Customer Reviews
"As the owner and operator of a landscape maintenance company in Virginia for over 20 years, I’ve found one of our biggest challenges to be growing healthy grass in the transition zone climate in which we live. Cool season grasses struggle to survive in our long hot summers and occasional zero degree winters are hard on warm season grasses. Every Spring we struggle to get Bermuda grass started so that it is mature enough to survive the coming winter and every Fall we are challenged to get our fescues established for the coming hot summer. Over the years we have used most every kind of equipment to help prepare and seed our mostly clay soils including: core aerators, slit seeders, Harley rakes and various renovators. Several years ago we discovered a tool that has proven to be the best at establishing healthy stands of grass hands down – the Aera-vator by First Products. Our model AE60 with the seed box has enabled us to grow grass in areas where we thought grass couldn’t be grown. We’ve use it to break up hardpan and seed all in one pass and we’ve used it to incorporate organic material in poor soils prior to seeding all with excellent results. Our Aera-vator has given us a decided advantage over our competition when it comes to growing grass and has paid for itself many times over. "
-Grant Miller
President
Millers Lawn and Landscape Service Inc.
AGRI-vator
" "At Huberth Farm Services we use our Agrivator AG-96 to renovate pastures, hayfields, road shoulders and prepare footing for various equestrian events. Every customer where we have used the Agrivator has been very pleased with the results, The horse show managers have consistently received the "Best Footing" award from their various associations. We really appreciate the low maintenance required by this machine. After 6+ years of heavy use we have only had to replace two drive belts (aside from normal spike wear). I wish all of our equipment worked as well!" Harry J Huberth Huberth Farm Services Southern Pines, NC"
-Harry Huberth
Huberth Farm Services
AERA-vator
"I wanted to take a moment to tell you how pleased we are with the AERA-vator products. We have been using AERA-vators since we started our company back in 1992. As a spring and fall service we used to provide core-aeration for the lawns that we serviced. Once we made our first investment in an AERA-vator, by the end of the season, we purchased our second, and the following year our third. These machines have not only reduced our labor rate by over 50% but also improved the soil and seed germination in all of the yards that we service. By using AERA-vators, it allows us to begin seeding a month before our competitors because it does so well with hard, dry soil. Customers are calling in and requesting AERA-vation service. None of my customers want a core-aerator in their yard. Once somebody sees with their own eyes the difference between a core aerator and an AERA-vator there is absolutely no comparison. We will continue to use AERA-vators and will guarantee you for hard, clay soil there is no better machine than the AERA-vator by First Products to help relieve compaction in your soil and prep for seeding. Congratulations on inventing and designing a one-of-a-kind machine! You will have our loyal support as long as we are in the green industry."
-Andreas Dambakakis
President
Yards by Us
AGRI-vator
"As a 4th generation grower and installer, we use the AGRI-vator in our re-growth fields to fracture the ground and allow the soil to absorb more water and allows oxygen and nutrient exchange. We also use it as our primary method of aerating on young turf (without disruption) and netted fields without damage to the netting allowing us to over seed thin areas. The AGRI-vator is a very important piece of machinery in our daily operations on our farm not only for faster growth but gives us a stronger and more stable root system, which holds the grass together for harvest. Capen Briggs L.C. Briggs Turf Farm Peculiar, MO. "
-Capen Briggs
Manager
L.C. Briggs Turf Farm
AERA-vator
"Writing to tell you how happy we are with our aera-vator. I work in the Chapel Hill, NC area. This summer has been brutal, the hottest on record, and now we are in a drought. It is looking as if this will be the driest September we have had in a long time. However, we are plugging away and the aera-vator is penetrating our hard clay. As I look around I notice that most of my competition have not yet started even though September 15th is normally the “perfect” date to aerate and seed. While others wait for the rain, we continue to add new customers who walk over as we work on the neighbor’s yard! "
-Don Williams
AERA-vator
"Since the purchase of the UA – 60 Aera-vator we’ve had much better seed to soil contact and soil amendment incorporation which produces high quality turf. The Aera-vator is versatile enough to break up hard packed clay on a new construction site for seed or sod installation and then go directly to an established lawn for over seeding with no turf damage. Even more important we waste no time changing over to a different piece of equipment. The Aera-vator enables us to get an early jump on Fall re-seeding. Core pluggers and conventional aerators are not effective in hard and dry soil conditions. By the time the ground is moist enough for the other guys….our yards have already germinated and are turning green. Our clients are the envy of the neighborhood, and regularly refer business to our company because of this piece of equipment. "
-Brent Vanhoy
Holly Springs Landscaping
what a great machine!
"In PA we have had one of the hottest years on record. Seven heat waves and my fairways were cooked. The AERA-vator allowed me to effectively overseed weeks ahead of any overseeder out there. It penatrated the hard, dry ground with ease. We are finally getting much needed rain. While others still have their seed in the bag or laying on the surface, my seed is in the ground. The AERA-vator is the perfect machine for not so perfect weather. "
-Terry Weaver
Superintendent
Tree Top Golf Course
"Since Hoosick Falls Central School District was not proactive in managing its lawns and playing fields in the past, an effort to improve this facility was begun under district leadership of Superintendent of Schools. The first step was taken in 2009. Hoosick Falls Central School District purchased a First Products AERA-vator which has been the key piece of equipment for this challenging task of “going green”. The Aeravator creates an almost perfect soil conditions for over-seeding by fracturing the top 3” of soil due to its vibrating action and seed drop box. A decision was made at the beginning of 2010 to try to not use any chemical herbicides and to try to “out¬ compete” the annual weeds through a very aggressive over-seeding and aerification program. The over seeding rate of 5 pounds per 1,000 square feet was begun in early June of this year. Results have been pretty good to this point, in everyone’s opinion. Additionally, over-seeding at the rate of ½ pound per 1,000 square feet of perennial ryegrass seed weekly, will take place between the hash marks on the football field and on goal creases on the Field Hockey Field. "
-John Holloran, SCPS
VC60
"We use the VC60 for managing out Independence bentgrass fairways in the challenging mid-Atlantic transition zone. This product is instrumental in the reducing thatch and mat levels in the newer variety of creeping bentgrass. Removing thatch is critical for sustaining truly outstanding conditions that our members expect. It also reduces disease pressure and prevalence of insect pests. We have nothing but great things to say about the VC60 as a turfgrass management tool at TPC Potomac. A few of the great features are speed and safetly of operation, ease of attachment and removal from the tractor, off-set positioning which prevents unneccessary traffic over previous passes, and simple depth adjustment. Our operators also like the visibility that the machine provides, which really helps prevent damage to sprinkler heads. The machines versatility allows us to manage our fairways year round. In the spring, we raise the depth of the blades to tickle the surface followed by a light top-dressing. In the fall, we lower the depth and perform an aggressive double verti-cutting followed by a generous top-dressing which ensures a great playing surface for our members in the following spring. The VC60 provides consistently excellent results. Mechanical damage to turfgrass is a non-issue. It is our best thatch removal tool. We love seeing the machine in action: the rooster tail of thatch flying out of the rear of the machine validates its importance as a turfgrass management tool. Overall the VC60 is a top notch dependable product. The VC60 has been a valuable addition to our inventory. I would recommend it to anyone planning on verticutting and wanting to maxamize the playability and health of their fairways."
-Stephen M. Britton
Director of Golf Course Maintenance Operations
TPC Potomac at Avenel Farm
"Recently we were contracted by a local public housing authority to restore 16 acres of turf within a residential apartment complex. The complex was subdivided into a myriad of tiny grass plots by numerous sidewalks. Tree roots from large old trees protruded from the ground throughout the project and many areas were nothing but bare dirt. The complex has not been seeded or fertilized for more than 10 years. The entire area was subject to constant foot traffic resulting in extremely hard and compacted soil. Finally, underground utility markings crisscrossed the complex in an array of bright colors. The contract specifications required the soil be totally loosened/fractured to a depth of at least 3 inches in preperation for the addition of soil amendments, seed and fertilizer. 130,000 pounds of soil conditioner and lime were initally applied and worked into the soil with the use of two walk behind/ride on AERA-vators and one 3-point hitch AERA-vator. The site was then seeded and fertilized. Except for the rainfall, the site was not to be watered. Key to the whole procedure were the AERA-vators. With one or two passes, a perfect seed bed was instantly created and the soil amendments worked well into the soil profile. The walk behind/ride on AERA-vators could be easily maneuvered within small grass plots and around tree roots. The tractor drawn unit was ideal for the larger areas. The controlled depth of the AERA-vator tines ensured we did not puncture below ground utility lines. Since rainfall was the only source of water for the project, the AERA-vated soil captured all the water that would have normally run into the street gutters. Without the use of the AERA-vators, this project could not have been accomplished."
-Gary Cooper
President
Cooper's Landscape Management