Ok so I seen you had a garden, mow the grass when it is a little high (my excuse) and wait a day, run your sweeper over the grass the next day when it is dry. Now take the dry grass and spread it around your vegetable plants several inches deep enough to keep the weeds from coming through. Yes it a pain in the back but it works. I have done this for several years now and it works great. No tilling if you have enough grass.
Just a heads up I noticed the fabric flapping when you were driving, there is a sleeve for the center horizontal rod, it slides through the mesh fabric. Maybe that's the way you wanted it, not sure but I just thought I'd share that! I just bought one and can't wait to use it. It was $100 cheaper than a bagger for the mower.
Mine was delivered a few days ago. I assembled it, and tried it out for the first time yesterday. Some observations: *It was fairly easy to assemble. The constructions seems pretty rugged. * Like the reviewer said, the wheels are geared to the brush, so the brush spins faster than the wheels rotate. With a faster spinning brush, it is able to kick the leaves, clippings, etc. into the back of the hopper. BUT: with the gearing, the wheels rotate with difficulty--they do not spin freely as they would on a cart or wagon. Thus, the wheels on mine sometimes would stop spinning and I would be dragging the sweeper behind me over the lawn. I think part of the problem was my lawn and the leaves were a little wet, so there was insufficient friction to turn the wheels. * There is no way to turn off the brush from rotating, when the hopper is full and you have to pull it to wherever you are dumping the contents. Thus, on your way to the dump site, the brush keeps spinning and you keep on pick stuff up. You have to time your dumps so that the hopper isn't quite full when to head out to dump it. * I was sweeping leaves in the fall (Nov.) and some of the areas of my lawn were spread pretty thick. Thus the hopper filled up almost immediately, and it was time to dump. I spent more time traveling back and forth between the dump site than actually sweeping. I ended up just raking the heavier carpets of leaves into a tarp and dragging them off. That was quicker. The sweeper is more helpful, I believe. in sweeping up light coverings of leaves and grass clippings. *Bottom line, I'm not sure if I'm going to keep it. It takes up a considerable amount of space in my shed, and it is only useful on light coverings of leaves (that's what I intended to use it for, leaves. I don't care about grass clippings). Despite the initial investment, I may put it on Craigslist and sell it.
Keep it, .. but change the way you think about leaves. Let me explain. I have mastered leaf pick up so let me share my method. As you can see in my included video below, .. I cut the leaves in a circle first. Yes I cut them into an almost powder. First step. When the weather cools down in the autumn cut the grass short in preparation of leaf pick up. Second step, after leaves drop mow the lawn with the tallest height setting on the mower so as to cut the leaves NOT the grass. Do not use the bagging system. Circle the lawn shooting leaves to an inner circle. You are going to mow over the leaves at least 6 times. Every pass will cut the leave in half. The pieces get smaller and smaller. If you find the leaves are building up too high on the inner circle simply reverse direction shooting the leaves back to the outer circle. Run over the leaves multiple times shooting them inward then outward. Look at all the leaves in the beginning of my video. The leaves seem to disappear. When I’m done I attach the bagger chute picking up the leaves. Most of the leaves remain in tiny pieces in the lawn for winter composting into the lawn. They will compost nicely because it’s almost a powder on the grass. Very small pieces will fall into the grass composting over the winter and early spring while your sweeper or bagging system picks up the bulky stuff. Notice in the video below I never got off my lawn mower. I ran the leaves over and over as they disappear. Most of the leaves disappeared into the lawn then at :19 I put on the shoot and bagging system to make the pick up of the bulky areas. I only needed one bag for all those leaves. ruclips.net/video/Zg0cq3JsYdI/видео.html
_I have a lawn customer way in the boonies that I mow about every month only the parts that he wants to manage and I stumbled upon this same sweeper in his backyard in immaculate condition. He said _*_"I'm retired and really have no use for it anymore you have better use for it, so you mow another quarter acre out in the backyard you can have it."_*_ Of course I said DEAL! I missed out on potentially an extra $25 of mowing but I scored on a $400 dollar lawn sweeper that'll pay itself off all i had to do was add a little string to pull when i dump because it got cut off🙏_
Think I might just buy one for the same reason as the comment below 😉... Repowered my old Wheel Horse C160 with a Predator 670 engine and look for almost any excuse to fire it up 😆
Ohio Steel hopper bags are very thin and flimsy and easy to rip and tear. Many Ohio Steel customers complain that the hopper bag even rips and tears when they try to install it on the hopper frame. I've had my Ohio Steel 50 inch sweeper for about 5 years and have had to replace the hopper bag twice. Very expensive and very frustrating. Ohio Steel have known of customer dissatisfaction with their flimsy hopper bags for years but have never taken any action to redesign the bag with heavier, more durable material. I refuse to reward Ohio Steel by buying yet another hopper bag. So I intend to replace it with a brand new Agri-Fab 52 inch sweeper. The bag is made of much more durable material.
Thanks for the information. My bag still seems good. If it were to fail I'll probably either make one out of canvas or have someone in the Amish community make one.
How are your bushings? Has its axle held up? My brand is different and I've broken the axle twice where the bristle screws go through. I was told not to make such tight turns as this causes too much torsion on the axle when one wheel is rotating significantly slower than the outer wheel. I have Yard Commander - piece of junk. Everything has failed at one time and it hasn't been 4 years since buying.
My experience is probably not going to be a good example. I've only been using it a few times a year to use the grass clippings as mulch on my garden. So it really doesn't get used a lot. The canvas has started to fade and I have a few tears, but it also sits outside. Other than that, it still seems to be holding up. My guess is they are all probably made very similar and probably all have similar issues.
how do You ajust the brush height is the rod in the middle of the Town hitch with the pin the hieght ajustar and can You put a dethatcher attachment on it as well thanks
Do you think this could pick up horse manure? I need something easier to clean up after the horses in the pasture. There is a paddock blade from Australia, but it’s not available in the US yet.
Yes. The lighter twigs it will, but bigger and longer than 3 feet and you might mess up your brush. I have this exact model. It picks up rocks when going across driveways too. But it doesn't spin if you back up, so backing over your driveway might be the easiest/fastest way.
@@1D10CRACY there is a video on youtube about installing a "linear actuator" that will let you raise and lower the height while sweeping. I'm going to install one on mine so that it'll raise high enough to be OVER the grass while going to dump, etc.
Still using it, it seems to work well. I usually let the clippings lay for a few days and dry out in the sun, then sweep them up and use them as mulch in the garden. So far I'm happy with it!
Mine has the adjusters on the side. During assembly one of the stud style bolts "just fell off". Rear weld failed holding the stud in place on the adjustment bar. Did not bother contacting the company. I'll drill new hole and thread it and fix it that way. Not waiting around for them to decide how when where they are going to fix it for me. Assembled in Vietnam by ZERO skilled labor. Hay Ohi steel ever heard of made in America? Oh that might lessen the CEO's million $$ paycheck. I suggest you find and buy a sweeper that is made in the USA if possible. Wish I would have.
Only wide turns for a lawn sweeper as the wheels are joined by an axle that rotates at the same speed for both wheels (ie no differential like you'd find on a car.) The torsion on the axle when one wheel is not rotating as quickly as the outer wheel results in a broken axle.
With my use of the sweeper I have to run over the lawn a second time, so almost double the time. I've never used a bagging system so can't really comment. I'm sure there are some drawbacks to a bagging system. Certainly emptying the sweeper is easy so there's that.
Those sweepers look so fun, i like anything that gives me an excuse to drive the tractor around 🤣.
Thanks! I AM going to purchase one for my Farm! Great video!!😀
Ok so I seen you had a garden, mow the grass when it is a little high (my excuse) and wait a day, run your sweeper over the grass the next day when it is dry. Now take the dry grass and spread it around your vegetable plants several inches deep enough to keep the weeds from coming through. Yes it a pain in the back but it works. I have done this for several years now and it works great. No tilling if you have enough grass.
Joe, this has been working GREAT BTW! I just wait a few days till it turns brown, collect it up and put it on the garden! Its been working awesome!
Just a heads up I noticed the fabric flapping when you were driving, there is a sleeve for the center horizontal rod, it slides through the mesh fabric. Maybe that's the way you wanted it, not sure but I just thought I'd share that! I just bought one and can't wait to use it. It was $100 cheaper than a bagger for the mower.
Best money I ever spent, picks up my pinecones and straw without any problem
This the one I wanted, but got the 42 because tractor supply was out of the big ones. The 42 inch I have works well.
Mine was delivered a few days ago. I assembled it, and tried it out for the first time yesterday. Some observations:
*It was fairly easy to assemble. The constructions seems pretty rugged.
* Like the reviewer said, the wheels are geared to the brush, so the brush spins faster than the wheels rotate. With a faster spinning brush, it is able to kick the leaves, clippings, etc. into the back of the hopper. BUT: with the gearing, the wheels rotate with difficulty--they do not spin freely as they would on a cart or wagon. Thus, the wheels on mine sometimes would stop spinning and I would be dragging the sweeper behind me over the lawn. I think part of the problem was my lawn and the leaves were a little wet, so there was insufficient friction to turn the wheels.
* There is no way to turn off the brush from rotating, when the hopper is full and you have to pull it to wherever you are dumping the contents. Thus, on your way to the dump site, the brush keeps spinning and you keep on pick stuff up. You have to time your dumps so that the hopper isn't quite full when to head out to dump it.
* I was sweeping leaves in the fall (Nov.) and some of the areas of my lawn were spread pretty thick. Thus the hopper filled up almost immediately, and it was time to dump. I spent more time traveling back and forth between the dump site than actually sweeping. I ended up just raking the heavier carpets of leaves into a tarp and dragging them off. That was quicker. The sweeper is more helpful, I believe. in sweeping up light coverings of leaves and grass clippings.
*Bottom line, I'm not sure if I'm going to keep it. It takes up a considerable amount of space in my shed, and it is only useful on light coverings of leaves (that's what I intended to use it for, leaves. I don't care about grass clippings). Despite the initial investment, I may put it on Craigslist and sell it.
Keep it, .. but change the way you think about leaves. Let me explain.
I have mastered leaf pick up so let me share my method.
As you can see in my included video below, .. I cut the leaves in a circle first. Yes I cut them into an almost powder.
First step. When the weather cools down in the autumn cut the grass short in preparation of leaf pick up.
Second step, after leaves drop mow the lawn with the tallest height setting on the mower so as to cut the leaves NOT the grass.
Do not use the bagging system.
Circle the lawn shooting leaves to an inner circle.
You are going to mow over the leaves at least 6 times.
Every pass will cut the leave in half. The pieces get smaller and smaller.
If you find the leaves are building up too high on the inner circle simply reverse direction shooting the leaves back to the outer circle.
Run over the leaves multiple times shooting them inward then outward.
Look at all the leaves in the beginning of my video.
The leaves seem to disappear.
When I’m done I attach the bagger chute picking up the leaves. Most of the leaves remain in tiny pieces in the lawn for winter composting into the lawn. They will compost nicely because it’s almost a powder on the grass.
Very small pieces will fall into the grass composting over the winter and early spring while your sweeper or bagging system picks up the bulky stuff.
Notice in the video below I never got off my lawn mower. I ran the leaves over and over as they disappear.
Most of the leaves disappeared into the lawn then at :19 I put on the shoot and bagging system to make the pick up of the bulky areas.
I only needed one bag for all those leaves.
ruclips.net/video/Zg0cq3JsYdI/видео.html
That is really nice! My chute is always getting clogged with wet or tall grass! Thanks!!!!!!!!!!
Love the video and your "radio voice." 👍
Thank you for this great review!
Very helpful. Thank you.
_I have a lawn customer way in the boonies that I mow about every month only the parts that he wants to manage and I stumbled upon this same sweeper in his backyard in immaculate condition. He said _*_"I'm retired and really have no use for it anymore you have better use for it, so you mow another quarter acre out in the backyard you can have it."_*_ Of course I said DEAL! I missed out on potentially an extra $25 of mowing but I scored on a $400 dollar lawn sweeper that'll pay itself off all i had to do was add a little string to pull when i dump because it got cut off🙏_
Think I might just buy one for the same reason as the comment below 😉... Repowered my old Wheel Horse C160 with a Predator 670 engine and look for almost any excuse to fire it up 😆
Very good review. It’s pro grade as well!!
Ohio Steel hopper bags are very thin and flimsy and easy to rip and tear. Many Ohio Steel customers complain that the hopper bag even rips and tears when they try to install it on the hopper frame. I've had my Ohio Steel 50 inch sweeper for about 5 years and have had to replace the hopper bag twice. Very expensive and very frustrating. Ohio Steel have known of customer dissatisfaction with their flimsy hopper bags for years but have never taken any action to redesign the bag with heavier, more durable material. I refuse to reward Ohio Steel by buying yet another hopper bag. So I intend to replace it with a brand new Agri-Fab 52 inch sweeper. The bag is made of much more durable material.
Thanks for the information. My bag still seems good. If it were to fail I'll probably either make one out of canvas or have someone in the Amish community make one.
Does a good job.
How are your bushings? Has its axle held up? My brand is different and I've broken the axle twice where the bristle screws go through. I was told not to make such tight turns as this causes too much torsion on the axle when one wheel is rotating significantly slower than the outer wheel. I have Yard Commander - piece of junk. Everything has failed at one time and it hasn't been 4 years since buying.
My experience is probably not going to be a good example. I've only been using it a few times a year to use the grass clippings as mulch on my garden. So it really doesn't get used a lot. The canvas has started to fade and I have a few tears, but it also sits outside. Other than that, it still seems to be holding up. My guess is they are all probably made very similar and probably all have similar issues.
@@1D10CRACY Thanks, I would love an update in a year or two.
That's a cub 154 lo-boy I do believe
It's either the 154 or the 185, I don't remember what one I was using that day, I have both.
how do You ajust the brush height is the rod in the middle of the Town hitch with the pin the hieght ajustar and can You put a dethatcher attachment on it as well thanks
Do you think this could pick up horse manure? I need something easier to clean up after the horses in the pasture. There is a paddock blade from Australia, but it’s not available in the US yet.
I don't think it will. The brushes are too soft.
Will this unit pick up twigs that continually fall off trees and if so, how thick and how long?
Yes. The lighter twigs it will, but bigger and longer than 3 feet and you might mess up your brush. I have this exact model. It picks up rocks when going across driveways too. But it doesn't spin if you back up, so backing over your driveway might be the easiest/fastest way.
To me sweepers are better than baggers. Bagging creates so much dust. Baggers also bag topsoil.
Do you sweep while you're mowing or after?
After. My tractor blows the grass pretty far and even offsetting the sweeper isn't really good enough.
Question... Does it have a transport mode where you can pull it without the brushes turning?
I don't believe it does, though I may be mistaken. I bet you can find a manual with a little online digging though!
@@1D10CRACY there is a video on youtube about installing a "linear actuator" that will let you raise and lower the height while sweeping. I'm going to install one on mine so that it'll raise high enough to be OVER the grass while going to dump, etc.
What’s your thoughts on it now
Still using it, it seems to work well. I usually let the clippings lay for a few days and dry out in the sun, then sweep them up and use them as mulch in the garden. So far I'm happy with it!
Mine has the adjusters on the side. During assembly one of the stud style bolts "just fell off". Rear weld failed holding the stud in place on the adjustment bar. Did not bother contacting the company. I'll drill new hole and thread it and fix it that way. Not waiting around for them to decide how when where they are going to fix it for me. Assembled in Vietnam by ZERO skilled labor. Hay Ohi steel ever heard of made in America? Oh that might lessen the CEO's million $$ paycheck. I suggest you find and buy a sweeper that is made in the USA if possible. Wish I would have.
I bought one but everytime I turned the wheels dug into my yard I returned it
Only wide turns for a lawn sweeper as the wheels are joined by an axle that rotates at the same speed for both wheels (ie no differential like you'd find on a car.) The torsion on the axle when one wheel is not rotating as quickly as the outer wheel results in a broken axle.
Do you think the lawn sweeper is better than a bagging, like 2 or 3 bag's, system ? Good review. Thanks
With my use of the sweeper I have to run over the lawn a second time, so almost double the time. I've never used a bagging system so can't really comment. I'm sure there are some drawbacks to a bagging system. Certainly emptying the sweeper is easy so there's that.
@@IsItTrueThat thank you
tickling the lawn is also good for it.