Tow-Behind Aerators · How-To Guide
How Much Weight to Add to a Tow-Behind Aerator — And What to Use
Too little weight and the tines skip across the surface, barely scratching the turf. Too much and you risk bending tines or straining the hitch. The right amount isn't a fixed number — it depends on your soil, and this guide shows you how to find it.
Every tow-behind aerator manual says something like "add weight as needed for your soil conditions." That's not wrong, but it's not particularly helpful either. What weight? How much? What does "adequate penetration" actually look like, and how do you know when you've found it?
The answers come from understanding why weight is needed in the first place — and that comes down to a simple mechanical fact: unlike powered walk-behind core aerators with a motor driving the tines into the ground, a tow-behind aerator relies entirely on gravity and downward pressure to push unpowered tines through compacted soil. The weight on the tray is what creates that pressure. Without enough of it, the tines ride over the surface instead of penetrating it.
How much weight you actually need
Start with what your aerator weighs on its own. Most homeowner-grade tow-behind plug aerators — the Agri-Fab 45-0299, Brinly PA-403BH, Ohio Steel 48CP — weigh between 55 and 90 lbs without any added weight. That frame weight contributes to penetration, but it's rarely enough on its own except in the softest soil conditions.
The general starting guideline used by experienced tow-behind users is roughly 10 lbs of total downward force per tine when the tines are engaged in the ground. For a 32-tine aerator like the Agri-Fab 45-0299, that's about 320 lbs total — frame weight plus added weight. Since only half the tines are in contact with the ground at any given moment in the rotation, the effective figure is around 160 lbs of downward force on the engaged tines. That's a useful benchmark, though actual soil conditions vary significantly.
In practice, this translates to the following ranges:
| Soil condition | Suggested added weight | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Sandy or loose loam, recently aerated | 0–75 lbs | Tines penetrate easily; frame weight may be enough. Check plug depth before adding weight. |
| Average residential loam, aerated in the last 2–3 years | 75–125 lbs | Most common scenario. 2–3 cinder blocks or equivalent. |
| Compacted soil, not aerated recently | 125–175 lbs | Start here and check plug depth. May need multiple passes. |
| Heavy clay, severely compacted, or very dry | 175 lbs+ (up to tray limit) | Load to your model's rated capacity. If plugs are still shallow, the soil needs moisture — not more weight. |
After your first pass, stop and pull up a plug from the lawn. Measure it. Plugs should be 2–3 inches long. Under 2 inches means add more weight or add more passes. If the soil won't yield 2-inch plugs at maximum tray weight, the limiting factor is soil moisture, not weight.
What to use as weight
The weight tray on most tow-behind aerators is a flat steel platform sized to hold whatever you want to pile on it. Owners have used everything from cinder blocks to bags of fertilizer to children sitting on top. Some options are better than others.
8×16 inch pavers weigh about 10 lbs each — stackable, incremental, and flat enough to sit stable. Easy to add or remove one at a time as conditions change. Strap down with ratchet straps.
Conform to the tray shape, don't rattle or shift, and are easy to adjust incrementally. 50–60 lb bags are the most practical size. Slightly harder to store when not in use.
Dense, compact, and easy to strap down flat. Plate weights are ideal — they don't roll and stack cleanly. Standard Olympic plates fit most trays with room for a strap.
Common and heavy, but bulky and prone to going airborne over bumps. Solid blocks (not hollow) are safer. Secure with two ratchet straps — bungee cords aren't reliable at speed.
Avoid bags of fertilizer or ice melt — moisture can degrade the bags and the material itself. Avoid loose items that can shift unpredictably. Water jugs (a common suggestion) work but are difficult to fill precisely and can split when dropped. Whatever you use: ratchet straps over bungee cords, always.
Where to position the weight
Weight position matters more than most owners realise. Most tow-behind aerator manuals show the weight tray centered over the tine axle — which is fine for baseline operation. But experienced users have found that shifting weight slightly toward the rear of the tray increases downward pressure on the tines while reducing tongue weight on the hitch, which makes the tractor easier to steer.
The tradeoff: too far rearward and the hitch tongue starts to lift, reducing rear-wheel traction on the tractor. The practical guideline is to start centered, then shift rearward one increment if steering feels heavy. If your tractor's rear wheels start to spin more easily on turns, shift weight forward again.
For the Ohio Steel 48CP, which has a dedicated weight tray above the tine axle, weight centered or slightly rear works well. For the Agri-Fab 45-0299, the tray is positioned forward of the axle by design — adding weight toward the rear of the available tray space brings it closer to directly over the tines. The Brinly PA-403BH's fully enclosed tray is the most forgiving for weight placement — the rigid tray distributes load evenly regardless of where within the tray the weight sits.
Keeping weights from shifting
The most common aerator frustration isn't weight selection — it's weights that shift, slide, and eventually go airborne over bumps. Here's what actually works:
Two ratchet straps in an X-pattern — one running front-to-back, one side-to-side — hold most weight configurations securely at normal operating speeds. Replace bungee cords with ratchet straps the first time a weight shifts. It's not a matter of if with bungee cords, it's when.
A rubber mat or piece of old carpet under the weights dramatically reduces sliding between passes. The tray surface on most aerators is smooth painted steel — a grip surface underneath the weights makes ratchet straps less necessary for moderate-weight configurations.
Patio pavers stacked flat are inherently more stable than cinder blocks stood on their sides. The flat profile keeps the center of gravity low and the surface area against the tray large.
When you have too much weight
There is a ceiling. Every tow-behind aerator has a rated maximum for the weight tray — check your manual. For common homeowner models: the Agri-Fab 45-0299 is rated for 175 lbs added weight, the Brinly PA-403BH for 150 lbs, and the Ohio Steel 48CP for 200 lbs. Exceeding these ratings risks bending the frame tongue, stressing the hitch pin, or snapping tines when they hit rocks or hard ground.
The other sign of too much weight is tines that penetrate well in soft areas but bend or break in harder spots. Variable soil — soft near drainage areas, hard near paths — punishes overloaded aerators because the tines can't flex to accommodate. If your soil varies significantly across the lawn, aim for the weight that works for the hardest sections and add passes rather than weight for the rest.
If you're already at your model's maximum rated weight and still not getting 2-inch plugs, weight is no longer the limiting factor. The soil needs moisture. Aerate 24–48 hours after significant rainfall or deep irrigation, when the soil is moist to at least 4 inches depth but the surface has had time to firm up slightly.
Towing speed as a substitute for weight
Slower towing speed is the underused alternative to more weight. At 2 mph, each tine spends significantly longer in contact with the ground per foot of travel than at 4 mph — giving it more time to work through resistance and pull a deeper plug. In practice, dropping from 4 mph to 2–3 mph on difficult soil often produces the same depth improvement as adding 25–50 lbs of weight, without the risk of overloading the tray or the hitch.
The practical ceiling for effective towing speed on a homeowner tow-behind aerator is around 4–5 mph. Above that, even on moist soil, tines begin to skip rather than penetrate — the rotational speed of the tine wheels relative to ground speed becomes too high for clean plug removal.
Frequently asked questions
How much weight do I need on a tow-behind aerator?
Start with 50–75 lbs on moist, loamy soil and work up from there. Sandy or moist loam typically needs 50–100 lbs. Average residential soil needs 75–150 lbs. Heavy clay needs 150–200 lbs or more. After each pass, pull a plug and measure it — if it's under 2 inches, add more weight.
What is the best material to use as weight?
Concrete patio pavers (about 10 lbs each) are the most practical — stackable, incremental, and flat. Sand bags conform well to the tray and stay put. Gym weights are ideal if you have them. Cinder blocks work but need to be firmly strapped down.
Can I add too much weight to a tow-behind aerator?
Yes. Exceeding the tray's rated capacity can bend the frame, damage the hitch connection, or snap tines on hard spots. Check your model's manual for the rated weight capacity before loading beyond it.
Do I need weight if the soil is moist?
On genuinely soft loamy soil you may get acceptable plug depth with little added weight. But always check after your first pass. Even after rain, clay soil can resist tines without significant added weight.
How do I stop weights from shifting or falling off?
Use two ratchet straps in an X-pattern — one front-to-back, one side-to-side. A rubber mat or piece of carpet under the weights reduces sliding. Flat patio pavers are more stable than cinder blocks stood on their sides.
My aerator tines are getting clogged with clay — what should I do?
Clogged tines mean the soil is too wet, not a weighting problem. When clay is saturated it becomes sticky and plugs won't eject. Wait until the soil is moist but not saturated — typically 24–48 hours after rain.