Leaf Dumping! Ideas & Questions

[ECHOTURF]

How is everyone getting leaves off their trailers at the dumpsites?

In my situation I carry up to 2.5 tons of leaves per load and rake every single one off by hand. Keep in mind these things are mulched up 3 times before hitting the trailer....It takes about 30 minutes to get unloaded and 25 minutes of that time I don't have to waste.

Currently I use the STEEL GARDEN RAKE+PULL+PUSH method at it takes way too long!!! I have a dovetail trailer, which does not tilt like the smaller trailers do.

I have a couple ideas but would like to hear what everyone else is doing to save their BACKS.

OPTION ONE: Weld in a track on both sides of the trailer and weld up a push system with a winch. In other words I would put the winch up front on the tongue, run the cable under the trailer to the back on a roller or pulley which in turn would pull the “Push Bar” out with the load. Unlock the winch and push the “Push Bar” back to the front of the trailer.

OPTION TWO: Make an insert out of square steel frame, put down some type of light weight smooth surface on it (1/4" Plexi-Glass?) and attach a lift system to the front of it. In other words make a lightweight lift system within the trailer to dump leaves or grass clippings.

I don't want to get into dump trailers because of the cost and I only need a dump system for leaves and grass clippings. I do very little with landscaping so the need for say an EZ Loader is out of the question. I was also thinking about subbing out a company to collect the leaf or grass piles......?

Any suggestions greatly appreciated.

P.S. If you want leaves, I have about 6 - 8 tons per year and live in the Appleton area of WI.

Thanks,

Rich & Michelle - IDEAL GREEN LAWN CARE
Menasha, WI

[Shady Brook]

Ever use a Load Handler in the back of your truck? They work pretty well, unless you stomp the leaves and grass behind the wheel wells. I would sub out the leaf pickup before I would make any major modifications to my trailer. Where do you put your equipment with all the leaf material? I know of guys who will put an old tire on a rim at the back of the cab of the truck, and put all your grass and junk in the bed. Then when they go to dump, they will rope or chain to the rim, and tie off on something sturdy, and drive away, pulling the tire out, and nearly all the material. Trouble is finding a very sturdy object, ie tree, front loader, and also the risk if the rope or chain should break.
I feel your pain! ;)

Jay

[MOW ED]

Welcome to Lawnsite.
I know what you mean about having leafs as I am a short boat trip up the Fox river in De Pere.
I have this problem with thatch in the spring and it is as heavy as the chopped up leafs. I throw them all on a big tarp on my trailer (14') and when I get to the dump I take the sides off the trailer and let it fall. When it is at a manageable weight I pull the tarp over and the rest follows.
I have heard of but not seen where a guy could take a heavy reinforced tarp and connect a rope to it and once at the dump the rope is brought over the top of the load and out the back of the trailer (gate down of course). The rope has to be tied to a suitable anchor. The gate can be rested on some 2x4's. Simply drive forward and hope the reinforced tarp doesn't rip as it pulls the load out.

Sounds good in theory and if you could get a heavy canvas tarp and reinforce it to allow for the load I guess it might work.

Its good to see people from my area getting on Lawnsite. Talk to ya later.

[GroundKprs]

Expanding a bit on ED's tarp idea. Before my dump trailer, I would lay a tarp on floor of trailer, put as many leaves as I could pull off on tarp. Then another tarp and more leaves, then a third tarp and more leaves. Three hard pulls and trailer was empty. Lot quicker than trying to break up the mass of packed debris with any tool. My tarps were cut from old trailer tarps from a steel hauler - heavy duty stuff. Used eyelets to attach rope for pulling. Rope at tarp end in front of trailer must be tied to close that end up - otherwise tarp will just slip out from between leaf layers, like my first try at this. LOL!! Live and learn.

[mdb landscaping]

i immediately thought the same thing shady brook thought. maybe just mount one on the trailer.

[TotalLawn]

I have a 3/4' piece of plywood, with a sorta wall on the front, in the back of my flatbed. The place I go hook up to a chain that is ran through the wood at the back and pull it out.

Something like this:

l\
l \
l \
L__\___________________

[kutnkru]

I used to do it just like Jim said Tarps in Layers. This fall I added Goodrichs' idea of the chain and have dragged the tarps off by connecting the roped tarps to another piece of machinery at the dumpsite and then slowly pulling forward.

Before that it was pushing the debris off with pitch forks, parking at inclines, using dump beds and the like whenever available.

Kris

[Runner]

I don't have too bad of luck with pitchforks (5 tine). I always end up shoveling an "alley" down the side, then I am able to take bigger bites and push/slide the debris off. Plan ahead, and always put wood and longer sticks in the back, so they go off first. Nothing worse than having that stuff all tanged up.

[Albemarle Lawn]

Takes 5-7 minutes to blow two tons off a truck provided it is dry.

Dry, mulched leaves OK, wet mulched leaves, bad news.

Ken

[Fantasy Lawns]

I like Option #1 with a electric boat wench ;->

[odin]

How about a good one ton dump truck? preferably a cheverolet

[LAWNGODFATHER]

IHC 4900 w/16' dump bed. NO TRAILER.

Nice engineered drawings Brian Gooch Totallawn1.

Chain and tire idea is good but like you said need a sturdy object to tie off to.

I like the winch idea best.

Option 2 will not work, nor is it machanicly sound.

[stslawncare]

i like the dump bed idea the best, get a old beatup stake bed dumping f-350. second favorite would be the conveyor theory

[johnhenry]

I like option 1 the best

[Fine Lines Lawn]

Option one sounds interesting.
I bag and leave leaves curbside at each account. All of my hauling space is needed for equipment.

[PaulJ]

Hello, this is my first post at lawn site. I currently use tarps. One at the bottom of the pickup bed tied or hooked to all four corners. This helps keep the grass and leaves from packing in around my tool box at the front (in theory). If it looks like its getting to heavy for me to pull of, I just loy out a nother tarp and kep pilling. I also sometimes will dump on a tarp in the back yard to save trips back to the truck, then drag the tarp to the truck and throw it on top, tarp and all. To dump I just unhook the corners, drop the tailgate, and pull/roll the tarp out by grabbing at the front corners and pulling the whole pile right of the back. Its easier to roll the pile out by pulling on the front than slidding all that weight out, and my tarp is on top when I'm done. Quick and slick. :)

The LCO i used to work for had a F-350 with a stake side bed. One side was hingedso we could drop the whole side and scoop it off. If we had a big load I would also pull the otherside off and drop the tailgate and scoop off all three sides. we also used the tarp system on this truck. It took longer to drop the sides than to unload.

A dump bed would still be my first choice. :)

Has anyone seen a trailer with a side dump box in front and room for equipment in the back, or visa-versa?

[Eric ELM]

I have unloaded leaves like TotalLawn said.

l\
l -\
l --\
L__ \___________________

We used to unload silage like that at cutting time on the farm too. Used another tractor to pull it out. I built something like this in a pull behind vac on a trailer, but it was light enough, I could pull this out by myself and it was quick.

[ECHOTURF]

Thanks for the help.............:blob3:

SUMMARY / OVERVIEW

I never thought of MowEd's idea of using a tarp in a way he explains! Have the tarp roll the load out instead of pulling all the weight at once......HMMMMMMM

TotalLawn has my idea going but I still like the winch added to it incase I don't have an object to tie-off to.....

I forgot to mention in my first posting how I get these leaves on my trailer.... Some people are using tarps or backing their equipment onto trucks and trailers. That's fine on small accounts..... On large accounts I prefer to get my entire FALL or SPRING clean up done in one shot. Not load up the trailer or truck and make a run.... Too much time wasted and meantime leaves blowing around the property which you just clean up!!!!!!!!!
What I do is run around with the blower a section at a time. Hop on the mower and clean up the area, dump and keep going. I try to make no more then two large piles and off to the next account.
Once I have all my clean ups done, I come back with the trailer and attach my collection system to it. I put a 10' hose on it and run the discharge hose to the trailer. It takes awhile to get the piles cleaned up but by the time the leaves hit the trailer, they are mulched 3 times! I also try to place my leaf piles in places which are hidden so there not a sore spot until I come back. If it rains, it only takes a couple days for them to dry out so this system to me works pretty good. I only have a 5.5 HP collection unit but eventually I'd like to get a BILLY GOAT system which runs a 11 HP and 3 times the suction! This unit I would solely dedicate to the trailer. These systems run around $1600.00 and work like a dream!

OK..Back to our topic……………..
A person has to look at costs here for sure..... A tarp and some type of cable/rope system on a crank (hand boat winch?) could work... I would have to place the crank on top in the back of the trailer, mounted to something strong enough and the roller would have to allow the tarp to roll onto it in order to get the whole load off. Not a whole lot of cost here but how well will it work???

TotalLawn and the idea of a push system seems like the way I want to go but how much to build??? I know how to weld and could probably find the metal I need but is it all worth it? Also, it would seem better to place a winch in back somewhere on the trailer instead of the front.....Where do you put a winch on the back of a Dove Tail trailer??? Underneath or does it matter...

Everyone gave me some kind of idea and I'll take this forum with me to the shop! I have all winter to figure out what I’m going to do and will let everyone know what I use and how it works out.

Rich D.
Ideal Green

[ECHOTURF]

GroundsKeeper……
I have not seen a trailer which performs two functions like you describe but here’s a couple ideas… Get a tandem trailer, modify it by taking ¼ of the front end, weld up a dump box which dumps out the side.??? You could use hydraulics or a post with a heavy duty pulley on top to lift it.
I have also seen a guy take 1/3 of the left side of his tandem, run a frame down it front to back and put chicken wire on it. He had his clean up material in one side and his equipment on the other… Looked pretty slick! However, he used a pitch fork to unload his material........Again, too much manual labor!!!

Everyone here must think I'm one lazy person by now, but don't get me wrong! I see 60+ year old people doing lawn care and I know darn well I'm not going to be in the shape I'm in now in another 30 years. ERGONOMICS - Adapt the work place to the person, not the person to the work place.

Rich D.
Ideal Green

[GreenQuest Lawn]

Here is my "state of the art" leaf unloading system.


http://www.maxtool.com/index_images/la3422.gif

[LAWNGODFATHER]

Todd and we thought that you just majically got them off.

No shovel for me.

Here is how I do it (http://www.geocities.com/lawngodfather/Equipment_.html)

[southside]

An electrically operated hydraulic ram in front of a push or packer blade would work well. That is the basic principle behind garbage trucks over here,and it works well.

[ECHOTURF]

http://www.idealgreen.com/112_1277.JPG

[MOW ED]

Nice setup! I know one thing is for sure, the leaves will fall. That will make some money for us since the grass sure ain't growing.

[DRM Ventures]

www.stealthdumptruck.com (seems much heavier than the Northern version)
www.dump-pro.com (might be OK for leaves)

Personally.....I haul very little leaves and what I do haul I blow off the trailer with my Shindiawa BP blower......

Derek

[topsites]

One solution is to charge more to haul them away.

Hate leaves, hate hauling them even more.

[topsites]

Todd and we thought that you just majically got them off.

No shovel for me.

Here is how I do it (http://www.geocities.com/lawngodfather/Equipment_.html)

Yeah well I'm impressed with your majik as well, see:

404 - Sorry, the page you requested was not found.

[mkwl]

I use a pitckfork to unload my 5'x10' trailer. I can tilt it, and unload all the leaves out of it in about 10 minutes. So far, this method is working very well.