GB2126463A

GB2126463A - An aerating tool

Info

Publication number: GB2126463A
Application number: GB08320763A
Authority: GB
Inventors: David James; Jon Hooper; Simon Rouse
Original assignee: HAGO PROD Ltd
Current assignee: HAGO PROD Ltd
Priority date: 1982-09-08
Filing date: 1983-08-02
Publication date: 1984-03-28
Also published as: GB8320763D0

Abstract

An aerating tool for soil or lawn aerating. The tool comprises two parallel tubes 2 extending downwards from a handle 1. Each of the tubes is open at its bottom end to form a downwardly-facing cutting edge 5 for soil penetration, the bottom end being of reduced diameter. An aperture is provided in the side wall of each tube at a distance above the cutting edge and a guide member formed by a portion of the tube wall which is cut and bent inwardly, serves to guide soil moving upwardly through the tube in use to the aperture for ejection. A footrest 6 joins the two tubes just above the level of the apertures and acts as a depth stop when the tool is pressed downwardly into the surface being aerated. <IMAGE>

Description

SPECIFICATION An aerating tool This invention relates to an aerating tool.

Aerating tools, for example lawn aerators, are well known, and are generally in one of two forms. The first of these is similar to a garden fork, in that a series of parallel solid prongs are interconnected, with a handle attached. The prongs are thrust into the lawn at intervals to form aerating holes. However, in forming the holes the solid prongs do not remove soil from the ground, so the holes are formed by means of the surrounding soil being compressed. In time, either the soil can become compacted, or the holes reclose.

The second form of aerator has open-ended tubes instead of prongs so that on penetration of the soil each tube receives a "plug" of soil, thus avoiding the soil compression problem of the prong-type aerators. Each time the tubes are thrust into the soil a new plug enters each tube, pushing the previous plug upwardly until the soil plugs are ejected from the tubes.

While this form of aerator is more effective than the prong-type the soil can become compacted and immobile within the tubes, especially in heavy soil, and thus the tubes are rendered ineffective.

According to the present invention there is provided an aerating tool having a downwardly-extending tube, the tube being open at its lower end to form a downwardly-facing cutting edge for soil penetration, and an aperture in the side wall of the tube at a distance above the cutting edge, the cross-sectional area of the tube at its cutting edge being smaller than the cross-sectional area of the tube between the cutting edge and said aperture.

By making the cutting edge of smaller cross-section, a plug of soil entering the tube on penetration of soil can easily pass upwardly to the aperture through the larger cross-section portion of the tube, with consequent lessening of the likelihood of soil blockage within the tube.

Preferably at least two parallel tubes are provided for removing a corresponding number of soil plugs simultaneously. When two tubes are present these may be interconnected by a handle which can extend between them, so that the tubes and handle are formed from a single piece of tubular material.

The tubes may be interconnected near their lower ends, both to give rigiditiy to the structure and to provide a footrest for applying downward force to the tool. Further, the footrest can serve to limit and control the extent of penetration of the tubes into the ground by providing an abutment at a predetermined height above the cutting edges.

The tube may taper downwardly between the aperture and the cutting edge, or may reduce in cross-section in stepwise fashion; one or more steps can be provided as re quires.

A guide member may be provided to direct soil moving upwardly through the tube in use to the aperture for ejection from the tube. This guide member may be for example a tongue formed by a portion of the tube wall which is cut and bent inwardly.

An embodiment of the invention will now be described by way of example with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which: Figure 1 is a front view of an aerating tool of the invention; Figure 2 is a part-sectional front view of a lower portion of one of the tubes of the tool of Fig. 1; and Figure 3 is a side view corresponding to part of Fig. 2.

In this embodiment of the invention the tool is formed from a single length of roundsection mild steel tubing which is bent twice through 90 degrees to form a handle 1 252 mm wide and two downwardly-extending tubes 2 800 mm long. The lower end of each tube is stepped to reduce its diameter from 19 mm through a 16.5 mm section 3 to a 13 mm end section 4. The tubing is open at each end to form at the bottom end of each end section 4 a chamfered cutting edge 5.

A footrest 6 formed by a flat-sided ovalsection tube 31.75 mm X 15.88 mm is welded at its top and side edges to each tube 2 to provide structural rigidity for the tool, the footrest 6 being spaced 92 mm above the cutting edges 5 of the tubes 2. A drain notch is provided at the lower edge of each end of the footrest 6.

Each tube 2 is apertured at its 1 9 mm diameter section at a distance of 88 mm from the cutting edge 5. Each aperture 8 is made by cutting a flap in the form of a tongue 7 from the tube 2 wall and bending the tongue 7 inwardly until it meets the opposite inside face of the tube 2 as shown in Fig. 2. The aperture 8 is 42 mm long and 1 3 mm wide.

In use, the cutting edges 5 are placed on the soil or lawn to be aerated and a downward force exerted, for example by pressing downwardly on the footrest 6 until its abuts the soil surface. The cutting edges 5 have then penetrated 92 mm into the ground. The tool is then lifted out of the ground, taking with it a plug of soil in each tube 2. The tool is then reinserted into the soil and in so doing the soil entering the tubes 2 through the cutting edges 5 pushes the existing plug upwardly against the tongues 7, which direct it out through the apertures 8.

The upwardly-increasing diameter of the tubes 2 means that the plugs of soil can move upwardly through the tubes 2 very easily as the tubes 2 have increasing clearance on each side of the plugs. Thus the plugs are less likely to block the tubes than in previous aerating tools.

Further, the one-piece construction of the tubes 2 and handle 1 in this embodiment makes for economical and simple construction of the tool.

Modifications and improvements may be made without departing from the scope of the invention

Claims

1. An aerating tool having a downwardly extending tube, the tube being open at its lower end to form a downwardly-facing cutting edge for soil penetration, and an aperture in the side wall of the tube at a distance above the cutting edge, the cross-sectional area of the tube at its cutting edge being smaller than the cross-sectional area of the tube between the cutting edge and said aperture.

2. An aerating tool according to Claim 1 having at least two parallel tubes arranged for simultaneous soil penetration.

3. An aerating tool according to Claim 2 having two tubes interconnected by a handle which extends between them, the tubes and the handle being formed from a single piece of tubular material.

4. An aerating tool according to Claims 2 or 3 having the tubes interconnected adjacent their lower ends.

5. An aerating tool according to any one of the preceding Claims wherein the tube or tubes taper downwardly between the aperture and the cutting edge.

6. An aerating tool according to any one of Claims 1 to 4 wherein the diameter of the tube reduces in stepwise fashion downwardly between the aperture and the cutting edge.

7. An aerating tool according to any one of the preceding Claims wherein a guide member is provided inside the tube to guide soil moving upwardly through the tube in use to the aperture for ejection from the tube.

8. An aerating tool according to Claim 7 wherein the guide member is a tongue formed by a portion of the tube wall which is cut and bent inwardly.

9. An aerating tool substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to the accompanying drawings.