Endless Leaves this year

[JCM 9,174]

Didn't think they were going to all come down before the snow started to fly this year.The 420 was pulled into the mix this year. It took 10 outings with 3 tractors and 2 broken rakes to get them under control. The 418-A with 42'' SD did the mulching and blowing them into the woods as well. Glad it's over..The raking does keep the upper body strength in check.

[953 nut 55,285]

Save those pictures for next year, calendar worthy for sure.           

[Retired Wrencher 5,464]

@JCM Do you have a blower or back pack? Much easier on the body. Nice looking tractors and your property as well.

[JCM 9,174]

Didn't see your post Gary. I just started a topic in OTHER BRANDS.      Thanks for the nice comments.

[rmaynard 15,508]

Dry weather helped to make short work of my leaves this year. We went about 30 straight days with zero precipitation. It's much easier to blow and pick up dry leaves than wet ones. And the Cyclone Rake is much happier with a lighter load. I do leaf removal once every week until they are all down. One more pick up (number 5) after Thanksgiving and I will be done for another year.

 

 

 

By the way, all those leaves that are dumped in the back of my property will turn to rich, dark dirt in about two years.

Edited Sunday at 12:22 PM by rmaynard

[Retired Wrencher 5,464]

9 minutes ago, rmaynard said:

Dry weather helped to make short work of my leaves this year. We went about 30 straight days with zero precipitation. It's much easier to blow and pick up dry leaves than wet ones. And the Cyclone Rake is much happier with a lighter load. I do leaf removal once every week until they are all down. One more pick up (number 5) after Thanksgiving and I will be done for another year.

 

 

 

By the way, all those leaves that are dumped in the back of my property will turn to rich, dark dirt in about two years.

Bob I agree when we had a good summer and fall. Easy clean up.

[ebinmaine 67,565]

We use a medium sized craftsman hand held blower as I eluded to in the other thread. 

If/when you get a blower... go BIG.  Your yard is very wide so a smaller less powerful blower will be much less user friendly. 

 

Even with a larger commercial type blower you may have to move leaves in stripes but it'll be easier than the pick-em-up put-em-down routine. 

 

 

[squonk 41,137]

Sure was nice with the dry weather. WH tub cart, HHHOOWWWAAARRRDDD!!! and my Flowtron leaf mulcher. Compost for the garden! 

 

 

@stevasaurus needs to chime in with some leaf plowing pics and video's! 

[JCM 9,174]

Funny you mention that @squonk about Steve. After the 7th outing will the battle of the leaves I remembered a video of him plowing them  Never seen that one before. Who thinks of something like that. I almost hooked up the 48'' blade !

[c-series don 8,718]

@JCM Who would think of that?! 

[clueless 3,002]

2 hours ago, JCM said:

Didn't think they were going to all come down before the snow started to fly this year.The 420 was pulled into the mix this year. It took 10 outings with 3 tractors and 2 broken rakes to get them under control. The 418-A with 42'' SD did the mulching and blowing them into the woods as well. Glad it's over..The raking does keep the upper body strength in check.

With that much area to rake, a cyclone rake is worth every penny, trust me. Hook it to the 418-A, it will eliminate your three step/three tractor process down to one step. Buy one and just do a few push ups every couple of days for the upper back.

[squonk 41,137]

 

[JCM 9,174]

Thanks @squonk,wish I had known about that tractor cover / leaf bagger. I just sold 2 Peco bagger set - ups. Who would of thought. Overall not a bad Idea. I wonder what his neighbors think of him. Just got word my longtime Dental Hygienist is retiring in December, wonder who Taryl uses ?

[c-series don 8,718]

In the 80’s when I was in the lawn care business I started a business called Leaf Releaf (spelled wrong on purpose!) I had a small Echo handheld blower, two 8hp walk behind blowers, my Work Horse GT-1800 with snowplow/dozer blade and an F-350 dump truck with a box on the back and a Giant-Vac 12” leaf vacuum mounted on a pipe hinge on the back of the truck. 
 My method was this, clean around the house and trees with the handheld blower then blow the leaves in a line with the big blower until they would pile up and start curling back at me. Then take the Work Horse and push the line to the truck mounted vacuum, or out to the road where the highway dept. would pick them up. 
 Funny thing was that I would have friends come help me for free just to push the leaves with the Work Horse!!! I remember one time I had blown a large windrow of leaves when my friend stopped by unexpectedly. I knew that in that line of leaves was a stump! However I didn’t think it was a big deal because I thought I was going to be the one pushing the line. Before I knew it, and before I could get his attention he was pushing the leaves out to the road. You know that decal that says High Fixed Objects May Not Trip Blade that is on the moldboard? Well it’s true! He hit the stump and since he was going at a good clip then stopped dead, he went over the hood and landed in the big pile of leaves he was pushing!!! I didn’t know if I should laugh or be worried that my tractor was damaged! Turned out everything was fine and we just laughed about it! It’s just one of the stories I have with my trusty Work Horse. Thanks for reading. 

[rmaynard 15,508]

My wife always volunteers to blow leaves with her E-GO blower, but I say just do the sidewalks. She tends to blow everything into piles that the Cyclone Rake can't handle when the mower height is only 2.5". I blow away from the base of trees, and flower beds. I then spread them so there are no piles.

 

I've got it down to a science.

[midpack 866]

My kids like to make big piles too, I have to remind them the mower vac doesn't like big piles and just drag them away from trees and objects I can't get close too.

I have to remind myself they're trying to be helpful and just roll with it 

[D_Mac 8,619]

I just drive over them. You are supposed to rake them ?

[stevasaurus 22,763]

This year was so dry, I didn't need the Horse this time.  Picked a day when the wind was strong and in the right direction and it was easy to blow them into the street.    But here are a few of my favorite picks...

    

 

[clueless 3,002]

18 hours ago, stevasaurus said:

This year was so dry, I didn't need the Horse this time.  Picked a day when the wind was strong and in the right direction and it was easy to blow them into the street.    But here are a few of my favorite picks...

    

 

Steve, where did you get the front hubs for the 702?

 

[stevasaurus 22,763]

@clueless  Chris, those are regular boat trailer rims, with boat trailer bearings.  Some shimming was done to make them work on the Wheel Horse spindles.  

      

 

[kpinnc 12,078]

On 11/24/2024 at 6:37 AM, JCM said:

The 420 was pulled into the mix this year.

 
I commend you for using that machine. Even with a LSE, a working tractor is a happy tractor! 

[clueless 3,002]

8 hours ago, stevasaurus said:

@clueless  Chris, those are regular boat trailer rims, with boat trailer bearings.  Some shimming was done to make them work on the Wheel Horse spindles.  

      

 

Thanks may man, going to have to get me a couple. Enjoy your Thanksgiving, I'm smoking a Turkey and a Big Boston Butt and frying a Turkey. I told my kids and the rest of the group last year I'm getting to old for this its time for you young folk to take over. Obviously they didn't listen, told the wife yesterday we are going to New Orleans next year, they can work it out, she just looked at me with that 47 years married look and said yea right.

 

[Alrashid2 171]

On 11/24/2024 at 7:19 AM, rmaynard said:

Dry weather helped to make short work of my leaves this year. We went about 30 straight days with zero precipitation. It's much easier to blow and pick up dry leaves than wet ones. And the Cyclone Rake is much happier with a lighter load. I do leaf removal once every week until they are all down. One more pick up (number 5) after Thanksgiving and I will be done for another year.

 

 

 

By the way, all those leaves that are dumped in the back of my property will turn to rich, dark dirt in about two years.

Now THAT is cool! Do you have to have a mower deck to use the Cyclone, or can it just suck up whatever is in front of it? Was curious if you could just attach to pull behind a tractor

[clueless 3,002]

39 minutes ago, Alrashid2 said:

Now THAT is cool! Do you have to have a mower deck to use the Cyclone, or can it just suck up whatever is in front of it? Was curious if you could just attach to pull behind a tractor

It connects to you side discharge deck shoot. You can buy different accessories for it 15 and 30 foot hoses that you can vacuum piles of leaves up where you can't use the tractor, you can also use them to unload the leaves in the cart and blow them were you want them. It is a bit costly, you can find them used like I did in good shape cheaper. If you have a large area, an acre or more of leave you need to take care of a couple of times a year it is the BOMB. I live in northwest Florida and we don't have near the leaf problem you guys have "upthar" but it's still worth it to me and my back, I'm 70 and a work smarter not harder guy (if you can afford it). These things are not for small residential areas (subdivisions) with trees and flowerbeds in the yard. The don't pivot on the tractor they connect straight to the tractor so you have to make WIDE turns, one of the reason why you can find them for sell, the guy buys one for his 3/4 acer  lot and after a couple of years finds it a pain in the ass to use, that's how I got mine for a good deal.

[rmaynard 15,508]

5 hours ago, Alrashid2 said:

Now THAT is cool! Do you have to have a mower deck to use the Cyclone, or can it just suck up whatever is in front of it? Was curious if you could just attach to pull behind a tractor

 

The Cyclone Rake is attached to the back of the tractor with a 42" side discharge deck. The mower cuts the leaves and the cyclone rake further chops them into small pieces. However, there is an accessory hose that allows you to pick up leaves from areas not accessible with the mower. It hooks directly to the cyclone rake. To see all the Cyclone Rakes and accessories go to: www.cyclonerake.com

 

 

Edited Tuesday at 07:41 PM by rmaynard