Loading grass clippings into your truck

[PR0 TURF]

For those of you who must haul away grass clippings from your properties what have you found to be the easiest way to get them loaded into your truck. We have Walkers and we must dump the grass on to the ground and shovel it in by hand. When the grass is wet it leaves a green stain on the road that looks like grass is still there. We've tried dumping on a tarp and throwing that in the back of the truck...but that is much much too heavy.
Just bought a large pitchfork last week to shovel the grass in...that works ok...but im still looking for a better easier method.
We also hooked up our leafvac to suck the clippings up...but that didn't quite work all that well either. Just wanted to see how you guys deal with this......

[Currier]

Around here it is all Walkers. Some make ramps from trailer into truck, others have truck loaders mounted to the trailers and simply suck it up and blow it in. I have a unit that bolts into my truck that works with hydraulics. Any way you look at it it is a pain.

[southside]

You could retro fit one of those high lift dump systems.They seem
to lift pretty high. Should dump into your truck ok,lot faster too.

[Runner]

I just dump them onto a tarp, and lift the whole tarp up when it starts reaching the point of being too heavy. Quick, and easy.

[musselman]

I bought 2 50 gallon containers from wal mart, I but them side by side and dump into them, it seprates the load and makes it easier to lift...If I ever find the time Im going to build a ramp from the trailer to the truck...or you could hire a 300LBS. brute to work for you that lift a full tarp full.

[gogetter]

Hey Pro, there is a thread on this topic that even has a photo or two of someones ramp from the truck into the trailer. I just can't think of the name of the thread. But in the photo, he's backing a Walker up the ramp to dump so you'll be able to see exactly how it's done.

Try searching under "dumping grass" or something like that. Good luck.

[dlandscaping]

a guy with a toro walker lookalike that lives next door uses a shovel to remove the grass when it is full. He just opens the latch and shovels it into his f450 with one of those large plastic shovels. He then uses a broom and shovel to get whats spilled if anything. It takes him less than a min. If you go to walkermower.com and look under walker talk i dont remember what volume it is but they have an article on how people use their walkers and clippings with pics. I think volume 11 or 17 take a look at the site.

[Doogiegh]

Just got Turf Magazine for May, 2002, browsing thru page by page after reading your message. Saw ad on page B58 for Load & Go ramps. Check out their website here,

http://www.usaramp.com/saftramp.html

Go to that page, and go down like 3/4 of the way down the page Shows a guy driving a mower from a trailer, right into the back of a pickup. Maybe you can do that tpo dump easier..

Gary

[lamblawnscaping]

We don't use riders but we do bag alot of grass. We will usually bag before double cutting on small yards. We just dump it in a pile, grab a drum liner (i think they are 55 gallon), step into it with both feet, hold the top with one hand and use the other to cram the pile of grass into the bag. It is really pretty easy and goes fast. Always dump the pile onto already cut grass. That way after you bag it us just blow the little amount that is left. If it is not a particularly nice yard we leave the bag of grass at the curb, if it is in a neighborhood that we really want more business we throw it in the stakebody.

[MOW ED]

I do it somethin like this.

[Turfdude]

We bag quite a few lawns esp. in the fall. For the walk behinds, we just use the 60 gal. Carry Barrels. They're available at a lot of locations around here even home cheapo for about $36 a piece. For you guys w/ pick-ups, you can fit at least 6 in there or sqeeze in 7. Makes unloading at day's end a lot easier than a pitch fork. For our rider, we put a tarp under 2 cans and dump the PECO catcher in. The rider has to be up on a curb for the door to swing open on the catcher. The tarp simplifies clean-up.

Bob

P.S. The "Original Carry Barrel" is even cheaper thru Bisset Supply Corp. @ 631-289-3500 - ask for Pete!

[BigJim]

Woolsacks ,Sheep do have their uses,we use empty woolsacks,$2 each from a farm supply store.Even wet grass I can throw them in with a Walker catcher full,When its dry I can toss them over the top of the trailer.You could slide them up a couple of boards if they are too heavy.The beauty of them is when you get to the dump you just roll them out the trailer and toss the grass out real quick.Also saves you covering the trailer because no grass can blow out on the way to the dump.

[FrankenScagMachines]

I think this is what you want. It is on page C6 of April 2002 Turf Mag, near the top. No webpage listed, but there IS email and phone number. In case you can't read the phone no. or email, they are:
Ph. 800-786-2301
Email allseasons@characterlink.net
Address All Seasons, 5100 Valley East Blvd., Arcata, CA 95521
Hope this will help. Or at least provide interesting viewing material and food for thought ;)
Eric

[ADLAWNCUTTERS]

i use to take the grass away ,we use to throw the clippings on a tarp then throw it into the little tipster thats it. but why ? now i just mulch it .if you cut every week and mulch it you will never have to bag .it save you time & work.:)

[theplantdoctor]

Originally posted by musselman
I bought 2 50 gallon containers from wal mart, I but them side by side and dump into them, it seprates the load and makes it easier to lift...

Exactly what we do. They fit well, under the Walker. We have been using these for quite a while now. We usually carry 4 to 6 of them, then the operator can just dump and go. Depending on how heavy they are, one or two people can carry them up the trailer and dump them into the 1-ton dump.

Ken

[KirbysLawn]

Interesting thread. I bag zero clippings, not a one. I have a bagger that is rusting beside my building that I never use. Why do you guys bag? Have you ever considered ways to avoid bagging?

[hoagie]

Well,
I bag because that is the only thing that anyone in my area will go for.... everyone bags, period. Any why would anyone want to mulch when the high end clients pay extremely well... I get $75 for a 22k sq/ft lawn, and $185 for a 44k lawn. Not too shabby, considering I dump grass and leaves for free :cool:

The method I've been using when the leaf sucker isn't available is very similar to BigJims.... they're called "lawn bags". Picked a few up at AM Leonard.com... Lesco also carries them. They come in 1 cubic yard models and are perfect for a full walker load... by myself I can just barely pick one up and put it up on the tailgate of my dumper. Nothing beats the leaf vac though.

[Got Grass?]

Spring = bag most
Summer = no bag
Fall = bag some w/ cleanups.

I use a 52" Lesco Hydro W/B w/ sulky & 19hp Kaw.
Double blades either highlift & gators or highlift & reg. lift.

Now I am bagging so I dont have to tripple or quad cut lawns.
With the rain we have had when I get to the lawns its 6inch+ high, thick & wet. Making it almost impossible to get rid of the clippings. Plus I do not want to run over the same spot multiple times. With the ground being so soggy lucky if ya dont make tracks going over once.
Haveing a max. of 2-3 days not pouring a week, good luck squeezing a full summer work week into that.
Fill up the truck every chance I get. Even the W/B metal catcher is heavy w/ the water. Usually rest it on the tailer jack then swing it into the bed.

Summer I dont bag as clippings vanish.
Fall I bag on cleanups when mulched leaves looks bad or customer requests.

[MOW ED]

Spring, bag thatch and lots of growth. Most customers will be at 3" but I have a couple with pools and they don't want clippings . Period.
Summer. Still have the pools but all else is mulched.
Fall. Growth again but mostly leaves.

I had a call today from someone with out of control growth5-6" on a 12k lawn. Bagged 50 bushels in less than an hour and also dethatched. made almost 175 for that hour and picked the customer up for weekly mow as well as 4 ferts+weed. She said its the best the lawn has ever looked.

I'll bag when necessary. For her weekly cuts we are mulching.

[lars]

Check this out http://www.walkermowers.com/index.htm1?section=walkertalk It's volume 10. One of the latest ones featured an interesting article as well. You may have to call the company or check your dealer.