peteL

Member
How do the mini wheel lawn rakes such as the ones sold in the Northern Tool catalog work on lawn clippings? Every spring I usually fail to mow the lawn in a timely manner at my future retirement home and have three weeks of lawn growth to clean up. I get a thick carpet of lawn clippings and need something to expedite the cleanup. I'am also considering a lawn sweeper to collect the grass into piles for pickup. Anybody have any experience on which is the better method?
 
Hi my brother had one he didn't like it so he gave it to his son he uses it some, I have a sweeper it picks the grass up good and can be dumped in piles, one thing about a sweeper you can't back up with them, the rake you would have to rake the row into piles to pickup.
GB in MN
 
I've had the same thing with too tall grass. After it's mowed I do sections doing rounds using the mower to blow the grass in the middle into strips ending up about 6' wide (slower rpm's the last round). I do the same thing in the fall with leaves, then bring a tarp next to the strips and rake grass or leaves onto the tarp.
 
I have had one for several years. Work somewhat. Give it a "C+". There is a learning curve as you learn to use it. Actually learn to carry it a little above the surface. There is a limit as to how much you can move before it loads up. Once you get it raked figure out how you're going to handle the window. Son has mine and it is useful to him. I'm not in a hurry for him bring it back.
 
I just bought a 42 inch lawn sweeper a month ago. I live out in the country so on one side of my acre and three quarter yard I dump the grass on a bank and shove it over with a snow plow on another tractor. On the other side I dump it in a pile and burn it. It can be pulled pretty fast and dump it with the pull of a rope
 
The mini-wheel rakes work pretty good according to a couple friends of mine that have them. Think it depends on what you are raking. Grass clippings are probably too small to rake well. Leaves, small twigs, pine cones, would rake well.

Just grass clippings is what a lawn sweeper cleans up best. I pulled a 30 inch wide Parker with a home-made hitch for close to 20 years. They work better at faster speeds than slower speeds. Mow into windrows or lands so you don't have to sweep as much area, but there is a limit to how much material they will sweep up. They work great on leaves in fall too, if you mulch them up with a mower with a blocked off discharge chute.

I finally ended up making a gas engine powered lawn vacuum to handle my fall leaves, I could blow leaves into a solid 3 ft x 4 ft x 3 ft brick instead of just getting a couple double handfulls out of the sweeper. I've used it a couple times when the grass got too tall and I had to mow. Works best to mow the grass and day or two later come back and mow/vacuum clippings.
 
I had one a few years ago, it worked quite well. I only used it in the early spring when the grass needed mowing every other day. Sold it about 3 years ago, and this year I wish I had it back because the grass needs mowing every other day again. It's so thick that I pick it up and put it around the raised bed gardens as mulch to keep the weeds down.
 
Thanks for replies. I'm going to get the lawn sweeper as I will still need to rake the windrows into piles with the rake.
 
My neighbor has a sweeper and it is very handly. Thing is his lawn is a little spars here and there. If you have a real mess may I suggest a TracVac. or an AgriFab and get it over with. Either of those machines are fantastic and pick EVERYTHING up in a nice big trailer. Had a few messes with to much rain and not enough mowing. Looked like a hay field. Go along with one of those vacuums and the lawn looks like Astro turf. If you go for a sweeper do not cheap out. Get a good one and give yourself a little time to learn how to use it. They are a lawn sweep not a commercial street sweeper.
 

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