Petrol Scarifier buying advice

I’m looking to buy a petrol Scarifier for my garden having just bought a Hayter Harrier 48. Can anyone recommend one for around £200 or less.

 

Hi
Is this for personal use or a little venture into a small business?

 

It will be for personal use.

 

Thanks, scarifier are one of those machines where it pays to invest as there is quite a difference between budget scarifier and those aimed more for pro use.

Unlike a mower there are various blade arrangements from free swinging to fixed blades to the number of blades. Some will be able to cut into the turf and produce a neat finish where others will struggle to keep the blade momentum and rip the turf so it really depends on what type of scarifying you wish to undertake.

The rule of thumb is free swinging blades just touch the surface, fixed blades can penetrate and the higher number blade count is for finer turf work. Fixed blades need more torque though when you start to penetrate.

Eliet is a good scarifier with exchangeable blades and are simple machines and you might be able to find a second hand one at a push.

The better the machine, the cleaner the job, the quicker the turf recovers if the technique of use is correct.

Your other option is to hire one annually but they tend to be free swinging blades as that protects the machine if a hard object is hit.

 

I will have a look and see what I can find on eBay within budget and local. Which maybe a challenge. Thanks for the information on them also. I will remember to ask about it when finding one.

I know you can get Electric ones. But I’m not sure whether they are any good or not.

 

My honest opinion is if you have a large lawn and like to keep a lawn looking nice and it’s a hobby its where it’s worth the investment but if it’s small and you just want to run over it once a year then budget for that.
Electric ones can’t match a petrol one for torque and so the finish tends to suffer.

just be aware some machines use fixed height adjustment and it’s best to have a variable height one so you can set blade height correctly.

 

What petrol ones should I look at around £200 or less. I’ve seen an Apache AR601 but it sold straight away. It was £120.

 

I’ve seen this on Toolstation:


AL-KO 38P 53cc Petrol Scarifier for £319

 

that would have needed work to be honest. The risk of buying a second hand pro unit is if they are cheap they need work and it could run into the hundreds and not all machines have spares wildly available.

I use an Eliet as my local Etesia dealership deals with them and they have a good name for being reliable. Do you have any local Stihl dearlersips around you. They sometimes have second hand machines and will have been checked over and serviced.
I think finding a pro version for £200 is pushing it to be honest.

how big is your lawn areas?

 

5 height stage adjustment only. Not a machine I would personally use. you are starting to creep up in price. As you have a Hayter there is the Hayter SP36 but it’s over double the budget you set. At least spares and service are easy to be found as there are lots of Hayter dealerships. They tend to be found at Stihl dealers so you can see firsthand what they are like.

The problem is the cost vs use with these machines.

 

My lawn is about 60ft long and 15ft wide. I will have a look at the Hayter and Stihl.

 

Stihl own Viking just to let you know. Hayter are owned by Toro so some of Toro tech has worked it’s way over.

Eliet E401 Pro Petrol Scarifier (GP160) - Garden Machinery Direct.co.uk

ive just linked to show what I use but I do it for a living so I required a good but small machine that is able to do the job nicely.

The problem with some scarifiers is the running gear, some are complex, some are simple belt drive and the simple belt drive is the way to go. Unfortunately it’s just one of the machines that requires a larger budget to see advantages unlike mowers that pretty much all do the same work.

 

I will keep an eye out and see what I can find. I do like the look of the Hayter. It’s quite expensive. The one you have linked looks great but well out of my price range. The AL-KO is a good price. Shame you said that it’s not that good.

 

I've a mantis tiller with the attachments, but looks like the price has gone through the roof. Not surprising really, it's a cracking machine and worth every penny

 

I’ve found a
Sherpa STS40-S 2-in-1 Petrol Scarifier £300 in Machine Mart