AERA-vator
5 shaft attachments.
The original AERA-vator is a machine that built a company. You buy it as a frame plus the shaft attachment suited to the job — one Universal Frame System frame accepts five interchangeable shafts. Buy the frame once, add shafts as jobs demand.
Optional Shafts
Five shafts, five jobs — every one an add-on to the same AERA-vator frame. A shaft is not a machine on its own: pair it with a frame, swap it in minutes, and change the job. Each shaft has its own spec page.
[ UNIVERSAL FRAME SYSTEM · WEIGHTS ]
Know your total weight
Frame + shaft + your selected accessories = total.
No accessory added.
| Model | Frame (lb) | Shaft (lb) | Add-on (lb) | Total (lb) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| UA40 · 40″ | 303 | 160 | 0 | 463 lb |
| UA60 · 60″ | 347 | 236 | 0 | 583 lb |
| UA80 · 80″ | 672 | 320 | 0 | 992 lb |
Totals include the frame, listed shaft weight and selected accessories. Unselected accessories and other attachments are excluded.
The seed box is the only optional accessory in this Power Seeder comparison. Roller and rake are not added separately.
These equipment weights are not tractor lift-capacity guidance.
Frame models
Every configuration starts here: pick the AERA-vator frame sized for your equipment, then add the shaft attachment for the job — for example, a AERA-vator frame with coring shaft.
| Model | Working width | Mount / drive | Frame weight | Power |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| UA40 | 40 in | 3-pt hitch, tractor PTO | 303 lb | From 18 HP tractor |
| UA60 | 60 in | 3-point / 540 PTO | 347 lb (frame) | From 25 HP tractor |
| UA80 | 80 in | 3-pt hitch, tractor PTO | 672 lb | Not published |
| DO40 | 40 in | Mini skid-steer, hydraulic motor | 335 lb | 1,800 PSI @ 8 GPM hydraulics |
Shafts are ordered separately as attachments.
| Specification | UA40 · 40″ | UA60 · 60″ | UA80 · 80″ |
|---|---|---|---|
| Frame weight | 303 lb | 347 lb | 672 lb |
| Working width | 40 in | 60 in | 80 in |
| Center drive gearbox | 1:1 right angle | 1:1 right angle | 1:1 tee |
| End drive | 3 BX belts | 4 BX belts | 6 BX belts |
| Shaft vibration frequency | 800 cycles/min at 540 PTO RPM | 800 cycles/min at 540 PTO RPM | 800 cycles/min at 540 PTO RPM |
| Heavy-duty lift/trail hitch | Approx. 3 ft turn radius | Approx. 3 ft turn radius | Approx. 3 ft turn radius |
| Driveline | 1⅜ in spline with safety shield | 1⅜ in spline with safety shield | 1⅜ in spline with safety shield |
| Finish | Black acrylic trim | Black acrylic trim | Black acrylic trim |
| Specification | UA40 · 40″ | UA60 · 60″ | UA80 · 80″ |
|---|---|---|---|
| Weight | 200 lb | 330 lb | 380 lb |
| Capacity | 4.7 cu ft | 6.7 cu ft | 9.4 cu ft |
| Rate control | Micro flute adjustment / seed cup gauge mechanism / interchangeable sprockets | Micro flute adjustment / seed cup gauge mechanism / interchangeable sprockets | Micro flute adjustment / seed cup gauge mechanism / interchangeable sprockets |
| Outlets | 10 | 15 | 20 |
| Drive | Electric | Ground | Ground |
Select Seed box in the AERA-vator, Multi-tine or Power Seeder weight comparison to include its weight.
UA40, UA60 and UA80 tractor frames only. The DO40 mini skid-steer uses a different mounting and drive system.
In their words
The first time I saw a AERA-vator in use was in the late 80's. We used it on a path that the park district was using to drive semi's over for 3 years. Three weeks later the path was grassed over. It is a wonderful tool. Thanks.
Being in the landscape industry for over 30 years. I have seen a lot of equipment come and go. Core Aeration was my go to for turf care. Not anymore, since I have tried the Aera-Vator it makes traditional aeration a thing of the past. I like the fact that I don’t have to wait for soft soils to aerate, I can use the Aeravator in soft or dry soils. My clients like the fact there’s no cores and the soil feels soft after I’m done. Existing turf, new seeding or overseeding the Aera-Vater has us covered. Thanks 1st products for supplying us with a great product!
I first found the AERA-vator about 8 years ago. It has totally change the way I prep and seed yards. I can prep and seed in one pass. No more needing to make two passes with the Seeder in different directions. The AERA-vator does everything in one pass. I started off with the Tractor one and then found a stand on unit. I use the tractor one for the big areas in the stand on one for the small areas. I will never go back to any other seeder. Thanks for making an amazing product and there customer service is awesome. Thank you for a quality product
In years past we would use a standard core aerator to do our annual fall Fescue over seedings. As always in our Georgia red clay we would get a good stand of Fescue in the bottom of every core we pulled. There was always a poor to fair stand between the cores.
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I always thought there has to be a better way to do Fescue seedings. I came across the Walk Behind Aera-vator from 1st Products and thought this machine with its drop seeder might be what I have been looking for. Then I saw the multi-tine head on one of their larger machines. With the multi-tine head on the Walk Behind Aera-vator that should make for a excellent over seeder. We tried out the Walk Behind Multi-tine shaft vibrating head on some of our Fescue seedings and there was no comparison to the standard core aeration method of over seeding. With one pass the seed drops onto the Multi-tines head working the seed evenly into the soil. You also do not have to worry about seed getting into flower beds with the drop seeder. The Multi-tine Walk Behind Aera-vator has elevated our Fescue seeding to a whole new superior level. We will never go back to using a core-aerator for over seeding Fescue Lawns.
Gibson Lawncare LLC has been in business for 12 years serving York County SC and surrounding area. A large part of our business is installing fescue and bermuda seed in residential lawns. Most of which do not have irrigation and are dependent on rain.
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We purchased our first 40 inch aera-vator 2 years ago for the front of our dingo. It immediately expanded our capabilities to open up hard compacted soil in our area allowing us to get grass seed planted in soil that had always been too hard to aerate. It also gave us the opportunity to work on non irrigated lawns without having to wait for rain to be able to core aerate. With the increase in productivity and revenue we were able to purchase our second 40 inch aera-vator last summer for our other dingo. This past winter we purchased the UA 60 aera-vator for our tractor. We are excited to start this growing season with the capability to handle all sizes of lawns with the 3 aera-vators. The quality and dependability of these machines have been very good. With doing our normal preventive maintenance we have had no issues. First products have been great to answer any questions we have and offer advice and support. Our only regret is we wish we would have bought one earlier in the start of our business.
