Stick Removal

[kenmbz]

I use a trash claw for the smaller areas.
A small dethatcher, a blower and the Flail for larger areas. Most of my ground cover is fallen Ash and Tulip Poplar.
I chip the smaller stuff to act as a base for the trails around the house.

 

[chim]

Big ones get picked up and tossed in the brush pile. Anything around 1" or smaller eventually goes away via the RFM.

 

[5030]

Consider a Rotary Cutter / Bush Hog to turn twigs into mulch.

What I do with our Kentucky Coffee Trees. They drop all sorts of sticks every fall and I just mulch them up with the brush hog or the big rotary mower depending on how many and the diameter.

 

[Cycledude]

The small stuff mostly gets turned into mulch with lawn mower.
The bigger stuff I pick up manually and put it on brush pile, it’s kind of an annoying job, thankfully I don’t have anywhere near as much to pickup as you do.

 

[jfsawatzky]

Thanks for the response guys.

• I don't think its a bug, it happens all winter. But I never knew that was a thing!
• I have a landscape rake, but it tears up the lawn
• I have a flail mower, but the twings are pretty low to the ground, but I like that idea!
• Maybe the pinestraw rake is a good solution. the only issue is that I have a limited 1 pt, so it only comes up only 22 inches. those rakes look big!

I suspect you do not have wheels on your rake but the can help immensely.
For example, These ones are reasonably priced but I don’t know what modifications you might need to make to fit nor do I know the quality.

https://www.palletforks.com/tractors/3-point/landscaping-equipment/pair-of-landscape-rake-wheels/191304.html

 

[MossRoad]

... I've been picking them up manually with the kids. It's a 4 hour job.

I need a better solution...

Can the kids do it unsupervised?

Just kidding, to some extent, but when I got married and moved out of my parent's house, they bought a lawn tractor, leaf blower, snow blower, and plow for their truck. I asked why they waited so long.... "We had you!"

As others have mentioned, anything over 1/2-1" gets picked up by hand on our 1 acre of lawn. Anything under that size just gets mowed over with the finish mower and it disappears. It would get sucked into a bagger if I had one.

 

[ruffdog]

 

[MossRoad]

I wonder what that would do to a lawn?

 

[zzvyb6]

My large hickories drop twigs, branches, nuts, and nut shells. My front mount 60" broom windrows them nicely followed by my 72" front deck connected to the trailer leaf vac behind it. Collects 100% of what remains. Make nice firepit fuel.

 

[TimberXX]

First of all you don't say how much area.
But for "twigs" up to about a half inch in diameter I just mow them.
The flail mower should do the job.

its over an acre.