This weekend I have at last got around to doing something I have
been meaning to try for years. We had an old lawn spiker out in
the shed that belonged to my wife's father, I have tried using it
but its bloody hard work, and the lawns here are pretty big but
separately in need of aerating.

Yesterday was wet and miserable so I disappeared into the
workshop with the old spiker and dug out my Whitworth spanners
(that's how old it is) A couple of hours and a couple of bits of
scrap steel later I had a bracket welded up to mount the spiker
on the back of the ride on mower.

http://share.ovi.com/media/Muddymike...uddymike.10688

I have put it to the test today by spiking all the lawns and it
works really well.

I think the neighbours wondered what I was up to though.
Trundling up and down for an hour on what probably looked like a
lawn mower without the blades running!

Mike

In message , Muddymike
wrote
I had a bracket welded up to mount the spiker
on the back of the ride on mower.

http://share.ovi.com/media/Muddymike...uddymike.10688

Don't those large tyres and weight of the ride-on mower compact the lawn
more than the capabilities of that small spiker to aerate it?
--
Alan
news2009 {at} admac {dot} myzen {dot} co {dot} uk

"Muddymike" wrote ...
This weekend I have at last got around to doing something I have
been meaning to try for years. We had an old lawn spiker out in
the shed that belonged to my wife's father, I have tried using it
but its bloody hard work, and the lawns here are pretty big but
separately in need of aerating.

Yesterday was wet and miserable so I disappeared into the
workshop with the old spiker and dug out my Whitworth spanners
(that's how old it is) A couple of hours and a couple of bits of
scrap steel later I had a bracket welded up to mount the spiker
on the back of the ride on mower.

http://share.ovi.com/media/Muddymike...uddymike.10688

I have put it to the test today by spiking all the lawns and it
works really well.

I think the neighbours wondered what I was up to though.
Trundling up and down for an hour on what probably looked like a
lawn mower without the blades running!

Now you need to brush sand into the holes!
Back to the workshop? :-)

--
Regards
Bob Hobden
W.of London. UK

"Alan" wrote in message
...
In message ,
Muddymike wrote
I had a bracket welded up to mount the spiker
on the back of the ride on mower.

http://share.ovi.com/media/Muddymike...uddymike.10688

Don't those large tyres and weight of the ride-on mower compact
the lawn more than the capabilities of that small spiker to
aerate it?
--
Alan
news2009 {at} admac {dot} myzen {dot} co {dot} uk

The ride-on mower gets driven all over the lawn whether I spike
it or not plus the whole point of the wide tyres is to minimise
ground pressure.

Mike

totally defeating the object the ride on causes more compaction than u are
relieving
"Muddymike" wrote in message
om...
This weekend I have at last got around to doing something I have been
meaning to try for years. We had an old lawn spiker out in the shed that
belonged to my wife's father, I have tried using it but its bloody hard
work, and the lawns here are pretty big but separately in need of
aerating.

Yesterday was wet and miserable so I disappeared into the workshop with
the old spiker and dug out my Whitworth spanners (that's how old it is) A
couple of hours and a couple of bits of scrap steel later I had a bracket
welded up to mount the spiker on the back of the ride on mower.

http://share.ovi.com/media/Muddymike...uddymike.10688

I have put it to the test today by spiking all the lawns and it works
really well.

I think the neighbours wondered what I was up to though. Trundling up and
down for an hour on what probably looked like a lawn mower without the
blades running!

Mike

"pied piper" wrote in message
...
totally defeating the object the ride on causes more compaction than u are
relieving

If that was the case why do Golf Courses do this at regular intervals......
It's called "Aeration" and has little to do with relieving compaction which
is an entirely different technique and utilises the same tractor usually.

As the Op states elsewhere the width of the tyres. coupled with lower
pressure per square cm leaves little lasting effect on ground that is
already as compacted as it can get with the sward density in it.

"Me Here" wrote in message
...

"pied piper" wrote in message
...
totally defeating the object the ride on causes more compaction than u
are relieving

If that was the case why do Golf Courses do this at regular
intervals...... It's called "Aeration" and has little to do with relieving
compaction

last weekend I was sitting back enjoying a few nice cold beers whilst my
worms were busy aerating my lawn.

rob

"George" wrote in message
...

"Me Here" wrote in message
...

"pied piper" wrote in message
...
totally defeating the object the ride on causes more
compaction than u are relieving

If that was the case why do Golf Courses do this at regular
intervals...... It's called "Aeration" and has little to do
with relieving compaction

last weekend I was sitting back enjoying a few nice cold beers
whilst my worms were busy aerating my lawn.

Can your worms come an talk to my worms...

Mike

On Mon, 22 Mar 2010 06:32:06 -0000, "Me Here"
wrote:

"pied piper" wrote in message
...
totally defeating the object the ride on causes more compaction than u are
relieving

If that was the case why do Golf Courses do this at regular intervals......
It's called "Aeration" and has little to do with relieving compaction which
is an entirely different technique and utilises the same tractor usually.

The care of golf greens is very different indeed from the needs of
domestic lawns, TGreens have to be based, preferably, on an
extensive bed of sand-rich soil and need to be very freely draining.
They also are regularly bombarded from on high by fast-moving heavy
projectiles which semi-bury themselves into the surface. They are also
cut extremely closely for most of the year and regularly even during
the winter. They get a lot of foot traffic daily, usually from
players of a heavier persuasion. Often, the hole positions are
changed daily which obviously causes some damage to the surface.
Lawns are not golf greens.


--
(¯`·. ®óñ© © ²°¹° .·´¯)

"Bob Hobden" wrote in message
...


"Muddymike" wrote ...
This weekend I have at last got around to doing something I have been
meaning to try for years. We had an old lawn spiker out in the shed that
belonged to my wife's father, I have tried using it but its bloody hard
work, and the lawns here are pretty big but separately in need of
aerating.

Yesterday was wet and miserable so I disappeared into the workshop with
the old spiker and dug out my Whitworth spanners (that's how old it is) A
couple of hours and a couple of bits of scrap steel later I had a bracket
welded up to mount the spiker on the back of the ride on mower.

http://share.ovi.com/media/Muddymike...uddymike.10688

I have put it to the test today by spiking all the lawns and it works
really well.

I think the neighbours wondered what I was up to though. Trundling up and
down for an hour on what probably looked like a lawn mower without the
blades running!

Now you need to brush sand into the holes!
Back to the workshop? :-)

Isn't this a job which need doing after hollow tining ?

Bill

"Me Here" wrote in message
...

"pied piper" wrote in message
...
totally defeating the object the ride on causes more compaction than u
are relieving

If that was the case why do Golf Courses do this at regular
intervals...... It's called "Aeration" and has little to do with relieving
compaction which is an entirely different technique and utilises the same
tractor usually.

As the Op states elsewhere the width of the tyres. coupled with lower
pressure per square cm leaves little lasting effect on ground that is
already as compacted as it can get with the sward density in it.


Indeed the mowers on our golf course have similar tyres and and they are
used on the greens.

Bill

On 03/21/2010 04:21 PM, Muddymike wrote:
I have put it to the test today by spiking all the lawns and it
works really well.

I'll stick in a positive. Nice job, I'd use that on my lawn. As for
the concern of the tyres compacting, if you've got a big lawn, you've
got no choice at all. (Flymo anyone? )

-E

In article ,
Emery Davis wrote:
On 03/21/2010 04:21 PM, Muddymike wrote:
I have put it to the test today by spiking all the lawns and it
works really well.

I'll stick in a positive. Nice job, I'd use that on my lawn. As for
the concern of the tyres compacting, if you've got a big lawn, you've
got no choice at all. (Flymo anyone? )

Not at all. Use the traditional solution. Sheep.


Regards,
Nick Maclaren.

On 03/22/2010 10:58 PM, wrote:
[]
Not at all. Use the traditional solution. Sheep.




Heh. I wonder how they do with the shrubberies. Not to mention
daffs in the lawn, now in full bloom and a little earlier than expected.

cheers Nick

-E

"Emery Davis" wrote in message
...
On 03/21/2010 04:21 PM, Muddymike wrote:
I have put it to the test today by spiking all the lawns and
it
works really well.

I'll stick in a positive. Nice job, I'd use that on my lawn.
As for
the concern of the tyres compacting, if you've got a big lawn,
you've
got no choice at all. (Flymo anyone? )

Thank you. I was aware that driving over what I had spiked was
probably reducing the effectiveness, but the majority of the area
spiked was not driven over so on balance the lawns must be better
for it. Indeed they are far better off than they would have been
without the ride on mounting, as there is no way I would have
pushed that thing over all the lawns.

Mike