Farmer Builds Hay Aerator To Renew Pastures

Farmer Builds Hay Aerator To Renew Pastures TILLAGE EUIPMENT Miscellaneous 27-4-26 Garry Klassen, Plum Coulee, Manitoba, built a 15-ft. wide aerator for rejuvenating the grass on terraces, alfalfa fields, and pasture lands. He welded a big I-beam underneath the hitch so when he lifts the unit, it's all above the ground. The I-beam drags down mole hills and little piles of manure. He used a 20-in. drum with 95 1/2-in. thick by 8-in. long steel tines welded to the top of the drums. The drum has a frame around it with four heavy duty wheels on the back and a straight frame welded onto the housing of the tubular frame. The wheels in the back lift up hydraulically to add down pressure to the aerator. Without water in the drum, the aerator weighs about 6,000 lbs. Klassen's 140 hp tractor has no problem pulling the unit. Klassen studied a commercially-built aerator and felt his idea would work just as well, if not better, and cost less. Using a bigger drum makes his aerator a little less aggressive and easier on the sod. "I didn't want to damage the sod too much," he says. He estimates the materials cost around $4,000. It took about two months to build. Contact: FARM SHOW Followup, Garry Klassen, Box 1152, Altona, Manitoba, Canada R0G 1R0 (ph 204 829-7706; email: gcklassen@mts.net).

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