Miles more efficient aeration with Toro

By Alistair April 16, 2020 08:11 Updated

Aeration is widely recognised as the most important task for fine turf and there are few single procedures that can produce as many benefits for the health of the grass. Tractor-mounted or pedestrian, mechanical or air combined, when it comes to choosing the right machinery for the job there are numerous options. The universal requirement though is minimal surface disruption and a machine that can be relied upon to get turf back into play as soon as possible and Toro has ways to help.

From taking three people up to two and a half hours to aerate one green, these days up to 18 average sized greens can be done in less than a day thanks to innovative product development and new technology, as seen in Toro’s renowned ProCore 648 pedestrian aerator.

Powered by a 23hp Kohler engine, the ProCore 648 has a 48-inch aerating width, one of the largest in the industry, to ensure aeration is efficient and productive. With its wheels located in front of the aeration head, well out of the way of the coring path, you don’t drive over the fresh holes or run over the pulled cores from the previous pass, which makes clean-up far easier, quicker and less labour intensive. Tine depth is automatically maintained as the machine works, matching the ground’s undulations to provide consistent, even coring of up to four inches.

Toro’s ProCore SR Series deep-tine aerators penetrate up to 16 inches below the surface to promote healthy root growth on greens, tees, fairways and roughs. These durable, time-tested products withstand even the most extreme aeration conditions. They also feature hydraulic remote depth adjustment, so the operator can change depths without getting off the tractor for greater productivity.

Models range from lightweight, precision machines for smoother, softer greens to robust, heavy machines that break up soil on even the most compacted surfaces.

The tractor-mounted variants of the ProCore SR series work in the same way as the pedestrian model, but with the potential to cover larger areas.

Toro uses the model number to outline its size, the ProCore 1298 has 12 tine banks and a 98-inch working width to give context to its 1298 suffix.

Both the 1298 and the ProCore 864 (with eight tine banks and 64-inch working width) are up to 25 percent wider than other competitive units and cover more ground in less time. Width is key to enabling the machine to cover a lot of ground – up to 2.3 acres per hour is possible. As a rough guide, holes spaced at a tight 25mm can be delivered at a rate in excess of 2,000m2 an hour, upping the hole spacing and tractor speed allowing this machine to cover nearer 9,000m2 or more an hour.

The Toro ProCore Processor sweeps up and processes aeration cores into fine particles, evenly distributing them across the full 70-inch width of the aerator – it’s aeration and topdressing in one step! Simply attach the ProCore Processor directly to a three-point aerator, and you can do it all with one tractor and one operator. This not only reduces time and labour, but also gets the turf back into play sooner than any other method.Most tine wear occurs at the tip, where it interacts most with the turf. Toro Titan Tines have a durable carbide tip that helps tines last up to three times as long. And for fast tine changes in the field, try patented Titan QuickChange tine heads. All you need is one simple tool to change tine configurations or replace worn tines – no nuts or bolts to drop or misplace. It reduces setup time by up to 75 percent, so you can be more productive. Whether you need solid, coring or deep tines, Toro has a full range to fit the application.