Lawn aerator - video

[Jon]

Lawn aerator. By Bud's Life. 17:58 video:

[hemmjo]

That is more like a "sheep foot" compacter than a real lawn aerator which actually removes cores of soil from the lawn to allow air get to the roots.

[TrickieDickie]

I wanted to see it being used

[bwpigeon]

It will work, maybe not as well as the unit that removes plugs from the lawn, but it will work. As it opens up the lawn by piercing the lawn which will still let air enter. Thus doing what it was intended to do. Good DIY, some can and some can't. If you have an idea and want to build it, do it. If it doesn't work oh well maybe next time.
At least you learned something new by trying.

[hemmjo]

Oh yes, it is a well executed build and may indeed work very well for the builder. Before you build your own spike aerator, take a look at some commercial models and ask yourself "why are they built that way?" I have no idea the situation in which it is intended to be used. I do however, caution people who really want to aerate there lawns, this does have significant draw backs.

While this will make holes in the ground, those holes are made mostly by compressing the soil. A little rain will cause the soil to expand back to its original form, closing the holes.

There does not appear to be any means for lifting the device for transport over hard surfaces, or for turning in a lawn. This means the blades have to either rip the soil out in chunks, or bend and perhaps break off.

Aeration is NOT just a mechanical process. It is also a biological process. One of the main reasons to aerate a lawn is to help eliminate thatch which can build up over time, keeping air from entering the soil. Core aeration pulls plugs out of the soil, and deposits them on the surface. The most obvious result is that a hole is left, which allows water to enter, and more effectively soak into the ground. Oxygen can also more easily get into the soil where microbes use it to break down thatch from below. A much more important result is that microbes in the soil are lifted out and deposited on top of the thatch layer where they have better access to the surface thatch and oxygen which allows them to breakdown the thatch more quickly. The plugs pulled from the ground break up after a few rains, spreading the material and helping level the surface and to build the topsoil layer.