Sickle Knife Aerator Cuts Up Lawn

Sickle Knife Aerator Cuts Up Lawn FARM HOME Lawn Mowers (31h,38) 32-3-43 A sickle knife aerator does an ideal job slicing into a yard to aerate it without tearing it up, says Jerry Now, Rockford, Ohio. "I welded the knives straight on," says Now. "If you put them at an angle, they would tear it up more." He started with a 48-in.wide, 24-in. dia. steel lawn roller from his local Tractor Supply store. A tray on front lets Now add weights as needed, but he quickly realized the axle stubs welded to the drum needed to be reinforced. "One tore loose the first time I used it," says Now. "I cut off the stubs and welded big washers to the drum and then welded the stubs to the washers and the drum for more strength." He built a jig using a 1 by 4-in. board with slices in the edge to hold the knives in place as he welded them, alternating rows of five and six blades about six inches apart. The last steps were to add wheels and a cover. He attached a steel U-bar to the sides of the unit with wheels that move under the roller, lifting the knives out of the ground when the bar is lifted up. Pushing it down moves the wheels out of the way, lowering the knives into the ground. To make the cover, he went to a local machine shop and had them roll some tin. "I hinged it to the frame in front of the roller. I also extended the frame around the back of the roller and latched the cover to it. It keeps people from running into the blades, yet it can easily be moved out of the way." Contact: FARM SHOW Followup, Jerry Now, 5627 Shelley Rd., Rockford, Ohio 45882 (ph 419 363-3226).

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