Chills1994 Posted November 28, 2006 Share Posted November 28, 2006 I think this is my 3rd time around raking leaves from the front and back yards this season so far. It seems like such a huge waste of time. There has to be a better/faster/more efficient way. You folks got any tips (besides burning them -- lung condition, and plunking down some serious $$ for a riding lawn mower and a tow behind vacuum doo-hickey. I mean that is $ I could spend on a gun or ammo...err..I mean Christmas presents.) The running them over with the push mower and chopping them into tiny bits kinda works, but still not as good as raking. Thanks Chills (in the metro St. L area) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Matt Cheely Posted November 28, 2006 Share Posted November 28, 2006 We have a blower that you push kinda like a lawn mower. Lots of leaves around here... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
blackdragon Posted November 28, 2006 Share Posted November 28, 2006 Got kids??? Ivan Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tightloop Posted November 28, 2006 Share Posted November 28, 2006 It is part of Nature's plan...leave them alone... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AikiDale Posted November 28, 2006 Share Posted November 28, 2006 It is part of Nature's plan...leave them alone... + 1 I ride the mower over 'em and leave the free mulch were it lay. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Catfish Posted November 28, 2006 Share Posted November 28, 2006 rake them up, put them in a big garbage can, and then run your weed eater through the leaves until they're all chopped up. Viola, compost! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
George Posted November 28, 2006 Share Posted November 28, 2006 You need Evergreens! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Adam B Posted November 28, 2006 Share Posted November 28, 2006 mulching lawn mower with a bagger then dump on a compost pile, done with little effort expended! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lynn jones Posted November 28, 2006 Share Posted November 28, 2006 blow them to the yard next door, they're probably their's anyway. lynn Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
XRe Posted November 28, 2006 Share Posted November 28, 2006 I have a blower that can also act like a mulching vaccum. Blow the leaves into piles, flip the attachments around, then suck them up and mulch at the same time... Much easier on the back and hands... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Micah Posted November 28, 2006 Share Posted November 28, 2006 blow them to the yard next door, they're probably their's anyway.lynn +1. It's only common courtesy to return to them what is theirs Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TBF Posted November 28, 2006 Share Posted November 28, 2006 Mulching mower = free top dressing for your lawn . Use a rake or blower to disperse the big piles for more even coverage . No bags , no dumping , no disposal , free organic top dressing . Travis F. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lcs Posted November 28, 2006 Share Posted November 28, 2006 I think this is my 3rd time around raking leaves from the front and back yards this season so far.It seems like such a huge waste of time. There has to be a better/faster/more efficient way. You folks got any tips (besides burning them -- lung condition, and plunking down some serious $$ for a riding lawn mower and a tow behind vacuum doo-hickey. I mean that is $ I could spend on a gun or ammo...err..I mean Christmas presents.) The running them over with the push mower and chopping them into tiny bits kinda works, but still not as good as raking. Thanks Chills (in the metro St. L area) I feel your pain!!! My whole block has trees. I just finished my last lawn cleanup. I use a blower to create big piles, then put piles on a big green tarp and haul to curb for pickup. So far, three 30\\\' long and 4\\\' high curb side piles. Oh, don\\\'t forget the FUN of getting on the roof four times to blow out all the gutters. Suggestion for better system--Hurricane at end of leaf season? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chills1994 Posted November 28, 2006 Author Share Posted November 28, 2006 I have been kicking around the idea of leaves as a fuel source. When I was at SIUE, I saw that they had a big vacuum truck w/ a boom to suck up leaves and keep the campus clean. Theoretically, if the infrastructure was in place, several of these big vacuum trucks could suck the leaves off your front lawn and your neighbors', and chop them up into little bits. Then these little bits could be shipped off to a coal burning power plant. Some of these plants already burn chopped up old tires and contaminated dirt. My interest in this idea increased a few weeks ago when I read an advertisement for a wood burner that would burn corn cobs. "Hey, what a neat idea. Take something that is usually waste and turn it into fuel." Of course, there are some drawbacks. I'm not all up on thermo, but I suppose that the amount of BTU's per ton of chopped of leaves is probably not all that great, when compared to coal, anyway. So that might not make it worthwhile to buy trucks and provide the labor and driver to vacuum your lawn clean. Then there is the smoke. I guess that with the right mechanicals in place we could have "clean leaf" technology. Then there would be the drying of the leaves. I have to wonder just how "powerful" chopped leaves injected into a boiler could be. I know what it is like to throw sawdust into the flames. That's quite impressive. In fact, it can be quite explosive too, just like at a flour or grain mill/elevator or coal dust. KABOOM! Thanks catfish for your tip about the weedeater in the trashcan thing. I'll have to give that a try. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lynn jones Posted November 28, 2006 Share Posted November 28, 2006 not like this: http://www.break.com/index/flaming_tennis_...nto_leaves.html Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Matt Cheely Posted November 28, 2006 Share Posted November 28, 2006 not like this:http://www.break.com/index/flaming_tennis_...nto_leaves.html That's awesome Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chills1994 Posted November 29, 2006 Author Share Posted November 29, 2006 That was funny, too! I tried the weedeater in the trashcan full of leaves thing. It kinda worked, but the dang weedeater kept breaking off it's string. Then around here if you don't have the proper and labeled "yard waste" trash cans then your leaves have to go in those brown paper bags. So getting the chopped up leaves into the brown paper bags was another fun step to add to the process. I've got 12 bags out on the curb now. I'll probably use up 5 more before sunset (1hr and 45 minutes from now). Nothing like using a rake and a snow shovel to fill those blasted bags. Arrgghhh!!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JFD Posted November 29, 2006 Share Posted November 29, 2006 I sometimes use a sweeper behind my riding mower if the leaves aren't too bad. If I have the time I'll also use a blower and just blow them in the woods next to, and in front of my house. Most of the time I just mulch them with the riding mower. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
et45 Posted November 29, 2006 Share Posted November 29, 2006 Cut the damn trees down Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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