Lesco tow aerator

[bob]

To those of you using a lesco 42" tow aerator do you add weights on the top. If so what do you add. I'm thinking of getting one to tow with my gator. My local Lesco dealer has also told me that in the fall they are comming out with a 60" model. It seems a 60" model would be better for me, being that the gator is also 60" wide.

[Eric ELM]

Bob, It depends on how much moisture is in the ground if you need weight or not. If you get one, I figured out how to use the wheels as guage wheels, so it only goes in so deep. This way if you have hard spots and soft spots on a lawn and have weight on it, it will be consistant on the depth of plugs it pulls. It is a great aerator and I use mine on a 3 point hitch on my JD 430. The 60" sounds nice, I may have to upgrade. BTW, I use 40 lb. suitcase weights from JD for my weight, but anything heavy will do. I have 6 of them and when the ground is hard, I've had all them on plus more. Did you notice the frame of it is solid bar steel? It is very heavy duty and it's made by Classen. This may be more than you wanted, but now ya know.

[Edited by Eric ELM on 09-14-2000 at 03:32 AM]

[Barkleymut]

Last fall was so wet around here because of Hurricane Floyd so I didn't need any weight on mine. This spring we had a dry spell and I used 2 bags of lime to give it a little more penetration. This aerator is a horse.

[jaclawn]

I just bought one of the above mentioned areators this week. I love it, and I love not having to walk behind a Ryan. Question on the weights though.

Would it be better to use cases of Round-up, or bags of Sahara to add weight to the unit?

[John DiMartino]

I hope you arent serious about the cases of round up,this was a joke right?If not your nuts,what if it spilled?what about careful storage and use of pesticides?These plastic jugs werent meant to bounce around on an aerator,use some sandbags or concrete blocks if you dont have weights.

[BUSHMASTER]

If a joke i enjoyed it, if not ...theres no such thing as a bad question....

[Runner]

I use tube sand. Each bag is 75 lbs., and it's easy to load and unload. Amount varies with ground. My pull behind is a Feldmann turfvent. EXCELLENTmachine, easy to operate, and the raise/lower lever works well right from the operators seat.

[Eric ELM]

Jaclawn, if you want to use the wheels as a guage so the spoons don't go in to deep, in case someone has an inground fence, sprinkler system that isn't to deep, or what ever, here is what I did. Pull the pins to raise the wheels so the spoons are on a hard surface but don't raise the wheels all the way up and put 2" under the wheel and mark where the center of the spring loaded rod is and drill a whole there, do this to the other side too and then it will only sink in 2" when aerating. I also put in a set of holes at 3" and then all the way up with the wheels is 4". Thought you may like the tip.

[jaclawn]

You mean you shouldn't use cases of Round-Up for weight pulling that plugger over someones lawn? It was a joke, although I am sure that there are a few characters out there that would do this.

Eric- I already had that in the works.

[lakegastonla]

Originally posted by Runner
I use tube sand. Each bag is 75 lbs., and it's easy to load and unload. Amount varies with ground. My pull behind is a Feldmann turfvent. EXCELLENTmachine, easy to operate, and the raise/lower lever works well right from the operators seat.

I am interisted in the feldman turfvent, too and could you tell me a bit about it, from your experience?? No one around here has heard of them, but you can't beat them for the price.( if the quality is there) Which model do you use?? I am looking at the turfvent 2. It is a pull behind model for a lawn tractor.

[Runner]

Lake, You can find Feldmann's website at http://www.turfvent.com. The only thing is, isthat they don't have much info on their aerator as their site is still under construction. If you call their toll free number though; 1 800 344 0712, they'll be happy to mail you their info on their aerators. I have the 48" I believe and it's a tow behind. I'm going to rig a hitch up so I can tow it behind my Lazer this year. I think it sold for around 400 bucks when I bought it. Good luck with it and let me know what you get! :)

[Dean Williams]

i have a 36" ryan pull behind it weighs about 700 lbs.
its self have not needes weight yet,it also has a hydraulic cylinder it hook to my jd 425 and use the tractor hyd. to
lift and lower the machine ,talk about easy to operate,the hardest thing is to get on and off the tractor

[jaclawn]

I used my new Lesco for the first time today( other than a few laps around my own back yard). What a time saver. It has cut my time in half compared with a walk unit, and I am not tired from using it. I was not able to get super close to the edges of some beds because of the curves, but i pass around the edges with the walk unit took care of that.

I can't even imagine going back to only using a walk unit. It made areating a fun job that I enjoy rather than one I did not look foreward to.

[Eric ELM]

I agree, it sure is a time saver. I did one today too and didn't even break a sweat. The hardest thing I have to do with my set up is turn that darn old steering wheel on the JD, sure glad it has power steering. :D

[Runner]

Jaclawn,
You said that you weren't able to get up close to your beds with your pull behind- I saw something in Home Depot the other day that's the ticket for that. It's a T handled two post deal that has a crossbar to step on, and two open ended hollow tubes at the bottom. Basically, a manual aerator. Perfect for "trimming" those tight spots on the aeration jobs. I made my own a few years ago, but the price is right on this one!