John Deere is introducing an improved version of the Aercore 800 pedestrian aerator for the 2006 season, featuring a more powerful engine, smoother and more efficient operation and easier maintenance.
The self-propelled Aercore 800 is designed for aerating a range of fine turf areas, including cricket squares, golf greens, tennis courts and bowling greens. It is based on the same type of heavy duty frame and tine rams as John Deere’s tractor mounted models, to provide years of durable, productive service. The special patented Flexi-Link tine design produces clean, tidy holes with minimal scuffing at the hole top.
This aerator now uses a 25hp petrol engine, with four selectable forward working gears and one reverse. This not only provides increased power to the coring head and traction drive systems, but also allows lower engine revs on turf entry and exit, which helps to maximise hole quality by minimising damage to the turf.
The Aercore 800 can cover 15,750ft2 an hour in second gear with a 2 x 2 hole spacing, travelling at 1mph. Overall working width is 0.8m (32in) and depth control is adjustable down to 89mm (3.5in), while top speed for transport is 3.5mph. There is wide choice of tine options, including hollow, open sided and solid designs ranging from 6mm to 19mm (1/4 to 3/4in) in diameter.
Drive wheel core deflectors are now available as standard, which displace any cores from the previous aeration pass that are in the path of the aerator’s wheels. This prevents the cores from being pressed down into the turf, and allows easier cleaning up once aeration is complete.
New electro-hydraulic controls halve the time needed to lift and lower the coring head, which also helps to improve the quality of the entry and exit holes. The aeration unit can be raised manually out of work without damaging the turf, for example to avoid obstructions or if the machine runs out of petrol in the middle of a run.
Additional new features include standard drive chain tensioners, which are more easily adjustable and ensure a more positive engagement between the transmission and drive wheels. This encourages improved hole spacing patterns down the row. The battery is also more easily accessible, and can be charged with the coring head in either the up or down position.
John Deere www.johndeere.co.uk
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