Efficient way of removing leaves from beds?? Help please

[stickleylawncare]

I was not a big fan of the hand help vacuums, if we need to clean up a lot of leaves from beds we use the house attachment on the Billy goat lawn vac.

[Florida Gardener]

Originally Posted by stickleylawncare

I was not a big fan of the hand help vacuums, if we need to clean up a lot of leaves from beds we use the house attachment on the Billy goat lawn vac.

OK, just looked up the billy goat and now am contemplating buying one.

1.) IS it too powerful where it will suck mulch or sensitive plants?
2.) How heavy is it? Could I easily lift it into the back of my truck?
3.) How much did you pay for yours?

[billslawn89]

diamond, how big of an area are you talking about

[Florida Gardener]

Originally Posted by billslawn89

diamond, how big of an area are you talking about

its not a wide open area, just a lot of beds that have tight spots where using a blower and raking are pointless and only get up maybe 20% of the leaves.....I can also use whatever I get on other properties for sure.

[billslawn89]

ya, just figure out which piece of equipment you get to do this and can it be used else where. When I first started some 20 years ago, I bought one of those crapsman vacuums like the billy goat with the hose attachment on it and it didn't work for my situation. It was easier to just blow the leaves from the beds into the lawn and use the mower, so that piece of equipment just sat in the barn until I sold it. Thats why I suggested the hand held vac. Sorta same situation. You know your situation so you'd pick the right one. Good Luck and let us know what you got!

[Florida Gardener]

Originally Posted by billslawn89

ya, just figure out which piece of equipment you get to do this and can it be used else where. When I first started some 20 years ago, I bought one of those crapsman vacuums like the billy goat with the hose attachment on it and it didn't work for my situation. It was easier to just blow the leaves from the beds into the lawn and use the mower, so that piece of equipment just sat in the barn until I sold it. Thats why I suggested the hand held vac. Sorta same situation. You know your situation so you'd pick the right one. Good Luck and let us know what you got!

Yea, I def. want something good. I need to shed time off this property and the leaves eat up a good amount of time. When I say a lot of leaves, it is a lot of leaves. There is a 80-100' tree right next to the property that is almost done shedding so you can imagine all the leaves. Plus, the awabuki, hibiscus, big fichus trees,etc. shed all the time.

I also have other properties with live and laurel oaks that are shedding like crazy right now. It is def. a tool that will get a lot of use.

[Keith]

How do Billy Goat or similar vacs do on getting oak leaves up off of St Augustine? I've never used one, and I don't think I ever remember seeing one used.

[Florida Gardener]

Originally Posted by Keith

How do Billy Goat or similar vacs do on getting oak leaves up off of St Augustine? I've never used one, and I don't think I ever remember seeing one used.

That's a good question. Hopefully someone will chime in. The more i think about it, the more im leaning towards buying the billy goat. Just on this one property will be worth it. There are that many leaves.

[stickleylawncare]

Other than being insanely loud and dusty, I love the billy goat lawn vacs.. especially for oak leaves. Most other leaves, once they are dry ar epretty easy to just obliterate with the mulch kit but oak leaves don't budge, or get chopped up much. The same holds true for oak leaves in the billy goat, it sucks them up just fine, they just aren't going to be reduced down in size as much. The newer models are much easier to adjust; move the main nuzzle higher or lower to the ground.

On properties you maintain on a regular schedule, it might take an extra pass or going slower, but it still sucks the leaves right up. On properties where they have been neglected and really compressed into the SA grass, sometimes it easier/faster to blow them to a hard surface then suck them right now.

The billy goat has made our leaf clean up so much faster, it has really helped us sell the yearly contracts. When people ask what they are getting for their money in the winter months, the leaf clean up is part of it and now is almost effortless. As the mowing turns to every other or every three weeks, we have a separate trailer ( our old open trailer) with just two billy goats and some higher sides to hold in the leaves. We just dump/compost what we collect back at our house.

[GreenT]

Originally Posted by Keith

How do Billy Goat or similar vacs do on getting oak leaves up off of St Augustine? I've never used one, and I don't think I ever remember seeing one used.

I don't vac leaves at any of our properties but I do use this on mine.

Other than an occasional lump of spanish moss clogging up the brushes, it works fine and it's easy to use.

.