Thoughts about this aerator

[McG_Landscaping]

Hi guys, I have been looking for an aerator in this price range. What are your thoughts on this one? http://pittsburgh.craigslist.org/grd/2601414070.html

[turfcobob]

Originally Posted by McG_Landscaping

Hi guys, I have been looking for an aerator in this price range. What are your thoughts on this one? http://pittsburgh.craigslist.org/grd/2601414070.html

You could easily be into over $1000.00 in repairs. Check condition of bearings (usually bad) with the unit in transport see if you can move the tine reel or drum) Chains and sprockets for wear, plastic drum for wear, lift links for wear and finally the engine. This is a very old machine and could be in sad shape. $$2995 could buy you a new machine with lots of trouble free years in it.

[americanlawn]

We have one just like it. It's about 20 years old and on it's 3rd engine. Pretty much everything else on it has been replaced three-fold. It was a nice unit years ago, but downtime, labor, and expensive parts pretty much is why it sits in our warehouse now.

Thought we got a great deal about 5 years ago on a couple of aerators we found on ebay. Same size as the one you're looking at, and they were the newer style Ryans. Bought the pair for just $1100 each plus $300 shipping. Problem was, we had to replace all sprockets, bearings, belts, et, etc. The labor alone was costly, and waiting for parts plus downtime cost us even more. The description and pics on ebay sure looked nice, but we were deceived. We still have these newer Ryans, yet we seldom use them, cuz they are now outdated.

Why not get an XT5 and make payments? (It's also a tax write off) You will certainly make more money in the long run. Plus you will have an aerator that will last for years. Much faster, easier to run, way easier on the operator, way more maneuverable than pretty much anything on the market. IMO it's an investment that will pay for itself many times over.

Buy what you want, but I give "five stars" to the XT5. It's night & day compared to what you're looking at on craigslist. I know, cuz we have both.