Sweeper v. tow behind vacuum?

[CodeMonkey]

My clearing of brush last year with a dozer worked pretty well - I now have about 4 acres of 'lawn' (mostly green undergrowth, much of it not grass but something else that grew and is green), much of it under thinned tall fir trees, that I want to mow, but not with the flail mower, rather with the sickle bar mower as it will be much faster and less effort.

I do not want to leave the 'grass'/etc. just laying there though as it will turn brown. OTOH I don't want to go around and rake it all up by hand, and I don't think a hay rake will work well either. A sweeper attachment might be able to windrow it enough to collect it somehow and a sweeper would be good for my driveway with collects lots of tree litter over the winter (grass and moss grows under that litter and is a yearly PITA to clean up with a power washer).

A tow behind lawn power 'vacuum' that bags it up would be more convenient and cleaner, but not as versatile as the sweeper which would also work for snow and other debris.

Thoughts on the pros and cons?

TIA

 

[mark02tj]

Wouldn't it be less effort, overall, to just mow it with the flail? I don't own one, but doesn't a flail pretty much chew up all the grass and just leaves small clippings?

I would think that by the time you cut it with the sickle bar and then went back and put it into windrows and then picked up the stuff in the windrows, that it would be much easier to go over the area once with the flail rather than 3 times the other way.

But, maybe I'm missing something.....?

 

[ottawarob]

Wouldn't it be less effort, overall, to just mow it with the flail? I don't own one, but doesn't a flail pretty much chew up all the grass and just leaves small clippings?

I would think that by the time you cut it with the sickle bar and then went back and put it into windrows and then picked up the stuff in the windrows, that it would be much easier to go over the area once with the flail rather than 3 times the other way.

But, maybe I'm missing something.....?

I was thinking that as well.

To be honest, what's wrong with leaving it where it falls with the sickle? If it's a big area... just let it compost and throw some grass seed down?

 

[Industrial Toys]

I have a tow behind (honda powered) Smyth sweeper with collection bin that I use if I have left the house grass too long and have cut grass clippings to pick up. The hopper gets full fairly quickly and it's a bother to keep having to empty it. Also have a 3PH Broom.

I don't think either of those would work for grass high enough to cut with a sickle mower. And I am pretty sure a vaccume would not work either. Maybe one of those miniature balers although I'm guessing they are expensive.

I have a FORD 917 Fine cut flail mower that I have not used in twenty years. That would do a dandy, fairly quick job. It also levels and distributes the clippings nicely as fertilizer.

 

[Coyote machine]

My clearing of brush last year with a dozer worked pretty well - I now have about 4 acres of 'lawn' (mostly green undergrowth, much of it not grass but something else that grew and is green), much of it under thinned tall fir trees, that I want to mow, but not with the flail mower, rather with the sickle bar mower as it will be much faster and less effort.

I do not want to leave the 'grass'/etc. just laying there though as it will turn brown. OTOH I don't want to go around and rake it all up by hand, and I don't think a hay rake will work well either. A sweeper attachment might be able to windrow it enough to collect it somehow and a sweeper would be good for my driveway with collects lots of tree litter over the winter (grass and moss grows under that litter and is a yearly PITA to clean up with a power washer).

A tow behind lawn power 'vacuum' that bags it up would be more convenient and cleaner, but not as versatile as the sweeper which would also work for snow and other debris.

Thoughts on the pros and cons?

TIA

What height can you cut with the sickle bar, at an absolute minimum? Though, as you say it might be faster than with your flail, you have then created, by your description, more work in the cleanup phase, and more expense if you have to buy more equipment, no?
Seems your best bet is to simplify, and cut once and leave it. If you cut often enough and time it right the clippings will serve as nutrients for your field 'lawn', no?
Unless your brain is in 'justify more equipment mode', (which we all suffer from)- then simplest is bestest!

 

[CodeMonkey]

When cut with the flail, or anything for that matter, but including flail, large clumps of grass and other growth get left behind because this time of year the grass/greenery can grow a foot in 2 weeks. The clumps of greenery turn brown and it looks poor. The idea is that in a couple of years I will be selling this place and the year I try to sell it I want it to look perfect, like a park.

I leveled and cleared the brush so it would not take every summer weekend I have just to keep it under control. I want to get it done in one weekend in the spring and then do it again in autumn before the fall/winter rains start.

If I leave it alone then bad stuff starts to take over it is a true PITA to get it back under control and the undergrowth becomes a fire hazard (especially this year when there is logging and slash pile burning going on).

 

[CodeMonkey]

What height can you cut with the sickle bar, at an absolute minimum? Though, as you say it might be faster than with your flail, you have then created, by your description, more work in the cleanup phase, and more expense if you have to buy more equipment, no?
Seems your best bet is to simplify, and cut once and leave it. If you cut often enough and time it right the clippings will serve as nutrients for your field 'lawn', no?
Unless your brain is in 'justify more equipment mode', (which we all suffer from)- then simplest is bestest!

The sickle bar can cut higher or lower, but IMO it is about the same relative height as the flail mower - but it is a LOT faster to cut because it is at least twice as wide as the flail mower and can run at a faster walking pace.