leaf collection methods? (off topic)

mtfallsmikey

An Agri-Fab leaf vac, 5hp Briggs engine. While it is not as good as a DR, it was FREE!...I mulch the leaves first then vac, saves clogs...compost a bunch too, mixed w/manure. Also, Billy Goats are still made (no joke..it is a leaf vac.)

Timco

My house sits on .27 acre and every fall I have 5+ trailer loads of leaves just from my house, and our 4-plex has many large trees around it. I would like to find a devise that sucks WELL and mulches the leaves into the trailer or something like that. Anyone have any ideas? No leaf burning here allowed...I have a really good blower, but the suck feature is awkward and not effective.

Thanks, Tim

bigwilly104

looks like

a lawn mower but its a weed vac and small chipper. try northerntool.com

Larry C_12

Mulching Lawn mower

Timco

I have mulching blades on the Honda, but it fills the bag in a second, and is a lot of work. I was thinking a vac devise like the blower unit but discharges into the trailer or something like that...maybe time for a patent...

Tim

Larry C_12

No bagging. Leave mulchings on ground.

Brad White

Tarp and blower

If I feel like herding my leaves into a corner of the yard, I use a blower and get them on to a 16x16 foot blue polytarp, then haul them over to the corner. (Like herding cats if you do not use the tarp.)

In the past, I have used a plastic snow fence material to keep them together so that they mulch down well. I have used a compost accelerator (a bacteria powder of some sort) but cannot say I saw a difference.

I do favor keeping it all on-site and not carting away. Return the stuff to the earth. I agree with Larry- if you can leave it to mulch in place, I would do that. High in carbon (versus grass clippings which are more on the nitrogen side). Think of them as a cover crop.

EDIT: I do not have a green lawn. I have a "meadow". That is the lazy person's name for a lawn.

I have five 130 year-old maple trees surrounding my property. Beautiful yellow and orange leaves but prolific.

Timco

My yard is mostly lush, green lawn. Wouldn't all those leaves kill it?

Larry C_12

No.

Computer problem only allows one character at a time. PIA!

Lawn will love the leaf mulch, provided it is ground fine enough. Mow the lawn again after the leaves have been mulched. Leaf mulch should not be visible after 10 days.

J.C.A._3

Timco.

Here's a couple of leads...straight from the pages of Popular Mechanics...(I'll take my fees when you order...YEAH!)

www.CycloneRake.com and www.DRleafvac.com .

I like the design of the Cyclonerake because of the space needed to store it.

If you're not sporting a ride on mower...I guess the best thing is to call a landscape company AFTER the trees are bare . Chris

Mike Thomas_2

DR Lawn Vac

My wife bought the big DR Lawn Vac. 7.5 hp with the oversized bin. The only tricky part was building an adapter to hook it to the mower deck. It will suck up the leaves, run them through the chipper/mulcher and blow them in the bin. I also modified the frame by adding a pneumatic caster wheel under the tongue and adding a short tongue to the caster wheel. Otherwise the tongue is very heavy and she can't hook it up herself. This dude will put away some leaves now! I can send you some pictures if you want..

Edward A. (Ed) Carey_3

Leaf

I had a home that that a very large lawn, (over 5 acres of groomed lawn). I felt like I had a second career in the lawn care business. There were 12 mature trees in the front lawn alone.

I bought a Trac-Vac. It was awesome. It picked up the lawn and the leaves without effort.

I had a Trac-Vac 580, and I had a 318 John Deer lawn tractor, but there are many types of Trac-Vacs for larger and smaller lawns.

http://www.trac-vac.com/

PS,

I got so sick of cutting the lawn after 11 years I sold the home, and bought a home is a development. I pay someone else to cut the lawn, and I don't own a lawn mower. Getting old is fun.

Ed Carey

Empire_2

I Agree w/ JCA

What a product but is not cheap. It is the best that I personally have used. They also offer the out-rigging tube which allows you to get off the tractor and tackle other piles in hard to reach areas... Man I sound like A CO rep, but I'm not..

Mike T.

Timco

Thanks, homies!!!I have a lot to check into. I do not have a rider...gives me a good workout and the front is on a hill too steep for a rider. If my entire property was not surrounded by trees, and possibly the largest Sycamore in the city in my front parkstrip, it would not be soo bad. There is not enough lawn to use the tons of mulched leaves on. The city does recycle them, but you need to get them to the drop points.

Thanks again, Tim

EJW_3

Leaves

How about a chainsaw?

EJW

Timco

I threaten that all the time...I have a Stihl my dad bought from my grandpa before I was born. Runs great and has a 36" bar...it's a MACHINE!!! My dad made me promise to guard it with my life...

Tim