what implement do i need?

[crawdad]

i have a bx-22 on 3 acres of mostly lawn and old trees, that drop loads of
branches every winter.
i am looking for an attachment that would collect all the twigs,branches etc.as i drive around the yard.
do i want a landscape rake? i feel that it could also tear up the yard.
what other attachments would be useful for collecting debris. the old hand rake and picking up
by hand just isn't cutting it.takes too much time.
i am also tight for cash.so i will only be able to afford one attachment this year and i will
be buying a used piece of equipment.
if you could give me some ideas of the pros and cons of the different attachments i may consider
that would be helpful.
thanks
scott

 

[DocHeb]

I would recommend a vacuum attachment that pulls from your MMM and shoots output to a small tow-behind trailer. You would have to do a walk through to remove non "MMM-able" branches, and then let the MMM/vacuum work on the leaves and the smaller sticks.

One could be home-made with a small trailer and a blower unit. The thread that comes to mind is Homemade Leaf Vacuum.

A landscape rake would pull larger sticks, but you are correct in assuming that a rake can be quite rough on a finished yard. The rake really doesn't differentiate between lawn and sticks. Gauge wheels on a landscape rake might help, but I think the MMM/vacuum solution would work better than a rake.

 

[greg_g]

Simple is best. Landscape rake with gauge wheels probably won't cost more than a glorified Hoover. Think also about the wear and tear you'll save on the mower, by not having to "mulch" the deadfall.

I've used height control chains on a rotary cutter to prevent scalping, and it would be a lot cheaper than gauge wheels. But I've never tried them on a landscape rake yet, so I can't vouch for the effectiveness.

//greg//

 

[Moon]

A buddy has what he calls a 'lawn sweeper'. No power to it. Just pull it behind your mower and as the wheels turn it picks up grass and debree from the yard. I've never seen the size of the sticks he picks up with it, but I know he's mentioned that it gets grass and sticks. It's very similar to the walk behind ones on the market, only you use your tractor for this one. Do a search on google for "lawn sweeper" and you'll get plenty of hits.
Moon of Ohio

 

[RickNC]

Crawdad,

You may want to use what we in the South call a "Pinestraw Rake." It looks similar to a landscape rake, but has much more flexible and less aggressive round tines. I use one ( 5-feet wide) behind a Kubota B7100 for exactly the same purpose as you wish to use one. It works great for me. It also works great to groom a gravel driveway after you grade it.

Leinbach Mfg. in Winston-Salem, NC, makes them around here, but I am sure others make them. I think mine cost < $200 a few years ago.

 

[cperky]

do you have a picture of a "Pinestraw Rake" I am very curious since I have to pick up sticks several times in the spring.

 

[Inspector507]

Here's one for behind an ATV
web page

 

[RickNC]

I don't have a picture of one, but Leinbach Manufacturing Co. has a website I think. The one illustrated for the ATV is similar to what I have except mine does not have gauge wheels, of course, since it is mounted to the 3-point hitch. Also, mine has loops in the tines to give it a little more spring and "give" if it hits a stump. Plus, the frame is a little more heavy duty than the one illustrated, but yet it probably doesn't weigh 100 punds total. It is very easy to mount.

The only problem that I really encounter is with the tines clogging with grass runners. In my area Centipede and Bermuda grasses are pretty prevalent. The runners of these grasses can clog up your rake pretty fast.

The folks at Leinbach are really helpful. If you can't find a websire for them, let me know, and I will send you the phone number.

Best of luck.

 

[cperky]

Thanks for the info guys and the link,
Looks pretty handy

Chris