Lawn Sweeper (non Valk)

[Tx Bohemian]

Anybody have any experience with pull behind Lawn Sweepers?

I'm interested in getting one and have been doing research and reading a lot of reviews.

I've looked at John Deere, Cub Cadet, Agr-fab, Ohio Steel, All-Fit... never knew there were so many out there.
Home use (Non-professional) for around $270 - 350.

You would think (or at least I would) the JDs or Cubs would be better but they are all about the same as far as the reviews go.

The Neighbor bought one last year (Precisionfit-I think- from Lowes) and I like how much leaves, sticks, and debris it picks up and was going to get one like his, but it is one of the worst in the reviews. It has a bad design on the axle to where it breaks in the middle and evidently it must be on back order. A lot of people PO'd about this.  60% of the people reviewing this same type have the same issue.

If anyone has/had one what are the pros and cons of the kind you have?

Thanks, Tx

[sugerbear]

well how about this.

with your first hand knowledge of how your neighbors works, buy one like his and weld a piece of
angle on the axle where it usually breaks and go. couldn't cost too much to do that.

just a thought.

[gregc]

   I have the Cub Cadet one, about 10 maybe 12 years old. Still works fine, get used with every other cut during the summer. Then a couple times in the fall for leaves.  Worst part is finding a place to compost the grass, trash man won't take clippings.   Machine has never been any problem at all.

[scoobydoo]

I have the Agri-Fab smart sweep 44" 
Works great wish I had bought it years ago.

[T-Bird]

I have had one for years and love it. It not only would pick up grass and clippings it would pick up small twigs, nuts, pinecones and dethatch the lawn.

[Jim_Orr]

I use a sweeper on my yard and love it.  I have about 1.5 acres with over 40 oak trees and I'm too old and too lazy to rake them.  I generally go around my yard once with the mower to kinda chop up the leaves, and then hook up the sweeper to pickup and carry the leaves, twigs, and anything else to the backside of my property to burn.

[R J]

I have one I got from Sears or Northern Tool about 19 years ago.  I'm leaning towards Sears but my replacement bag came from Northern Tool.    Only problem I had with it was if there was a mound of dirt in the yard too tall it would stop the fins from turning for a few feet, which meant when that happened the wheel slide and took out some grass.     As far as problems with it, none what so ever except the catch bag finally rotted through the last year I used it.   I put a new bag on it and I think I used it maybe 2 or 3 times before I got the grass catcher on the tractor.

Otherwise it worked good.     Then I would haul the load to the street and burn it.   They put a burn ban on us a few years ago so, my last lawn mower purchase had a $1,200 grass catcher on it that the  wife decided we needed.     Now 3 years later she thinks it might have been a bad decision.   Told her that was too bad as I wasn't taking it off and take up room in he garage.   I'd just leave it on and wear it out.

When I mow now, I catch it and put it all in an extra trash collector can I pay rent on.    Garbage collector is a private party and he takes anything I can get in the containers.    He won't pick stuff up out of the yard by the containers, but ya get it in a container, it goes in his compactor truck.

I'm back, I made a quick trip to the garage and it is a SEARS unit, 42" swath.

http://www.sears.com/shc/s/p_10153_12605_07199700000P?prdNo=3&blockNo=3&blockType=G3

[alph]

i bought one from a garage sale for $2 once.  seriously $2!!  my wife hated it!  i sold it the next year for $5 then bought a yard vac/mulcher for $20.  i like that much better cause with the right attatchment it can blow the rocks off the grass that gets left from the snow plow after the snow melts.....

[hubcapsc]

When we used to take care of Woodburn, in the fall I'd just drive the lawn tractor back and forth, forwards
one way, then backwards, then forward, then backward... the leaves would be blown into a line
that was easy to pick up, plus they'd be mulched a little so they'd be more compact when they
were picked up... wouldn't work so well if you didn't have a lot of open space I guess..



"Where Rede upon his margin sees
"Sweet Woodburn's cottages and trees, " - (Rokeby)

-Mike