6 Best Pull Behind Aerators For Food Plots That Seasoned Hunters Swear By
Unlock your food plot’s potential. We review the 6 best pull-behind aerators, trusted by seasoned hunters to combat soil compaction and boost forage.
You’ve done everything right. You picked the perfect spot, cleared the land, and spent a small fortune on the best seed blend. But after a few weeks, your food plot is patchy, the plants are stunted, and deer are walking right past it. The problem often isn’t the seed or the location; it’s the ground itself, packed down hard as a truck hood from years of rain, foot traffic, and equipment. This is where a good pull-behind aerator becomes one of the most valuable tools in a hunter’s arsenal, turning failed plots into lush, irresistible buffets.
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Why Soil Aeration Boosts Food Plot Success
Soil compaction is the silent killer of food plots. Over time, the tiny air pockets between soil particles get squeezed shut, creating a dense, almost impenetrable barrier. This prevents water from soaking in, fertilizer from reaching the roots, and even stops oxygen from getting to the beneficial microbes that keep soil healthy. Your expensive seed struggles to germinate, and the plants that do sprout have shallow, weak roots.
Aeration is the mechanical solution to this natural problem. By punching holes or pulling out plugs of soil, an aerator fractures that compacted layer. This process immediately creates channels for water, nutrients, and air to penetrate deep into the root zone. Think of it as giving your soil a chance to breathe again.
The results are dramatic. Healthier soil grows healthier plants with deeper roots, making them more drought-resistant and nutrient-rich. This, in turn, creates a more palatable and attractive food source that will hold deer on your property longer. Aeration isn’t just about growing plants; it’s about building the foundation for a successful hunting season.
Brinly-Hardy PA-40BH: The Classic Plug Aerator
When you’re dealing with tough, clay-based soil that’s been packed down for years, you need a tool that doesn’t just poke holes—it performs surgery. The Brinly-Hardy PA-40BH is a classic plug aerator for exactly this reason. It uses 24 heat-treated steel spoons to pull 3-inch cores, or "plugs," of soil completely out of the ground. This is the single most effective way to relieve deep compaction.
The key to any aerator’s success is weight, and the Brinly has a sturdy weight tray designed to hold up to 150 pounds of cinder blocks or sandbags. Without that extra weight, the spoons will just bounce off hard ground. With it, they dig in deep, pulling out those plugs and creating real space for the soil to decompress. It’s a 40-inch workhorse that’s perfect for the hunter managing a few acres of established plots.
This isn’t the fastest method, and it will leave your plot looking a bit messy with all the soil plugs lying on top. But don’t worry about that. Those plugs will break down in the next rain, recycling nutrients back into the topsoil. For long-term soil health improvement in challenging conditions, a true plug aerator like the Brinly is the undisputed champion.
Agri-Fab 45-0545: A Durable Spike Aerator
Not every food plot sits on concrete-hard clay. If you’re working with loam or sandier soils, or just need to open up the surface before overseeding, a spike aerator is a faster, less aggressive alternative. The Agri-Fab 45-0545 is a popular choice because it’s wide, durable, and gets the job done efficiently. Its 48-inch width means fewer passes, and its 132 galvanized steel spikes are built to last.
Like the Brinly, this Agri-Fab model features a substantial weight tray that can handle up to 175 pounds. This ensures the 10-inch spikes penetrate the ground instead of just scratching the surface. It’s an excellent tool for breaking up surface crusting that can form after heavy rains, which often prevents seeds from making good soil contact.
The tradeoff is simple: a spike aerator pokes holes by displacing soil, pushing it down and to the sides. This is great for creating channels for seed and water but doesn’t relieve deep compaction the way removing a plug does. Think of this as the perfect tool for annual maintenance on decent soil, while a plug aerator is the remedy for seriously compacted ground.
GroundHog MAX ATV Plow: For Tough, Compacted Soil
Sometimes, you need more than an aerator. When you’re breaking new ground, turning over a fallow field, or trying to revive a plot that’s completely choked with weeds and thatch, you need something with real bite. The GroundHog MAX ATV Plow isn’t a traditional pull-behind; it mounts directly to your ATV’s 2-inch receiver, using the machine’s weight for serious downforce.
This tool functions more like a small disc harrow. Its rotating, hardened steel plow discs slice and churn the soil, ripping through sod and breaking up hardpan that a standard aerator can’t touch. Because it doesn’t rely on a weight tray, you get consistent, aggressive digging power without having to haul around cinder blocks. You can adjust the cutting angle to be more or less aggressive depending on the task.
The GroundHog MAX is the problem-solver for the toughest situations. It’s not what you’d use for a light spring aeration on an established clover plot. It’s what you bring in when you need to completely rework the soil from the top down. For hunters establishing new plots in challenging terrain without a tractor, this implement is a game-changer.
Field Tuff FTF-60PA3PT: For Covering Large Plots
If you’re managing multiple large food plots, time and efficiency become major factors. Pulling a 40-inch aerator with an ATV is fine for an acre or two, but it becomes a long day when you have five or ten acres to cover. This is where a tractor-mounted implement like the Field Tuff FTF-60PA3PT comes in. Its 60-inch width and 3-point hitch design are built for bigger jobs.
Designed for compact and sub-compact tractors, this plug aerator offers superior control. The 3-point hitch allows you to lift the entire unit off the ground for easy transport across driveways or rocky areas—something you can’t do with a pull-behind. You can also use the tractor’s hydraulics to apply down pressure, ensuring deep penetration even without a fully loaded weight tray.
This is a serious piece of equipment for the hunter who is also a small-scale land manager. It’s overkill for a half-acre kill plot behind the barn. But if your food plot strategy involves large destination fields, an implement like this will save you hours of work and do a more consistent job than its smaller, pull-behind cousins.
Agri-Fab 45-0458: Aerate and Spread Combo Unit
Efficiency is everything when you’re squeezing food plot work in between your job and family commitments. The Agri-Fab 45-0458 is designed for exactly that reality. It combines a 40-inch spike aerator with a 130-pound capacity drop spreader, allowing you to complete two critical tasks in a single pass. You aerate the soil and immediately drop seed or fertilizer into the newly opened ground.
This combination is brilliant for overseeding a thinning clover or chicory plot in the fall or applying a spring fertilizer boost. The spike aerator opens up the soil just enough to ensure excellent seed-to-soil contact, dramatically improving germination rates compared to just broadcasting over the top. The drop spreader provides an even, controlled application directly behind the aerator.
The tradeoff here is specialization. It’s a spike aerator, not a plug aerator, so it’s not designed for heavy compaction relief. And a drop spreader is less efficient for covering large, open areas than a broadcast spreader. But for the specific task of combining aeration with application on small to medium plots, this tool can cut your seat time in half.
Strongway Drum Spike Aerator: Heavy-Duty Choice
Sometimes the simplest design is the most effective. The Strongway Drum Spike Aerator is a perfect example. It’s essentially a large, heavy steel drum with spikes welded onto it. There are fewer moving parts to bend or break, and its weight is self-contained. You simply fill the drum with water (or sand for maximum weight) and go.
This design offers a unique benefit: it acts as a roller and an aerator simultaneously. The heavy, smooth drum helps level out lumpy or uneven ground while the spikes do their work. This is particularly useful in plots that have been tilled and are a bit rough, or in areas prone to frost heave. It provides consistent weight and pressure across its entire width.
Like other spike aerators, this isn’t the tool for breaking up deep, clay hardpan. It’s a general-purpose tool for preparing a seedbed, breaking a surface crust, and smoothing the ground in one pass. Its rugged, simple construction makes it a reliable choice for hunters who want a low-maintenance tool that can take a beating.
Choosing Your Aerator: Spike vs. Plug Aerators
The most important decision isn’t which brand to buy, but which type of aerator your soil actually needs. Getting this wrong means wasting time, money, and effort. The choice boils down to two distinct designs: plug and spike.
Plug aerators are the solution for compaction. They work by physically removing cores of soil. This creates open space, allowing the surrounding soil to relax and decompress. This is essential for heavy clay or any plot that sees a lot of traffic. The benefits are long-lasting and fundamentally improve soil structure. If your ground is rock-hard and water pools on the surface after a rain, you need a plug aerator.
Spike aerators are for soil preparation. They poke holes, displacing the soil rather than removing it. This is highly effective for creating channels for seed, water, and fertilizer to get a good start, especially in looser, loam or sandy soils. However, in heavy clay, the spiking action can sometimes increase compaction right around the hole. A spike aerator is the right choice for annual overseeding or when your primary goal is improving seed-to-soil contact on already decent ground.
Ultimately, the right choice depends on an honest assessment of your land. Don’t just buy what’s on sale; buy what your soil demands. Many seasoned hunters own both, using the plug aerator every few years to do the heavy lifting and the spike aerator for annual maintenance in between.
An aerator isn’t just another piece of equipment; it’s an investment in the health of your soil, which is the foundation of your entire food plot program. Whether you need the deep relief of a plug aerator or the efficient prep of a spike model, choosing the right tool for your specific conditions makes all the difference. By giving your soil the ability to breathe, you’re not just growing bigger turnips; you’re building a more effective and sustainable hunting property for years to come.
