Your leaf removal system

[LAWNGODFATHER]

Ok lets get this all on one thread.

Post you leaf removal system.

Mine is:

Lazer ZTR w/Peco Vac

Back pack blowers

Big truck to haul them away, and a Giant vac 3001 loader.

Blow the beds out with blowers.
Pick up leaves off lawn with ZTR
Remove leaves with curb side vac.

Simple and easy to do with less manual moving of leaves.

And NO mulching leaves on my accounts will not work. So that is why I/we remove them.

We charge by the hour and that way only, for both lawn and curb side.

[casey]

Lazers, Pecos, Back Packs, Big trucks, Giant Vacs,
Sloooooooooooow.

1 rake ( I find the large plastic ones to be most effective)
1 box of garbage bags (black-30"by48")
Rake like hell. Bag like a madman.

[David Haggerty]

#1 Blow out the beds with Stihl BR400
#2 Run over them with 36" WB with a homemade leaf mulcher.
#3 Pick up excess with Accelerator bag & dump 'em over the fence

For larger areas I put doubles on my Toro 325-D with a 72" deck. They just bolt right on over the blade saddles in place of the cupped washer. It does a really good job without even blocking the discharge chute.
It can just barely spin all the weight though, or else I need a new PTO belt.

For really big areas, the 580-D I bought last summer came with a leaf mulching kit. I havn't tried it though. I hope it works better than what Toro shows on their web site.
http://www.toro.com/grounds/mower/index.html
Click on "wide area mowers"
Maybe they're just mowing the leaves. What do you think?

Dave

[Kent Lawns]

USED TO BE:
Back Pack Blowers
Olathe Sweepers ($12,000 apiece)
Toro 327 Blowers ($12,000 apiece)
8hp push blowers Lo-Blo, Giant Vac, Billy Goat
Mowers with Trac-Vacs
GMC 7000 Dump w/ 60hp Giant Vac system ($50,000)

NOW:
Back Pack Blowers
Lazers w/mulch kit

5hp Little Wonder Blowers used occationally.



We used to think mulching would never work and in SOME cases it doesn't. But if you mow northern turf, try it until keep blowing and mulching. Perhaps try it on a "not so picky" customer. We've saved so much time with the mulching system and our customers are happier because we're there more often.

[Fine Lines Lawn]

Here is the new TV 880.

[Premo Services]

I use a lazer with ultra vac, and backpack blowers, and yes a rake and tarps for the hard to get areas. This season I started to blow the leaves out of the areas where the lazer couldn`t go, then get them with the lazer. It sure beats dragging the tarp all over the place. The lazer and ultra vac have been a good purchase for me and do well.

[Eric ELM]

Kent Lawns

Amen on mulching the leaves. My customers are very happy with our mulching of leaves and I can't see how anyone can have more leaves than we get in the one wooded area we mow at. Next year in this location, they will not allow burning of leaves anymore, so it will be all mulching there or a big compost pile.

The county came out to one of our lawns and took pictures of us mulching to make a pamphlet to give out to home owners in that area, so they will know how to mulch the leaves next year.

Casey, unless you have a 60" rake and can run like crazy with it, how can you say any method is slow compared to yours. Raking was done back when the dinasaurs were roaming the earth. :rolleyes:

We use a Redmax back pack blower to blow out beds and around the houses and mulch them with 2 DC ZTR's. We have done this for the past 7 years without any problems.

I used to have my helper go over the lawn to chop up the leaves and then I would come along with a 22 bushel lawn vac and pick them up. We would get up to 35 loads of leaves in that 22 bushel vac on one lawn, so we do have leaves here.

[MOW ED]

Rake?

I am laughing so hard I am crying.

I don't even put a rake on my trailer.

2 different techniques for different customer wants along with the $$$ to go with.

Blow out w EB630

Mulch to dust w/ Toro and doubles.

or

Blow out beds w EB630

Pick up w/ Walker GHS and dump on curb.
Charge accordingly.

I still "RAKE" but its cash I'm raking.:D

[casey]

Anyone use one of these?
http://www.toro.com/grounds/utility/debris/sweeper/4800.html

[Kent Lawns]

That is what we USED to use.
(Was made by Olathe, before Toro bought out Olathe)

Ours were the full-size ones with the 24hp engine and power high-lift dump. (& 12mph Road Speed)

~Don't know 'bout the new ones, but the old ones were HIGH maintenance. (Constantly replacing fingers and adjusting chains.)

[OBRYANMAINT]

we generally blow out beds then blow or tarp to curb or catch with walker depending on volume
then collect them via giant vac loader or leave them for city .....depending on homeowners needs+

mulching is new thing for me and i am slowly warming to the idea
trying it on a few lawns to see results and customer reaction

want to continue to have the leaf removal revanu(sp)

there are a sparingly few companies in my area that never collect leaves they only micro mulch w/ lazers so i am confident

[TGCummings]

Blow and mulch is the only way.

Don't let your customers get away with telling you different. ;)

-TGC

[AltaLawnCare]

Rakes (two guys) for places blower will not get to.

Stihl BR320 blower

big tarp

Mulch light areas and back yard with JD 345 w/ mulcher.

--Not working too good, looking to change ....
:rolleyes:

[kutnkru]

I use a handheld or backpack blower in conjunction with a shrub rake on the beds when necessary. Once I have evrything blown out onto the turf areas I just run thru with the 36TTHP and mulch the schit out of everythang!!!

If some clients are extremely particular or I dont like the shred then I can throw on the bag on the 52TTHP, run over the lawn one more time emptying twice and then charge them for a double cutting in addition to the FC.

Kris

[bruces]

Blow out beds and away from houses and fences w Stihl BP400

Then chop up w/ Toro 52" Z w/ double blades (cutting to the middle), then bag about one or two bags from average yard w/ 21" bagger. Haul the one or 2 bags to disposal.

[K9LWT]

Let me get this straight...

You don't bag leaves, you mulch them with double blades and just leave them on the lawn?

I couldn't do that around here-there are way too many leaves. I use the backpack and blow the leaves into the center of the lawn and double cut with the gators, then bag for the third cut.

I also use the little wonder and blow all the leaves into a pile and load them into the truck. Truck loader will be bought soon, so it will be much easier.

[Green Care]

2 Stihl BR400
1 Old bobcat rider w/vac that dumps.54 in.
2 Tarps
1 W/b




Next season will be better.

[Albemarle Lawn]

Uses (2) large rubbermaid industrial trash cans.

Works well since leaves can be dumped on site or bagged if they need to be put into trash bags.

Also, Stihl BR400's and another Gravely 260Z to push leaves around. Also, JD 21" bagger if needed in small areas.

Ken

[casey]

Originally posted by LAWNGODFATHER


Lazer ZTR w/Peco Vac

Big truck to haul them away, and a Giant vac 3001 loader.

And NO mulching leaves on my accounts will not work. So that is why I/we remove them.



Are you sure it's not because you've allready invested in all that expensive leaf removal equipment.

I thought the same until we tried double bladed mulching this year. I'm cutting my losses & selling the BG debris loader & not purchasing the planned dump body.

[Kent Lawns]

Keep in mind he's cutting southern turfgrasses in a transitional zone.

Those grass types are thick & thatchy and as such would not accept leaf mulching as well.

[65hoss]

Blower to blow out beds, around trees, off drive, off sidewalk, off curb.

If lots of leaves I will take the 36" metro with mulching kit and run over the top to chop them up.

52" exmark Lazer HP with ultra vac to suck up leaves. In one area of town I can just dump at the street and the city has a leaf vac they use 1 time per week. Other areas I dump into 45 gal bags that are just the right size for the ultra vac bags and toss at the street. I have been bringing lots of bags home lately to mulch into my back yard.

I have had several calls in this past spring of people wanting to buy my bags of leaves for their gardens, lawns, flowerbeds, etc. I may start bringing most home for the purpose of selling them.

[edward hedrick]

Blow out beds mow with doubles on Scag Sthm for big piles

raise up the deck for first pass then cut it to dust. put on Grass
Gobler pick up dust. Lesco sell a LARGE Lawn Bagg.
holds 18cuft and 25cuft. easier to move than a Tarp. If catcher
not used, use 52 Lesco with doubles makes mulch disappear'
Leaves very dry no rain since August. I own a Tracvac but wirh doubles not needed.

Thanks to ELM and others doubles the way to go!
Ed

[dlandscaping]

this year is at least 4 times faster than last yr. We are using 2 -3 stihl br400/420s occasionaly a redmax4300(backup) 10hsp billygoat tarps barrels and toro 36 with double blades. most lawns cant be mulched, you could plow leaves all day if u wished and they would all be in the beds and bushes and look like crap. we tarp and dumb in front of the house or put on 12ft trailer and weigh down. Next year with a truck and leaf loader it will go faster and i can get subbed out for leaf work.

[GreenQuest Lawn]

Red max blower
60" Exmark lazer w/Lazer-vac w/8hp briggs (this is not the ultra-vac)

Thats it I guess:D

I blow out all landscapes

If they are light I will run the vac first and be done.

If they are heavy I will shut off the vac, or let it fill up and not empty and mulch the leaves. Then when the piles are small I will start the vac and suck up what is left.

I have dump sites at 80% of mine so I don't haul much.

[cp]

Mulch, Mulch, Mulch

Until the turf cannot hold any more.

[Scag48]

Blow out all the beds, etc., all onto the lawn. Then depending on the size of the lawn I either use a 21" to bag them up or on the bigger props I use the Groundsmaster to bag as well. The GM is a little slower because of a gap between the bottom of the blower and the bottom of the deck so when it creates suction to that side of the deck some of the leaves go into the blower and some go underneath it. I'm thinking about welding a piece on there or getting a mulch kit for it cuz I hate bagging!

[65hoss]

Originally posted by Scag48
Blow out all the beds, etc., all onto the lawn. Then depending on the size of the lawn I either use a 21" to bag them up or on the bigger props I use the Groundsmaster to bag as well. The GM is a little slower because of a gap between the bottom of the blower and the bottom of the deck so when it creates suction to that side of the deck some of the leaves go into the blower and some go underneath it. I'm thinking about welding a piece on there or getting a mulch kit for it cuz I hate bagging!


Correct me if I'm wrong, but isn't the groundsmaster, Toros version of the Walker? Isn't it designed to bag?

[LAWNGODFATHER]

No Eric It's a out front deck mower, it has rear steering, with a steering wheel. What he is talking about is an add on part. I had a GM117 a long time ago. Good mowers in their days. Don't expect tom mow any kind of an inclien with it.

What size deck do you want on it, they go up to 15'

[Grapevine]

8hp Leaf loader, (2) Stihl br400 backpacks, (2) 8hp Little wonder blowers, (3) Walkers w/9.5 Bushel catcher. Blow out the beds, suck em up with the Walkers, dump on site or collect in the truck. We do alot of condos and mulching is not the way I want to leave them. I must admit on some of the real heavy leaves we've actually gone over them once with the back open and mulch them, but I always make another pass and collect them. The mulching helped on some properties.

[landscaper3]

We use:

Blow out beds ( 4 Echo PB60's
Blow drives and bulk leaves ( 2 Fraden 8hp's and 1 Billy goat 11hp
Vac up leaves with 3 Walker mowers dump in front of 2 dump trucks suck em up with a pair of Billy-Goat 11hp and 16hp leaf loaders. We love the way the Walkers save us tons of time on our condos at over 200k lawn area and all we do is go over it 1 time and looks great! We use to mulch but up here in Maine 90% of people bag cause your knee high in leaves and looks like crap grinding them up or you gotta go over 4-5 times been there done that with a pair of Z-Masters and the Walker way up Here (yes up here) is faster due to ((we are the pine tree state)) and the Walker sucks up 80-90% of the pine needles 1st pass. I would love it without 2-3 inches of pine needles for then we could use the Z-masters to mulch but for some reason our Z-masters destroy everthing but those damn pine needles amen to WM.

[beck]

2 eb7000
1 dixie with peco vac
and 36" exmark for back yards with grass gobbler

all get put to the curb then into the truck with a 16hp billy goat truck loader.

then after 2-3 days for my small yards, or 1 day for large yards i head to the compost center the truck holds around 15 cubic yards and the vac is mounted on the bed so i can still pull the trailer, or leave the trailer if i just need to go pick up piles.

[LawnCrafters]

1. Blow them ot of beds and away from edges with backpacks.
2. Blow them to the curb with a little wonder push blower.
3. Suck them up with a billygoat leaf loader.
4. Cut the lawn with a walkbehind with a grass gobbler. Just to pick up the little bits that are left and leave some nice stripes.


If the back yard is fenced in we just have tarp them through the fence into the front yard.

This system works great, but I'm always trying to improve it. Any suggestions?

[lamblawnscaping]

Has anyone tried the leafplow. It attaches to the front of a walkbehind or ZTR and you just plow the leaves where you want them.

[PAPS]

My guys always make fun of me because sometimes i notice that there is no "leave tarps" in the trailers... so I'll ask them where the tarps are... and they say.. "Bry.. tarps went put in the 80's"

fall leaf removal setup:

(1) 98'GMC 2500 pick-up pulling enclosed trailer.
(1) 97'F-350 mason dump w/ leaf box pullin tow behind 25 HP vac.
(2) Redmax BP blowers.
(1) Stihl BR400 BP blower.
(1) Little wonder 9hp.
(1) Little wonder 12 hp.
(1) 52'' Ferris Hydro mulching blades with leaf plow.
(1) 52'' Ferris hydro cutting only.

[FrankenScagMachines]

I used this last fall, just my lawn and one neighbor's it worked just great. Could go 4.5mph in some pretty thick leaves but usually went down to 3.5 or so just in case. 6" pipe. To empty just lift the back (hinges on top front area) and it dumps. Weight of it keeps the lid down. I'm gonna see about putting a trash bag on it to use for places with curbside p/u for grass only, leaves don't need bagged here. Then I can back onto my 6x12 trailer with 12" sides (by next fall there will be higher sides) and dump. put a tarp on it and take it to the county compost center. Yep we have one of those centers, will be very useful. They take all the stuff they get from yards and put it in piles and have a machine to work it and then you can take a trailer on tuesdays and they will load some finished mulch for free!!! I won't even try to post a pic, but click this link and scroll to the bottom and you'll see it.
Equipment Pics (http://www.geocities.com/ecgrounds/equipmentpics.html)
This summer I will probably get a walk behind and some sort of collector for it. This rider may stay the main leaf machine. Easiest empty of all (dumps like a Simplicity Baron or JD LTR166 rear collection rider mower. ) It drives nice and cuts great too. Check out this (http://www.geocities.com/ecgrounds/pictures.html)
Eric

[Hobart]

A back-plow leaf sweeper

[sbvfd592]

2 br400s
2 5hp giantvac push blowers
a 18x24 tarp with bungies
and a gravly 48inch tractor tto pull on big props.
works well town picks up at curbside we get some huge piles:blob3: :blob4: :blob1: :blob2: :D :cool: :o

[trophytkr]

Will use echo back pack blower for beds and foundations and for leaf pick-up i'll use my 21 Hp white garden tractor with a 3 bag 10 bussel bagger on the back. Leave the ground up leaves on the curve for the city crew

[Doogiegh]

Figured I'd move this back to the top.. Anyone got any new ideas or suggestions on machinery or technique since last year?

Gary

[65hoss]

A match??;)

[LAWNGODFATHER]

I don't think lighter fluid would be needed.

[Ax Man]

Backpacks for beds, walker 48 ghs and Billy goat loader on the leaf box.
I am excited to use the Walker this season ( my first with it)
The truck loader I mounted on a swing hitch so I can leave it on the truck when I dump. Saves much time/$$
And it allows me to use my trailer as well.
Seems like evry year I work on making the leaf box bigger. Anyone else?
Leave either to the curb, If the town is picking up nearby, (I hate to see them blow back across a clean lawn)
or take them to my gravel pit, where they are mulched with grass clippings from the rest of the season.
I am toying with the idea of spreading them on a field and plowing them under.( its full of golden rod and multiflora rose anyway)
That would give me a nice seed bed for clover to feed the deer...
Yumm!
BTW, Iv'e been watching 2 bachelor groups this summer from my compost zone, 5 bucks in each. From 4pt-8-10? (hard to tell with the fuzz)
Looking forward to post leaf vacation!

[GarPA]

Eric...re: the leaf mulch for top dressing. Here in PA our soil is rather acidic.I think thats the case for most of us East of the Mississippi. Did alot of liming this year and where I did the chemicals were far more effective....I should know this but I dont...when the leaves break down, what kind of nutrients are being released to the soil?? I like the idea of bringing them home and reusing/selling them....people are already asking how they can help their turf this fall without using chemicals until the turf stress subsides...if it ever does ..thanks

[Five Star Lawn Care LLC]

this year im going to put the dumper in the truck and fire in the rear

[Wayne Offiler]

Casey:
Bear in mind that most of us are doing a lot of clean-up jobs and often lawns are large with heavy leaf cover. Efficiency through mechanization is essential to making enough profit to provide a good living.

[crawdad]

I have a leaf plow that goes on my Scag Hydro WB, though it would go on my Gravely, or my Exmark, or whatever if'n I wanted. Built it myself. Works great!
Crawdad

[tailoredlook]

1 Echo backpack,5hp little wonder push blower, rake and tarp. put in piles, tarp to curb let township pick up and I 40-50 hr for this.

[KenH]

Would it be possible to mulch a yard like crawdad pictured??? Ive never left mulched leaves before but am intrigured.

If your were to mulch crawdads lawn, wouldnt the dust pack and thin out the lawn??

[rodfather]

4 Echo BP650's

3 8HP Leaf Blowers

4 Trac Vac 470 systems for Ferris WB's

3 Custom made vac systems for the 325D Toro Groundmasters


RAKES? Never heard of them???:confused:

[awm]

an answer to ken. yep. thats not bad at all. with my lazer an doubles ill make the customer wonder where the leaves went.
i hear that question all the time from new cusstomers.u can do it no matter how deep. but 6 inches or so will take rite many passes and then u gotta blow the dust into the grass. in exstreme cases.
truth is i think id make more money picking them up,tho. then i could justify charging some big bucks.jmho
could only get away with it with new customers tho. the old ones know the score.

[KenH]

Thanks awm...What type of blades do you use for fall?? I run Scags, (hydro rider and HWB) and look foward to fall to try this out!!

[LAWNGODFATHER]

Originally posted by rodfather
RAKES? Never heard of them???:confused: Explain to us what this item is, I have never heard of one?

Is this a new tool? Does it go fast?

[65hoss]

Originally posted by LAWNGODFATHER
Explain to us what this item is, I have never heard of one?

Is this a new tool? Does it go fast?


Its this new contraption that you use to pull(rake) all that money in at $5 per hour. I think they have them on sale now at scrubdepot.

[MacLawnCo]

You all need to get with the program. Rakes are the newest and coolest. The power to weight ratio is phenomenal and they are on the easy side as far as maintenance. Give one a try and you may never go back. :D :D :p

[Robert Ewald]

As has been said before, blow the beds and edges w/ PB-650.
We arent complely mechanized though. So we use an 11 hp little wonder to make a large pile. Next we tarp that, drag to curb and then use truck loader mounted on our 14 ft bri-mar dump trailer being pulled by a 98 chevy 3500. And then it is on to the next stop. We have considered getting the vac's for the z's but i feel we can charge more doing it the some what old fashioned way.Dream, Believe, Dare, Do

[dukester]

We only have one but I'd love to own another. The Walker is the best bagger made! We have baged wet grass, sticks, pine cones, leaves, paper and trash. At the Acquriam of the Americas in New Orleans they use thier Walker's to clean up the sidewalks of litter and cig. butts. Great mower/bagger..

[Ax Man]

I admit it.
I use a rake.
I hope that dose not make me a scrub.
I actually have diffrent types for diffrent conditions, a regular quiver if you will.
Narrow ones for in the shrubs, round tined timber rakes for the heavy stuff (even used as a pitchfork occaisionally) and the standard Ames steel tined rake.
Mostly I use them to get the huge piles closser to the pickup tube of the truck loader.
I don't charge any less when I opperate the hand held than I do on my Walker.
Do you guys still respect me?

[ProMo]

i only have 1/2 of a rake i havnt used it much this year and i dont miss it

[LAWNGODFATHER]

Originally posted by Ax Man
I admit it.
I use a rake.
I hope that dose not make me a scrub.
I actually have diffrent types for diffrent conditions, a regular quiver if you will.
Narrow ones for in the shrubs, round tined timber rakes for the heavy stuff (even used as a pitchfork occaisionally) and the standard Ames steel tined rake.
Mostly I use them to get the huge piles closser to the pickup tube of the truck loader.
I don't charge any less when I opperate the hand held than I do on my Walker.
Do you guys still respect me?

HAHA we will let you slide.

We use a leaf type rake for getting the leaves we could not reach with the Giant vac truck loader.

However we don't use it to "rake" leaves. Let the blowers do the hard work.

[bubble boy]

Originally posted by MacLawnCo
You all need to get with the program. Rakes are the newest and coolest. The power to weight ratio is phenomenal and they are on the easy side as far as maintenance. Give one a try and you may never go back. :D :D :p

power to weight ratio:laugh:

and remember, with these rake thingys very little training required!

[ProMo]

my favorite rakes

[Runner]

Looks like one of the rakes I carry on the trailer!:D Really, I do. I use it for edging, if I happen to have any sod to be picked up. Come to think of it, I haven't used it since April! :rolleyes:

[thfireman]

Ref: Giant Vac Truck Loaders....

I have never used one of these vacs. Do they mulch the leaves as they load them into the truck or trailer? What is the least powerfull unit I would need to do a good and fast job?

Right now I blow leaves out of beds and mulch them with my walk behinds. If the customer wants them removed I bag with the cage baggers only after I mulch them up and that helps speed things up a bit.

:)

[LAWNGODFATHER]

Yes they mulch the leaves up some as they get sucked into the vac.

My system they get double mulched if we haul the leaves off.

Here is the truck with vac.

[Flex-Deck]

I have had areas just like crawdad's yard - we double blade - dixies on the bottom - gators on top, raise the deck as high as it will go and mow discharging inward and the leaves or at least most of them just disappear. We then lower the deck to mowing height and do it again. When you are done, it looks like you bagged the yard.

It is a little inconvienient as to trimming since the discharge side of the deck is on the inside, but overall it saves bunches of time, and leaves the organic material where it belongs - On the Yard

Thanks, Brad

[crawdad]

So, are you folks are saying I could put double blades on my 48" scag HWB and leave the leaf plow at home? Do i need a mulching plate (blocking discharge of my mower deck?) Tell me more! You have definately gotten my attention.
crawdad

[crawdad]

I never got the answer, can I retire my leaf plow? I'd much rather mulch leaves than push them. What double blades setup would work well with a scag hydro WB, 48"? It has a 17hp Kawasaki. I read on another thread about fiber washer preventing slippage. Should I use gator blades, mulching blades, or what, and where is the best place to purchase these blades?
I think all of the advise on this website is great, just getting tired of the "My business is bigger than yours, so I'm better than you" that I see from time to time. But I guess there is no getting away from that.
Crawdad

[dlandscaping]

Crawdad,
I use a double blade setup of highlift bottom gator magnum top. It does ok but some piles of leaves are just too much for any mower. Some people use two gators others just single gators. You can get these blades through a dealer, stens, landscape supply, jthomas and i think theres a few i missed. Honestly, i dont think your plow will be fully retired. On some lawns where leaves are a few inches thick mulching will not work wonders but will reduce the leaves. I use no cover over discharge when mulching leaves since the discharge always gets clogged up anyways.

[MacLawnCo]

Brad hit the nail on the head. If you continue driving in reverse with the discharge pointing towards the center, you will quickly eliminate all the leaves. After that, we mow the yard again at the desired height and leave the customer some purdy lines.

Jason

[Bill Davis]

I am def. looking into the Peco vacs b/c of all the good things here that i have heard about them. What should i expect to pay for the pro 12 for my 52" Lazer. Just a rough estimate would be fine. Thanks, Bill D.

[wriken]

I have a collection system simular to peco, its run off the spindel, I run 20" regular hi-lifts on the bottom and 16.5' gators on the top, plus the coolection system chops it up also. I put 4'x8' particle board on the sides of my trailer and on the front of it to enclose it a little bit and either dump the debri there on a tarp or if lots of leaves put it in a pile and suck it up w/my tgv-16 hi-way loader which is mounted on the reese hitch on the other truck I have, in which I mounted a box on it and the top is all ventedalso can pull a trailer behind to haul ztr to jobs, then when done for the day, go home unhook trailer, pull a pin on the bracket I built to hold vac, swing vac around and suck debri out. see ya

oh ya forgot to mention, the collection system for my cub, which has cub comm. on it, though I don't know if MTD makes it or what, was 1900.00 installed.

[little green guy]

we use:
-2 red max bp
-2 giant vac 8 hp pb
-1 60" lazer w/ ultra vac
-1 52" scag hydro wb

we usually blow all the leaves off the lawn into the woods then cut the grass. If there are no woods we put them at the curb, in some of the towns we work in the town picks the leaves up in others we vac them up with a 25 hp giant vac.

[LAWNGODFATHER]

Originally posted by Bill Davis
I am def. looking into the Peco vacs b/c of all the good things here that i have heard about them. What should i expect to pay for the pro 12 for my 52" Lazer. Just a rough estimate would be fine. Thanks, Bill D.

About $2400 or less.

I still think even though Exmark now has a dump from the seat, the pony motor will suck much better than the spindle driven, but that is your choice and your money and your time.

[johndeere455]

I have a John Deere 455 Diesel 60 inch deck
with MC 519 cart with a powerflow system.
It can hold 19 bushels of grass and leaves.

Mark
The Wright Way Land & Landscape

[mdb landscaping]

heres a picture of mine. Its now painted black though.:blob4:

[Bunton Guy]

Its quite funny that all the guys would say blow and mulch is the only way to go dont let anyone tell you different .....:D :D :D How much do you guys make extra above your normal cut price maybe a extra 10 bucks for mulching ? LOL how about try removing them with a leaf system like myself or mdb & lawngodfather try instead of a extra 10 bucks a cut an extra $125+ a week sounds a bit better rite ? try it

[Lawn-N-Garden Guy]

Blow out all the nooks and crannies w/ hand blower and backpacks ,use little wonder 8 hp to move them closer to my trailer then tarp and load.
.Dreaming of a 16 hp Billy Goat loader
I am trying the doubles method on my 48" Emark w/21hp Kawasaki.and mulch kit
I am trying a new fall campain this year with a cut out coupon ad,Have fall clean-up done and receive a free mow job .
Figure this might get some new mowing customers for next year.
LEAVES ARE FALLIN SO ITS TIME TO COME CALLIN:dizzy:

[Runner]

Originally posted by Bunton Guy
How much do you guys make extra above your normal cut price maybe a extra 10 bucks for mulching ? LOL how about try removing them with a leaf system instead of a extra 10 bucks a cut an extra $125+ a week sounds a bit better rite ?

Myself, I get full cleanup price. I heard some on here say they get 3 to 4 times the cost of a cut for their cleanups. In some cases, it works out to this. In other, more severe cases, it's more. It all depends. For myself, I'm on the higher end of the price scale, but I don't care. My people all know that they are going to get a high quality job.

[awm]

this yr will be different here.
normally by nov. we are starting some serious leaf wk. not yet here.
the leaves may exstend my season
considerable. after the dry weather
ended, the leaves got green happy and seem to be slow to give it up.:)

[Doogiegh]

I remember going trick-treating as a kid, walking down the sidewalk and scuffing my feet along, kicking piles of leaves outta the way..

I'd say maybe 1/6th of all the leaves are down right now on selected trees.. After the seriousness of the drought we had, man was it been wet, long slow soaking rains, and the trees look greener now than they did in the middle of July.. Go figure...

I got the feeling it'll be a long leaf season as well and they won't all be down by Thanksgiving, that's for sure.

[brucec32]

I have mulched piles of leaves higher than my mower down to dust, so it can be done, if not perfectly and not with one pass. But whether you bag or mulch, a first pass to mulch the leaves up seems like a good idea. I have never understood the teams of guys with blowers pushing them around lawns and onto tarps, where they are sometimes hauled to the woods, where they just blow back into the lawns. Or they are time-consumingly loaded onto expensive dump trucks and hauled miles away to landfills. (not even allowed here anymore)

My basic strategy is:

1. edge to get matted leaves out of crevices.
2. blow out beds into lawn
3 mow/mulch lawn
4. repeat if necessary for most lawns
5. bag mulched/reduced leaves if they want to pay extra for it

I'm still waiting on my first complaint, but I handle middle class lawns, not manicured mansions, so that requires more work, I suppose. I probably shave off 25% of the time required by mulching. I'd probably pass on a customer requesting that I bag leaves rather than buy equipment to handle it.

[Mike Bradbury]

Originally posted by KenH
Would it be possible to mulch a yard like crawdad pictured??? Ive never left mulched leaves before but am intrigured.

If your were to mulch crawdads lawn, wouldnt the dust pack and thin out the lawn??

I've been doing this on my own lawn for 10+ years. The leaf mold (once it's chopped) decomposes very quickly. You wouldn't normally find any by spring. If you want to instantly restore a tired old planting bed, put 8-10" of leaf mold over the soil. By spring it will be down to a couple " and at some point in the summer you won't be able to find any in the bed, but the soil will be MUCH improved and the plants resulting growth will often mimic that on which composted animal manures were applied, fabulous growth. I take my own leaves + 2 neighbors leaves, we have mature silver maples (yech) in our subdivivion.
I've piled the leaves as high as 12" high and chopped them in 3 or 4 passes, starting with the mower raised up all the way and then dropping down Looks amazingly good, though not usually (if a lot of leaves) good enough for customers unless they are "organic" people.
I've intentionally left the grass completely covered with leaf mold in a few spots to see, not deeply but enough to cover the green completely. Again, no problem. Leaves have a completely different nature after they are chopped, they don't smother, and they break down FAST!
The main attraction (other than ease of disposal of the leaves) is the HUGE amount of organic matter you are adding to the topsoil, ie. "building' the soil. My grass went from "blow it up" when we moved in, to as nice as anything in the neighborhood. And that's with 2 ferts a year. Core areate in the fall and then fill those plug holes up with chopped leaves and you can see amazing improvements in a short time.
My favorite part of this is the neighbors will be out ALL DAY raking theirs and I'll wait around till an hour before dark, rake their huge piles (on the curbs) over onto my yard, take my blower and run the curb line throwing up into the yard and then mulching it all with the mower. Takes me about 45 minutes and they are usually still out cleaning up while I go from start to finish. I get a kick out of that! They are all clueless about this stuff and believe the TruGreen guy that tells them that will blow their yards up with thatch :D

[Fareway Lawncare]

We try and mulch everything....High Horse Mowers...Gators....A Wing & a Prayer....

[darryl gesner]

Yes I know this is an old thread but it's a good one so I resurected it for the benefit of all. Not much has changed except the equipment model numbers people use.

[lawnboy dan]

21 snapper hi vac and a gator blade-mulch them to dust-simple