Operating Tips

• Make very gradual turns when aerating. Never make sharp turns with the coring head engaged.

When aerating with less than the full width ofthe machine, you may remove tines, but the tineheads should remain installed on the stomperarms to ensure proper balance and operation ofthe machine.

• This machine aerates deeper than most greensaerators. On native or modified push-up greensand tees, the deeper depth and longer hollow tines may have difficulty ejecting the complete core. This is due to harder native soil that sticksin the end of the tine. Side-eject greens/teestines from Toro stay cleaner and reduce the timer equired to clean the tines out. You will eventually eliminate this condition with continued aerationand top-dressing programs.

Hard Ground

If the ground is too firm to obtain the desired coring depth, the coring head can get into a bouncing rhythm.

This is due to the hard pan the tines are attempting to penetrate. Correct this condition by attempting thefollowing

:• Do not aerate if ground is too hard or dry. You obtain best aeration results after a rain or watering the turf the previous day.

• Change to a 3-tine head, if attempting to use the 4-tine head or reduce the number of tines per stomper arm. Attempt to maintain a symmetrical tine configuration to evenly load the stomper arms.

• If ground is hard packed, reduce aerator penetration (depth setting), clean up the cores,water the turf, and re-aerate at a deeperpenetration.

Aeration of soil types built on top of hard subsoils (i.e.,soil/sand placed over rocky soil) can cause undesiredhole quality.

This occurs when the aeration depth is greater than the built up soil and the subsoil is toohard to penetrate.

When the tines contact this harder subsoil, the aerator may lift and cause the top of the holes to become elongated. Reduce the aerating depth sufficiently to avoid penetration into the hardsubsoil.

 Entrance/Exit Hole Quality

The entrance/exit hole quality is deteriorating whenthe machine produced the following results:

• The hole quality upon entrance is slotted (pulledforward).

• The coring head fails to engage before contactingthe turf.

Check the following:• The engagement position switch (no. 3 switchlocation on H-frame) may need adjustment;

 • Your machine may have a worn or slipping clutch;

Mini Tine (Quad Tine)

Because of the double row design, the mini-tine coring head requires the hole spacing to be set at 6.3 cm (2-1/2 inches). Ground speed is critical to maintainthe appearance of 3.2 cm (1-1/4 inches) hole spacing

With the mini tine head or larger solid tine use, the turfroot structure is important to preventing turf damage due to tearing of the root zone.

If the center 2 armsbegin to lift the turf or damage to the root zone isexcessive, proceed as follows

:• Increase the hole spacing

• Decrease tine size

• Decrease tine depth• Remove some of the tines

The lifting action that solid tines creates when it ispulled from the turf may cause turf damage. This lift can tear the root zone if the density of tines or diameter of tines is too high.

Front Hole Dimpled or Pushed

(Solid Tines or Softer Soil Conditions)

When aerating with longer solid tines (i.e., 3/8 x 4inches long) or needle type tines, the front of the holes may become slotted or tufted.

To regain excellent holequality for this configuration, slow the engine high idle speed down to 2800 to 2900 rpm. Because traction and coring head speeds increase and decrease together with engine speed, hole spacing is not affected.

Belt Ajustment

there is only one belt that needs adjustment and it is frequently overlooked