Leaf Loader and Leaf Weight

[Deererunner]

So I'm buying a new truck loader within the next month to start preparing for Fall Cleanups. Was just quoted earlier today on Little Wonder, Billy Goat, Monster and Giant Vac. Was actually able to look at the Little Wonder in person and like what I saw.

I've narrowed it down to either the Little Wonder(18HP) or Billy Goat(18HP). The Billy Goat is about 400 cheaper, in some cases cheaper isn't always better. I would go with a bigger unit but the money isn't gong to be there once I purchase my new F350 stake body.

From your experiences, would you prefer one over the other?

Have you had any flaws with either brand?

Any pros or Cons with either machine?

Any other info on the machines would be useful...
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My other question is, in the past, I have always subbed out the removal of leaves from properties but this year I will be doing it myself.

Roughly how much does 1 cu.yd. of shredded leaves weight? Dry, wet and combo of both..

[Kelly's Landscaping]

They weight allot more then people like to pretend. Top soil is about 2000 pounds a yard and my gmc struggles but can lift 3 yards of that. Yet iv had it refuse to lift the leaf box that holds 16 cubic yards and its never that full so 12-14 yards. So wet leaves can easily be 500 pounds a yard and if your in a weak sparse yard you may be sucking up a lot of dirt sand and mud with that so it could be a lot more. There is a reason I switched to ram 4500s the 350/3500s are pushed to and beyond their limits when it comes to full leaf boxes.

[jrs.landscaping]

We use a Billy Goat, we've had it for over 5 years. When figuring out weight, don't forget the weight of your debris box. We got lucky and bought a fiberglass one at auction for short money. So that adds something else to think about.

[Puddle of Oil]

Originally Posted by Kelly's Landscaping

They weight allot more then people like to pretend. Top soil is about 2000 pounds a yard and my gmc struggles but can lift 3 yards of that. Yet iv had it refuse to lift the leaf box that holds 16 cubic yards and its never that full so 12-14 yards. So wet leaves can easily be 500 pounds a yard and if your in a weak sparse yard you may be sucking up a lot of dirt sand and mud with that so it could be a lot more. There is a reason I switched to ram 4500s the 350/3500s are pushed to and beyond their limits when it comes to full leaf boxes.

Why not just bump up to a 5500/550?

[Kelly's Landscaping]

Originally Posted by Puddle of Oil

Why not just bump up to a 5500/550?

Because 16000 gvw was enough for our needs. Bottom line is you should buy a truck that fits your requirements in our case a 3500 would cover most of our needs. But not all where as a 4500 covered all of our needs so why bump up an additional class for an additional 10,000 dollars and up the regulations we have to deal with as well.

[tinkerlawn]

We bought our first 18hp billy goat last year and had minimal problems with it. Would highly recommend going with the electric start as there were some bitter cold mornings that would have been a pain to pull start. We left an easy access point to the discharge chute before it went into the box to make it easy to clear any clogs that form in the chute.

[Deererunner]

Originally Posted by Kelly's Landscaping

They weight allot more then people like to pretend. Top soil is about 2000 pounds a yard and my gmc struggles but can lift 3 yards of that. Yet iv had it refuse to lift the leaf box that holds 16 cubic yards and its never that full so 12-14 yards. So wet leaves can easily be 500 pounds a yard and if your in a weak sparse yard you may be sucking up a lot of dirt sand and mud with that so it could be a lot more. There is a reason I switched to ram 4500s the 350/3500s are pushed to and beyond their limits when it comes to full leaf boxes.

Ok, so I am assuming that you had a 16 cubic yard leaf box in a gmc 3500 (am I correct) also assuming it was an 8' bed with a dump insert with a max lifting capacity of 6k (correct again?). So with wet leaves and a good mess of sand and what not, you box was holding anywhere near to 6-7k maxed out (right)? If all that is correct with what your saying, I'm getting a pretty good idea then with average weights of the leaves.

Assuming that completely dry leaves with little to no sand/sticks could weight as little as 250 pounds a cubic yard, maybe even thinking a little less. (sound about right?)

appreciate the input everyone, keep the comments comments!

[Deererunner]

Originally Posted by tinkerlawn

We bought our first 18hp billy goat last year and had minimal problems with it. Would highly recommend going with the electric start as there were some bitter cold mornings that would have been a pain to pull start. We left an easy access point to the discharge chute before it went into the box to make it easy to clear any clogs that form in the chute.

You mentioned you at minimal problems with your new billy goat, what kind of problems did you have with it? Was it with how the tube actually connects to the machine, that connection looks really weak to me and concerns me. I feel that it could potentially slip off or reduce suction due to not being a completely snug fit. Would love to know exactly what little problems you had.

[jrs.landscaping]

Originally Posted by Deererunner

You mentioned you at minimal problems with your new billy goat, what kind of problems did you have with it? Was it with how the tube actually connects to the machine, that connection looks really weak to me and concerns me. I feel that it could potentially slip off or reduce suction due to not being a completely snug fit. Would love to know exactly what little problems you had.

We had problems with connecting rods right after we bought ours, our dealer fixed it for only the cost of parts and we have had no problems since. Also the hose connection is strong enough to stay on but easy enough to remove in case it gets plugged with debris. As for the weight of leaves dry or wet you will always have sticks and sand/loam mixed in so weight will vary. I think Kelly's had an accurate post, we use our 450 instead of our 350 for the reasons he mentioned.

[Kelly's Landscaping]

Originally Posted by Deererunner

Ok, so I am assuming that you had a 16 cubic yard leaf box in a gmc 3500 (am I correct) also assuming it was an 8' bed with a dump insert with a max lifting capacity of 6k (correct again?). So with wet leaves and a good mess of sand and what not, you box was holding anywhere near to 6-7k maxed out (right)? If all that is correct with what your saying, I'm getting a pretty good idea then with average weights of the leaves.

Assuming that completely dry leaves with little to no sand/sticks could weight as little as 250 pounds a cubic yard, maybe even thinking a little less. (sound about right?)

appreciate the input everyone, keep the comments comments!

Umm noo your wrong about almost everything there. Its not a pick up its a dump truck the beds 11ft by 7 ft. As for the lifting capacity who knows its a 23 year old truck.