A walk-behind aerator with hydrostatic drives is disclosed herein. The aerator includes a frame, an engine, a first and a second hydrostatic drive, a first and a second drive wheel, a first and a second idler wheel, and a first and a second tine assembly. The first hydrostatic drive may power the first drive wheel and the first tine assembly and the second hydrostatic drive may power the second drive wheel and the second tine assembly. In some embodiments, the aerator may further include a first and a second drive chain, a first and a second tine shaft, one or more control levers, and one or more covers. The one or more control levers may be linked to the hydrostatic drives by one or more linkages through the frame. The covers may be located between the tine assemblies and the drive chains and linkages.