Trailer Collects Leaves And Grass Clippings

Trailer Collects Leaves And Grass Clippings WAGONS/TRAILERS Miscellaneous 23-6-34 I operate a small welding and repair service and recently built a trailer for a friend to collect leaves and grass clippings from his 17-acre farmstead, which is heavily wooded. The trailer is towed behind a Deere riding mower. A leaf blower, powered by a 5 hp pull-start gas engine, attaches to the back of the tractor. An 8-in. dia. flex hose runs from the mower deck to the blower and then back to the trailer. The blower vacuums leaves and grass from the deck and blows them back into I used sq. tubing to make a subframe for the trailer and mounted a 4 by 24-in. hydraulic cylinder on it. The cylinder is powered off the hydraulics that operate the snowplow attachment on front of the riding mower. The box measures 8 ft. long, 5 ft. wide, and 4 ft. high and has plywood sides so it's very lightweight. A metal screen across the tailgate allows exhaust air to escape yet still catches the leaf particles. My friend had been raking or blowing leaves into piles and then shoving them into the trailer by hand. When raking leaves by hand he hauled away about 50 loads of leaves every year. The mower deck and blower turn the leaves into dust and condense them so much that now he has to haul only about five or six loads. He's gone through leaves 6 to 8 in. deep with no problem, and when he was done the lawn looked like he had ran over it with a vacuum cleaner. The only time he has to get off the mower is when he's ready to dump the load. He simply unhooks the hose and opens the tailgate. This has been a big labor saver for the owner and I thought your readers might be interested. I could build more trailers if there's interest. (Ray Baker, 2537 St. Rt. 7295, Sabina, Ohio 45169 ph 937 584-4043)

To read the rest of this story, download this issue below or click here to register with your account number.