# Hay King aeriator



## LaneFarms

Has anyone used one of these on sandy soils and did it do any good. I have used an aerway in the past, but other than making the fields rough I couldn't tell much of a difference. It looks like the coulter and shank would help loosen the soil and promote new root growth.


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## RockmartGA

There was another posting in the Machinery section where we discussed these renovators. The title was "Ripper". I had similar questions about it.

http://www.haytalk.com/forums/f7/ripper-4513/


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## LaneFarms

Thanks Rockmart, Maybe they will have one at the expo to look at.


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## hay wilson in TX

The effectiveness of a aeriator depends on your soil, cl9imate, and management needs or style.

Anything you do will have some draw backs usually a different form of compaction while opening up compacted dirt (soils).

For this reason I like to do multable tasks. If I am using a chisel I like to run a fertilizer down behind the shank.

With liquid fertilizers we can dispence with the chisel shanks and squirt the fertilizer into the slot made by the cutting coulter. Anhydrous works here so chisels are required, here.

Then there are a number of different rolling spikes to open the soil for moisture penitration and to disturb the compactions.

With all of these systems you can find a University Study that proves each system will not work. THERE !!! In many cases the there of PA has no relationship to AZ. As a matter of fact some of the local truths at TAMU's location are at best half truths HERE.

A number of farmers use things like clovers or turnips to cure compaction.

Florida has or had a number of very helpful Forage Specialest, you might check with your county agent.


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## LaneFarms

Hay Wilson I would love to put out anhydrous with one of Wako's XT applicators, but NH3 is not a good value down here with the amount we put out and how long it hangs around for.


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## Hayking

We have a 8 shank and we have mostly heavier soils no sand or sandy loam. It works really good fir us we try to aerate around the first of March and let it lay open a while then run our McFarlane harrow over it (16 bar) it leaves the field fairly smooth. I will say it takes some HP to pull these things with are 8 shank I Can spin all four tires on a 180 Eng HP Tractor. Especially if the ground is really tight.


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## LaneFarms

hayking how deep can you get it to go in the ground?


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## Hayking

I haven't measured it but I would say its going down at least 8 inches maybe a foot. I would think that sandy soils may not be as tight as clay soils or even loamy so it nay pull easier for you.


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## hay wilson in TX

With the heavy clay soils HERE for Aeration shanks on *60 inch *centers will work just fine. For anhydrous on 30 inch rows the 60 inch work well also. For bermudagrass sod *42 inch *centers is better. For deep banding 10-34-0 I believe 30 inch centers would work just fine, here. 
If I were to fabricate a chisel for aeration with the added benefit of fertilizer application I would put the chisels on 42 inch centers and opening coulters on 21 inch centers. I would then squirt the 10-34-0 behind the opening coulters that do not have a chisel.

*IF* Strictly for fertilizer application it might do well to do an overall cost analysis comparing anhydrous on 42 inch centers with 10-34-0 on 21 inch centers and a tank mix of 32-0-0 & 10-34-0 behind opening coulters only and on 30 inch centers maybe even *36 inch *centers.

IF ( I would have to move 100 mile east of here) I had a neutral or mildly acid soil with a good sandy component I would forget aeration and surface band liquid or dry fertilizer. Probably a dry fertilizer. 
In that case I would be fertilizing nitrogen after each cutting if not more often. That is there BUT HERE with our heavy clay we *can* fertilize in January with full expectation that the fertilizer will still be there until taken up by a crop. That is why 400 or even 500 lbs of anhydrous in January will persist through the season and the unused portion will persist for a decade, or more.

We all have different soils, climate, and management needs. We then learn to work with our advantages and work around the disadvantages.


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## LaneFarms

Hay Wilson I have yet to find any advantages to our pure sand. Generally NH3 is put out sometime in April and at 150-200 lbs/ac It will be completely gone by the first of July if not sooner. Typically we can get 1 good cutting and can't quite stretch that second one out of it. We also have problems getting our PH corrected, I have followed my soil sample reccomendations for the past 4 years on lime apllications and have yet to get any of my fields above a 6.0 and have some still in the 5.2-5.3 range. Do you think with any kind of aeriation you can get enough root disturbance to recreate a young established field. I have noticed that younger stands of bermuda grass typically will out yield and greenup sooner and with stand cold better than older stands. My point in aeriating is to try to mimick a replant without the expense and loss of production.


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## Mike120

hay wilson in TX said:


> For bermudagrass sod *42 inch *centers is better. For deep banding 10-34-0 I believe 30 inch centers would work just fine, here.
> 
> If I were to fabricate a chisel for aeration with the added benefit of fertilizer application I would put the chisels on 42 inch centers and opening coulters on 21 inch centers. I would then squirt the 10-34-0 behind the opening coulters that do not have a chisel.
> 
> *IF* Strictly for fertilizer application it might do well to do an overall cost analysis comparing anhydrous on 42 inch centers with 10-34-0 on 21 inch centers and a tank mix of 32-0-0 & 10-34-0 behind opening coulters only and on 30 inch centers maybe even *36 inch *centers.


That's interesting! From what I've been told, the spacing seems wide to me, but I readly admit I know nothing about knifing fertilizer in a hay field. After this year however, I have been thinking more about it. I considered putting knives on my 8' pasture renovator and also considered building a 15'-20' tool bar with Yetter (or cheaper!) coulter/knife assemblies, but my dealer told me that they should have 10" separation. So what should they be for a pretty typical SE Texas sandy loam???? AND....how do you calculate it????


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## hay wilson in TX

I think two ways.

One would be to space 10 or 20 inch centers the Yetter coulter, with their attachment that squirts liquid right behind the coulter. 
I doubt your soil has a high enough CEC to apply a years supply of nitrogen with out leaching. 
I suggest if you like the 20 inch centers you can open it up to 30 inch centers for a try.

OR you could start with side spacing and add coulters if you think it is needed.

Now if your soil test as a 30 CEC then you in theory can put 300 lbs of nitrogen into the soil.
Now if your soil test as a 20 CEC then you in theory can put 200 lbs of nitrogen into the soil.
Now if your soil test as a 10 CEC then you in theory can put 100 lbs of nitrogen into the soil.

The 300 lbs of N should last the season.
The 200 lbs of N will need a top dressing of (Maybe Ammonium Sulfate) half way through the season?

The 100 lb rate means adding at the beginning of the year and after each cutting. Using coulters only and not with knives will disturb the roots the least and still will get the 32-0-0 down into the soil.

If you want to go first class or use dry check with these people at Dawn Equipment. 
Jim Bassett 
E-mail address [email protected] 
Website address Dawn Equipment Company


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