Stick Removal

[TimberXX]

I have a bunch of old growth trees that drop hundreds of sticks every wind Storm. I've been picking them up manually with the kids. It's a 4 hour job.

I need a better solution, but can't figure the right tool. I'm thinking:

Take a used walk behind leaf blower and build an adapter for my Deere quick hitch. I have no idea how many horse power is needed.

PTO blower, which at $4000 plus isn't an alternative

Front mount sweeper, but I havent heard they can removal small sticks

Any other thoughts?

 

[jyoutz]

Research 3ph pine straw rake.

 

[jfsawatzky]

Have you considered a landscape rake?

 

[jaxs]

Circumstances surrounding trees, what tools you already own and how much you can afford to spend will help determine "best"solution.
Have you determined why sticks fall? Have you checked for twig girdlers?

 

[jeff9366]

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

 

[dieselscout80]

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

I use my flail mower and it works too.

 

[oosik]

I use my JD 750 riding mower. Sticks, twigs & pine needles. All blown together into rows. Gathered up with a manual lawn rake - put in a wheelbarrow - then to the trash pile.

 

[TimberXX]

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!

 

[Carl_NH]

I pick up the big ones 1" and up in early spring then thatch the yard with this the pick up the few piles with a 48: dethacher behind my cub cadet then vacuum with the trac vac

During the mowing season I mulch them if they are small.

 

[newbury]

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.

 

[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.