In the spring, when winter is over with frost and dark days, the lawn needs a cure. Aerated and revitalized with a scarifier, is he fit for the year?. We have an electric lawn fan with us 32 cm working width tested.
With 20 kg, the Wolf scarifier is not a lightweight. Nevertheless, it is easy to handle, once it is installed. Who buys the device in the hardware store, there is usually no avoiding self-assembly. The operating instructions are limited to drawings here, which are not always clear. In specialist shops, on the other hand, the device is usually delivered ready for use - which is certainly helpful for many users.
Apart from these initial difficulties, is the UV 32 EV easy and clear to use. The working height can be infinitely adjusted with a rotary handle via a linkage. However, the markings say nothing about the actual working height or depth. As with most other scarifiers, the proof of the pudding is in the eating, especially since the knives wear out over time anyway and then have to be readjusted. But you have to get used to the plus and minus markings on the twist grip. Turn the handle in the plus direction, the knives are lowered and vice versa.
For transport, the scarifier housing can be easily lifted with a lever. The blades then do not drag over the lawn or garden paths. Because the transport position lever is located at the top of the handlebar, this solution no longer works when the handlebar is folded up. Then the landing gear sags again.
The cable clamp is useful, which is suspended from a bar under the spar. This allows it to move sideways and safely track the cable. Nevertheless, caution is advised, because if the power cord got caught in the knives, would they cut it short and small.
A large bracket serves as the operating switch, which the user must pull to the handle. However, so that the engine starts, is before an additional button
to press. This solution effectively prevents unwanted start-up.
The 1200 watt motor is pleasantly quiet and offers enough power for scarifying. Only on hilly ground, when the blades cut too deep into the ground or the grass catcher is clogged, he stops.
Fourteen knives lined up next to each other remove moss and tangles from the lawn and, depending on the setting of the working depth, slit the topsoil slightly. It's amazing, how much green matter the scarifier plucks out of a well-groomed lawn. Two work steps are recommended for unkempt and heavily moss-covered areas: The lawn is first combed through at a shallow working depth, it can then be scarified crosswise at a greater working depth. Wolf-Garten supplies the scarifier without a grass collection bag as standard, for about 60 Euro it is available as an accessory. It is easy to attach to the device. However, its usefulness is doubtful. On the one hand, the collection bag is quickly filled with moss and plant remains and therefore has to be emptied frequently, because otherwise it clogs very easily and stalls the engine. On the other hand, the sack is far from catching all the greens, that is combed out of the lawn. After the work is done, the lawn care worker has to rake the scarified area anyway. Then you can do without the collection bag right away.
With 32 cm working width, the UV32EV is sufficient for areas up to approx 400 sqm. At the price of 250 Euro he is not a bargain, but still a cheap solution, to quickly get back to a beautiful lawn.