how do you pick up leaves?

[turbo5560]

Around here most people use truck loaders to get rid of leaves from a property. I was wondering if anyone does something different? maybe uses some type of equipment like a city might use to get rid of leaves at the curb.

If you use a truck type loader I would like to know what brand and how big it is and your thoughts on your unit. We bought a 16hp little wonder last year... does it work? yes. Is it effecient, i doubt it. We are making it work, but it just takes too long! Should I invest in a bigger model?

Thanks in advance!

[ClassicLawnCareInc]

We use a John Deere 2305 compact tractor( the smallest compact they make), and have a 3 point hitch trac-vac unit on the back. We cut up the leaves with our 54 inch deck and gator blades, then it goes up a large tube and into a metal auger and then into (2) 50 gallon barrels. It has its own 6.5 hp motor to turn the auger and for sucking up the leaves. It does a great job I love it. This is the third season of me using it.

[thisismurph]

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[Mowbizz]

Originally Posted by turbo5560

Around here most people use truck loaders to get rid of leaves from a property. I was wondering if anyone does something different? maybe uses some type of equipment like a city might use to get rid of leaves at the curb.

If you use a truck type loader I would like to know what brand and how big it is and your thoughts on your unit. We bought a 16hp little wonder last year... does it work? yes. Is it effecient, i doubt it. We are making it work, but it just takes too long! Should I invest in a bigger model?

Thanks in advance!

16 HP Lesco loader here and it's the balls...makes short work of leaves for me...don't know what you're doing wrong to say it's not efficient...
Of course if you want to spend $100k (or more) on a leaf machine like they use in the cities...i guess that would be a time saver

[DLAWNS]

Our basic setup and method is to blow the leaves out of the beds, off the curb lines, and the perimeters, then we suck them up with a 52" Toro Z w/ a bagger and an Exmark Navigator. Then we dump the chopped up leaves in the road and one guy sucks them up with our Billy Goat 18 HP Vanguard leaf vac, while the other guy is doing any touch ups to the yard. This works for us and seems to be the most efficient way for us.

[grassman177]

yup, we do that too, did you see our leaf loader machine/trailer. it is great and you can pick up a curb line in like 10-15 min tops. 27hp and 12in tube. 10 cubic yard dump trailer. i got pics of it on here somewhere

[jtkplc]

First we blow out beds, perimeter, etc. Then we start blowing the leafs toward the truck. Once we get a windrow started we push the piles with the mowers. Then while one guy is sucking up with the 18hp Billy Goat, the other is bagging the lawn. Works awesome, very efficient.

[DLAWNS]

Originally Posted by grassman177

yup, we do that too, did you see our leaf loader machine/trailer. it is great and you can pick up a curb line in like 10-15 min tops. 27hp and 12in tube. 10 cubic yard dump trailer. i got pics of it on here somewhere

Yeah that thing looked pretty serious!

[lawnprosteveo]

Ive tried picking up leaves about every way I can think of. Rake and bag, rake and tarp, blower and tarp, bagging mower, mulching mower.....
This year I finally invested in a leaf loader. Billy Goat with a 16hp Vanguard. Its made life way easier! Also picked up a Shindaiwa EB802. Its great!

Next on the wish list is a dump insert, vac kit for my Toro Z, maybe a leaf plow, and a wheeled blower.

Theres so many different ways to do it...I just prefer the ones that cost the $$$$$$$$$$.

[turbo5560]

ya we do basically the same thing... the biggest thing is that we use the leaf plow to get them to the road and they get so packed together that it makes it hard to suck them up without fluffing them back up again. It also doesn't do good with wet leaves. it's awesome for dry fluffed leaves... but thats like asking for every snow storm to be 3 inches of light fluffy snow and having it be done by midnite... it just doesn't happen every place and i want to make picking up leaves faster.