Dumping grass from Walker

[jeffyr]

What are you guys dumping your grass into ? Just started using the Walker and thought that it would dump into a green barrel (60gal) but it's too low. besides the hopper is too wide and will dump all over the ground anyway.


jeffyr

[Fantasy Lawns]

http://www.walkermowers.com/index.htm1?section=products

they make a nice "dump bag" we use to get as many customers as possible allow a compost pile or get 2 large trash cans we can use

but we only use mulching decks now a days as no one really want to pay the added cost of bagging down here

[E-man]

we dump it onto a tarp then throw it in the back of the truck.

[jeffyr]

eman,

thats the solution I have come up with as well. I thought there might be a secret I was missing. Maybe pulling the mower up onto the trailer with the dump at the edge of the gate so a barrel will fit under ?

11,

I've seen those-Landscapers supply has them for about $30. Seems not worth $30 though, maybe 10.

jeffyr

[MLI]

We use Walkers as well, and have found a couple of ways to dump easier. One you can install second ramp on front of your trailer and drive machine up on to trailer then up second ramp into the back of your truck and dump. Next solution would be to have a leaf sucker attached to trailer and use to suckup grass clippings, just dump next to trailer and when your done with job suck everything up.

[captdevo]

there is a company that makes a dump lift which raise the hopper to dump in back of truck. I questioned these earlier this year. Here is the thread.

http://www.lawnsite.com/showthread.php?threadid=11113

[jeffyr]

Capdevo,

That thing is $2500. Are you mad or crazy ?
just kidding. Too rich for my blood. I should ask Stone for a cheap solution. He seems to like figuring out these types of things for next to nothing. Maybe a solution could be found on "junkyard wars" landscaper series !!!

jeffyr

[ShortCuts]

We have found that the fastest way to get clippings into the truck (other than have a ramp from the trailer) is using landscaping barrels. Two guys with barrels can get rid of a pile of grass much faster then a truck loader. WE have found the truckloader to be a much bigger pain in the a$$ then it is worth. They are great in the fall but not for grass, especially wet and even damp grass. The loader always clogs up and dealing with the hose is a pain in the neck.

just my 2 cents

[cantoo]

If you go to a lumber yard they will have tons of plastic tarps off of lifts of lumber that they will likely give away to you. They make good tarps for grass.

[gene gls]

One of my reasons of buying a Walker was to use the sissor lift. My salesman at the time was againest the idea. I should have listened, he was right. I had it on for two weeks.On nice flat ground every thing worked great. The steeper the slop the more traction you loose because the unit ads more weight at a higher level.The unit I had would not lift up a full load of wet grass. When I called the company to return the unit I was informed that my unit had one of the small motors for the hoist.They took it back minous the cost of the parts that broke in the two week time of use. If I ever get to the point where I could dedicate one mower for flat ground I would have another.

For all you opperators that only mulch I recommend you not moving your location because there are areas in the country that its much easier to collect than try and hide the clippings.

Gene

[Grapevine]

I had the 2 ramps installed on my trailer and it makes life a lot easier dumping our 3 walkers. You can also use it for getting wheelbarels into the back of your truck which is impossible. I paid about a grand and over time I think it will be worth it. If you're really doing this for a living, labor saving devices are key to staying in it for the long haul. Just one mans view.

[Currier]

Around here it is almost all collect clippings and Walkers. The ramping into the back of the truck is great. Also the truck loaders do an excellent job but are way expensive. I am lucky. I have a talented brother that welded/fabricated a set up for my truck that lowers the sides so I can dump grass, and then hydraulically lifts the grass into the truck bed. In the last three years it has saved me tons of time and literally tons of work!

[Mike Paulsen]

I have that sissor lift on my walker( call me mad or crazy) and couldn't be happier.It up production more than enough to pay for itself. With a two man crew i trim and never have to worry about going back to help throw the tarp full of grass back in the truck. I like forward thinking not wondering if i need to go backwards. The only thing that would be better is double blades on a dixie so not to have to bag. That is coming next.

[landscaper3]

We use Lwan Bagg to dump clipping from all our Walkers. You can view them at http://www.landscapersupply.com they have 18cubic feet bags for $33.99 and the 27 cubic feet bags like we have for $39.99. They are GREAT for spring and fall cleanups and are nearly industuctable!!!

[smburgess]

The Dealer you bought your walker from should sell the grass catcher bags (50 to a roll - about .75 each, unless it's a 9bu hopper then they'll cost $1.75 each), if he doesn't sell them he's not much of a Dealer...

[Cleve]

Rubbermaid makes a 28 gal. square container that works almost perfectly. You need two of them. Put them side by side behind the Walker and just dump into them. A full catcher will amost fill both at same time. I put plastic bags into each and then just put the bags on the trailer. When I first got the Walker I tried a single bag that I made for a while but you will find that a full load of damp grass will be almost impossible to safely handle.
By the way, the Rubbermaid model is #3526. I got mine from Grainger (cat. no. 4HC07) about 5 years ago. The biggest problem I had was getting good plastic bags to use that fit the container.
Cleve.

[OBRYANMAINT]

lawn bagg here also, in the fall it gets dumped on the tarp with the leaves

have also dumped it on ground and raked it into 55 gallon barrel then in to truck....does not take that long unless you have a lot of grass then a ramp to truck would be ideal

on the walker site there is a guy that has a box on his trailer he dumps into then the bottom drops out at his dump site( it is an article in walker talk)

[LJ lawn]

just shovel it into the bucket by hand without flipping the catcher.should take all of a minute to do so.i usually just hand shovel it into a big garbage can lined with a heavy plastic bag and leave it at the curb for garbage collection.screw that taking grass away crap.

[jeffyr]

Thanks for the suggestions. I forgot about Grainger- great resource to keep on hand.

jeffyr

[ShortCuts]

Can someone post a picture of a trailer with a walker ramp on it? do you make them yourself or do you get them already made????

[MOW ED]

If you are talking about a ramp on the front of your trailer its easy to design and any welder can do it. I designed one for my trailer and it was welded up in a few hours. Total cost was 350.00 time and materials.

I have to take the tailgate off of my Chev pick-up and the gate folds down to the bumper of the truck. I back the Walker onto it and dump into the bed thats lined with a tarp. At the dump the tarp pulls right off. Its not a solution for everyone but it certainly works for me. If you want some pictures- e-mail me and I will send you some. I have a cheap digital camera but I'll do my best.
Good Luck.

[Indiana]

In an Walker Talk issue there was a guy that dumped his grass into an old sprayer tank. He cut the top or side out and put a couple of handles on each side.

Seemed like a good idea.

I use a Lawn Bag.

[theplantdoctor]

We use the Rubbermaid Roughtotes. These are 50 gallon size. They fit perfect under the Walker for dumping. They are wider than the collection box, so no spilling to the sides. We then can carrry it up the trailer and into the back of our 1 ton dump. Great for grass or leaves. We have 4 of them so that the operator can dump and get back to mowing/leaf clean up and not have to take the time to dump the tote each time. They have been holding up well.
Ken

[jeffyr]

plantdoctor,

That has to be the cheapest solution to dump into. I was thinking of getting a couple of square 28 gallon cans and putting the 2 togetherand dump into the two, but the roughtote sounds better. I'll have to look..

jeffyr

[summitgroundskeeping]

I have a enclosed bin on the front on my trailer. It has a side door to get the grass out of the bin and a door on the top to dump the grass into. At the end of the day I go to the dump and put the grass in the giant compost pile. But I do need a dump pass from the city. Hope this helps.

[jeffyr]

Doesn't your tongue weight get pretty high putting all the clippings in ther front of the trailer ?

[Robert Burnham]

We use dump bags made by an individual out here, high quality and rugged. They are made to fit the hopper of the walkers exactly. I have a homemade hoist on my stakebeds with a block and tackle. I just hook the dumpbag through the handles, hoist it up and swing it into the truck, its a one man operation. Its cheap and works for me, saves the back too. The bags are available at Rbbobsr@aol.com for about $65 + shipping.

[summitgroundskeeping]

No, I keep my mowers mostly over the axles as best I can, and I haven't had any problem yet.