AER-8 Linear Aeration System
AER-8 Linear Aeration System
Golf Course Aeration Equipment: How Do I Select the Right System?
Finding the best golf course aerator for your turf isn’t simple. The factors involved to aerify your greens can make you feel as if you need a degree in botanical science. But just knowing a little about the local geography and typical climate patterns can help you determine the aeration system best for your needs. If you’re currently in the market for a golf course aerator to aerify your greens, we recommend the Aer-8 linear aeration system from Smithco. This innovative system checks all the boxes to keep your greens pristine and conserve water at the same time.
The first thing to consider are the types of grass on your greens, fairways, tees, and roughs. Your turf will respond best if aerated during the seasons in which it undergoes its most active growth. Warm-season grasses grow more vigorously in early spring and summer, while cold-season grasses grow more actively during fall and just before the first freeze. The ground also responds to seasonal changes. Clay soils become wet and gooey during wet months, then dry out and become hard and compacted. Your golf course aerator must be heavy enough to sink the tines to the depths you need for your grass types. Sandy soils can become compacted, but not like clay soils, thus your aerator will not need to be as heavy to sink your tines to the proper depths. The Aer-8 unit is equipped with a ballast, which you can fill with water to a desired weight. Need heavy? You got it. Need it lighter? No problem!
With that in mind, aeration depth is important. If you don’t aerate deep enough, the roots of your tuff will not flourish; the deeper the tines go, the deeper the roots of the turf will grow, and more depth means increased turf health. The catch is to ensure you don’t puncture any water or utility lines concealed below the surface. The Aer-8 unit comes with four distinct tines for specific aeration needs.
The Aer-8 is a pull-behind unit, with a 3-point hitch frame. You will need to ensure your tow vehicle has the capacity to tug that baby around the course. You will also want to choose a width that allows for optimal maneuverability for the landscape you’re working. The Aer-8 comes in 60-inch and 78-inch widths.
This may seem like more information than you care to know about, but eventually, you’ll know how to aerify your greens without even thinking about it. And don’t forget that your local Smithco dealer is the place where you can find turf experts who can answer all of your aeration questions, and who are qualified to help you decide which golf course aerator will provide the optimum water penetration for your turf, with the least amount of surface disruption. Contact the experts at Smithco today to learn more about the uses and versatility of the Aer-8 aerator unit! To purchase an Aer-8 linear aeration system for your golf course, find a dealer near you by clicking here.
3 Factors to Consider When Choosing Golf Green Aeration Equipment
It’s the unwritten law of golf course turf management: You will be unpopular with the golfers right after you aerate your greens, but you know that no golf course can survive without golf green aeration. Without a proper fairway aerator, you’ll eventually end up with nothing but a huge sand trap. So, to keep your greens and fairways healthy, vibrant, and pristine, while decreasing the number of days you must incur the wrath of every shillelagh wielder who plays on your turf, here are three ideas to help you purchase the most effective fairway aerator for your golf course.
Price
Price points are important, but the old adage, “you get what you pay for,” will always ring true, and when you’re the head groundskeeper, you want the best golf green aeration system money can buy to ensure maximum water penetration with little or no damage to the turf. If you can do that, you’ll keep the golfers off your back and on the greens!
Size will always be a price factor. The bigger the aerator, the more money it costs. Thus, knowing the exact capabilities you need for your turf will help you determine how much you need to spend on equipment.
The hectares you need to maintain will determine the size aerator you need. Too small and you’ll never get the job done. Too large and you might have trouble navigating the landscape. If you must aerate heavily compacted soils, you will need a machine heavy enough to penetrate to the depths needed for proper root growth.
Ranging anywhere from $2,000 to $6,000, the prices of fairways aerators reflect the capabilities of each machine and their quality. But as we said, pay for what you need. Just keep in mind, if the grass dies, your golf course may be out of business for a while.
Quality
Any number of companies manufacture aerators to accommodate the needs of your turf. Some are names you’ll recognize, and some will be new to you. Big names don’t necessarily mean better. A well-known brand might make a fantastic XYZ, but their ZYX might not be as well built as one manufactured by an outfit that specializes in a particular type of fairway aerator. And that better model might even cost less!
Chances are, you’ll find the Aer-8 linear aeration system from Smithco will satisfy your specifications, and your gut instinct about his premier quality golf green aeration system will be spot-on. We’re confident that, when you put the Aer-8 on your turf, you’ll never want another fairway aerator working for your greens!
Versatility
From tees and fairways to greens and roughs, you’ve got acres of ground to cover. You need to consider whether a particular aerator can do the job on all aspects of your course. You also have a lot of diverse trees, traps, and terrain to navigate around or across. For a more hilly or wooded landscape, you’ll need a more agile aerator than one for a flat, wide-open course. Can you get by with a push style, or does the acreage necessitate a bigger machine? The point is to know your playing field, then hunt for just the right turf aerator.
For additional information about how to select the perfect golf green aeration system for your golf course, contact the experts at Smithco or stop by your local Smithco dealer and visit. We love to talk turf—and boast about our Aer-8!
Find your dealer today
IMPERIAL
METRIC
Aer-8 units are available in 60″ and 78″ widths, either pull-type or 3-point hitch mounted frame styles. The pull-type kit can be outfitted with hydraulic lines directly to the tow vehicle or with an electric/hydraulic power pack. The power pack includes a remote control to the driver’s seat and a battery-charging cable to maintain charge in the battery through repeated use.
An additional benefit is water conservation. Voids in the soil capture rain or irrigation for maximum moisture utilization and run-off prevention. Hillsides and fairway mounds are lush and green again. Wet spots are opened and evaporation rates increased to bring the soil moisture back into balance and the area back into full utilization.
TURF QUAKE
A 7″ tine with a twist and lean to fracture the soil profile laterally and vertically to establish percolation. It is available on both 5″ and 7.5″ centers.
ALL STAR
A 6″ tine, available on 5″ and 7.5″ centers, used to manage surface compaction and maintain infiltration rates all season. We recommend this tine be used in conjunction with the smoothing roller for optimal depth setting and maintenance of surface playability.
AER FINE
This ultra-thin tine, on either 3″ or 5″ centers, is used to manage thatch between verticutting or coring-tine treatments. Reduces run off and maintains infiltration rates on greens, approach areas and bent grass fairways. We highly recommend using the smoothing roller with the Aer-fine tine.
CORING TINE
A ¾” X 4″ tine, on either 3″ or 5″ centers, used for the soil preparation for top-dressing and over seeding, or for dethatching. Major advantages include the variable ballast weight and high aeration speed