So my Craftsman walk behind leaf vacuum / mulcher finally bit the dust. The engine is kaput as evidenced by air blowing out the oil tube as I checked engine compression. I loved that thing, it shredded the leaves (as long as they were dry) into a very fine mulch. I am looking for a new one (or I may just buy a new engine, but the unit is quite old) and really want something that shreds the leaves just as well. This thing probably had a 20:1 reduction ratio as the end product had bits no bigger than a pinkie nail. Watcha got?
My Honda mower is a mulching machine. It's an HRX217 model. You have 10 different selections on the bag vs mulch settings. I typically mow with it at ~50% bag/mulch, but for leaves, I set it at 90 or 100% mulch; works great!
Someone had mentioned this model, it may have been you, it has been flawless in all those years. it even got flooded in the hurricane 2 years ago, and still is going strong. Strongly recommend the Honda and it's self-propelled, which has been a key for me. If this thing was to ever die, I would probably get something a little wider, as i'm on the border of 1 hour in mowing time
I have that Honda and while great, it is not up to the task of collecting and mulching leaves due to lack of capacity. Pausing every 20' to empty the bag is too much.
Toro Timemaster is one of the best purchases I’ve made. I have 3 big trees that dump a ton of leaves, it used to take so much time to rake and bag all of it, but I haven’t touched a rake since I bought this mower, I just mulch everything. It’s 30” so it saves time during the summer too when I have to mow 2-3 times per week.
That house needs some fruit trees...as a matter of fact I think every house needs some fruit trees. What grows well in your area?
Not a damn thing. You see that pin oak in the front? It's at least 10 years old. I have no doubt that I could go out right now and uproot it with a shoulder shove. I take it back. The few trees we do have are those godforsaken Bradford pears. Those things will grow in anything apparently. The soil is black clay with incredibly tiny particles. It forms an almost impenetrable barrier to root development. After three years of tilling in organics, I'm finally able to get a decent cantaloupe harvest, but the watermelon will rot before the flesh gets pink. The plant just can't get nutrients to the fruit. I tried a couple of peach trees and they straight died within a year. The watermelon did provide some good entertainment, though...
It might have been me. I'm a big fan of the mower (as much as one can like their mower). I was a little hesitant to drop the money on it several years ago, as the "comparable" Toro and Snapper models were hundreds less. I, too, wish it was a wider cut, but it's fine for now. Ideally I'd like to have this same model in a 30" cut, but so be it; this just means I walk a bit more.
Unless the leaves get too thick, I just mulch them. If they do get heavy, I'll rake. It's decent exercise for my shoulders, lol, plus it makes the yard look a lot cleaner.
you could probably pickup a 22" wide Toro with a 7hp engine & self propelled front drive for <$140 on CL or marketplace. Fit it with a proper mulch blade like this for about $35 Ive purchased them in the past for rentals with yards and despite the utter ignorance of the tenants they can't seem to break them.
Uggh! Leaf season! The worst season of the year. I rake and haul 10 to 12 packed truck loads from the yard back into the woods. I used to burn them until I almost set the woods on fire. I freakin' hate leaf season! I'd pay a small fortune for some sort of biological chemical that would dissolve them in place.
One of these things is the bees knees. I'll never rake again. They have a walk behind version if you dont have a lawn tractor.
How many acres do you have to cover? I have a DR tow behind leaf vac that works well after I made some new parts for it, replaced the cheap vac hose and clamps and safety wired the little engine to keep it from falling off its mounts. For a couple acres or less, it is probably too much.
I had to google it. Dang didn’t even know they made these. We had 1/3 acre that I raked as a kid, this would have knocked that out quickly. Lolol https://www.drpower.com/Power-Equipment/Leaf-Blowers-&-Vacuums/Tow-Behind-Leaf-Vacs-/-DR-Leaf-and-Lawn-Vacuum-/p/LL37060DEN?gsa=true&ctm_id=LL37060DEN&src=AW1CA89XE4263309&gclid=Cj0KCQjwmvSoBhDOARIsAK6aV7hBZTSdAyS7OVVAxRMY4PBkWFQYz9r2jeDmqkIskpCKg9VY5zQIx3waAg3kEALw_wcB
My back yard is 1/3 to 1/2 acre. Front yard is the same. I have a ton of hardwoods and big pines. Two years ago I bought a tow behind DR used from Marketplace after thinking about it for years. Just doing the back yard fills the DR two to three times every time I do leaves (usually have to do it about four times a season). When I would use my riding mower with bagger I could make two passes across the yard before I needed to empty the bags. The DR makes a huge difference. They also do walk behinds for smaller properties.
Related Q: I'm about to have the residential property here overhauled ... and there are tons of pine needles to be collected. I thought about starting a compost pile for use in a future garden. But where do I find nitrogen to maintain the 30:1 C:N ratio? Then I thought of this ... Workable? Economically viable? How do I calculate the amount needed per ft^3 of pine needles?
Pine needles suck for composting. They take forever to break down and make a great place for mosquitoes to nest when they are all wet.
