Fall is in full effect, and with it, leaves are stacking up, which makes getting rid of them a priority before the first snow falls. There are many ways to get rid of them, but some are time-consuming or back-breaking. For instance, using a rake to get all of the leaves can take a long time, especially if you have a large tree or several trees. One small tree is no big deal, but the heavy duty leaves need more time and effort. Raking them in a pile and then jumping in it can be fun-until it’s time to actually shovel them into bags. Also, if it takes a few hours to do this on a Saturday, the next time the wind blows, more fall to the ground, and you will end up doing it all over again. This takes a lot of time and effort, and is just a pain.
Leaf blowers have become quite popular, and although he won’t have to rake them up, they will still just move leaves to a different location so you still have to pick them up. Using the mulcher and bag setting on push mowers will work, but you have to dump the bag out every couple of feet because the bag would reach its capacity, still taking more time. If you really want to he-man it, you can pick them up by hand, but that would take forever and would probably require a trip to the chiropractor.
Using a dedicated leaf cleaning machine would be a better alternative. Some advantages to having a system like this for leaf collection include being able to attach a leaf vacuum to the back of a riding lawn mower that then sucks up the leaves in one fell swoop. It gives you control over weeds and overgrown fields, and who wouldn’t want that, plus it gathers pinecones, something that a regular push mower or leaf blower could not pick up. This vacuum condenses leaves into a fine mulch. Using a power unloader such as a snowblower is ideal since it disposes of the leaf debris in places that are hard to get to. Optional bagging of debris and increased efficiency will make the chore much easier.
Fall is a beautiful time of year, and having a yard full of trees can be visually appealing. Still, the amount of leaves that collect on your yard is also a problem, but using a leaf collection system will ensure getting the job done quickly and with less effort, so you can enjoy the wonderful colors of fall.
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Phil Bosco is a part of an elite team of writers who have contributed to hundreds of blogs and news sites. Follow him @philthomastalk.