.jrcoinc.com/aerator2.html

This is the web site for Jrco. I would also like to know in any one has used the hooker aerator. This aerator is not a true CORE aerator. I've only talked to one guy who has tried this piece of equipment and he did not like it. If I remember right he said the tines did not penetrate down far enough unless the lawn was very wet. He also said the aerator would leave small piles of dirt instead of nice uniform plugs. But if any one has had a better experience with this aerator I think I would look into it a bit more.




• Zero-turn maneuverability around landscaping and walkways

• Up to 3" hole depth with soft plug aeration

• Dispenses loose plugs of soil -- no hard core plugs to clean up

• Does not tear the turfgrass

Productivity: 1.5 acres per hour (square pattern) @ 5 mph
66,000 square feet per hour @ 5 mph

[2 man crew]

Oops forgot the price.

Retail: $1499.00
Mounting Bar: $83.00

[walker-talker]

As far and there were just small piles of dirt goes, the soil might of had a high content of sand. I had this happen once, with my Kees walk behind aerator, and the lady customer complained because her lawn did not have plugs laying all around. I brought her to the front lawn and had her stick her finger in the holes to prove to her that her lawn HAD been aerated. I still don't think she believed me.....lol, but I got my money!

MATT

[captdevo]

i use a classen 48" pull behind and it does excellent (pay attention when turning)

i have used the jrco, they work ok, but they just don't pull a core, they kinda pierce and flip dirt out and don't work well unless the soil is moist or soft.

if you get around a tree with shallow roots, they tend to pull roots instead of cutting them like a corer.

they do manuever easily.

overall, you can't beat a pull behind core aerator for ease of use, productivity, performance and quality.

Dave

[LawnLad]

My recollection from talking with the Walker dealer at the CENTS show in Columbus last month was that the front mount core aerator was about $700.00. Optional to have electric lift. In addition, you have to have the 'hitch' attachment which allows you to put on attachments, like the dozer blade, snow blower etc. This is my recollection. Their video shows the aerator in action, though it's an aftermarket manufacturer. But it's not a scoop one like the JRCO one you mention/show.

hope this helps.

[Randy Scott]

This was from a discussion awhile ago. Also type the words "jrco aerator" into the search function and you will get alot of threads discussing the aerator itself.


I have the JRCO aerator on my 60" Lazer. In some of my other posts I talked relatively highly about it.
Well, the more I used it this year the more I disliked it. I think for it to be worthwhile it would have to be used on
huge properties. Like 30,000 or 40,000 sq. ft. or larger, and be wide open. The reason being is that it doesn't turn
well at all. You have to raise it up and back away from tight areas, then lower it back down and even with the
electric lift it is very slow and time consuming. It also doesn't get close to landscape beds because it is much
narrower than the mower it's attached to. After doing a good handful of jobs this year it became obnoxious to
use. Also, all the dirt pulled up gets tracked all over and just loads the tires up and then makes a mess wherever
you go, like on the road to the trailer, across any sidewalks, etc.. I guess now that I have it I am keeping it, but
I will purchase a RYAN this year and would rather have spent the $1600 I payed for the JRCO towards the $5000
cost of the RYAN. Live and learn. Aerating is good money and now I have to spend another season trying to
recover equipment costs on a different one. It is great if you would do a sports field or something like that where
you can make some long straight passes and big sweeping turns. I give it a thumbs down!

[MOW ED]

I have to agree with Randy, I used a JRCO for a while last season and really didn't care for it. The unit tends to not work well in very moist soil. It will make a hole but the pattern isn't consistant. I had lots of trouble with the tines balling up with twigs and general lawn debris. If the soil was too moist it was a nightmare. I have lots of clay here and spent 30 minutes trying to clean the tines after a job.
It is hard to maneuver in small places and an electric lift is a must however the the lift is slooowww.
The concept is great for wide open areas with good moisture but I am an aeration purist as are many customers and nothin beats the little "dog turds" that a core aerator pulls.
I am also sold on the aeravator concept and hope to drum enough biz up to pay for one this summer.
I purchased a small diesel tractor with a cat 1 three pt hitch and pto to do my aerating/aeravating work. The Walker was ok with the Jrco and it did pull a tow behind cheapy but I want a dedicated larger area unit and I Hate walking behind a bone shaker.
Good Luck,

[crew]

I have a jrco on a lazer 60 and agree, to an extent, with the negative posts.
In the right conditions this unit is VERY productive. It takes some creativity to operate smoothly - more like a zamboni than a mower if you want to keep the tines down.

I bought mine as a demo unit and have made some dough with it. not sure what I would trade it for????I rented a split drive Clausen last year and cant imagine doing all the aerating I do with one of those. No trouble sleeping those nights!!

The jrco is easy to transport, easy to maintain, doesnt take up much space in the shop, easy to attach and remove. Besides all this, those "dog turds" are freaky to mow over.

[Turfer]

Look at the Millcreek upfront for the Walker. It's a manual lift but it's not a problem if you keep enough weight in the hopper. It pulls tons of cores. It's like taking candy from a baby when you ride and aerate.

[jeffyr]

I have that Mill Creek front mount for a year now. Worked great last season. You can poke the front mounted aerator into any area you could get the 42 inch deck into...in fact I fit through a gate I couldn't get the 42" through. Only drawback is not having a deck mounted. I see the guys with the pull behinds cutting as they aerate, but the also miss a ton of areas (aerating) not paying attention to where the aerator is going and just watching the deck. I am happy I got it...2 bags of concrete wrapped up in empty seed bags on the front and equal weight in the catcher to keep the tail wheel on the ground and you are good to go.
Cost was about $1100 delivered to my garage.

jeffyr

[walker-talker]

JEFFYR,

So the Millcreek for the Walker requires the implement hitch?

MATT

[jeffyr]

There are 2 of them--electric and manual. The electric raise/lower requires the implement hitch. The manual just slips on the deck pins that the deck mounts on. There is a lever to raise it up and a spring loaded lever keeps it in the up position. To lower pull back on the handle and flip the spring lever with your foot and it drops.
My arm was aching after a day of this, but nowhere near like being bullied by a drum core aerator....plus aerating open areas at 4mph+ 36" across was sweeeeet:D compaired to the walk behind rental I had used in the past.


jeffyr

[Mowingman]

Thanks for all the input. I have decided to pass on the JRCO and get a Millcreek. In fact, I'm buying the used one that captdevo just advertised. It should do a good job for me as all my aerating jobs are accessable with my Walker. :)

[jeffyr]

1 thing I think I am going to do is mix the concrete that I used as weight last year and pour it into forms to fit on the aerator (I got the bags last minute). I'll put handles (probably bent rebar) on top to lift it off and also strap them down on the aerator when using it. For weight on the tailwheel I just used 3 or 4 seed bags full of soil.

jeffyr