6/6/2011 9:06 AM
Kyle,
The old style pull behind "drum" type aerifiers are going to be the quickest. Ryan and Toro both make good units. But, when coring, I feel they spacing is too far apart to be effective. Therefore, we use a Toro 1298 for coring and can do 55 acres in less than 40 man-hours. This is a 3"x4" spacing. If you speed it up, the spacing increases. You can also put slicing or bayonet tines on this machine. Pricey though, at around $28,000.
We also run an Aerway to slice. Very quick, but our unit has permanently mounted slicing blades. Ours was cheap and built like a freight train.