Hyundai 212cc Petrol Lawn Scarifier and Aerator, 400mm

I have three lawns extending to around 1,000 square metres and they were all in a poor state after last year’s hot, dry summer, with bare patches and a build-up of moss. In previous years, I’d hired in a scarifier when necessary, but decided that it was time I bought one. I looked long and hard at the Hyundai 212cc Petrol Scarifier/Aerator, comparing it with the Hyundai 1800w Electric Lawn Scarifier/Aerator/Lawn Rake. The price difference was significant (368 v 159 on Amazon), so decided to order the cheaper electric model since I also own a portable Honda generator and planned to run it using this. However, I was then contacted and told that there would be a delay in the supply of the electric model and was asked if I wanted cancel the order. After agonising about it, I decided to do what I should have done in the first place, cancelling the electric machine and ordering the petrol model, and I’m so thankful that I was given the opportunity to change my mind!
Assembling the machine is fairly straightforward, although do make sure that you orientate the lower handle so that the pigtail that takes the starter cord is on the right side as you stand behind the machine — I initially attached the lower handle wrongly and had to refit it. I decided to remove the steel scarifying blades and substitute the spring rake as I wanted to remove thatch and moss with only light scratching of the soil surface prior to reseeding. I had to abandon the grass catcher as it filled up too quickly and subsequently had to use a lawn rake to gather up the moss into piles (see picture). I finished off by collecting up loose material in the grass collector of my rotary mower.
The machine started easily every time and functioned perfectly, once I had mastered the height-adjustment mechanism. However, I did identify two issues. Firstly, the grass catcher is quite tricky to re-locate in its housing. There is probably a knack to this but, so far, I haven’t managed to master the technique. If I were advising Hyundai, I would tell their engineers to redesign the mechanism. The other issue concerns the hand wheels that secure the handles. No matter how tightly I did them up, there was always the tendency for them to work loose due to the vibration of the machine. On two occasions I found missing wheels amongst piles of moss, and they could easily have been thrown away. The fixings come supplied with a plain washer, so I decided to add a starlock washer and a drop of threadlocker fluid for good measure (see picture). I have plenty of storage space so don’t need to collapse the handle, but those who do would have to omit the threadlocker fluid. With luck, the starlock washers should work on their own. Other than these issues, I’m delighted with my purchase and would encourage those tossing up between an electric or a petrol machine (particularly those with large lawns) to go for the petrol version, freeing the operator from an electric cable.