Powered scarifiers

[E55 Max]

I have just bought an new house with extensive lawns.
The lawns are very thick with a great deal of moss, so I was thinking of buying a powered scarifier to sort this out, just wondering if anyone has any recommendations?
Thanks

[RedLeicester]

Depends how extensive and what shape the lawns. Assuming you're meaning Toro or Sisis then you're looking north of £10k for a suitable self-propelled machine, or a little less for a PTO or drag one to go behind the tractors.

If it's not large enough to justify those, then for the sake of a couple of times a year, just hire one.

Don't forget, done properly it will produce a LOT of thatch, so you will need to sweep afterwards, again Sisis et al do some excellent towed sweepers like the Litamisa/Litamina range - you can find them second hand occasionally around the £1-2k mark, or new they're £8k.

[RedLeicester]

Oh, and while I think of it, if you go for a high-lift Litamisa, you will need a 40+HP tractor, a full load of wet grass is VERY heavy.

[E55 Max]

Quite a lot of lawn, some on slopes that I can mow with a ride on currently. Too much to do with a push version!

[RedLeicester]

E55 Max said:

Quite a lot of lawn, some on slopes that I can mow with a ride on currently. Too much to do with a push version!

But ride on rather than tractor territory. Right, ignore the above then, too big for small lawns. Westwood and Countax both do powered scarifiers for attaching to their domestic lawn tractors. Alternatively, go down the hire route or buy if you must - a small self-powered scarifier is around £1500 if you want a decent width - http://www.gardenmachinerydirect.co.uk/husqvarna_s... - you'll need to sweep afterwards.

Or half that if you just want something small that will also collect - http://www.gardenmachinerydirect.co.uk/mountfield_...


ETA - This is the Countax scarifier - http://www.gardenmachinerydirect.co.uk/countax_tra...

Some of the more serious makes of Ride-on also do scarifiers IIRC - John Deere, Cub Cadet, Toro, but the weenie ones don't offer it.

[RedLeicester]

God, my thoughts are jumbled today - if you're wanting to get rid of moss, scarification is not the way anway.... scarifying is for removing dead thatch.... so a moss rake, deep-tine aeration and then ferrous feeds / lawn sands and top dressing....

ETA - something like this - http://www.gardenmachinerydirect.co.uk/sch_rake_hg... to rake out dead moss after treatment. But remember, all that does is get rid of the dead stuff - the only way you'll kill it is with prevention, else you'll be doing it day after day after year after year!

[E55 Max]

Thanks for that, it seems to tie up with what I have found myself. I am going to head down the Countax/westwood route I think and also get a high grass mulcher for the paddocks. All sorted with one machine!

[RedLeicester]

Okay, just remember a scarifier won't properly sort the moss problem...

Also, if the paddock grass is in any way high, mulching will destroy the deck or the mower - just go for side / rear discharge.

[Toyo Jm]

OP means Westwood High Grass Mulch Deck - should be fine on anything under waist height IIRC?

[munky]

Toyo Jm said:

OP means Westwood High Grass Mulch Deck - should be fine on anything under waist height IIRC?

exactly - it's called the high grass mulching deck for a reason!

actually the normal combi deck on the westwood will easily cut 2ft high grass if you don't go too fast, but not with the mulching plug attached (as I found out)