Frequently Asked Questions
I’ve been told that the AerWay™
concept since 1988 changes to the machine includes holding water in the hole
which it makes so that the freezing of water will fracture the soil. Does that
really work?
At first blush, it sounds reasonable enough if you farm far enough north and
if the rain would happen to fill the hole with water and cold enough
temperatures would follow soon enough so that the freezing would take place.
There’s plenty of “if’s” so far but there is one other problem if all the other
variables worked in harmony. The shape of the hole made is tapered from bottom
to top so that the freezing of the water would only cause the ice to rise up
above the top of the hole. The top of the hole would have to be smaller than the
bottom for the ice to be trapped in the hole. Only then could the ice actually
exert sidewall pressure sufficient to fracture the hole walls.
Do you actually have any proof that farms that have
used the AerWay built according to the changes made according to the 1988 patent
have any evidence of soil structure problems?
Yes, we are quite certain we have significant evidence. In eastern
Pennsylvania it was observed in the fall of 2002, that pastures, which have
received “aeration” for several years were observed to pond water on the surface
more quickly than neighboring farms’ pastures receiving the same rainfall
amounts which have received no aeration.
Other observations have been made of corn root system development. In a
situation, near Dayton, OH where the AerWay™ was run in the spring of 2002,
roots were observed traversing a vertical stress line to a depth of 6 inches. At
that point the root “T’ed” and stopped within .25” of the 90 degree turn. The
root was flattened to about 1/64” and was about ¼” wide. The root hairs off the
main root were very short, with an appearance resembling a millipede.
Why can’t I put enough weight on my
aerator to get it into the soil ?
There can be several reasons. First of all, if you have a machine
built with four tines in a circle, it is trying to insert more steel into the
soil than the original machine was designed to do. This is why we at Genesis
Tillage Inc. are making three-tine roller assemblies. Secondly, if the
machine from Aerway™ is set-up with a sweptback swingarm (most are that way
since 1986 or so) the tines can be mounted so that they are tipped in or out in
relation to the machine centerline. You can observe this by standing behind the
machine and observing lean of the tines. The lean is usually about five degrees.
It’s not much but it is observable. As the swingarm is offset, for example to
the mid-setting of five degrees, if the tines are tipped out which they are from
the factory since 1988, the tine entry point is ten degrees from the parallel to
the tractor and machine centerline. This causes a smearing action as the tine
enters as the tine tries to displace soil toward the centerline of the machine.
This action resists penetration. Notice the center set of tines compared with
the sets on either side. See the difference in the tip of the tine?
The original design called
for the tine to tip in so that it entered the soil parallel to the direction of
travel. This causes minimal resistance to penetration of the soil.
Thirdly, the tine if it is not twisted in corrected relationship to the
axis perpendicular to the shaft will be propelled only by the narrow ½” wide
edge of the tine. If the tine is twisted as in the original rendering of the
invention, the tine faces forward and engages the soil on the inside surface as
well as the edge. This twist actually is what establishes the soil fracturing
ability of the tine.
Forth and lastly, the
helix may not be a mirror-image. In fact we have been able to determine that
mirror-image helixes were not built until 1999. Machines built by Holland
Equipment have been identified even built since 1999 that do not have the
mirror-image helix. Improper helix simply means that the soil is being displaced
in the right direction but in the wrong sequence. It would be like putting a
left-hand moldboard bottom on a right-hand bottom plow frame or more correctly
mounting the bottoms for a right-hand plow as if it were to work left-handed.
Click here to study the helix
further.
So
is the tine supposed to enter to its full length?
Yes. This is essential to achieve the desired impact of the tool. The
amount of fracturing of soil is exponentially proportional to the amount of soil
and steel in contact with each other.
So
what’s going to happen to the life of my tines when they enter all the way into
the soil?
In most soils the tine life will be reduced because the tine is doing more work.
In some soils tine breakage may be increased due to the presence of rocks.
BUT in all soils if the twist is corrected and the tine tip is reversed, much
smaller angles of offset of the swing arm are required to achieve soil
fracturing. Reducing roller offset angles will obviously reduce breakage
from rocks
What can I do if I have an Aerway™ that will not enter the ground and has too
much tine length left to discard for Gen-Till tines?
As has been discussed switch rollers or tines so that the tines are entering
parallel with direction of travel at five degrees of roller offset. For forward
offset rollers that would mean the tines should tip to the outer edge of the
machine. (These would be very old-prior to 1986 machines). For rearward offset
swing arm machines the tines should tip in toward the machine centerline.
(Click for picture) Next
make sure that the helix is in the
correct direction. Note in the picture that the tines for this left-hand roller
( viewed from the rear of the machine) are a left-hand helix. Similarly,
Right-hand helix for the right side rollers. (Click for
picture.)
Lastly, to increase soil fracturing and reduce soil lifting as tine exits the
soil, reverse the twist of the tine. Note the 5 degree mounting shims from
Genesis Tillage Inc. which are installed at the base of the Aerway tine. Two
3.5" bolts are supplied with each pair of the mounting shims. Shims must be
installed so as to reverse the twist of the tine.
(Click for picture.)
Can I just upgrade my existing Aerway with your shims to get
the desired soil fracture?
Lots of Aerway™ owners want to make the machine work more effectively without
wasting the rest of the tines they have on the machine. Placing our 5 degree
mounting shim as pictured here will bring the twist back to near zero which
eliminates the smearing and lifting action of the tine. Best part is that when
the tine is worn short enough to replace, the five degree shim can be used with
our Genesis Tine. It can also be exchanged for a ten degree shim which will
provide further aggressiveness at any roller offset angle, if desired. If the
tines are much less then 6 inches in length for fall work or are not penetrating
to the roller, you are not perforating the silt density layer (most likely) to
achieve the primary goal of soil aeration.
(Click for picture.)
Do you consider the soil aerator to be more advantageous as a
fall or spring tillage tool?
When it comes to water I want all of it stored in the sub-soil of my
farm that it will hold. To make that happen it requires fall tillage. The silt
density layer, which has accumulated during the growing season, must be
perforated thoroughly to facilitate rapid water intake. This procedure also
helps to prevent surface run-off. In northern soils where frost action takes
place, having water present in the soil helps to mellow the soils for better
structure in the spring.
I thought the soil aerator was most useful in helping to get
soils warmer in the spring by running it in the spring?
I know the AerWay has been represented in large part in the central
corn belt as a springtime tool used in conjunction with a pasture harrow or
MacFarland chopper to help dry out and warm soils. It does do that. However,
that is not the best way to get soil warming in the spring.
Let’s look at the anatomy of soil temperature changes. What really changes the
temperature of soil? We could compare a shop furnace with and without a
circulating fan to gain insight into what warms soil.
The buzz has been that lack of residue on the soil surface and the resulting
sunlight, which strikes the dark surface, is what warms the soil. If that was
all there was to it, then there would be no advantage to a fan to move the air
inside the shop. We know that the more fans, including ceiling fans, the better.
So if it is necessary to move the warm air which is located at the soil surface
into the soil, what is the mechanism that does it? Thought you would never ask!
WATER! As water moves into the soil it displaces soil atmosphere, which in the
springtime is very cold. As the water continues its downward movement it pulls
or creates a partial vacuum which the atmospheric air pressure above fills with
air which contains heat energy from solar radiation which has warmed the above
ground air and soil.
One could draw a comparison to the human system of breathing. Water movement
replaces the diaphragm and nasal passageways the warming effect of the surface
soil. Fall tillage sets up the breathing system of the soil for early warming of
soils several weeks in advance without having to make a tillage trip on soils
that ought to be watched and left alone.
