As a DIY guy, who would rather do it himself than pay “The Man”, I bought this tool out of real necessity. My lawn has been in serious need of both dethatching and core aerating for a couple of years. After doing the research, I bought a John Deere Plug Aerator with Dethatcher. I wanted to write a review of this product from a real owner’s experience and not just some blog where the writer hasn’t even laid eyes on it and is just out for a commission.
Why I chose the John Deere product:
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I chose this product mostly because it had both the aerator and dethatcher facilities. I wanted not to have to suffer the cost of renting and to be able to accommodate the necessary storage space in which to keep the accessory.
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After researching, I found that Briggs and Stratton, one of my most trusted authorities, recommend looking for an aerating tool or machine that removes soil plugs approximately 2 — 3 inches deep and 0.5 — 0.75 inches in diameter, and about 2 — 3 inches apart. The product I purchased covered the first two aspects nicely. I figured the last; 2 – 3 inches apart where the core aeration axle placed the blades about 5 – 6 inches apart, could be compensated for with usage by way of a criss-cross pattern approach usage.
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There were only two manufacturers I had found that we were able to make the same offering: Agri-Fab and John Deere. I chose the John Deere as it had far better ratings than the Agri-Fab model. Frankly, the Agri-Fab model (Agri-Fab SmartLink) ratings told several repeated stories of horrendous experiences where buyers had wheels coming off their units and the like. It did have 4 stars (respectable, for sure) on Amazon but, just the wheels alone made it look like a toy by comparison. John Deere had none of these stories; highly rated. From the subjectively ostensible (pictures and videos), the John Deere model seemed to have better hardware all the way around, albeit being a little more expensive.
It seems fair for me to tell you here that, as it turns out, they are both manufactured by Agri-Fab… I know; What?!?! I didn’t find this out until the box showed up on my driveway with a label that mentions that fact in small print. I can only assume that John Deere is keeping a close eye on Agri-Fab to keep to the JD standard. This practice is not uncommon, however. Sears, who used to own the Craftsman name used to license most of their manufacturing to Black and Decker for decades… my lawn tractor, a Craftsman (Bought while Sears still owned the name) was made by Husqvarna; widely considered to be the top name in that sort of equipment.
Usage:
While a bit trepidatious, I found that the dethatcher did a fine job. Bags and bags of thatch had been pulled up leaving a good portion of the actual soil exposed. I will say that, for the most part, my lawn is flat. However, in the front yard, there is a bit of an incline that had to be compensated for by way of snaking the hill as I call it. It is essentially traversing in a serpentine pattern to overcome the tractor wheels spinning due to the weight of the dethatcher. Still, a fine job was done.
After picking up all the dead thatch, I did a very quick replacement of the dethatcher with the core aerator attachment and proceeded to aerate a portion of my yard that wouldn’t be seen by the neighbors. Unfortunately, the ground was dry (hadn’t rained in quite some time). I read later on that aeration is best done when the soil is damp. It was to rain that night, so I waited for a day. I went out and made my damp soil attempt and the machine worked amazingly well.
As mentioned, the soil was successfully aerated to a depth of 2 – 3 inch by 3/4 inch wide holes. I performed the aforementioned criss-cross pattern while operating to complete a thorough job. I put down some Lesco Starter Fertilizer afterward and watered it in (about 30 minutes of watering per zone) just to be sure that the fertilizer stuck to the soil and wouldn’t be washed away in the next storm.
A Word About Assembly:
In short, the assembly of this product, for me, was somewhat more difficult than was shown in the videos, a few minor parts were missing (3 pairs of nuts and bolts that were meant to be used on a center brace for the aerator axle) but workable. I was able to replace the missing parts without having to call the company and wait for 3 weeks. Also, one of the outer panels was not square leaving me with a 1/8″ smaller span than was necessary. I was anxious but, in the end, I was able to finesse everything into its proper place. When you are committed, anything is possible.
I have planted grass seed and have done some overseeding as well. In the next several days, I expect to see some terrific results. I can hardly wait. I’ll update when that time comes.
In the end, the unit did its job marvelously, held up very well, and looks sturdy enough to last me several more years of use. I am very satisfied with my purchase.
Own When You Can, Rent When You Have To:
It should be mentioned that the cost of renting the two separate units from a rental shop, be it Home Depot or Taylor Rental, would be over $200.00 for a day each. I paid, all in, a little over $400.00. This is to say that, in two years, this purchase will have paid for itself (which is always what I’m after) with hopefully several more years of service to come.
I purchased the John Deere 40″ Core Aerator with Dethatcher from Home Depot online. At the time of purchase, the price was around $385.00.
A good value all the way around, no question.
The Agri-Fab SmartLink is available from Amazon and is very highly rated (at the time of this writing there were over 700 reviews and the star rating was over 4). Mind you that the “Master Platform” is also sold separately from the aerator and dethatcher accessories. Things can change with these products from time to time. I suggest that you click the images below to shop them on Amazon…
I intend to do a follow-up video on the John Deere 40″ Core Aerator with Dethatcher at the end of the Summer into early Fall to show how the unit(s) hold up over time.
As promised, here is the follow-up post for the 2nd use of the John Deere 40″ Dethatcher/Plug Aerator Combo
Best of Luck to all you Handymen in the fields
Berk