Lawn Vacuum Shreds, Collects Leaves At Same Time
Machines are increasingly taking over the job of cleaning up autumn leaves and other lawn debris.
Wheeled lawn vacuums are the latest addition to the arsenal of gasoline-powered and electrical devices for lawn, driveway and parking-lot cleanup. Leaves, twigs and small branches are drawn into the vacuum, shredded by a mechanism in the body of the machine, and tossed into a collection bag. Top-performing lawn vacs reduce the volume of leaves to 1/12 of their original volume. The shredded leaves can be used for mulch, compost or bagged for disposal.
Some lawn vacs are combined with chippers that can also chop up sizable branches and convert them to mulch, and some models can also be used as blowers.
Lawn vacs range in price from about $350 for a 3-1/2-horsepower Lazy-Boy to $1,500 or more for an 8-horsepower Troy-Bilt or Simplicity.
Lawn vacs, some of which make noise as loud as 99 decibels (a chainsaw produces about 120 decibels), do little to relieve the general noisiness of powered lawn-care tools. They do appear to be a big step up in efficiency from ordinary leaf blowers, which simply put leaves in a pile or row.
Some points to consider when shopping for a lawn vac:
Some cheaper models don’t have self-propelled rear wheels, meaning the operator must push to keep the machine moving. With a self-propelled machine, the operator simply walks along behind and guides.
In general, higher engine horsepower means more efficient shredding and chipping and easier propulsion for self-propelled machines.
Wider vacuum width means fewer passes need to be taken. The widest model I know about is a 26-inch, 9-horsepower chipper-vac by Sears Craftsman. Small vacs clear a path only about 20 inches wide but are more practical for smaller lawns and more maneuverable around shrubs and trees.
Some chipper-vacs are very bulky. Make sure you have space to store the machine during the off-season.
Check the construction and size of the bag to determine if it is easy to empty. Larger bags hold up to four bushels of shredded leaves.
An ordinary push-type or rider
lawn mower can also be a big help in leaf cleanup. The mower can serve as a combination shredder and blower to move leaves into piles for easier raking and bagging.
Here’s how to use a mower for leaf collection: Position the mower on the outside edge of the lawn, with the discharge chute pointing toward the center of the lawn. Start the mower engine and run the mower around the outer perimeter of the lawn, then move in increasingly tighter loops. Shredded leaves will spew out the discharge chute and the mower will keep moving them toward the center. You’ll have a pile of partially shredded leaves in the center and the rest of the lawn will be clean.
This system works best if leaves are cleaned up periodically, before the leaf mat gets too thick.