Could someone suggest the best piece of kit to surface aerate/
spike during the winter. lots of holes around 40mm deep.
you can use either a slither or if the ground is to wet a pedestrian groundsman using solid tines
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Ticky supports British farmers...!!
11th Feb 2010 by Terence Forde
nice bit of kit i have a charterhouse slitter and get a contractor to vertidrain once a season
Hi Martin
The Countax Sorrell Roller will do the job, or a pedestrian version from The Green Reaper.
Sorrell rollers are the most under used piece of kit in turf management.
Best regards
Andy Turnbull
not the best thing to do really is it lads,a nice big tractor with a nice big heavy spiker/slitter on the back when the pitch is probably at its wettest, when your trying to reduce surface compaction. This tractor work is best done in dry conditions out of season, then maybe a light pedestrian spiker/slitter during the wetter months to try and keep the surface dry before it becomes waterlogged,the Green reaper is a good piece of kit but, for value for money the Sisis Auto Slit 1000,is streets ahead.
well...that told me.......anyone want to buy a JD4600 and a Ktwo slitter as im obviously not experienced enough to know when are the right conditions to use my kit.......only been doing it 27 years and spent 3 years at college.....over use of the word BIG me thinks...the whole kit only weighs in at 2 ton, and im spiking through out the season for that very reason, to prevent my grounds from waterlogging, i do this in conjuction with Verti-draining twice a season.....and what right minded groundsman would attemp to aerate when the pitch is at "Its wettest" anyway...............rant over...
Ticky supports British farmers...!!
a pedestrian spiker/slitter on football pitches- all very well if you have a very big weather window and an awful amount of time. ive got to agree with tricky21- if done in the right conditions, you will have some possitve results.
ticky21- id have the slitter off you, looks like a lovely bit of kit.
3 weeks ago by panch
I was under the impression that you can't compact wet soil, thats why we dont start rolling cricket squares till they start drying out.
Dear tricky 21. re surface compaction, think panch just about sums it up.
well i guess you must no what your up to tricky 21, but with 33 years experience 6 years of college to gain C and G phase 1 2 and 3 NVQ 123and 4 and a HNC in turf managment, guess what !
Firstly...its TICKY...no R...secondly....with all them cridentials, i thought you might have been a bit more respectful of fellow groundsmen...rather than tell us its not the best thing to do....we all have different ways of tackling our job to suit our conditions and get the required results........as i said...i spike regularly to prevent waterlogging, and apart from the snow, ive not had a game called off, which in non league football is the main aim.....and as for surface compaction, i have a Quadraplay on the back of a JD 955.....nice and light...
Ticky supports British farmers...!!
anyway, the original question was......asking about kit to surface aerate and spike.....which we answered..
Ticky supports British farmers...!!
Thank you for all your replies. As Ticky says I will be spiking before
the pitches become soggy(nice scientific word that!) I have a sisis
deep slitter, what I was looking for was something that is lighter and creates lots of holes around 75 to 100mm deep. May be the aerator by SCH is the answer. The sisis quadraplay looks good but I am not sure that the amount of use it would get can justify the cost.
3 weeks ago by bath
Quadraplay is still your best bet, but assume 50mm to 75mm, not 100mm.
If you look you will find a second hand one somewhere. About a grand. You will find nothing to do the same job cheaper.
Why would it not get used ?
The best piece of kit for your requirements is the Toro Procore 648. As used by many top football clubs around the country for aeration at the depths you require. But it is not the cheapest option.
Ticky 21 apologies for the misspelled name , i only suggested light pedestrian aeration because with the greatest of respect not all of us on grounds maintenance even have tractors capable of lifting"verti drain"type machines and in my limited experience there's a lot of quagmire pitches out there that just would not benefit from tractor use during the winter months. There are so many variables for us to consider,so its what works best for you in your budget limitations, also mate i have and always will show the greatest of respect to all our ground people,without who,sports surfaces in this country would not be regarded as some of the best and most consistent in the world
3 weeks ago by bath
martinabz, you could well be right, but he did not think he could justify the purchase of a quadraplay, how would he ever get near a Procore ?
Martin Wythe..i know what youre sayin...i wanted a quadraplay for donkeys ages, and i happened to be in the right place etc etc....and i ended up buying one....
Treacle 1...no probs....i am lucky in one respect, as 4 of my grounds are on stoney areas, ....so ive got bit of an advantage...yet anothe rone just up the road, does turn into a puddin quite quickly if ive not spiked it regular...
Martinabz...a Procore is a costly bit of kit, even to hire for the occassions it would be needed....i hire a JD Aerocore when ive got a couple of weeks worth of work for it to make it more economical...im not in a position to purchase one yet...
Ticky supports British farmers...!!
3 weeks ago by vid
Treacle 1 - a tractor of Tickys size has about the equvalent foot print as a pedestrian machine and 100kg operator but about 3x the width therefore creating about 1/3 the overall compaction as a pedestrian machine.
3 weeks ago by vid
oh and as for compaction - I quite agree with you you cannot compress a waterlogged soil. Anyone spiking a saturated profile is causing immeasurable damage to the structure as the forces are both lateral and vertical. Destructuring in these conditions is certain causing even 'soggier' soils that are even more prone to cutting up badly. I assume however you are not accusing any of us of operating in these conditions just because we have the kit. Ticky is more knowledgeable than most on here when it come to buying and operating machinery, I might express an opinion - but criticise.....I wouldnt dare!!
I've used a Ryan GA30 on stadium pitches during the wetter months. Nice & light. Sharp turning circle off the pitch. About 4 inch depth. Great for keeping the surface open. Takes about 3 hours...
