Aerator 686 and 687

1. Park the traction unit on a level surface, shut off the engine, engage the parking brake, remove the key, and wait for all movement to stop before leaving the machine.

2. Visually inspect the traction unit for any loose hardware or any other possible problems. Tighten loose hardware and correct any problems before operating.

Attach the hitch of the aerator to the tongue of the traction unit using the hardware of the traction unit.

Important: Do not lift the tongue by hand. Use the tongue jack or powered lift to align the hitch to the traction unit.

1. Check the tire air pressure; refer to Checking Tire Air Pressure.

2. Lower the 3-point hitch; refer to the operator’s manual for your traction unit.

3. If installed, remove the lynch pin, clevis pin, and upper 3-point link from the upper-link bracket (Figure 10).

   

   Figure 10

   1. Upper 3-point link
   2. Lynch pin
   3. Upper-link bracket
   4. Clevis pin

4. Fully raise the lower links of the 3-point hitch (Figure 11).

   

   Figure 11

5. Use the hydraulic hand pump, move the lift arm (Figure 12) just rearward of the forward holes in the lock-bar bracket (transport position).

   Note: The lift arm is in the transport position when the bar is positioned rearward of the forward lock-bar bracket hole.

   

   Figure 12

   1. Lock-bar bracket
   2. Lock-bar pin
   3. Lift arm (transport position)
   4. Hairpin

6. Insert the lock-bar pin into the forward holes in the lock-bar bracket and secure the lock-bar pin to the bracket with the hairpin (Figure 12).

7. Align the tongue of the aerator to the draw bar of the traction unit and use the hitch hardware of the vehicle to secure the aerator (Figure 13).

   

   Figure 13

   1. Hitch hardware (traction unit)
   2. Draw bar (traction unit)
   3. Tongue (aerator)

1. Lower the lower-link arms of the traction unit (Figure 14).

   

   Figure 14

2. Adjust the lower-link arms (Figure 15) outward fully; refer to the operator’s manual for the traction unit.

   

   Figure 15

3. If removed, install the upper 3-point link (Figure 16) to the traction unit.

   

   Figure 16

   1. Upper 3-point link
   2. Lynch pin
   3. Upper-link bracket
   4. Clevis pin

4. Position the aerator so that the lower-link arms of the traction unit line up with the lift-arm pins of the aerator (Figure 17).

   

   Figure 17

   1. Lift-arm pins (aerator)
   2. Lynch pin
   3. Lower-link arm (traction unit)

5. Assemble the lower-link arms to the lift-arm pins and secure the arms with the lynch pins (Figure 17).

6. Assemble the other end of the upper 3-point link to the lift arms of the aerator (Figure 18) with the bolt (3/4 x 4 inches), nut (3/4 inch), and jam nut (3/4 inch).

   

   Figure 18

   1. Nut (3/4 inch)
   2. Jam nut (3/4 inch)
   3. Upper 3-point link
   4. Lift arms (aerator)
   5. Bolt (3/4 x 4 inches)

7. Adjust the links of the 3-point hitch to level the aerator left to right and front to back (Figure 19); refer to the operator’s manual for your traction unit.

   

   Figure 19

1. Close the valve at the base of the hydraulic hand-pump (Figure 21) and stroke the pump handle until the lock pin rotates in the lock-bar bracket.

   

   Figure 21

   1. Valve knob (hydraulic hand-pump)

2. Remove the hair pin and move the lock pin to the rear holes (stow/aerating position) in the lock-bar bracket, and secure the lock pin to the bracket with the hair pin (Figure 22).

   Note: Moving the lock pin to stow/aerating position allows you to raise and lower the aerator while working at the job site.

   

   Figure 22

   1. Lock pin—stow/aerating position (rear hole of the lock-bar bracket)
   2. Hairpin
   3. Lock pin—transport position (rear hole of the lock-bar bracket)

3. Open the valve at the base of the hydraulic hand-pump to lower the aerator to the ground.

4. Return to the operator’s seat and follow the procedures for towing an implement; refer to the operator’s manual for the traction unit.

5. At the end of the desired aerating region, stop the traction unit, engage the parking brake, shut off the engine, and remove the key before getting out of the operator’s seat.

6. Close the valve of the hydraulic hand-pump (Figure 21) and stroke the pump handle to raise the aerator to the transport position.

7. Remove the hair pin and move the lock pin to the forward holes (transport position) in the lock-bar bracket, and secure the lock pin to the bracket with the hair pin (Figure 22).

1. Start the traction unit engine and run it at a low speed.

2. With 3-point or remote-hydraulics control of the traction unit, slowly lower the aerator while the traction unit is slowly moving forward (Figure 23).

   

   Figure 23

3. As aerating begins, increase the speed of the traction unit.

4. Raise the aerator at the end of the pass before turning (Figure 24).

   

   Figure 24

Grease Specification: No. 2 lithium grease

Lubricate the aerator with the specified grease as shown in Figure 25 or Figure 26.

Figure 25

Model 44856

Figure 26

Model 44867

1. Check the tire pressure (Figure 27).

   You should measure 413 kPa (60 psi).

   

   Figure 27

2. If needed, add or remove air to or air from the tires until you measure 413 kPa (60 psi).

The 6 main arms pivot freely horizontally and vertically to allow the unit to follow the contour of the ground. A bronze bushing is pressed inside the pivot holes between the main arms and frame mounting brackets (Figure 28).

Figure 28

1. Main arm
2. Bolt (5/8 x 2 inches)
3. Washer (5/8 x 3 inches)
4. Washer (11/16 x 3 inches)
5. Bronze bushing
6. Frame mounting bracket
7. Washer (5/8 x 1-3/4 inches)
8. Lock washer
9. Nut (5/8 inch)

1. Move the aerator to the transport position; refer to Using the Aerator.

2. Check that the 6 main arms pivot freely (Figure 28).

3. If a main arm binds, perform the following steps:

   1. Loosen the spring tension; refer to Adjusting the Springs.

   2. Remove the bolt, nut, washers, and bushing, that secure the main arm to the frame mounting bracket (Figure 28) and check the hardware for wear.

      Note: Replace all worn or damaged hardware. The bronze bushing is 3 mm (1/8 inch) longer than the combined main arm and mounting bracket plate thickness.

   3. Assemble the main arm to the frame mounting bracket with the bolt, nut, washers, and bushing (Figure 28).

   4. Tighten the bolt (5/8 x 2 inch) and nut (5/8 inch) against the bushings, not the arms, to allow it to pivot freely.

   5. Adjust the spring tension; refer to Adjusting the Springs.

The purpose of the springs is to distribute the weight evenly and reduce the shock load on the pivot points. Adjust the springs evenly across to level the machine. Use the nuts at top of the spring rod to adjust the spring tension (Figure 29).

Important: When adjusting the spring tension, do not completely compress the coils. Allow at least 1.6 mm (1/16 inch) of space between coils.

Figure 29

1. Spring rod nuts
2. Spring
3. 1.6 mm (1/16 inch) minimum space \between coils

To obtain maximum aerating performance, always check the tines for wear and damage before every use. Severely worn tines are easy to bend or break and leave the cores in the ground. See Figure 30 for examples of tine wear.

Figure 30

1. New
2. Badly worn but usable
3. Worn and unusable—replace

Always clean cores out of the tines before storage. Cores left in tines for extended periods can cause pitting on the inside of the tine which keep the core from ejecting.