Reasons to Rent an Aerator

1. If your lawn is not so big, buying an aerator is not feasible. You can save a lot of money by just renting one. It will only cost you $15-$25 an hour. There is often a half-day, whole day and week-end rates while buying it brand new, and will cost you as much as $900-$3,000.

2. Since you do not aerate often as your mow your lawn, buying one is not worth it. It will just become a dead investment to you.

3. Renting an aerator means maintenance free. After you are done with the unit, you just return it to the rental shop. Cleaning it or maintaining the lawn aerator is already covered by the rental fee.

4. There is no trouble on your part in storing it. Much space in your garage or storeroom can be used for other equipment instead.

5. Your lawn will be more vibrant and healthy if you aerate it. Instead of slaving yourself in aerating your lawn manually, why not do it efficiently in half the time? You can conserve not only money by renting a power aerator but also your energy. Now you can do more work in one day with this scheme. It is more practical just to rent.

6. You do not have to say no to your neighbors who are known to borrow things and do not know how to return them. You just simply tell them that you do not have a unit and you are just renting the one you are using. With this reason, you will not only have a healthy lawn, you also preserve good relationship with your neighbors.

Any time that you can aerate your lawn and get good plugs, it is a good time to rent a lawn aerator. The most common times for people to rent an aerator are in the spring and also in the early fall. If you aerate in the spring, it helps to prevent the soil from becoming compacted in the summer. So if you have a lot of clay in them, they will get compacted as the temperatures get hotter and the clay underneath the soil expands. If you really want to be successful with an aerator, make sure to aerate your lawn during the optimal times in the spring and the fall. Late spring aeration is also helpful, just make sure to water your lawn well before you aerate it.

How to Use a Lawn Aerator Rental?

The first thing you need to do is to pick out a good aerator. My favorite types of aerators are Billy Goat and Ryan. In my opinion, getting a mechanical core aerator is the easiest way to aerate your lawn. Make sure that before you get an aerator rental, that you know how to start it and that it starts up on the first attempt. If an aerator has been sitting for a while, it might be difficult to get it started. The next thing you need to know is how to get the machine to go forward and how to stop. Usually there is a lever in the front that engages the motor pulley with the drive belt. This will help your machine to go forward. In order to stop your machine, you just have to let go of the drive belt. Please make sure to allow 6 to 12 inches for the machine to stop before you disengage the drive belt.

Is It Difficult to Aerate My Lawn?

It isn’t difficult at all to aerate a lawn. Even if you have never done it before, you should be able to get the hang of it after aerating your first lawn. This is because aerators are power-driven. You just have to make sure you know how to go forward and stop. The most difficult part about using an aerator is learning how to turn. If you have a power-driven front wheel, you should turn your machine with the assistance of this front wheel. When you are doing 180° turns, you want to make sure that your tines are out of the ground. Most of the time it will take you less than 30 minutes to aerate 2,500 ft.² of lawn.

What Are Some of the Benefits of Aerating My Lawn?

Aerating a lawn helps reduce compaction of the soil. It also makes it easier for water to absorb into it. Within a week or two aerating your lawn, you’ll notice that  the roots also grow into the holes that are created by aerating your lawn. Aerating your lawn helps to thicken your turf and encourages more organic material to grow in it. For the best results, you want to aerate lawn at least once every other year.

How Much Does an Aerator Rental Cost?

Aerator rentals will cost between $40 and $60 if you want to rent them for a four-hour period. You may be able to find a local landscaping service to aerate your lawn for about this price. If you don’t want to go through the hassle of having to rent an aerator and then return it, this might be a pretty good option. If you want to rent an aerator for a whole day, it will cost around $120. Another option to save money might be splitting the cost of the aerator rental with a neighbor, or family member.

*Here’s a great source of information about Lawn Aerators and Lawn Aeration: “All About Lawn Aeration Tips and Aerators”

How Does a Liquid Aerator Compare to A Hand Aerator and a Rental?

A liquid aerator is a nice idea. But most of the time, in order for a liquid aerator to work well, you have to aerate your lawn prior to putting it down. If you aerate your lawn, you’ll get better penetration with a liquid aerator, and it will easily get down to the roots where it is needed the most. A liquid aerator also costs about $40-$50 per application. It is a lot easier to use a liquid than to aerate your lawn by hand. If you aerate your lawn every year and is already pretty soft, it might work just fine to put down a liquid aerator. However, if you haven’t aerated your lawn in a while, you should look at possibly aerating your lawn and putting down a liquid aerator. This will help to stimulate the root growth and keep your soil soft.

When it comes to aerating a large lawn, it doesn’t make a lot of sense to try to do it by hand with a hand aerator. Basically, this leaves you with just a few options. You can buy your own lawn aerator, you can rent an aerator rental, or if you already have a riding lawnmower, you can buy a lawnmower attachment.

If you have a really large lawn, and you already own a riding lawnmower, then the best way for you to do is to buy a tow behind lawn aerator. A tow behind aerator is  typically 48 inches long, and cost around $300-$350. They tend to do a pretty good job as long as you add weights to them, and aerate your lawn before it gets too hard.

If you don’t have a riding lawnmower, you are going to be trying to decide whether to buy or rent a lawn aerator. A lawn aerator rental is cheaper. Aerator rentals will cost you anywhere from $35-$65 to rent for a four-hour time frame. Buying a new lawn aerator will cost you at least $2,000. Some new  lawn aerators can cost as much as $6,000. Therefore, it is a better idea to rent an aerator, or hire someone to do the aerating for you. Even though you can do the job yourself, since most people only aerate their lawns once a year, it is hardly worth it to buy a brand-new aerator to do this job for you. The best type of aerator that you can rent is going to be either a Ryan or a Billy Goat aerator.

Do a Better Job Aerating

Make sure you are using all of your weights if your soil is hard. This will help you to penetrate deeper into the soil. You can penetrate deeper, you’ll enable the water to soak down further and you will develop stronger roots. If you think your lawn is going to be hard, try watering it for 30 to 40 minutes a night before you are going to aerate it. Then, aerate your lawn in the morning. In the morning, lawns are much softer than they are in the afternoon. This is because the ground temperatures are cooler.

One of the most difficult parts of using an aerator is turning the aerator.  To do this effectively, take the tines out of the ground and use the forward level to turn the aerator around.  Special care should be taken if the lawn is wet or mushy, so you do not damage the lawn when you are turning the aerator around.

For the best information on how Lawn Aerators and how to aerate lawn please visit http://www.aerate-lawn.com. The average time to aerate a 2,000 square ft. lawn is 25 to 30 minutes. A 4,000 square feet lawn takes 35 to forty minutes. To find local lawn aerator rental companies in your area, please visit our Aerator Rental home page.

So How Do They Work?

Liquid lawn aerators contain conditioners that soften the soil. These soil softeners actively work in your soil for 4-6 months, promoting permanent root growth and development.These liquids not only aerify the soil, break up clays and hard soils, but they also contain hummic acid which helps to condition the soil and has the ability to break down harmful pesticides and herbicides, and helping your lawn to look its best.

Most liquid aerators are environmentally friendly and safe around pets.  It is always a good idea to read the label before use, just to make sure.

Aerator rental - Information about where to rent an aerator and how to get the best deals.

Liquid aerator

Do it yourself Lawn repair

Lawn Aerator Shop

Aerate lawn

White Grub

Where to Rent an Aerator?

While there are a lot of possible choices out there, I prefer to rent from a small rental shop rather than a large one. First, by renting here you are helping to support a small business. Also, smaller shops tend to be less strict about their return policies. They also probably won’t ask you if you want it insured, which to be honest, is a rip off on most decent aerators anyway. In addition, they might also be a little cheap than most better known rental companies. The one drawback is that sometime these older companies have older equipment. It may be a good idea to ask them how old their aerators are, and if they have a new one, try to reserve that one.

How Much Do Rental Aerators Cost?

I have rented several aerators, and price vary a little by location. The cheapest one I have rented has been for $35, the most expensive one has been close to $60. I would probably say that for a 2-hour rental, you are going to average $50 and for a 24-hour rental, you will pay an average of $100. I know they can be expensive to rent, but if you split the cost with a neighbor, it isn’t so bad. It is definitely better than trying to do the lawn with a hand aerator.

When is the Best Time to Aerate my Lawn?

The best time to aerate a lawn depends on where you live and the type of lawn you have. For this reason, aerating can be done year round. The spring is probably the most common time throughout the year. The fall is the next most common time. For mushy lawns that stay wet until May, the best time to aerate them could be in the middle of the summer. If you live in a warm part of the country, such as southern California, winter aerating is very popular. There is never really a bad time to aerate except when the temperature is below freezing.

What Type of Aerator to Rent?

You want to rent a mechanical coring lawn aerator. These are heavy machines, with rear tines that pull cores out of the ground as they go. My favorite brand is a Ryan lawn aerator. A Claussen is a pretty good copy of a Ryan. (A Ryan is easy to control and you can’t break this one.) Bluebird aerators are probably the most common. This is because they are cheap. These aren’t as good because they can roll over on steep hills and they aren’t very smooth at starting and stopping. Plus the newer version only has three rotating tines and it rips out the grass a little when it starts up. One benefit is that you can turn it easily even with the tines in the ground. You can also rent a Billy Goat lawn aerator (the most expensive to buy). Although it has a sleek design, it doesn’t mash any of its own plugs so it is a very neat machine. The major drawbacks are that it is very heavy, hard to maneuver in small areas, and hard to use on hills.

The disadvantage of renting an aerator and core aerating yourself is that you have to go to the rental shop and pick up the aerator as well as drop it off.   This can be a big disadvantage if you don’t get the core aerator back to the rental shop on time.  Obviously, you have to do the work yourself if you rent a core aerator.  And also, you need proper transportation to transport the core aerator.  The machines are not light, so you will have to have a way of loading and unloading it as well. So depending on your situation, you should get an aerator rental if you prefer to be in control of how the aeration is done, and if you have the time and means to transport the aerator. A bonus would be if you could save some money when you rent an aerator.

What Does Lawn Aeration Do For My Lawn?

Lawn aeration decreases compaction, improves drainage, controls thatch development, and allows nutrients, air & water to more easily reach the grass roots.  In short, lawn aeration helps create a healthier lawn.  A healthy lawn more easily fights off disease & recovers from harsh weather so you can enjoy a beautiful lawn.   Most aerator rentals are specifically for core aeration.  Core aeration pulls plugs or cores of dirt & grass out of the lawn.  By doing this, the soil has more room so grass roots can develop further. There are also different kinds of manual aerators. Aeration shoes or aerating sandals and hand-held aerators are some examples.  Lawns with a lot of clay in them may need to be aerated more often.  These are great for small yards.  These aerators work by poking small holes in your lawn.  And last of all is a liquid aerator.  Liquid aeration works by using soil softeners & conditioners to loosen the soil compaction, giving you similar results as core or manual aerators. Typically if you have a medium to large yard, you want to go for an aerator rental for ease & the best cost. Learn more about lawn aeration and nine different types of lawn aerators you can use on your lawn.  For a complete list of the benefits of lawn aeration, you can visit one of our sister sites at http://aerate-lawn.com. If you have any questions on lawns and garden maintenance, also visit http://gardennlawn.com