Tow behind sweepers

[csr0831]

Gents...

Has anyone had any experance with any of the tow behind sweepers out there? looking for soemthing pretty wide (> 48"). Not interested in any of the power rakes, just looking for soemthing fairly simple for < 500.00. I know I'm not gonna get top end here, but it won't have that much use...just enough to get the leaves off the yard during the fall season. Any suggestions would be helpful! Thanks!

Chris

 

[jbford]

got one from Sears made by agrifab (i think) for about $300. it works great to get up grass trimmings or leaves that have been ground up some with a mower.

would not recommend using it for "raw" leaves that have not been through the mower...just too fluffy and bulky.

don't waste money on one with the dethatcher..it didn't work well for me.

 

[JCB]

They work great.

I've used several brands (craftsman, agrifab, john deere) all with pretty similar results. Quality isn't great on any of them, but they do last a lot longer than you'd think. They pick up maybe 75-95% of anything they roll over, but not everything.

If you expect every leave gone from your yard, you'll still need a hand rake. If you want to collect organic material for a garden or compost pile nothing is easier.

 

[buck12]

I borrow a sweeper from my neighbor a few times each year to sweep grass clippings. It does a great job behind my ATV. I have JD GT235 and it does not pull it fast enough to throw the clippings to the back causing clippings to pile up at the front. When the neighbor uses it he borrows my ATV.

 

[csr0831]

Thanks for all the responses guys. I have ordered and Ohio Steel 50" sweeper. Heard several pros and cons on this unit, so we'll see. I won't have to worry about speed, because my tractor will pll it plenty fast enough, but I wish it had an offset pull so that I could utilize it when I mow. Just seems to me that pulling it directly behind the tractor doesn't do a lot of good as the clipping, etc. are shot out of the way and it is rolling over fairly clean ground at that point. Anyway...thanks again for all the help! : )

Chris

 

[duck spy]

Mine will only fill the hopper about 1/2 full,so lots of trips to empty.

 

[bjr]

I got the Agri-Fab 42". Like others have said MAYBE 75 percent pickup, on dry material. My yard tends to stay damp and I have to make many trips over it to get much picked up. It's all about height adjustment on these units and I don't seem to ever get the correct setting. I would take that rope off the basket for dumping, and use it to tie up a gate or something useful as that was the first thing to get wraped around the brush shaft. I just get off the the mower and dump it. The lawn sweeper is still better than the crappy mower bagging system that came on the Dixon 30" mower at least the sweeper picks up SOME clippings. It takes big bucks to get a true vaccum system which might make me happy. So I'm just getting along with what I can afford. bjr

 

[csr0831]

Well...we shall see.....mine is to be delivered today. May be a wile before I can use it as I hurt my back in saturday flipping over the mower deck so I could get the blades off tyo sharpen them (those old Gravely decks are HEAVY). Anyway, once i get it put together and have a chance to use it, I'll report back. : )

 

[csr0831]

ok...the instruction say you can put it together 20 minutes....took me an hour and a half. Maybe I am just incompitent, but I think one would be hard pressed to do it in 20 minutes. IF you alreeady knew how to do it and had done it before. MAYBE 40 mintues, but 20...I doubt it. Admittedly, I was moving kind of slow because of the back injury.....anyway, no matter. The instructions were reasonably clear and the thing seems to be well designed. I've just done a few passes and it seems to work REALLY well. Picks up at least 95% of everything. I still need to experment with the brush heights and speeds and so on, but I am WELL pleased. Like some otehrs have said, I doubt even when I get everything tweaked, I'll get full bag capicity (26 cu. feet.), but perhapes 75 percent of it.

So if anyone ask, or you know of anyone thinking about one of these large sweepers, I would definatly recomend it. I Think it's gonna help me out alot this fall!

Chris