Aerator is fitted with grassland scarifier

Location
Ross
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Essex farmer Des Healy has a problem common to many, particularly those on heavier land - poaching in wet weather by livestock damages the sward and damage from tractors working when the ground is soft causes the soil to become compacted.

He has been using a Browns aerator for some years and has noticed a useful reduction in standing water and a consequent improvement in grass growth. The 8ft machine is mounted on the 3-pt and so needs a reasonable tractor in front.

Des decided that after the machine cut slits it could usefully scratch the surface of the sward and get out some of the dead material, dislodge and spread dung pats and at the same time do some levelling.

He added a bar carrying 32 grass tines - an addition not seen on any other aerator yet one which makes a good deal of sense. He fixed the tines to a solid 50 x 10 bar that is mounted on a hinge on either end of the machine. The weight of the steel helps push the tines down, and their close spacing of about 75mm means they don't miss much.

The bar can be lifted and hooked up if the tines are not needed.

aerator1.jpg


aerator2.jpg


Adding tines to a Glenside or any other aerator looks like a useful idea which gives the machine an extra function. These machines will, in years to come, become commonplace on many grassland farms, as their action becomes understood. They are best used when the soil is dry enough not to smear in the slit, when the surface is rough and porous.

Why not scarify after aerating? Spreading dung pats and scratching some dead grass out is well worth the time and expense making the add-on

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mcagris

Member
Location
Inverurie
We got our Watson areator modified to scratch in grass seed spread by a 12v broadcaster on 3pt linkage/harrow in muck and a finishing roller fitted to flatten any sods and stones flicked up the roller is heavy but doesn't recompact the areated soil like a grassland roller does. Haven't had final bill in for the work yet. Saving up to 2 operations normally carried out.

20180424_220537.jpg
 

clem dog

Member
Livestock Farmer
Location
Co Antrim
We got our Watson areator modified to scratch in grass seed spread by a 12v broadcaster on 3pt linkage/harrow in muck and a finishing roller fitted to flatten any sods and stones flicked up the roller is heavy but doesn't recompact the areated soil like a grassland roller does. Haven't had final bill in for the work yet. Saving up to 2 operations normally carried out.
Have you any more pic in better light? It looks like an interesting idea!
 
Location
Ross
We got our Watson areator modified to scratch in grass seed spread by a 12v broadcaster on 3pt linkage/harrow in muck and a finishing roller fitted to flatten any sods and stones flicked up the roller is heavy but doesn't recompact the areated soil like a grassland roller does. Haven't had final bill in for the work yet. Saving up to 2 operations normally carried out.

Looks very interesting - as above have you got more pictures. Another possible article @farmideas
 

mcagris

Member
Location
Inverurie
It only got finished a few weeks ago and just got started with stitching in. The roller is now 3 seasons old and ive done over 1000 acre with it the blades are now 4.5" long. When i looked at buying one i tried both the alstrong and watson in same field and same day, found the alstrong killed off my red clover and i got a better yield behind the watson, and i prefered the width of the watson, the alstrong is better built and has a few better design elements but yield is king they say! I was finding with both machines if it was too compact it would flick up sods which the surounding grass would die off and was having to go in with flat roller in silage ground so got the finishing roller made it doesn't compact the soil even with its solid 50mm shaft and 15mm thick roller the harrow tines came off a kuhn rake i believe and i already had the broadcaster, which i may replace with a stocks box seeder and fit a pigtail tine slot tool bar that i aquired recently in place of the harrow for stubble neeps and rape as 5 bolts remove the harrow.
 
Location
Ross
It only got finished a few weeks ago and just got started with stitching in. The roller is now 3 seasons old and ive done over 1000 acre with it the blades are now 4.5" long. When i looked at buying one i tried both the alstrong and watson in same field and same day, found the alstrong killed off my red clover and i got a better yield behind the watson, and i prefered the width of the watson, the alstrong is better built and has a few better design elements but yield is king they say! I was finding with both machines if it was too compact it would flick up sods which the surounding grass would die off and was having to go in with flat roller in silage ground so got the finishing roller made it doesn't compact the soil even with its solid 50mm shaft and 15mm thick roller the harrow tines came off a kuhn rake i believe and i already had the broadcaster, which i may replace with a stocks box seeder and fit a pigtail tine slot tool bar that i aquired recently in place of the harrow for stubble neeps and rape as 5 bolts remove the harrow.

Its great seeing work like this!
 

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Red Tractor drops launch of green farming scheme amid anger from farmers

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quote: “Red Tractor has confirmed it is dropping plans to launch its green farming assurance standard in April“

read the TFF thread here: https://thefarmingforum.co.uk/index.php?threads/gfc-was-to-go-ahead-now-not-going-ahead.405234/
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