GB2393093A

GB2393093A - Soil aeration device

Info

Publication number: GB2393093A
Application number: GB0221581A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Job Winfield
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 2002-09-18
Filing date: 2002-09-18
Publication date: 2004-03-24
Also published as: WO2004026019A1; AU2003299023A1; GB0221581D0

Abstract

A soil aeration device is provided in which the penetration of the soil is performed by rotating drill like spikes 9, the device may be manual for domestic and sports club use or mechanical for larger commercial activities. Soil compaction due to spiking is reduced and the device is easier to operate than conventional spikes. There may be a "dead mans handle" operation and a spike guard 11. The spikes may cease rotation when in a retracted position.

Description

SOIL AERATION DEVICE

The present invention relates to the aeration of soil and a means for aerating soil.

5 There are many instances in which there is a need for the aeration of soil. For example it is sometimes necessary to provide holes in grass such as lawns, tennis courts, cricket fields, golf courses, bowling greens and the like to speed the removal of surface water.

It is also necessary to aerate soil to enable the roots of the grass to grow and also to 10 provide holes that will enable nutrients to pass downward so they are accessible to the roots of the grass. Traditionally this has been achieved with a conventional garden fork although manual and powered spiking equipment which is provided with spikes which penetrates the surface is available. These devices however suffer from the disadvantage that the penetration of the soil by the spikes compacts the soil which can 5 impede root growth. Furthermore, the manual spiking equipment is hard to use, particularly when the ground is hard, is slow to operate and often does not penetrate to the desired depth. The mechanical spiking devices also have a compacting action and in many instances are not able to penetrate to a significant depth.

20 There are approximately fifteen million lawns in the United Kingdom from small to medium sized. Dozens of gardening books have been written on lawn care, along with gardening programmed on the radio and television, appertaining to the lawn. The lawn is by and large the main feature of any garden.

25 Garden experts advocate that the most important feature of lawn care is aeration of the soil. It is advocated that the depth of holes should be at least 75 centimetres and preferably deeper for surface drainage of water. The most common method of aeration is by pushing a garden fork into the ground and making the holes bigger in order to introduce sand into the holes (as illustrated on 'Gardeners World' in March 2002). This 30 method is very slow, arduous and time-consuming and will only work on soft soil.

There are a number of products on the market, which claim to aerate soil properly.

These appliances have proved to be slow and arduous to work with especially on firm or

I: hard soils with little or no depth of holes obtained. The heavy-duty power driven machine which can be hired from hire centres will only work on soft soils.

The present invention provides a simple and easy to use method for soil aeration which s requires little physical effort and is considerably quicker and more effective than products on the market today. The method will work on all soils from very hard in any season including very hard soil to drain surface water and will do so up to any required depth. lo The present invention therefore provides a soil aeration device comprising a plurality of spikes which can be rotated to penetrate the soil by a drilling action.

The invention is applicable to both small domestic aeration devices for garden use and larger devices suitable for agricultural and sports field uses. The preferred construction

15 of the device depends upon the use to which it is to be put. The device may be manually operated.

Where the device is to be manually operated as may be the case for domestic garden use or on small areas of sports fields such as cricket squares, golf greens, tennis courts

20 and bowling greens the spikes may be mounted on a plate provided with means for attachment and rotation of the spikes. The device may be electrically or power driven and is preferably provided with a "dead mans handle" for safety purposes. In this instance when the power is on the spikes rotate and may be driven into the soil to be aerated, when the power is off rotation of the spikes ceases and they are removed from as the holes they have formed.

In a preferred embodiment the device is provided with a mechanism for the removal of the spikes from the holes so that once the holes have been formed in the soil the spikes are withdrawn from the holes. Where the spikes are mounted on a plate this may be 30 accomplished by spring loading in a manner that the plate is retracted from the drilling position when the power to the spikes is switched off. Alternatively if the spikes are mounted independently each spike or spike holder can be provided with such a removal mechanism.

: l The number and size of the spikes in the device will depend upon the use to which the device is to be put. However, we have found that for a manual device from 3 to 6 spikes is particularly useful. We also prefer that the device is such that it is provided with sockets into which the spikes can be placed and removably secured. In this way spikes 5 of different lengths and different diameters can be used according to the nature of the task to be performed. The provision of sockets also makes the replacement of broken or damaged spikes much easier. We have found that the device of the present invention is effective to aerate soil to a depth of from 5 to 20 centimetres and is particularly useful to aerate to a depth of 7 to 16 centimetres irrespective of the nature of the soil.

In a preferred embodiment of a device according to the present invention the device is provided with a guard shield around the spikes for safety purposes. In this way a preferred device consists of a handle attached to a protective housing the handle preferably being provided with a "dead mans" safety switch. A device is provided within 15 the housing which drives the mechanism that rotates the spikes. A means, such as a plate is provided within the housing which carries the sockets into which the spikes may be removably secured and this means also carries the spikes themselves when in place.

In this way the device may be placed on the area of soil to be aerated so that the perimeter of the base of the housing lies around the area of soil to be aerated. Power 20 (electrical or mechanical) may then be supplied to the device to drive the mechanism that rotates the spikes and cause the spikes to rotate. The power can also drive the spikes downwardly into the soil to produce the aeration holes or this may be accomplished by downward pressure on the handle from the operator. Once the holes are formed the power can be cut off so that the spikes are removed from the holes by a 25 retraction means, such as by spring loading of the plate which carries the sockets for securing the spikes. The device may then be moved manually or automatically to the next area that is to be aerated and the procedure repeated.

We have found that the device of the present invention is considerably easier to operate 30 than the existing devices which physically force spikes into the soil. We have also found that soil aeration may be performed more rapidly using the device of the present invention. Furthermore the aeration is more effective in that it does not result in compaction of the soil in the aeration hole. The aeration is also more effective because

l lti t4; 4I the penetration by the spike is easier and a greater proportion of the length of the spike penetrates the soil.

The present invention is illustrated by the accompanying drawing which shows a cut s away cross section of a device according to the invention.

In the drawing (1) is the base of the handle of the device which passes through the upper end of a protective shroud (2) which surrounds the mechanical and/or electrical operating components of the device. The handle passes through a collar (3) in the top lo of the shroud which enables the handle to move up and down within the shroud. A spring (4) is fixed in the top of the canopy which will push the handle upwards when any downward force on the handle is removed. The protective shroud is designed to rest on the soil that is to be aerated (5). The handle is connected to a motor (6) which when in operation activates a pulley (7) and drive belt (8) mechanism to cause rotation of the drill IS bits (9) which are held in detachable holders (10). Two slide bars (11) are provided within the shroud to align the downward and upward movement of the motor and drill bit unit when pressure is applied to and removed from the handle.

Accordingly in operation the device is placed with the bottom of the shroud resting on the 20 soil to be aerated. The handle may then be depressed which activates the motor causing the drill bits to rotate. Further depression of the handle will then force the drill bits into the soil to perform the aeration. The downward force on the handle may then be removed so that the spring forces the handle upwards thus retracting the drill bits from the holes formed and enabling the device to be moved on to the next area for 25 aeration.

The device illustrated has three drill bits but a greater number such as 5 or 6 may be used. In addition the pulley wheels and drive belts may be enclosed in their own cartridge casing. The handle, shroud and cartridge casing may be of any suitable 30 material although plastic materials such as polypropylene and filled polyamides are particularly useful.

Claims

1 A soil aeration device comprising a plurality of spikes which can be rotated to penetrate the soil by a drilling action.

2. A soil aeration device according to Claim 1 which is manually operated.

3 A device according to Claim 1 or Claim 2 in which the spikes are mounted on a plate provided with means for attachment and rotation of the spikes.

4. A device according to any of the preceding Claims in which the device is electrically or power driven.

5. A device according to any of the preceding Claims provided with a 'dead mans 1 5 handle'.

6. A device according to any of the preceding Claims provided with a mechanism for the removal of the spikes from the holes.

20

7. A device according to Claim 6 in which the mechanism comprises a spring loading whereby the plate is retracted from the drilling position when the power to the spikes is switched off.

8. A device according to any of the preceding Claims containing from 3 to 6 spikes.

9. A device according to any of the preceding Claims provided with sockets into which the spikes can be placed and removably secured.

10. A device according to any of the preceding Claims is provided with a guard shield 30 around the spikes.