Lawn Aeration and Thatching

How to choose a lawn aerator?  When you're looking to buy a lawn aerator, you don't just want to settle for any. You want to get the best. You want a lawn areator that will last long and will always give you quality plugs. If you are going to buy a used lawn aerator to do aeration with, you can plan on getting a really good one for around $600. If you want to buy a new one, you are probably going to spend closer to $2400 for it. If you don't find any used ones advertised in your local area, try calling rental shops, especially in early January or February. During this time of year, they may be very motivated to sell off some of their used equipment.

The type of aerator that you want to buy is a Ryan for or a Billy goat with a Honda engine. To not buy a bluebird because they are a piece of junk and they will fall off part if they have already been used. I have had very good success with the Ryan and the Billy goat, and I highly recommend them. If you're going to buy Billy goat, make sure that you get the smaller model. I used to own the bigger model and it was really hard to maneuver and to lift in and out of my truck. For people who have not aerated very much, I recommend the Ryan because it is easier to use and it is a lot better to use on heels. Make sure that you get a machine that has a Honda engine. The Honda engine last two or three times longer than the Briggs & Stratton. It is just a better quality engine and it does a great job. I did have one Briggs & Stratton that outlasted a Honda, but I also had to Briggs & Stratton engines that went out in less than a year. It seems like sometimes you get a good one and sometimes you get about one. With Honda there is not quite as huge of a variance in quality so you tend to get a better engine a lot more often. Plus, they're so well built but they hardly ever run out of oil.