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- Apr 14, 2014
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Back in 1986 I purchased a Bolens Eliminator 1400 garden tractor to use at our former house and the one we were building. One of the implements I purchased to go with it was an AgriFab plug aerator. The first time I tried it I wasn't pleased with the results. All the coring heads were on a single shaft, so when I turned a corner the heads on the outside of the diameter skipped along and made trenches rather than dig in and pull plugs.
I solved that problem by replacing the original single piece shaft with a 3 piece one. Each section of 2 plugging heads is now on an independent shaft. The other problem was that by the time I added sufficient weight for the heads to penetrate the ground (200 lbs. to 250 lbs.) it was far too heavy to raise to the transport position by hand. To address that problem, I modified a trailer tongue jack and powered it with a 1980's era GM wiper motor. I added a double throw switch and a trailer harness socket to the rear of the tractor so the up and down movement could be controlled from the dash. I also made a 42" wide stationary draw bar with attachment holes every 6" so the aerator could be pulled off center behind the tractor.
That worked fine for the entire time I had the Bolens tractor. However, by 2000 Bolens was out of business and parts for the tractor were getting hard to find. To that end I sold the Bolens to a collector and purchased a John Deere 445 with all wheel steering. I wired the JD the same as the Bolens and have used the aerator many times since then. However, I had to be careful about turning since the new tractor has a considerably smaller turning radius. When turning too sharp the plate covering the motor gear case comes in contact with the drawbar and damages it. Today I finally completed the project by fabricating a new motor cover plate out of 1/8" aluminum plate, and extending the tongue on the aerator so I can make sharp turns without interference and possible damage.
It's funny how you can "make do" with something for so many years, and finally decide enough is enough. I lived with these inconveniences for over 24 years before finally addressing them. The truth be known it only took an hour or so to correct the problems.
Call me Mr. Procrastination.
I solved that problem by replacing the original single piece shaft with a 3 piece one. Each section of 2 plugging heads is now on an independent shaft. The other problem was that by the time I added sufficient weight for the heads to penetrate the ground (200 lbs. to 250 lbs.) it was far too heavy to raise to the transport position by hand. To address that problem, I modified a trailer tongue jack and powered it with a 1980's era GM wiper motor. I added a double throw switch and a trailer harness socket to the rear of the tractor so the up and down movement could be controlled from the dash. I also made a 42" wide stationary draw bar with attachment holes every 6" so the aerator could be pulled off center behind the tractor.
That worked fine for the entire time I had the Bolens tractor. However, by 2000 Bolens was out of business and parts for the tractor were getting hard to find. To that end I sold the Bolens to a collector and purchased a John Deere 445 with all wheel steering. I wired the JD the same as the Bolens and have used the aerator many times since then. However, I had to be careful about turning since the new tractor has a considerably smaller turning radius. When turning too sharp the plate covering the motor gear case comes in contact with the drawbar and damages it. Today I finally completed the project by fabricating a new motor cover plate out of 1/8" aluminum plate, and extending the tongue on the aerator so I can make sharp turns without interference and possible damage.
It's funny how you can "make do" with something for so many years, and finally decide enough is enough. I lived with these inconveniences for over 24 years before finally addressing them. The truth be known it only took an hour or so to correct the problems.
Call me Mr. Procrastination.
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