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mainiak1
Join Date: Jul 2003
Posts: 22 Maine
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2003-09-22          64510


Does anyone own or have used these lawn vacuums they sell? Do they work well, save time?



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Art White
Join Date: Jan 2000
Posts: 6898 Waterville New York
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2003-09-22          64512


I prefer the trailer units as you don't always need them and they are the easiest to take on and off. They also go from one tractor to the other with just buying the boot for the deck. The capacity is large enough on them to haul a good load so you don't need to spend all your time unloading. ....


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drcjv.
Join Date: Jul 2003
Posts: 334 southeastern pa
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2003-09-22          64568


I have an Agri-Fab 5hp lawn vac. It is a tow behind I use with a John Deere G100 Garden tractor. This thing is great I have 4 ac. with many trees and leaves It makes leaf clean up much easier. While the leaves are falling I just continue cutting the grass on a weekly basis picking up a weeks worth of leaves at a time this way they are never to heavy. There is almost no raking. In the flower beds I use the hose attachment. ....


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itsgottobegreen
Join Date: Oct 2003
Posts: 329 Mt. Airy, MD
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2003-10-18          66534


I have a john deere toro craftsman lawn vac. I got a craftsman lawn vac for a 18 cu ft cart for free. Witch i modifited to a toro 24 cu ft cart. Then made a mounting bracket for the fan and motor to fit on the back of my JD 214. Works real well. When i get a chance i post some pictures. ....


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ChuckT
Join Date: Feb 2004
Posts: 8 East Central Fla.
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2004-04-12          82880


We have a Cyclone rake that we use with a Craftsman 46" Garden tractor. For Oak leaves (they fall in Florida about 3x a year) it is sensational! BUT I always use it with an old set of blades - the Florida sand will eat a set in no time flat!

cvt ....


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Murf
Join Date: Dec 1999
Posts: 7249 Toronto Area, Ontario, Canada
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2004-04-13          82929


We run the trailer type as Art mentioned, but for different reasons, mostly in our case capacity.

Our units are also not, stricly speaking, vacuums either, they are blowers. The adapter covers the machines discharge chute and then there is a blower unit which forces the debris, now mulched by the blades, into a trailer-mounted bin. In our case we use a second machine to bring empty trailers to the collection machine along the way then hual away the full one. Mind you we also have to do more acreage in an hour than most homeowners need to in a season.

Blowers can develop far more energy than a vacuum can on an equal horsepower comparison, in a homeowner situation this means you can do a LOT more work with the same power.

As for time savings, one machine equipped with a high-velocity 3pth-mounted blower to wind-row the leaves and two machines picking them up and a fourth machine running relay exchanging full trailers for empty ones can clear 6+ acres an hour pretty dependably.

Best of luck. ....


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grinder
Join Date: Oct 2003
Posts: 677 central Maine
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2004-04-15          83163


Murf
What are your thoughts on mulching for the avg. 4ac site half lawn /maple trees. ....


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Murf
Join Date: Dec 1999
Posts: 7249 Toronto Area, Ontario, Canada
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2004-04-15          83185


Grinder, if you mean mulching without collection, I wouldn't recommend it.

The Maple leaves will take too long to decompose unless you can get them REALLY fine and even then you run the risk of preventing more air and moisture from reaching the roots than the good they will do decomposing there.

For the average situation like yours I always recommend collecting the grass & leaves and composting it in a proper composter, sized properly for the volume generated. Then first thing in the spring dethatch the lawn, aerate, fertilize & over-seed (if required) and then top-dress the lawn with last years compost.

Using this method you will get the best of both worlds. The lawn will be able to absorb air, water and nutrients while not being choked with decomposing material. The compost only arrives after it's at the right stage, rich black gold which the lawn can immediately begin to use.

In just a few years of doing this you should have a thick rich lawn with very few weeds.

Best of luck. ....


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grinder
Join Date: Oct 2003
Posts: 677 central Maine
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2004-04-16          83268


Thanks Murf
What can I use to top dress? I saw a push machine at a show
but no name? Made in Canada.
I have areas that I did not get enough loam on the first time,now I have spotty grass,can I add to my base by topdressing? Seed it first?
Would appreciate some of your grass growing expertise. ....


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Murf
Join Date: Dec 1999
Posts: 7249 Toronto Area, Ontario, Canada
TractorPoint Premium Member -- 5 Tractors = Very Frequent Poster  View my Photos  Pics

2004-04-16          83286


Grinder, there are many ways to topdress, none of them are 'wrong', some are just less expensive, or less work.

If you don't have a huge area to do, such as spot treatment like you mentioned, a shovel works fine. It may take a few shovelfulls to get the hang of it but basically get a bucket full of really loose material, loose is the key, picking it up and slowly dumping it several times will help, then with the bucket at waist level (to save your back) take a 1/2 scoop and sort of fling it sideways over the area, distributing it as best you can.

If you have huge areas to do, like the whole lawn, they make 'topdressers' (see my pic. # 16) which are usually much like a manure spreader only instead of a beater bar at the back they have a broom like a power sweeper, this brush casts a fine spray of topsoil, sand or whatever you want to spread. They are expensive, but some places, turf supply or turf equip. dealers, will rent them. Some turf operations will come and do it for a fee with their equipment.

If you have REALLY fine topsoil, and it's very dry, a 3pth fertilizer spreader will do it, but it can be a real pain sometimes. Check the bigger rental houses near you.

If you are adding less than 1/2" seed first, it's less work, just don't bury the seed deeper than that or you won't get much germination.

We topdress 1/4" twice a year, every year on some properties, the existing grass just keeps coming up with the soil levels.

Best of luck.

....


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