Cleaning lawn of branches

[kenmbz]

Ohio Steel 50" in action last year. Plastic gears though.

 

[dcarman]

Every spring, I spend at least a full afternoon cleaning up downed branches from my ~4 acres of lawn, mostly from the more mature walnut and maple trees. I get to repeat this exercise after each major storm, all summer long, and I'm getting awful tired of the routine. Presently, I drive the FEL to an area with a bunch of downed branches, pick up each larger one and put them into the bucket. Then I rake up all of the smaller bits, and scoop them into the bucket. Very tedious.

I'm wondering what automated options might be possible. A landscape rake with float (anti-scalp) wheels would do half the job, at least gathering them together. Although driving over them in the process is just going to make them harder to pick up, in the end. Perhaps a tooth bar on my bucket, fitted with large swivel caster mounts on either side, so that I can drive around gathering branches with the bucket floating just an inch off the lawn.

Ideas? I can't be the only one hating this chore.

Ya! I have the same problem. With all the wind we get it seems like a weekly chore but I haven't found a good answer yet. I rented a lift last summer and got up in the trees and cut all the dead branches and some that were rubbing against the house and garage. I then found some that looked weak and cut those too but it was only good for one or two storms and then back to picking up branches.

 

[Maknwine]

Ohio Steel 50" in action last year. Plastic gears though.
View attachment 791533

Are the gears/teeth on the wheels plastic and metal chain drive? Regardless, they accomplish alot of work.

 

[kenmbz]

Are the gears/teeth on the wheels plastic and metal chain drive? Regardless, they accomplish alot of work.

All some kind of plastic. Did not see any metal in the drive gears, only the shaft and all the basket parts. Those parts are pretty heavy duty.

 

[MMM2]

I’m interested in possible solutions too. I surrounded by a dozen 80-100 year old pecan trees. They are notorious for self-pruning, twigs to thigh sized limbs. Note: do not park or build anything of value under them. My solution so far:

Hello
I have purchased many of these pick ups. If they are too heavy, it don't work. If took cheap don't last. 5 acre of lawn, I use cheap HF one, last one season if I don't run it over with 0 turn mower. very time consuming

View attachment 788208I

 

[gatornapper]

I have 8 grandkids & step-grandkids. I make a game of it and have them all pick up sticks and put them in my front end loader of my JD 5045E then dump each load in the surrounding woods. They have a ball!

 

[olenjohn]

Every spring, I spend at least a full afternoon cleaning up downed branches from my ~4 acres of lawn, mostly from the more mature walnut and maple trees. I get to repeat this exercise after each major storm, all summer long, and I'm getting awful tired of the routine. Presently, I drive the FEL to an area with a bunch of downed branches, pick up each larger one and put them into the bucket. Then I rake up all of the smaller bits, and scoop them into the bucket. Very tedious.

I'm wondering what automated options might be possible. A landscape rake with float (anti-scalp) wheels would do half the job, at least gathering them together. Although driving over them in the process is just going to make them harder to pick up, in the end. Perhaps a tooth bar on my bucket, fitted with large swivel caster mounts on either side, so that I can drive around gathering branches with the bucket floating just an inch off the lawn.

Ideas? I can't be the only one hating this chore.

MS661 Magnum made by Stihl. It may take a few days but once it’s done, no more limbs.

 

[EdGooding]

We have a lot of mature beech trees on our property and they shed branches like crazy. I use a combination of a clamp-on debris fork on my loader (Clamp on Debris Fork, 60 In. Bucket | Agri Supply 87637) and a landscape rake on the 3-point to get the ones that I can't just mow over to shred.

 

[jjp8182]

Not a #2 pencil, but: https://www.tractorbynet.com/forums/attachments/0315191630-jpg.694417/
(for reference the upper grapple tines are ~3/8 inch thick)

It's a bit bigger of a stick than I tend to just to mow over, but picked it up with the grapple tines for fun after doing some larger cleanup. However, a grapple does tend to be my tool of choice either to use like a bucket to toss limbs/branches in by hand or to directly rake and pickup larger branches & limbs. It may scrap up a bit of grass & dirt at times, but the grass recovers pretty quickly around here.

Of course, it's also pretty routine for the oaks in my yard to drop several limbs 2 to 5 inches in diameter (& few larger) every winter so using the tractor & grapple removes quite a bit of saw work every year.

 

[philtymps]

Every spring, I spend at least a full afternoon cleaning up downed branches from my ~4 acres of lawn, mostly from the more mature walnut and maple trees. I get to repeat this exercise after each major storm, all summer long, and I'm getting awful tired of the routine. Presently, I drive the FEL to an area with a bunch of downed branches, pick up each larger one and put them into the bucket. Then I rake up all of the smaller bits, and scoop them into the bucket. Very tedious.

I'm wondering what automated options might be possible. A landscape rake with float (anti-scalp) wheels would do half the job, at least gathering them together. Although driving over them in the process is just going to make them harder to pick up, in the end. Perhaps a tooth bar on my bucket, fitted with large swivel caster mounts on either side, so that I can drive around gathering branches with the bucket floating just an inch off the lawn.

Ideas? I can't be the only one hating this chore.

We manufacture and sell a large volume/light weight bucket that is perfect for moving all this debris. Check out our 3rd Gen Bottomless Bucket. This will make light work of your storm cleanups! We just announced a price drop of 31% for the Spring, but it's for a limited number of buckets that we have in stock.

 

[WinterDeere]

MS661 Magnum made by Stihl. It may take a few days but once it’s done, no more limbs.

I like having trees. Besides, my 064 AV is a better felling saw for our eastern hardwood, than the MS661 will ever be, based on weight and power/weight ratio alone. Newer isn't always better, when they're chasing emissions compliance over horsepower.

We manufacture and sell a large volume/light weight bucket that is perfect for moving all this debris. Check out our 3rd Gen Bottomless Bucket. This will make light work of your storm cleanups! We just announced a price drop of 31% for the Spring, but it's for a limited number of buckets that we have in stock.

Nice! I like that. Might put one on my Christmas list.

 

[2manyrocks]

Not a #2 pencil, but: https://www.tractorbynet.com/forums/attachments/0315191630-jpg.694417/
(for reference the upper grapple tines are ~3/8 inch thick)

It's a bit bigger of a stick than I tend to just to mow over, but picked it up with the grapple tines for fun after doing some larger cleanup. However, a grapple does tend to be my tool of choice either to use like a bucket to toss limbs/branches in by hand or to directly rake and pickup larger branches & limbs. It may scrap up a bit of grass & dirt at times, but the grass recovers pretty quickly around here.

Of course, it's also pretty routine for the oaks in my yard to drop several limbs 2 to 5 inches in diameter (& few larger) every winter so using the tractor & grapple removes quite a bit of saw work every year.

I haven't been able to use my grapple without thinking about picking up a #2 pencil lately.

 

[macdoesit]

5 acres oak, hickory trees. Always limbs to pick up, especially after a storm. Forks on bucket to pick up large branches, smaller limbs by hand. I need the exercise.

 

[MidwestMike]

I'm now convinced to get the pine need rake from Everything Attachment.
Is there any disadvantage with going to the 72" vs the 60"?

If you don't have tight spots bigger is better. (Lift it up for turns...)

I bought one thinking it would be useful for light stuff. Sticks, leaves, etc.
In my case I should have listened to the people that said it only works for pine needles. I am surprised at how little it is useful for me.

 

[jgmo]

Boy, here's a problem that the solver would probably end up pretty wealthy from eh?
My twisted little evil brain immediately thinks of a vacuum hopper that would collapse for storage equipped with a "limb/twig sorter/arranger/stacker/8 funnel type contraption.

Oh! Don't look to me to r&d it!
I'm just the idea man sitting on the sofa eating bon-bons.

 

[kohog]

I'm no authority but am familiar with falling branches as is pretty much any property owner with trees. The main problem is not only the variety of thicknesses but also lengths and bulk due to several branches branching off the one fallen branch or lengths of 6 feet or more. Three things came to mind besides rakes - 1) Front rotating and tilting brush that could be lowered to just "lightly" sweep the grass that would act like a rake. Perhaps tines could be fitted to the frame instead of rotating brush(?) 2) A blower with swiveling air outlet (may only be partially effective.) 3) Beach sand cleaner (?) I'm not sure about the third suggestion. Unfortunately, all these are going to cost a pretty penny but the most effective, I imagine, would be a strong front mounted or PTO driven blower (or walk behind) which would work on leaves, acorns, branches and garbage.

 

[tradosaurus]

If you don't have tight spots bigger is better. (Lift it up for turns...)

I bought one thinking it would be useful for light stuff. Sticks, leaves, etc.
In my case I should have listened to the people that said it only works for pine needles. I am surprised at how little it is useful for me.

Just put my order in for the 72" pine rake from Everything attachment.

 

[kohog]

I would use bucket only because land not level you may dig in,which means another thing added to your things to do list.

I've used the rake before and work ok,just go slow on uneven ground.

Yes, bucket would scalp the mounds but following year the area would be that much flatter (LOL)

 

[Maknwine]

If it isn't gonna be the sweeper....just get this instead.

 

[kohog]

Now that you mention it, I too, used to use my little pea pickers (4) to pick the stix....when we lived in the city. But that was a long time ago. .... paid them really well too........0.01 cents per stix.

Cheers,
Mike

Hopefully they weren't breaking the bigger sticks into smaller pieces. You know how enterprising little minds can work sometimes, LOL