Suchtale 18-Inch Push Spike Aerator, Heavy Duty Rolling Lawn Aerator, Rotary Spike Lawn Aerator, Manual Aeration Equipment with Steel Handle, Suitable for Lawns, Garden, and Yard Grass Aeration

Very simple to assemble! and this thing does a great job, make sure you do this after a rain (Softens the ground) and you can get much more depth with less effort. I had to put a random 10 point weight on the tray and we hit Pay Dirt. Now we can aerate a couple times a year if needed at our leisure, and the unit is LIGHT and easy to store.

Avoid using too much weight. I tried a concrete block and could not push it forward at all. I had great success pushing it with 1 or 2 bricks. The soil was also very moist. I was able to pull it with the concrete block on it, but it was much more difficult to do and did not seem to penetrate as far into the soil as pushing with the lighter weight. If soil was very dry, it would not penetrate much either way.Probably not as good as machines that pull out plugs but on our relatively small yard with several passes, I think it did a satisfatory job.

3.9 out of 5. Super quality built. Works with a LOT of weight on top (2 cinder blocks) but then you have to push that bad boy with the tines buried to the axle so they penetrate. Wet your lawn or wait for a decent rain then do it. If you got youth and stamina and strength then get after it. If not, pay for plug aeration.

FWIW... I'm a licensed professional LA in both NE and PA. I'm constantly looking for equipment and methods that work well in direct application. While in the past, I've used the typical "punch" version of aerator that punches a series of holes and leaves plugs. The problems I face with that type of aerator are threefold... 1. I have to rent the equipment and transport it, 2. It's HEAVY to operate and I must "wrestle" the equipment the entire time I use it, and 3. I can't just use an aerator any time I want to use one.So, I took a gamble and bought this "aerator" wondering whether it would truly work. Much to my SURPRISE, it actually does work... and even better in many ways than I expected. The best results that I've experienced are based upon the following:1. Make sure your ground is sufficiently wet (or saturated) before using. If the ground is too dry, then there is too much soil resistance that prohibits the aerator from penetrating the ground as it is intended.2. Expect to "RUN" the aerator back and forth multiple times.... so it aerates sufficiently. Only one pass will not do much.3. If using for re-seeding -- as I was doing -- then, REALLY run the aerator back and forth.... plus at multiple angles so you get enough ground penetration to create a good seedbed. As you will experience, the aerator "lifts" the soil a bit which is "PERFECT" for re-seeding / overseeding. I've had extremely GOOD RESULTS this Fall by using this technique.4. If your ground is sufficiently saturated, you will NOT need additional weight on the top of the "roller body" (as is shown in the photos). In fact, I found that the added weight made things WORSE.So, I HIGHLY recommend using this for reseeding / overseeding within your existing lawn. For the price, it is REALLY, REALLY good and I'm glad I got it because it worked better than I had EVER hoped. BUY this with confidence it will work for you as it did for me.

Not happy with this product. Poor quality and ease of use is horrible

Love the product after the first use on my lawn and friends lawn. Several week later the lawn looks great.Sturdy and quality enough for the price if your yard is the average home lot size and you don't have health issues (it does use force and strength to push/pull and push into ground with a non-dry and non-hard ground)... but you only have to do this once or twice a year. If you have health problems or BELOW the average person strength this is NOT easy to use. For me I want to loose some weight and enjoy a 5 to 10 mile bike ride so the "Easy to use" is a 4 of 5 (make no mistake I was using some effort to do the work).A true aerator will pull a small straw/pipe size ground hole where this forces ground apart so I probably will do this twice a year in stead of once with a true aerator. A true aerator will cost you in the $1000's. For this much of a price difference I will be more than happy to use it twice a year. I does take about twice the effort than a push electric/gas lawn mower and about 3 times the time but I like the exercise (especially when it is only twice a year - some of you might think the exercise is great and want to do it more - not sure if it is good for lawn).I bought a $3 cinder block and $2 two bricks to place inside the cider block. The cinder block is placed on top of the aerator and attached with a $3 rubber band with metal hooks to add sinking weight into the ground.Assembly is easy and loosening handle can fold it into three parts for storage. Wheels are great for moving weighted down aerator between lawns, on way to clean/hose wash spikes (no dirt on sidewalk/driveway between lawns), or to store.I am very happy with this product and very glad I did not get competitors product.

It can be pulled or pushed. It is easier to pull it, but even with a cement block as weight it won't work as well as when pushed. However pushing it will take a lot more effort. I might have to add two or more blocks to weight it down so that I can pull it, but there are no places to attach straps to it to stabilize the blocks.The unit is a patch work of quality materials and some that I doubt will last. Fingers crossed.Overall a good aerator given the price.

It took me awhile to put it together, but after that, it was smooth. It gets the job done.